The best laptop 2024

Looking for the best laptops you can buy in 2024? Then we're here to help, as on this page you'll find a wide variety of laptops, MacBooks, Chromebooks and more that are ideal purchases for a wide range of needs and budgets - and every single one has been tested by our laptop experts here at TechRadar.As well as using the laptops as our day-to-day devices, we also put them through a wide range of benchmark tests, and only the very best performing laptops make it onto this page. You can read more on how we test laptops, which lists all the ways we put laptops through their paces during our reviews.Since joining TechRadar in 2014 I've reviewed hundreds of laptops, and for the past few years this buying guide has been dominated by MacBooks. However, I'm excited to say that for the first time ever, the best laptop of 2024 is a device from Apple's arch nemesis Microsoft. That's right, the best laptop you can buy today is the brilliant Surface Laptop 7, a truly brilliant all-rounder with a gorgeous design and all-day battery life. This could be the start of a renaissance for Windows 11 laptops. However, if you don't fancy a Windows laptop, I've included a huge range of other options, including MacBooks, budget Chromebooks, powerful gaming laptops and everything in between. With a new generation of artificial intelligence-enabled laptops hitting the market (including the Surface Laptop 7), there has never been a more exciting time to buy, so read on for our top picks.

THE BEST LAPTOP OVERALL

1. Microsoft Surface Laptop

Microsoft's refreshed Surface Laptop is the best laptop you can buy in 2024

SPECIFICATIONS - Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X EliteScreen size: 14-inch / 15-inchRAM: Up to 64GBStorage: Up to 1TBBattery life (TechRadar test): 10 hours and 10 minutes Size: 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches (301mm x 220 x 17.5mm) / 12.96 x 9.42 x 0.72 ins (329 x 239.3 x 18.3mm)Weight: 2.7 lbs (1.24kg) / 3.67lbs (1.66kg)

THE BEST BUDGET LAPTOP

2. Lenovo Idea Pad Duet 5 OLED Chromebook

The best affordable laptop around

SPECIFICATIONS-Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen2Screen size: 13.3-inchRAM: 8GBStorage: 128GBBattery life (TechRadar test): 16 hours 20 minutes Size: 12.04 x 7.35 x 0.28 inches (305.86 x 186.74 x 7.23mm)Weight: 2.24lbs (1.02kg)

THE BEST MACBOOK

3. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)

Apple's latest MacBook Air is the best MacBook money can buy right now

SPECIFICATIONS-Processor: Apple M3Screen size: 13.6-inchRAM: 8GB - 24GBStorage: 256GB - 2TBBattery life (TechRadar test): 14 hours and 19 minutes Size: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304 x 215 x 11.3mm)Weight: 2.7 lbs (1.24kg)

 THE BEST FOR WINDOWS 11

4. Dell XPS 14 (9440)

The best Windows 11 laptop in 2024

SPECIFICATIONS-Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7Screen size: 14.5-inchRAM: 16GB - 64GBStorage: 512GB - 4TBBattery life (TechRadar test): 9 hours 35 minutes Size: 12.59 x 8.5 x 0.74 inches (320 x 215.98 x 19mm)Weight: 3.97lbs (1.80kg)

THE BEST VALUE LAPTOP

5. Acer Aspire 5

The best value laptop in the world

SPECIFICATIONS-Processor: Intel Core i5Screen size: 14-inchRAM: 8GBStorage: 512GBBattery life (TechRadar test): 6 hours 37 minutes Size: 0.71 x 12.9 x 8.8 inches (18 x 327.7 x 223.5mm)Weight: 3.75lb (1.7kg)

THE BEST STUDENT LAPTOP

6. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2)

The M2 MacBook Air has a new lower price that makes it ideal for students

SPECIFICATIONS-Processor: Apple M2Screen size: 13.6-inchRAM: 8GB - 24GBStorage: 256GB - 2TBBattery life (TechRadar test): 16 hours 6 minutes Size: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (304.1 x 215 x 11.3mm)Weight: 2.7lbs (1.24kg)

THE BEST LAPTOP FOR WORKING FROM HOME

7. Acer Chromebook Plus 515

The best laptop for working from home

SPECIFICATIONS-Processor: Intel Core i3Screen size: 15.6-inchRAM: 8GBStorage: 128GBBattery life (TechRadar test): 5 hours and 13 minutes Size: 14.2 x 9.39 x 0.79 inches (360.6 x 238.5 x 19.99 mm)Weight: 3.7 lbs (1.68 kg)

THE BEST LAPTOP FOR GAMING

9. Razer Blade 14

The top laptop for gaming

SPECIFICATIONS-Processor: AMD Ryzen 9Screen size: 14-inchRAM: 16GB - 32GBStorage: 1TBBattery life (TechRadar test): 3 hours and 54 minutes Size: 12.23 x 8.97 x 0.70 inches (310.7 x 228 x 17.99mm)Weight: 4.05lbs (1.84kg)

THE BEST 17-INCH LAPTOP

10. Dell XPS 17 (9730)

The best large-screen laptop

SPECIFICATIONS-Processor: Intel Core i5 - i9Screen size: 17-inchRAM: 16GB - 64GBStorage: 512GB - 8TBBattery life (TechRadar test): 9 hours 5 minutesSize: 0.77 x 14.74 x 9.76 inches (19.50 x 374.45 x 248.05mm)Weight: 5.37lbs (2.44kg)

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST LAPTOP FOR YOU:

What are the best laptop brands? The best brands for laptops include Apple, Dell, Lenovo and HP, and they all have their strengths. For example, Apple make brilliantly-designed slim and light laptops, while Dell does a great range of high-end ultrabooks, as well as affordable devices and Chromebooks as well. Lenovo's well known for making solidly-built business laptops (and some great 2-in-1 laptops as well), and HP’s also been making some gorgeous laptops recently that are some of the best laptops in the world. When it comes to gaming, the best laptop brands include Alienware, Asus and Acer.

How much RAM does a laptop need? RAM (Random Access Memory) is an important specification to look for in a laptop. You’ll want 4GB at the very least for a Windows laptop – though we’d actually recommend for many people to go for 8GB. That will ensure that the laptop runs well for years to come. Budget Chromebooks can get away with less RAM, such as 1GB or 2GB.

Battery life considerations Finally there’s battery life. This is likely to be one of the most important considerations you have when choosing what laptop to buy. The best laptops need to be able to let you work - and play - for hours on end without you having to scramble for a power adapter. Modern laptops are getting ever more power-efficient, which has led to longer battery lives. For a laptop to be included in our best laptops list, it needs to offer a battery life of five hours or more.

WHICH TYPE OF LAPTOP IS BEST FOR YOU?

General laptops: Where the best cheap laptops are found, devices that focus more on practicality than style, portability or power. That’s not to say they can’t be fast, but you’ll typically find a non-Ultrabook clamshell laptop with an HD screen and spinning drive-based storage for less than $600 or £400.

Ultrabooks: Where you’ll find thin-and-light notebooks sporting SSD storage and display resolutions that exceed 1080p. Paired with powerful, albeit mobile-centric components and especially long battery life, the best Ultrabooks will cost a pretty penny – $700 or £500 to $2,000 or £1,800.

2-in-1 laptops: The best 2-in-1 laptops double as tablets and are outfitted with both detachable and 360-degree rotating hinges, these hybrids are the most versatile way to experience Windows 10 (or Chrome OS) on a touchscreen.

Chromebooks: The best Chromebooks, running Chrome OS, do much of what Windows and macOS can in the browser, focused on cloud storage over local, while recently getting Android app support for touchscreen models. They generally cost less than $300 or £200 and some can even withstand a slight tussle.

Gaming laptops: Need a laptop to play games (almost) just like a shiny desktop PC can? Then you’ll want one of the best gaming laptops. These machines generally cost from $800 or £600 to upwards of $3,000 or £2,800 and they’ll likely be the ones to take advantage of AMD’s laptop-grade Ryzen processors first. If you're really on a budget, then you can check out the best cheap gaming laptop deals.

Laptop-tablet hybrids: Designed from the tablet-first approach to laptop-tablet hybrids, the best Windows tablets pack beyond-HD touchscreens, sometimes with kickstands in their frames or provided via keyboard covers. These generally shine with a stylus and range from the budget to the premium price ranges.

HOW WE TESTED THESE LAPTOPS

We understand that a new laptop is a significant investment, so each laptop on our list has been thoroughly tested by our team (read more on how we test laptops). We integrate these laptops into our daily routines to evaluate their performance comprehensively, in addition to running industry standard benchmarks like GeekBench, PCMark, 3DMark, and the latest PC gaming benchmarks. 

Our assessment includes examining a laptop’s design, with special attention paid to the aesthetics, portability, and overall comfort for everyday use. We also consider any additional accessibility and security features like haptic feedback, key backlighting, fingerprint scanning or facial recognition, and physical privacy shutters for the built-in webcam.

On the performance side, we use a combination of real-world tasks and synthetic benchmarks to determine the laptops' capabilities. We test all laptops in a given model year using the same benchmark versions to ensure consistent comparisons across reviews for the laptops you might be considering. And since benchmark scores can sometimes be difficult to interpret, we leverage our expertise to explain these scores for you to help you compare the performance of competing laptops in easy-to-understand terms.

Battery life is another critical factor we measure. We track how long we can use each laptop before needing to recharge. Additionally, we perform our own battery life test, which involves looping a 1080p movie until the battery depletes, a proprietary web surfing script, and the PC Mark 10 battery life benchmark, which simulates real-world usage such as web browsing and document creation. These tests provide us with a clear understanding of the battery longevity for each laptop.

Finally, we consolidate all our findings and compare them to the laptop’s price, determining if it offers the best value for customers.