The 5 Best 15-16 Inch Laptops of 2025

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2024) is the best 16-inch laptop we've tested. This premium model can do practically everything from general productivity tasks like web browsing and text processing to the most intensive workloads imaginable, like simulations, content creation, and 3D graphics. At this point, most people already know what to expect regarding the user experience; simply put, it's amazing. It has a gorgeous 120Hz Mini LED display, the best-sounding speakers on the market, a tactile keyboard, and an almost comically large, incredibly easy-to-use haptic touchpad.

Upgrades on this M4 model include a brighter display peak brightness of 1000 cd/m² and an optional nano-texture finish; both help combat glare and improve visibility in very well-lit settings. A new 12 MP camera with Center Stage support keeps you centered in the frame when you move, and Thunderbolt 5 support allows for up to 120Gbps data transfer speeds. The one thing that Macs still struggle with is gaming, not because of the hardware but simply because there are far fewer games that run on macOS than Windows, and of those that do, only a handful have been optimized for Apple silicon.

For Windows users, we recommend the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 (2024), a premium workstation laptop. This model is configurable with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, up to a Core Ultra 9 185H, and various NVIDIA discrete GPUs, including GeForce and RTX Ada Generation models, giving you plenty of processing power to tackle demanding tasks. You can get up to 64GB of RAM and 8TB of storage, and unlike the MacBook Pro, these components are user-upgradeable. Multiple displays are available; just know that only the top-end 4k+ OLED panel has full DCI P3 coverage.

If you only need to perform light tasks like web browsing and text processing, get the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024), one of the best 15-inch laptops we've tested that runs Windows. This 7th generation Surface brings a fresh new design with thinner bezels and a few welcome upgrades, including a 120Hz display, a haptic touchpad, a higher resolution webcam, and a wider port selection. Its battery life is incredible, lasting up to 17 hours of light use on a single charge. Sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite SoC, the biggest concern is app compatibility, as most programs don't run natively on an ARM processor, so ensure that the apps you use have a native ARM version or run well enough through emulation to get your work done.

For Mac users, the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is the obvious choice, one of the best 15-inch laptops we've tested. This laptop is super thin for its size but still feels rigid and exceptionally well-built. It sports Apple's base M3 SoC, which is quite capable, but because this laptop has a fanless design, it isn't intended for highly intensive, sustained workloads. There isn't much to complain about the overall user experience, though it's somewhat disappointing that the display's refresh rate is limited to 60Hz, a downgrade from the Surface Laptop. Another gripe we have is its scant port selection, which comprises only two USB-Cs and a MagSafe charging port.

Our best mid-range pick is the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023), a 2-in-1 convertible. It's fairly portable for a 16-inch device, thanks to its thin and light design, and while it doesn't feel as premium as the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) above, it's still very sturdy, sporting an all-aluminum chassis. Its large display gives you plenty of room for split-screen multitasking, and since this is a 2-in-1, you can flip the screen and use it as a tablet. There's also pen input support, and the laptop comes with a stylus in the box. The keyboard feels comfortable to type on for extended periods and includes a Numpad, which is handy if you work with lots of numbers.

Port selection is excellent; you get two USB-As, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, an HDMI, and a MicroSD card reader. Biometrics include a fingerprint sensor and facial recognition camera. Spec-wise, it's available with Intel 13th Gen U- and P-series CPUs, which are plenty fast for general productivity tasks like web browsing, text processing, and video playback. The webcam is decent; the image looks relatively sharp but has an unnatural tint, and the microphone picks up some background noise. Finally, while the manufacturer has discontinued this laptop, you can still get it directly from Lenovo's website if you have trouble finding it elsewhere.

The best budget 16-inch laptop we've tested is the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). Although its display is large, the IPS panel looks slightly washed out and isn't bright enough to combat glare in well-lit settings, unlike the picks earlier in our list. Also, the speakers sound boxy and unnatural, so this laptop doesn't provide the best multimedia experience. Still, this is a reliable, portable everyday laptop despite its larger screen. It's also relatively sturdy and easy to service. Its AMD Ryzen CPUs are adequate for general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and web browsing. It also has a decent port selection that supports power delivery and fast charging over USB-C, but not video output or Thunderbolt 4. Its battery life is good enough to get through an eight-hour day with light use, but anything more intensive (including video playback) will require you to plug it in to charge.

Our best gaming laptop pick is the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024). With a 16-inch screen and a weight of 6.4 lbs, this is a pretty chunky laptop, but it delivers an amazing gaming experience. It sports Intel's top-end Raptor Lake CPU, the Core i9-14900HX, which you can pair with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, 4070, or 4080 Laptop GPU. Display options include a 165Hz FHD+ and a 240Hz QHD+ panel; both have a fast response time and G-SYNC support to produce a clear image in fast-moving scenes with minimal ghosting and screen tearing. ASUS only offers up to 32GB of RAM, but this laptop uses replaceable SO-DIMM sticks, so you can always add more later.

The chassis feels pretty sturdy despite being mostly plastic. You get a full-size keyboard with per-key RGB backlighting and tons of ports for peripherals and external displays, including a Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1. If you game online, you'd be happy to know that there's an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi 6E onboard to ensure a fast, reliable internet connection. Unfortunately, battery life is pretty bad, lasting only an hour or so when gaming, though that's fairly typical for gaming laptops with a powerful CPU and discrete GPU.