Best 14-inch laptops 2024: Small size, big potential

The best 14-inch laptops are small in size but big in potential. A 14-inch laptop hits the sweet spot between a 13-inch laptop's portability and a 15-inch laptop's  performance. Perhaps because of this, it's been taking over as one of the most popular laptop form factors — for good reason.

In the past few months, we've seen the next generation of processors, and it will begin to dominate the majority of new laptops launched in the coming year. Whether it's Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite, Intel's Lunar Lake, Apple's M4, or AMD's Ryzen AI 300-series, these chips are the future of mobile computing.

The Laptop Mag testing team runs every laptop through a barrage of tests: Geekbench (synthetic CPU test), Handbrake (video encoding CPU test), 3DMark (graphics tests), display tests (brightness, color gamut), battery tests (custom battery rundown), and more. Then, our reviewers put the laptops to use in real-world situations. Our two-pronged review strategy gives a complete picture of each laptop and allows us to compare them thoroughly.

This page is constantly updated based on our latest reviews to reflect Laptop Mag's current picks for the best 14-inch laptops in 2024. 

CURATED BY

CURATED BY

Claire Tabari

Claire Tabari graduated with a bachelor's degree in Journalism & Media Studies at Brooklyn College and has been covering tech for four years. She has written over a hundred reviews and has plenty of experience testing and critiquing laptops.

The Quick list

The best 14-inch laptops in 2024

Best overall

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The Apple MacBook Pro M3 sets the standard for other 14-inch laptops. It's the total package and an obvious top pick for anybody looking to pick up a laptop in this category. Beyond the MacBook's iconic style, its M3 chip is a consistent powerhouse for accomplishing computing tasks and a real pioneer in efficiency and battery life.

Beyond the MacBook Pro 14's performance, you'll find Apple's iconic keyboard, plus-sized trackpad, powerful speakers, a fantastic high-resolution webcam, and a stunning 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display.

This MacBook Pro 14 is a multipurpose laptop that can do just about anything, from productivity to creation—and even a little gaming, too. Work or play, the MacBook Pro 14 is a best-in-class option well worth a place on any buyer's prospective shortlist.

On the Geekbench 6 overall performance test, the MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 managed a multi-core score of 11,870. This is undoubtedly exceptional, which is no surprise considering the M3's unbelievable processing power. It also took 5 minutes and 38 seconds to transcode a 4K video into 1080p, which blasts past the 7-minute and 51-second category average.

Best of all, the battery life on this thing is unreal. On the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits, it lasted 17 hours and 16 minutes before dying. This is phenomenal, making it one of the longest-lasting laptops we've reviewed in years. Look no further if you want a powerhouse that can last more than two full workdays.

If you want OLED, its display will leave much to be desired, but its ability to reproduce 81.3 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut makes it colorful enough for most users. And, of course, Apple never disappoints when it comes to brightness, managing an average of 558 nits. This makes it easy to work on even the brightest days.

See our full M3 MacBook Pro review.

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Best budget

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Buying a budget doesn't mean sacrificing a premium aesthetic or solid performance. In fact, for $800, you can snag the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, a stylish laptop with Intel Meteor Lake performance, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.

Not every laptop has to achieve stratospheric levels of face-melting performance or the type of graphical prowess that could rival the latest game consoles. The Zenbook 14 OLED instead provides a decent platform with which you can handle considerable work.

Its battery life, in particular, is staggering. On the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits, it lasted for 15 hours and 52 minutes. We typically recommend productivity laptops last between 9 and 10 hours, and for it to go above and beyond undoubtedly makes it one of the longest-lasting laptops you can buy right now. Even the MacBook Air 13-inch M3, which is more expensive, didn't last quite as long at 15 hours and 13 minutes.

On the Geekbench 6 overall performance test, the Zenbook 14 OLED managed a multi-core score of 12,707, which is phenomenal. Again, this is superior to the MacBook Air 13-inch M3's 12,087, which is impressive considering it costs more. And when you consider the laptop's stunning OLED display, you won't believe your eyes. Beyond just the alluring inkiness of deep blacks, you can enjoy 79.8 percent DCI-P3 coverage. It does fine in brightness, but its 339 nits could be better.

See our full Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425M).

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Best Ultrabook

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There always has to be one machine out there touting the "MacBook killer" moniker, and our current best pick for that title in the 14-inch laptop category is the Acer Swift Go 14. It's packed to the gills with high-performance components and ticks off all Ultrabook requirements. Better still, it's affordable and houses one of the most vivid OLED displays we've encountered.

The Swift Go 14's incredible performance results from a 13th-generation Evo-certified Intel Core i7 processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and 16GB of RAM with 512GB of SSD storage to back it up. However, regardless of the top-notch tech housed inside, the Swift Go 14's dazzling 2.8K, 14-inch OLED display will steal the show for many.

Perhaps the only way it fails to fulfill the "MacBook killer" moniker is its underwhelming longevity. MacBooks last 15 to 18 hours on our Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits over Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the Acer Swift Go 14 only survived 8 hours and 5 minutes. Yikes!

But what stands out as being above and beyond reason is that the Acer Swift Go 14's display has an absurd level of vividity. Its 175.7 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut is practically unreal. Considering the category average is 107.5 percent, it's wild that this laptop rises above and beyond the rest. Its brightness of 395 nits is also pretty solid, and while a MacBook is often superior in this regard, it's still great.

And if you are worried about losing that beautiful MacBook keyboard, this manages to emulate it rather well. It is a 60 percent Wiisland-style keyboard featuring black matte keys with an LED backlight. It felt smooth and tactile, allowing you to write your review effortlessly without being held back by mushy keys.

See our full Acer Swift Go 14 review.

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Best 2-in-1

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Once in a while, we're blessed by the emergence of a 2-in-1 that crushes expectations in every conceivable manner. In this case, the HP Spectre x360 14 is not only the ultimate 14-inch 2-in-1 laptop, but it's the best of the year, period.

This is thanks to the culmination of phenomenal battery life, a stunning OLED display, powerful speakers, a sleek design, and solid performance, thanks to the Intel Ultra 7 155H and a satisfying keyboard.

On the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over wifi at 150 nits, we saw the Spectre x360 last 11 hours before running out of juice. For context, our previous best 2-in-1, the Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 8), lasted 10 hours and 10 minutes before dying.

Thanks to the power of OLED, you don't have much to worry about if you're a fan of a solid-looking display. It features a 2,880 x 1,800-pixel resolution touchscreen with OLED technology, meaning blacks are far deeper and inkier. 

On the colorimeter, the HP Spectre x360 covered 86% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is solid but not the best compared to competing laptops like the Lenovo Yoga 9i (136%). However, anything with an 80% or higher DCI-P3 coverage is usually more than enough to enjoy a nice and vivid panel. Its brightness of 366 nits isn't super high, but that's unsurprising, considering OLED panels are typically a tad dimmer.

Of course, its Intel Ultra 7 155H performance is more than enough to deliver the best of the best available now (until Lunar Lake comes out). On the Geekbench 6.1 overall performance test, the Spectre x360 managed a multi-core score of 12,358. That's excellent and absolutely crushes previous-generation chips, even pulling ahead of the MacBook M3 (11,968).

See our full HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) review.

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Best business

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HP EliteBook Ultra is one of the first Copilot+ PCs to hit the market, and it has proved to be a phenomenal companion for business users. Not only is it a thin and light beauty, coming in at 0.4 inches thick and 2.9 pounds, but it also boasts a surprisingly colorful panel, superb battery life, and great performance with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips.

One drawback for some users is that Copilot+ PCs aren't doing too well in the graphics department. When we tested Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm on medium graphics at 1080p, it couldn't even hit our 30 fps playability threshold. In fact, it only managed 20 frames per second, which is terrible compared to the 63 frames per second we saw on the Asus Zenbook S16 powered by AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX. However, for a business laptop, this shouldn't be a major concern.

On the Geekbench 6.1 overall performance test, the HP EliteBook Ultra managed a multi-core score of 12,717 with its Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite XIE78-100, which is in line with expectations from its competitor, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor. However, its SSD speeds left a lot to be desired, taking 38 seconds to transfer 25GB of files between folders, which results in a transfer rate of 712 megabytes per second.

Best of all, you're getting some of the highest longevity out there. On the Laptop Mag battery test, which consists of surfing the web over Wi-Fi at 150 nits, it lasted 16 hours. Considering the average is around 10 hours, this is exceptional and is absolutely one of our longest-lasting laptops.

And thankfully, its IPS display is pretty decent, managing a DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of 85%, alongside 321 nits of brightness. This isn't perfect, and we would have preferred if it could get a little brighter, but it's more than colorful enough with its 2,240 x 1,400-pixel resolution to make watching films immersive.

See our full HP EliteBook Ultra review.

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Best gaming

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Plain and simple, the Razer Blade 14 is the best gaming laptop I've reviewed. There's no beating around the bush in that this isn't a cheap product, coming in at over $2,000, but there's no world in which it could disappoint with its stunning display, long-lasting battery life, and powerful RTX 4070 gaming performance.

The model we reviewed is built with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Its 14-inch, 2560 x 1440-pixel display at 240Hz refresh rate is excellent on paper and fantastic in practice. Its 114.3 percent reproduction of the DCI-P3 color gamut is phenomenal, soaring far beyond the premium gaming laptop average of 93 percent. 

We recommend anything between 80 and 100 percent, but going over 100 percent is even better. Its brightness is also nothing to scoff at, hitting 465 nits on average. This demolishes the category average of 408 nits, meaning you'll easily carry it outdoors, even in intense sunlight, without worrying about glare.

But its display isn't the only thing that gives it top marks and makes it our best gaming laptop. Its productivity performance is thanks to its AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor. The Geekbench 5.5 overall performance test managed a multi-core score of 11,121. You can expect solid transfer rates alongside its SSD speed of 1,230 megabytes per second.

Best of all, its battery life is seriously staggering for a gaming laptop. We recommend traditional laptops, which last anywhere between 9 and 10 hours, but expectations are far lower when a dedicated graphics card is involved. The Razer Blade 14 lasts 8 hours and 35 minutes, and in a world where many gaming laptops are trapped between 2 and 5 hours of longevity, this is fantastic.

See our full review of the Razer Blade 14

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How to choose the best 14-inch laptop

14-inch laptops can be used for any number of reasons, including gaming, productivity, business, and more. So here's what you should look out for when picking a great laptop.

Budget: What you get for your money

You can find decent laptops for under $500, but you will spend up to $1,000 or more for most laptops on this list. If you have no issue with that, you can still save some money with the best budget pick, which manages to stay under that. If you'd like to go above and beyond, you can spend $2,000 or more on some of our other picks.

Design: 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. We even have a foldable laptop on the list for those wanting to get fancy. However, you can often get better features or a lower price with a traditional clamshell-style laptop.

Battery Life: 9+ Hours for Portability

Unless you plan to use your laptop only on your desk, battery life matters. Even within the home or office, having plenty of juice enables you to work on the couch or at the conference table without being chained to the nearest outlet. We recommend getting a laptop that lasted over 9 hours on the Laptop Mag Battery Test for the best portability. The longest-lasting laptops endure anywhere between 10 and 15 hours. If you're gaming, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything that lasts this long.

How we test laptops

We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing—both synthetic and real-world—before we send it to our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers, and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the laptop's display's brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut. For performance testing, we run the computer through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5 and 6 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. 

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is Sid Meier's Civilization 6 Gathering Storm benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result, whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered longer than 5 hours deserve praise. 

We complement these tests with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers, who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad.

See this page on How We Test Laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.

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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