The best laptops for 2025 come in a wide variety of brands, prices, and features. While the holiday sales season offered a perfect opportunity to snag the best ever laptop at discounted prices, it’s still a brilliant time to buy a new laptop.
Not only does this season bring its own tempting deals on laptops, MacBooks, Chromebooks and more; it’s also that period when the CES 2025 tech show brings us the latest devices as well as a glimpse of what to expect in the course of the year.
In this list, we’ve got the best of the best laptops, Windows 11 business notebooks, thin and powerful gaming rigs, budget Chromebooks, all laptops for school, and the best 2-in-1 convertibles.
But with so many options out there, it’s not easy to snag the best laptop for your needs and within budget. To help you navigate through the noise, we’ve curated the best laptops out there for all budgets alongside tips to getting the most out of your next purchase.
Best Laptops of 2025 (at a glance)
- Asus ZenBook 14 OLED
- Acer Aspire 3 (A315-24P) –
- Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2)
- Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 12
- Asus Chromebook Plus CX34
- Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)
- Alienware m16 R2
- Acer Chromebook Plus
- MSI Katana 15 (2023)
- BEST LAPTOP OVERALL – Asus ZenBook 14 OLED
PROS
- Sleek, light, and compact
- Handsome OLED touch panel
- Long-running battery life
- USB-A and HDMI as well as USB-C ports
CONS
- No mobile broadband option
- No SD or microSD card slot
Asus clearly intended to create the best ultraportable laptop possible with the Zenbook 14X OLED model, and they accomplished the mission well. It packs a snappy 13th Gen Core i7 CPU, a vibrant 120Hz OLED touch screen and long battery life, but still priced at just under a grand.
While you shouldn’t look forward to running intense content-creation tasks on this ZenBook, it surely checks all boxes for media edits in a pinch, you can enjoy entertainment in the high-fidelity screen and run all other tasks at hand – work, college or business; it does it all. The Asus ZenBook 14 OLED is the thin-and-light laptop to beat right now.
2. BEST BUDGET LAPTOP – Acer Aspire 3 (A315-24P)
PROS
- Â Solid performance for the price
- Â Good value
-  Keyboard isn’t bad
CONS
-  Build isn’t the best
- Â Webcam could be better
The Acer Aspire 3 is downright affordable, but packs decent performance and splendid battery life for a price of under $500. The AMD Ryzen 3 processor is power efficient and handily capable of running daily tasks like general browsing, checking e-mail, typing away college assignments and more.
For anyone looking for an inexpensive laptop with decent day-to-day performance and good battery life, this is a winner. It doesn’t have all the features and design perks of high-end models, but it’s both serviceable and affordable, making it terrific value.
Read the Acer Aspire 3 (A315-24P) Review
3. BEST STUDENT LAPTOP – Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
PROS
- Powerful M3 performance
- Bright and colorful display
- Ultraportable design
- Exceptional battery life
CONS
- Base specs are a bit weak
- External monitor support feels compromised
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) remains one of the best MacBook monies can buy right now. It sports a thin, light and stylish design and is packed with Apple’s latest M3 chip, delivering excellent performance for day-to-day tasks in a slimline profile. It’s best for college students and pretty everyone else as it can handle more intensive workloads like editing videos.
A newer lower price for the entry-level model makes it an easier recommendation for people looking for a brilliant all-rounder, as it now features 16GB RAM, making it more powerful without a price increase over its previous model. It’s great for day-to-day tasks, college, work as well as video editing and AI.
4. BEST BUSINESS LAPTOP – Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 12
PROS
- Lightweight, durable design
- Excellent battery life
- Comfortable keyboard and trackpad
CONS
- Performance is a mixed bag
- Power button placed on the side of the laptop
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 represents the pinnacle of Lenovo’s renowned ThinkPad lineup, designed for business professionals, digital nomads, and anyone who demands powerful performance in a sleek, ultra-portable form factor. As a 12th-generation model, it builds upon the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s legacy of offering top-tier performance, durability, and battery life, making it a favorite among power users, creators, and corporate professionals alike.
Whether you’re looking for a premium laptop for work, business travel, or everyday use, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 brings powerful hardware, enterprise-grade security, and a refined design that meets modern needs.
5. BEST CHROMEBOOK – ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34
PROS
- Great keyboard and port selection
- Nippy performance
- Solid endurance
CONS
- Cheap-feeling construction
- Basic speakers
The ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 provides an excellent combination of performance, portability, and value, all while leveraging the simplicity and efficiency of Chrome OS. Whether you’re a student, professional, or casual user, it’s the best Chromebook you can buy right now.
Featuring premium design elements, impressive performance, and the simplicity of Chrome OS, the CX34 promises to deliver an excellent experience for those who primarily work in the cloud and need a reliable, budget-friendly laptop. With seamless integration of Google services and easy access to Android apps via the Google Play Store.
6. BEST FOR CONTENT CREATION – Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)
PROS
- Utilitarian design
- Fast M4 Pro performance
- Bright and colorful display
- Incredible battery life
CONS
- Desk view is awkward
- Expensive
The Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro) takes everything that made its predecessor an industry leader and amps it up even further, thanks to the innovative Apple M4 Pro chip. This new iteration pushes the boundaries of what a laptop can do, making it an excellent choice for demanding professionals, content creators, and anyone who needs raw power in a sleek and portable form.
Whether you’re a video editor, graphic designer, software developer, or any other type of power user, the MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 Pro offers groundbreaking performance and stunning visuals to elevate your workflow.
7. BEST GAMING LAPTOP – Alienware m16 R2
PROS
- Solid gaming performance
- Excellent build quality
- Great battery life
CONS
- Relatively dim display
- Not the highest performing gaming lapto
The Alienware m16 R2 is the latest iteration of Dell’s Alienware m-series, a high-performance gaming laptop designed to deliver cutting-edge gaming experiences without compromise. Popular for its bold aesthetics, premium build quality, and top-tier performance, the m16 R2 is packed with everything you need to dominate in the gaming world and beyond.
Whether you’re a competitive gamer, a content creator, or someone who needs a powerhouse machine for intensive applications, the Alienware m16 R2 has you covered.
8. BEST FOR WORKING FROM HOME – Acer Chromebook Plus
PROS
- Great performance
- Solid build
- Long software support
CONS
- Horrid touchpad
- Keyboard flex
The Acer Chromebook Plus is a mid-range laptop that combines performance, portability, and a user-friendly design—all powered by Chrome OS. Aimed at students, educators, professionals, and anyone seeking an affordable yet capable device for everyday tasks, the Chromebook Plus delivers exceptional value with a smooth user experience.
Acer’s Chromebook series has always been known for providing a solid balance between price and performance, and the Chromebook Plus takes that even further with an enhanced set of features. It comes with a vibrant display, solid build quality, long battery life, and the versatility of Google’s lightweight and fast operating system.
9. BEST MOST AFFORDABLE GAMING LAPTOP – MSI Katana 15 (2023)
PROS
- Serious value
- Fast and stable performance
- Consistent, snappy keyboard
CONS
- Dismal display
- Brief battery life
The MSI Katana 15 (2023) is part of MSI’s growing lineup of high-performance laptops aimed at gamers and content creators. MSI has long been known for its premium gaming hardware, and the Katana 15 continues that legacy with an excellent balance of power, design, and value. For gamers looking for a sleek, capable machine that doesn’t break the bank, the Katana 15 offers solid performance with the latest Intel and NVIDIA hardware.
Whether you’re into AAA gaming, esports, or content creation, the MSI Katana 15 (2023) has something to offer. Let’s take a closer look at what makes this gaming laptop a standout in its category.
Read the MSI Katana 15 Review
Which are the best laptop brands?
The best laptop brands include Apple, Asus, HP, Lenovo and Dell, and all of these have their core strengths that separates them form each other. For example, Apple has always delivered slim and light machines with cutting-edge designs around, and the same brilliant designs have been improved on every model of the Apple MacBook.
On the other hand, Asus offers a great range of high-end ultrabooks and the ZenBook 14 OLED is simply a masterpiece in all its glory, as well as affordable Chromebooks. Lenovo is well known for its range of business notebooks and some great 2-in1 laptops as well, and HP makes some fantastic laptops that are some of the best in the world at various price points.
When it comes to gaming, the best laptop brands include Alienware, Lenovo and Razer.
How much RAM does a laptop need?
RAM is a very important specification to consider in a laptop. These days, most laptops come with at least 8GB RAM, and that’s pretty much you’d require in a Window laptop. But 16GB is also ideal as it gives you enough headroom to run Windows effectively for many years to come. On the other hand, budget Chromebooks can get away with less RAM, maybe 4GB or 8GB.
Which One – Windows, Mac or A Chromebook?
In our best laptops for 2025 list, we’ve covered all OS platforms. however, choosing the best laptop depends on what you want to do with that machine and the kind of tasks that are important to you. For that, we advise that you first identify the tasks at hand, and any available programs/apps that you’ll be using on your device, then identify compatibility.
Chances are that if you’re sticking to the sub-$1,000 price range, you won’t get a Mac unless you’re willing to do with an older model. That leaves a choice of Windows and Chrome OS, and in that case, it gets down to the question of what software you need to run.
If you need a wider selection of software across various categories, Windows is your best bet. However, if all you need to do is browse the web, run simple productivity apps, and leverage Android equivalents, the Chrome OS is a safe buy too.
Last update on 2025-01-20 at 20:46 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
