The best laptops we've tested and reviewed: Look for these models during Prime Day

Read Mashable's full review of the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024).

Who it's for:

The new HP Spectre x360 14 is almost everything a Windows loyalist could want in a laptop (or a tablet, for that matter — it's a 2-in-1). It's powerful, versatile, long-lasting, and great at making you look good on Zoom meetings. The included stylus cements its status as a fantastic all-in-one buy.

Why we picked this:

The Spectre x360 14 stunts on all of the other Windows laptops we've tried. There's a zippy new Intel Core Ultra processor with at least 16GB of RAM inside, and our Ultra 7 155H testing unit lasted more than 11 hours on a single charge. (If its $1,869.99 price tag gives you sticker shock, know that the base configuration goes for under $1,500.) It has a 120Hz OLED touchscreen display with a generous 16:10 aspect ratio, which you can flip open on its hinge to switch between laptop, tablet, and tent modes. Its large touchpad offers "the perfect balance of smoothness and resistance," said Gedeon, while its keyboard is straight-up "addictive." Its color-accurate, wide-angle 9MP webcam is the icing on the cake.

Notably, the Spectre x360 14 also comes with its own stylus — the $76.99 HP Rechargeable MPP 2.0 Tilt Pen, which attaches to it magnetically — for drawing and note-taking.

These were all big factors in this machine's Mashable Choice distinction — and we think they're enough to make anyone forget about its fingerprint-loving finish, weirdly crowded port setup, and heavy (for a convertible) frame.

Read Mashable's full review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3.

Who it's for:

It may not have the most up-to-date internals, but Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 3 is "ideal for students and busy-bee travelers in need of a portable notebook" with major style points, wrote Gedeon. If you can, try to find it on sale for at least $100 off. (Fortunately, that happens often at Amazon and Best Buy.)

Why we picked this:

Can you fall in love with a laptop based on its keyboard alone? It happened to Gedeon, who called the Surface Laptop Go 3's keyboard "one of the best" she's ever tested. (In her book, the only keyboard that rivals it is that of the HP Spectre x360 14.) It's the cherry on top of its excellent and ultra-portable design, which has the sort of lightweight, premium feel you'd expect from a higher-end machine. "[It] should be called 'Windows Air,'" said Gedeon.

The specs under the Surface Laptop Go 3's hood are decidedly more underwhelming, mostly because they're largely unchanged from those in 2022's Surface Laptop Go 2, our previous top budget pick (including the same dim touchscreen display and 720p camera). It is powered by a newer 12th-generation Intel Core CPU, but that's now two generations removed in 2024. And while its base model does have double the storage space and memory of the previous model, it's also more expensive.

Who it's for:

If you're in the market for a gaming laptop that's basically an ultraportable rig, look no further than the Razer Blade 14 — but be prepared to pay up. This would be a good one to bookmark for Prime Day and Black Friday.

Why we picked this:

The latest Razer Blade 14 is a quiet and handsome 14-inch gaming laptop that starts at $2,199; our upgraded review unit came in at an excruciating $2,699.99. Wait, don't go: It justifies that sticker price with premium specs, including a brawny new AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor that can plow through AAA titles and content creation with finesse. (It has a dedicated neural processing unit, or NPU, for AI tasks.) That CPU is joined by a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPU; a 240Hz display for silky-smooth gameplay; and an RGB keyboard you can customize via its free Razer Synapse software. This thing is a beast — and you probably couldn't tell just by looking at it. At only 0.71 inches thin and 4.05 pounds, it's one of the most compact gaming laptops on the market.

The Razer Blade 14 has another important thing working for it, which is its battery life: It clocked in at four hours of gaming and over 10 hours of regular use in our testing. Those numbers aren't earth-shattering, but they're definitely above average in both respects, so the "on-the-go usefulness" value is there. This isn't the run-of-the-mill PC gaming machine that will shackle you to an outlet.

Read Mashable's full review of the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch.

Who it's for:

HP's Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is a low-cost, large-screened laptop for those who work in the Google productivity ecosystem and watch a lot of YouTube in their free time. If you like numpads, all the better.

Why we picked this:

This HP Chromebook Plus is helmed by a huge, vibrant display that blew me away when I reviewed it: "The colors are intense, with good contrast and rich blacks, and an anti-reflective panel preserves that quality at most viewing angles," to quote my write-up. I loved using it for movie-watching and light gaming (via Xbox Game Pass). On the clock, it was fast enough to handle my daily workflow, which involves a lot of Gmailing and Google Meeting, though its battery life disappointingly drained before the end of my eight-hour shift. I also found it hard to listen to anything playing on it while naked-eared: Its speakers stink.

As one of eight new Chromebook Plus devices, this puppy comes with some interesting new software extras like File Sync, AI-powered webcam settings, and support for some multimedia tools (including Google Magic Eraser and Adobe Express). None of them felt revolutionary in my testing, but they're decent value-adds for such a cheap machine.

Read Mashable's full review of the Asus Zenbook Duo (2024).

Who it's for:

Asus' latest Zenbook Duo is the tops for zealous multitaskers who need more screen real estate than a standard laptop can provide, but don't want to haul around a separate monitor. It'll also appeal to those who simply appreciate a good, fair value: It looks (and performs) like a machine that costs more than $1,500, a number that includes useful accessories to boot.

Why we picked this:

The Mashable Choice Award-winning Zenbook Duo features two bright OLED displays stacked on top of one another, a detachable Bluetooth keyboard that works with both of them, and a built-in kickstand that allows it to shift into different positions. This design could feel suuuper gimmicky if it wasn't executed smartly, but Asus nailed it — and for well under $2,000. "[Single]-display laptops are now cancelled," said reviewer Kim Gedeon, who confessed to feeling "spoiled" after testing this one in her everyday workflow. "How can I work on my MacBook Air, my daily driver, without missing the masterful app-juggling capabilities of the Zenbook Duo?"

Speaking of MacBook Airs: The Zenbook Duo comes with a new Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, which was as swift as Apple's M2 chipset in testing. (That's the one powering our current favorite "budget" MacBook.) Its quiet speakers and dull webcam won't wow anyone who's defecting from Team Apple to Team Windows, but those are minor gripes in the grand scheme of things. For productivity pros, the Zenbook Duo shines where it matters most: screens, speed, and selling price.

Read Mashable's full review of the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (M3). Read our deep dive into the differences between the M3 MacBook Pro and the M3 MacBook Air while you're at it, too.

Who it's for:

The M3 Apple MacBook Pro is probably overkill for casual users, and it can get expensive fast once you start adding more memory. That said, it's a great investment for creative professionals who run intense apps and software on a regular basis.

Why we picked this:

The M3 chipset in the current MacBook Pro "translates to an uptick in performance" over the previous M2 generation, wrote Gedeon, "whether you're diving into photo retouching, video editing, [or] other tasks." Its 10-core GPU features hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing so that games can render more realistic-looking lighting effects. And it's incredibly power-efficient: We got over 16 hours of battery life out of it. (That makes it the longest-lasting laptop we've tried.)

On the outside, you're looking at a pretty standard MacBook Pro — albeit one with a bright and gorgeous 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display; that's Apple-speak for a mini-LED screen with ProMotion technology, aka a 120Hz refresh rate. Gedeon called the accompanying speakers "immaculate," adding: "I see why the MacBook Pro is highly recommended for music producers, podcast hosts, and other audio-focused professionals." There's also a good array of ports built into its base, including an HDMI port and an SDXC card slot.

We do think Apple should add more RAM and a USB-A port the next time it revisits the MacBook Pro, but this was another Mashable Choice Award shoo-in.

Read Mashable's full review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2.

Who it's for:

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a machine that's begging to be pushed to its creative limits, and as such, deep-pocketed professional artists are its target audience. Gedeon also "[recommended] this laptop for differently abled users who could take full advantage of [its] adaptive touch trackpad feature."

Why we picked this:

The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is, as its name suggests, a laptop. But the unique pull-forward design of its 120Hz, 14.4-inch touchscreen display means it can also "transform into a digital easel and a tablet," said Gedeon, "[making] it an artist's playground." Just like its predecessor from 2021, it's an especially versatile device for content creation — though it still doesn't come bundled with a stylus, which feels like a silly omission on Microsoft's part. (It does have built-in storage and charging for the Surface Slim Pen 2, at least.)

Speaking of: While the original Surface Laptop Studio was a great laptop, it was pretty outdated by the time its successor arrived in October 2023. This second iteration fortunately features a slew of upgrades like 13th-gen Intel Core H-Series CPUs, optional NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs, and an NPU. (The latter adds "Windows Studio Effects" to its 1080p webcam, including blur and eye contact features.) Microsoft also equipped it with a much-needed wider variety of ports and a silky-smooth haptic touchpad with an adaptive touch mode for users with limited mobility. It is quite a bit heavier than its predecessor, so it'll probably pass on plein air doodling sessions in favor of staying parked on a desk.

Note: We'll soon review the next-gen Framework Laptop 16. Preorders for it are now live.

Read Mashable's review of the Framework Laptop (2021).

Who it's for:

DIYers, tinkerers, and anyone sick of buying a new laptop every few years will consider the Framework Laptop a sweet buy (or a sweet relief). We've also pegged it as a good budget laptop, as its long-term value is unrivaled.

Why we picked this:

Repairability doesn't seem like a big deal until your MacBook's battery conks out and you have to haul it into the Genius Bar to replace the entire bottom half of the machine. The Framework Laptop 13 is the current version of a previous Mashable Choice Award-winning device that's specifically designed to be fixable at home, even if you have zero prior repair experience, with replaceable CPUs, memory, storage, keyboards, displays, and even expansion cards for ports. What's more, these components can all be individually upgraded whenever Framework introduces new ones — it doesn't get more future-proof than that.

The pre-built, ready-to-use Framework Laptop 13 features a 13.5-inch matte display, improved hinges, and a better battery life than the previous iterations, and it starts with a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage space, and Windows 11 Home. You can also opt for the DIY Edition, which can be customized with the specs (even operating system) of your choosing.