Editor’s note: Amazon Prime Day kicks off on July 8th; however, if you want to get a head start on your online shopping, we’ve rounded up the best early Prime Day deals you can already get.
Buying the right laptop can be stressful. It’s likely one of the bigger tech purchases you’ll make, and there are a ludicrous number of models, sizes, form factors, and configurations to pick from. We review and test a wide swath of them here at The Verge, and we’re constantly considering what’s the best and who it’s best for.
Our overall pick for most people has been, and continues to be, the MacBook Air — particularly, as of March 2025, the M4 model. Unless you’re forced to use Windows for specific software needs or you fancy yourself a hardcore gamer, it remains the best option for the average user who wants something portable with excellent battery life and great performance for productivity tasks.
Though the MacBook Air is the easy recommendation for most people, that doesn’t make it the answer for everyone. What if you need more power for video or photo editing, or crunching large datasets? What if you prefer to run Windows? What if you play lots of games and want to take them with you? Or what if you just want something unique — or even, gasp, repairable? We’ve got some recommendations, including a Chromebook or two, a laptop with two screens, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop with a Snapdragon X Elite chip.
The best laptop
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2025, M4)
Score: 9
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Where to Buy:
CPU: M4 (10-core) / GPU: M4 (8- or 10-core) / RAM: 16GB, 24GB, 32GB / Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB / Display: 13.6-inch or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, 2560 x 1664 or 2880 x 1864 , 60Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches (13-inch) or 13.40 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches (15-inch) / Weight: 2.7 pounds (13-inch) or 3.3 pounds (15-inch)
Apple’s M4 MacBook Air is the best laptop for most people — Mac users, of course, but also the platform-agnostic or anyone who wants a no-fuss, straightforward machine that doesn’t bombard them with advertisements or bloatware. It’s a productivity laptop that can do a bit of everything. The 13-inch model starts with 16GB of RAM at $999, and it also comes in a 15-inch version for $1,199, for those who like their laptops a little larger. It’s hard to find another laptop that offers this kind of combination of performance and battery life in a thin and light chassis, especially at these prices.
Despite losing its way around the mid-2010s, Apple has a long history of sending quality MacBooks to market, and the Air M4 is no different. A smooth, almost ethereal trackpad, check. A chiclet-style keyboard that makes typing feel like a dance, check. Fast Wi-Fi adapter, color-rich display, and MagSafe charging, check. Those were also true on the previous models, but now with the M4 generation it also features the same 12-megapixel Center Stage webcam of the MacBook Pros, can use two external monitors with its lid open, and comes in a sky blue color (though it still looks silver in some light). And again, you get all this for less money than before.
The M4 Air is a great option for just about anyone who doesn’t need video editing, heavy gaming, or more than two USB-C ports. For those that do, look to the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 — a great bang-for-your-buck laptop in its own right at $1,599. Opting for a Pro over an Air is best for students in creative fields and content creators needing more headroom and features like a third USB-C port, an SD card slot, and an even better screen.
Now that the M4 Air is here, Apple has fully discontinued the M3 and M2 models. You might still be able to find them at retailers like Best Buy, but they’re not worth it over the M4 unless substantially discounted. If you can afford an additional $200 on top of either the 13- or 15-inch M4 Air’s starting prices, that’ll net you 512GB of storage instead of 256GB — as well as the 10-core GPU on the 13-inch. The paltry base storage is the only remaining weak point of the MacBook Air. It’s definitely worth getting more, as the roomier SSD will make your life a little easier on a laptop that should easily last you five to seven (or even more) years.
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2025, M4)
Score: 9
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Where to Buy:
Read our review of the Apple MacBook Air M4.
Best Chromebook
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024)
Where to Buy:
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 115U / GPU: Intel UHD / RAM: 8GB, 16GB LPDDR5 / Storage: 256GB, 512GB / Display: Touch 14-inch FHD 1920 x 1200, 60Hz IPS with stylus support, 340 nits / Dimensions: 12.35 x 8.84 x 0.71 inches / Weight: 3.21 pounds
Acer’s Chromebook Spin is the best Chromebook we saw in 2024 — and was part of the last year’s Plus line of Chromebooks, which have Google Gemini features integrated with ChromeOS. It also comes with a 12-month subscription to the Google One AI premium plan, which includes 2TB of cloud storage space and access to Gemini Advanced.
The Core Ultra 5 115U is slower than the previous gen’s Intel Core i5-1335U (the Ultra has eight cores with clock speeds up to 4.20GHz, while the Core i5 has 10 cores and goes up to 4.60GHz), but the Ultra Core has an NPU, which means it’s better suited for running AI-related tasks on-device. This Spin Chromebook also supports the current LPDDR5 memory standard, which is faster than the previous generation in the 2023 Spin 714.
Acer upgraded some of the connectivity port options, too. The Spin 714 now has two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, instead of two USB-C 3.2 ports, for much faster data transfer and power delivery.
Best Snapdragon X laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition (13.8-inch)
Score: 8
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Where to Buy:
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100, Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 / GPU: Qualcomm Adreno / RAM: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB LPDDR5X (soldered) / Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB / Display: 13.8-inch touchscreen LCD, 2304 x 1536 120Hz, 600 nits / Dimensions: 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches / Weight: 2.96 pounds
Out of all the Snapdragon Copilot Plus PCs we’ve tested so far, the 13.8- and 15-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th edition stood out for their balance of performance, exceptional battery life and standby time, and quality components (120Hz screen, keyboard, webcam, trackpad, etc.). Microsoft was obviously gunning for Apple’s MacBook Air, and the Surface Laptop mostly delivers that level of hardware experience for a Windows machine. It’s the full package if you want a thin-and-light productivity machine running Windows that easily lasts all day and into the night. And if your budget is slightly tighter, there’s a new 13-inch model with pared-down features starting at $899 that’s still really good.
The greater concern with Snapdragon X-equipped laptops is whether Windows on Arm supports all the apps you need to get your work done. Most everyday apps work fine, via native Arm versions or emulation, but there can still be some outliers, especially in content creation apps. Also, if you like the idea of your productivity machine being able to pull light gaming duties (one of Windows’ advantages over Mac) then you’re likely better off with a laptop using Intel’s Lunar Lake or AMD’s Ryzen AI chips. Snapdragon X laptops can only run a fraction of the games you find on Steam and they can’t install games from Microsoft’s own Xbox app — just stream them if your subscribe to PC Game Pass.
Earlier this year, Microsoft launched Intel Lunar Lake- based versions of the Surface Laptop 7, but they’re a ridiculous $500 more expensive, and aimed solely at businesses. It’s a shame, because having this hardware with Lunar Lake’s compatibility might have been an appealing prospect.
Read our review of the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition.
The best 16-inch Windows laptop
Asus Zenbook S 16
Score: 8
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Where to Buy:
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 / GPU: Radeon 890M, Radeon 880M / RAM: 32GB, 24GB / Storage: 1TB / Display: touch 16-inch 2880 x 1800, 120Hz OLED with stylus support, 500 nits peak HDR / Dimensions: 13.92 x 9.57 x 0.47 ~ 0.51 inches / Weight: 3.21 pounds
The 16-inch Asus Zenbook S 16 is the best-looking, best-performing Windows laptop we’ve tested recently; it’s also so thin and lightweight you wouldn’t know it just by holding it! It can handle a little bit of everything, from emails to graphic design work, and it tackles gaming surprisingly well for a laptop without a separate graphics card. It’s a lovely, catch-all device.
There are only two Zenbook S 16 models as of now. The $1,800 one comes in gray with AMD’s flagship Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip and 32GB of memory, and the $1,400 model comes in white with the lower-tier AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 and 24GB of memory. Otherwise, they are identical. Both feature OLED touch displays with a native 2880 x 1800 (3K) resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, stylus support, 1TB of storage, and the same ports / Wi-Fi adapter. Everything but the Windows version. (The more expensive model gets Home; the cheaper one gets Pro.)
At just 11 hours, its battery life doesn’t last as long as similar laptops we’ve tested, such as the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge and Dell XPS 14, but it’s a small tradeoff. There’s still no other Windows laptop that offers as much performance and versatility in a 16-inch chassis for the price.
Read our review of the Asus Zenbook S 16.
The best laptop for high-end gaming
Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2025, RTX 5080)
Score: 8
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Where to Buy:
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX / GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 / RAM: 32GB / Storage: 2TB / Display: 16-inch Mini LED 2560 x 1600, 240Hz display / Dimensions: 13.94 x 10.55 x 0.9 to 1.21 inches / Weight: 6.17 pounds
I’m still testing a handful of different gaming laptops, including the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 and HP Omen Max 16, but the frontrunner so far (by a nose) is the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 with an Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU. From what I’ve seen so far, the 5080 is the sweet spot for high-end gaming laptops in this generation. The 5080 ROG Strix Scar is within earshot of the 5090 performance I saw in the new Razer Blade 16, and it’s $1,200 cheaper. The Asus is chunky and heavy compared to Razer’s svelte Blade, but that gives its GPU the space it needs to stay cool. Thinner laptops often thermally constrain a high-end chip like the 5090.
The ROG Strix Scar doesn’t have an OLED display like its direct competitors, which is indeed a bummer, but its 2560 x 1600 240Hz Mini LED panel is still sharp and bright, with some punchy colors. The 16-inch version of the Strix Scar eschews a number pad, giving its large keycaps plenty of space so typing isn’t cramped at all. Its trackpad is massive, and it houses a hidden touch-sensitive numpad you can call up with a long-press in the top corner — though it’s more useful for data entry than gaming needs.
The Strix Scar’s boisterous RGB light show is kind of fun in its garishness. In addition to wraparound underglow, it has a dot-matrix array of LEDs on its lid to display animations — as Asus has done before. A more useful feature is the way you can open up the laptop’s bottom plate like the hood of a car for easy, tool-free access to its two RAM slots and SSDs.
The best MacBook for photo and video editing
Apple MacBook Pro (M4 Pro / Max, 16-inch)
Score: 8
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Where to Buy:
CPU: M4 Pro, M4 Max / GPU: M4 Pro, M4 Max / RAM: 24GB or 48GB (M4 Pro), 36GB – 128 GB (M4 Max) / Storage: 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB / Display: 14.2 / 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 3024 x 1964 / 3456 x 2234, adaptive refresh up to 120Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 (14-inch) / 14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 inches (16-inch) / Weight: 3.5 / 4.7 pounds (M4 Pro), 3.6 / 4.8 pounds (M4 Max)
If you need power for intensive creative work — like 3D rendering and working with ultra-high-resolution photos and video — the MacBook Pro is your best bet. Both the 14- and 16-inch models are available with powerful M4 Pro or M4 Max processors. There’s also a 14-inch Pro with a standard M4 processor, and while it’s a formidable step up from the MacBook Air as an everyman’s “pro” laptop, the M4 Pro and Max processors still outclass it in performance.
Processors aside, the MacBook Pro has remained largely unchanged since 2021. It has a bright, beautiful, color-accurate, high-res screen with HDR and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz; amazing speakers, a comfortable keyboard and trackpad; and a good port loadout: three Thunderbolt 5 / USB-C ports, plus HDMI 2.1 and an SD card slot. The 14-inch MacBook Pro is a few hundred dollars cheaper than the 16-inch, but aside from the very lowest processor options, most configurations are available in either size, so pick whichever works for you.
In our benchmarks, which test a variety of creative tasks including encoding, playback, and export time, the MacBook Pro 16 did better than any laptop we’ve ever used — the only other machines that have come close to matching this thing in some of our benchmarks are high-end desktop PCs. The battery life is also record-shattering. The top-of-the-line 16-inch M4 Max model easily lasted all day in our most recent testing, with no battery-saving features enabled and even keeping the screen on full-time.
Most people who need much more power than a MacBook Air — including all but the most demanding pro photographers — will be fine with an M4 Pro model, which starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch with a 12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD. The 16-inch starts at $2,499 for a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 24GB of memory, and 512GB SSD. The M4 Pro chip can be configured with up to 48GB of memory and a 4TB SSD, at the usual absurd Apple markups, and it supports up to two external 6K displays.
If you absolutely need more GPU power — or more than two external monitors — you can step up to the M4 Max. The base M4 Max with 14 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores, plus 36GB of RAM and 1TB SSD, starts at $3,199 in the 14-inch and $3,499 in the 16-inch. There’s also an M4 Max with 16 CPU and 40 GPU cores, which starts at $3,699 and $3,999, respectively. The M4 Max models are configurable with up to 128GB of RAM and 8TB of storage and can support up to four external monitors. The vast majority of people don’t have workloads heavy enough to notice a significant difference between the M4 Pro and M4 Max; if you do, you probably know it.
14-inch MacBook Pro with M4
Score: 9
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Where to Buy:
Read our reviews of the MacBook Pro 16 M4 Pro / Max and MacBook Pro 14 M4.
The best 14-inch gaming laptop
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025)
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Where to Buy:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 270, HX 370 / GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 TI, RTX 5080 / RAM: 16GB, 32GB / Storage: 1TB / Display: 14-inch OLED, 2880 x 1800, 120Hz, 500 nits / Dimensions: 12.24 x 8.66 x 0.63 inches / Weight: 3.31 pounds
Asus recently introduced an updated ROG Zephyrus G14 for 2025, which replaces the previous model as our pick for the best 14-inch gaming laptop. It retains the sleek design Asus introduced last year and continues to strike a balance between power and portability; it also incorporates a handful of improvements, some of which have allowed it to earn the top spot in our best gaming laptops guide, despite a $100 price bump.
The updated Zephyrus G14 has a newer AMD 9-series processor and Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics chip, which provide modest performance gains. Every configuration features a handsome, high-res OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, so smoother gameplay isn’t locked behind an optional upgrade. Conveniently, the new G14 features USB-C ports on both sides for charging, although you’ll still achieve the maximum wattage by using Asus’ proprietary charger.
The G14 features a backlit, chiclet-style keyboard, and Asus has increased the keycap size by 12.24 percent to make them easier to press. The centered trackpad is also relatively wide, providing ample space for clicks, taps, and swipes without cramping your hand. These features are as useful for typing and productivity work as they are for playing games when you’re not connected to a gaming keyboard and mouse.
Speaking of games, the titles we played ran well, even on high settings, but the laptop felt hot to the touch due to its thin chassis. Its fans were audible under heavy load, and the laptop eventually thermally throttled its GPUs to prevent overheating. The tradeoffs aren’t surprising, though, especially given the G14’s thin, lightweight design.
The best dual-screen laptop
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (2024)
Score: 8
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Where to Buy:
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155U / GPU: Intel UHD (integrated) / RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X / Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD / Display: 13.3-inch (2880 x 1800) 60Hz OLED touchscreen w/ stylus support / Dimensions: 11.78 x 8.03 x 0.63 inches / Weight: 2.95 pounds
A dual-screen laptop is exactly what it sounds like: a laptop with a second screen where the keyboard normally goes.
The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i has a 360-degree hinge, which lets you use it as a regular laptop, a (large) tablet, and more. You can put it in clamshell mode and write or sketch on the bottom screen with a stylus or fold the keyboard folio into a stand to prop it up and take advantage of both screens. You can set it up at home with an external monitor as a three-screen desktop replacement, or take it on the go with the included Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Its touchscreen gestures are super responsive but too responsive for the virtual keyboard and trackpad. It’s easy to mistype and accidentally minimize windows.
The Yoga Book’s only real competitor is Asus’ Zenbook Duo. The Duo’s physical keyboard includes a trackpad and makes it look a lot more like a traditional laptop. Its 14-inch OLED screens are a little bigger and brighter, it has a ton of port options, it’s more powerful, and it’s a little easier to fold up and put away. But it’s also heavier (at 3.64 pounds), its top lid doesn’t fold back far enough to use it as a tablet, and its touchscreen gestures aren’t as responsive.
Read our head-to-head review of the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i and the Asus Zenbook Duo.
The best repairable laptop
Framework Laptop 13 (2025, AMD Ryzen AI 7 350)
Score: 9
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Where to Buy:
CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 5 340, AI 7 350, AI 9 HX 370 / GPU: Radeon 860M / RAM: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 48GB, 96GB / Storage: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB / Display: 13.5 inch IPS, 2256 x 1504 60Hz or 2880 x 1920 120Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 11.68 x 9.01 x 0.62 inches / Weight: 2.87 pounds
There’s no other laptop offering the kind of nerdy fun today that a Framework is. The Framework Laptop 13 isn’t just the only game in town when it comes to a notebook that’s fully repairable and upgradeable, it’s also a great productivity machine for everyday use and has been for several years now. For 2025, the Laptop 13 gets a processor upgrade with AMD’s “Strix Point” Ryzen AI chips, giving it higher performance than the last-gen Intel and AMD offerings with serviceable battery life. Otherwise, it’s much the same chassis as the prior generation — they’re indistinguishable from one another.
But that’s part of what’s so cool about a Framework: a new model means a new chip you can even put into the old model, if you want an upgrade and don’t mind opening up the chassis yourself. It’s actually much easier to do than you may fear, as Framework designs its laptops to give you full access to everything inside with just a simple screwdriver; including its mainboard, storage, RAM, battery, and some fun see-through bezels for a touch of customization.
If you opt for one of Framework’s DIY Editions it only comes partially built, but this allows you to choose from many more configuration options than its pre-builts. Personally, I think the DIY route is the way to go if you’re up for it, because experiencing the assembly (which took me less than 30 minutes) gives you a better awareness of what’s in your laptop and how to change something if you ever need to repair or upgrade it. But even if you choose a pre-built, you can pick from a wide array of modular ports to outfit it with.
The Laptop 13 isn’t as sleek as a similarly priced MacBook or Surface, which offer no upgradeability or modularity (aside from the SSD on some Surface Laptops), but the Framework by no means feels cheap. It’s thin enough and light enough to be very portable, and it’s got a great keyboard with a fine trackpad. Its screen has a 3:2 aspect ratio that’s ideal for productivity since you can see a bit more than the more typical 16:10.
You probably have to be really into the whole repairability and modularity concept to spend the same or more on a Framework Laptop 13 compared to other options out there, but anyone can appreciate picking your ports and being able to swap them around whenever you want.
Read our Framework Laptop 13 (2025) review.
What’s coming next
We’re currently testing Lenovo’s recently announced Chromebook Plus. It supports new, on-device Gemini AI features, including the ability to search the web for the contents of a screenshot and built-in image editing tools within Google Gallery. The 14-inch laptop features a 1920 x 1200 OLED screen and runs on an eight-core MediaTek Kompanio Ultra processor. It also supports Wi-Fi 7, can drive two external displays, and can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It has two 5GBps USB-C ports, one 5Gbps USB-A port, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack.
The base model starts at $649, while the touchscreen version starts at $749.99. Lenovo hasn’t provided availability details for the standard model yet, though the touchscreen version is available at Best Buy.
Monica Chin and Nathan Edwards also contributed to previous versions of this buying guide.
Update, July 3rd: Swapped the last-gen Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with the current-gen model and removed the “best laptop under $400” category. We also added a “what’s coming next” section with information about Lenovo’s upcoming Chromebook Plus. Brandt Ranj also contributed to this post.
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