Shopping for a laptop is tough these days because there are so many options available that it boggles the mind. There are ultraportable laptops, gaming laptops, Chromebooks, productivity-based laptops, and more. Likely, whatever kind of laptop you need is available somewhere for purchase, no matter how niche. The hard part is picking out the machine, especially since most people will keep their laptops for between three and seven years. It’s a big choice, so make sure to take your time.
If you’re looking for a solid productivity laptop, see the list below as they are some of the best laptops that money can buy today that offer great performance and value.
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Best laptops: Our top choices
MacBook Air M3 13-inch
1. Best overall laptop
Good price to performance ratio
The Apple MacBook 13 M3 is a great overall selection. It strikes a good balance of price, performance, and portability. Plus, with the kind of battery life that MacBooks are known for, that makes it even better for academia, work, and other productivity-related work.
- Small design makes it very portable
- Excellent battery life
- Apple M3 should power through most productivity-related tasks
- The MacBook Pro is better for more intensive work
- The 13-inch screen may be too small for some people
The MacBook 13 M3 is a noticeable step up from its M2 predecessor, although Apple does still sell both as of this writing. As per the norm for MacBooks, the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 includes a gorgeous display, a sleek metal chassis, excellent battery life, and great performance. It’s about as stable and reliable as a productivity-focused laptop gets, with few real flaws.
If we had to nitpick, though, the 13-inch screen is pretty small, and those who don’t mind sacrificing a tiny bit of portability should also consider the 15-inch variant. It’s a bit more expensive, but the extra screen real estate helps make things less cramped. Other than that small thing, the MacBook Air 13 is an easy recommendation. It works very well, it looks great, the battery lasts a long time, and it’s not terribly expensive for a MacBook.
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Asus Zenbook 15 OLED
2. Best Windows laptop
Stunning display and great performance
A gorgeous display, loads of power and an extremely thin and light chassis. There’s a lot to love about the Asus Zenbook 15 OLED.
- Gorgeous OLED display
- Plenty of power
- Thin, light and well-built
- Battery life could be better
- OLEDs carry burn-in risk
If you’re more into the Windows experience, then we think the Zenbook 15 OLED is one of the best options around. The display is slightly larger than the one on the MacBook Air 15, with a 15.6-inch screen, but despite that, the Zenbook still weighs less, coming in at just 1.4kg — impressive stuff.
Asus Zenbook 15 OLED (2023): Light, bright and lots to like
A lightweight 15.6-inch laptop with dazzling OLED screen – but only modest battery life
It’s a beautiful display, too, with a 2880×1620 resolution, smooth 120Hz refresh rate and the color accuracy and deep inky blacks that you’d expect from a high-end OLED panel. There’s no notch, either. The downside to this lovely display is that it takes a lot of power to run, so you’ll get a modest battery life of just over seven hours on a charge.
When it comes to performance, the Ryzen 7 7735U-powered model leaves little to be desired, outclassing many of its rivals in creative workloads and even managing to run some AAA games, like ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider,‘ at decent frame rates in high settings at 1080p.
MacBook Pro M3 Pro 16-inch
3. Best laptop for professionals
Everything you want with a price tag to match
$2299 $2499 Save $200
The Apple MacBook Pro takes everything good about the MacBook Air and dials it up a notch. That includes a bigger screen, the more powerful M3 Pro, better specs, and more.
- M3 Pro is very powerful
- 16-inch screen that is just gorgeous to look at
- Still very portable with excellent battery life
- Even the base model is expensive
- We would’ve liked to have seen more storage for its price
Apple updated its MacBook Pro lineup in 2023, and it’s the most powerful laptop that Apple has ever built. A good place to start is the MacBook Pro 16 M3 Pro. The gorgeous 16-inch screen gives you plenty of space to work, while the M3 Pro is powerful enough to run even the toughest productivity apps. Plus, you get Apple’s legendary battery life along with higher overall specs than you would with the MacBook Air.
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The only downside is the price. The base MacBook Pro 16 carries a starting price of $2,499, which is quite high for any laptop, let alone one that specializes in just productivity work. If you’re getting into MacBooks for the first time, and you want the best, the MacBook Pro is where you should start. Other than its price and perhaps its low base storage, there isn’t anything wrong with it.
Acer Swift X 14
4. Best laptop for content creators
Stealthy design and top-tier performance
$1200 $1500 Save $300
With a dedicated GPU onboard the Acer Swift X 14 is an ideal companion for content creators on the go.
- Dedicated Nvidia GPU
- Impressive OLED panel
- Reasonable pricing
- The battery life isn’t too impressive
If you need a machine that can handle heavyweight creative tasks, like 4K video editing and 3D modeling but doesn’t fancy the bulky and often garish design of a gaming laptop, then the Acer Swift X 14 is what you need.
Acer Swift X 14: Powerful, portable and stylish
This do-everything laptop melds style with performance, but it’s not without compromise.
Not only does it pack a high-performance Intel Core i7 13700H processor, but it has a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card. This will dramatically speed up your rendering times in applications like Adobe Premiere, and it’ll also allow you to play some games on the side.
This laptop also comes with a gorgeous OLED display with great color accuracy, and it does so while remaining very portable, with a weight of just 1.55kg. To top it all off, it’s very reasonably priced, considering the specs on offer.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
5. Best premium Windows laptop
A Windows laptop with luxury fit and finish
$770 $999 Save $229
Microsoft can build a pretty good laptop and the Surface Laptop 5 is proof of that. It features 2-in-1 functionality, premium materials, and decent performance for its price tag.
- Best-in-class design
- Lovely keyboard and trackpad
- Brilliant speakers
- Not much has changed since the Surface Laptop 4
- Could use some more ports
The Microsoft Surface Laptop has been a favorite of ours for a long time now. It’s arguably the finest Windows laptop experience money can buy, with a level of fit and finish that’s unmatched and a Windows 11 install free from bloatware.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5: If it ain’t broke…
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Microsoft just announced the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, but the Laptop 5 is still a worthwhile option thanks to its 12th Gen Intel processor, Thunderbolt 4 support, 13.5-inch or 15-inch display, and Iris Xe graphics. The Laptop 6 for Business is faster and has a longer battery life than the Laptop 5, but it’s also more expensive and until we’ve had time to test it ourselves — or see the consumer version of the Laptop 6 — we’re sticking with the Laptop 5.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 Gaming Laptop
6. Best gaming laptop
Cranked up to 11
The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 is a total powerhouse, giving Windows users the best possible specs. The battery life could be better, but this laptop will do whatever task you want it to do, whether it’s gaming or productivity.
- Loaded spec sheet
- Good at gaming, productivity, or whatever else you need it for
- Mini-LED display is colorful, bright, and good for productivity or gaming
- Huge price tag
- Battery life is what you would expect in a laptop with a Core i9 and a RTX 4090
Using a gaming laptop for productivity isn’t all that unusual. After all, gaming laptops tend to come with the highest-end specs, which allows you to not only run the most demanding games but also the most demanding apps. The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 is a great example of that. With an Intel Core i9, Nvidia RTX 4090, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB storage drive, this laptop will run whatever you need it to run, whether it’s Cyberpunk 2077 or Blender.
Paired with the loaded spec sheet is a 1,100-nit mini-LED display that is just as good for creative work as it is for gaming. All of this modern tech does cost a pretty penny, though, so you’ll pay to have what is arguably the best laptop in its class. Plus, you’ll want to carry around a charger. Big power comes with a big power draw, and the battery life on this thing can drain pretty quickly when under heavier loads. We spent time with and tested its sibling, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17, and gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023): Uncompromising gaming performance
Housing some of the most powerful components on the market today, the Strix Scar 17 is a gaming laptop that means business.
Dell XPS 15 9530
7. Best laptop for versatility
Jack of all trades
$1875 $1996 Save $121
The Dell XPS 15 is a solid all-around laptop with a great screen and good specs. You can get this with 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD for under $2,000, which is not bad at all.
- Bright, colorful display
- Portable design with a comfortable keyboard
- Up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage makes it great for productivity
- Can get a bit warm, you may want to invest in a laptop cooler
- Battery life is good, but not MacBook good
The Dell XPS 15 is good at just about everything. It has a bright, colorful screen that’s more than good enough for creative work, along with specs that’ll run almost anything you throw at it. Plus, with approximately 13 hours of rated battery life, it won’t need a charger as often as some other Windows laptops. It’s not as good as MacBooks, but the laptop will last long enough for college lectures or most work days.
The XPS 15 also comes in a variety of configurations. The highest is 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage, which is more than you’ll need for anything but the most hardcore tasks. Most other Windows laptops don’t go that high. That makes the Dell XPS 15 special in that regard. It’s a great all-around laptop that’ll get the job done. We spent time with the 17-inch model and gave it a four out of five stars.
Dell XPS 17 (2023): Go big or go home
Dell sticks to familiar roads for its flagship 17-inch style laptop.
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14-inch
8. Best budget laptop
Good enough
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a good option if you’re not looking to spend a ton of money. It features decent specs, a small form factor, and it’ll let you do things like writing, studying, and things like that without drama.
- A surprisingly decent looking design for how inexpensive it is
- 16GB of RAM and a Ryzen 5 5500U will power through office work with no problems
- An optional Ryzen 7 variant can be had for under $800
- Screen is not color accurate enough for creative work
- Battery life could be better
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a decent laptop for its price tag. For a little over $500, you can get 16GB of RAM and a Ryzen 5 or, for a couple of hundred more, a Ryzen 7. Both versions of the laptop excel at the same things, which is mostly office and school work, along with web browsing and some light-to-medium intensity tasks. The battery lasts for nine hours, which isn’t bad, but pales in comparison to the Dell XPS 15 listed above.
What you get, though, is a competent budget laptop. It comes with a backlit keyboard, and a surprisingly decent design for its price, and you’ll be connected to the web, so you can get work or school done without much of a hassle. Those who need to do more intensive tasks like video editing or 3D modeling may want something more powerful, but if you need something to get you through the day, this will do it.
The best laptop: The bottom line
For the money, the MacBook Air 13 M3 is your best bet. It has a great mix of performance, portability, and battery life for a reasonable price. The screen is easily good enough for creative tasks and the M3 is powerful enough for tasks like video editing. It isn’t the most powerful laptop, but it’ll work for most people.
MacBook Air M3 13-inch
Editor’s Choice
You can step up to the MacBook Pro if you want more serious power while staying within the Apple ecosystem. For Windows users, the Asus Zenbook 15 OLED, Acer Swift X 14, and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 are great options for productivity work. Those who need even more power can use a gaming laptop like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16, which has a screen good enough for productivity work and specs powerful enough to run anything.
How we chose these laptops
The Pocket-lint team has tested variants of every laptop on this list. When testing laptops, we don’t just run some benchmarks and call it a day, we live with the product at home and on the go, ensuring it meets our expectations in every regard. We assess everything from the build quality and design to performance and battery life, and only the best models make it onto this page.
There are endless laptops to choose from, and we can’t include the perfect product for everyone, but we’ve tried to incorporate a wide selection of devices, running both macOS and Windows and coming in at varying price points, to suit most consumers.
FAQ
Q: How to choose the best laptop: What’s your primary purpose?
Choosing a laptop isn’t that simple a process. You’ll need to figure out what you want to do and then shop based on that. Does most of your work include word processing and spreadsheets? Are you a photographer and videographer who needs editing tools? Perhaps you’re a student looking to learn how to 3D model or program. All of these things will factor into what kind of laptop you buy.
Once you figure out what you need the laptop for, you can then narrow down the results. For the most part, any laptop you can buy in 2024 will work for simple things like word processing and spreadsheet work. However, you’ll want some extra juice for more intensive tasks. Plus, don’t forget about your personal life. Every laptop can play movies and TV, but not all of them can play games.
Q: How do you choose which laptop screen size is right for you?
Screen size preferences are mostly personal. Some people get by with a 13-inch laptop that they can toss in their bag and take anywhere. Others may find the 13-inch form factor restricting and claustrophobic. There is no right answer as it depends on who you are, what you like, and myriad other factors. For example, I require corrective lenses, so larger laptop screens are more comfortable for my eyes.
A good way to figure this out for yourself is to go to a local store like Best Buy, Micro Center, or even Walmart and Target. Most stores have laptops on display in varying sizes, so you can see for yourself. Keep in mind that screen size also determines keyboard size. Smaller laptops tend to have smaller keyboards and vice versa.
Q: What’s a good budget for a laptop?
As important for a laptop as it is for any other tech purchase is knowing how much you want to spend — between upgradeable components and different versions, many popular laptops can easily become frighteningly expensive as you customize them, so it’ll help in the long run if you have a clear idea of your budget ahead of time. The laptops on our list hit multiple budget points, so a good budget is a budget that fits your life.
Q: Do you need a 2-in-1 laptop?
There are some instances where a 2-in-1 laptop is the best way to go. For example, people who have to carry a display around with them all day long can make use of the 2-in-1’s ability to turn it into a tablet for easier handheld portability. However, that level of functionality also costs extra, so if you can go without it, you can often find more powerful laptops with normal laptop hinges at comparable prices.
Q: Should I buy a Mac if I’ve never used one before?
We’re fans of both Mac and Windows around here, so whether it’s better to buy a Mac is subject to personal interpretation. Apple does know how to make a great laptop, though, and plenty of people have successfully switched to Mac. It will require a learning curve since you’re using a brand new operating system with a whole new set of rules, design language, and structure. It can certainly throw some folks through a loop.
With that said, if Windows just isn’t your thing, it certainly can’t hurt to try a Mac. Best Buy and Apple Stores have them on display all the time. It would be worth it to take a trip into a store and play with the MacBooks on display and perhaps ask employees about your specific use cases.
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