The best laptops 2025 tested, reviewed and rated

Somehow, we're halfway through the year, and the best laptops of 2025 keep on coming. It's certainly kept me busy with updating this page, which is where you'll find my top picks of laptops for all budgets and use cases.

Thanks to companies such as Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm and Intel pushing the envelope when it comes to the mobile technology powering modern laptops, alongside laptop makers themselves like Apple, Microsoft, Dell and more, offering ever more powerful, yet also efficient, there's never been a better time to buy a new laptop in 2025.

With so many excellent laptops coming out in 2025, it can be a bit intimidating trying to find the best one for your needs, so let me and TechRadar's laptop experts help. I've carefully hand-picked every laptop that's on this page and made sure to cover a wide range of budgets and use cases, from premium MacBooks to affordable Chromebooks, and even the latest and most powerful gaming laptops.

Every single laptop on this page has been throughly tested by the computing team at TechRadar (you can read about how we test laptops, and all the ways we put laptops through their paces during our reviews), and only the very best laptops have made their way onto this list.

As of June 2025, our number one pick for the best laptop remains the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4). Its excellent performance, premium design and long battery life has yet to be beaten, though Microsoft has come close with the Surface Laptop 13-inch, which is a new entry on this list. Having trouble choosing between the two? Then good news, as we have a dedicated article where we pit the MacBook Air (M4) against the Surface Laptop 13-inch to see which one is worthy of your hard-earned cash.

I constantly update this page to make sure it contains the very latest laptops, MacBooks and Chromebooks, as well as essential buying advice to help you pick the best laptop for your needs, so you can shop safe in the knowledge that any laptop we recommend on this page is well worth the money.

Best laptop list curated by

Best laptop list curated by

Matt Hanson

I've been leading TechRadar's laptop coverage for over 10 years, and in that time I've reviewed over 100 laptops, MacBooks and Chromebooks. I regularly update our best laptops list with the very latest models, and my main aim is to ensure that TechRadar's best laptop guide offers the very best buying advice and recommendations for everyone, no matter what your budgets or needs are.

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.

The best laptop overall

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Apple has once again launched the best laptop money can buy with the new MacBook Air 13-inch (M4). Not only does this refresh bring the extra power of the M4 chip, which can handle day-to-day tasks with ease, as well as more intensive tasks such as video editing and music recording, but it also comes at a new lower price, making this by far the best laptop you can currently buy. There's simply not another laptop at this price point that offers the same mix of performance, design and build quality. A new and improved webcam brings some handy AI-powered tools to make video calls look even better, and the new Sky Blue color option gives you more options for picking a MacBook Air that suits your tastes. If you want a laptop with a bigger screen, then consider the MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) instead.

Reasons to buy

✅ You want the best laptop for your money: The M4 MacBook Air 13-inch is now the MacBook (and laptop) we'd recommend to pretty much anyone thanks to a great design, excellent performance and relatively affordable price.

✅ You want a laptop for traveling with: The stylish thin and light design, plus the long battery life, makes this an excellent laptop for going out and about with.

✅ You want power - but not too much: The M4 chip powering the MacBook Air is great at day-to-day tasks, as well as video editing and AI.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You want a touchscreen: While there are plenty of touchscreen laptops in our best laptops guide, Apple is still holding out on giving its MacBooks touchscreens.

❌ You want plenty of ports: The MacBook Air (M4) once again features just two Thunderbolt ports. If you have a lot of peripherals to plug in, you'll need to use a hub or adaptor.

❌ You want a bigger screen: The 13-inch screen of the MacBook Air makes it nice and portable, but some people may find it a bit too small to work on - in that case, you should consider the 15-inch model instead.

In-depth analysis

Design

The latest MacBook Air sticks pretty closely to same design we've seen with the older M2 and M3 models, but with a new, improved webcam and Sky Blue color choice. It has a stylish and modern look that's easy to carry around and comfortable to work on. This does mean that port selection remains limited, which won't be a deal breaker for many people, but if you have lots of peripherals you need to plug in, you'll want to invest in a USB-C hub or look into getting a MacBook Pro.

Performance

The new MacBook Air 13-inch features the M4 chip, currently Apple's latest generation, and it's an excellent performer, especially for day-to-day tasks like browsing the web and creating documents. It also supports Apple Intelligence, though so far the AI tools on offer are a little underbaked. This isn't the most powerful MacBook, but for the price you are getting a dependable workhorse that Windows 11 rivals will struggle to match.

Battery life

Apple claims the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) can last up to 18 hours watching Apple TV shows and 15 hours browsing the internet, and we found in our own tests that you can expect at least 14 hours on a single charge when using the new MacBook Air for a variety of tasks. This means you can expect to go several workdays without needing to plug it in, which is seriously impressive.

Value for money

The MacBook Air 13-inch has always been Apple's best value laptop, and it's just got better, as it now starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, which is a price cut compared to the M3 model's starting price of $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799. While this still isn't budget laptop territory, the performance and build quality you're getting for the price is seriously impressive, and you'd be hard pressed to find a Windows 11 laptop that offers the same level of finesse for this price.

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MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	Apple has lowered the starting price for the latest MacBook Air making it much better value	★★★★★
Design	No new design, but it remains one of the best looking laptops in 2025	★★★★☆
Performance	Performance is great thanks to the M4 chip, but it's not a huge leap over the M3 or even the M2	★★★★☆
Battery life	You can work on this laptop for a whole work day on a single charge	★★★★★

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

Lance Ulanoff

💻 Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air remains my favorite laptop. The MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) has an excellent build and design, working on it is a pleasure, and the M4 provides all the power I need for the widest range of tasks. I appreciate the long battery life, bright, colorful screen, and clear audio. Read the full review: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4)

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The best budget laptop

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The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 isn't just one of the best Chromebooks we've ever reviewed, it's also the best budget laptop you can buy in 2025. Since their arrival in 2011, Chromebooks have proven to be excellent budget laptops, mainly thanks to their operating system, ChromeOS, being able to run smoothly on lower-powered (and therefore cheaper) components.

In 2024, a new category was introduced: Chromebook Plus. These devices come with more powerful hardware and premium features, and the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is one of the latest models - and it demonstrates just how good Chromebook Plus laptops are. And, while the improved specs and features mean that the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, and other Chromebook Plus laptops, are more expensive than basic Chromebooks, they are still affordable enough compared to Windows 11 laptops and MacBooks to be considered excellent budget laptops.

The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is our current pick for best budget laptop because it offers a reliable and sometimes even premium-feeling experience for around half the price of a standard laptop or MacBook.

Sure, there are some super-cheap Windows 11 laptops out there, some even cheaper than the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, but they often have too many compromises (such as poor performance as Windows 11 struggles to run on the same kind of low-powered components that ChromeOS thrives on) for us to recommend. With the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, you might be paying a little bit more, but you're getting an absolutely fantastic laptop for a price that its rivals will really struggle to match.

Reasons to buy

✅ You want a Chromebook that can do it all: The Chromebook Plus 514 handles productivity, video playback, and mobile games very well, especially at its budget price.

✅ You need plenty of ports: Modern laptops often sacrifice ports for a thin and light design, so it's great that the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 offers a very good array of ports, including USB, audio and HDMI.

✅ You want a great screen: We couldn't find much to fault with the display while we reviewed the Acer Chromebook Plus 514. The WUGXA resolution is sharp, and colors are bright and vibrant.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You want a 2-in-1 device : While you can recline the screen up to 180 degrees, which is useful in some scenarios, such as collaborating on a presentation, the display doesn't fold all the way back, so look elsewhere if you want a laptop that can be used like a tablet as well.

❌ You want a completely silent device: One of the things we didn't love about the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is that it can get quite noisey when in use. If you want something that has a fanless design, and is therefore silent in use, then you'll need to pay more for the MacBook Air.

❌ You want a traditional laptop OS: Chrome OS isn't as robust as Windows 11 or macOS and it isn't meant to be. If you want a traditional laptop operating system, a Chromebook will only get you part of the way there, which may not be enough to satisfy your needs.

In-depth analysis

Design

The Chromebook Plus 514 has a slender yet eye-catching design that looks and feels premium, despite the low asking price. It's light enough to easily carry around with you, and the screen can be pushed back to 180-degrees, which is a nice touch, giving you more options for using this laptop. However, there are some hints at the budget nature of this laptop - the keyboard feels a bit cheap, and on the base model it doesn't feature backlit keys, which can making using the Chromebook Plus 514 in dark environments frustrating. On the other hand, during our review we were pleased to see a decent selection of ports, including an HDMI port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and two USB-A and two USB-C ports.

Performance

We were impressed with the performance of the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 during our review of the laptop, with apps launching quickly. Thanks to the 8GB of RAM, which is quite a lot for a Chromebook, multitasking with multiple apps and Chrome tabs open at once worked really well, streaming 4K videos was also handled with aplomb, and we even got it to run a few games as well. However, when under load, the fans of the Chromebook Plus 514 seemed a bit too eager to kick in, which can be a little distracting.

Battery life

Once upon a time, buying a budget laptop meant having to cope with an annoyingly short battery life, but thankfully those days are long gone, mainly thanks to how efficient modern laptops, even cheap ones, are. In our tests, we found that the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 lasted eight and a half hours on a single charge. While that's not the longest battery life we've seen in a Chromebook, it's still very impressive, and means you'll easily get a whole school day's use out of it without needing to plug it in.

Value for money

The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 starts from $399 / £399 (about AU$560), which as we state in our review, is on the higher end of Chromebook prices. However, compared to Windows laptops and MacBooks, it offers incredible value for money with a design and performance you just wouldn't get with a traditional laptop at this price. For people on a budget, the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 proves you can still have an excellent and dependable laptop that doesn't make too many compromises to keep the price low.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	It's by far the best budget laptop around	★★★★☆
Design	The Chromebook Plus 514 looks good and overall build quality is good, and the port selection is useful	★★★★☆
Performance	For a Chromebook, it’s fast no matter the task, and it can handle multiple workloads well	★★★★☆
Battery life	Battery life is fairly average relative to other Chromebooks, but for a budget laptop, getting eight and a half hours is brilliant	★★★☆☆

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

Lewis Maddison

💻 The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is a very capable Chromebook, thanks to its specs and excellent display. It also has a useful port selection and can unfold to 180 degrees, although those after a hybrid device should look elsewhere. The design, features and performance on offer, along with the budget price, makes it the best cheap laptop you can currently buy. Read the full review: Acer Chromebook Plus 514

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The best for Windows 11

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After reinvigorating the Surface Laptop line with last year's model, Microsoft has now released a smaller, more affordable version of the Surface Laptop for 2025 - the Surface Laptop 13-inch, and it is now our pick as the best Windows 11 laptop in 2025.

The new Surface Laptop 13-inch offers MacBook Air-rivalling price and build design, with some lovely color options and a general premium look and feel that other laptop makers, outside of Apple, struggle to match.

The fact that it comes with a lower price than last year's model is also a big win for us consumers, however it is important to note that in order to offer the Surfce Laptop 13-inch at a cheaper price point, Microsoft has made some sacrifices - and we're not just talking about the smaller screen.

For a start, this is a less powerful laptop than the larger models, using a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chip, rather than the more powerful X Elite chip that powers the previous model. It also only comes with 16GB of RAM, so you can't configure it benefit from more memory, though for most people 16GB will be plenty.

As for the screen, it's smaller and lower resolution than the previous model, and offers 60Hz refresh rate, half of the 120Hz the last model supports. This might sound like a rather big downgrade, and a puzzling one at that, as most of the time newer models come out with more powerful hardware, but it starts to make sense when you realize that Microsoft, having dropped the affordable Surface Go lineup, is now pitching the Surface Laptop 13-inch as the cheapest entry-point into the Surface ecosystem, with the larger, more powerful, edition from 2024 still being sold, but as the premium, high-end model. This means the 13-inch Surface Laptop is actually a brilliant choice for most people, offering a premium experience at an affordable price.

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Reasons to buy

✅ You want the best Windows 11 laptop in the world: The latest Surface Laptop is a stunning compact laptop, offering build quality, performance, and battery life that puts most competitors in the same price bracket to shame.

✅ You want a great-looking laptop: Microsoft shows Apple how it's done by bringing some bright and vibrant color choices for the new Surface Laptop, putting the muted hues of modern MacBook Airs to shame.

✅ You want a laptop that will last all day: In our tests, the Surface Laptop 13-inch managed an excellent 17 hours of work on a single charge. We even used it throughout a 15-hour flight to Taiwan and it kept on going.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You need lots of power: As I mentioned earlier, Microsoft has designed the Surface Laptop 13-inch as a more affordable, entry-level Surface device, and that means if you want something with loads of power, look elsewhere.

❌ You want to play games: The Arm-based chip comes with an integrated GPU, which is fine for most tasks, but isn't able to handle demanding games.

❌ You don't want to worry about app compatibility: The Surface Laptop's Arm-based chip means some apps build for Intel or AMD chips might not run correctly. Thankfully, that's becoming more rare, especially with Microsoft's Prism compatibility tool, but it's something to keep in mind.

In-depth analysis

Design

Microsoft's Surface devices have always been stylish products, and the latest Surface Laptop continues that trend, even with a lower price. It has a thin and light chassis that is easy to carry around, yet feels sturdy and premium, and we especially love the new purple colorway, though that is only available on the higher-specced model. However, the quality of the screen has been reduced compared to the more expensive model from 2024.

Performance

For day-to-day tasks, this is a great performer, and Windows 11's Arm-compatibility has come a long way. However, it's far from the most powerful laptop in our best laptops list, and the M4-MacBook Air (which sits at the top of this guide) offers much better performance. Also, if you're looking for a laptop to play games on, then you should look elsewhere, as this is a laptop that really isn't built for that kind of use.

Battery life

As with other Arm-powered laptops, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is incredibly power efficient, and that means that the battery life is excellent. We found it lasted over 17 hours during our tests, and in real-world usage it even lasted an entire 15-hour flight as well.

Value for money

With the new Surface Laptop coming with a cheaper starting price compared to last year's model, this is a laptop that offers brilliant value for money, with a build quality and design that makes it look and feel like a much more expensive device. While Microsoft has made compromises to keep the price down, it has resulted in a great-value laptop that is more accessible for people.

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Surface Laptop ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	While the Surface Go lineup is no more, Microsoft has made the 13-inch Surface Laptop the most affordable way to get into the ecosystem	★★★★☆
Design	It looks great and feels fantastic to type on, though the display could be better	★★★★☆
Performance	For a casual use notebook, it's in line with similarly specced Windows laptops, but the MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 runs circles around it	★★★☆☆
Battery life	At just over 17 hours of battery life in our tests, this is one of the longest-lasting Windows laptops around	★★★★★

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

John Loeffler

💻 The Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch is a gorgeous laptop that is great for everyday and productivity tasks with some of the best battery life of any laptop of its size, but its weaker Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip falls far short of a similarly priced MacBook Air 13-inch, making it much harder to recommend unless you absolutely don't want a Mac. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch

The best Ultrabook

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Dell continues to prove it's the go-to company for some of the best Windows laptops money can buy, with its latest XPS 13 laptop that features Intel's cutting-edge Core Ultra 200 series processors. We previously had the Dell XPS 13 model with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip in this position in our best laptops list, but the newer Intel model has knocked it off thanks to its improved performance and general compatibility with Windows 11 apps. You still get a gorgeous thin and light design with a stunning 13.4-inch screen, and with in our tests it also hit almost 24 hours on a single charge - an incredible performance considering the power on offer here.

Reasons to buy

✅ You want seriously long battery life: Offering almost 24 hours on a single charge, the Dell XPS 13 (9350, Intel Core Ultra 2nd Gen) will keep going over multiple work days.

✅ You want a thin, light and powerful laptop: The Dell XPS 13 (9350, Intel Core Ultra 2nd Gen) features Dell's trademark design flair and build quality, while housing cutting-edge components that will handle most tasks with ease.

✅ You want the best Windows 11 laptop: Powerful components, including Intel’s Lunar Lake chips with boosted NPU performance for improved AI performance, makes this the best Windows 11 laptop in the world right now.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You want to plug in lots of peripherals: The Dell XPS 13 is a very thin device - but that comes at the cost of ports - you only get two USB-C ports.

❌ You're after an affordable laptop: Perhaps unsurprisingly, the latest XPS 13 is an expensive, premium, laptop. There are far cheaper laptops on this list that will be more suited to most people's budgets.

❌ You are sight-impaired: The biggest issue we had with the Dell XPS 13 is that its edgeless touchpad and touch button design for the function bar means partially-sighted users could find using this laptop frustrating.

In-depth analysis

Design

The Dell XPS 13 continues the XPS lineup's reputation as being some of the best-designed Windows 11 laptops you can buy. It looks gorgeous with a thin and light design that rivals any Apple product, and it feels sturdy and well built as well. You can pick from three different screen resolutions, with the 3K touchscreen option being a particular highlight.

Performance

The Dell XPS 13 offers excellent day-to-day performance thanks to its new Intel Ultra Series 2 chips, which can handle day-to-day tasks with ease. You also don't get some of the compatibility issues that the Snapdragon model suffers from, which while rare does mean that the Intel model is far more versatile.

Battery life

Amazingly, the Intel model of the Dell XPS 13 beats the Snapdragon model by a few hours when it comes to battery life, easily lasting several work days on a single charge. This is a testament to the power efficiency of Intel's new chips, and makes the Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 2nd Gen) an ideal laptop for people who want to work while out and about.

Value for money

While the Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops running Windows 11 you can buy, it isn't the cheapest - by a long shot. The starting price will put a lot of people off, and it gets a lot more expensive as you configure the specs. Of course, for the (high) price you're getting a lot - including a brilliant design, stunning screen (especially if you pay extra for the 3K model) and cutting-edge components.

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Dell XPS 13 ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	Undeniably a rather expensive laptop, but it delivers your money's worth with strong performance and design that looks and feels premium	★★★★☆
Design	It's got a sleek and svelte design that puts other laptops to shame - but we do have concerns about the accessibility of the trackpad and function keys	★★★★☆
Performance	Excellent all-round performance, and can handle multiple apps open at once with ease	★★★★★
Battery life	With truly all-day battery life off a single charge, the XPS 13 with Intel Lunar Lake proves that it can go the distance	★★★★★

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

Christian Guyton

💻 The latest Dell XPS 13 brings Intel's Lunar Lake chips to the iconic laptop line, delivering truly all-day battery life and strong performance across the board in a sleek and stylish MacBook-esque design. However, I still have reservations about the latest XPS redesign, especially concerning its edgeless trackpad and adaptive function bar that could create some problems with usability, and which prevent it from reaching true greatness. Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 (9350, Intel Core Ultra 2nd Gen)

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The best value laptop

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The best value laptop you can buy in 2025 doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be the very cheapest laptop out there (check out our pick for the best budget laptop higher up in this guide if you want a laptop with a rock-bottom price), but what it does mean is that the laptop provides excellent value for money, offering features, performance and build quality that matches or even surpasses much more expensive laptops.

That's exactly what the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus does. Dell's Inspiron line has always featured solid mid-range laptops, and the latest Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (7441) model continues that trend. In our Dell Inspiron 14 Plus review, we were very impressed with the performance and design of the laptop, and its extremely long battery life was particularly noteworthy. While this laptop is still on the pricey side, it offers unbeatable value for money that shames rivals such as HP and Apple.

Reasons to buy

✅ You want an affordable laptop that doesn't compromise: The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus offers plenty of bang for your buck, all for a more palatable price than flagship laptops.

✅ You fancy a MacBook Air, but prefer Windows 11: Slim, good performance, and excellent battery life make this an excellent alternative if you like the idea of the MacBook Air but don't want to use macOS.

✅ You want a future-proof laptop without spending a fortune: The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus comes with cutting-edge technology, especially with its ARM-based Qualcomm processor and support for on-device AI tools.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You want the best of the best: The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus offers excellent value for money, but it's not a premium flagship laptop, so there are some (thankfully small) compromises. Go for the Dell XPS 13 (also in this guide) for a fully premium laptop instead.

❌ You want the cheapest laptop: The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus offers great value for money, but it's not the cheapest laptop on sale in 2025. If you are on a tight budget, you are probably better off looking at a Chromebook instead.

In-depth analysis

Design

While the design of the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is a bit on the safe side, there's no denying that this is a stylish and modern thin and light laptop that looks more expensive than it actually is. While a few things, like the keyboard and touchpad, prevent the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus from being a truly premium-feeling device, you're not going to find a better-looking laptop at this price.

Performance

As long as you keep your expectations in check, the capabilities of the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus will impress you, with solid and dependable performance in Windows 11 with most apps. For day-to-day use, this is a fantastic value laptop - but if you want something to edit videos, play games or run complex tasks, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Battery life

In our review we found the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus had a phenomenal battery life, lasting almost 18 and a half hours on a single charge - and we could work on the laptop for three work days - and there was still 50% battery left! This is seriously impressive, especially considering the affordable price of this laptop.

Value for money

While there are cheaper laptops out there, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is our pick as the best value laptop in 2025 because it punches above its weight when it comes to performance and battery life in particular. Rather than splashing out on a premium flagship model, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus offers a more affordable alternative with few compromises.

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Dell Inspiron 14 Plus ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	This is an excellent value Windows 11 laptop, and Dell often has very tempting sales	★★★★☆
Design	While the keyboard and touchpad are passable, this laptop is thin and light. It is a bit cookie-cutter in its aesthetics	★★★★☆
Performance	The performance is more than enough for most people’s day-to-day needs.	★★★★☆
Battery life	Though not quite as long as advertised, the battery life here is ridiculously long	★★★★★

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The best student laptop

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Despite no longer being the most recent model, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) remains one of the best MacBooks you can buy in 2025 - especially if you're a student. This is because with the launch of MacBook Air 13-inch (M4), which sits at the top of this page, many retailers are cutting the price of the M3 model, making it an excellent choice for students who want a premium laptop to work and study on, but without spending a fortune. One thing to note, however, is that Apple itself is no longer making or selling the M3 MacBook Air, and that means stock at other retailers will begin to reduce, so if you've been meaning to pick one up, now is the best time.

Reasons to buy

✅ You want the best student laptop for your money: The MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) is now the MacBook we'd recommend to students thanks to its new, lower price.

✅ You want a portable laptop: The thin and light design, plus the long battery life, makes this a laptop you can easily travel with.

✅ You want dependable performance: The M3 chip powering the MacBook Air is still great for day-to-day tasks, and can even cope with video editing and AI.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You want the latest MacBook Air: This is the previous generation of MacBook Air, so if you want the very latest model, go for the MacBook Air 13-inch (M4).

❌ You want lots of ports: The MacBook Air (M3) features two Thunderbolt ports, which means you might struggle if you have lots of peripherals that need plugging in.

❌ You want a bigger screen: The 13-inch screen of the MacBook Air makes it portable, but the 15-inch model might be a better choice for people who like working on a larger screen.

In-depth analysis

Design

The MacBook Air M3 comes with the same design as the previous M2 model - but that's fine with us. It remains a stylish and modern-looking thin and light laptop, with Apple's renowned design and build quality. Only two USB-C ports does mean plugging in lots of accessories will need a USB hub, however.

Performance

The MacBook Air comes with the M3 chip - and there are actually two versions you can buy: a base model with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, and a more powerful version with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU. The some base models also come with 8GB of memory, which is quite low by today's standards, but Apple has also released a base model with 16GB, which is much better for modern workloads.

Battery life

According to Apple, the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) can last up to 18 hours watching Apple TV shows and 15 hours browsing the internet, though in our battery life benchmark tests (which involve playing a looped 1080p video) the 13-inch MacBook Air lasted a bit less than that, at 14 hours and 19 minutes. That's an excellent time for a laptop of this power, however it is slightly less than the previous model lasted in the same tests, which could suggest the bump in performance has come at the cost of efficiency.

Value for money

The MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) launched at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799, which was slightly higher than the older M1 MacBook Air’s launch price of $999 / £999 / AU$1,599. Now that the M4 model has launched (with a cheaper starting price of $999 / £999 / AU$1,699), the M3 model has recieved some big price cuts to help retailers clear stock.

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MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	The M3 MacBook Air was already excellent value for money (launching with a lower price than the M2 model), and with new price cuts it's even better	★★★★★
Design	This remains one of the most stylish laptops you can buy	★★★★★
Performance	Performance remains excellent, and isn't too far behind the newer M4 model	★★★★☆
Battery life	The epic battery life means you can work on the MacBook Air for multiple work and school days on a single charge	★★★★★

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

Matt Hanson

💻 The MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) is easily the best laptop that money can buy for students, especially thanks to new price cuts since the M4 model came out, though we recommend boosting the memory and storage space when ordering. That makes it more expensive, but far more future-proof. Read the full review: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)

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The best laptop for working from home

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If you've found yourself working from home more and need a new laptop, then don't think you have to spend a fortune. While a new MacBook will do everything you need, a great Chromebook like the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 can cope with most day-to-day workloads for a fraction of the price. You get a large screen and comfortable keyboard to work on, and performance is snappy - especially when you boot up into Chrome OS, the operating system Chromebooks use (rather than Windows 11 or macOS).

Reasons to buy

✅ You want a laptop for working on at home: This is a great Chromebook for productivity with a large screen, comfortable keyboard and excellent performance.

✅ You want an eco-friendly laptop: This is an eco-friendly Chromebook made of recycled materials where possible.

✅ You want a portable 15-inch laptop: It's impressively thin for a laptop, and its battery life means you won't need to worry about plugging it in too often.

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Reasons to avoid

❌ You need specific Windows or macOS apps: As a Chromebook, this uses Chrome OS which doesn't have all the apps a Windows laptop or MacBook have access to.

❌ You want a powerful laptop: The specs of the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 are relatively high for a Chromebook, but pale in comparison with regular laptops or MacBooks.

❌ You want the very cheapest laptop: The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 offers superb value for money, but there are cheaper Chromebooks out there.

In-depth analysis

Design

The design of the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is pretty straightforward, with a gray body and Google logo, and while that might not make it the most interesting of laptops, it's solidly built and dependable. The 15-inch screen makes it comfortable to work on, though it also means the overall size of the laptop is quite large.

Performance

As far as Chromebooks go, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is an excellent performer, with the Chrome OS operating system booting quickly, while apps run impressively smoothly. It feels fast and responsive - something you wouldn't be able to say about many Windows 11 laptops at this price. For day-to-day tasks, including document creation, emails and video calls, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 performs very well - though you are limited to apps built for Chrome OS or Android. This is an important consideration when buying the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 - or any Chromebook for that matter - as a lot of applications for Windows or macOS won’t run. The good news is that there are a growing number of Chrome OS versions, and some decent alternatives, and being able to run Android apps gives you even more choice. However, there is also a chance that a piece of software you rely on every day on a traditional laptop may not have a version for Chromebooks, so make sure you do a bit of research before you buy.

Battery life

Usually the battery lives of Chromebooks are one of their main selling points, but in our tests, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 only lasted a disappointing five hours and 13 minutes. While that's not ridiculously low, it is surprisingly short for a Chromebook, which is a shame.

Value for money

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 offers exceptional value for money. Selling for $399.99 / £399.99, it's an affordable laptop that punches well above its weight. While we recommend it for working from home, it's also a great choice for students or anyone who wants a budget laptop but doesn't want to make compromises on performance.

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Acer Chromebook Plus 515 ratings

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	As a Chromebook, this offers brilliant value for money	★★★★★
Design	It comes with a classic Chromebook design and comfortable keyboard	★★★★☆
Performance	Super-fast boot times and snappy app performance make working on this laptop a joy	★★★★☆
Battery life	The battery life isn't the best for a Chromebook, but it charges quickly	★★★☆☆

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

Allisa James

💻 The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is both a solid productivity machine in its own right, with specs tailor-made for work. While testing this laptop I was pleasantly surprised that it was such a balanced laptop that can handle light editing and even native gaming. Read the full review: Acer Chromebook Plus 515

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The best laptop for creatives

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The brand-new MacBook Pro 16-inch now comes with the excellent M4 Pro and M4 Max chips - Apple's latest and most powerful bits of silicon that offer incredible performance, especially when it comes to creative tasks such as video editing. Throughout our time testing the M4 Pro version, we found the new 16-inch MacBook Pro could take on even the most complex of tasks with ease - and with a battery life well in excess of 20 hours - this is the best laptop for creatives who want the freedom to work anywhere they like.

Reasons to buy

✅ You need the most powerful MacBook ever: You’re guaranteed incredible performance that’ll crush the more demanding workloads, whether it's the M4 Pro or M4 Max model you go for.

✅ You’re a traveling creative pro: If you're a creative who needs power, a gorgeous display, great-sounding speakers and lots of ports, this is the perfect travel companion, especially as it can go several work days on a single charge, so you don't have to worry about finding a plug socket.

✅ You want the best that Apple Silicon can offer: Apple's M-class chips have revolutionised laptops, and the M4 Pro and M4 Max are the very pinnacle of Apple's hardware.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You have an earlier 16-inch MacBook Pro: The M4 Pro and M4 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro models are truly excellent devices, but if you have an M3 Pro, M3 Max, M2 Pro or M2 Max MacBook Pro, you probably don't need to upgrade.

❌ You’re looking for an affordable workstation laptop: The 16-inch MacBook Pro is an expensive investment, which means it may be priced out of many people's reach. The 14-inch model is more affordable, and you can get it with the base M4 chip.

❌ You’re a casual user: Unless you’re a creative professional, you’re unlikely to need the kind of performance that the MacBook Pro 16-inch offers, especially with the M4 Max chip. For regular use, the MacBook Air 15-inch will be a better buy.

In-depth analysis

Design

There's no obvious new design for the M4 Pro or M4 Max MacBook Pros, which is disappointing in some respects, but it remains a fantastic looking laptop. However, there have been some subtle tweaks to the design, with Thunderbolt 5 support, improved webcam and an optional nano-texture coating for the screen.

Performance

Our independent benchmark tests showed a decent bump in performance over the M3 Pro model (we tested the M4 Pro version of this year's 16-inch MacBook Pro), and while there wasn't enough of a leap to make upgrading from the M3 generation worthwhile, it does mean that the new MacBook Pro is the most powerful laptop Apple has ever made - and it out performs most Windows 11 laptops at this price as well. If you want the very best hardware from Apple, this is the device to get.

Battery life

Once again, Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro comes with industry-leading battery life. In our tests it easily lasted over 20 hours on a single charge. Not only does that mean you can work for multiple days without needing to plug it in, but it's remarkable how this laptop offers such good the performance while also having a battery that lasts for days.

Value for money

The MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro/M4 Max) is an incredibly ambitious laptop both in terms of hardware and design, and it’s aimed at creative professionals who need powerful mobile hardware. Yes, it's an expensive laptop - but if you need all that power, it's well worth paying for it.

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MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	Same base price as the previous model in the US, and a bit cheaper in UK and Australia - but still very expensive	★★★☆☆
Design	No new design, but it's still a well built laptop with some nice subtle tweaks	★★★★☆
Performance	The M4 Pro is an incredible performer, especially with heavy duty creative tasks	★★★★★
Battery life	You'll be able to go multiple workdays on a single charge with this laptop	★★★★★

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

Matt Hanson

💻 The latest MacBook Pro 16-inch is more powerful than ever thanks to the new M4 Pro (which we test here) and M4 Max chips, providing the level of performance that creative professionals require - and then some. While I found the lack of a new design disappointing (and you might also), I did appreciate that there's still been a few quiet tweaks under the hood, including Thunderbolt 5 support, an improved webcam and new optional nano-texture screen that together make this the most powerful MacBook Apple has ever made. Read the full review: MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

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The best laptop for gaming

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If you want the very best gaming laptop, and price isn't much of a consideration, then you should seriously consider the new Razer Blade 16. Coming with Nvidia's latest RTX 5000 series laptop GPUs, including the ridiculously powerful RTX 5090, this is a sleek and slim machine that can rival even the most powerful gaming PCs. This all comes at a (very) high price, however, with a starting price of $2,999.99 / £2,699.99 / AU$4,899.95 - and that price climbs quickly when you start upgrading the components.

Reasons to buy

✅ You want enthusiast-class performance: Thanks to cutting-edge components, especially the RTX 5090, you're getting incredible performance, allowing you to play the very latest games at their highest settings.

✅ You want a killer design: Razer has an excellent reputation for designing great-looking devices, and the Razer Blade 16 is no exception - it's impressively thin for a gaming laptop, and feels solid and dependable.

✅ You want something for more than gaming: While this is a laptop built from the ground up to play games, it also does a great job with productivity tasks, especially creative ones. The long (for a gaming laptop) battery life also helps.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You’re on a budget: Razer laptops are notoriously expensive, and the Razer Blade 16 is yet another example of this. Check out the Acer Nitro 16 instead, which we've picked as the best cheap laptop you can buy right now.

❌ You are a casual gamer: The Razer Blade 16 is designed for enthusiasts and hardcore PC gamers. If you only play the occasional game, especially ones that aren't that graphically-demanding, then this will be a waste of money.

❌ You want to travel really light: While thin compared to most gaming laptops, the Razer Blade 16 has a chunky power brick. Yes, you can use USB-C instead, but it won’t supply enough power to keep up when gaming.

In-depth analysis

Design

Razer makes some of the best thin and light laptops on the market, so it'll be no surprise to learn that the Razer Blade 16 is another example of this. Forget thick and chunky gaming laptops - the Razer Blade 16 proves powerful laptops for gaming don't have to be big and bulky. It also has one of the best screens you can find on a laptop and a keyboard that's a joy to type on.

Performance

You're not going to get a better performing gaming laptop in 2025 thanks to the high-end components Razer has put into the Blade 16. Even PC gamers who normally prefer desktop PCs will be impressed with how powerful this laptop is, and you'll have no issue playing the latest games for years to come at their highest graphics settings.

Battery life

Gaming laptops aren't known for their long battery lives, but the Razer Blade 16 pleasantly surprised us, lasting seven and a half hours when not being used for gaming - which means you could use this as a work laptop and not have to charge during the workday. When gaming, the battery life around two and a half hours, which is to be expected considering the powerful internals of this laptop.

Value for money

Like with most Razer laptops, don't expect a budget device. The Razer Blade 16 is an extremely expensive laptop, and while you get a stunning design, excellent screen and some of the best mobile gaming tech on the market, it also means that this won't be a laptop that everyone can afford. If your budget can stretch to the steep asking price, however, you'll be getting an awesome gaming laptop that will last you for years and years.

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Razer Blade 14 ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	It's undeniably expensive, which will place it out of reach for some gamers, although you do get plenty of bang for your buck.	★★★☆☆
Design	The design, though not really different from last year's model, is still unmatched in a gaming laptop.	★★★★★
Performance	Very few laptops will measure up against the RTX 5090 version of the Blade 16 when it comes to gaming performance - and those that can will inevitably be bulkier.	★★★★★
Battery life	Gaming laptops rarely offer good battery life, but the new Blade 16 surprised us with its power-efficiency.	★★★★☆

• Take a look at our Razer discount codes for the best Razer offers and savings.

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

Christian Guyton

💻 I loved reviewing the Razer Blade 16, a gaming laptop that delivers power and style in spades, offering best-in-class performance in games and even managing to hold its own as a day-to-day work laptop thanks to the improved battery life. Nvidia RTX 5000 GPU options bring DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation to the party, and some small but smart design tweaks from the previous model help make this an even better high-end laptop. Read the full review: Razer Blade 16 (2025)

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The best 17-inch laptop

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The Dell XPS 17 (9730) remains the best large-screen laptop you can buy. If you find that working on a 13-inch or even 15-inch laptop isn't comfortable, then this is a laptop that's well worth considering. One of the best things about the Dell XPS 17 is that as well as offering an excellent large screen to work on, it maintains the thin, light and stylish design of the smaller XPS 13 and XPS 15 models, so you're not making too many compromises to portability for the bigger display. As a flagship laptop, the Dell XPS 17 comes with some of the most powerful mobile components around, including a discrete graphics card from Nvidia's latest RTX 4000 series, and while it can play game, it's best used as a productivity laptop. Digital creatives will especially love its mix of large screen and powerful components.

Reasons to buy

✅ You want a solid and attractive 17-inch laptop: The Dell XPS 17 (9730) features the premium design and build quality we've come to expect from Dell's XPS lineup, alongside a large 17-inch screen.

✅ You want excellent performance: The XPS 17 comes with very powerful components that means it performs brilliantly no matter what you throw at it.

✅ You want a laptop that lasts: Despite its large screen and powerful components, battery life of the Dell XPS 17 impresses, with almost 10 hours on a single charge.

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Reasons to avoid

❌ You want a gaming laptop: The Dell XPS 17 can be configured to come with a dedicated GPU, but this is not a gaming laptop. Serious gamers can get better performance with the Razer Blade 14 (click for details).

❌ You want a budget laptop: The Dell XPS 17 is a large, flagship laptop with a premium design, which means it's quite expensive compared to other laptops - even big screen ones.

❌ Portability is a must: Unsurprisingly, this 17-inch laptop isn't the easiest to carry around compared to 13-inch Ultrabooks. That said, for the size, it is impressively svelte.

In-depth analysis

Design

The Dell XPS 17 looks and feels extremely premium thanks to its machined aluminum body. Thin bezels surround the display, giving it a modern look while also keeping the overall size of the laptop as compact as possible. This isn't a laptop you can comfortably carry around in a small bag, mind you, but Dell has done a great job of making sure it's not big or bulky.

Performance

This is an excellent performer, packed with high-end components from Intel and Nvidia. Day to day tasks feel fast and responsive, and heavy creative workloads, such as 3D rendering and 4K video editing, are handled well. If you want a powerful workstation laptop with a large screen for creative work, and you don't fancy the MacBook Pro 16-inch (which is also in this guide), then this is an excellent alternative.

Battery life

Powerful laptops with large screens often suffer from poor battery life, but thanks to the efficient hardware in the Dell XPS 17, it avoids that fate. During our review, we found that for watching videos and web browsing, it'll last just under 10 hours on a single charge, meaning you can use it unplugged for a whole workday - though heavier workloads will see the battery deplete faster.

Value for money

The Dell XPS 17 (9730) starts at $1,599 / £2,698.99 / AU$4,398.90, though the base model varies depending on location. This is certainly pricey for a laptop, though you do get good specs, a large screen and thin and light design for your money. If you configure it with more powerful components, expect the price to rise even further.

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Dell XPS 17 (9730) ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	Not cheap, and the price creeps up depending on how you configure it	★★★★☆
Design	This is an impressively thin and light laptop considering its screensize	★★★★☆
Performance	Excellent at day-to-day and creative workloads, but don't expect a gaming powerhouse	★★★★☆
Battery life	Almost 10 hours is impressive given all the power	★★★★☆

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The best OLED laptop

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We were absolutely blown away while testing the Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ thanks to its stunning design - which includes an excellent OLED display that makes colors pop, and with a 120Hz refresh rate, it feels fast, fluid and responsive as well. The built-in Harman/Kardon speakers makes this one of the best-sounding laptops in the world as well, and makes watching media on the Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ an absolute joy. It also packs the Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, offering performance and battery life that rivals the M3-powered MacBook Air (which also uses an Arm-based chip).

Reasons to buy

✅ You want a great value laptop for productivity: While the Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ isn't cheap, considering the specs and performance on offer, it offers excellent value.

✅ You love watching movies: Not only is its OLED screen gorgeous to look at, but it has some of the best speakers you'll find in a laptop.

✅ You want to use AI locally: As a Copilot+ PC, the Asus Vivobook S 15 is able to run AI tasks locally, so you don't need to connect to the internet.

Show expert analysis ▼

Reasons to avoid

❌ You want a gaming laptop: While the 120Hz OLED screen might sound like a great display to play games on, the rest of the laptop isn't suitable - buy a dedicated gaming laptop instead.

❌ You don't care about AI: One of the biggest selling points of the Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ is its AI-capable NPU. If you're not bothered about AI, then you might be better off getting something else.

❌ You're on a tight budget: The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ offers plenty to like for the price, but it is an expensive choice that might not suit everyone's budget.

In-depth analysis

Design

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ proves that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a great looking laptop. Its metallic chasssis is stylish and modern, while incredibly thin bezels ensure that the stunning OLED screen is your main area of focus. It also comes with a good selection of ports, including two USB 4 Type-C ports, two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a Micro-SD card reader, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and an HDMI out.

Performance

In our tests, the Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ performed incredibly well, proving that its Arm-based Snapdragon X chip is no slouch, even when compared to Intel-powered laptops. The more energy efficient chip in the Vivobook S 15 meant that the laptop remained almost completely silent whilst we put it through its paces. One area it did fall down on, however, was graphics performance, so you might want to think about buying a different laptop if you're looking for something to edit videos or create 3D models on.

Battery life

Asus rates the Vivobook S 15 at 70WHrs for its battery capacity, and promises around 18 hours of battery life. In our tests we found it came close to that promise, lasting around 17-hours on a single charge. This means it's an excellent choice for anyone looking for a laptop they can use for multiple work days without worrying about charging it.

Value for money

When it comes to the price, the Asus Vivobook S 15 is impressively affordable for what you’re getting. With a price tag of $1,299.99 (£1,299.99 / AU$2,699), it packs in some serious hardware for that cash, though there's no denying that it is still an expensive laptop.

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Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	This laptop is exceptionally well priced for what you get. With OLED screen, Harman/Kardon audio, and some seriously epic hardware, it’s a solid pick	★★★★☆
Design	A beautiful satin metallic finish, subtle branding, and its awesome feature set makes this a stunning laptop	★★★★★
Performance	It might not be that great at gaming, and the AI needs some work, but it dominates every other performance metric	★★★★☆
Battery life	With an 18-hour rated battery life, our testing saw the Vivobook S 15 land at around 17 hours or so under standard load, making it one of the most efficient laptops out there	★★★★★

Expert Verdict

Expert Verdict

Zak Storey

💻 I think that the Asus Vivobook S 15 is an absolutely phenomenal piece of kit. With an aesthetic that’d make even the Milano fashion houses jealous, it combines the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a beautiful OLED display, plus some serious hardware under the hood to deliver a phenomenal laptop experience with outstanding battery life for day-to-day usage. Read the full review: Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+

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The best affordable gaming laptop

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The Asus TUF Gaming A16 (we reviewed the Advantage Edition), is a brilliant budget laptop that proves you don't need to spend a fortune if you want to play the best PC games. While the specific specifications change slightly depending if you're shopping from the US, UK or Australia, you're getting solid AMD specs that will allow you to play modern games at medium to high settings. The Asus TUF Gaming A16 doesn't feel cheap either thanks to a solid design from Asus that we've come to expect of its TUF line, so you can throw this in your backpack without worrying about damaging it (within reason, of course - don't chuck it across a room).

Reasons to buy

✅ You want a cheap gaming laptop that doesn't suck: Despite its lower price, the Asus TUF Gaming A16 offers strong performance and good build quality.

✅ You want a gaming laptop with decent battery life: Thanks to the power efficiency of modern AMD hardware, when reviewing this laptop we found it lasted well over 10 hours.

✅ You want a nice screen: Asus hasn't skimped on the screen, with the 16-inch display offering 1600p resolution and 240Hz refresh rates for smooth gameplay.

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Reasons to avoid

❌ You want to max out your games: If you're a hardcore PC gamer that wants 4K gaming at ultra settings and with ray tracing on, you may want to check out the Razer Blade 16 if you have the money.

❌ You want the best gaming features: Some of the best features to help boost game performance, especially DLSS upscaling and multi frame generation are exclusive to Nvidia GPUs - so if you get an all-AMD Asus TUF Gaming A16 you won't have access to these.

❌ You want a future-proof gaming laptop: The Asus TUF Gaming A16 does a good job of playing modern games, but if you want something that will be able to max out future games in five year's time, then you'll need to invest in something more powerful.

In-depth analysis

Design

While the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition looks unmistakably like a gaming laptop, the design doesn't go too overboard when it comes to gaming aesthetics. The slim bezels around the screen keep it from being too bulky (often an issue with budget laptops), and gives the 16-inch screen room to shine. It also feels solid and robust, which is the hallmark of Asus' TUF line of products.

Performance

The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition model we reviewed comes with the AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU, which is roughly equivalent to an Nvidia RTX 4060 laptop GPU, which means playing at 1080p at max settings gives you a nice balance between visual splendor and slick performance. Taking advantage of the higher 1600p resolution the screen offers will see framerates drop however, but AMD's FSR upscaling tech, while not as good as rival DLSS tech from Nvidia, does a good job of keeping games running smoothly.

Battery life

The AMD hardware in the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition means this laptop can hit over 10 hours when unplugged. Sure, that's not while gaming, but it far surpasses a lot of gaming laptops, especially at this price point. A lot of this is thanks to AMD's Smart Access Graphics GPU-switching tech which switches between the dedicated Radeon RX 7600S GPU and the low-power integrated graphics to help prolong battery life.

Value for money

Considering the specs, build quality, and overall performance of the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition, this is an affordable gaming laptop that offers excellent value for money. The large screen with high refresh rate is particularly pleasing to see at this price point. However, if you have a bit more money in your budget, going for a laptop with an Nvidia RTX 4060 - or even a newer RTX 5070 - laptop GPU will give you a decent bump in performance.

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MSI Katana 15 ratings:

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Price	The Asus TUF Gaming A16 offers a great mix of affordability and performance.	★★★★☆
Design	The Asus TUF Gaming A16's design is solid in all senses of the word. It might not turn heads, but it'll survive being knocked about.	★★★★☆
Performance	For 1080p gaming, the Asus TUF Gaming A16 does a good job of playing modern games.	★★★★☆
Battery life	Over 10 hours of (admittedly) light use for a gaming laptop is excellent, and it's mainly thanks to the efficient AMD hardware.	★★★★★

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Other laptops to consider

New laptops are launched every month, and while this guide has the very best of the best, there are many alternatives which are worth checking out, even if they didn't quite manage to make it on to our main best laptops list.

Here are some honorable mentions of other laptops we've tested that are worth checking out:

• HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch: The HP Chromebook Plus is a smooth and fast performer with a great build quality and premium feel. It handles light productivity, streaming and gaming with aplomb, barely putting a foot wrong. Read the full HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch review
• Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition: While the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition shines in portability, a few design choices may leave you disappointed. However, those willing to overlook the quirks will find a remarkably lightweight and slim device featuring a stunning 2K IPS touchscreen that looks fantastic and Dolby Atmos-compatible speakers that sound just as good. Read the full Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition review
• Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4): While we've included the 13-inch MacBook Air with M4 chip in our main list, the 15-inch model is also worth considering if you prefer a bigger screen to work on. It lacks the portability of the smaller model, but otherwise it offers the same great design and performance. Read the full Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) review

How to choose the best laptop for you:

What are the best laptop brands? The best brands for laptops include Apple, Dell, Lenovo and HP, and they all have their strengths. For example, Apple make brilliantly-designed slim and light laptops, while Dell does a great range of high-end ultrabooks, as well as affordable devices and Chromebooks as well. Lenovo's well known for making solidly-built business laptops (and some great 2-in-1 laptops as well), and HP’s also been making some gorgeous laptops recently that are some of the best laptops in the world.

When it comes to gaming, the best laptop brands include Alienware, Asus and Acer.

How much RAM does a laptop need? RAM (Random Access Memory) is an important specification to look for in a laptop. You’ll want 4GB at the very least for a Windows laptop – though we’d actually recommend for many people to go for 8GB. That will ensure that the laptop runs well for years to come. Budget Chromebooks can get away with less RAM, such as 1GB or 2GB.

Battery life considerations Finally there’s battery life. This is likely to be one of the most important considerations you have when choosing what laptop to buy. The best laptops need to be able to let you work - and play - for hours on end without you having to scramble for a power adapter. Modern laptops are getting ever more power-efficient, which has led to longer battery lives. For a laptop to be included in our best laptops list, it needs to offer a battery life of five hours or more.

What to look for

Battery life: The best thing about laptops is that they allow you to break free from your desk and use them almost anywhere - which is why checking the battery life is essential. For pure battery life, Chromebooks are the best laptops you can buy – but Apple’s latest MacBooks with M1, M2, M3, and brand-new M4 chips come close, offering well over 10 hours of battery life. Meanwhile, gaming laptops usually sacrifice battery life for performance instead.

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 14th generation (or 13th) Intel processor, or AMD Ryzen 7000 series. With a MacBook, go for an M2, M3, or new M4 model (for MacBook Pros) – 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. Recently, Microsoft suggested that 16GB of RAM would be the minimum requirement for the next generation of 'AI laptops'. For Chromebooks, however, 4GB of RAM is fine.

Which type of laptop is best for you?

General laptops: When it comes to the best cheap laptops, these devices focus more on practicality than style, portability or power. That’s not to say they can’t be fast, but you’ll typically find a non-Ultrabook clamshell laptop with an HD screen and spinning drive-based storage for less than $600 or £400. It's here where you often find the best laptop deals, too.

Ultrabooks: Where you’ll find thin-and-light notebooks sporting SSD storage and display resolutions that exceed 1080p. Paired with powerful, albeit mobile-centric components and especially long battery life, the best Ultrabooks will cost a pretty penny – $700 or £500 to $2,000 or £1,800.

2-in-1 laptops: The best 2-in-1 laptops double as tablets and are outfitted with both detachable and 360-degree rotating hinges, these hybrids are the most versatile way to experience Windows 10 (or Chrome OS) on a touchscreen.

Chromebooks: The best Chromebooks, running Chrome OS, do much of what Windows and macOS can in the browser, focused on cloud storage over local, while recently getting Android app support for touchscreen models. They generally cost less than $300 or £200 and some can even withstand a slight tussle.

Gaming laptops: Need a laptop to play games (almost) just like a shiny desktop PC can? Then you’ll want one of the best gaming laptops. These machines generally cost from $800 or £600 to upwards of $3,000 or £2,800 and they’ll likely be the ones to take advantage of AMD’s laptop-grade Ryzen processors first. If you're really on a budget, then you can check out the best cheap gaming laptop deals.

Laptop-tablet hybrids: Designed from the tablet-first approach to laptop-tablet hybrids, the best Windows tablets pack beyond-HD touchscreens, sometimes with kickstands in their frames or provided via keyboard covers. These generally shine with a stylus and range from the budget to the premium price ranges.

What I'm looking for

Every year, hundreds of laptops are released, but only the very best get to make it onto this list. So, what makes a laptop good enough for me to recommend them in our best laptops guide?

I’ve been updating TechRadar’s best laptops page for almost 10 years, and here are the things I look for when deciding what devices should be on this page – and where.

Value for money

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

This is probably the most important consideration when it comes to picking the best laptops to recommend to you. No matter if it’s a powerful gaming laptop that costs thousands of dollars, or a humble budget Chromebook, each device needs to justify its price tag by excelling in the tasks it’s designed for.

Battery life

This is another hugely important consideration for many people when looking to buy a new laptop. One of the best things about laptops is how portable they are – but if you need to always look out for a power outlet to keep using your device, then you’re going to get very annoyed very quickly.

Specifications

When reviewing laptops, I also look at the hardware within the device – often known as the hardware specifications. This can give you a good idea of how well the laptop will perform, whether or not it’s good value for money, and if the laptop will be future-proof.

Design

When picking laptops for this guide, I’m looking for products with stylish yet functional designs. Laptops should be compact enough to carry around with you easily, while also being comfortable to use for long periods.

The design should also feel solid and dependable, being able to withstand knocks, drops and scratches.

How we tested these laptops

How we test the best laptops

We understand that a new laptop is a significant investment, so each laptop on our list has been thoroughly tested by our team (read more on how we test laptops). We integrate these laptops into our daily routines to evaluate their performance comprehensively, in addition to running industry standard benchmarks like GeekBench, PCMark, 3DMark, and the latest PC gaming benchmarks.

Our assessment includes examining a laptop’s design, with special attention paid to the aesthetics, portability, and overall comfort for everyday use. We also consider any additional accessibility and security features like haptic feedback, key backlighting, fingerprint scanning or facial recognition, and physical privacy shutters for the built-in webcam.

On the performance side, we use a combination of real-world tasks and synthetic benchmarks to determine the laptops' capabilities. We test all laptops in a given model year using the same benchmark versions to ensure consistent comparisons across reviews for the laptops you might be considering. And since benchmark scores can sometimes be difficult to interpret, we leverage our expertise to explain these scores for you to help you compare the performance of competing laptops in easy-to-understand terms.

Battery life is another critical factor we measure. We track how long we can use each laptop before needing to recharge. Additionally, we perform our own battery life test, which involves looping a 1080p movie until the battery depletes, a proprietary web surfing script, and the PC Mark 10 battery life benchmark, which simulates real-world usage such as web browsing and document creation. These tests provide us with a clear understanding of the battery longevity for each laptop.

Finally, we consolidate all our findings and compare them to the laptop’s price, determining if it offers the best value for customers.

Tested by

Every laptop in this guide has been thoroughly, and independently, tested by our team of laptop experts, including members of TechRadar's computing team, as well as experienced freelance reviewers. Meet some of the experts below who have reviewed these laptops and helped me create this best laptops list.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Lance Ulanoff

During his almost 40-year-long career in tech journalism, Lance has reviewed hundreds of laptops for TechRadar, as well as Lifewire, PCMag.com and more. If you're looking for advice on whether or not a laptop is worth buying, there are few people in the industry with as much knowledge and authority as Lance.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

John Loeffler

Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews and PC gaming. Over the five years John has been working at TechRadar he has reviewed numerous laptops, specialising in gaming laptops, where he uses his components expertise to cut through the jargon and tell if a device is worth spending money on.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Zak Storey

Zak has been writing for TechRadar since 2015 and was previously Editor-in-Chief of our sister publication Maximum PC. He has also written for PCGamesN and Trusted Reviews, so testing and recommending the best laptops comes naturally.