Best laptop 2024: 10 best laptops tested and rated

 Best laptop 2024: 10 best laptops tested and rated

The best laptop for you, based on our extensive testing

Are you trying to decide which laptop will be the best in 2024? You have reached the right place. To choose the finest of the best, Laptop Mag examines over a hundred computers annually. Despite the occasional dud, we are looking for laptop gold and trying to find exceptional computers. We've done the groundwork for you to locate an inexpensive Chrome book, a potent gaming laptop, a versatile 2-in-1, or an amazing content production laptop with our thorough testing and evaluations. Not just my own preferences, but also rating, price, and use case all play a role in the laptops I suggest. The Laptop Mag testing team puts every laptop through rigorous testing to determine its overall performance, display brightness, keyboard comfort, and other features before distributing it to our reviewers. This page is updated continuously with the Laptop Mag staff's current top laptop picks based on our most recent reviews. To find out more about our top laptops, keep reading

1. Macbook Air M3

The best laptop for most people

SPECIFICATIONS :

CPU: Apple M3

GPU: Apple M3 GPU

RAM: 16 GB

Storage: 1TB SSD

Display: 13-inch, 1664p

Size: 12 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches

Weight: 2.7 pounds

Price: 13-inch (M2 chip)From $999 ; 13‑inch (M3 chip)From $1099 ; 15‑inch (M3 chip)From $1299.

REASONS TO BUY

+ Outstanding battery life

+ Strong performance

+ Bright Liquid Retina display

+ Comfortable keyboard

+ Improved SSD speeds

REASONS TO AVOID

• Limited ports
• Display not as colorful as competitors

Apple's smallest laptop weighs under 2.7 pounds and incorporates the M3 CPU, which provides a power and efficiency improvement over its predecessor. This makes it my choice for the best laptop for the majority of people.

The MacBook Air's 13.6-inch display is one of the brightest on the market, and True Tone provides superb color accuracy, but its brightness falls below some of the OLED rivals. Rumors that Apple will switch to OLED in the future abound, but not inexpensive. The MacBook Air M3, like the M2 Air, is one of the thinnest computers, measuring only 0.4 inches. However, unlike many ultraportable laptops, it can handle a significant workload owing to the M3 CPU. Whether it was our benchmarks or real-world usage, the Air M3 proved up to the challenge.

Looking at the results, the MacBook Air M3 scored 12,087 on Geek bench 6.2, which is much higher than the category average. Our Handbrake video conversion test took 7 minutes and 54 seconds to convert a 4K movie to 1080p.Again, this above the average, although it's worth noting that some of its Intel Core Ultra-powered competitors outperform the MacBook here. Apple also addressed the somewhat poorer SSD read/write speed of the Air M2, which improved from 2,800.1/2,210.6MBps to 3,030.7/3,058.8MBps with the M3.

All of that performance does not deplete the battery's capacity. Don't be concerned if finding an outlet during the day is difficult. Our lab tested the Air M3's battery life for more over 15 hours.

If that isn't enough, you also get a 1080p webcam and Apple's newest software wizardry to help the hardware reach new heights. So what are the disadvantages? If you have a lot of accessories, the Thunderbolt/USB-C ports may be a challenge, however Mag Safe 3 keeps both ports clear while charging. Starting from $1,099, the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 is not inexpensive, yet it still a good bargain. You may wish to invest the extra $200 for 16GB of RAM, but multitaskers will welcome the increased performance headroom.

If you want to save money, the 13-inch MacBook Air M2 remains at a new $999 beginning price, and I expect it to be frequently lowered to $899 or less, so check out the best MacBook offers before purchasing one.

Do you need extra screen real estate? Look no farther than the 15-inch MacBook Air M3. It has all of the advantages of its smaller sister but boasts a bigger 15.3-inch display.

2. Acer Swift Go 14

The best budget laptop

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU : Intel Core Ultra 7 155H

GPU : Intel integrated Arc GPU

RAM : 16GB

Storage : 1TB SSD

Display : 14-inch, 1920 x 1200

Size : 12.32 x 8.6 x 0.68

Weight : 2.9 pounds

Price : US$ 599.99

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Intel Core Ultra CPU/ARC GPU

+ NPU improves performance

+ Stylish, sturdy, all-aluminum build

+ Excellent Webcam

+ Improved Battery life

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Weak speaker performance
• Base display could be more colorful

The Swift Go 14 from Acer is without a doubt the best budget laptop. The Go 14 is not the cheapest laptop, but its value is incredible, starting at $749. We looked at the $999 configuration, which was slightly upgraded. The main trade-off is switching from an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H to a Core Ultra 5 125H. If you limit your computing to productivity work, browsing, and other general tasks, the performance difference will be negligible.

The Go 14 weighs just 2.9 pounds, and the design stays the same at both prices. The metallic, all-aluminum chassis feels and looks much more expensive than its price suggests, and it emits a faint sparkle. The contrast black chiclet-style backlit keyboard feels and looks great when opened. Acer's portable laptop features a Kensington lock slot, two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, and two Thunderbolt 4 connections.

With 79.1% of the DCI-P3 color gamut (85.2% is normal), the display is slightly below the mainstream average for color, but it is brighter than the category average at 374 nits. These are solid outcomes once more when the cost is taken into account. If you value a sharper image, you could also opt for the 2.8K display configuration. Everything we've come to expect from the most recent Intel Core Ultra was delivered by our review model in terms of performance.

Our overall performance score on Geekbench 6.2 was 12,434, surpassing that of more expensive options like the MacBook Air M3 (12,087). It also blew away the competition in our Handbrake video encoding test, finishing 5 minutes and 18 seconds faster than the average for the category (9:07), beating the MacBook Air M3 once more (7:54). What are the disadvantages then?

In our testing, the battery life was 9 hours and 50 minutes, which is not bad. However, it is well below the best options, such as the MacBook Air M3 (15:21) and the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (15:52). This could have an impact on your decision if you frequently travel or have other problems connecting to the internet. Due to the subpar quality of the built-in speakers as well, wireless headphones or earbuds are recommended. However, these are minor issues for the majority of users, so the Acer Swift Go 14 is the best laptop for the money.

3. Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425)

The best laptop for students

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H

GPU: Intel Arc Graphics

RAM: 16GB RAM

Storage: 1TB SSD

Display: 14-inch, 1080p

Size: 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 3 pounds

Price : US$ 1,050

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Almost 16 hours of battery life!

+ Snappy performance

+ Quality audio

+ Smooth, comfortable keyboard

+ Secure webcam privacy shutter

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Display could be brighter
• Runs a little hot

Since Asus has been having success with the Zenbook 14 OLED line for a few years, it should come as no surprise that the Zenbook early 2024 makes yet another significant advancement.This is in large part due to the Zenbook 14 OLED's new Intel Core Ultra chipset, which puts it on par with other laptops for productivity and light content creation. Additionally, with a battery life of 15 hours and 52 minutes, it absolutely blew away our test.

In recent memory, no conventional Windows laptop has lasted that long. In terms of performance, it beat the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 by 12,707 points in multi-core Geekbench 6.2. 12,087). It also won against the lauded MacBook in other ways.

In our Handbrake 1.6 test, the Zenbook also outperformed the Air M3 by converting a 4K video to 1080p in 6:36, more than a minute faster than the Air M3's 7:54. The OLED display looks great in person, but the benchmarking put it in the middle of the pack when it comes to the DCI-P3 color gamut with 79.8%. This is lower than the typical average of 85.28% and just slightly higher than the MacBook Air M3 (77.8%). With a Delta-E of 0.21, it has excellent color accuracy, which is useful for content creators.

At 339 nits, the display brightness is not as good as that of its rivals. While this is not a bad result, it is something that we would like to see Asus address for the next model. The Zenbook is 3 pounds, which isn't exactly ultralight, but it won't be too heavy to carry from class to class or to work.

Overall, the performance and battery life of the Zenbook 14 OLED go above and beyond what we would expect from a student laptop. This laptop should be able to withstand four years of college or two years of high school for a high school student planning to go to college.

4. LG Gram SuperSlim (2024)

Best ultraportable laptop

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Intel Core i7-1360p

GPU: Intel Iris Xe

RAM: 32GB

Storage: 512TB SSD

Display: 15.6-inch, 1080p OLED

Size: 11.6 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches

Weight: 2.18 pounds

Price :  US$ 1,929.00

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Great battery life

+ Unbelievably thin and light

+ Crisp, rich display

+ Competition-beating performance

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Shallow keyboard

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With its 15.6-inch display, 0.49-inch thickness, and unbelievable 2.18-pound weight, the LG Gram SuperSlim puts every other so-called ultrabook to shame. When you pick this up, the fact that there is a real, working laptop inside is mind-boggling. Even more remarkable, the Intel Core i7-1360p processor, 32GB of RAM, 512GB of RAM, and an Intel Iris Xe GPU give you enough oomph to outperform the competition, making it not a weak laptop that can only generate documents and browse the internet.

In addition to having a 15.6-inch OLED display, it is lighter than many 13- to 14-inch ultrabooks. In our tests, the Gram SuperSlim outperformed even the mainstream premium laptop average and the M2 MacBook Air with a Geekbench 5 score! The SSD is a real pro either, conveying a document move pace of 1,692.4MBps, well over the exceptional normal of 1,362.7MBps.

Powerful, light, and thin? It's likely that you're waiting to hear that it only has a short battery life. Try again! According to our battery test, the Gram SuperSlim lasted 11 hours and 38 minutes, indicating that LG also crammed a large battery into the small size. What is the drawback, then?

The keyboard's extra depth, which our reviewer found to be a little too shallow for their liking, is the one magic trick that LG is unable to pull off. It's not a deal breaker, but it's something to think about if you use the Gram SuperSlim to write thousands of words per day.

The LG Gram SuperSlim received 4.5 stars and an Editor's Choice award due to the fact that the keyboard's shallowness is a minor drawback in comparison to the rest of the features it offers. You don't need to look any further for an ultraportable ultrabook.

5. Dell XPS 15 (9350)

The best high-performance laptop

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700H

GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070

RAM: 32GB

Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 15.6-inch, 2160

Size: 13.6 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 4.2 pounds

Price :  US$ 1559.00

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Slick, elegant design

+ Great overall and gaming performance

+ Vivid, OLED display

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Mushy keyboard
• Below-average battery life

If I didn't include the Dell XPS 15, I would be remiss. I would portray this PC as a monster of a PC for inventive experts. It can also be a capable gaming rig and a powerful productivity machine. It has powerful speakers and a stunning 3.5K OLED touchscreen that scream multimedia machine. .With 32GB of RAM and a 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-13700H CPU, the XPS 15 (9350) outperforms the bulk of its competitors.

It got 12,171 in the Geekbench 6 test, above the premium laptop average of 7,803 points. It's a good result, but only the M3 Max MacBook Pro 16, which got 20,863, really stands out. If pricing is important to you, the MacBook costs $1,200 more than our Dell XPS 15. The XPS 15 finished a 4K to 1080p video transcoding in 5 minutes and 1 second, much ahead of the 8:18 average for its category and competitors such as the Vivobook Pro 16 (5:50) and Galaxy Book

However, at 2:36, the M3 Max MacBook comes out on top once more. The XPS 15 lasted 8 hours and 58 minutes during the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which is significantly less than the absurd 18:05 time of the MacBook Pro. The XPS 15 has a mushy keyboard and a battery life that is below average.

When contrasted with the battery life, the latter is a minor issue. Nonetheless, with the laptop's substantial juice, keeping it close to an outlet should be OK. The Dell XPS 15 is a great laptop for everyone because it has something for everyone. If macOS, the cost, or the absence of gaming similarity don't put you off examining the MacBook Genius 16 M3 Max as an elite execution PC, it merits investigating.

6. Asus ROG Strix Scar 18

The best gaming laptop

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900HX

GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090

RAM: 32GB

Storage: dual 1TB SSD in RAID 0

Display: 18-inch, 2560 x 1600

Size: 15.7 x 11.6 x 0.9~1.2 inches

Weight: 6.8 pounds

Price :  US$ 2999.00

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Impressive overall and gaming performance

+ Flashy, futuristic design

+ Captivating display

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Over $4,000 for top configurations.
• Webcam could be better
• Below-average battery life

Look no further than the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 when it's time to really game, like obliterate everything in the level with wild abandon. The best option for satiny delivery, which can mean the difference between having a kill chance and not, is this massive device with an 18-inch display that has a refresh rate of 240 Hz. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU with 16GB of VRAM and the thirteenth Era Intel Center i9-13900HX, then again, will the most harm.

The two chips are unquestionably overclockable, so you can get the greatest power out of them And keeping in mind that we're here, I can't disregard the sets of 1TB SSDs in Strike 0 setup. This misleading set of three annihilated basically every benchmark we tossed at it on both the in general and gaming execution.

The Strix Scar 18 had some issues with the battery life and the file transfer test. However, for a laptop with this much power, 4.5 hours is still pretty good. Aside from that, the only thing I don't like about this system is the 720p webcam. I can use an external webcam for $4,000, but I expect 1080p—even 4K. In any case, in general this is the gaming PC to beat.

7. HP Spectre x360 14 2024

The best 2-in-1 laptop

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H

GPU: Intel Arc Graphics

RAM: 32GB

Storage: 2TB SSD

Display: 14-inch, 2880 x 1880, OLED

Size : 12.4 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 3.2 pounds

Price :  US$ 1858.00

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Beautiful 2.8K OLED display

+ Stellar 2-in-1 performance

+ Over 11 hours of battery life

+ Bouncy keyboard

+ 4K webcam

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Display benchmarks could be better
• Limited ports

The new Intel Center Ultra rendition of the HP Phantom x360 14 takes all that we've cherished about this PC line as of late and turns it up an indent. A stunning 2.8K OLED touchscreen display complements the useful 2-in-1 design for content creation or viewing.

The PC tips the scales at 3.2 pounds, quite light for a 14-inch 2-in-1, however because of that power-tasting computer processor from Intel it actually squashed our battery duration test with more than 11 hours on a solitary charge! We've never seen anything like that from a 2-in-1 before. Regardless of it's economical battery use, the Intel Center Ultra and Bend GPU blew our commentator away, setting up better Geekbench and 3D Imprint results than numerous heavier clamshell workstations.

Why then is it imperfect? While the presentation is splendid and beautiful, we've seen better benchmarks from contenders. The HP Spectre x360 14 notebook received our coveted Editor's Choice award because the rest of the package makes it impossible to challenge its status as the best 2-in-1 available.

8. Acer Chromebook Spin 714

The best Chromebook

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Intel Core i5-1335U

GPU: Intel Iris Xe

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 256GB SSD

Display: 14-inch,1600

Size : 12.3 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 3.2 pounds

Price :  US$ 699.00

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Almost 13 hours of battery life

+ Stylish chassis

+ Good performance

+ 1440p webcam

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Quiet speakers

This under-$500 device has a lot going for it, including a battery life of nearly 13 hours. Additionally, our reviewer claims that it is the most attractive Chromebook they have ever seen. That is very high praise considering that less expensive laptops typically have the appearance of plain gray or black slabs.

However, let's move on from the Spin 714's dark gray exterior with its gold accents for a moment and examine what's underneath the chassis. Don't expect the system to run AutoCAD or do a lot of data crunching with its Intel Core i5-1335U CPU. However, it can do productivity tasks, work on the web, and stream as much video as you want. It scored 6,335 points higher than the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, which costs $300 more, on the Geekbench 6 test. 4,263.

The JetStream 2.0 benchmark, which measures how quickly large web pages load, saw the opposite happen. The Chromebook Spin 714 scored 250.2, which is higher than the average Chromebook score of 240 but lower than the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook score of 256.7.

The Twist 714 likewise scored a success on our battery test going on for 12 hours and 43 minutes, overshadowing the Dragonfly's season of 9:17. From a cost to-battery duration viewpoint, that is the best outcome we've at any point seen.

However long you needn't bother with any Windows or macOS programming, the Acer Chromebook Twist 714 is a remarkable and reasonable choice.

 

9. Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3 Pro, 2024)

The best MacBook Pro

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Apple M3

GPU: Apple M3 GPU

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 512GB

Display: 14.2-inches, 1964

Size: 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 3.4 pounds

Price :  US$ 1599.00

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Excellent overall performance

+ Solid gaming performance

+ Incredible endurance

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Off-putting notch
• Still no Face ID

The M3 debut delivers even better performance than the previous two generations of Apple's silicon as its third series of chips. Furthermore, they're likewise dominating the vast majority of the Windows computers available by a fair edge. In addition, it's $400 less expensive than M2 ancestor. For students, mobile professionals, creatives, and basically anyone else who considers themselves to be a MacBook fan, it is a total win.

On Geekbench 6, I observed that the MacBook Pro 14 scored 11,870, surpassing the XPS 13's 10,525 score. This is on the grounds that the MacBook Master 14 has central processor execution that is 20% quicker than the M1 chip. However, it would not be able to rival the Acer Swift X 14 (12,118). However, in the Handbrake video transcoding test, the MacBook outperformed the 7:51 average time to convert a 4K video to 1080p in 5 minutes and 38 seconds. Additionally, it destroyed the Swift X (7:46) and XPS 13 (8:14).

Despite the fact that Apple has been singing the gestures of recognition of its new processors, the greater news lies with the GPUs. Dynamic Caching, a brand-new technology that includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading—an Apple first—is featured on each graphics chip in the M3 series, which has a GPU that is significantly larger than in previous generations. On Sid Meier's Civilization VI benchmark, the MacBook Pro achieved 51 frames per second at 1200 pixels, beating the XPS 13 Plus's 23 frames per second (Intel Iris Xe graphics). It was barely shy of the 53-fps premium PC normal nonetheless, and the Quick X 14's discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU indented 92 fps (2.8K).

The MacBook Pro 14 still has a stunning display, excellent audio performance, and an extremely comfortable Magic Keyboard, despite having mixed performance in some areas. Additionally, the MacBook Pro can work or play for nearly the entire day thanks to its 17-hour battery life.

10. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11

The best business laptop

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Intel Core i7-1355U

GPU: Intel Iris Xe

RAM: 16GB

Storage: 512GB

Display: 14-inch, 1200

Size: 12.4 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 2.5 pounds

Price :  US$ 1391.42

REASONS TO BUY:

+ Shocklingly lightweight

+ Fast SSD

+ Great battery life

REASONS TO AVOID:

• Middling performance

Lenovo's X1 Carbon series is a lasting pillar on our best PC page for good explanation. In spite of the new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, we're continuing to recommend that most corporate customers use this Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11.Battery duration is a major variable here. In our battery test, the X1 Carbon lasted a whopping 13 hours and 45 minutes, 4 hours and 18 minutes longer than the Gen 12. With its Intel Core Ultra CPU and Intel Arc GPU, the Gen 12 offers superior performance, which may not matter to you if you rarely leave an outlet. In any case, on balance we view the Gen 11 as the better execution to-productivity bet for most business clients.

Going to the plan, our best business PC is office-prepared with its attractive matte dark delicate touch surfaces. Gauging a sparse 2.6 pounds with a thickness of just 0.6 inches, the X1 Carbon is drive prepared. Besides, it's MIL-SPEC tried so it can endure being jarred around or even dropped a couple of times.

Versatile experts need an additional proportion of safety, the PC has a unique finger impression peruser and a TPM 2.0 chip to encode delicate information. Sadly, the IR camera that is compatible with Windows Hello is not standard, but it is available in many configurations.The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has plenty of ports to create a complete workstation when it's time to get to work. The 14-inch display isn't as bright as we'd like it to be, but it's bright enough to be important if you travel for work. In the meantime, the audio is loud and clear, and the well-known keyboard is as comfortable as we have come to expect. In any case, the touchpad is more modest than we would like, yet dread not Trackpoint fans the little red eraser is available for those that favor it to the touchpad.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 is an undeniable powerhouse for business laptops, despite a few minor drawbacks like the 720p webcam, which is inadequate for remote work environments. However, overall, we still consider it to be the best business laptop on the market.

Shahid