Apple's most compact laptop, the MacBook Air M2, weighing just 2.7 pounds, is arguably the best laptop for the majority of users. This laptop boasts a sleek new design, measuring a mere 0.4 inches in thickness while delivering impressive performance thanks to Apple's M2 chip. In fact, this chip outperforms most Windows laptops in our benchmark tests.

Beyond its slim profile and powerful chip, the MacBook Air M2 boasts additional features that make it a great choice for users. The laptop sports a vibrant 13.6-inch display, a comfortable keyboard, and impressive battery life that can last over 14 hours based on our tests. Although the M2 chip may not produce the same numbers as its more robust counterparts, the M2 Pro and M2 Max, it still surpasses its predecessor and outperforms other laptops in its class. For instance, the Air M2 excels in the Geekbench 5.4 test, Handbrake video transcoding, and BlackMagic Read/Write tests. This makes it a powerful choice, especially considering its relatively affordable price point, at least when compared to other MacBook models.

In addition, the MacBook Air M2 comes with a 1080p webcam, enhancing the laptop's appeal. The only downsides are the limited number of Thunderbolt/USB-C ports and a somewhat slower SSD than expected. Overall, if you're in the market for a lightweight laptop with a lot of power, the MacBook Air M2 is an excellent choice and should be at the top of your list.

Acer consistently delivers laptops that deliver a great combination of performance and value. Case in point, the Acer Swift 5. It’s easy on the eyes with our reviewer proclaiming the Mist Green aerospace-grade aluminum system as “the most attractive notebook I’ve seen this year.” But the Swift 5 is about more than good looks.

Powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with integrated Intel graphics, the Swift 5 held its own against its competitors during our overall performance and file transfer tests. And it easily sailed past our category average. The Swift 5 had its best showing on the Geekbench 5.4 test where it scored an impressive 9,859. We were also surprised at how well the notebook’s integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics performed, notching 26 frames per second on the Sid Meier's Civilization VI benchmark. While it didn’t make our longest lasting laptop page, the Swift 5 still offers more than 11 hours of battery life. Other reasons to buy include a healthy smattering of ports and a bright, vivid 14-inch display. 

But it’s not a perfect system, however, as the laptop has an inordinate amount of bloatware. The speakers also could have been better. However, these are minor issues for an otherwise outstanding Windows 11 laptop.

If you're in the market for a large and powerful laptop, the HP Envy 16 has got you covered. Our reviewer even called it a "versatile dream machine." With an Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, this laptop can handle both work and play. The Envy 16 performed exceptionally well on the Handbrake video transcoding test and kept up with the competition during the File Transfer test.

When it comes to gaming, the Envy 16's discrete RTX 3060 GPU can handle most games, although not at the highest settings. While it didn't come out on top in most of our gaming benchmarks, it consistently exceeded our 30 frames-per-second playability threshold.

And let's not forget about the stunning 4K display and above-average speakers, perfect for gaming or watching movies. Just make sure to keep the Envy 16 plugged in while gaming as the battery life only lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. However, during regular tasks, the laptop lasted an impressive 9 hours and 28 minutes. A true jack of all trades and master of some, the HP Envy 16 is definitely worth considering.

The latest additions to Apple's M2 series of chips have arrived, and those who initially doubted the M2 chip are now eating their words. The MacBook Pro 14, which I reviewed, was equipped with Apple's M2 Pro processor, 32GB of unified memory, a 2TB SSD, and an Apple M2 GPU, and it lived up to expectations. The laptop consistently outperformed its competitors in overall performance, with a Geekbench 5.4 score of 14,965, surpassing the premium laptop average.

The speedy SSD produced a BlackMagic Read/Write score of 5,293.3/6,168.4MBps, surpassing the category average and challenging notebooks. While the gaming test was a close call, the good news is that you can actually play games on this laptop, as I discovered when testing optimized versions of Resident Evil Village and No Man's Sky.

As impressive as the M2 Pro chip is, I must also commend the stunning 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, which boasts vivid colors and crisp details. Additionally, the six-speaker setup delivers excellent sound quality with spatial audio capabilities. Furthermore, the comfortable Magic keyboard is nestled within the iconic silver aluminum chassis, making the laptop a common sight in coffee shops and offices. Whether you're working, watching videos, or gaming, the MacBook Pro 14 can last for an impressive 14 hours, making it one of the best laptops for Mac users.

If you're considering purchasing a Chromebook, the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook is an excellent choice. According to our tests, it provides over 13 hours of battery life, a stunning OLED display, and Qualcomm's faster Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor, which is a significant improvement over its predecessor.

In my opinion, the price may be a little high for a Chromebook, but it is still an exceptional value for less than $500. Unlike some detachable laptops, the Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook includes the keyboard cover with the system, which is a great added feature. However, it's frustrating that the stylus is not included.

In everyday usage, the Duet 5 Chromebook performs efficiently, which is crucial in any laptop. That's why it's currently our top-rated Chromebook.

The HP Spectre x360 13.5-inch is a versatile 2-in-1 laptop that has earned a spot on our best laptops page due to its exceptional performance, remarkable OLED display, and long battery life. The design is impressive with its aluminum Nightfall black chassis featuring pale brass contrasting accents and diagonal cut corners that provide functionality by housing a headset jack and Thunderbolt 4 jack.

The laptop's Intel Core i7-1255U CPU kept all challengers at bay, except for the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which is extremely polarizing. If not for that notebook, the Spectre x360 would have been unbeatable. The convertible lasted for over 10 hours on a single charge, giving users ample time to enjoy the stunning 13.5-inch, 3000 x 2000-pixel OLED display, which our reviewer described as "vivid, bright, colorful, and crisper than deep-fried rolled tacos".

In terms of security, the laptop offers several features, including the ability to blur the screen as soon as it detects someone behind you. However, the absence of a discrete GPU option and the high price point may be drawbacks for some users. Nonetheless, if you desire premium features, you must pay a premium price.

Sometimes, a minor adjustment in logistics and component upgrades can lead to a laptop with excellent battery life and impressive performance power. The Microsoft Surface 4 is a prime example of this. Our review covered both the Intel and AMD models, but we were more impressed with the AMD version due to its sleek design, stunning 15-inch, 2256 x 1540-pixel display, and swappable SSD which is carried over from the previous generation.

What sets it apart, though, is its AMD Ryzen 7 4980U processor with integrated graphics that our reviewer described as an "Intel killer." The laptop excelled in both the Geekbench overall performance test and our video transcoding test. Moreover, it lasted a solid 12 hours and 14 minutes on our battery test, making it ideal for long workdays and beyond.

Despite these strengths, there are a few downsides. The thick bezels and limited port selection are notable drawbacks. The biggest issue is the lack of a dedicated GPU option, which would have taken the Surface 4 to the next level.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360, one of the first laptops to feature Intel's 13th Gen processors, impressed us with its performance and versatility. The laptop is equipped with an Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, which has 12 cores and operates at 28W of power. Although it's not as powerful as Intel's H-series chips, the Pro 360 managed to keep up with its competitors, even giving the MacBook Air M2 a run for its money. Additionally, the Pro 360 demonstrated exceptional gaming performance, achieving 60 fps on F1 Manager 22, which is double our playability threshold of 30 fps.

Apart from performance, the Pro 360 is also highly versatile, thanks to its robust 360-degree hinges that allow it to transition seamlessly between a traditional clamshell and a 16-inch tablet with several modes in between. It comes with an S Pen, which you can magnetically attach to the laptop's handsome aluminum chassis, but unfortunately, there is no silo to store it in. The laptop's 16-inch, 3K AMOLED display is stunning, but we were disappointed to learn that it wasn't as bright as last year's model. The laptop also has a lower battery life than its predecessor.

Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 is our top pick for the best 2-in-1 laptop, thanks to its impressive performance, versatility, and sleek design.