Hundreds of laptops from all brands, sizes, forms, and price ranges have been reviewed by us in order to compile our final list of the greatest laptops available right now.
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In search of the greatest laptops available in 2024? If so, TechRadar’s laptop experts have evaluated each and every one of the many laptops, MacBooks, Chromebooks, and other models that are available on this page. These devices are perfect for a wide range of purposes and price points.
We use the laptops as our daily computers in addition to putting them through a battery of benchmark testing; only the top-performing laptops are included on this page. You may go over all the methods we use to put laptops through their paces during our reviews by reading more about how we test laptops.
I’ve examined hundreds of laptops since joining TechRadar in 2014, and during the last few years, MacBooks have dominated my buying guide. But I’m happy to announce that, for the first time ever, a product from Microsoft, Apple’s bitter rival, will be the greatest laptop of 2024. Yes, the incredible Surface Laptop 7, a genuinely superb all-arounder with a stunning design and all-day battery life, is the best laptop available right now. This may mark the beginning of the end for Windows 11 laptops.
But if a Windows laptop isn’t your thing, I’ve included a tonne of other possibilities, such MacBooks, low-cost Chromebooks, potent gaming computers, and everything in between. There has never been a more exciting time to buy, with a new generation of AI-enabled laptops (like the Surface Laptop 7) hitting the market. Continue reading for our top selections.
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1. Microsoft Surface Laptop
Microsoft’s refreshed Surface Laptop is the best laptop you can buy in 2024
SPECIFICATIONS
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
Screen size: 14-inch / 15-inch
RAM: Up to 64GB
Storage: Up to 1TB
Battery life : 10 hours and 10 minutes
Size: 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches (301mm x 220 x 17.5mm) / 12.96 x 9.42 x 0.72 ins (329 x 239.3 x 18.3mm)
Weight: 2.7 lbs (1.24kg) / 3.67lbs (1.66kg)
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
Microsoft stunned everyone with the announcement of the Surface Laptop, a gadget that is stylish, powerful, and has a long-lasting battery. It has earned its place as the finest laptop for most people in 2024 after years of this year being dominated by various MacBook Air models.
In an effort to emphasise that, even though this is essentially the seventh generation, Microsoft is referring to the 2024 edition of the laptop as simply the Surface Laptop. This is a significant redesign, and, for once, it’s not just a bluff. The new Surface Laptop’s cutting-edge Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip allows Windows 11 to feel snappy and responsive, while still delivering incredibly long battery life. The fans also don’t always come on, so you won’t be distracted by their whirling.
The Surface Laptop, a flagship model in a new line of ‘Copilot+ PCs’, also has highly integrated AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies, like the Copilot assistant and Cocreator tool, which transforms your Paint scribbles into AI-generated art. Because the Snapdragon X chip allows you to conduct most of this on-device, you don’t need an internet connection, and your data is safe and secure. The Surface Laptop is an amazing gadget that will be the perfect laptop for most people even without the AI functions, which are still in their infancy and far from critical. Microsoft has at last developed a rival to the MacBook.
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2. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 OLED Chromebook
The best affordable laptop around
SPECIFICATIONS
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen2
Screen size: 13.3-inch
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery life : 16 hours 20 minutes
Size: 12.04 x 7.35 x 0.28 inches (305.86 x 186.74 x 7.23mm)
Weight: 2.24lbs (1.02kg)
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is an excellent replacement for the original IdeaPad Duet and the greatest ultra-low cost laptop available. Even though it has been around for a while, Chromebooks hold their value longer than Windows laptops, and this particular model is still among the best that we’ve tried. The IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook has the potential to win over even the most sceptical Chromebook users. Its detachable keyboard allows it to function as a tablet as well as a laptop, and its battery life is remarkably long. The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook has a battery life of over 16 hours, which is unmatched by any Windows 11 laptop, especially for this budget. It’s an excellent option for students who need something dependable, adaptable, and reasonably priced.
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3. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
Apple’s latest MacBook Air is the best MacBook money can buy right now
SPECIFICATIONS
Processor: Apple M3
Screen size: 13.6-inch
RAM: 8GB – 24GB
Storage: 256GB – 2TB
Battery life : 14 hours and 19 minutes
Size: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm)
Weight: 2.7 lbs (1.24kg)
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
The best MacBook available at the moment is the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3). This slimline laptop’s design keeps it light, thin, and fashionable while packing Apple’s newest M3 CPU, which provides outstanding performance for daily chores. It even performs admirably when handling heavier workloads like video editing. This is a great all-around laptop given the new, lower pricing for the entry-level model, but be aware that the features for the base model, particularly the 256GB SSD storage and 8GB of RAM, feel a little antiquated in 2024.
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4. Dell XPS 14 (9440)
The best Windows 11 laptop in 2024
SPECIFICATIONS
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7
Screen size: 14.5-inch
RAM: 16GB – 64GB
Storage: 512GB – 4TB
Battery life: 9 hours 35 minutes
Size: 12.59 x 8.5 x 0.74 inches (320 x 215.98 x 19mm)
Weight: 3.97lbs (1.80kg)
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
Dell is the firm to beat when it comes to producing the greatest Windows laptops. Over the years, this guide has featured the XPS 13 series on a number of occasions. The new XPS 14, which maintains the XPS laptops’ signature thin and light design while increasing screen size, carries on this good heritage. With its sleek design that outshines even MacBooks and its state-of-the-art Intel and Nvidia hardware, the Dell XPS 14 gives you the greatest Windows 11 laptop experience available. It is a strong worker that can manage even the most demanding creative workloads in addition to daily responsibilities.
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5. Acer Aspire 5
The best value laptop in the world
SPECIFICATIONS
Processor: Intel Core i5
Screen size: 14-inch
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 512GB
Battery life : 6 hours 37 minutes
Size: 0.71 x 12.9 x 8.8 inches (18 x 327.7 x 223.5mm)
Weight: 3.75lb (1.7kg)
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
As long as your expectations are reasonable, the Acer Aspire 5 will continue to be the most affordable laptop available in 2024. Its huge screen size makes it comfortable to work on, its design is lightweight without feeling cheap, and you can even set it up to include an Nvidia GPU. But don’t mistake this for a laptop meant for gaming. However, the Aspire 5 can outperform its competitors in terms of video editing because to the GPU. You’ll be pleasantly surprised for the cost.
How to choose the best laptop for you:
Which brands of laptops are the best? All of the main laptop brands—Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and HP—have their advantages. For instance, Dell offers an excellent selection of high-end ultrabooks in addition to reasonably priced devices and Chromebooks, while Apple creates incredibly thin and light laptops. Not only does Lenovo have a solid reputation for producing business laptops, but it also makes some excellent 2-in-1 laptops. Lately, HP has also been producing some very beautiful laptops that are among the best laptops available.
The top laptop brands for gaming are Alienware, Asus, and Acer.
How much RAM is required for a laptop? Random Access Memory, or RAM, is a crucial feature to search for in a laptop. For a Windows laptop, you should have at least 4GB of RAM, while many users actually benefit from having 8GB. As a result, the laptop will continue to function properly for many years. Low-cost Chromebooks can get by with 1 or 2GB of RAM less.
Considerations for battery life And lastly, battery life. When making your laptop purchase decision, this is perhaps one of the most crucial factors to take into account. The best laptops should be able to accommodate extended periods of work and play without requiring you to constantly search for a power source. The increasing power efficiency of modern laptops has resulted in longer battery lives. A laptop must have a battery life of at least five hours in order to be listed among our top laptops.
What to look for
Battery life: Since laptops let you use them virtually anywhere and are the best invention since desktop computers, it’s important to make sure the battery is still strong. Chromebooks are the finest laptops available for battery life alone, but Apple’s most recent MacBooks, including M1, M2, and the brand-new M3 CPUs, are quite close, providing well over 10 hours of battery life. Conversely, gaming laptops typically forgo battery life in favour of performance.
Performance: You should take into account a possible purchase’s performance while deciding which laptop best suits your demands. A laptop that starts to slow down after a few years is not something you want to be stuck with. When purchasing a Windows laptop, try to get one with an AMD Ryzen 7000 series processor or a recent 14th generation (or 13th) Intel CPU. Choose an M1, M2, or the recently released M3 model of MacBook to take advantage of Apple’s potent CPUs designed specifically for its notebooks.
Additionally, you ought to aim for at least 8GB of RAM (but 16GB is more future-proof). Microsoft has proposed that the upcoming generation of “AI laptops” should have at least 16GB of RAM. 4GB of RAM, however, is sufficient for Chromebooks.
Which type of laptop is best for you?
General laptops: These are the most affordable laptops, with an emphasis on functionality above design, portability, or power. Not that they can’t be quick, but for less than $600 or £400, you can usually find a clamshell laptop that isn’t an Ultrabook that has an HD screen and spinning drive-based storage.
Ultrabooks: This category includes thin and light notebooks with SSD storage and screens larger than 1080p. The greatest Ultrabooks will set you back a good coin, ranging from $700 or £500 to $2,000 or £1,800, but they will come with strong, yet mobile-centric, components and an exceptionally extended battery life.
2-in-1 laptops: The finest 2-in-1 laptops are hybrids that can be used as tablets as well as laptops. With detachable and 360-degree rotating hinges, these laptops are the most flexible method to use a touchscreen to experience Windows 10 (or Chrome OS).
Chromebooks: The finest With a recent addition of Android app compatibility on touchscreen devices, Chromebooks running Chrome OS are able to perform many of the same browser-based tasks as Windows and macOS, with an emphasis on cloud storage over local storage. Most of them are under $300 or £200, and some are even durable enough to survive a minor struggle.
Gaming laptops: Do you need a laptop that can play games almost as well as a high-end desktop computer? Then one of the finest gaming laptops is what you should have. These devices typically range in price from $800 or £600 to as much as $3,000 or £2,800, and they will probably be the first to benefit from AMD’s Ryzen laptop processors. You can go through the greatest offers on inexpensive gaming laptops if money is truly tight.
Laptop-tablet hybrids: Developed with a tablet-first design philosophy, the greatest Windows tablets have beyond-HD touchscreens, occasionally featuring built-in kickstands or keyboard coverings. These often have stylus compatibility and fall between the entry-level and premium pricing points.
How we test the best laptops
Since a new laptop can be an expensive purchase, our staff has carefully examined every laptop on our list (see our methodology for testing computers). We incorporate industry standard benchmarks such as GeekBench, PCMark, 3DMark, and the most recent PC gaming benchmarks into our daily routines to thoroughly assess these laptops’ performance.
We look at a laptop’s design as part of our evaluation, paying particular emphasis to its mobility, overall comfort, and aesthetics. We also take into account any extra security and accessibility features, such as physical privacy shutters for the integrated webcam, key backlighting, fingerprint scanning, or facial recognition.
Regarding performance, we measure the laptops’ skills using both artificial benchmarks and real-world tasks. To guarantee consistent comparisons across reviews for the laptops you may be considering, we evaluate every model year of laptop using the same benchmark versions. Furthermore, we use our experience to interpret benchmark scores, which can occasionally be challenging to understand, so you can compare the performance of competing laptops in straightforward language.
We also measure battery life, which is another crucial component. We keep track of how long each laptop lasts before requiring a recharge. We also run our own battery life test using the PC Mark 10 battery life benchmark, which mimics real-world activity including web browsing and document creation, a proprietary web surfing script, and looping a 1080p movie until the battery runs out. These tests give us a precise idea of how long each laptop’s battery will last.
Lastly, we compile all of our results and contrast them with the laptop’s cost to see if it provides the best value for buyers.
