Best Laptop of 2025
Here are 15 laptops we recommend
With so many laptops to choose from, let our site help you find the right one.
In the post-pandemic world, laptops are a necessity. From students to remote workers, everyone has witnessed firsthand the importance of laptops in our daily lives. If you are in the market for buying a new laptop, choosing a good laptop can be very fast - options are always growing. Here is a list of our picks of the best laptops in 2025. No matter what you need, we found something for everyone.
We're just starting out in 2025, so you still see a lot of last year's models while looking for the next laptop. At CNET, our laptop and computer experts have spent group contracts testing and reviewing laptops, covering everything from performance to price to battery life. This hand-curated list covers the best laptops across various sizes, styles, and costs, including laptops running on Windows, macOS, and Chrome. (Microsoft has released the full version of Windows 11; all Windows laptops on this list must fully support the new operating system.)
If you want more brands and options for laptops for a specific category, we also have specialized lists that you can check out, including the best gaming laptops, the best 15-inch laptops, the best two-in-one devices and the best Chromebooks, as well as the best laptops for college students and creators and the best MacBook Pro alternatives. If you need to stay as low as possible on the price of a new laptop, check out the best low-cost laptop and the best gaming laptop picks.
The list of the best laptops is periodically updated with the new models that we tested and reviewed. It's a great place to get an idea of what's available. If you need advice on whether a particular type of laptop or two devices in one is right for you, go to the laptop FAQ at the bottom of the list .
Apple MacBook Air M1 2020
Best small 2-in-1
Best Chromebook
Best small laptop under $1,000
Best laptop on a budget
Best 17-inch lightweight laptop
Best MacBook Pro
Best 14- and 15.6-inch 2-in-1
Best Surface laptop
Best MacBook Air alternative
Best MacBook Pro 14-inch alternative
Best gaming laptop for impressing at work
How much does a good laptop cost?
Budgeting is a good place to start when shopping for the best laptop for yourself. The good news is that you can get a lightweight, beautiful-looking laptop with excellent battery life and prices under $500. If you're shopping for a laptop for around $500 or less, check out our top picks here, as well as more specific buying tips for this price range.
High-end components such as Intel Core i-series and AMD Ryzen processors and premium design touches such as thin screen bezels and aluminum or magnesium bodies have made their way into laptops priced between $500 and $1,000. You can also find touchscreens and two-in-one designs that can be used as a tablet or laptop – and a couple of other positions in between. In this price range, you'll also find faster SSD storage – and more – to improve performance.
Over $1000 is where you'll find premium and two-in-one laptops. If you're looking for the fastest performance, best battery life, thinner, lighter designs, and top-notch display quality with a decent screen size, expect to spend at least $1000.
Which is better, macOS or Windows?
The choice between macOS and Windows laptops for many people will come down to personal preferences and budget. Apple's laptop base model, the M1 MacBook Air, starts at $999. You can sometimes find them at a discounted price or you can get educational prices from Apple and other retailers. But, overall, it will be at least $1,000 for the new MacBook, and prices will go up from there.
For money, you get great top-down hardware from the inside and out. Apple has recently moved to using its own processors, resulting in overall performance improvements compared to older Intel-based models. But, the company's most powerful laptop, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, has not yet been updated to Apple silicon.
But, again, these great devices come at a price. Also, you are only restricted to Apple laptops. With Windows and Chromebooks (more on these devices below), you can get an amazing selection of devices at a huge range of prices.
The software between the two is plentiful, so unless you need to run something that is only available on one platform or the other, it's okay to use either. Games are definitely an advantage for a Windows laptop.
Using macOS is also easier and safer to use than Windows, especially for people who want their computers to get out of the way so they can get things done. Over the years, Microsoft has done its best to follow suit, and with Windows 11 here, it is trying to remove any barriers. Also, although Macs may have a reputation for being more secure, the popularity of iPhones and iPads helps increase Macs' sales, they have become bigger targets for malware.
Are Chromebooks worth it?
Yes, they are, but they are not for everyone. Google's Chrome OS has come a long way in the past ten years, and Chromebooks — laptops running on Chrome OS — are great for people who do most of their work in a web browser or using mobile apps. They are safe, simple and often a bargain. What they can't do is run Windows or Mac programs.
What is the best laptop for home, travel, or both?
The pandemic has changed how and where many people work. Ultra-portable small laptops appreciated by people who travel regularly may become woefully unsuitable for working from home. Or maybe instead of needing a long battery life, you prefer to have a larger screen with more graphics power for gaming.
If you're going to be working on a laptop and don't need more mobility than moving it from room to room, consider a laptop 15.6 inches or larger. In general, a larger screen makes life easier to work and more enjoyable for entertainment, and it is also better if you use it as an extended screen with an external display. This usually means you get more ports too, so connecting an external monitor, storage, keyboard and mouse is easier without the need for a hub or docking.
For travel, stay with 13, 14" or two-in-one laptops. They will be lighter and compacter while still providing excellent battery life. What's nice is that PC makers move away from 16:9 widescreen screens towards 16:10 or 3:2 screens, giving you more vertical screen space to work without dramatically increasing the space. These models usually do not have discrete graphics or powerful processors, although this is not always the case .
Which laptop is best for gaming or for creating?
You can play games and create content on any laptop. However, the games you play, the content you create—and the speed you play—will vary greatly depending on the components inside your laptop.
For casual browser-based games or using streaming gaming services like Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, you won't need a powerful gaming laptop. Similarly, if you are just trimming videos, cropping photos, or streaming live video from your webcam, you can get a laptop or Chromebook at a modest price with built-in graphics.
For anything more demanding, you'll need to invest more money for discrete graphics like Nvidia's RTX 30-series GPUs. The increased system memory of 16GB or more, with a fast hard drive (SSD) for storage and a faster processor like Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7, will help you move things faster too.
The other piece you want to keep in mind is the display. For gaming, look for screens with a high refresh rate of 120Hz or faster so games look smoother while playing. To create content, look for displays that cover a 100% sRGB color space.