These are our favorite Windows notebooks, MacBooks, and Chromebooks.
BUYING ANY LAPTOP is a big decision. You may end up using it for several years before getting another, and there are many makes, models, and chip configurations to choose from. Lucky for you, we’ve tested many of the new releases in the past year. These are our top picks for the very best laptops you can buy right now.
If you don’t know exactly what you need, or what all the various hardware jargon means, be sure to read through our laptop buying guide. And check out our many other guides, including the Best MacBooks, Best Gaming Laptops, Best Cheap Laptops, and Best Laptop Backpacks.
Updated May 2022: We’ve added new options like the large but light LG Gram 17 and creator-friendly Acer Swift 3X.
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Our Favorite Mac
Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
The MacBook Air remains the Mac to get. Apple upgraded this 13-incher in November 2020 (9/10, WIRED Recommends), ditching Intel chips for its own M1 processor. The results are impressive. Battery life is great, easily lasting more than a full workday. Perhaps more surprising is the excellent performance, even in apps made for Intel-powered machines.
Apple uses a tool called Rosetta to translate these apps to work with its M1 chip, and most of them run just as well if not better. If you’re concerned about compatibility, well, more and more developers are releasing M1 versions of their apps. For example, Adobe already has M1 versions of Lightroom and Photoshop.
The Air retains a slim and lightweight design with solid speakers, an excellent keyboard, and a good display. We also love how it now instantly wakes from sleep, just like your phone or tablet. If you want a Mac and aren’t planning to edit video or otherwise tax it too much, this is the MacBook you want. If you do need more power, see below for more M1-powered Mac laptops.
A Great Windows Laptop
Acer Swift 3X
Intel is in the middle of a graphics revolution, and the Acer Swift 3X was one of the first devices to sport its XE Graphics technology. The GPU won’t give you high-end gaming performance—far from it. But it does provide a graphical boost, making this light, thin machine capable of entry-level content creation.
It’s pricey for the quality, but the mix of performance and diminutive size makes it one to consider—especially for creative and design students. It doesn’t match Apple’s M1 MacBook Air, but it’s a comparable Windows equivalent if the MacOS laptop doesn’t suit your needs.
Specs to look for: Intel Core i7 with XE Graphics, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD
An Extra Sleek Windows PC
Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Dell’s XPS 13 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) has been kicking around since 2012 and remains one of the most popular thin and light laptops out there. Dell released an update late in 2021, adding an option for an OLED screen, but the design is otherwise the same.
The XPS’s sleek design is really the selling point, giving the MacBook Air a run for its money, and the incredibly thin bezel gives the XPS 13 a 16:10 aspect ratio. That extra vertical real estate is surprisingly noticeable and useful, especially when browsing the web or reading Slack. Battery life is also good—we managed 12.5 hours during normal use (web browsing, watching videos, editing documents), though if you opt for the OLED model you will get a little less battery life.
We also like the 15-inch XPS, and there’s a developer edition XPS 13 that ships with Ubuntu Linux if that’s your jam.
Specs to look for: Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD
Best 2-in-1
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360
The trouble with many “2-in-1” laptops is that, in tablet mode, they feel cumbersome and just not worthy of the hybrid moniker. Not so with the Galaxy Book Pro 360. This laptop is sturdy, luxurious to the touch, and lightweight all in one. Then, there’s the immensely accurate included S Pen for added tablet fun.
The AMOLED panel is the best 1080p display you’ll find on a laptop, while the audio is surprisingly bassy for such a slim machine. The trackpad is huge, and the keyboard is a dream for productivity work. Holding this laptop back from greatness is the lack of a 16:10 or 3:2 display as well as some overly eager fans.
Specs to look for: Intel Core i7, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
Best 17-inch Laptop
LG Gram 17
The LG Gram range is different from other top-quality laptops. It’s supremely lightweight. The 17-inch model showcases this the most, making what you’d think is a ridiculously sized device a reasonable purchase.
Despite the large display, this model weighs just under 3 pounds. To achieve this light weight, LG uses a magnesium alloy. At first glance these laptops look a tad cheap, but they are surprisingly robust. The Gram 17 doesn’t shirk on the display itself, with a wide (16:10 aspect ratio), high-quality QHD+ IPS screen—and it’s glorious. This laptop’s key follies are its high price and, again, its first impressions—but this may be something you’re willing to sacrifice for its stunningly low weight.
A Maxed-Out Mac
MacBook Pro (16-inch M1 Max, 2021)
Need all the power the Mac world has to offer? The 16-inch MacBook with the M1 Max chip delivers. This is a video-editing, game-playing powerhouse of a laptop.
The screen is actually larger than 16 inches, clocking in at 16.2 inches, thanks to the notch (the 1080p webcam sits at the top center of the display). And what a screen it is. The Mini LED technology gives much better contrast, deeper blacks, and punchier colors. It also has a 120-Hz refresh rate. This Mac has a ton of ports—hard to believe, I know, but it’s true—an HDMI port, three USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, an SD card slot, and a headphone jack. What you won’t get is a Touch Bar—thank goodness that mess is gone.
If you’re on the fence about which size to get or which chip to choose, have a look at our guide to choosing the best MacBook to help you pick the right one.
