The 8 Best Laptops of 2025

The best laptop we've tested is the M4 Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2024). This premium workstation has plenty of processing power to tackle nearly anything you throw at it. Its build quality is second to none; plus, its compact design and all-day battery life make it great for on-the-go use. The overall user experience is amazing; you get a sharp, color-accurate Mini LED display, a tactile keyboard, an easy-to-use haptic touchpad, and tons of ports. In addition to increased performance, there are a few other upgrades and new features in this M4 model, including a higher display brightness of 1000 cd/m² in SDR, an optional nano-texture display to further reduce glare, Thunderbolt 5 (Pro and Max), and a new 12MP webcam with Center Stage support. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2024) is also a good choice if you need more screen space and don't mind paying more. It's the same device but with better-sounding speakers.

On the Windows side, we recommend the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 (2024), also a premium workstation laptop that can handle intensive workloads. It has a large 16-inch display for multitasking, Lenovo's beloved keyboard and Trackpoint, and an excellent 1440p webcam. While its Intel Meteor Lake processors won't give you as much CPU processing power as a maxed-out MacBook Pro, you can get more raw GPU performance if you go with one of the higher-end GPUs, like the NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation 3000 or RTX 4070. Memory configuration maxes out at 64GB, though you can upgrade it yourself up to 96GB. At around 12 hours of light use, its battery life is great but not as impressive as the MacBook Pro's 15+ hours, and unfortunately, none of the available displays get as bright as the MacBook Pro's Mini LED panel.

If you only need a laptop for lighter, general productivity tasks, the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025) is the one to get. The design is the same as its M3 predecessor, so you're still getting a super premium laptop with a sturdy build, compact design, and all-day battery life. This 2025 model brings even more performance, a 12MP webcam with Center Stage support, and better external display support, allowing you to connect up to two 6k @ 60Hz monitors while still using the built-in screen. The display and port selection are the two major drawbacks compared to the MacBook Pro above; its Retina display has a lower peak brightness and contrast than the Pro's Mini LED panel, and its port selection comprises only two USB-Cs.

A great alternative for Windows users is the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition (2025). This 15-inch ultraportable provides an equally user experience as the MacBook Air, sporting a comfortable keyboard, a haptic touchpad, an excellent 1440p webcam, and full-sounding speakers. Its 120Hz OLED display is arguably better than the MacBook's Retina screen, as it gives you deeper blacks and better input responsiveness; just remember that the OLED flickers at 480Hz, which might bother some people. You also get more ports, Wi-Fi 7, and a longer battery life of around 15 hours in light uses. The main downside is that it's more expensive, with the base configuration starting a few hundred dollars more than the MacBook Air.

Our mid-range pick is the Acer Swift Go 14 (2024). This compact and lightweight ultraportable is a solid option if you want something cheaper that still provides a good user experience overall. It feels sturdily built for the price, exhibiting only a small amount of flex on the lid and keyboard deck. You get a spacious, albeit slightly mushy keyboard, a large and responsive touchpad, Wi-Fi 6E, a great 1080p webcam, and a wide port selection that includes two Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI. The battery lasts around 11 hours of light use, and you can charge it via USB-C, so there's no need to carry around a proprietary charger.

This model features Intel's Meteor Lake CPUs, which are powerful enough to handle tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations, as well as more demanding workloads like programming and simulation. You can get up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage; only the latter is user-replaceable, so ensure you get enough RAM for your needs upfront. Display options include an FHD+ IPS and a 2.8k OLED panel. Both look sharp and get bright enough for use in most indoor settings, but remember that the OLED is susceptible to permanent burn-in and will drain the battery faster. Also, unlike the IPS panel, the OLED flickers, which might bother people sensitive to screen flickering.

Note: At the time of writing, the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025) above is on sale, while the Swift Go 14 is at its regular price, making the MacBook Air a better value. It's hard to say how long the MacBook sale will last or when the Swift Go will go back on sale (it's on sale more than it's at its regular price), so just keep an eye on the prices.

The best budget laptop we've tested is the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). This 16-inch ultraportable feels well-built for the price, and it isn't overly bulky for a 16-inch device, so it's still easy to carry around. You can configure it with an AMD Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 CPU, which are more than adequate to handle productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and video playback. As for the RAM, it has 8GB soldered onto the motherboard and a SO-DIMM slot, so if you can't find a model with 16GB, you can always get an 8GB model and upgrade it yourself, which might be cheaper since RAM sticks are pretty affordable these days. Its battery life is okay at around eight hours of light use, so depending on your workload, you may have to plug it in for a quick charge.

This model delivers a pretty good user experience overall. It has a spacious full-size keyboard with a numpad, which is handy for those working with lots of numbers, as well as a large and responsive touchpad. You get Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, a fingerprint sensor for quick logins, and a decent port selection with three USB-As, a USB-C, and an HDMI. Unfortunately, the USB-C doesn't support video output, so you'll have to rely on the HDMI to connect an external display. Our main gripe with this laptop is the display. Its 1080p resolution looks reasonably sharp at this screen size; however, it's quite dim, so visibility may be an issue in well-lit rooms. It also looks a bit washed out due to its narrow color gamut.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023) is our best cheap laptop pick. This compact model is a great option if you only need a simple device for light productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback. The Core i3 configuration (paired with an FHD display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage) is regularly on sale through Lenovo for around $400 USD. The cheaper configurations with an Intel N100 or N200 CPU and/or 4GB of RAM are fine if you have an extremely light workload; just know that they'll get bogged down quickly when multitasking.

As for the display, avoid the 768p TN display and get a model with a 1080p, touch-sensitive IPS panel. Not only does it look sharper, but it also has better color reproduction. Unfortunately, the keyboard feels mushy, and the touchpad is small and sometimes unresponsive. Its 1080p webcam is excellent, though, which is surprising for a budget-friendly Chromebook. Its battery life is excellent; you can get around 13 hours from light use, and the laptop charges over USB-C, so there's no need to carry around a proprietary power adapter. Lastly, ensure you can do everything through a Chrome browser or Android app because Chrome OS is limited in the type of applications you can install.

If you like 2-in-1 tablet PCs with a detachable keyboard, check out the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition (2024). This new model's external design doesn't stray far from its predecessors. It's still a premium-feeling tablet with a sturdy, built-in kickstand, a comfortable type cover keyboard, and pen input support. The new Flex keyboard has a larger, easier-to-use haptic touchpad, and it's Bluetooth-enabled, so you can use the keyboard even when detached from the tablet, giving you more flexibility to position the device to your liking. You get Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, an outstanding 1440p front-facing webcam, a 10MP back-facing camera, and Windows Hello facial recognition for quick logins. Unfortunately, its port selection is still scant, with only two USB-Cs, and you must buy the keyboard and stylus separately.

One thing you should be aware of is that this device runs on an ARM-based Snapdragon SoC. This means some apps might not run or perform poorly through emulation, so make sure the apps you use are compatible. Battery life is pretty impressive for a tablet PC, lasting around 11 to 12 hours of light use. It's worth noting that the Snapdragon X Plus model comes with an IPS display, while the X Elite model comes with an OLED. The OLED display will give you deeper blacks; however, it exhibits what's commonly known as the 'screen door effect,' a grid-like pattern that some may find distracting. If this bothers you, it's best to go with the X Plus model, though you'll have to sacrifice a bit on performance.

For gamers on a tighter budget, we recommend the MSI Katana A15 AI (2024). This is a fairly standard, no-fuss model that delivers a pretty solid gaming experience at a wallet-friendly price. Configurable with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, it has no problem pushing high, consistent frame rates in intensive AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077. Display options include a 144Hz FHD and a 165Hz QHD panel; the latter will provide a better gaming experience thanks to its faster response time. It's also a better option for general media consumption, as media looks much more vibrant than on an FHD panel.

There are always compromises on budget models, and in this case, it's the build quality and overall user experience. This 15-inch model has a plastic chassis that exhibits a fair amount of flex in a few areas, which isn't a dealbreaker but doesn't exactly give users confidence in the overall quality of the laptop. Also, the hinges feel a bit loose, which can be worrisome since most people will open and close the laptop regularly. Another complaint is that it gets fairly hot and loud under load, with a hot spot right in the middle of the keyboard. Also, the lack of an Ethernet port might be disappointing to online gamers. There's Wi-Fi 6E onboard, though you'll have to ensure that your router also supports the same standard or Wi-Fi 7.