The best laptop 2024: top portable picks for all budgets

PRICE
VERDICT
REASONS TO BUY
REASONS TO AVOID
VERDICT
REASONS TO BUY
REASONS TO AVOID
Surface Laptop with screen open on purple background
(Image credit: Microsoft / Future)

If you're looking for the best laptops you can buy in 2024, then this is the only page on the internet you need. Below, you'll find our picks for the greatest laptops, MacBooks, Chromebooks and more for a wide range of needs and budgets. Most importantly of all, every single one has been tested by our laptop experts here at TechRadar, so you can trust our recommendations.

You can read about how we test laptops, and all the ways we put laptops through their paces during our reviews.

At the moment, the best laptop you can buy in 2024 remains Microsoft's excellent Surface Laptop 7, a fantastic all-rounder with a gorgeous design and all-day battery life. There's also the new Dell XPS 13 (2024), which is also in this guide, and proves that it's an exciting time for Windows 11 laptops. We've also just reviewed Apple's new MacBook Pro devices, in both 14-inch and 16-inch configurations with the ultra-powerful M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, and the 16-inch model has landed on this page as our pick for the best laptop for creative professionals.

Recent updates

This page has been updated as of 11/26/2024 with new information about Black Friday.

The best laptop overall

Microsoft's refreshed Surface Laptop is the best laptop you can buy in 2024

Specifications

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
Screen size: 14-inch / 15-inch
RAM: Up to 64GB
Storage: Up to 1TB
Battery life (TechRadar test): 10 hours and 10 minutes
Size: 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches (301mm x 220 x 17.5mm) / 12.96 x 9.42 x 0.72 ins (329 x 239.3 x 18.3mm)
Weight: 2.7 lbs (1.24kg) / 3.67lbs (1.66kg)

After years of this year being dominated by various MacBook Air models, Microsoft has surprised us all with the release of the Surface Laptop - a device that's stylish, powerful and with a long lasting battery, and has earned its place as the best laptop for most people in 2024.

Microsoft is calling the 2024 edition simply the Surface Laptop, in a bid to highlight that despite this actually being the seventh version, it's a major reinvention - and for once, this isn't just marketing bluff. Thanks to the revolutionary Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip that powers the new Surface Laptop, not only does Windows 11 feel fast and responsive, but thanks to how efficient it is, battery life is seriously impressive - and the fans rarely kick in, so you're not distracted by their whirring.

As a flagship entry in a new range of 'Copilot+ PCs', the Surface Laptop also has deeply integrated AI (Artificial Intelligence) features included, such as the Copilot assistant and Cocreator tool that turns your scribbles in Paint into AI-generated art. Most of this is all done on-device thanks to the Snapdragon X chip, which means you don't need an internet connection, and your data is kept safe and secure. The AI features are currently in their infancy and far from essential, but the potential is huge - and even without them, the Surface Laptop is a brilliant device that will the ideal laptop for most people. Microsoft has finally come up with a MacBook killer.

Get the best deal on your next Microsoft product with our Microsoft coupon codes.

Reasons to buy

You want the best laptop in the world: The new Surface Laptop is a stunning reinvention, offering build quality, performance and battery life that puts most competitors to shame.

You want a long-lasting portable laptop: The Surface Laptop comes in 14-inch and 15-inch configurations, and even the larger model is thin and light enough to carry around - and its battery life means you won't need to look for a plug socket.

You want a great productivity machine: The Surface Laptop offers excellent performance thanks to the new Qualcomm chip that powers it. Designed for AI tasks, it works particularly well with Windows 11's Copilot features.