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Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
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The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a 14-inch gaming laptop with an OLED screen and is as powerful as the Razer Blade 14 but as portable as the MacBook Air. Read More
The Acer Swift Go 16 is packed to the vents with performance and a vivid OLED display, making it a great value pick for almost anyone. Read More
The Apple MacBook Air 13 M3 is a premium productivity laptop that trounces the Dell XPS 14 in battery life and price. Read More
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is a beefy gaming laptop that’s great for gaming and productivity, and undercuts competitors by several hundred dollars. Read More
The HP Pavilion Plus 16 is well-rounded and a viable alternative to the larger MacBook Pro 16, MacBook Air 15, or LG Gram 17. Read More
Reviewed's PC experts are always on the lookout for the best laptops for everyone, from gamers and students to frequent flyers and homebodies. PCs are the center of business and recreation for nearly everyone, so we work hard to make sure you find a laptop you'll love on this list.
Most people need to look no further than the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (available at Walmart for $1,439.95) , a laptop that blurs the lines between gaming and productivity with its 12-hour battery life, slim 14-inch body, and superb performance. It performed well in all our benchmarking tests even when we compared it to some of our favorite gaming laptops.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is technically a gaming laptop, but it's a spectacular laptop for anyone.
Fantastic performance
Gorgeous OLED screen
12-hour battery life
Soldered on memory
Fewer graphics card configurations than previous years
The Acer Swift Go 16 brings incredible performance for a modest price.
The MacBook Air 13 M3 offers all the bells and whistles.
Thin, lightweight body
Excellent audio
Bright display
Slow SSD performance
Marginal upgrade over last gen
It's not the fanciest laptop around, but it can still perform with the best.
The HP Pavilion 16 is a phenomenal laptop for the unexpected.
Beautiful Space Black colorway
Long battery life
Incredible integrated graphics performance
Still collects lots of fingerprints
Still many barriers to Mac gaming
Fast processor and SSD
Large and bright display
Long battery life
A touch too light
Could use some more ports
Literally transforms
Compact and portable
Versatility
Finicky touch gestures
Takes some getting used to
Dual-screen concept works well
Can also pass as a “normal” laptop
Good value
Touchscreens don’t make it a tablet
Performance is modest for the price
Bluetooth keyboard can be finicky
Attractive and sturdy design
Strong performance and battery life
Top-tier display and audio
Heavy and thick
Controversial keyboard function row
Not the best value
Solid performance
Sturdy, tactile keyboard feel
Minimalist, professional look
Just okay screen brightness
Loaded with bloatware
Impressive GPU performance
OLED display with vivid colors
Great selection of ports
Disappointing battery life
Oversized touchpad
Underwhelming screen brightness
Excellent design
Performance and efficiency
Gorgeous display
The CPU can run hot
No upgradeable memory
Phenomenal touchscreen display
Dynamic audio
Included stylus and case
Slightly underpowered
Short battery life
We test everything from processing capability to screen brightness.
Here at Reviewed, we test laptops for their processing capability, graphics, battery life, and screen brightness. We use popular benchmarks like Geekbench and 3DMark to gauge how well the laptop multitasks, runs games, and more. We also test multiple platforms, from Windows laptops to Macs and Chromebooks alike.
To test battery life, we set up our laptops to continuously cycle through various websites at a brightness of 200 nits—which is around 60% for many of the mid-range models—until they run out of power, estimating how much work you can get done on a single charge. We also use each laptop for an extended period, rating each on factors like build quality, price, portability, and design.
When it comes to laptops, there’s a lot to consider. From display size to build quality, you want a laptop that’ll last a couple of years. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
The CPU, graphics chip, RAM, and storage inside your PC determine how well your computer can multitask, handle intensive tasks like gaming, and store all your files. The better the specs, the snappier the laptop will feel as you work.
Most people will be more than happy with a current-generation Intel Core 5, Apple M3, or AMD Ryzen 5, which are mid-range processors. 8GB of RAM will give you enough room to lightly multitask, but we recommend 16GB or more of RAM for power users and 32GB for content creation.
Graphics chip and storage size needs will vary the most depending on what you plan to run on the laptop. While Chromebooks can get away with 64GB of storage with additional cloud storage, Windows laptops need 256GB or more of storage to run optimally. 512GB hits the sweet spot for many users.
For most people, there is no need for a dedicated graphics card. Modern integrated graphics are more than capable of running things like esports games or small 3D modeling files. However, if you plan to play the latest AAA games or need to run a lot of vector calculations, you should consider a discrete graphics card.
Not only do you want a laptop that can take a beating (since you’ll probably be lugging it around with you), but you want one with a well-built keyboard and trackpad since they’re your primary form of interaction with the machine. A poor trackpad or finicky keyboard can ruin the experience.
Generally, durable laptops are stiff and hard to deform, so metal is usually more rugged than plastic. A good keyboard should be quick to type on, and your fingers should easily reach all the keys without any missed hits. Check that the Shift, Control, and Fn keys aren’t awkward to reach with your thumb and pinky fingers.
Whether you prefer stiff or soft keys is up to you: stiff keys are harder to accidentally press but will tire you out faster, while soft keys are easier to type on for long periods but can be prone to poor feedback and typos. See what’s most comfortable for you.
Trackpads are a little easier to judge. A good trackpad reads all your finger movements accurately, so the mouse won’t feel jumpy or unresponsive. A larger trackpad gives you better control of your cursor, and the trackpad should have little friction so you don’t “skip” with your cursor.
2-in-1s have gained in popularity, but touch screens and pens cost money to include. Similarly, cramming all those powerful components into a small, easy-to-carry package can often cost more than a larger laptop with fewer design constraints.
They’re not as comfortable to use as dedicated tablets like iPads, but 2-in-1s can provide extra options for those who need something versatile. Display pens are great for those who take a lot of notes or draw, such as students or artists.
Consider which operating system you need. Windows is still the dominant OS these days, and if you’re going to play games, edit photos and videos, or need certain software for work, you’ll probably stick with Microsoft’s offering in a business laptop. MacOS has exclusive software and great integration with the Apple ecosystem, so it’s the preferred option for those with iPhones, iPads, or other Apple products.
If you spend all your time on the web and want to save some money, though, a Chromebook may serve you well. Between Netflix, Gmail, and Google Docs, you can do almost anything in a browser. Many of those web apps even work offline for those rare occasions when you don’t have Wi-Fi. Chromebooks have the advantage of being cheaper (since they don’t need as much processing power) and virtually bloatware-free (since they run Linux under the hood).
You’ll usually find laptops in one of three main sizes, measured by the diagonal length of the display:
You’ll also want to consider the number of USB ports, whether you need HDMI and Ethernet, and how comfortable the keyboard and trackpad are to use—this can vary quite a bit from model to model, and it’s important to get something responsive and durable.
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Adrien has over 4 years of experience covering laptops, desktops, software, games, and more.
Matthew S. Smith is a veteran tech journalist and general-purpose PC hardware nerd. Formerly the Lead Editor of Reviews at Digital Trends, he has over a decade of experience covering PC hardware. Matt often flies the virtual skies in Microsoft Flight Simulator and is on a quest to grow the perfect heirloom tomato.
Joanna specializes in anything and everything gaming-related and loves nerding out over graphics cards, processors, and chip architecture. Previously she was a staff writer for Gizmodo, PC Gamer, and Maximum PC.
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