Here are our top-rated picks for all types of users including creatives and gamers, and even our favorite cheap laptops and budget-friendly options.
With more people now working from home and remote learning, your current laptop might not be meeting your new needs. That means a new laptop is on the horizon! This list has all the best laptops we've tested for work or entertainment, for home or travel, or a two-in-one with touch screen or traditional clamshell.
We've considered all of the laptop computer details -- from processor performance and battery life to the quality of the laptop screen and keyboard.
All from the best brands in the market: Dell, Apple, Acer, HP, Asus, Microsoft, Lenovo, and more. Trust us, the perfect laptop is out there, regardless of where your operating system or laptop brand loyalties lie.
There are a lot of different types of laptops, though, so here's where you'll find our best gaming laptops, 15-inch laptops, two-in-ones, and Chromebooks, as well as the best laptop for college students, creatives, and MacBook Pro alternatives for the Windows set. Plus, if you just want pure power or a long-lived battery, our rankings of battery life and performance are for you.
Best 2-in-1
HP Spectre x360 13 (late 2019)
HP outdid itself on its latest ultraportable premium two-in-one. At first glance it might seem like little more than a processor update -- it's running on a great 10th-gen Intel CPU -- the latest x360 is significantly smaller than its predecessor without sacrificing usability. New features like an instant mic mute button join other privacy and security features like an IR camera and fingerprint reader and switch to disable its webcam. Plus, it's available with 4G LTE wireless so you can get your work done wherever and whenever you want
Best small laptop
Dell XPS 13 2020
We already had the XPS 13 as a top pick for anyone looking for great performance and battery life in the smallest chassis possible for a 13.3-inch screen size display. But for 2020 Dell made the laptop even smaller while making the screen larger and increasing performance for both CPU and graphics-intensive tasks. It's not a huge leap, but it's still the best in the category.
Best MacBook Pro
Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch)
The combination of the larger MacBook Pro's hardware and macOS extracts the maximum performance from the components while delivering class-leading battery life in a way Windows systems never seem to do, and the high-resolution display screen remains terrific. Plus, this model's keyboard uses scissor-style switches under the keycaps, rather than the much-derided butterfly-style switch. You pay for it, though -- the base price for the 16-inch model of this device is $2,399.
Best Surface Laptop
Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Although it's not the Surface Laptop, the Surface Pro continues to hit all the right notes if you're looking for a do-it-all Windows tablet that doubles as a Windows laptop. These powerful laptops feature 10th-gen Intel Core processors, fast Wi-Fi 6 wireless, and long-lasting battery life. It's also the first to feature an honest-to-goodness USB-C port.
Best MacBook
Apple MacBook Air 2020
This is our go-to recommendation for those in search of a macOS laptop for everyday basic use. The MacBook Air was updated for 2020 with new processors and, most importantly, a new keyboard. Apple also dropped the entry price back down to $1,000 making its most affordable laptop more affordable. Still, it's not exactly a bargain and you can get a lot more computer for your money if you go with Windows. Regardless, the Air remains one of the best laptops available for battery life, performance, and design.
Best cheap laptop
Acer Swift 3
A remarkable deal for simple tasks like email, word processing, and much more, thanks to the new AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. This device has a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and a USB Type-C port, too.
It's also incredibly light -- less than 3 pounds -- for a laptop that can be found for less than $600. We're also fans of the Acer Aspire 5, which has a larger 15.6-inch display.
It's available in a variety of configurations starting as low as $400 but can go up to $730 if you want entry-level discrete graphics for basic gaming and content creation.
Best Chromebook
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook
This is essentially a Chrome version of the first Microsoft Surface Go. Like the Go, the Duet is a 10-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard and touchpad.
Unlike Microsoft, though, Lenovo includes the keyboard. It also costs much less than the Go (including the new Go 2), starting at $279 for a 64GB version or $299 for one with 128GB of storage.
It's essentially a smaller, albeit less powerful, Pixel Slate that makes more sense for more people with a price that's more in line with what people expect a Chromebook to cost. It is a small screen.
So if you're regularly using it at a desk, we recommend attaching an external monitor to its USB-C port. You'll probably want to connect a wireless keyboard and mouse, too.
Best cheap gaming laptop
Dell G5 15
Dell's G-series gaming laptops are cheaper than those from its Alienware division, but still capable of playing the latest AAA titles. There are three separate models -- the G3, G5 and G7 -- available in 15- and 17-inch sizes. The midrange G5 15 hits the mark with an excellent price-to-performance ratio, build quality, and design. The newest versions start at $830, including a special-edition model with AMD's impressive Ryzen 5 4600H processor.
Best gaming Laptop
Razer Blade Pro 17
Yes, the best gaming laptop at the moment is the same as our top pick for a MacBook Pro alternative. There is one small exception, though: While we recommend getting this Blade Pro laptop with its 4K-resolution display option for creators, gamers will want to get the display with a 300MHz refresh rate that Razer offers for this model.
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