The best laptops you can get

The best laptops for you, from ultraportables to gaming machines, MacBooks to Chromebooks.

Joanna Nelius, Monica Chin, Nathan Edwards

Updated 20:54 UTC, 23 August 2024

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Illustration: William Joel / The Verge Illustration: William Joel / The Verge

Every year, we move a ton of laptops on our Rack website, and almost all of them are pretty good. But you can't buy them all. As a result, I've done a pretty hard (trust me, very hard) job to pick some of the best laptops you can buy. Whether you're looking for a Chromebook, gaming laptop, 2-in-1 converter, ultralight laptop, or something that could be considered something in its own right, I've picked out a certain number of varieties for you. I'm not forcing these to be the best laptops of all years, but in my opinion, these are the best laptops you can buy right now.

The best laptop we currently pick is the MacBook Air M3. It's a device that does it all, literally. But of course, it's not without its flaws, or even without any major flaws. It is perfect for productive work, browsing, light gaming, and more.

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It is becoming increasingly difficult to buy a bad laptop, but the best laptops that are not bad distinguish themselves by how they balance power, efficiency, portability, and convenience. A good laptop is required to possess a mythical keyboard and trackpad - ultimately, these are the two key requirements for you to choose a laptop, not a phone or a tablet. The screen should be pleasant to the eye, catchy and very clear, and you will not be distracted by uneven bezels or visible pixels. It should have a large capacity to handle most tasks, including video editing and advanced gaming. It should be comfortable to carry from room to room, and you should be able to use it all day without connecting to a network.

What we’re looking for

Value

When evaluating devices on this page, price is a pretty important point. What we are looking for is a laptop that offers enough importance for its cost and is considered the best compared to other laptops in the same price range. The more expensive the device, the more exceptional it should be to feature it here.

Performance

You need a laptop with the necessary power to ease the demands of a motivated audience. A super powerful laptop must be able to overcome the usual office load without unnecessary heating and fan noise. A gaming laptop is necessary for working with the now well-known games.

Keyboard and trackpad

These are two important requirements that you love your laptop with your phone or tablet. They must be good, the other way around you don't like at any time.

Screen

We like a very clear monitor with a clear color reproduction.

Design

We are looking for a laptop with a powerful and reliable system that can withstand normal exhaustion in the bag.

Battery life

Autonomous work time in one category is much more important than other categories. At least, many customers choose laptop computers, not desktop computers, because they are basically likely to work away from the outlet. The life of the battery can be more free for users and provide more reliable devices on travel.

Port selection

More ports are more than others.

Enter the best laptop list, Chromebook, 2-B-1 MacB-1 MacBook Pro 16 and Dell XPS 13 Snapdragon X elite tip. If you are looking for a powerful machine that does not sacrifice transplant, check out the absolute laptop's absolute list, or in our review of our best gaming notebook PC.

The best laptop

Apple MacBook Air M3 (13-inch)

849 $ 1099 23 % off 849 $ 1099 23 % off

MacBook Air M3 is a wel l-balanced station wagon between performance and energy efficiency. Apart from this, we supported two monitors with the lid closed, and the speed of data saving became visible. You don't have to think about whether this laptop will meet your needs.

Micro processor: M3 (8 core) / GPU: M3 (8 core or 10 cores) / RAM: 8GB, 16GB, 24GB / drum: 256GB, 512GB, 2TB / screen: 13. 6 inch or 15, 3-inch screen liquid Retina , 2560 × 1664 or 2880 × 1864, 60Hz, no sensory input / dimensions: 11, 97 × 8, 46 × 0, 44 inches or 0, 45 × 13, 40 × 9, 35 inches / weight: 2, 7 pounds or weight 3, 3 pounds.

Apple MacBook Air M3 is the best laptop for most peopl e-Of course, not only Ma c-user, but also those who are not particular about specific platforms, or those who want to get a setup that is out of place. Therefore, it is not overloaded with advertising or "Blown-UP" software support. This is a productive laptop with the ability to make a lot, and now it is more laptop. It can be used in a 1 5-inch version for those who like it. There will be no other laptops that provide such complex performance and battery driving time with a narrow and light body.

Apple is a smooth trackpad on the ground, with a smooth, no n-concerns of the fact that it is in the middle of 201. The keyboard of Chclet-Manner is like a dance. Cheerful wireless LAN adapter, saturation screen, web camera 1080p and charging magsafe-E. AIR M3 is not for those who need a heavy game, video editing, 3D modeling, two or more USB-C ports, but for almost everyone else, this is a great option.

Apple MacBook Air M3 is the best laptop in 2024. Photo: Chris Welch / The Verge

Buying AIR M3 in the return MacBook Air M2 is worthwhile $ 100, and Apple is still realized. Instead of M2 chips, 16-18 %, 256GB configuration drives operate twice. Fresh Air supports two external monitors with the lid closed, which is considered to have improved one more than the previous generation. A 1 5-inch Air M3 speaker is more important than any other speaker, especially in the low range. I couldn't hear the bass at all on 13 inches, but I could hear the bass in AIR M3. If you choose a midnight version for any model, you should put a microfiber napkin under your hand. Because there are many fingerprints, it is an irresistible place for forensic scientists.

We recommend that you update the MacBook Air M3 memory to a minimum of 16GB. By doing so, the multitasking of the laptops will be more comfortable and the number of years can be extended to some extent in the future. (This is basic because you absolutely need to buy a new laptop to update the memory). If you can extend the smallest thing with 256GB, rank it in the cost of the memory, and as a result, consider the inexpensive varieties of the cloud and external storage. It's easier than not. Either way, you will receive your own GPU.

Apple MacBook Air M3 (15-inch)

1050 $ 1299 Discount 19 1050 $ 1299 Discount 19

The 1 5-inch MacBook Air is still equipped with Apple M3 chips. Equipped with a larger screen than a 1 3-inch MacBook Air M3 and a higher quality speaker system.

Read our review of the Apple MacBook Air M3.

Best Chromebook

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024)

579 $ 699 Discount 17 579 $ 699 Discount 17

Acer's latest Spinkrome Book has a firs t-generation Intel Micro processor equipped with an NPU. Google Gemini is still incorporated into the operating system, and if you sign up for a new premium plan for Google One AI, the first year of the service will be free.

Micro processor: Intel Core Ultra 5 115U: Intel UHD / RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5 / Drum: 256 GB, 512 GB / Display: SENTER 14 inch FHD 1920 X 1200 / Dimensions : 12. 35 x 8. 84 x 0. 71 inch / weight: 3. 21 pounds

As in last year, Acer's new Chromeboo k-Spin is the best Chromebook I saw in 2024. The Chromebook Plus line continues to be installed, and the GUGL GEMINI function has been added to ChromeOS. The 1 2-month subscription of the Google One AI Premium Plan, including 2TB cloud storage, still imports the power kit.

The Core Ultra 5 115U is slower than the previous generation Intelcore i5-135U (Ultra 8 cores, up to 4, 20 GHz clock frequency and core i5 10 cores, up to 4 60 GHz frequency), but Ultra Core It has an NPU, but it means that it is suitable for executing a task associated with artificial origin and heart, on the device. The fresh spin Chromebook is the current Supports LPDR5 memory stereotypes.

Acer has also updated some storage ports. Currently, SPIN 714 is equipped with two ports, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, instead of two USB-C 3. 2 ports, and guarantees more lighter data transfer and power transfer.

Best Snapdragon X Elite laptop

Dell XPS 13 9345 (2024)

Dell's XPS 13, equipped with a Qualcom Snap Dragon Micro processor, includes not only productivity but also more balanced composition options in various price categories, compared to other 1 3-inch laptops. There is. The autonomous work time is 15 hours average, longer than the previously tested Intel and AMD laptops.

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X ELITE X1E-80-100 / GPU: Lamb: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB LPDDDR5X (Utyana) / Drum: 512GB, 2TB, Screen: Screen Clean FHD 1920 x 1200 120 Hertz, 500 Color or sensation 13, 4 inch QHD 2560 x 1600, 500 threads or sensations 13, 4-inch OLED 2880 x 1800 60 Hertz, 400 colors/ dimensions: 11, 62 x 7, 84 x 0, 58-0, 60 inches/ weight/ weight : 2, 60-2. 62 pounds

Among the micro processo r-equipped PCs we have tested, Snapdragon Copilot Plus Dell XPS 13 includes the highest cost and performance response. Both of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 we have tested are still different (one of them is equipped with Snapdragon chips, actually XPS 13), but Del invites a more balanced composition option. 。 Do you need 32GB memory and 1TB storage? Dell is $ 1, 600 and Microsoft is $ 2, 000. Apart from this, Dell can combine more types of memory and drive than Microsoft.

Testable XPS 1 3-The form is $ 1800, but you can save $ 500 by changing the touch OLE D-the display to 1200p (this update frequency, reducing half at 120 Hz). Instead of the 32GB basic memory attached to the OLED configuration, you can get a 16GB memory and a micro processor with a 512GB data storage location, but for most people, 16GB is enough. (If necessary, Dell will give you the opportunity to add memory and storage).

As with other models of Dell's XPS Fresh Line, Qualcom XPS has a keyboard that uses "ZERO Lattice", a fieldless trackpad connected to the body, and a 1 3-inch MacBook Pro sensation panel (RIP). It is equipped with "Capacitive Touch Series" used in. If I didn't be ecstatic for the XPS 14 keyboard, I really liked the XPS 13 keyboards. For example, the button is not a spring and does not click the childer ()~) I am grateful that the same keyboard is in a smaller case every time I try to press the escape button.

The best 16-inch Windows laptop

Asus Zenbook S 14

The latest ASUS ZenBook S 16 is equipped with the latest Mobile Micro processor AMD Ryzen AI. This is the most delicate and gentle 1 6-inch laptop, it does not reduce the performance. This is a powerful machine, at least with some difficult loads. We can make it easy and elegant. Read the educational program.

Processor: AMD RYZEN AI 9 HX 370, AMD RYZEN AI 9 365 / Graphics microcado processor: Radeon 890m, Radeon 880m / RAM: 32 GB, 24 GB / Explorer: 1 TB / Screen Using OLED stylus, the peak brightness / dimensions of 500 hemp phase HDR: 13, 92 x 9, 57 x 0, 47~0, 51 inches/ weight: 3, 21 pounds

1 6-inch laptop ASUS ZENBOOK S 16 We are the best laptop we tested in the summer. In fact, it's elegant and lightweight so that you don't want it, pick up rudimentary! It is cooled in all tasks, from electric and e-mail to graphic design, and surprisingly perfectly cooled in a laptop game without payment of another video. It is a much better performance than any of the Copilot plus PCs covering laptops equipped with. This is a wonderful universal device.

Currently, there are only two models of the Zenbook S 16. The $1, 700 model comes in a grayish color with the flagship AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip and 32GB of memory, and the $1, 400 model comes in a snowy white color with the junior AMD Ryzen AI 9 chip 365 and 24GB of memory. They are otherwise similar. Both have OLED touchscreens with a native resolution of 2880x1800 (3K) and a refresh rate of 120Hz, stylus support, 1TB storage, and similar Wi-Fi ports/adapters. All except the Windows version. (The more expensive the model, the cheaper the Home and the Pro.)

One of the niche but attractive features of the Zenbook is that it allows you to allocate up to 75% of the laptop's memory to the integrated graphics. This may increase the clock speed a little for games, but it's really great for complex 3D rendering and anything that requires a lot of graphics memory to process. Battery life is just 11 hours, which isn't as long as similar laptops we've tested, like the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge and Dell XPS 14, but it's a small compromise. No other Windows laptop offers this much performance and versatility in a 16-inch chassis at a similar price.

Read our review of the Asus Zenbook S 16.

The best laptop for high-end gaming

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D (2023)

The ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is one of the fastest gaming laptops you can buy, thanks to its AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D microprocessor and Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU. With 32GB RAM, 1TB storage, and a 1440p 240Hz display, it's a top-notch laptop.

Microprocessor: AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 4090 / RAM: 32GB / Storage: 1TB / Screen: 17" IPS QHD, 240Hz, 3ms, 300 nits, 100% DCI-P3 / Dimensions: 15. 0, 55x11, 1x1, 11" / Weight: 6. 51 lbs

The ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D is huge. It's powerful, powerful, and the fastest gaming laptop we've tested. Thanks to its AMD Ryzen 9 79045HX3D microprocessor, it leaves behind models with the best RTX 4090 video cards and the fastest Intel microprocessors. It can run almost all the latest AAA games at 1440p resolution and triple-digit headcounts.

The Scar 17 X3D has a 17" 2560 x 1440 240Hz display with G-Sync, plenty of ports, a great keyboard, and plenty of RGB. At just over 6. 5kg and 17" diagonal, this is a traditional, powerful, almost mini gaming laptop.

It has a potato webcam, its battery life is just as bad as the others mentioned, and it's expensive, but this is as far as gaming laptops go for now.

ROG Strix Scar 17 RTX 4070 models are about $ 1, 800, and the RTX 4080 model is about $ 2, 900.

Read our Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D review.

The best MacBook for photo and video editing

Apple MacBook M3 Pro/Max (16-inch)

2199 $ 2499 12 % off 2199 $ 2499 12 % off

The 1 6-inch MacBook Pro continues to be Apple's most powerful laptops for developers and advanced users. The latest model is equipped with an M3 Pro and M3 MAX chip, with a battery drive time up to 22 hours, up to 128GB of RAM.

Micro processor: M3 Pro, M3 Max / GPU: M3 Pro, M3 Max / RAM: 18 G B-36 GB (M3 PRO), 36 G B-128 GB (M3 Max) / Storage: 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, 8 TB / Display: 14, 2/16, 2-inch LIQUID RETINA XDR, 3024 X 1964 /3456 X 2234, 120 Hz adaptive refresh, no n-touch / dimensions: 12, 31 x 8, 71 x 0, 61 / / 14, 01 x 9, 77 x 0, 66 inches/weight: 3, 5/4, 7 pounds (M3 Pro), 3, 6/4, 8 pounds (M3 MAX).

If you need overwhelming power for intense creative work, such as handling 3D rendering and ultr a-hig h-resolution photos and videos, MacBook Pro is the best place. The 1 4-inch and 1 6-inch models are equipped with a powerful M3 Pro or M3 MAX microcessor. There is also a 1 4-inch PRO equipped with a simple M3 microcessor, but this is quite rare, and most people will want this.

The MacBook Pro, which does not have a micro processor, is literally the same as the 2021 model, literally. HDR and up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, beautiful and colorful high-resolution display, wonderful speakers, comfortable keyboard and trackpad, and Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C 4-port x 3, HDMI , SD card slot has a bad port hardware. The 1 4-inch MacBook Pro is hundreds of dollars than 16 inches, but most of the compositions can be used in any size, except for the minimum type of microcessesa, so choose the one that suits you.

On the benchmark, which tests all creative tasks, such as encoding, playback, and export time, MacBook Pro 16 has a higher score than all other laptops we used. The battery drive time is still a record length. In the previous test, the top model 1 6-inch M3 MAX had about 18 hours without a battery saving function.

The M3 Pro is a 1 4-inch notebook PC equipped with 11 core processors, 14 core GPUs, 18GB memory, and 512GB SSD from $ 1. 999. The 1 6-inch model equipped with a 1 2-core processor, 18 core GPU, 18GB memory, and 512GB SSD is $ 2. 499. PRO chips can be equipped with up to 36GB of memory and 4TB SSDs, with an unreasonable price increase that Apple is good at, supporting up to two external displays.

If you need GPU power, or if you need two or more external monitors, you can upgrade to M3 Max. The base M3 MAX is equipped with 14 CPU core, 30 GPU cores, 36GB RAM and 1TB SSD, with a 1 4-inch model of $ 3. 199 and a 1 6-inch model of $ 3. 499. There is also a 16CPU core and a 40 GPU core M3 MAX, each of which is $ 3. 699 and $ 999, respectively. The M3 MAX model can install up to 128GB of RAM and 8TB storage, supporting up to four external monitors. Most people have not charged as much as they notice the difference between M3 Pro and M3 Max.

14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M3 Pro (2023)

$ 1499 1999 25 % off $ 1499 1999 25 % off

The new 1 4-inch MacBook Pro is black and can be equipped with either M3 Pro or M3 MAX chip. The exterior is very similar to the previous generation M2, but as a technical feature, the M3 Pro model is equipped with a 1 2-core processor, a 18GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. < SPAN> M3 Pro is a 1 4-inch notite PC equipped with 11 core processors, 14 core GPUs, 18GB memory, and 512GB SSD from $ 1. 999. The 1 6-inch model equipped with a 1 2-core processor, 18 core GPU, 18GB memory, and 512GB SSD is $ 2. 499. PRO chips can be equipped with up to 36GB of memory and 4TB SSDs, with an unreasonable price increase that Apple is good at, supporting up to two external displays.