The 5 Best Windows Laptops - Black Friday 2024

The best Windows laptop we've tested is the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024). This 15-inch model feels incredibly well built and is easy to carry around, thanks to its compact design. The user experience is amazing, as it has a bright 120Hz display, a comfortable keyboard, and a large haptic touchpad. You get an outstanding webcam, so your colleagues can see and hear you clearly on video calls, and there's also a facial recognition IR camera for quick logins. Port selection is okay; you get one USB-A, two USB-Cs, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a MicroSD card reader, and a Surface Connect proprietary charging port. The latter attaches magnetically, similar to Apple's MagSafe, which will help prevent the laptop from getting pulled off a table should you trip on the cable. You can charge the laptop via USB-C, so you don't have to carry around the proprietary charger if you don't want to.

The 7th Edition Surface Laptop is a huge departure from its predecessors, as it now sports an ARM SoC, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. This chip is more than adequate to handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Plus, it's incredibly power-efficient, resulting in an exceptional 17-hour battery life in light uses. The caveat with the ARM chip is that many programs don't run natively on an ARM processor. You'll probably be fine if you can access everything through a web browser, but for more specialized third-party apps, it's best to check for compatibility first. The RAM is soldered, meaning it isn't user-replaceable, though the base model now comes with 16GB, which is likely enough for most people with a relatively light workload.

If you're looking for something a bit more affordable, check out the HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024), our best mid-range pick. Like the HP above, this is an ultraportable designed for light to moderately demanding productivity tasks, like text processing, web browsing, programming, and photo editing. However, it isn't a 2-in-1, so you can't use it as a tablet, and there's no pen input support either. It's available with Zen 4-based AMD Ryzen CPUs, up to a Ryzen 7 8840HS, 16GB of RAM (even on the base model), and up to 1TB of storage. Unfortunately, you can't get more than 16GB of memory or add more later since it isn't user-replaceable. The storage drive is upgradeable, though, as the laptop uses a standard M.2 2280 NVMe SSD.

As for the build quality and overall user experience, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Though compact and lightweight, this laptop has a cheap, hollow feel to it. Its aluminum and plastic chassis flexes noticeably, and the finish is prone to scratches. The keyboard feels spacious, albeit a tad fatiguing over an extended period, and the touchpad is responsive but doesn't always work properly when performing actions like dragging and dropping over a long distance. Thankfully, the available displays are good, as both the FHD+ and QHD+ look sharp and get bright enough for use in well-lit settings. You get a great port selection with four USBs and an HDMI 2.1, as well as a 1440p webcam with facial recognition support for quick logins. All in all, it's a good device if you don't mind a couple of compromises.

The best budget Windows laptop we've tested is the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). This 16-inch model is a reliable everyday laptop that's portable despite its larger screen and relatively sturdy, 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.

Although its display is large, the IPS panel looks slightly washed out and isn't bright enough to combat glare in well-lit settings. Also, the speakers sound boxy and unnatural, so this laptop doesn't provide you with the best multimedia experience.