1. The list in brief
2. Best overall laptop
3. Best Windows laptop
4. Best value
5. Best Chromebook
6. Best for DIYers
7. Best gaming laptop
8. Best battery life
9. Best MacBook Air alternative
10. Best 2-in-1 laptop
11. Best MacBook Pro alternative
12. Battery life chart
13. How to choose
14. How we test
The best laptops are capable enough to tackle your day-to-day work, comfy enough to use all day and power-efficient enough to ensure you won't run out of juice unexpectedly.
Finding the best laptop for you can be tricky because you've never had more choices. You can get a compact, speedy 13-inch ultraportable for not a lot of money, and those who can afford to spend a bit more have access to a smorgasbord of the best laptops from the likes of Apple, Dell, HP and more.
That's why we test and review dozens of laptops from the top manufacturers every year, then gather the very best (4 stars or higher) together here in one easy-to-read list to help you make a smarter buying decision.
Whether you're shopping for a new Windows 11 ultraportable, a Chromebook, a MacBook or a gaming laptop, you'll find something great here!
Alex Wawro is a lifelong journalist who's spent over a decade covering tech, games and entertainment. He oversees the computing department at Tom's Guide, which includes managing laptop coverage and reviewing many himself every year.
The quick list
In a hurry? Here's a brief overview of the laptops on this list, along with quick links that let you jump down the page directly to a review of whichever laptop catches your eye.
The best laptop for most people
The MacBook Air M2 is the best laptop for the money. You get fantastic performance from the new M2 chip, a brighter and bigger display and more than 14 hours of battery life, according to our testing.
The best Windows laptop for most
The Dell XPS 15 is our current pick for best Windows laptop overall. It's svelte and powerful enough for day-to-day work, with thin bezels that help the display shine. It's even better if you shell out extra for the OLED upgrade.
The best value
The AMD-equipped Asus Zenbook 13 OLED is currently our top recommendation for a great budget laptop, offering an eye-catching 1080p OLED display and exceptional battery life in a slim, lightweight package for less than a grand.
The best affordable Chromebook
Lenovo's Chromebook Duet 3 delivers a great display, a decent port selection and enough power to get work done. It's one of the best Chrome tablets you can buy, and the included keyboard cover helps it double as a surprisingly effective 2-in-1 Chromebook.
The best laptop for DIYers
The Framework Laptop is a truly unique ultraportable that's remarkably repairable and upgradeable. It's basically the anti-MacBook, designed to be easy to upgrade and repair while delivering style and performance without compromise. Plus, the unique Expansion Card system is a must-see.
The best gaming laptop for most
We've long been fans of the Zephyrus G14 because it has the chops to run most games at solid framerates, the efficiency to be used as a work laptop in a pinch, and a slim, compact chassis that's more portable than most gaming laptops.
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The longest-lasting laptop
Apple's MacBook Pro 2022 delivers speedy performance thanks to its M2 processor, along with class-leading battery life. The design feels behind the times, but nothing on this last lasts longer.
The best MacBook Air alternative
Stylish, lightweight, and powerful, the Acer Swift 5 is a truly impressive Windows 11 laptop that rivals the latest MacBooks in terms of size, style and speed. This mid-range productivity notebook delivers compelling value thanks to its power and vivid 14-inch 1600p touchscreen. The latest model is competitive with the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13, yet costs less.
The best 2-in-1 for most people
The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 has a ridiculous name but a gorgeous 15.6-inch AMOLED touchscreen. It's a fantastic 2-in-1 ultraportable, and the included stylus is a nice touch.
The best MacBook Pro alternative
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is the company's fastest laptop to date, delivering all the power of the latest and greatest Nvidia GPUs inside a sleek, elegant chassis.
With the latest Intel CPUs and a gorgeous 16-inch 120Hz AMOLED display it's got brains and beauty in equal measure, and the fact that you can get one for less than a new MacBook Pro should have Apple worried.
The best laptop overall
✅ You need a long-lasting laptop: The MacBook Air M2 lasted more than 14 hours in our battery test, which is remarkable. It's actually a bit less than its predecessor or the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2, but it's still better than most laptops.
✅ You want a small, fast MacBook: The M2 chip inside this MacBook Air gives it more than enough power for multitasking, and it pairs well with the long battery life and light weight. While it can't crunch video or play games as well as the MacBook Pro 2021, this is the ultimate MacBook for getting things done on the go.
❌ You want to play games: While this laptop can play games, many aren't supported natively on macOS and the Air M2 lacks the power to run graphically demanding games. If games are important to you, consider looking elsewhere.
❌ You like multi-monitor setups: The MacBook Air M2 only supports a single external display, so it's not a great choice if you want to plug your laptop into a multi-monitor setup at home.
💻 The MacBook Air M2 is a bit pricey, but it justifies the premium with an unbeatable combination of performance, battery life, display quality and portability.
What you need to know
The MacBook Air M2 is an excellent all-rounder that feels truly worthy of the Air name. Yes, the MacBook Air M1 was good — after all, it helped introduce the world to the power of Apple silicon. It’s just that cramming revolutionary performance in the same old chassis didn’t feel (or look) like a leap forward.
The MacBook Air 2022 (from $1,199, tested at $1,899) is a breath of fresh you-know-what, and that’s because Apple paired an even faster M2 chip with a design that’s markedly thinner and lighter. It's a potent blend of performance and portability, one we recommend as one of the best laptops for getting work done on the go for most folks.
Design: The MacBook Air M2 is so thin it could easily be mistaken for an iPad when closed (especially if the Apple logo is facing out). That’s how slim this notebook is. Measuring just 0.44 inches thick with the lid open, an everyday Bic pen looks chunky next to this machine.
Overall, the Air M2 is 20% smaller than the previous Air in terms of volume, and yet you get a bigger 13.6-inch display, replete with a notch along the top bezel.
Apple keeps things minimal with the MacBook Air M2 port selection. You’ll find two Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports on the left side along with a MagSafe power adapter. You also get a headphone jack, which is a nice touch.
Display: The MacBook Air M2 has caught up to the MacBook Pro in terms of display quality, and that’s a big deal. You get a bright and colorful 13.6-inch panel (2560 x 1664 pixels) for watching videos, editing photos and everything else you want to do with no trade-offs.
The MacBook Air M2’s panel impressed in our lab tests as well. It averaged 489 nits of brightness and peaked at 495 nits with HDR content. That’s slightly better than what the MacBook Pro M2 turned in (474/490 nits) in the same tests and brighter than the Dell XPS 13 OLED’s 357-nit average.
Performance: On Geekbench 5.4, which measures overall performance, the MacBook Air M2 hit 1,932 on the single-core CPU test and 8,919 on multi-core. That’s faster than its predecessor, though the MacBook Pro M2 was on a par with the Air M2, reaching 1,898 and 8,911.
The Air is also nearly as fast as the Pro in our video editing and Photoshop tests, demonstrating the power of the M2 chip. For more details, check out our in-depth MacBook Air M2 benchmark results!
Battery life: The MacBook Air M2 is one of the longest-lasting laptops for the money. On the Tom’s Guide battery test the new Air averaged 14 hours and 6 minutes, which is better than average.
That’s a bit behind the previous Air M1 (14:41), but this is still superb endurance.
Read the full review: MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
| Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 14:06 tested battery life | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Speedy, good for light work | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Thin and elegant, light on ports | ★★★☆☆ |
| Display | Bright, colorful 13.6-inch panel | ★★★★☆ |
The best Windows laptop
✅ You want a great Windows laptop: There are many great Windows laptops out there, but the Dell XPS 15 shines with its winning combo of great design, performance and portability.
✅You want a great display: While the base XPS 15 is a solid laptop, adding the 3.5K OLED display upgrade really helps it shine. With bright lights, inky blacks and sharp contrasts, the XPS 15 OLED is easy on the eyes.
✅ You want to play games: It's not technically a gaming laptop, but you can pay to upgrade the XPS 15 with an Nvidia laptop GPU that makes it a pretty decent gaming machine. Sure, you won't be blasting through Cyberpunk 2077, but you'll have the option to have a lot of fun on long trips.
❌ Battery life is critical: The Dell XPS 15's roughly 9-hour battery life isn't terrible, but you could do a lot better if that's what matters to you.
❌ Ports are important: The XPS 15 sports 3 USB-C ports, microSD card slot and a headphone jack. That's better than some laptops, but not great if you need a variety of ports.
💻 The Dell XPS 15 is an excellent Windows laptop that's perfect for work and playing graphically-intensive games. It's the full package, especially if you upgrade it with an OLED display and a discrete Nvidia graphics card for gaming/video work.
What you need to know
The latest Dell XPS 15 (starting at $1,449, $2,299 as tested) isn’t an innovative or revolutionary laptop.
Aside from its updated internals, it’s virtually identical to predecessors like the Dell XPS 15 OLED 2021. But while this machine isn't shaking things up, it's still one of the best Windows laptops you can buy.
Not only is this a stellar laptop for everyday use, but it’s also a competent gaming machine.
Though it’s admittedly pricey, it’s hard to argue against its impressive performance. It can handle almost anything you throw at it, assuming you can afford to upgrade it the way you want.
Design: At 13.6 x 9.1 x 0.73 inches, the Dell XPS 15 is the definition of an ultrabook. Its machined aluminum chassis feels smooth and sturdy. It looks great at home, at a cafe or at the office.
Save for the iconic Dell logo on its silver lid, the laptop is free of adornments. It’s somewhat heavy at 4.2 pounds but it’s still light enough to comfortably carry around.
The all-black interior features large keycaps and a spacious touchpad. Front-facing speakers flank the keyboard. The thin bezels surrounding the InfinityEdge display give the laptop another layer of elegance.
Display: Streamed content and video games alike look fantastic on the 15.6-inch 3.5K OLED 60Hz InfinityEdge display. Equally, the large and vibrant 16:10 screen is ideal for scrolling through websites and for work.
Performance: Thanks to its 12th gen Intel Core CPU, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, our XPS 15 review unit was more than capable of handling heavy workloads.
This is a multi-tasking beast, and if you pay to upgrade it with better components (including a discrete Nvidia GPU) it's a pretty decent gaming laptop.
Battery life: On the Tom’s Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, the XPS 15 lasted for 10 hours and 5 minutes.
That's a significant improvement over last year's Dell XPS 15 OLED 2021, which lasted under 8 hours in the same test.
Now that the XPS 15 lasts over 10 hours in our battery test it trounces the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 (8:06) and demolishes the Alienware x14 (5:35). However, Apple laptops like the MacBook Pro 16-inch (with 15 hours and 31 minutes of battery life) still surpass it.
Read the full review: Dell XPS 15 OLED
| Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 8:86 tested battery life | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | The latest Intel CPUs give it plenty of speed | ★★★★★ |
| Display | Shell out for the 3.5K OLED option if you can | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Easy to carry and plenty of ports | ★★★★★ |
The best value laptop
✅OLED is important: If you want a cheap, lightweight laptop with an OLED screen for under $1k, it's hard to find much better than the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED. While OLED displays are becoming more common in laptops and getting cheaper and cheaper, it's still rare to find one this good for this cheap.
✅ Battery life matters: The Asus Zenbook 13 OLED is one of the longest-lasting laptops we've tested, thanks in part to its power-sipping AMD CPU. While the latest CPUs from Apple and Intel are helping laptops last longer and longer, the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED remains a great choice if you want a lightweight, long-lasting Windows laptop.
❌ You want a headphone jack: While Bluetooth headphones exist, those of us who prefer an old-fashioned physical 3.5mm audio jack are out of luck with the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED.
💻 The Asus Zenbook 13 OLED is a winning combo of price and performance. It's a zippy little ultraportable with a gorgeous display and oodles of battery life, and it can be yours for cheaper than most premium Windows laptops.
What you need to know
The Asus Zenbook 13 OLED delivers excellent value, offering great performance, remarkable battery life, and a beautiful OLED screen for under $1k.
There's not much in the way of ports (no headphone jack here) and the webcam's not great, but you can't beat the value. This is a sleek, speedy laptop that lasts all day and looks good open or closed, yet can be yours for less than nearly everything on this list.
Design: The Asus Zenbook 13 OLED we reviewed reviewed is easy to carry and looks good on a desk, weighing in at a trim 2.5 pounds and measuring just 11.98 x 7.99 x 0.55 inches.
Its grey and matte all over except the lid, which sports a fingerprint-attracting spun-metal finish replete with offset Asus logo. Remarkably, you get a pretty decent port array that includes both USB-C and USB-A jacks, an HDMI out and a microSD card reader. You don't get a headphone jack, but you do get a USB-C adapter if you want to plug some in.
Display: The 13.3-inch 1080p OLED display is one of the major selling points of this Zenbook, and in person it looks nice and vibrant. It’s pretty rare to find an OLED screen in a laptop you can buy for less than $1,000, and it does a great job of helping contrasts stand out, achieving nice deep blacks as well as bright, saturated colors.
However, the display on the Zenbook 13 is less bright than many competing laptops, and its reflectivity ensures you'll be staring at yourself when using it in direct sunlight.
Performance: In addition to being quite power-efficient (as you’ll see below when we start talking about battery life) the AMD Ryzen 7 CPU driving our Zenbook 13 review unit proved more than powerful enough to tackle daily computing tasks without breaking a sweat.
With no discrete GPU and 8GB of RAM this little laptop doesn't have the power to handle much in the way of demanding games or apps, but it's plenty speedy enough for getting work done.
Battery life: It’s always exciting to find a laptop with better battery life than advertised. The OLED-equipped Asus Zenbook 13 is one such machine: Asus says it lasts up to 13 hours on a single battery charge, but in our battery test it lasted a remarkable 15 hours.
That's fantastic all-day battery life that all but ensures you can carry the Zenbook 13 all day without worrying about needing to find an outlet.
Read the full review: Asus Zenbook 13 OLED
| Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 15 hours of tested battery life | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Fast enough for work, but no speed demon | ★★★☆☆ |
| Display | Beautiful OLED screen, though not super-bright | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Small, elegant design (but no headphone jack) | ★★★☆☆ |
The best Chromebook
✅ You want a Chromebook that turns into a tablet: The Duet 3 is a Chrome tablet at heart, but the included snap-on keyboard turns it into a decent laptop that's good enough to get you through a day of class.
✅You prize screen quality: You can get Chromebooks for less, but many have dim, low-quality screens. Not so with the Duet 3, which sports an 11-inch 2K screen with great color reproduction that gets plenty bright.
❌ You plan to do a ton of typing: The detachable keyboard on the Duet 3 is good enough to type out some emails or even a paper, but if you'll be typing all day on it you'll want something a little more comfortable.
❌ You need a headphone jack: It's disappointing that you can't plug in a pair of inexpensive earbuds. You'll have to invest in one of the best wireless earbuds or best wireless headphones if you want to do any private listening (or Zoom calls) on the Duet 3.
💻 The Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 is a remarkably versatile and well-made Chrome 2-in-1 for not much money. While it has some issues, including an uncomfortable keyboard and no headphone jack, we feel it's the best Chromebook for most people.
What you need to know
Lenovo's Chromebook Duet 3 is bigger, brighter and more powerful than the original Duet. While it's more expensive and can't last quite as long on a single charge, it occupies the same sweet spot: A cheap, performant Chrome tablet with a packed-in keyboard that makes it a surprisingly versatile 2-in-1.
While you may prefer a more traditional clamshell Chromebook if you don't like the idea of typing on a removable keyboard cover, the fact that the Duet 3 doubles as both a tablet and a laptop gives it remarkable versatility for the price.
Design: The Duet 3 is slightly larger than its predecessor the Duet, with an 11-inch 2K (2,000 x 1,200 pixels) screen housed in a thin black aluminum chassis.
At 10.16 x 6.48 x 0.31 inches with a weight starting at 1.14 pounds, the Duet 3 isn't quite as light or thin as the base iPad 2021 (0.29 inches, 1.09 pounds), but it's pretty close, and in my hands it feels both sturdy and light enough to carry around the house all day.
Display: The 11-inch 2K display on the Duet 3 gets plenty bright, with good color accuracy. It's plenty responsive too, which you want in a touchscreen. It gets a bit reflective in direct sunlight, but remains plenty usable.
Performance: In my time with the Duet 3 (powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chip) I found it to be pretty snappy for a Chromebook, with almost no slowdown when launching and switching between apps. I was able to open 15 tabs in Chrome and stream music, watch videos on the Amazon Prime Video app, and play a game downloaded from the Google Play Store with no meaningful slowdown.
Battery life: After spending a few weeks with our Duet 3 review unit, I can tell you that it doesn't exactly burn through battery. I never had to worry about it running out of charge during the day, and when I plugged it in it was able to recharge up to about 80% in an hour.
In our battery test — web surfing via Wi-Fi with the screen at 150 nits of brightness — the Duet 3 lasted an average of 10 hours and 30 minutes, which is pretty good and enough that you can carry it to a day of classes without having to worry about plugging in.
Read the full review: Lenovo Duet 3
| Test | Results | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 10:30 tested battery life | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Ill-suited for much besides browsing and light work | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Display | 11-inch 2K display looks nice and bright | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Detachable keyboard worse than a full keyboard, but it's nice to have the option to use it as a tablet too | ★★★☆☆ |
The best laptop for DIYers
✅ You care about your right to repair: I've never seen a laptop that's easier to open up, fiddle around with and put back together. No other laptop on the market can match the Framework in this regard, so if you care about being able to repair and upgrade your laptop, this is the one for you.
✅ You're plagued by port envy: On most laptops, the ports it comes with are all you get. The Framework is different: you can change what ports it sports by buying hot-swappable Expansion Cards that you plug into 4 slots on the bottom of the laptop, and each can have one port on it. So you can swap out 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A ports for 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A, a DisplayPort out and an Ethernet jack, for example.
✅ You like a tall screen: The 3:2 display ratio of the Framework's screen feels a bit taller than the displays found on most laptops, and it's great for working with "tall" things like long documents, emails, coding projects and more.
❌ You're scared by pieces of your laptop coming off: The Framework is well-designed and sturdy, but because it's designed to be taken apart you may occasionally find yourself accidentally doing something like popping the bezel off the screen. This is a feature, not a problem, but it can unnerve new owners.
❌ You don't want to pay extra for ports: The Framework offers unrivaled port versatility thanks to its Expansion Card system, but it does entail buying a handful of Cards for all the ports and other options you want, some of which could be easily lost or misplaced.
💻 The Framework Laptop is a remarkable piece of tech. It's a great laptop for getting work done, but more than that it's a statement of purpose, a clear example that every other laptop maker could be building and selling us more repairable, sustainable laptops if they cared to as much as Framework does. Its a fantastic investment if you care about your right to repair and upgrade your own laptop.
What you need to know
The Framework Laptop is the anti-MacBook, the laptop that promises to let you customize, repair, and upgrade it to an unprecedented degree, all while remaining affordable and ultraportable.
When Framework revealed the laptop in 2021, I was excited about those promises but dubious the company could deliver on them without some glaring sacrifices. Now that I’ve used one myself, I’m pleased to report that Framework appears to have stuck the landing. Its improved Framework Laptop 13 (2023) model only reinforced my opinions. With its remarkably easy-to-repair design and hot-swappable Expansion Card system, the Framework Laptop 13 ($849 to start, $2,099 as reviewed) is versatile, well-made, and one of the best laptops you can buy — especially if you care about your right to repair and tinker with your devices.
Design: The Framework sports a slim, unassuming aluminum chassis that blends right in with all the other laptops in the coffee shop. Measuring in at 11.67 x 9 x 0.62 inches and just 2.8 pounds, this DIY ultraportable is as thin and just a hair lighter than Apple's MacBook Air with M1. That’s an even more impressive feat when you consider that the Framework team achieved that 0.62-inch thinness while still ensuring the major components of the laptop are modular and user-replaceable, rather than soldered to the board the way they are in the MacBook Air.
Display: The 13.5-inch display is sharp and functional, with a tall 3:2 display ratio that accommodates a 2,256 x 1,504 resolution. It offers good color quality and looks plenty bright in person.
Performance: The Framework configuration we tested performed well under pressure, handling the gauntlet that is my unorganized work process without any noticeable stutter or heat issues. However, the laptop’s cooling fans occasionally kicked in during basic daily use, and they’re awfully loud. It also underperformed a bit in our performance benchmarks compared to a lot of its contemporaries. While the Framework's lack of a discrete GPU makes it a poor choice for playing graphically demanding games, the Core i7 CPU gives it enough muscle to play older and less demanding games well.
Battery life: The Framework’s battery doesn’t break any records, but it’s good enough to get you through a day of work without needing to pack a charger. In our battery test, which sets the laptop’s screen brightness to 150 nits and tasks it with endlessly browsing the web via Wi-Fi, the Framework lasted 11 hours and 38 minutes.
Read the full review: Framework Laptop 13 (2023)
| Test | Results | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 11:38 tested battery life | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Speedy enough for work and light gaming | ★★★☆☆ |
| Display | Functional, sharp display | ★★★☆☆ |
| Design | Elegant, unassuming chassis belies useful complexity | ★★★★☆ |
The best gaming laptop
✅ You want a gaming laptop you can take to class: You can find gaming laptops with lower price tags, bigger screens or more powerful innards, but you won't find many with better battery life, or that look as good on a desk. The Zephyrus G14 stands apart from the crowd by being powerful to play the latest games, yet performant and low-profile enough to double as a work laptop.
✅ You want an all-AMD gaming machine: PC diehards have strong feelings about Intel vs. AMD vs. Nvidia components. If you prefer an all-AMD laptop, the Zephyrus G14 can deliver that, and the much-ballyhooed efficiency of AMD components may have something to do with this laptop's remarkable battery life.
❌ You want more than 14 inches: The 14-inch (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) 120Hz display on the Zephyrus G14 is great, but it's a little small to really enjoy playing games to full effect. You could always hook the laptop up to one of the best gaming monitors, but if you want a larger canvas for gaming on the go you should look elsewhere.
❌ Webcam quality matters: The 720p webcam in the latest ROG Zephyrus G14 leaves a lot to be desired, and if you use it for streaming you'll hardly look your best. That said, earlier Zephyrus G14 models didn't even have webcams, so at least you get one this time around.
💻 The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a great gaming laptop, delivering a potent blend of performance, portability and power efficiency. The bright 16:10 120Hz display makes games and movies look great, while the speakers sound good enough that you won't feel compelled to use headphones.
What you need to know
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) ($1,649 to start) is the latest iteration of one of the highest-rated gaming laptops we've ever reviewed, and one of the best gaming laptops on the market for most people. The 2022 Zephyrus G14 we reviewed has a better, brighter screen than its predecessor, with good speakers and an AMD CPU/GPU combo that delivers solid gaming performance. It also sports a built-in webcam, something earlier models lacked.
But despite these upgrades, the new Zephyrus G14 is in some ways weaker than its predecessor. It can't last quite as long on a single charge, the gaming performance is good but not always better than what you'd get from similarly-priced competitors, and the webcam is bad. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better gaming laptop (that can also double as a work or school laptop) for the price.
Design: Our Zephyrus G14 (2022) review unit measures 12.28 x 8.94 x 0.77 inches, weighs 3.79 pounds and is decked out in Asus’ bright Moonlight White color scheme. It’s especially eye-catching if you enable the optional AniMe Matrix mini-LED display on the back of the lid (a $600 cosmetic upgrade).
But even if you don’t, the Zephyrus G14 looks slick, with rounded corners and tapered edges balancing out the sharp diagonal vents scattered across the chassis.
Display: The 14-inch WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) display on the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) looks good in person, and the 16:10 aspect ratio feels roomy when you're juggling a lot of open windows on the desktop. With a 120Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time and support for Dolby Vision HDR, the display is well-suited to making games and movies look their best.
Performance: Gaming performance is what matters most in a laptop like this, and the 2022 Zephyrus G14 delivers — if you configure it right. Plugged in, with all extraneous apps closed and all power and fan management settings cranked to max, this laptop managed to hit 30-40 frames per second (fps) in Cyberpunk 2077 on max settings. However, that was with AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaler running. In general, this laptop can run most games on the market quite well, and it has no trouble with simple productivity tasks.
Battery life: The Asus Zephyrus G14 (2022) lasted roughly 10 hours and 14 minutes in our Tom's Guide battery test. That's great for a gaming laptop (which rarely last more than a few hours on a full charge) but over an hour less than its predecessor, which is disappointing. Obviously, it lasts far less time when gaming without the power cord plugged in.
When we ran the PCMark 10 battery test on it, which is a decent approximation of running a graphically demanding modern game, the 2022 Zephyrus G14 barely lasted an hour before powering off. This is definitely not a great laptop for gaming unplugged, but it is possible, and it does last awhile when you keep the screen dim and the action sedate.
Read the full review: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022)
| Test | Results | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 10:14 tested (non-gaming) battery life | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Great for work and gaming | ★★★★★ |
| Display | Screen looks good and accommodates high-framerate gaming | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Slim, unassuming design blends in at home or at work | ★★★★☆ |
The longest-lasting laptop
✅ You want a fast MacBook: While it can't match the video-crunching power of the beefy MacBook Pro 2021, the M2-equipped 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 is one of the fastest laptops on the block.
✅Battery life is key: The 2022 MacBook Pro set a new high-water mark for battery life when we tested it, lasting over 18 hours in our battery endurance tests. That's one of the longest-lived laptops we've ever tested.
✅You hate the notch: Most new MacBooks since the 2021 MacBook Pros have been designed with a "notch" hanging down from the top bezel which houses the webcam, but not the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022. If you hate the notch, this is the MacBook for you.
❌ You don't like the old MacBook Pro design: Apple made a lot of much-needed changes to the 2021 MacBook Pros, but didn't bring those upgrades (like a 1080p webcam and a broad variety of ports) to the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022. Instead, it looks like the MacBook Pros of old, complete with Touch Bar.
❌Webcam quality matters: The 720p webcam on the MacBook Pro 2022 is fine, but it can't match the quality of the 1080p camera built into siblings like the 2022 MacBook Air or the 2021 MacBook Pros.
❌ You like playing games: You can play games on MacBooks, but many won't run well or at all. This is partly due to poor macOS support and partly due to the MacBook Pro M2 not having the graphical chops to render demanding games.
💻 The 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 sports the look of old MacBook Pros with the brains of Apple's latest M2 chip. It might not have the new look or 1080p webcams of the Air M2 or the 2021 MacBook Pros, but the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 delivers all the power of the M2 chip in a long-lasting MacBook.
What you need to know
The Apple MacBook Pro 2022 delivers mind-blowing performance (thanks to its M2 processor) along with class-leading battery life. But the design feels behind the times.
You get the same form factor, same ports, same display and same webcam as the old 13-inch MacBook Pro. Meanwhile, the new MacBook Air 2022 offers a larger display with thinner bezels, a 1080p webcam and a thinner, lighter design.
Design: The MacBook Pro 2022 features the same unibody aluminum MacBook design that has been around for the better part of a decade. If you think it's a classic look, this is the notebook for you.
The laptop isn't unattractive, but the thick bezels and the infamous Touch Bar make this new laptop appear dated when compared to the MacBook Pro 14-inch, MacBook Pro 16-inch and MacBook Air 2022.
Display: This MacBook Pro has the same 13.3-inch Retina Display as its predecessor. It looks good in person and gets plenty bright for day-to-day work. Apple has long had a reputation for making great displays, and you'll have no problem carrying out tasks like color correction and photo editing on the Pro's Retina Display, even though it lacks the mini-LED panel of its larger and more expensive stablemates.
Performance: Apple promised better performance from the M2 chip powering the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Though the new processor isn’t powerful as the M1 Pro and M1 Max chip, it’s a huge improvement over the original M1 chip.
While this isn't the best laptop for gaming or editing video, it's more than powerful enough to get you through your day-to-day work. As things stand, this is the most powerful baseline 13-inch MacBook Pro the company has ever released.
Battery life: In our Tom’s Guide battery test the MacBook Pro 2022 lasted for 18 hours and 20 minutes. This isn’t quite the 20 hours of battery life Apple promised, but it's still extremely impressive.
In contrast, the new Pro outstrips its M1 predecessor (16:25) and the MacBook Pro 14-inch (14:08). Put simply, the MacBook Pro can last for an entire work day and beyond.
Read the full review: MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022)
| Test | Results | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 18:20 hours of tested battery life | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Speedy at productivity tasks | ★★★★☆ |
| Display | Quality display | ★★★☆☆ |
| Design | Solid, albeit staid, design | ★★★★☆ |
The best MacBook Air alternative
✅ You love 1600p resolution: The Swift 5 is a great all-rounder, but one thing that sets it apart is its unique 2,560 x 1,600 display. That's effectively the 16:10 equivalent to 1440p, and if you love the idea of a taller, higher-res display on your Windows laptop this is one of the few to deliver it.
✅ You want a MacBook Air M2 competitor for less: Acer gave the 2022 Swift 5 a smart redesign and a component upgrade that helps it rival premium ultraportables like Apple's MacBook Air or Dell's XPS 13, but the Swift 5 costs a bit less than either.
❌ You want to play a lot of games: The beautiful 1600p display makes what you do on the Swift 5 look great, but you won't be doing a lot of high-intensity gaming with just an Intel CPU and no discrete GPU.
❌ You hate bloatware: Almost every new PC comes with some software pre-installed, but Acer really takes it up a notch. You’ll find unnecessary apps like Booking.com, Simple Mahjong, Planet9 Link, Aura Privacy, ExpressVPN, Forge of Empires, and other programs that aren’t part of a vanilla Windows 11 install on a new Swift 5, which is a hassle to clear out.
💻 The Acer Swift 5, with its great 1600p display, fast SSD, a great design — and a good price — represents a very strong value compared to similarly-specced competitors. Those looking for a productivity notebook will especially appreciate its 16:10 display, which makes it easier to view documents and spreadsheets. However, it's not an ideal gaming platform, and its battery life could be better.
What you need to know
The Acer Swift 5 (2022) packs a lavish new design with golden trim plus a powerful 12th-gen Intel Core i7 chip, a gorgeous 1600p display, and a startlingly swift 1TB SSD onboard. It’s also cheaper than its notable rivals when comparably equipped.
There are a couple of caveats to consider, but the latest Acer Swift 5 is a very strong overall pick given its $1,499 price tag.
Design: The Acer Swift 5 sports a number of luxurious tweaks that convey a premium allure. Whereas earlier Swift 5 designs were fairly generic, the latest version has beautiful edges with a double-anodized gold treatment.
At 12.2 x 8.4 x 0.59 inches and a mere 2.65 pounds, it’s a hair thicker and wider than Apple’s new M2 MacBook Air model, but it’s also a smidge lighter than that 2.7-pound rival. Despite the light weight, the Acer Swift 5 has a hearty, sturdy-feeling build, thanks to its aerospace-grade aluminum chassis.
Display: The Acer Swift 5’s screen is a stunner. It’s a 14-inch panel at WQXGA resolution (2560x1600) or 1600p, which means it’s quite a bit crisper than your typical 1080p panel seen on the vast majority of laptops.
At that resolution, text and graphics look super sharp throughout. It’s a 16:10 aspect ratio, too, which means the screen is slightly taller than typical widescreen (16:9) dimensions.
Performance: The Acer Swift 5 packs plenty of speed thanks to the latest Intel Core i7 CPU. With 16GB RAM alongside, you’ll find ample power for everyday use and multitasking galore.
While the Acer Swift 5 is well equipped for productivity and creative needs, it’s not designed to handle high-end gaming. The integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics can put up solid performance with popular free-to-play games like Fortnite, Rocket League, and League of Legends, but isn’t built for visually rich AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077.
Battery life: A laptop this powerful needs a serious battery to match, but the Acer Swift 5 left us wanting. On our battery rundown test the Swift 5 lasted for about 11:25, which is good but not great.
However, that's under controlled testing conditions—during everyday usage with the screen at max brightness, the Acer Swift 5 barely lasted five full hours. That’s with pretty modest demands too—little more than browsing the web, typing up documents, and streaming YouTube or Spotify.
Read the full review: Acer Swift 5 (2022)
| Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 11:25 tested battery life | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Speedy but not great for gaming | ★★★★☆ |
| Display | Tall, beautiful screen | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Elegant, striking design with plenty of ports | ★★★★☆ |
The best 2-in-1 laptop
✅ You love (AM)OLED displays: OLED displays deliver remarkably bright brights, inky blacks and striking contrasts. The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360's 15.6-inch AMOLED screen does all that with aplomb, and it's a joy to tap and draw on as well.
✅ You're already enmeshed in Samsung's ecosystem: The Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is a great laptop, and it gets even better if you already own other Samsung Galaxy devices because Samsung designs them to work well together. Look forward to easier pairing, sharing files between devices, and more with your Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
✅ You like a free stylus: If you're in the market for a touchscreen laptop that's good to doodle on, you know most don't come with an S Pen stylus included so you have to pay extra. Not so with the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360, which ships with a totally usable stylus included at no extra charge.
❌ You hate Samsung bloatware: The Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 comes with a ton of Samsung software pre-installed, and its all bloatware if you don't own any other Samsung devices.
❌ You love playing games: The AMOLED display makes movies and games look great, but you won't be able to play most graphically-demanding games thanks to the lack of a discrete GPU.
💻 The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy, delivering solid performance, a gorgeous display and a comfy keyboard for not a ton of money. The fact that it comes with a free S Pen stylus included makes this an ideal laptop to give someone who's likely to take a lot of notes or do a lot of digital artwork.
What you need to know
The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 (starting at $1,299) is an ultra-thin 2-in-1 laptop that's tailor-made for people who are always on the go. Like last year's Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360, this iteration features a gorgeous AMOLED screen that's perfect for media consumption. It's also ideal for work thanks to its speedy performance.
Though a Windows 11 laptop at its core, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 comes loaded with a slew of Samsung software. This could be good or bad, depending on how invested you are in the Samsung ecosystem. If you are, then you'll find that this 2-in-1 pairs nicely with your Samsung tablets and phones. Otherwise, all of these applications are effectively bloatware.
Design: At 13.97 x 8.98 x 0.47 inches, the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is one of the thinnest laptops we’ve ever reviewed. Though a tad heavy at 3.11 pounds, it’s still light enough to carry with you wherever you go, and the hinged display is easy to move. Like its predecessor, this 2-in-1 has a pair of USB-C ports and a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port. It also offers a microSD card reader and a headphone jack.
Display: The Galaxy Book2 Pro 360’s 15.6-inch display is perfect for both work and watching content. Tent mode is great for watching shows, and the more traditional clamshell layout is great for getting things done. But no matter how you situate the laptop, you’re going to have an ideal viewing experience.
Performance: The Galaxy Book2 Pro is thin in design but not in performance. Thanks to its Core i7 processor and 16 GB of RAM, the laptop is powerful enough for your everyday computing needs – whether that’s work, content consumption or both. While a solid work laptop, the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 comes up short in the gaming department and can't play many demanding games. As such, you’re better off playing such games on streaming services like GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass.
Battery life: The Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 lasted for 11 hours and 59 minutes on the Tom’s Guide battery life test, which is good but less than the previous iteration’s impressive 13 and a half hours of tested battery life.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360
| Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 11:59 tested battery life | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Good enough for day-to-day work | ★★★☆☆ |
| Display | Beautiful AMOLED display | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Slim, good-looking foldable | ★★★★☆ |
The best MacBook Pro alternative
✅ You want a laptop that does it all: From getting work done to gaming to watching videos, the Galaxy Book3 Ultra is great for all of it. It's a potent blend of beauty and power with good battery life and an affordable price tag.
✅ You love gaming on OLED: OLED displays deliver remarkably bright brights, inky blacks and striking contrasts. The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra's 3K 120Hz AMOLED screen looks great, and its beefy internals ensure games look great on it.
✅ You're already enmeshed in Samsung's ecosystem: The Galaxy Book3 Ultra is great at gaming and getting work done, especially if you own other Samsung Galaxy devices. That's because Samsung Galaxy designs them to work well together, so you have an easier time sharing files between devices and generally making better use of them in concert.
❌ You hate Samsung bloatware: The Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 comes with a ton of Samsung software pre-installed, and its all bloatware if you don't own any other Samsung devices.
❌ You love customizability: This is a great all-around laptop but it only comes in a very limited number of configs, so you don't get much variety in terms of RAM, storage, etc.
💻 The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra is one of the best Windows laptops you can buy, delivering great performance, a gorgeous display and a comfy keyboard for not too much money, especially when you consider it packs a discrete Nvidia 40-series laptop GPU.
What you need to know
The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra (starting at $2,199) isn’t just the first Samsung laptop with Ultra branding. It’s the company’s direct answer to the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023). With a 16-inch OLED display, an Intel 13th Gen Core CPU and an Nvidia RTX 40-series GPU, Samsung’s laptop seems to have what it takes to challenge Apple’s powerful premium notebook.
Comparisons aside, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra has a lot to offer. Its powerful specs make it suitable for video editing and for playing the best PC games. In fact, this is one of the best gaming laptops we’ve tested. Toss in interoperability with Samsung phones and tablets, and this could be a brilliant laptop for folks invested in the Samsung ecosystem.
Design: The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is a sleek and elegant laptop that’s well-suited for work and play. At 13.9 x 9.8 x 0.6 inches and weighing 3.9 pounds, this machined aluminum notebook is easy to hold and carry around. Not only is it a bit thinner than the MacBook Pro 16-inch 2023, but it’s almost a pound lighter.
Display: The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra's gorgeous 120Hz AMOLED display makes everything you do on it look better. It really impressed when gaming, with the likes of Cyberpunk 2077's Night City looking incredible thanks to the vibrant neon colors and lights of the game popping on the Book 3 Ultra's OLED screen. Once you've experienced a high-quality OLED display on a laptop, you'll be hard pressed to go back to all but the finest LCD laptop screens.
Performance: The Book3 Ultra is uniquely well-suited to both work and play thanks to its speedy CPU and discrete GeForce RTX 40-series laptop GPU, which give it enough power to double as a decent gaming laptop. The 16GB of included RAM make it feel plenty snappy for a productivity notebook.
Battery life: The Galaxy Book3 Ultra lasted for a smidge over 10 hours in our battery test, which is great for a gaming laptop but pretty unremarkable when compared to the other laptops on this list. It will probably get you through a work day, especially if you don't tax it too hard, but you might want to carry a charger just in case.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra
| Test | Notes | How it stacks up |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 10:01 tested battery life | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Great at gaming and work | ★★★★☆ |
| Display | Beautiful AMOLED display | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Slim, beautiful chassis | ★★★★☆ |
Battery benchmarks: comparison
| Laptop | Battery life (tested) |
| Dell XPS 13 OLED | 7:59 |
| Asus Zenbook 13 OLED | 15:00 |
| MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022) review | 18:20 |
| M1 MacBook Air | 14:41 |
| MacBook Pro 2021 (14-inch) | 14:09 |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio | 10:30 |
| Framework Laptop | 10:17 |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra | 10:01 |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 | 10:46 |
| Acer Swift 3 | 11:09 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 8 | 9:06 |
| Dell XPS 15 OLED | 6:58 |
| MacBook Pro 2021 (16-inch) | 15:31 |
| Lenovo Yoga 9i | 11:15 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano | 12:00 |
| Alienware m15 R4 | 4:01 |
| HP Elite Dragonfly | 12:25 |
| Asus Zenbook Duo 14 | 10:37 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet | 12:47 |
| Google Pixelbook Go | 11:29 |
| Acer Chromebook Spin 713 | 11:54 |
How to choose the best laptop for you
What kind of power do you need? If you only need something basic for surfing the web, consider a Chromebook or a cheap Windows laptop with an Intel Core i3 processor and 4GB of RAM. If you plan on getting more intensive work done, consider starting specs such as a Core i5 CPU, 8 to 16GB of RAM and a 256GB to 512GB SSD.
What kind of games do you want to play? Most mainstream laptops feature integrated graphics, which can handle lightweight titles such as Minecraft and Fortnite but aren't ideal for graphically-demanding games or heavy visual work. For that, you'll want a laptop with a discrete graphics card, such as an Nvidia GTX 3000-series on the higher end.
How big of a laptop do you want? Consider how mobile you want your laptop to be. Machines such as the Dell XPS 13 and HP Elite Dragonfly are feather light with slim designs, but their 13-inch screens are on the small side. You can get a larger 15-inch display on a premium ultraportable like the XPS 15 and still not have to worry about weight too much, but once you start getting up into the realm of 17-inch screens, expect your laptop to weigh at least a few pounds. Gaming laptops such as the Alienware m15 R4 have more heft to them, than thin-and-light ultraportables, but offer big power in exchange.
Do you want Chrome, macOS, or Windows? mainstream PCs), macOS (MacBooks) and Chrome OS (Chromebooks). Windows is the most common operating system, while macOS is more ideal for folks already tied into Apple's ecosystem. Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system built to allow for cheap, fast systems, though it has gotten a bit more robust over the years with support for full Android apps.
Whichever system you decide on, you may also want to consider investing in the best mouse and best keyboard for your needs so you can have some more ergonomic options for working on your new laptop.
How we tested these laptops
How we test the best laptops
Why you can trust Tom's Guide? Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
To find the best laptop, we run every machine through a rigorous suite of benchmarks and real-world tests to gauge how it will perform during everyday use.
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 5 (CPU performance), as well as various 3DMark tests to measure graphics capabilities. 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.
When testing dedicated gaming laptops, we run benchmarks for popular games such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2. For more information on our testing process, check out our guide to how we test.
