Best Laptops — every ranking, by use case and budget
Every laptop we rank was bought at retail and tested for two weeks on the same 4K project, battery rundown and colorimeter. Scores are locked before any affiliate link is added.
By use case indexed
By price page 1 indexedpage 2+ noindex
In-depth laptops reviews
Apple MacBook Pro 16"
The fastest laptop we have tested for 4K video work; 22-hour battery and the only screen accurate enough to grade on
Read Apple MacBook Pro 16" ReviewApple MacBook Pro 14"
The 16" MacBook Pro's display and keyboard in a 1.6 kg body for $1,500 less
Read Apple MacBook Pro 14" ReviewLenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
The business laptop that lasts: 1.09 kg, 14-hour battery and the best keyboard we have typed on
Read Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 ReviewMicrosoft Surface Laptop 7
The longest-lasting Windows laptop we have tested: 15 hours on Arm, in a chassis that finally rivals the MacBook
Read Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 ReviewASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
Best gaming laptop that still looks like a work machine: RTX 4090, 240Hz OLED, 41 dB under load
Read ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 ReviewDell XPS 15
Best Windows laptop for creators: RTX 4070, 3.5K OLED and user-upgradeable storage for $600 less than the MacBook
Read Dell XPS 15 ReviewApple MacBook Air 13"
The best laptop for most people at $999: 18-hour battery, fanless, 1.24 kg
Read Apple MacBook Air 13" ReviewHP Spectre x360 14
The best 2-in-1: a 2.8K OLED that folds into a tablet, with a real keyboard when it doesn't
Read HP Spectre x360 14 ReviewLenovo Legion Pro 7i
The most frames per dollar in the ranking, if you can live with 2.6 kg and the fan noise
Read Lenovo Legion Pro 7i ReviewLenovo Yoga 9i 14
A 2-in-1 with the best speakers on any laptop we have tested and a 4K OLED option
Read Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 ReviewAcer Aspire 5
The cheapest laptop we would still recommend for a full workday: real IPS panel, 16GB, 9-hour battery
Read Acer Aspire 5 ReviewAcer Swift Go 14
A Core Ultra laptop with a 2.8K OLED for under $850
Read Acer Swift Go 14 ReviewLenovo IdeaPad 1 15
The best laptop under $500: enough for browsing, Office and video calls, and a full-size keyboard
Read Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15 ReviewHP 15" Laptop
A dependable sub-$500 Intel option with a brighter screen than the IdeaPad, and shorter battery
Read HP 15" Laptop ReviewGuides that send readers to these rankings
Laptop Overheating While Editing? Here's the Real Cause
Thermal throttling, sustained load, and which laptops hold their speed on the second export.
How to Choose a Laptop for Video Editing (and the 3 We'd Actually Buy)
A laptop that feels fast in a browser can stall on a 4K timeline. Here is what actually matters — from the twelve we tested on the same project.
MacBook vs Windows Laptop: Which Should You Buy in 2026?
Where each side wins — software, price, repairability, resale — with a decision table you can actually use.