15 inches is still alive and kicking! And the best 15-inch laptops you can buy today prove it. I know, with 14- and 16-inch machines stealing the limelight, it's harder to find that classic size that's equal parts portable and practical with a big display, but I'm here to tell you that they're still out there — and better than ever.
With the hundreds of laptops my team of computing experts and I have tested throughout the years, we're slowly seeing the decline of the 15-inch form factor. But not completely, and the ones we do see tend to knock it out of the park when it comes to what's important: design and performance. And a fantastically well-sized display, of course.
The 15-inch MacBook Air M5 is currently our pick as the best 15-inch laptop to buy. Sleek, thin and rocking enough space to make the most of its gorgeous display, it shows that 15 inches flourishes. It's not the only one we recommend, as Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 3i Gen 11 and more are well worth considering. So, if you've got a 15-inch laptop in your sights, scroll on down to find the perfectly sized machine that fits your needs.
Darragh here, Buying Guide Editor at Tom's Guide, and 15-inch laptops will always hold a special place in my heart. To this day, they strike a fine balance between portability and size to make the most of a display, something professionals and gamers can take advantage of. Being someone who fits into both those groups, I'm always on the lookout for the next 15-inch notebook worth recommending (with testing to back it up, of course!).
The best 15-inch laptops you can buy today
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The best 15-inch laptop overall
The 15-inch MacBook Air was already the best laptop of its size for the money, but Apple keeps this machine updated anyway, now sporting an M5 chip for greatly improved performance across web surfing, video editing and gaming. It's just too bad that it now starts at $1,299, a $100 bump over its M4 predecessor.
But with that price hike comes worthwhile updates, including Apple's N1 wireless chip for faster Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, higher 512GB base storage and longer battery life at a whopping 15 hours and 30 minutes. Otherwise, this is the same MacBook Air we've applauded, but that's no bad thing considering its perks.
The lovely 15.3-inch (2880 x 1864) Liquid Retina display is as bright and colorful as ever, and with the extra screen space, the sharp, detailed visuals are even more appealing. And, at 13.4 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches and 3.3 pounds, it gives you more room to type comfortably on its roomy keyboard.
The star of the show is M5, flying past its M4 predecessor and even beating Intel's strong Panther Lake chips in performance. So, expect this machine to juggle multiple tasks at once, take on heavy-duty tasks, render video and even play demanding PC titles like Resident Evil 4 Remake at a rock-solid 60 FPS. Just note that it's only a nominal upgrade over the M4 model, so I wouldn't recommend rushing for an upgrade if you already own Apple's older Air. If you're after the finest 15-inch laptop around, the MacBook Air M5 15-inch should be your top choice.
- Read our full MacBook Air M5 review
The best value 15-inch laptop
As with its last IdeaPad Slim 3x, it's remarkable what Lenovo delivers with the latest IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2026): a spacious 15-inch, 1920 x 1200 display that's bright enough (we measured 408 nits in the lab) to work comfortably just about anywhere. For this kind of money, that's an immediate win for anyone who wants more room to work or study without breaking the bank (if you get it on sale, that is).
Under the hood, you're looking at an Intel Core 7 350 processor, which in our experience gives you all the speed you need for everyday productivity. Think spreadsheets, video calls and a bit of light photo editing. Battery life is solid for this class, too, as the Slim 3i lasted 10 hours and 33 minutes in our standardized web-browsing test at 150 nits. That's enough to get most people through a full workday without hunting for an outlet.
Along with a great selection of ports, you're getting a big, bright 15-inch touchscreen, which is an incredibly handy feature to have to turn this into a makeshift tablet. Now, its full price is $1,299, but in our experience, you'll rarely see it that high. Be sure to grab this with a discount at $799/£799 (sometimes even less!).
Of course, if you're deciding between this and the MacBook Air M5, know that Apple's machine offers a more premium build and a much longer 15.5-hour battery, but the Slim 3i can come in at a much lower price. It's the stronger pick if value and a roomy screen matter more than top-tier polish or all-day stamina.
You won't find creative horsepower or a flashy OLED panel here, but that's not the point. If you want a straightforward 15-inch laptop that nails the essentials for work or school and stretches your dollar, the IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 is tough to beat.
- Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Gen 11 review
The best premium 15-inch laptop
For a while, the MacBook Air was just about as premium as you could get in the realm of 15-inch laptops. That's now changed with the arrival of Lenovo's latest Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition, boasting all the premium trimmings you could need. For a very costly price, as you might expect.
Whether it be blazing through basic tasks, storming through video edits or playing the latest PC titles, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition comes equipped with the right specs to handle it all. That includes a powerful combination of an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H and RTX 50-series GPU, with that 32GB of RAM keeping multitasking handled.
Leave it to Lenovo to build a sturdy, minimalist laptop that's both stylish and compact to take around, with a satisfying keyboard that's almost typical of the company's laptops these days. But the crème de la crème is easily the gorgeous and sizeable 15-inch 2K (2560 x 1600) OLED touchscreen with a 165Hz refresh rate, with outstanding colors, crisp details and smooth visuals. That's great for both creative work and gaming.
At over $2,000, though, the price is through the roof, so best to grab this when it's on sale. And don't expect this 15-inch to last long, with a dire sub-7 hours of battery life. In any case, if there's one 15-inch laptop to invest in, it's the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Gen 11 Aura Edition.
- Read our full Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Aura Edition review
The best 15-inch gaming laptop
Worry not; 15-inch gaming laptops are still alive and well, and the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 11 is a fitting example of this. With a crisp 15-inch OLED display and fantastic graphics power on board. It can be a pricey one, though, but with the right configuration, you'll see your PC games soar.
Let’s talk gaming performance: in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Legion with an RTX 5070 we tested kept frame rates comfortably over 90 fps at 1600p High settings in our tests, and our reviewer, Madeline, saw the same when running this machine through Final Fantasy XIV, often peaking above 100 fps. If your number one priority is smooth gameplay for modern AAA titles, you'll get it here.
That OLED panel brings colorful, detailed visuals, too. In our lab, the Legion’s display measured a bright 490 nits on average, with HDR peaks hitting a stunning 1,049 nits. Colors pop, details are razor-sharp and you get all the immersive punch you want for both gaming and media.
Of course, battery life won’t worry the MacBook Air, but we squeezed out 7 hours and 3 minutes in our test, which is respectable for a gaming rig this size. The newly sleeker chassis means it’s more portable than many gaming laptops, so it actually makes sense as a daily driver for class or the office. Just expect to stay near a charger for long sessions.
If you want the best 15-inch gaming experience, the Legion 5i Gen 11 is a clear winner. That said, audio is merely passable, and both base and upgrade pricing can climb very quickly. For gamers, though, this is the 15-inch to beat.
- Read our full Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 11 review
The best 2-in-1 15-inch laptops
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x is a step up over the value-friendly Slim 3x in almost every way, but it sticks with what's important: a fine 15-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) touchscreen that turns this 2-in-1 into an affordable productivity machine for work — with a side of entertainment, of course.
At $849, there's a lot you can get out of the IdeaPad Slim 5x, and that's mostly thanks to the efficient performance from the Snapdragon X2 Plus chip onboard. From daily work tasks such as writing up articles, browsing the web, managing spreadsheets and juggling multiple tabs, this laptop can handle it without breaking a sweat. That said, don't expect the type of performance to deal with video edits or gaming, as our reviewer, Dylan Haas, found.
Along with its super slim, compact design, its display is also quite the looker, with a smooth, responsive touchscreen that makes scrolling through spreadsheets and navigating around a breeze. That also means you can use this as a tablet of sorts, one boasting a sizeable 15-inch panel. It's only made better with the fine details and rich colors it offers, even better than a MacBook Air in our testing!
This is no powerhouse, and it's let down by a grainy 1080p webcam and crackly speakers, but for under $900 (or less during a sale), this trusty machine is a great shout for students or on-the-go professionals in need of a wallet-friendly 15-inch 2-in-1 laptop.
- Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x review
Battery benchmarks: comparison
Being the middle ground between ultraportables and desktop replacements, 15-inch laptops offer enough room to deliver ample battery life while still bringing great performance. In fact, a few have enough to be among the best laptops for battery life that we've tested, but some aren't exactly battery champs.
We see how long each laptop lasts on a full charge before it shuts down through our battery test. While this gives us a good idea of just how much stamina these machines have, keep in mind that real-world use may vary, depending on what you use a laptop for.
In any case, here's how long our pick of the best 15-inch laptops lasts.
Best 15-inch Laptops Battery Life Results
In our battery test, we set the laptop's display to 150 nits of brightness and have it endlessly browse the web via Wi-Fi until it runs out of juice
Battery life (hh:mm:ss)
| Product | Value |
|---|---|
| MacBook Air 15-inch (M5) | 15.5 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (Snapdragon X2 Plus) | 15.4 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Gen 11 (Intel Core 7 350) | 10.55 |
| Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 11 (Intel Core Ultra 7 251HX) | 7.05 |
| Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Aura Edition (Intel Core Ultra 9 386H) | 6.933333333333334 |
Also tested
At Tom's Guide, we test dozens of the latest laptops that arrive on our desks, and even today, we're seeing more 15-inch laptops to check out (ones that aren't just from Lenovo or Apple). Many are still worth putting on your radar, even if they didn't score the highest marks. So, if you're looking for more options to consider buying, here's a look at other 15-inch laptops to keep an eye on.
How to choose the best 15-inch laptop for you
- Performance: If you only need something to get work done and watch videos on, don't bother shelling out for one of the laptops on this list with a discrete graphics card. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Gen 11 is plenty good enough, along with the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x for an extra boost. But if you want something with more power, you can do everything you need to on the MacBook Air M5 or the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Aura Edition.
- Graphics and gaming: Most mainstream 15-inch laptops feature integrated graphics, which can handle lightweight titles such as Minecraft and Overwatch but aren't ideal for graphically-intensive games or heavy visual work. For that, you'll want a laptop with a discrete graphics card, such as the RTX 50-series graphics card you get with the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 11 or Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i Aura Edition.
- Screen quality: More and more 15-inch laptops are shipping with high refresh rate screens or OLED display options, though you may need to pay extra to get one. If you plan to play a lot of games on your laptop, it's a good idea to get one with a high-refresh screen, like the Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 11. But if you want something crisp and easy to see, the MacBook Air M5 actually offers a brighter screen than anything else on this list. Whichever system you decide on, you may also want to pick up the best mouse for your particular work situation.
How we test the best 15-inch laptops
To find the best 15-inch laptops on the market today, we put each machine through tests and benchmarks, along with real-world handling, to check out each key aspect of a laptop.
We measure the average brightness and color quality of each laptop's display using our in-house light meter and colorimeter. For general performance, we run our machines through tests that include Geekbench 6 (CPU performance), as well as various 3DMark tests to measure graphics capabilities (GPU performance).
We also run a file transfer test to measure how fast a machine's hard drive is, and a custom battery test that has the machine browse the internet over Wi-Fi until it runs out of juice.
To check a laptop's graphics performance, whether it be from a dedicated or integrated GPU, we run benchmarks for popular games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, Forza Horizon 6, Red Dead Redemption 2 and more.
For more information on our testing process, check out our guide to how we test products at Tom's Guide.
