The best laptop you can buy in 2025
Our top picks for best laptops include Chromebooks, MacBooks, Windows machines and gaming laptops — all tested and reviewed by the Engadget team.
Laptops are evolving fast, with some new models harnessing AI-powered features that adapt to your usage and improve performance in real time. These AI PCs can optimize battery life, manage power across tasks and even enhance webcam quality during video calls. While AI integration is still relatively new in laptops, it’s a feature to watch if you’re considering future-proofing your setup. Plus, it’s exciting to see how these AI-powered PCs might handle everything from productivity to entertainment, offering smart adjustments and enhancements that could make our digital lives a bit easier.
Out of all of the notebooks we've tested and reviewed recently, we consider Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air M3 to be the best laptop for most people, and this is still the case for our top picks to start off the new year. It's powerful enough to handle most tasks (even light video editing); it has a great screen and built-in speakers; and its battery could last around 20 hours (depending on what you're doing, of course). The MacBook Air M3 is also one of the lightest and thinnest systems we've reviewed, and it's dead silent, thanks to a fanless design. While Apple has debuted its new M4 chip in the recent iPad Pro, we may not see it in the MacBook Air until next year. For now, the MacBook Air M3 is still an excellent laptop to buy, particularly if you need a machine with good battery life.
Of course, not everyone wants a MacBook, and there are excellent Windows laptops and Chromebooks out there, too. Windows systems offer a range of configurations, from budget to high-end UHD screens with stunning IPS panels that boast high nits for vivid brightness. Chromebooks, on the other hand, tend to be more affordable and are great for users who mostly work online. Whether you need a powerhouse for creative work, a compact system for note-taking, or a laptop that can handle family movie night, there’s something for everyone in today’s laptop market.
Best laptop overall
Apple 13-inch MacBook Air M3
Best Windows laptop
Dell XPS 13
Best gaming laptop
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
Best Chromebook
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
Best budget laptop
HP Pavilion Aero
Table of contents
Best laptops of 2025
How we test and pick laptops
Factors to consider when choosing a laptop
Best laptops specs comparison chart
Other laptops we’ve tested
Laptop FAQs
Recent updates
Best laptops of 2025
Best laptop overall
Apple 13-inch MacBook Air M3
Display: Liquid Retina | Screen size: 13.6 inches | Screen refresh rate: 60Hz | CPU: 8-core M3 | Processor speed: 4.05 GHz | GPU: Up to 10-core | Installed memory: Up to 24GB | Storage: Up to 2TB | Weight: 2.7 lb | Battery life: Up to 18 hours | Dimensions: 0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46 inches | Available ports: MagSafe 3 charging, 3.5mm headphone jack, 2x Thunderbolt 4
Read our 13-inch MacBook Air M3 review
The latest MacBook Air ticks a lot of boxes: not only is it our top pick for the best laptop available now, but we also consider it the best laptop for college students and the best MacBook for most people. Apple didn't change much with the latest iteration, but that's to be expected considering the last entry was the most significant redesign in almost a decade. The new 13-inch MacBook Air gets a faster M3 chip, as well as the ability to run dual external monitors (but only when the lid is closed) and support for Wi-Fi 6E. There’s also a finger-print free finish for the black “midnight” model that actually works!
It's hard to improve on a laptop we previously considered near-perfect, but a new chip certainly helps. The M3 processor is around 20 percent faster than the M2 for both single-core and multi-core tasks, and it offers a significant GPU bump, along with support for real-time ray tracing. Battery life remains best in class, with enough juice to get you through multiple work days without reaching for a charger.
It also has one of the best keyboards we’ve ever seen in a laptop – it’s wonderfully tactile and responsive – and the trackpad is spacious and smooth to the touch. Even the speakers are light years beyond what you’d find on most other systems. The only major knock against the MacBook Air is that it only has a MagSafe charging port and two USB-C connectors on its left side. That makes charging a bit more awkward if your plug can only reach the right side of the machine. But hey, at least there’s still a 3.5mm headphone jack, something that’s become increasingly hard to find in ultra-thin notebooks these days.
If you need more screen space, the 15-inch MacBook Air will serve you well. It's a half-pound heavier, but its larger display makes it more useful for media editing. It also has a six speaker array for even more explosive sound.
- Sturdy and sleek design
- Fast performance thanks to M3 chip
- Excellent 13-inch screen
- Great keyboard and trackpad
- Solid quad-speaker array
- Charging and USB-C ports are only on one side
Best Windows laptop
Dell XPS 13
Display: InfinityEdge FHD+ | Screen size: 13.4 inches | Screen refresh rate: 120Hz | CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 | Processor speed: 4.8 GHz | GPU: Intel Arc | Installed memory: Up to 64GB | Storage: Up to 2TB | Weight: 2.6 lb (1.23 kg) | Battery life: Up to 18 hours | Dimensions: 0.5 x 7.84 x 11.62 inches | Available ports: 2x Thunderbolt 3, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2
Read our Dell XPS 13 review
The XPS 13 (previously called the XPS 13 Plus) offers a solid balance of speed and attractive-yet-minimalist design. This year, it’s powered by a new Core Ultra 7 processor, which makes it an “AI PC.” Thanks to a built-in NPU (neural processing unit), it can handle a few AI tasks, like Windows Studio Effects for video chats, without taxing your CPU or battery life. But it also has everything we previously liked about the XPS 13 Plus: An edge-to-edge keyboard with lusciously large keys, along with a huge “invisible” trackpad nestled within its glass wrist rest. And of course, it features a nearly border-less “Infinity Edge” screen, which has been a mainstay of the XPS line for almost a decade.
When it first debuted, the XPS 13 Plus was a more powerful alternative to Dell’s thinner and weaker XPS 13. While we’ll miss the previous XPS (which you can still find refurbished), it makes sense for Dell to lean into its stunning new aesthetic. The 2024 XPS 13 Plus looks more refined than the vast majority of Windows ultraportables, and like the Infinity Edge display, it raises the bar for what other PC makers should emulate.
If you need a bit more screen space and power, there’s also a new XPS 14 model this year, which can be equipped with NVIDIA’s RTX 40-series graphics. That machine is more than a pound heavier than the svelte 2.6-pound XPS 13, but the tradeoff may be worth it for demanding users. For most people though, the XPS 13 should be all the Windows notebook you need. Just give yourself a bit of time to get used to its unique trackpad.
- Attractive and modern design
- Solid performance for an ultraportable
- Excellent keyboard
- Gorgeous display
- Invisible trackpad leads to usability issues
- Function keys disappear in sunlight
- Trackpad feels sluggish at 60Hz
- Could use more ports
- Expensive
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