The 7 Best Laptop Brands - Black Friday 2024

Acer, a Taiwanese company, was founded in 1976 as Multitech and later renamed Acer in 1987. Despite its long-term reputation for making affordable, budget laptops, the company currently has one of the widest selections of models, with multiple laptop lineups like the productivity-focused Aspire and Swift, the gaming Nitro and Predator lines, the creation-geared Concept line-up, and more. Acer is also one of the biggest Chromebook manufacturers, producing popular models like the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (2020), and is also among the first to produce gaming Chromebooks like the Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022).

The best Acer laptop we've tested is the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024). This thin and light model is a great option for anyone needing a simple device for media consumption and general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing. It feels well built for the price, and since it's a 2-in-1 convertible, you can flip the screen around and use it as a tablet. The display looks sharp and gets bright enough to combat glare in most indoor settings; it also supports pen input, though there isn't a stylus included in the box, nor is there a place to store it for transport. Above the display is a great 1440p webcam with a physical privacy cover.

The keyboard feels spacious and tactile, and it's arguably one of the best keyboards you can find on a Chromebook. As for the touchpad, it's on the smaller side but responsive to all movements and gestures. The port selection is decent; you get two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, a USB-A, and an HDMI. This laptop is available with various Intel Core Ultra CPUs with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but know that at the time of writing, only the base Core Ultra 5 model (with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage) is widely available, so you'll have to wait a bit if you want a more powerful configuration. Battery life is great at around 10 hours of light use—you can charge the laptop via USB-C.

Apple is one of the most recognizable electronics companies in the world. Apple products have become synonymous with exceptional build quality, and the company is well-known for its amazing customer support. Since 2020, Apple has been producing its own ARM-based M-series processors for their MacBooks instead of relying on Intel chips. This change has made MacBooks among the most powerful and power-efficient laptops on the market. Another advantage of MacBooks is their integration with other products in Apple's ecosystem, supporting features like Continuity Camera, Airdrop, Handoff, etc. Gaming isn't great on MacBooks due to the lack of compatible games and Apple displays' slow response time; however, there's some progress, as Apple has released a tool that'll help developers create a macOS version of their games.

The best Apple laptop we've tested is the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023). This premium mobile workstation has almost everything you'd want on a laptop: a sturdy build, a thin and light design, plenty of processing power, and a long battery life. It has a sharp 120hz Mini LED display, a comfortable keyboard, an easy-to-use haptic touchpad, and tons of ports. What's new in this generation of the MacBook Pro 14 is the base M3 configuration, which can be a great option if you don't need the Pro/Max chips' processing power but still want the 'Pro' features, like the display and up-firing speakers. The larger Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is also a good choice if you want more screen space; just expect to pay more.

Although the MacBook Pro 14 is an amazing device, the most popular model in Apple's lineup is the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024). While this ultraportable is better suited for those with a lighter workload, like web browsing, text processing, and video playback, its base M3 SoC can still handle more demanding tasks like video editing, though you'll have to wait longer for videos to render. The IPS display also looks great, although not as good as the Mini LED on the Pro model, and you'll get the same spacious keyboard and haptic touchpad. There's also the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) if you want more screen space and better-sounding speakers, but this model costs more.

See our recommendations for the best Apple laptops.

Founded in 1989 by four members who had worked at Acer, ASUS, also known as ASUSTek, is one of the largest laptop manufacturers in the world. It's also one of the best gaming laptop brands and often sponsors Esports events and players. ASUS makes a wide range of laptops, including ultraportables, mobile workstations, gaming laptops, and Chromebooks. ASUS often experiments with new form factors and features, like dual-screen laptops, touchpads with an integrated numpad, a customizable dial (like the ASUS ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED (2021), and 2-in-1 gaming tablets like the ASUS ROG Flow Z13.

The best ASUS laptop we've tested is the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024), a 14-inch ultraportable with a gorgeous OLED display. It's available with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, which are fast enough to handle general productivity tasks and more demanding workloads like photo editing and programming. These new chips sport additional low-power cores to improve battery life as well as an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) to handle AI-based tasks, like background blurring during video calls and some functions in photo editing apps. It has a great keyboard, a large touchpad, and numerous ports, including two Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI. The display supports touch and pen input, though you may have to buy the stylus separately.

For gaming, we recommend the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024). Available with an AMD Ryzen 7 or 9 CPU paired with an NVIDIA discrete GPU (up to an RTX 4070), this 14-inch model provides smooth gameplay at 1080p or 1440p. It has a beautiful 120Hz 2.8k OLED display with a fast response time and G-SYNC support, a tactile keyboard, and one of the best speaker systems on a Windows machine. You get Wi-Fi 6E, a facial recognition camera, and a wide port selection with two USB-As, two USB-Cs, and an HDMI 2.1. The overall user experience is great; just bear in mind that the OLED display's 120Hz flicker may bother those sensitive to PWM flickering.

Dell is an American company founded in 1984 by Michael Dell. The company makes desktops, laptops, workstations, monitors, and a wide range of computer peripherals. It's one of the largest laptop manufacturers, with well-known brands like XPS, Precision, Latitude, and Inspiron. In 2006, Dell acquired Alienware, which is now considered one of the best gaming laptop brands on the market. High-end Dell laptops like the XPS, Precision, and Alienware models often have unique designs that stand out among the crowd and generally provide a great user experience. A common criticism of Dell is its use of proprietary parts, which make repairs and upgrades challenging for the average user.

Our top Dell laptop pick is the Dell XPS 16 (2024). This premium 16-inch model feels incredibly well-built. It's available with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs (up to a Core Ultra 9) paired with integrated graphics or an NVIDIA RTX 40-series GPU (up to a 4070), giving you plenty of processing power to tackle demanding tasks. You can choose between an FHD+ IPS or a 4k+ OLED display; we recommend the latter for color-critical work, as it has full DCI P3 coverage. The overall user experience is good, though it may take some time to get used to the invisible touchpad, capacitive function row, and edge-to-edge keys.

The Dell Alienware m18 R2 (2024) is our best Dell gaming pick. Configurable with high-performance Intel 14th Gen CPUs and NVIDIA discrete GPUs, this 18-inch model delivers incredibly smooth gameplay in the most demanding games. Display options include a 480Hz FHD+ and a 165Hz QHD+ display; both support G-SYNC. Like its predecessor, the Dell Alienware m18 (2023), you can get the laptop with a mechanical keyboard, sporting ultra low-profile CherryMX switches. The RAM and storage are user-replaceable, so you can upgrade or add more later. As for downsides, it's bulky and heavy, and its battery lasts about an hour when gaming. Also, the fans get pretty loud.

See our best Dell laptop recommendations.

HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American company founded in 1939. As one of the oldest tech companies in the world, HP has produced a wide range of products, including calculators, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, scanners, printers, desktop computers, and laptops. It's currently among the top three laptop manufacturers in market share. Its varied laptop lineup includes popular brands like ENVY, Spectre, Pavilion, EliteBook, ZBook, Victus, and OMEN. HP also makes many Chromebooks, offering both budget-friendly and premium models like the HP Chromebook 14 (2021) and the recent HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook.

The best HP laptop we've tested is the HP Spectre x 360 14 (2024), a premium 2-in-1 convertible designed for general productivity. It has a nice OLED display with stylus support, a great keyboard and touchpad, and an amazing 4k webcam. Its Intel Meteor Lake CPU can easily handle tasks like web browsing, text processing, spreadsheets, and even more demanding workloads like programming and photo editing. Thermal throttling is minimal despite its thin and compact design, and the laptop doesn't get hot or loud. You get a fingerprint sensor and a facial recognition camera for quick logins.

We recommend the HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024) if you want an HP gaming laptop. This 14-inch model is a jack-of-all-trades gaming and content-creation laptop. It features Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and various NVIDIA GPUs, from an entry-level RTX 4050 to an 80W (TGP) RTX 4070. Its 120Hz 2.8K OLED display is bright and colorful; however, its response time is only decent, and there's no VRR support to reduce screen tearing. The keyboard feels great to type on, and there are many ports, including an HDMI 2.1 port that can output a 4K 120Hz signal. Battery life is short at a little over an hour of gaming, so you'll have to play with the laptop plugged in most of the time.

Lenovo is a Chinese company and one of the largest laptop manufacturers in the world. Lenovo's current laptop lineup is vast and includes popular brands like IdeaPad, Legion, Yoga, and ThinkBook. The company is often at the forefront of new technology and experiments with more unique form factors and features, like laptops with an e-ink display on the lid, dual-screen laptops, and ultrawide laptops with a 21:9 display. Lenovo's laptops are often among the best value models you can get, whether you're looking for a cheap Chromebook or a premium mobile workstation. A source of frustration with Lenovo is its tendency to give the same product multiple names, confusing the average consumer.

The best Lenovo laptop we've tested is the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 (2024), a 16-inch mobile workstation. It's configurable with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, up to a Core ultra 9 185H, and various NVIDIA GeForce and professional Ada Generation Laptop GPUs, giving you plenty of processing power to tackle demanding tasks. Display options include a 60Hz FHD+ IPS, a 165Hz QHD+ IPS, and a 60Hz 4k+ OLED panel—the latter has full DCI P3 coverage, making it suitable for color-critical work. You get a comfortable keyboard, a large haptic touchpad, an excellent 1440p webcam, and a wide port selection. In addition to Windows, you can also get this laptop installed with Ubuntu, Fedora, or Red Hat. 

Lenovo is no stranger to the gaming scene and produces some of the best gaming laptops on the market, like the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023). This 16-inch model is available with powerful AMD CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs, up to an RTX 4070 running at a TGP of 140W, so it has tons of processing power to provide a smooth gaming experience. You can get the laptop with a 165Hz or 240Hz QHD+ display; both have a fast response time and VRR support to reduce screen tearing. Unfortunately, the laptop is a little bulky, and its battery lasts an hour or so when gaming.

For more about the brand's laptops, check out our recommendations for the best Lenovo laptops.

Microsoft is well-known as the creator of the Windows operating system. Although it has made computer peripherals since the 1980s, its Surface line of personal computers is relatively young, with the first device released back in 2012. Microsoft has popularized the 2-in-1 tablet form factor with its Surface Pros, and it often makes devices with unique features, like the Surface Laptop's Alcantara-covered keyboard deck and the Surface Book's detachable display. Microsoft has a relatively small lineup, focusing almost solely on productivity and media consumption devices. Its laptops are usually well-built and provide a great user experience, but they're more expensive than similar models from other brands.

The best Microsoft laptop we've tested is the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024). After six generations of the Surface Laptop, Microsoft has finally given this latest model some sorely needed changes, including a more compact design with slimmer bezels, a brighter 120Hz display with full DCI P3 coverage, a haptic touchpad, a wider port selection, and a higher-resolution webcam. This model is also a huge departure from its predecessors, as it now sports an ARM-based SoC, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. This chip performs well and is incredibly efficient, resulting in a whopping 17-hour battery life in light uses. That said, not all programs will work or run properly on this new platform, so check that the apps you use are compatible first.

Another Microsoft device worth mentioning is the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition (2024). There are also changes on this model compared to older generations of the Surface Pros, including the adoption of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite SoCs, an OLED display option, a 1440p webcam, Wi-Fi 7, and a new type cover with a haptic touchpad. The latter is now Bluetooth-enabled, allowing you to use the type cover keyboard even when detached from the device. Unfortunately, the keyboard and stylus are still separate purchases, and they aren't exactly cheap, making this tablet PC very expensive with everything combined.