Best laptops in 2024: My top 10 recommendations in December

The best laptop in 2024 for most people is the 13-inch MacBook Air M3. For an affordable price, this laptop delivers enough computing power for most users, and it has a durable build and a long-lasting battery. Prefer Windows? The Asus ZenBook 14 OLED checks the same boxes at a similar price, while the Acer Swift Go 14 is an even more affordable option. If you have more specialized needs, like a gaming laptop, business laptop, or 2-in-1 laptop, don't worry; I've got recommendations for you, too.

Reflecting on the best laptops in 2024, I saw a massive leap forward in two critical categories: performance and battery life, so even if you're upgrading after just a few years, you can expect a dramatic boost from any of the laptops in this guide. As the managing editor of Laptop Mag, I oversee our expert testing and reviews of over one hundred laptops annually. These days, the market is more complex than ever before, but I can help make your search easy.

Our two-pronged review strategy gives a complete picture of each laptop. The Laptop Mag testing team runs a series of rigorous tests on every laptop: Geekbench (synthetic CPU test), Handbrake (video encoding CPU test), 3DMark (graphics tests), display tests (brightness, color gamut), battery tests (custom battery rundown), and more. Laptops are then turned over to our reviewers to use in real-world situations. Dozens of hours go into every review produced for Laptop Mag.

This page is constantly updated based on our latest reviews to reflect Laptop Mag's current picks for the best laptops in 2024.

Curated by

Curated by

Sean Riley

Sean Riley has covered a wide variety of tech during his 14 years as a journalist and over four years reviewing laptops at Laptop Mag. As the managing editor, he has a role in every laptop review published on Laptop Mag, so you can trust his guidance in finding the best laptop for you.

The best laptop for most people:

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Weighing a mere 2.7 pounds, Apple’s smallest laptop features the M3 chip, which delivers a power and efficiency boost over its predecessor. This makes it my pick as the best laptop for most people.

The MacBook Air's 13.6-inch display is one of the brightest laptops around, and True Tone ensures excellent color accuracy, but its vibrancy falls short of some of the OLED competition. Rumors of Apple moving to OLED in the future abound, but not yet.

Like the M2 Air, the MacBook Air M3 is one of the thinnest laptops at only 0.4 inches. However, unlike many ultraportable laptops, it can keep up with an impressive workload thanks to the M3 chip. Whether it was our benchmarks or real-world usage, the Air M3 was up for any task.

Looking at the benchmarks, the MacBook Air M3 scored 12,087 on Geekbench 6.2, well above the category average. Our Handbrake video transcoding test took 7 minutes and 54 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. Again, this beats the average, but it's worth noting that some of its Intel Core Ultra-powered competition is passing the MacBook here. Apple also addressed the slightly slower SSD read/write performance of the Air M2, jumping from 2,800.1/2,210.6MBps on the M2 to 3,030.7/3,058.8MBps with the M3.

All that performance prowess doesn't hurt its battery life, either. If finding an outlet can be a challenge during your day, never fear. The Air M3 powered through over 15 hours of battery life testing in our lab.

If that’s not enough, you also get a 1080p webcam with Apple's latest software tricks helping to boost the hardware to higher heights. So what are the downsides? If you have a lot of peripherals, the pair of Thunderbolt/USB-C ports may be challenging, but at least you have MagSafe 3 to keep both ports free while charging.

Starting at $1,099, the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 isn't cheap but remains a solid value, and Apple made it an even better value on October 30 by bumping up the base RAM to 16GB, previously a $200 upgrade that we recommended most people buy.

If you want to save money, the 13-inch MacBook Air M2 sticks around at a new $999 starting price, and I expect to see it regularly discounted to $899 or less, so look at the best MacBook deals before picking one up.

Need more screen real estate? Look no further than the 15-inch MacBook Air M3. It mirrors all of the strengths of its smaller sibling but with a larger 15.3-inch display. The new MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 and MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 Pro may sway Apple fans with more high-performance needs, but rest assured the Air remains the right choice for most people.

See our full 13-inch MacBook Air M3 review
See our full 15-inch MacBook Air M3 review
See our full 13-inch MacBook Air M2 review
More like this: Best Macbook 2024

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Best laptop on a budget

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Acer's Swift Go 14 is the easy choice for the best budget laptop. Starting at $749, the Go 14 isn't the cheapest laptop, but its value is incredible. We reviewed the slightly upgraded $999 configuration, but the main trade-off is moving from an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H to a Core Ultra 5 125H. The performance difference will be negligible if you stick to productivity work, browsing, and other general computing.

The design remains the same at either price, with the Go 14 coming in at just 2.9 pounds. The metallic all-aluminum chassis gives off a faint sparkle that looks and feels far more premium than its price. Popping it open, the contrasting black chiclet-style backlit keyboard looks and feels excellent. Acer also gives you ports aplenty on this portable laptop with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a Kensington lock slot.

The display lands just below the mainstream average for color at 79.1 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut (85.2 percent is average), but it beats the category average in brightness at 374 nits (354 is average). Again, factoring in the price, these are strong results. You could also opt for the 2.8K display configuration if you value a sharper image.

Performance with our review model was everything we've come to expect from the latest Intel Core Ultra. Our Geekbench 6.2 overall performance test scored 12,434, overtaking more expensive options like the MacBook Air M3 (12,087). It also scorched the competition for our Handbrake video encoding test at 5 minutes and 18 seconds, almost four full minutes under the category average (9:07), again besting the MacBook Air M3 (7:54).

So what are the drawbacks? The battery life isn't bad, at 9 hours and 50 minutes in our testing, but it is well below top options like the MacBook Air M3 (15:21) or the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (15:52). If you frequently travel or otherwise have difficulty plugging in, this could impact your decision. The built-in speakers are also less than stellar, so plan on some wireless headphones or earbuds.

However, these are minor concerns for most users, so if you are looking for the best laptop value, look no further than the Acer Swift Go 14.

See our full Acer Swift 14 Go (Intel Core Ultra) review
More like this: Best budget laptops 2024

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Best laptop for students

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Asus has been on a roll with the Zenbook 14 OLED line for a few years, so while it is no longer a surprise, this early 2024 Zenbook takes yet another significant leap forward.

This is in no small part due to the new Intel Core Ultra chipset inside, which puts the Zenbook 14 OLED on par with any productivity and light content creation laptops on the market. It also absolutely blew the roof off our battery life test, with 15 hours and 52 minutes in our test. That's the longest a traditional Windows laptop has lasted in recent memory.

Divining into some of the specifics on performance, it overtook the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 in multi-core Geekbench 6.2 (12,707 vs. 12,087). That wasn't its only win against the much-vaunted MacBook. The Zenbook also beat it in our Handbrake 1.6 test by converting a 4K video to 1080p in 6:36, over a minute faster than the Air M3's 7:54.

The OLED display looks excellent in person, but the benchmarking put it in the middle of the road when it comes to the DCI-P3 color gamut at 79.8 percent, that's below the mainstream average of 85.2 percent and just slightly ahead of the MacBook Air M3 (77.8 percent). It is extremely color accurate with a Delta-E of 0.21, relevant for content creators. Display brightness is a weak point against its competition at 339 nits, which is not a terrible result, but it's something we want to see Asus address for the next model.

The Zenbook weighs 3 pounds, not exactly an ultralight, but not something that will weigh you down too much going from class to class or while commuting. Overall, the Zenbook 14 OLED ticks just about every box we like to see for a student laptop while going above and beyond with its performance and battery life. This laptop should comfortably hold up through four years of college or for a high school student preparing to head to college in the next year or two.

See our full Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425M) review
More like this: Best laptops for college 2024

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Best ultraportable Windows laptop:

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The Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) is currently our pick for the best AI PC laptop, but it deserves more praise than that. It features the new Intel Core Ultra 200V series processor and even at its full price of $1,499, you are getting a compelling balance of performance, almost 14-hours of battery life, a stunning 14-inch OLED display, plus 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Run whatever AI, productivity, or creative software you want and the Zenbook S14 should remain a multi-tasking machine on the go.

In our review, staff writer Madeline Ricchiuto said, "From its stunning design to its vivid OLED display panel, there’s plenty to appreciate about the Asus Zenbook S 14."

In our Laptop Mag battery test the Asus Zenbook S 14 lasted 13 hours and 51 minutes, which should let you leave the charger at home even for your worst day of work, school, or play. Speaking of on the go advantages, the Zenbook's scratch-resistant Ceraluminum ultralight chassis should keep it looking brand new even if you tote it everywhere with you.

If you care about your laptops visuals, the Zenbook S 14's 3K (2,880 x 1,800) OLED display is going to leave you very happy. It is vividly colorful, capturing 82% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is an excellent result for the typically low-scoring OLED, and at 342 nits of brightness it will hold up well in brightly lit environments.

Unlike many ultraportables, the Zenbook S 14 doesn't skimp on the port selection with a pair of Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack. That should cover most people's needs and throws down the gauntlet for ultrabooks that went USB-C/Thunderbolt-only.

If you have greater performance needs then something like the MacBook Air 13 M3 may be the answer at a similar size and weight, or if you are looking for a business focused ultraportable the Asus ExpertBook P5 is a strong choice. However, for a solid blend of performance, battery life, and price in a compact package the Zenbook S 14 is a standout choice.

See our full Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) review.
More like this: Best ultrabooks in 2024

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Best high performance laptop:

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We haven't had the opportunity to test an M4 Max configuration of the MacBook Pro yet, but the M4 Pro proves that few would need to look beyond it. Our mid-tier configuration of the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro delivered performance and battery life results beyond the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max that we reviewed last year, offering 7% better overall performance and almost 3 extra hours of battery life! All of that in a configuration that with matching storage would cost $900 less.

Our $3,499 review configuration of the MacBook Pro 16 M4 Pro featured the base 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU, paired with 48GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, but you can max those out with the M4 Max at up to a 16-core CPU, a 40-core GPU, up to 128GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD. Maxing out all of the options would put you at $7,349, so you'll want to consider your upgrades wisely.

In almost every performance metric, the MacBook Pro 16 M4 Pro is at the top of the charts. It's Geekbench 6 score of 22,822 is more than double the premium laptop average. Turning to our Handbrake test which has the laptop transcode a 4K video to 1080p, the MacBook Pro finished in 2 minutes and 38 seconds. That's more than twice as fast as the premium laptop average and over 30 seconds faster than the creator-focused Asus ProArt PX 16 2024. If you do creative work professionally and value your time, the MacBook Pro M4 Pro or M4 Max is the way to go.

Battery life remains the most mystifying trick that this powerhouse of a laptop has up its sleeve. Achieving 20 hours and 46 minutes in the Laptop Mag battery test, that's over 7 hours longer than the premium laptop average and more than double its Windows content creation rivals like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 (9:51) or the Asus ProArt PX16 2024 (9:32). If you need are regularly working away from an outlet, this should make for an easy choice.

Is there any reason to avoid the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro or M4 Max? Price and macOS are the two big reasons. The M4 Pro configurations start at $2,499 and the M4 Max configurations start at $3,499. That's at the upper end of premium for anything other than a workstation or gaming laptop, but considering the performance, efficiency, and build quality it's not outlandish. As for macOS, it's a smooth and well-supported operating system, but if you need Windows-only apps or your work just doesn't support macOS, you'll either is a great operating system, but if you have Windows-only apps that you need to use or you're business doesn't support macOS, it could be a dealbreaker. Finally, Apple continues to improve its gaming support, but it remains distantly behind Windows for gamers. As long as none of these concerns spoil things for you, the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro or M4 Max is in a class by itself when it comes to a mainstream high-performance laptop.

See our full MacBook Pro 16 M4 Pro review
More like this: Best Apple laptops 2024

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The best gaming laptop overall:

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The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) kicks the old challengers to the curb with its powerful Intel Core i9-14900HX processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU with 12GB of VRAM. While performance is a big factor for a great gaming laptop, it isn't the only factor, the bright and vivid display, loud audio, and responsive keyboard make for an unbeatable combo. Did I mention you can often find it for less than $2,500 directly from Lenovo.

In our review, staff writer Madeline Ricchiuto said, "The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is a gamer’s gaming laptop," which nicely sums up this outstanding, but not overpriced choice for gamers.

Let's dig into the details and our extensive testing of this laptop a bit. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i averaged 105 frames per second on the Far Cry 6 (Ultra, 1080p) benchmark, which was enough to inch past the MSI Vector 16 HX (98 fps) and its own previous gen (97 fps), but blew past the Alienware X16 R2 (88 fps). The Red Dead Redemption 2 (Medium, 1080p) benchmark kept things closer, with the Pro 7i at 96 fps, the Vector 16 at 104 fps, the X16 R2 at 90 fps, and the Pro 7i Gen 8 at 69 fps.

Don't ignore the display when buying a gaming laptop, it's almost as much of the experience as the performance. Lenovo certainly heeded our guidance there with the glorious 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz panel delivering an amazing 108.7% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 456 nits of brightness. This is as immersive as it gets without putting on a VR headset.

If you are regularly gaming on the go then a good keyboard is crucial as well, and the widely spaced keys combined with a crisp and springy actuation force will allow you to avoid packing a cumbersome gaming keyboard.

While the best gaming headset is still worth purchasing for online gaming, if you are strictly worried about audio output, the Legion Pro 7i offers the Harman Super Linear Speaker System. Packed with two woofers, two tweeters, and a smart amp, it's a strong standalone acoustic experience.

At nearly 6 pounds the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 is a little heavier than we'd like and the 4 hours and 29 minutes of battery life aren't going to win any awards either, but if you want maximum performance you'll need to keep it plugged in anyway.

But overall, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is the champ.

Read our full Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) review.
More like this: Best gaming laptops

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Best 2-in-1 laptop:

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The Intel Core Ultra version of the HP Spectre x360 14 takes everything we've loved about this laptop line in recent years and turns it up a notch. Beyond the useful 2-in-1 form factor, you have a gorgeous 2.8K OLED touchscreen display for creating or viewing content.

The laptop weighs 3.2 pounds, pretty light for a 14-inch 2-in-1, but thanks to that power-sipping CPU from Intel, it still crushed our battery life test with over 11 hours on a single charge! That's one of the best results we've ever seen from a 2-in-1. Despite its frugal battery usage, the Intel Core Ultra and Arc GPU blew our reviewer away, putting up better Geekbench and 3D Mark results than many heavier clamshell laptops.

So why isn't it perfect? While the display is bright and colorful, we've seen better benchmarks from competitors. However, the rest of the package makes it impossible to argue with the HP Spectre x360 14 as the best 2-in-1 around, which is why the notebook earned 4.5 stars and our coveted Editor’s Choice award.

See our full HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) review
More like this: Best 2-in-1 laptops 2024

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Best Chromebook overall:

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The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus gives you a premium laptop experience at a more affordable price than a comparable Windows laptop. It features better specs than the typical Chromebook with an Intel Core 3 100U 14th gen processor, Intel integrated graphics, 8GB of memory, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 15.6-inch FHD AMOLED display.

In our review, James Pero said, "While Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook Plus isn't the first premium Chromebook, it's probably the best."

The Galaxy Book boasts enough computing power to get the most out of ChromeOS and Google Gemini AI, without unnecessarily weighing the laptop down or adding to its cost. You can run Android apps or juggle Chrome tabs without any slowdowns.

As we would expect from a Samsung device, the display is one of the highlights, with a 15.6-inch AMOLED that puts most other Chromebooks to shame. Measuring 108.5% on the DCI-P3 color gamut, the Galaxy Chromebook plus outperforms many Windows laptops and MacBooks. Brightness again dramatically outperforms its category at 377 nits of average peak brightness, which is enough to overpower lighting in most environments.

Lasting 11 hours and 12 minutes on the Laptop Mag web surfing battery test, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus isn't among our longest-lasting laptops, but it beats most modern Chromebooks and is enough for all-day usage.

The $699 price may feel expensive for a Chromebook, this is superior hardware to the typical Chromebook, and still more affordable than a comparable Windows laptop. If you want an affordable and easy-to-use laptop a Chromebook is an excellent choice, and Samsung gives you the best Chromebook experience possible at only a slight premium.

See our full Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus review.
More like this: Best Chromebook 2024

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Best battery life:

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The Dell XPS 13 9345 is one of the first generation of Copilot+ PCs powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chipset. This gives you access to a variety of AI-fueled Windows features that promise to enhance work and play on your laptop. Even if you aren't sold on the AI revolution just yet, this laptop serves up a potent combination of features.

The battery life is the undeniable star of this show, coming in at 19 hours and 1 minute and an even more astounding 20 hours and 51 minutes after we installed the BIOS 1.7.0 update. The average premium laptop makes it to 11 hours and 13 minutes in this test. If you are a student or a frequent traveler who needs to stay powered up on the go, the Dell XPS 13 9345 is unmatched.

Lest you think that battery life comes from a power-sipping processor, the Snapdragon X Elite also delivers an incredible 14,635 multi-core score in the Geekbench 6.3 overall performance test. That obliterates the premium laptop average of 8,927 and its nearest competitors like the MacBook Air M3 (12,087) or Zenbook 14 (12,707).

It's not the perfect laptop, though. Two ports will leave some users running for a docking station or USB-C hub. At just 66.9% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, the display is rather dull, and our reviewer found the keyboard to be cramped.

While the Dell XPS 13 9345 remains the longest-lasting laptop that we recommend to most people, if you are in the market for a business laptop the Lenovo ThinkPad T14S Gen 6 did narrowly outlast it at 21 hours and 3 minutes. Prefer macOS? The 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 delivered an impressive 18 hours and 32 minutes.

See our full Dell XPS 13 9345 (Snapdragon X Elite) review
More like this: Laptops with the best battery life in 2024

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The best business laptop:

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The Asus ExpertBook P5 is a near-perfect business laptop that covers the needs of 99% of business users at an affordable price. The feature list includes a fast and efficient new Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, over 14 hours of battery life, a 144Hz display, all the RAM a multi-tasker could need, and enough ports for you to skip the USB-C hub or docking station.

In our review of the ExpertBook P5 (P5405), our managing editor, Sean Riley, said: "The 144Hz refresh rate is the most eye-catching spec...if you spend all day on your laptop, it is easier on your eyes as it reduces the almost imperceptible flicker of your laptop display." Combine this with the 465 nit of brightness and you have one of the most formiddable business laptop displays around.

The new Intel processor and ample RAM make the Asus ExpertBook P5 a productivity workhorse if you use a typical combination of office apps and browser-based tasks. If you need more robust performance for photo or video work, 3D rendering, on-device LLMs, or similar tasks, you may want to consider an affordable workstation like the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 or one of the best laptops for Photoshop.

To put the ExpertBook P5's performance in perspective, it scored 11,259 in the Geekbench 6 overall performance test performed by our lab. That's roughly 9% higher than the average premium laptop's score of 10,308 but 7-12% behind some of its competitors like the Asus Zenbook S 14, MacBook Air M3, and HP EliteBook Ultra. That's close enough that performance alone shouldn't tip you to them over the ExpertBook P5.

Another highlight of the ExpertBook P5 is the webcam. If you are regularly on video calls, you'll appreciate its color accuracy and sharp focus. No more toting around one of the best webcams in your bag.

The ExpertBook P5 also has excellent thermal management, so it won't scorch you if you need to work from your laptop or on a plane. After playing back a video for 15 minutes, the hottest temperature recorded on it was 95.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The HP Elite x360 1040 G11, by comparison, reached 103.1 degrees on the underside. The Zenbook S 14 and Zenbook S 16 reached 97.7 and 105.5, respectively, and the Dell XPS 13 reached an alarming 120.

See our full Asus ExpertBook P5 review.

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Recently Reviewed

We review new laptops every week, but we don't make the best laptop selections lightly, so there aren't weekly changes to our picks. Here's a look at our recently reviewed laptops that didn't make the cut for this page, some were still excellent, while others missed the mark completely.

Dell G16 (7630) | Intel Core i7-1365HX | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD

Score: ★★★★½

Pros: Gorgeous display; phenomenal keyboard experience; powerful performance; decent battery life; reasonably priced

Cons: Tiny touchpad; hollow speakers

See our full Dell G16 (7630) review.

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Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite | Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics | 32GB RAM | 1TB SSD

Score: ★★★★

Pros: Record-breaking battery life; strong overall performance; surprisingly lightweight

Cons: Outdated design; lackluster display; mediocre graphics performance

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 review.

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Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura edition | Intel Core Ultra 7 256V | Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD

Score: ★★★½

Pros: A bright vibrant display; top-firing speakers that are LOUD; built-in smart modes are super helpful

Cons: Subpar performance scores; hit-or-miss gaming performance

See our full Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura edition review.

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Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 (2024) | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD

Score: ★★★½

Pros: Vivid ISP display; comfortable and springy keyboard; over eight hours of battery life; stays cool; good gaming performance

Cons: Rough trackpad; collects many fingerprints; bass doesn’t come through the speakers

See our full Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 review.

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Acer Swift X 14 (2024) | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 | 32GB RAM | 1TB SSD

Score: ★★★★

Pros: Swift, reliable performance; powerful RTX 4070 graphics for gaming and content creation; crisp, satisfying keyboard; light and thin chassis for a laptop with a discrete GPU; decent battery life

Cons: Display doesn’t meet 100% DCI-P3 claim; display could be brighter

See our full Acer Swift X 14 review.

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HP Elite x360 1040 G11 | Intel Core Ultra 7 165H | Intel Arc Graphics | 16GB RAM| 512GB SSD

Score: ★★★★

Pros: Svelte design; superb keyboard and touchpad experience; strong performance; 3-year warranty with 3 years of security features.

Cons: It has the business laptop tax; display comes with too many caveats; middling battery life.

See our full HP Elite x360 1040 G11 review.

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Dell XPS 13 (9350) | Intel Core Ultra 7 258V | Intel Arc 140V | 32GB RAM | 512GB SSD

Score: ★★★★

Pros: Solid performance; impressive battery life; vivid tandem OLED display option; impactful speakers; respectable graphics.

Cons: Display could be brighter on both models; poor color on non-OLED display; cramped keyboard; only two USB-C ports.

See our full Dell XPS 13 (9350) review.

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Asus ProArt P16 | AMD Ryzen 9 HX 370 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 | 32GB RAM | 2TB SSD

Score: ★★★★½

Pros: Stellar graphics performance; top-firing speakers; great touchpad and keyboard; competitive AI performance.

Cons: Display could be brighter; below-average battery life.

See our full Asus ProArt P16 review.

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Asus TUF Gaming A14 | AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 | 16GB RAM | 1TB SSD

Score: ★★★★½

Pros: Industry-leading battery life; solid gaming performance; exceptionally light; sturdy and durable.

Cons: Sluggish trackpad.

See our full Asus TUF Gaming A14 review.

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How We Test Laptops

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Over the course of a year, we review over 100 laptops, covering every price point and use case. Whether you’re looking for a productivity workhorse, a badass gaming system, or a multimedia machine to kick back and watch a movie or two, we can help you find your ideal match.

To make our best laptops of 2024 list, the system needs to score at least 4 out of 5 stars on our reviews and deliver on the things shoppers care about most. Our evaluations focus on design and comfort, display quality, the keyboard and touchpad, performance, battery life, and value.

Our expert reviewers also test each product to see how it looks, feels, and performs in everyday situations. Because we see so many different notebooks, we can compare each to its direct competitors and give you an idea of how it compares to the average laptop in its price band.

When we bring a laptop into our laboratory, we aim to see how it would work if you brought it into your home or office. While we use industry-standard benchmarks such as Geekbench and 3DMark, we focus heavily on real-world tests that we have developed in-house.

To test endurance, the Laptop Mag Battery test surfs the web at 150 nits of brightness until the system runs out of juice. We use a giant spreadsheet macro that matches 65,000 names with their addresses to judge pure processing power, the Handbrake video transcoder converts a 4K video to 1080p, and the Geekbench 6 synthetic test. We measure graphics prowess with both 3DMark Ice Storm / Fire Strike and a series of games, including Assassin's Creed: Mirage, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Red Dead Redemption 2, just to name a few.

We use a colorimeter to measure screen brightness and color gamut, while other instruments help us determine a laptop's key travel and ambient heat. For more details on our benchmarking procedures, see this page on how we test laptops.

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FAQs

Q: Is an AI laptop worth it in 2024?

A: Following the explosion of generative AI, including chatbots like ChatGPT, AI PCs are sweeping the industry along with new chips geared toward AI like Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite, Intel's Lunar Lake, Apple's M4, and AMD's Ryzen AI 300-series. AI may soon supercharge your computing experience, but today, Laptop Mag hasn't found many game-changing AI features, even with Microsoft's Copilot+ PC push. But we are seeing groundbreaking improvements in performance and efficiency thanks to these new chips. So we wouldn't direct you to purchase a laptop specifically because it is an AI PC, but some of the latest AI PCs are the best laptops overall.

How to Find the Right Laptop

When shopping for a laptop, there's a lot to consider. To help you choose a system, we've included our up-to-date list of favorite notebooks above, along with five points to remember.

Budget: What you get for the money.

You can find good cheap Windows laptops and high-quality Chromebooks for under $500. However, better mainstream laptops usually cost more than $700, and premium Ultrabooks are over $1,000. The best gaming laptops can cost $2.000 and up, but you can play the latest titles at decent frame rates on gaming laptops under $1,500.

Screen Size: 12 to 14 inches for portability

Knowing a laptop's screen size tells you a lot about its portability overall. If you want to carry it regularly, go for one with a 12, 13, or 14-inch display. If it won't leave your desk too often, a 15- or 16-inch model gives you more screen real estate while remaining portable. Some gaming rigs, media machines, and workstations even have 17- or 18-inch screens, but consider how often you'll want to tote around these often 7+ pound laptops.

2-in-1 or Clamshell?

More and more of today's laptops are 2-in-1s with screens that either bend back 360 degrees or detach so you can use them as tablets. If you like the idea of using your laptop in slate mode for drawing, media consumption, or just standing up, a 2-in-1 could be for you. However, like an Ultrabook or any thin-and-light laptop, you can often get better features or a lower price by going with a traditional clamshell-style laptop, so consider your priorities.

Battery Life: 11+ Hours for Portability

Battery life matters unless you only plan to use your laptop on your desk. Even within the home or office, having plenty of juice enables you to work or play more freely, whether going to the couch or the conference table. The last year has been a game-changer for laptop battery life with new chips extending battery life hours beyond what we were accustomed to. We recommend getting a laptop that lasts at least 10 hours on the Laptop Mag Battery Test. If you are a frequent traveler or a student regularly working away from an outlet, look for over 12 hours; there are plenty of options. The longest-lasting laptops endure for over 19 hours.

Specs: 1080p / Core i5 / 8GB Are Minimums

You can spend a lot of time delving into specs, but here are the key components to consider. Do not buy anything with less than an Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 1080p screen. This is enough for many users, but dropping below these specs will at a minimum shorten the usable life of your laptop and will lead to a disappointing overall experience.

• Screen Resolution: Don't settle for anything less than a 1920 x 1080 (aka 1080p or full HD) resolution. If you're a content creator, you'll want to look into at least a 2K resolution panel or even a 4k laptop. Gamers should pay attention to the refresh and response rate. We recommend 144Hz and 3-millisecond, respectively.
• CPU: An Intel Core i5 or Core Ultra 5 provides good mainstream performance. Get a Core i7 or a quad-core processor (serial number ends in HX) for gaming or high-end productivity tasks such as video editing and 3D modeling. AMD is enjoying a renaissance with its Ryzen line of processors. Ryzen 7 is the middle-of-the-road chip that will bring mainstream performance, while Ryzen 5 and 9 cover your entry-level and power user needs. And, of course, we can't forget Apple, with its M-series chips based on ARM architecture, which has taken the industry by storm. Qualcomm is the newest player in the laptop chip market and its Snapdragon X Elite is a significant challenger.
• RAM: 8GB is enough for most users, but if it's within your budget, spring for 16GB as it will ensure better performance over your laptop's life. Professional power users, content creators, and gamers will look for 32GB and beyond, but that is overkill for most people. While we would not recommend 4GB systems in general, if it is a secondary laptop that will see use predominantly for light web browsing and steaming, it will suffice.
• Storage: 256 GB of internal storage is probably enough unless you're a gamer, content creator, or power user. On budget laptops, look out for eMMC memory; while still flash memory, it is much slower than an SSD.
• Graphics Chip: Gamers and creative professionals should get one of the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series or AMD Radeon 7000 series GPUs. Everyone else will be happy with the CPU's built-in integrated graphics, which have improved considerably in recent years.

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Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred laptops yearly, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades and continues to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

One of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing, enforces our editorial trustworthiness. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

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