The laptop market is a pain — this guide isn't.
By
Joseph Green
Global Shopping Editor
Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.
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Overview
Table of Contents
This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
There's much more to buying a new laptop than picking up a device that looks nice and shiny. A laptop is a lifestyle choice — an extension of your very self — which means you need one that suits your life and your style. Indeed, your work and leisure (like streaming Netflix and laptop gaming) will be vastly improved by the purchase of a slick, reliable, efficient laptop that's built for your needs.
It’s not a decision you should make based on simply price or looks. Like everything in life, it's what's on the inside that counts. Laptop beginners may want something user-friendly and straightforward, while frequent travellers will need something that's light and long-lasting. Designers and gamers may seek top-notch 4K graphics and quick central processors. And everybody needs something that's won't break after a year.
If you're stuck on a decision, we can help. We're done the research and compiled a list of some of the best laptops available, along with some useful info.
What are the best laptop brands?
Apple reigns supreme as the most popular laptop manufacturer and its flagship models — such as the MacBook Pro and Air — regularly top lists of the very best laptops that money can buy. But it’s far from the only option. The Microsoft Surface has impressed us since its launch, peaking — in our opinion — with the Microsoft Surface 7.
Elsewhere, HP offers a range of laptops that span price options and capabilities. Dell is another trusty and versatile manufacturer, with a laptop range including 2-in-1 models and dedicated gaming options. Lenovo and Acer are also worth your attention.
What are the best gaming laptops?
If you’re a hardcore gamer, you need a laptop that’s built for gaming. Manufacturers such as Asus, Razer, and Acer produce laptops that are dedicated to gaming and handling the latest software, combining powerful CPU, GPU, and RAM specs for smooth, uninterrupted gameplay. You'll find an Asus option below.
What are the most important laptop features?
Not every laptop will suit everyone’s needs. But there are important inner components that every laptop has and it’s important to know what they are:
CPU — Also known as the the processor, this is the brain of the laptop. It controls and communicates with everything else. For general web-surfing, emails, and essay-writing, you won’t need an all-singing, all-dancing CPU. But if you’re a serious gamer, video editor, or graphic designer — or do anything that requires you running big-time software — look for a machine with a solid, up-to-the-minute CPU processor.
Display — If you’re a gamer or designer, a stunning, high-resolution display is absolutely essential. We recommend a HD 1080p resolution as a base level. Some laptops also have touchscreen capabilities, doubling up as laptop-tablet combos. This is one area where size does matter. Laptops built for gaming and creative work tend to have 15-inch displays but more portable laptops may be 13 or even 11 inches.
GPU — The graphics processing unit, otherwise known as the graphics card. This is responsible for your laptop’s visuals. Once again, the GPU will depend on your laptop activity. You might not need eye-popping graphics for answering emails or writing coursework, but for design work or — perhaps most importantly — rendering visuals in the latest games, choose a machine with the latest, supremely powerful GPU.
RAM — This stands for random-access memory. It's for running various applications at the same time and using them as and when you need to access. (How many apps are open in your dock right now? That’s all thanks to RAM.) This basically controls the speed and dexterity of your laptop. 8GB of RAM is a good starting point if you’re a multitasker or do heavy-duty gaming and creative work.
Storage — You’ll notice that laptops usually come with one of two types of storage space — hard-disc drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD) storage. HDD is essentially a hunk of metal inside the machine that holds onto all your info. SSD stores the info on little flash-memory chips. A HDD typically holds more but it's slower than SSD. Premium and higher-ticket laptops usually come with SSD as standard. There are also cloud and external storage options, depending on your storage needs.
How much does a laptop cost?
Just as there's a laptop specification to suit everyone, there's a price point too. You get what you pay for. The laptops included here range from £315 to £2,400. But remember: A laptop is an investment in not just your work but your life too. It's worth spending a little extra to get a laptop that will perform harder, faster, and better.
What is the best laptop?
This can be overwhelming but this is exactly the kind of stuff that we enjoy researching. We've put together a definitive guide of the best laptops on the market right now. We have compared top brands that you probably have in mind already — the likes of Apple and Dell — as well as other manufacturers you may not have considered otherwise. Trust us: You're in good hands here.
These are the best laptops in 2025.
The Good & The Bad
- Ultra fast performance
- Quick app handling
- Siri and touch ID
- Apple Intelligence built-in
- Slick device synchronicity
- Apple price point
- Not built for gaming
Why We Like It
We have to include the MacBook Pro, and not just because MacBooks give you great techy street cred, but because this MacBook is a powerhouse. Sure, it's expensive but with the fast Apple M4 Pro chip — plus a 14‑Core CPU, 20‑Core GPU, 24GB RAM and 1TB SSD — the price makes sense.
The MacBook Pro is the best laptop money can buy for photo and video editing, featuring unbeatable import and export speeds (even with those tough 4K videos), insanely fast handling of hardcore apps like Adobe and Final Cut Pro, and a crisp 14.2-inch retina display to see your work just as clear as in real life.
While Apple hasn't gone totally touchscreen yet, this comes with fast-and-easy touch ID, which you can also use to make payments via Apple Pay. Other bonuses include a large trackpad, around 22 hours of battery, and a nice selection of ports — 3 Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, a memory card slot, and 3.5mm headphone jack. Not to mention the trusty MagSafe 3 port.
All in all, the ever-evolving MacBook Pro packs a punch with the strongest, fastest specs ever, making it a great choice for editing pros and regular folk.
Details
The Good & The Bad
- Excellent keyboard
- Impressive screen
- Super long battery life
- Overall performance
- Fewer ports than we'd like
- AI image creation costs extra
Why We Like It
Tech users are often divided by allegiance to a specific OS — particularly when it comes to Apple iOS — but there’s always a Windows machine out there that can turn the heads of Apple devotees. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is one such machine. In fact, some reviewers have described it as one of the best laptops full stop, regardless of the category or operating system.
The Surface Laptop 7 continues a trend we've seen in other models, with a comfortable, responsive keyboard, and crisp, punchy display. In terms of the look and feel it's a real all-rounder. It's a pleasure to use.
But the trick behind its all-rounder performance is a Snapdragon Elite CPU, which combines with Microsoft's Copilot AI. Indeed, the Microsoft Surface 7 is what's known as a Copilot+ PC, which means it's built with a set of AI capabilities, including Recall, content creation tools, and the Copilot chatbot.
If you've never heard of Recall, it's a clever feature that takes snapshots of your screen every few seconds, so you can easily search for previously visited pages and documents. There's been some controversy over Recall, with critics claiming it's a hacker risk. Microsoft has ramped up security and made the feature opt-in. Some experts have said security concerns are exaggerated.
Details
The Good & The Bad
- Very simple to use
- Decent port selection
- Great value for money
- Nice gaming performance
- Limited compared to some laptops
- Cloud features won't suit everyone
If you like the simplicity of a Chromebook, meet the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, a highly rated laptop that comes at a very reasonable price point.
If you're not familiar with the concept of a Chromebook, these are laptops that run on ChromeOS and use cloud-based storage for saving files, programmes, and apps. They’re less powerful, less tech-focused machines but they’re also a breeze to use — especially if you’re already well plugged into Google’s system and use things such as Google Sheets and the Google Play Store.
Chromebooks tend to be a bit cheaper and the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 comfortably sits at the mid-level price range. We’d be lying if we said price wasn’t a factor when considering this particular model.
It’s light, quick and easy to get the hang of, and offers a competitive performance that outpaces other, more simplistic Chromebook offerings. It would probably best suit a student, or someone who doesn’t have huge laptop demands. If you want simple web browsing, streaming, everyday tasks, and a little gaming thrown in, it comes highly recommended.
Details
The Good & The Bad
- Massive screen
- NVIDIA GeForce 4K graphics
- Very powerful CPU
- Fingerprint reader
- Expensive option
- No USB A ports
- Battery can drain quickly
- Not very portable
Why We Like It
Graphic design? Product development? Photography? And a Windows user? Meet your new righthand man. Dell's traditional powerhouse laptop, the Dell XPS 16, continues to see improvements year after year, keeping it as a top choice for masses of advanced users and artists alike. It's a true beast.
Beginners or casual laptop users may be happy with a 13-inch screen (for which a Dell XPS 13 will do the trick) but hardcore laptop users who have their entire lives or careers on their device need something bigger.
The exterior is built with Dell's InfinityEdge technology, which is a fancy term for extra-thin bezels and a wide-as-possible, gorgeous screen. The 16.3-inch Full HD display isn't quite 3K level, but visuals are powered the Intel Core Ultra CPU and a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card — enough to satisfy the pickiest gamers or designers.
You also get solid memory and storage options up to 1TB SSD. One drawback in the battery, which is a bit average. Dell advertises up to 28 hours for streaming but 12 hours is more realistic — and that will go down depending on what you have running. Keep the charger handy just to be safe.
Details
The Good & The Bad
- Lightweight and slim
- Packed with Apple tech
- Looks incredible
- Webcam is average
- Bigger spec available
Why We Like It
If you need portability but you want as much hi-end technology as possible, there's really only one choice: The Apple MacBook Air. If you're a regular commuter, or you're used to working on-the-go and parking up in cafes, it's a no brainer. The 13-inch laptop weighs 1.24kg and is just 1.13 cm thick.
But even at this size, the MacBook Air still packs plenty of processing power. This is Apple, after all. It's powered by the M4 chip, which handles everything you need from a top-end laptop — web browsing, streaming, and multi-tasking — and then some (minus gaming, of course, which is not Apple's forte). And if content creation is your thing, this can handle 4K editing too.
You'll get a solid set of spec, with 16GB RAM and 256 SSD, along with features such as Touch ID and a very competitive battery life of up to 18 hours — depending on the demands of your usage. It also comes equipped with Apple Intelligence. Unless you want something for gaming, or have specialist laptop needs, this is arguably the best model you'll find.
Another great thing about the MacBook Air, of course, is the price, which is under £900. Though there is a slightly more expensive version available that doubles the SSD storage and bumps up the RAM even more.
Details
The Good & The Bad
- Packed with tech
- Unusually portable
- Sharp visuals and audio
- RGB keyboard
- Pricey for casual gamers
- No webcam
Why We Like It
Gaming geeks have good reason to be particular over the specs: Gaming is a serious business. There’s nothing more frustrating than being hampered by a pixelated display or irritating lag as you’re getting deep into a gaming session.
Asus is a brand that knows what it’s doing when it comes to gaming laptops. And this upgraded Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 has scored rave reviews. It's equipped with powerful components, including the latest AMD Ryzen 9 270 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 series GPU. That makes this a robust game-player capable of handling the complex and demanding games.
If you’re all about appearances, then check out its 120Hz OLED display, which boasts a 3K resolution and Nvidia G-sync support. In short, it looks fantastic — though you may want play around with the settings to get the most out of it. It also comes with four USB ports, plus HDMI and audio connections. But note there's no Thunderbolt support. And while the battery will last up to 10 hours, it very much depends on what you're running at the time.
It’s not cheap but that's par for course with high quality gaming hardware. Seasoned gamers know that you pay a high price for halfway decent gear.
Details
The Good & The Bad
- Affordable 2-in-1 model
- Impressive little display
- Lightweight build
- Decent storage for its size
- Improved battery life
- No audio jack
- Limited overall
Why We Like It
Don’t believe the marketing hype: Not every laptop has to cost a small fortune. In fact, you can find some very respectable options for a comparative steal.
Take the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3, part of a well-reviewed range of low-cost, 2-in-1 laptop/tablets. With its detachable keyboard, this device easily converts between the two, which means that it’s not only affordable, it’s highly portable too. This is the kind of laptop you can take literally everywhere.
The screen is small, surrounded by overly chunky bezels, but the display — an 11-inch, 10-point touchscreen — is impressive. It’s bright and punchy and perfect for your favourite streaming platforms. But if you are streaming, it’s worth mentioning that this laptop doesn’t have a headphone jack — an increasingly common omission with modern devices — but you can easily connect Bluetooth headphones, so it’s not a complete loss.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 is actually a Chromebook, in case that’s a deciding factor for you. It’s actually a nice bonus if you like to keep things simple. Just use your Google login and you’re immediately synced and set up — you also have access to all the apps on the Google Play Store. If keeping the cost down is important, this budget-priced model is hard to beat.
Details
Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.
Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.
Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.
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