The best laptop 2023: top portable picks for all budgets

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REASONS TO BUY
REASONS TO AVOID
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REASONS TO BUY
REASONS TO AVOID

Looking for the best laptops in 2023? Then you've come to the right place. I've been reviewing laptops for over 15 years now, so I know a good laptop when I see one! And I can easily recommend the 13-inch MacBook Air (M2). In both its 13-inch – and 15-inch – versions, Apple’s thin and light laptop leads the pack thanks to a stylish and modern design, fantastic screen, brilliant performance and exceptional battery life. The 13-inch model is particularly good value as well, and it's had a few choice price cuts since the larger version launched.

Don't fancy a MacBook? Don't worry, we‘ve got plenty of other options, and have put every laptop on this page through a rigorous review process that looks at the build quality of each device, while running benchmarks that push them to their limits to see just how powerful the laptop is - and how long their batteries can last. 

Of course, these tests only tell a part of the story - so we also spend time (usually a few weeks) using them throughout the day to really get an idea about how good they are - so we can give you laptop buying advice you can really trust.

What to look for

Battery life: Arguably the most important thing to look for when buying a new laptop is battery life, as there’s nothing worse than being stuck with a laptop that dies after only a few hours when unplugged. For pure battery life, Chromebooks are the best laptops you can buy – but Apple’s latest MacBooks with M1, M2 and brand-new M3 chips come close, offering well over 10 hours of battery life.

Performance: When looking to buy the best laptop for your needs, you should consider the performance a potential purchase offers. You don’t want to be stuck with a laptop that starts lagging after a few years. For Windows laptops, look to get one with a modern 13th generation Intel processor, or AMD Ryzen 7000 series. With a MacBook, go for an M1, M2 or new M3 model – which are Apple’s powerful chips made specially for its laptops.

You should also go for a minimum of 8GB of RAM, though 16GB is more future-proof. For Chromebooks, however, 4GB of RAM is fine.

Written by
Matt Hanson
Written by
Matt Hanson

Matt has been reviewing laptops for the best part of 15 years, and has been using them for a lot longer. That means he knows the essential ingredients that make the perfect laptop – long battery lives, dependable performance, solid designs and above all value for money. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops on this page.

The quick list

Want to cut to the chase and find out what the best laptops are? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices, and you can jump to a more detailed review of every pick, along with our price comparison tool to help you find the best deals.