overview 15 comments
Windows is the most widely used operating system, so it isn't surprising that tons of Windows laptops are on the market. You can findultraportables for general productivity, 2-in-1 convertibles, tablet PCs, gaming laptops, as well aspowerful workstations that can replace your desktop PC. There are also many brands, with each company releasing new laptops yearly, making the buying decision even harder. We've compiled a list of ourtop picks to help guide you, and hopefully, you can find something that suits your needs. To reduce complexity, this article only contains productivity laptops;wehave a separate articlefor the best gaming laptops.
We've tested over 115laptops, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best laptops with Windows you can get. You can also check out our picks for the best lightweight laptops, the best 15-16-inch laptops, and the best budget and cheap gaming laptops.
-
Best Windows Laptop
HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) 5
Build Quality
9.5
Brightness
7.8
Typing Quality
8.0
Touchpad
8.8
Webcam & Microphone
9.1
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
11.0 hrsSee all our test results
The best Windows laptop we've tested overall is the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024), a premium2-in-1 laptop.This laptop is a great choice for most people as it'slightweight, remarkablywell-built, and offers good performance forlight productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, web browsing, and video playback.It's configured withIntel's new Core Ultra CPUs andfeaturesasharp 2.8k OLED display, a spacious keyboard, and an easy-to-use haptic touchpad. The display supports pen inputusing Microsoft Pen Protocol technology, although not every model includes a stylus. You geta decent port selection with one USB-A Port andtwo USB-Cs that supportThunderbolt 4, power delivery, and more. Thebattery lasts around eleven hours for light use, soyou can make it through the day on a single charge.Unfortunately, this laptop uses soldered RAM, soget enough for your needs upfront.
Another option to consider is the Framework Laptop 13 (2023), a modular laptop designed to be easily repairable and upgradeable. You can buy every component in this 13-inch ultraportablefrom Framework, and they even provide manuals to guide you through the replacement process. It has a bright 3:2 display, a good 1080p webcam, and a modular port system that lets you swap out the ports to adapt to any situation. The keyboard feels tactile but requires a fair amount of force to actuate the keys, causing fatigue, and the touchpad isn'tas responsive as the HP's. Also, depending on where you live, it may be hard to get this laptop because it's only available on Framework's website.
See our review
-
Best Mid-Range Windows Laptop
Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023) 11
School
8.1
Gaming
5.9
Multimedia
8.0
Workstation
7.8
Business
See AlsoI tried using the iPad Pro 2024 as a laptop for a week — it went exactly as expectedThe best Windows laptops you can buy: Expert tested and reviewedIntroducing the ultimate Copilot+ PCs – The all-new Surface Pro and Surface LaptopSurface Laptop 7 vs. Surface Laptop 6 for Business: Which PC is better for you?8.0
Build Quality
8.5
Brightness
7.8
Typing Quality
8.0
Touchpad
7.9
Webcam & Microphone
7.5
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
12.4 hrsSee all our test results
If you want a more modest mid-range model, check out the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023). Its large display gives you plenty of room for split-screen multitasking, and it supports pen input. You can choose between an FHD+ or QHD+ panel; we recommend the latter, as it's sharper and brighter. The display's glossy finish doesn't handle reflections well, so you may have some visibility issues in well-lit settings. Build quality is excellent, and while it isn't as portable as the LG gram 14 (2023) above, it's still relatively easy to carry around, thanks to its thin and light design. A stylus is included in the box; our only complaint is that the plastic pen holder feels rather janky, as it plugs into the USB-A port and can potentially break the port if you aren't careful.
This laptop is available with Intel 13th Gen U- and P-series CPUs, which are plenty fast for general productivity tasks like web browsing, text processing, presentations, and spreadsheets. There's Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, a fingerprint sensor and IR camera for biometrics, and tons of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI. Its 1080p webcam isn't bad; the image has a fair amount of fine details but an unnatural tint, and the microphone picks up some background noise.You can get this laptop directly fromLenovoif you have trouble finding it elsewhere.
See our review
-
Best Budget Windows Laptop
ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) 18
School
7.4
Gaming
6.0
Multimedia
6.4
Workstation
7.6
Business
7.5
Build Quality
7.5
Brightness
6.4
Typing Quality
8.0
Touchpad
8.1
Webcam & Microphone
7.0
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
8.3 hrsSee all our test results
The best budget Windows laptop we've tested is the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). This16-inch model is a reliable everyday laptop that's portable despite its larger screen, relatively sturdy, and easy to service. Its AMD Ryzen CPUs are adequate forgeneral productivity tasks liketext processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and web browsing.It also has a decent port selection that supports power delivery and fast charging over USB-C, but not video output or Thunderbolt 4. Battery life isgood enough to get through an eight-hour day with light use, but anything more intensive (including video playback) will see you needing to plug it in to charge.
Although its display is large, the IPS panel looks slightly washed out and isn't bright enough to combat glare in well-lit settings. Also, the speakers sound boxy and unnatural, so this laptop doesn't provide you with the best multimedia experience.
See our review
-
Best Cheap Windows Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) 10
School
7.3
Gaming
5.9
Multimedia
6.9
Workstation
7.3
Business
7.5
Build Quality
7.5
Brightness
6.8
Typing Quality
7.5
Touchpad
7.2
Webcam & Microphone
7.9
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
6.6 hrsSee all our test results
Our cheap pickis the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023), a15-inch Windows ultraportable. It's available with various Intel 13th Gen CPUs, from a Core i3 to i7, and up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The Intel CPUs can easilyhandle light productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback. For the display,the cheaper configurations come with a low-quality TN panel, so you'll have to spend a bit more if youupgrade to an IPS display.The keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and the touchpad is small but responsive. The webcam is surprisingly good, allowing you to look and sound clear on video calls.
Port selection is good; you get two USB-As, a USB-C, an HDMI, and an SD card reader. The USB-C supports video output and charging but not Thunderbolt 4, which is unfortunate but expected for a budget-friendly model. A fingerprint sensor is present for quick logins. The biggest downside is its battery life, whichlasts less than seven hours of light use. Compared to the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) above, this model gives you slightly more processing power as well asa better keyboard and webcam, but the display isn't quite as good,andthe battery life is significantly shorter. You can get this laptop onLenovo's website.
See our review
-
Best Windows Workstation
HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024) 7
School
7.5
Gaming
8.3
Multimedia
7.7
Workstation
9.0
Business
7.7
Build Quality
7.5
Brightness
7.8
Typing Quality
8.0
Touchpad
8.8
Webcam & Microphone
6.1
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
6.6 hrsSee all our test results
The HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024) is our pick for the best Windows workstation. This thin and light laptop is designed as a one-stop shop for gaming and intensive productivity tasks like content creation.Its Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA discrete GPUs can easilyhandle demanding workloads like video editing, programming, and 3D animation, andits2.8k OLED display has full DCI P3 coverage, makingit appropriate for color correction tasks. While the display is certainly bright enough for most indoor settings, it isn't suited to be used outdoors; also, the glossy finish makes it hard to see when light is shining directly on it.
The keyboard feels comfortable to type on for an extended period, and there are plenty of ports for peripherals and external displays, including a Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1 port. It doesn't get hot or loud under load, and while there's some thermal throttling, it's fairly minimal. Battery life is acceptablebut not enough to get through the day. While this laptop charges over USB-C, not every charger will work with this laptop; it needs to have a minimum wattage (likely 100W), and using a third-party charger will result in a message to use an HP-branded charger.Unfortunately, you can only get up to 32GB of soldered RAM, which might not be enough for some workloads.
See our review
-
Best 2-In-1 Windows Tablet
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021) 3
School
7.7
Gaming
6.8
Multimedia
7.9
Workstation
7.2
Business
7.4
Build Quality
8.5
Brightness
8.3
Typing Quality
8.0
Touchpad
7.6
Webcam & Microphone
8.7
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
7.3 hrsSee all our test results
If you like a tablet with a detachable keyboard form factor, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021) is the one to get. It has a nice 3:2 display with a 120Hz refresh rate to provide better responsiveness, especially for pen input. It's compatible with Microsoft's Surface Pen or any third-party Microsoft Pen Protocol styluses. However, you must buy the stylus separately; the same goes for the keyboard. To Microsoft's credit, it's a pretty good keyboard with tactile keys and backlighting. Its 1080p webcam is among the best on the market, and like most Surface devices, there's a facial recognition IR camera. The battery lasts around seven to eight hours of light use, which isn't bad for a tablet PC.
Microsoft has already released the Surface Pro 9. However, it's only a minor internal upgrade to Intel 12th Gen processors, as the exterior design is largely the same as the Surface Pro 8. In other words, if you can find the Surface Pro 9 at the same price as the Surface Pro 8 or cheaper, go for the Pro 9. If it's more expensive, it'll depend on whether you need the extra processing power. There's also an ARM-based version of the Surface Pro 9 with 5G connectivity for on-the-go use, but it doesn't perform as well as the Intel version.See the Surface Pro 9 on Amazonhere.
See our review
Recent Updates
-
May 16, 2024: Did a major revamp of this article due to changing availability. Replaced the LG gram 14 (2023) with the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024), as the LG is difficult to find. Removed the 'Upper Mid-Range' category. Added a new 'Best Workstation Laptop' category with the HP Omen Transcend 14 (2024) as the pick. Replaced the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) with the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023), as it's a better value overall. Removed the ASUS ZenBook OLED 14 (2024) as a Notable Mention.
-
Apr 17, 2024: Verified that all picks are valid and available. Added the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) as a Notable Mention.
-
Mar 19, 2024: Added the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024) as a Notable Mention. Minor text edits for clarity.
-
Feb 22, 2024: Minor text changes to add the Framework Laptop 13 (2023) as an alternative to the LG gram 14 (2023).
-
Jan 24, 2024: Verified that all picks are valid and available. No change in recommendations.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best Windows laptopsyou can get. In addition to the test results, we factor in the price (a cheaper laptopwins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you prefer to make your own decision, here’s a list of all of our Windows laptop reviews, sorted by price from low to high. Keep in mind that most laptops are available in various configurations, and the table only shows the results of the model we tested, so it’s best to see the full review for information about other variants.
