The 12 best Windows laptops for 2026

The 12 best Windows laptops for 2026

Even the most devoted Apple disciples should be able to admit that the best Windows laptops have some advantages over the best MacBooks.

For one thing, Windows PCs offer a wider variety of hardware and configuration options, often at cheaper prices. (They still hold the monopoly on touchscreen and OLED displays, for example.) On the software side, you're going to get broader support for specialized business apps and video games on a Windows laptop. Windows 11 also goes hard on Copilot integration, that being Microsoft's ChatGPT-like assistant, giving it appeal for AI enthusiasts.

I've been writing about laptops for Mashable since 2023, and in my experience, the top Windows laptops run an impressive gamut; think ultraportable Copilot+ PCs, dual-display stunners, subtle gaming stations, and approachable modular systems. Some of them even manage to beat the latest MacBooks on battery life, a feat largely made possible by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series chips (though Intel processors are catching up).

As of February 2026, I think the best Windows laptop for most people is the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 powered by the Snapdragon X Elite chip. It's a stylish workhorse with enough power to handle demanding workloads and has a premium build as well as an amazing all-day battery life (outdone by just three other models). Even the M4 MacBooks can't keep up. Beyond that, I have other picks for users with different budgets, use cases, and design preferences.

I chose my picks based on hands-on testing conducted by myself and other Mashable staff and contributors. We've reviewed dozens of PCs on the basis of performance, build quality, battery life, and value over the years, and the ones I'm recommending are the cream of recent-gen crops. Most of them scored high enough to secure a Mashable Choice Award, the highest honor we give to the gadgets we review.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is a huge W for the Copilot+ PC series and a worthy candidate for anyone who needs a well-rounded Windows 11 laptop. It offers solid performance, battery life, and build quality, making its premium price tag easy to stomach. (That said, it's very easy to find on sale.) Just make sure it works with your favorite apps before you make it your new daily driver.

Read Mashable's full review of the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7.

How much time do you have? "Apple must be sweating through its armpits with the launch of the Surface Laptop 7 because — holy cow — this is one hell of a laptop," wrote former Mashable tech editor Kim Gedeon. The upgraded Snapdragon X Elite variant she tried is faster than about half of the models in our laptop testing database when in Balanced mode; in Performance mode, it beats 80 percent of the competition, scoring on par with the M4 Apple MacBook Air in our Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark.

The Surface Laptop 7 also outlasts most other laptops with a battery life of nearly 23 hours per charge. The only models that beat it are the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition, the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+, and the HP OmniBook 5 14. For comparison's sake, the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro is our longest-lasting MacBook at 21 hours and 17 minutes.

Looks-wise, "[the] Surface Laptop 7 oozes sophistication and polished refinement," said Gedeon. Its stylish and sturdy aluminum design is available in four fingerprint-resistant aluminum finishes. And its vivid 120Hz touchscreen display is plenty bright.

Gedeon tested the 13.8-inch model, which starts at $1,400 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip and $1,000 with the lesser Snapdragon X Plus chip. Microsoft also makes a 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 for those who need more screen space (or a microSDXC card slot) and a cheaper, more compact 13-inch version. All sizes can get expensive fast as you add more RAM and storage, but they're often on sale at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

As with all laptops powered by ARM-based Qualcomm chips, there's a tiny asterisk next to our recommendation of this Surface Laptop 7 because it isn't compatible with certain specialty apps. This is mainly a problem for students, PC gamers, and certain creative pros. (Microsoft also makes an Intel version, but it's geared toward businesses and significantly more expensive than its Qualcomm counterpart; we haven't tried it.) Double-check before you commit to the Surface Laptop 7, but if you don't think you'll run into any workflow hangups, it's the Windows 11 laptop to beat in 2025. Google Drive, Adobe Photoshop, Spotify, Netflix, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Zoom are all a go, for what it's worth.

The Acer Aspire 16 AI is a long-lasting big-screener that doesn't sacrifice too much for the sake of its $700 price tag, so I think it's the ideal Windows laptop for budget shoppers. It offers mostly amazing specs for the money — and even beats pricier laptops on this list in some ways.

Note: The 2026 Acer Aspire 16 will be configurable with new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 and AMD Ryzen AI 400 Series processors. It will be available in Q2, but we don't know its pricing yet.

I'll start with the fact that the Aspire 16 AI is our speediest laptop under $900: Its Snapdragon X chip earned a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 9,802 in our performance benchmark. It's at least 28 percent faster than the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 and the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 — the newest, fanciest Chromebooks — which are two major players in the $700 to $800 price range. Among other Windows laptops, the models that offer similar levels of power are last year's Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 and Yoga 7i 16, which cost $899.99 apiece.

Of note, both of those Yoga 7i models have half the battery life of the Aspire 16 AI. It offers over 17 hours of usage per charge, outlasting 77 percent of the laptops in our current testing database. Qualcomm's higher-end Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips have translated to crazy power efficiency in more premium Windows laptops; I can confirm that the entry-level Snapdragon X version does the same for budget laptops like this one.

The Aspire 16 AI's fan did turn off and on quite a bit during our stress test, but it's whisper-quiet and prevented the machine from ever getting even a little bit warm.

While the Aspire 16 AI doesn't look or feel cheap, there are a few aspects of its build quality that reflect its lower price point (I'll get to that in a bit). On the plus side, it has a really nice HD touchscreen with an anti-reflective finish and a 120Hz refresh rate. I put it right next to my 2021 MacBook Pro to compare their displays, and while the Aspire 16 AI's picture wasn't as crisp, its colors were just as punchy.

The Aspire 16 AI's port selection is also excellent. An HDMI port and microSD card, on top of two USB-C and USB-A ports, are boons for peripheral-happy users. (The $1,199.99 Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and the $2,119.99 Yoga Book 9i don't have anything other than USB-C ports — not even headphone jacks.) It's pretty lightweight and thin for a 16-inch laptop, too; it's a hair thinner than the Acer Swift Go 16.

I'm less enamored with the fact that the Aspire 16 AI's lid had a bit of give to it when I pressed down in the center of it, and that its hinge wiggled whenever I adjusted or tapped it. Its webcam and speakers are also pretty poor. (When I played a song on it for my musician husband, he audibly went "EULGH" in disgust.) Its touchpad isn't centered with its keyboard or its base, which didn't bother me too much, but I think it might drive others nuts.

The Asus Zenbook A14 is a beautiful notebook you can take with you anywhere. Its all-day battery life, gorgeous OLED display, and remarkably lightweight yet durable design make it an exemplary ultraportable. It's my favorite MacBook Air alternative and my favorite Windows laptop under $1,000. I just wish it had better speakers.

Note: The 2026 Asus Zenbook A14 will have a new matte keycap coating, run on a new Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, and start with 24GB of RAM. We don't know its pricing or availability yet.

Our favorite laptop from CES 2025 lived up to the hype: The Zenbook A14 is a pretty ultraportable that can go all day. Its 14-inch chassis is made from a unique material called "Ceraluminum" that's durable, scratch-resistant, textured matte, and embellished with metallic, jewelry-like accents. This gives it an elegant, minimalist look and a feathery (but not fragile) feel. The base configuration, which comes in Zabriskie Beige with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB storage, weighs just 2.4 pounds. Its overall build quality impressed me in testing, too; I especially liked its clicky keyboard and silky touchpad.

The Zenbook A14 earned a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 11,256 in our CPU benchmark, making it the fastest Windows laptop under $1,000 in our database (excluding any gaming models). It's not quite as powerful as the M4 MacBook Air, which also starts at $1,000 — it's more on par with an M3-era model — but it one-ups Apple with a vivid OLED display, an HDMI port, double the starting storage, and an even "airier" design (coming in 0.3 pounds lighter). It also has a better battery life, lasting 21 hours and 47 minutes in our video rundown test.

The Zenbook A14's speakers are its Achilles' heel: They sound awful, so don't use them without a good pair of headphones. As a Qualcomm-powered laptop, you also run the risk of possible compatibility problems depending on the apps you use (same as the Surface Laptop 7).

A second Iceland Gray variant of the Zenbook A14 boasts an even lighter design, weighing only 2.18 pounds. It comes with a lesser Snapdragon X processor but double the RAM and SSD space (32GB and 1TB, respectively). In testing, it was only 7 percent slower and lasted 20 minutes less than the $1,000 "Plus" variant. It feels like a fair buy at $1,200 if you want an even lighter laptop with oodles of memory and storage, but the cheaper model is a tad more competitive at its price point and adequately specced for most people with basic workloads.

College students will appreciate this 14-inch convertible's lightweight build, all-day battery life, decent future-proofing, and affordable price. Crucially, it runs on an AMD (non-ARM) chip, so it's apt for students enrolled in programs requiring specialty software like AutoCAD.

Note: The 2026 Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 powered by AMD chips is called the Yoga 7a 2-in-1. It will have a new Ryzen AI 400 Series processor and support a new "Canvas Mode" where its screen sits on a slight pitch above its tablet position. It has an estimated starting price of $899.99 and a Q2 release timeframe.

College coursework is one use case that definitely doesn't jive with Windows on ARM. When I examined the 20 top public universities' hardware recommendations, I found that a few schools explicitly advised their students against getting Windows laptops that run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips because they aren't compatible with certain essential software and peripherals. As such, I zeroed in on Intel- and AMD-powered laptops to find contenders for this category. This Lenovo convertible came out on top because it's portable and well-specced for the price.

The Lenovo Yoga 7 14 certainly acts like an ARM-based laptop. By that, I mean it's relatively fast and power-efficient. Our review unit with an AMD Ryzen 7 AI 350 CPU got a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 11,868 and ran for 17 hours and 44 minutes before dying. That makes it just as zippy as the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, and its battery life is almost as good. It's certainly above-average — you won't be SOL if you forget to bring your charger to a study session.

The Lenovo Yoga 7 14's build quality impressed Mashable Contributor Sarah Chaney, our reviewer. It has a premium all-aluminum chassis that's "solidly constructed despite weighing practically nothing," she wrote. It comes in at about three pounds and measures 0.6 inches thin, so your average textbook dwarfs it. It's packed with ports, including an HDMI port, a microSD card slot, and double-sided USB-C ports for convenient charging.

Chaney also gushed about this hybrid's clacky, almost mechanical-feeling keyboard with adjustable backlighting. We've encountered similar ones on more premium Lenovo machines (like the ones on this list), and they're consistently great. "In an ideal world, I'd dump my current laptop in a heartbeat to get one with this style of keyboard from Lenovo," Chaney said, "but alas, I'm environmentally conscious, and my current laptop is doing just fine."

In terms of future-proofing, our $1,100 review unit came with a generous terabyte of storage and support for current connectivity standards (WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4). It also has an OLED display; it's a little more muted compared to other OLED laptops, but it's still a notable step up from an IPS display in terms of vibrancy.

The Lenovo Yoga 7 14's blurry webcam, too-quiet mic, and muffled speakers won't age as well, but they're workable. Besides, we expect such specs to be pretty average at this price point.

Our reigning battery life champ, the HP OmniBook 5 14 is a portable mid-ranger that will appeal to anyone who loves working on the go. It won't leave you panicking if you leave your charger at home. Bonus points if you like to use a computer mouse instead of a built-in touchpad.

Note: The 2026 HP OmniBook 5 14 will have a new Snapdragon X2 Plus processor. We don't know its pricing or availability yet.

I love seeing people's reactions when I tell them that this 14-inch laptop ran for nearly 32 and a half hours before dying. That number is so high it seems fake. None of the other Windows laptops we've tried have surpassed the 24-hour mark, and the latest MacBooks are capped at about 21 hours. We've known for a while that Snapdragon X-powered laptops offer great battery life, but this one's is stupidly good — and it's clocking those hours with an OLED display to boot. (Probably because it's a dimmer OLED display, but still.)

The OmniBook 5 14 has the same Snapdragon X Plus chip as the Asus Zenbook A14, so its performance is virtually identical, and I had an equally tough time getting its fans to kick on. It runs very cool and quiet. Its Geekbench 6 multi-core was 11,265, or just nine points higher than the Zenbook A14's.

The OmniBook 5 14 is $270 more expensive than that Asus model — our review unit retails for $1,270 — but you get double the memory and storage for that price. Dipping down to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD brings it to $1,030, and I think most people needing a new daily driver will find that more appealing.

As for build quality: It's mostly good. Its keyboard is snappy and comfortable, and its webcam, speakers, and mic are all above-average. It has a silver aluminum case and a matching plastic keyboard cover, so it's plainer and not as premium-feeling as some of the other options here, but it feels solidly made. There's just a little wiggle to its lid when you adjust it. It's one of the most portable options on this list, too, weighing 2.84 pounds and measuring 0.5 inches thin — slightly thinner than the Zenbook A14.

The only dings on its spec sheet are its lackluster port variety and its annoying touchpad. The latter is smooth and not prone to errors, but I noticed a hollow-ish rattling sound every time I tapped on it. It's almost like there's too much space between the touchpad and its input.

OLED laptops have thin form factors and displays with vibrant colors, rich blacks, and high contrast. The ultraportable Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is the model I think most people should buy, as it offers a high resolution, an above-average refresh rate, and touchscreen capabilities without being too expensive — or running out of juice quickly.

Note: The 2026 Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x will have a 9MP webcam and a lighter 2.58-pound build. It will be configurable with a Snapdragon X2 Plus processor, which comes with a 60Hz display, or a Snapdragon X2 Elite processor with a 120Hz display. It has an estimated starting price of $949.99 and a Q2 release timeframe.

Everyone remembers their first time setting eyes on the Yoga Slim 7x. Mine was during a Qualcomm press briefing at CES 2025, and its luscious display stopped me dead in my tracks. It's just that good — even compared to other OLED laptops. It has a higher resolution (3K) and peak brightness (1,000!) than all of the other OLED models on this list. It's pricier than the Asus Zenbook A14, but it has a slightly better 90Hz refresh rate that's going to make scrolling and videos look smoother. It's also nearly as thin and light. A slim lip on the top of its lid makes it easy to open with one hand.

The Yoga Slim 7x is powered by a Snapdragon X Elite processor, which means it's quite power-efficient. It earned a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 11,938, making it as fast as the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and the M3-era MacBook Pro. (As an aside, I could not for the life of me get its fan to kick on or its chassis to heat up during our stress test.) In our battery life test, it held out for 19 hours and 55 minutes with its display at 50 percent brightness. An OLED display can zap a machine's battery life if you have its brightness cranked up high, but I can assure you that this one won't die mid-workday.

Using the Yoga Slim 7x is as much of a joy as looking at it. Some of the best keyboards we've ever encountered are found on Lenovo laptops, and this model continues the brand's streak. Its island-style backlit keyboard is ridiculously satisfying to type on; I would liken it to a "thocky" mechanical keyboard. Its speakers and webcam aren't standouts, but they're definitely above-average compared to most Windows laptops. (Its camera quality hinges heavily on good lighting.)

Lenovo has a less-welcome habit of skimping on ports on some of its newer premium laptops (see also: the Yoga Book 9i), and that's the case with the Yoga Slim 7x: It just has three USB-C ports. Even the thinner Zenbook A14 manages to cram in a headphone jack, USB-A port, and an HDMI port.

For a versatile, very pretty laptop that just won't quit, look no further than the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition. The latest iteration of this premium convertible can handle a full day of moderate productivity on a single charge — including tablet-oriented tasks like drawing and note-taking.

Read Mashable's full review of the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition.

"This laptop takes premium to a whole new level," said Chaney, our reviewer. The first thing you'll notice about it is its display, which is a gorgeous 2.8K OLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,100 nits of brightness for HDR content. It sits on a strong hinge that lets the device flip around into tablet and tent modes, and it works equally well with fingertips and styluses. Lenovo throws in a free Yoga Pen that matches its sleek, inky "Cosmic Blue" chassis. (See how easy that is, Microsoft?)

As with the Yoga Slim 7x, there's a small lip on the top of the lid for easy opening. That's also where you'll find its sharp 5MP webcam.

The Yoga 9i's keyboard is another highlight. Its island-style keys are "well-spaced, pleasantly bouncy, and responsive," Chaney wrote. "It almost feels like I’m typing on a minimalist mechanical keyboard, like the Logitech Mechanical MX Mini with tactile switches, because of the slight travel and noticeable actuation."

The Yoga 9i held out for 23 hours and 34 minutes in our video rundown test — an impressive number when you consider its sumptuous OLED display. You'd expect it to slurp up its battery life much faster.

That said, this outstanding battery life comes with one notable trade-off. Our review unit's Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor got a Geekbench multi-core score of 10,765, ranking in the lower half of our testing database. It's a hair slower than my ultraportable pick, the Asus Zenbook A14, which costs $750 less; if you'd prefer a MacBook comparison, it's most akin to the M2 MacBook Air from 2022.

I will say that all of the Lunar Lake processors we've tried have scored similarly, so the Yoga 9i isn't an outlier here, and it's not going to be sluggish. It has at least enough power to handle some exclusive "Aura Edition" AI features that can flag peeping toms, silence distracting notifications, and analyze your posture. (Chaney also noted that the Yoga 9i runs super quiet even with multiple apps and tabs open.) It just won't be as great for demanding creative apps and other intensive workloads as higher-scoring laptops.

The Alienware 16X Aurora with Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics is my favorite gaming laptop for most people. It's a really solid mid-ranger that offers stellar performance for the money, an incredible 240Hz matte display, and a dreamy keyboard. It's also not particularly flashy, so if you don't want a machine that looks like a stereotypical gaming laptop, step right up (though its loud fan will probably give it away).

Note: The 2026 Alienware 16X Aurora will have an anti-glare OLED display and new Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors. It will be available in Q1, but we don't know its pricing yet.

The 16X Aurora delivers astonishingly good performance for a laptop that comes in right at $2,000 as tested. Its Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 19,774 means it's the third-fastest laptop we've ever tried after the $3,600 Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 OLED (20,369) and the $3,650 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro chip (22,758). That's not a huge surprise, considering the 16X Aurora I tried packed a new, high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, but hey, so did that Lenovo model. You get comparable oomph for a fraction of the cost.

In 3DMark’s TimeSpy benchmark, which we run on gaming laptops to measure their graphics performance, the 16X Aurora notched a 14,023. That's the fifth-best score in our database, and 15 percent better than the score of the Alienware m16 R2 with last-gen RTX 4070 graphics. (That's its predecessor and our previous top pick in this category.) Suffice to say, AAA games run great on it. We've tried some RTX 5080 gaming laptops, and they've notched scores of at least 20,837 — that's a big jump — but they cost at least $3,400.

The downside of this power is that the 16X Aurora runs loud and warm. Its keyboard and the vent above it were always a little toasty during my testing, even when I was just using the laptop to browse the web. Plugging it in and playing Cyberpunk 2077 made the fans roar, though its surface never developed any truly hot spots, so I suppose they were doing their job. Unplugging the 16X Aurora lessens the fan noise by quite a bit, but the issue there is that the machine doesn't last very long on battery. When I had it run our video rundown test with its dedicated GPU and RGB keyboard backlighting off, it died after five hours and 40 minutes. (Turning on both features will drain it much faster.) You're sort of in a tough spot: Either learn to plan your gaming sessions around its charging cycles, or invest in an amazing pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

On a more positive note, I have no major qualms with the 16X Aurora's design. I don't see it being very divisive, as gaming laptops' aesthetics can sometimes be. It's bathed in a dark navy blue color called "Interstellar Indigo," and its only accent is an iridescent Alienware logo on its lid. Its top and bottom panels are made from smooth aluminum; it holds onto fingerprints but has an otherwise premium feel. My hands flew over its clicky island-style keyboard, which includes a numpad. Its touchpad is plastic like the rest of its keyboard deck, but it felt nice and smooth. (I will mention that it's off-center, which might bug some folks.) Its webcam is grainy garbagio, but that's not dire. Anyone who's doing serious streaming on this thing will be buying a separate webcam.

My absolute favorite component is probably the 16X Aurora's display. It has a 240Hz refresh rate, a crisp 2.5K resolution, vibrant colors, and, crucially, a matte finish. I haven't seen a laptop screen this matte since I tried the 2025 Dell XPS 13, and I think it makes for a really comfy, pleasant viewing experience.

Like most gaming laptops, the 16X Aurora is bulky and heavy. It weighs close to six pounds on its own, and its 280W charger adds an extra two. Plan on having it parked on a desk.

This newly redesigned Panther Lake convertible is easy to recommend for professionals and remote workers who crave MacBook-level multitasking prowess and stamina. It's nicely future-proofed and fairly priced to boot. It also comes with a garaged stylus if you like taking meeting notes by hand.

Read Mashable's full review of the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+.

This is the first 2026 laptop I've tried so far, and overall, it made a stellar first impression. A lot of recent Windows laptops have made users choose between MacBook-level performance or battery life, but the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ hits both marks. It got a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 16,257, making it the fastest non-gaming laptop on this list. It soundly beats the M4 MacBook Air and Pro, and it's only seven percent slower than the latest M5 MacBook Pro.

In our battery life benchmark, the Prestige 14 Flip AI+ lasted for more than 24 hours. It's the longest-lasting x86 laptop we've ever tried (and our second longest-lasting laptop overall). It managed to surpass all but one of the Snapdragon X-powered models in our database, which is no small feat — Qualcomm's chips are famous for their stamina. That brand-new Intel Core Ultra 7X 358H chip inside it is working overtime.

The Prestige 14 Flip AI+'s integrated Intel Arc B390 graphics card also punches above its weight. Intel iGPUs haven't been great for gaming in the past, but this one was able to run Cyberpunk 2077 in my testing. This laptop won't replace a proper gaming laptop with a dedicated GPU, but it should let you play most of your favorite AAA titles between meetings.

MSI gave all of its Prestige business laptops a new look for 2026, and it looks great on the Prestige 14 Flip AI+. (Its rounded corners are very Lenovo Yoga-esque.) It has a snappy keyboard and a new "Action Touchpad" that supports custom gestures, and it comes with an MSI Nano Pen that lives in a slot underneath its base. You can talk to Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant by pressing two buttons on it.

You get all of this with 32GB of RAM and a terabyte of storage for just $1,300, so MSI had to make sacrifices somewhere. The display was its main target. It has a vibrant OLED screen, but a basic 60Hz refresh rate and only 300 nits of brightness. (It's not dim, but I always used it on the maximum setting.) It can't compete with MacBooks in this department, but I still think most people will like staring at it all day.

The Acer Swift Go 16 is perfect for any user who wants a well-specced, fairly priced Windows laptop with a large, vivid OLED display that doesn't detract from its portability. It's primed for everyday multitasking and even some light photo and video editing, but don't get it if you want a battery life superstar.

The "Swift" in this laptop's name is not false advertising. With a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 15,833, the near-maxed-out model we tried is speedier than 87 percent of the laptops in our full testing database. It doesn't outperform the new M5 MacBook Pro, but it comfortably beats its M4 predecessor and most of the other Windows laptops on this list.

"A laptop with that much pep will cost a fat check," you're probably thinking. You'd be wrong: The Swift Go 16 is only $1,200 when configured as tested with a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 285H CPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. That's an incredible deal for such future-proofed internals. An Intel CPU also means it avoids the compatibility snafu of its Snapdragon-powered peers, if that's something that concerns you (though at 11.5 hours, its battery life pales in comparison).

The Swift Go 16's big, bright, and beautiful display adds even more to its value. "I mean, c'mon. A 16-inch 2.8K OLED display on a $1,200 laptop — that's not something I come across often," said Chaney, our tester. "It displays colors vibrantly (and accurately) and blacks appear true and rich, resulting in a stunning media-watching experience."

The Swift Go 16 remains portable despite its bigger screen, coming in at just 3.3 pounds; other 16-inch laptops we've tried recently weigh well over four pounds.

Chaney also called out the Swift Go 16's unique touchpad in her testing notes: It has LED-lit controls that pop up when you watch a YouTube clip, play a song on Spotify, or hop on a video call. It's pretty neat.

Truthfully, I'd be tempted to name the Swift Go 16 the best Windows laptop overall if it weren't for three things: its so-so battery life, its weak mic, and its weak hinges. (Of the latter, Chaney wrote: "It was way too easy to get the display to tilt all the way back simply by setting the laptop down on my lap a little firmer than I'd usually do.") These shortcomings kept it from securing Mashable Choice status, too. However, I still think it's a great option for anyone who wants a zippy, future-proofed big-screener that gets you a ton for the money.

If you want an extra screen for multitasking, hooking up a separate monitor to your regular laptop is an easy, cost-efficient solution. But if the all-in-one form factor speaks to you, Lenovo's latest Yoga Book 9i is an awesome dual-OLED display machine that combines premium performance with premium features.

The 2025 Yoga Book 9i is, first and foremost, a looker. "This is a gorgeous laptop," wrote Chaney. "If I saw someone using this laptop in public, I'd get over my fear of talking to strangers just to tell them I loved their laptop — it looks that good." It's decked out with a pair of 2.8K 120Hz OLED touchscreens, and you can use it like a normal laptop or in tent, tablet, and portrait modes (with its two screens side by side). Its superb build quality is further apparent in its nicely balanced speakers and sharp 5MP webcam.

All of the Yoga Book 9i's accessories are included in its price, which also helps justify its going rate of $2,000-plus. That includes a matching detachable keyboard, mouse, stylus, folio case, and protective sleeve. The keyboard is especially great, said Chaney — better than the one included with last year's model. You can also type on the Yoga Book 9i's on-screen keyboard, which has adjustable haptic feedback and color schemes.

Another big thing the Yoga Book 9i has going for it is its horsepower. We tested a model with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor that got a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 15,302, making it speedier than 85 percent of the laptops we've ever tried. (It's the third-fastest non-gaming laptop on this list after the Acer Swift Go 16 and the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+.) It ran quiet and cool in our testing, even with a bunch of apps and tabs open.

The Yoga Book 9i's battery life underwhelms — predictable, given its fast performance and the fact that it's powering two dazzling OLED displays, though it should still get you through a full workday. It also skimps on ports beyond your standard USB-C/Thunderbolt fare. An HDMI port for an external monitor isn't all that necessary here, but its lack of a headphone jack is disappointing.

DIYers, tinkerers, and anyone sick of buying a new laptop every few years will love the Framework Laptop 13. It requires a bigger upfront investment than other Windows laptops with similar specs and benchmark results, but its long-term value is unmatched. It's the closest thing you can get to a buy-it-for-life laptop and a gateway drug to the right-to-repair movement.

Read Mashable's full review of the Framework Laptop 13 (Intel Core Ultra Series 1).

The Framework Laptop 13 has a unique modular design that makes it infinitely repairable and customizable. If you've never had an innocent Geek Squad repair appointment turn into a several-hundred-dollar fiasco, you may not realize how big a deal this is, but it's massive. You can swap out the Framework Laptop 13's motherboard, memory, storage, keyboard, display, and expansion cards all by yourself, and it's super easy to do. I have zero prior PC building experience, and after putting together an IKEA shoe cabinet the other day, I can confidently say that assembling the Framework Laptop 13 is a simpler process. Everything snaps or screws into place so cleanly.

At-home fixability is a privilege in the laptop world, so you do pay a premium for it. I tested a base configuration of the 2024 Framework Laptop 13, which came with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor, 16GB of RAM, 500GB SSD, and a 60Hz matte display for $1,197 altogether. (It was a DIY Edition, so I built it and installed Windows 11 myself, but plug-and-play models are also available.)

My review unit's battery life was terrific at just over 17 hours, surpassing some newer MacBooks, and I thought its overall build quality was solid. Its glass touchpad was buttery smooth, and the swappable expansion card bit is so well done — it's seriously genius. However, my review unit notched a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of just 8,231, making it one of the least powerful Windows laptops we've tried. (Other models in the $1,100 to $1,200 range scored at least 12,000.) It's 31 percent slower than the $1,000 Asus Zenbook A14, and its display isn't as nice, either. I think it's fair to say that the Framework Laptop 13 is overpriced at face value, but for the right person, its future-proofing will be more important than having the fanciest specs.

Fancier specs are readily available, for what it's worth. Framework has released new components every year since the original Framework Laptop launched in 2021. I have some of its latest options in hand for further testing, including an AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series CPU, an upgraded keyboard, and a 2.8K display. I'll update this guide with my thoughts about them in the near future.

Topics HP Lenovo Microsoft Windows

I added the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ as a top pick in February 2026. It's now our favorite work laptop, which is a new category for this guide.

Every major PC maker announced new Windows laptops at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January. They'll all be powered by new Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm processors, and many of them feature modular or ultra-ultraportable designs. Six of them will succeed some of the current top picks on this list. We'll be testing as many as possible in the coming months to see what's worthy of our recommendation, so stay tuned.

Relatedly, a word of caution: Next-gen Windows laptops could be significantly more expensive than their predecessors. It's because AI data centers have gobbled up DDR5 RAM and SSDs in recent months, leading to a shortage of such components for laptops and other consumer devices. Experts predict that PCs will get pricier over the coming months or ship with lesser specs, as Mashable's Alex Perry reported.

Very few PC makers have confirmed pricing and availability for their 2026 Windows laptops, so we don't know exactly how the shortage affects them just yet. The good news is that it might be up to a year before we see prices start to skyrocket. In a recent interview with Tom's Guide, a higher-up at Intel said that PC makers have “about nine to 12 months of inventory" on hand as a buffer.

Whether you're buying one of the excellent past-gen models on this list or sticking it out for something newer, I would strongly recommend upgrading your device with as much RAM and storage as your budget allows. You'll add some extra future-proofing while avoiding any potential price hikes down the road.

A laptop with 512GB of storage and 16GB of memory (RAM) is going to be a solid daily driver and a future-proofed investment for most people. That said, if you're a PC gamer or someone who dabbles in creative work (like graphic design or photo and video editing), I recommend defaulting to 1TB of storage with 32GB of RAM to accommodate your heavier workload.

Many budget laptops start with just 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, which is totally workable for casual users who mainly browse the web, write documents, and send emails. However, you'll probably have to supplement it with an external hard drive eventually, unless you stash most of your files in the cloud.

There are two huge pros to buying a refurbished laptop, one being that they're usually sold at a steep discount. By opting for "new to you" (instead of "brand-new, fresh out the box"), you can maximize your budget and score specs that would normally be out of your price range. Secondly, buying refurbished is just plain good for the environment. Every pre-owned laptop purchase keeps a still-usable device out of a landfill.

The key is to make sure any refurbished laptop you buy is in good-enough condition to last a few years and protected by a decent warranty. For more intel, check out Mashable's guide to buying refurbished tech.

The HP OmniBook 5 14 (Snapdragon X Plus) is the longest-lasting laptop we've ever tried, holding out for 32 hours and 21 minutes in our video rundown test. The MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is our runner-up with a battery life of more than 24 hours. Meanwhile, the longest-lasting MacBook we've tested is the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (M5), which lasted 21 hours and 17 minutes.

Mashable has been writing about laptops for over a decade, and I've personally been covering them since 2023. I also helped develop the rigorous hands-on testing process we currently use to review every model. This methodology revolves around four key criteria:

The laptops we review get put to work as our primary computers. This includes trying any unique software or use cases they support. We also subject all of our loaners to a multi-app/tab stress test and Primate Labs' Geekbench 6, which measures CPU performance in common tasks. Gaming laptops get put through additional graphical benchmarking.

To gauge a laptop's stamina, we conduct a battery rundown test that involves playing a looped 1080p version of "Tears of Steel," a short open-source Blender movie, at 50 percent brightness and 50 percent volume. Ideally, we hope to get at least 14 hours of battery from Windows laptops and four hours from gaming laptops. (They're notoriously power-hungry.)

As we're using a laptop, we zero in on certain components to evaluate its build quality. These include the display, keyboard, touchpad, webcam, speakers, and ports. We also assess its overall aesthetic and portability.

We determine the ultimate value of a laptop by comparing its performance, design/build quality, and battery life to other laptops with similar pricing, specs, release dates, and use cases. We consider any accessories it comes with, any upgrades from its predecessor(s), and its future-proofing.

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.

Source: Original Publication