The Best Laptop for 2023: Our Recommendations for Every Occasion

Now that more people work remotely or in a hybrid setting, laptops have replaced desktop computers for the majority of users. This makes it easy for you to purchase a new laptop when you’re ready to upgrade. However, that also means that there are hundreds of laptop options for you to choose from. Whether you need a basic laptop for work or a powerful gaming machine, these are the best laptop recommendations for every occasion (and budget).

Good to know: when you are working from home, you can dock any of these laptops to an external monitor.

Best Overall: HP Pavilion x360

Price: $829.99

The HP Pavilion x360 provides the best of everything, all in a small and lightweight footprint. The 8GB of RAM and i5 processor provide enough power for daily computer tasks, and the LED screen is excellent for streaming Netflix or company Zoom meetings. Most importantly, the HP Pavilion x360 is one of the most feature-filled laptops for under $1000.

Tech Specs

• 14″ LED touchscreen with 1920 x 1080 resolution
• 512GB solid-state drive (SSD)
• Intel 12th Generation Core i5 processor
• 8GB DDR4 memory
• Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics
• Windows 11 Home
• 2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI
• Estimated 13-hour battery life
• 720p FHD camera
• Wi-Fi 5

Pros

• Convertible design
• Great quality touchscreen for the price range
• HDMI built-in
• Fingerprint reader included

Cons

• Less-than-impressive webcam
• Average battery life

Best Budget Model: Lenovo IdeaPad 3 (14″)

Price: $475.00

If you need an affordable laptop that still offers incredible features, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an outstanding option. You won’t have as much hard drive space, but that’s easily manageable thanks to cloud storage options and external hard drives. Besides, if you just need a laptop that lets you type up documents and send emails, then you aren’t that worried about disk space anyway.

Tech Specs

• 14.0″ FHD anti-glare LCD screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution
• 128GB solid-state drive (SSD)
• AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3500U processor
• 8GB DDR4 memory
• Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics
• Windows 10 Home operating system
• 3x USB-A, 1x HDMI
• Estimated 7.5-hour battery life
• 720p HD camera
• Wi-Fi 5

Pros

• Great specs for the price
• HD screen
• Solid-state drive
• Relatively lightweight

Cons

• No USB-C ports
• Not the best battery life

Tip: if you need a high-quality webcam, these 4K cameras are great options.

Best for Gaming: Razer Blade 15

Price: $3,699.99

The Razer Blade 15 isn’t just another basic laptop. It comes packed with a top-of-the-line graphics card and everything else you could need to play a PC game. It’s one of the few laptops on the market that offers a 240Hz refresh rate, and the built-in 1080p camera is perfect for anyone who also live streams.

Tech Specs

• 15.6″ LCD screen with 2560 x 1440 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate
• 1TB solid-state drive (SSD)
• Intel 12th Generation Core i7
• 16GB DDR5 memory
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
• Windows 11 Home
• 2x USB-C, 3x USB-A, 1x HDMI, 1x SD
• 1080p FHD camera with built-in microphone
• Wi-Fi 6E

Pros

• High-end, dedicated graphics card
• Cooling system built-in
• 8-core processor
• Built for gameplay

Cons

• Limited battery life (5 hours)
• Really expensive
• Heavy compared to other laptops

Tip: gaming can quickly drain your laptop battery, but you can do certain things to maximize your gaming laptop’s battery life between charges.

Best for Kids: ASUS L210

Price: $239.99

Kids don’t need a supercharged laptop to complete school assignments and play Minecraft. They just need something lightweight and affordable, like the ASUS L210. This little laptop provides more than enough features for students to do homework, attend class virtually, or just play games with their friends.

Tech Specs

• 11.6” HD display with 1366 x 768 resolution
• 64GB eMMC flash storage
• Intel Celeron N4020 Processor
• 4GB DDR4 memory
• ‎Intel UHD Graphics 600
• Windows 10
• 2x USB-A, 1x USB-C, 1x HDMI
• Estimated 12-hour battery life
• VGA camera built-in
• Wi-Fi 5

Pros

• Affordable price for most families
• Kid-friendly size
• Supports basic needs like Internet and document creation
• 180° lay-flat hinge
• Very lightweight (2.3 lbs / 1.04 kg)
• Great battery life

Cons

• Small hard drive

• Not suitable for high-graphics gaming

Good to know: if your child also needs a smartphone, here are some great cell phone options for kids.

Best for Linux: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9

Price: $1559.00

Linux users will appreciate the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9, especially since you can purchase it with Ubuntu preinstalled. Its many great features make it the perfect machine for developers or enthusiasts who enjoy customizing their machines. It also offers an impressive battery life compared to other options.

Tech Specs

• 14″ FHD+ IPS, anti-glare, touchscreen with 1920 x 1200 resolution
• 1TB solid-state drive (SSD)
• 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor
• 16 GB LPDDR4x memory
• Integrated Intel® Iris Xe Graphics
• 2x USB 4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI
• Estimated 16.7-hour battery life
• 720p HD camera
• Wi-Fi 6

Pros

• Available with Windows or Linux
• Large-capacity hard drive
• Decent battery life
• Touchscreen

Cons

• Not the newest processor on the market
• Expensive

Best Battery Life: Apple MacBook Pro 13″

Price: $1299.99

If you want a high-quality laptop with an impressive battery life, look no further than the Apple MacBook Pro. While this isn’t a great option for diehard Windows users, it is the perfect laptop for anyone who travels or is frequently without an outlet to charge their machine. The Apple M2 processor is also outstanding, running with Intel’s i7 chipset.

Tech Specs

• 13.3″ LCD Retina display with LED backlighting and 2560 x 1600 resolution
• 256GB solid-state drive (SSD)
• Apple M2 10-core processor
• 8GB DDR4 memory
• Integrated Apple graphics
• macOS Monterey 12
• 2x Thunderbolt/USB-C
• Estimated 20-hour battery life
• 720p FaceTime HD camera
• Wi-Fi 6

Pros

• Outstanding battery life
• Small and relatively lightweight
• Easy to sync data for iPhone users

Cons

• Lower quality camera than some other laptops
• Not appealing to Windows users

FYI: you can use a Macbook docking station to hook your Mac laptop up to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Best OLED: Dell XPS 15 (9250)

Price: $2449.99

Although the price may seem a bit steep, the Dell XPS 15 (9250) doesn’t disappoint with its gorgeous 3.5K OLED touch display and lightning-fast processor. If you do any work or hobby involving images or videos, this is hands down the best Windows laptop for you.

Tech Specs

• 15.6″ 3.5K OLED touchscreen with 3456 x 2160 resolution
• 1TB solid-state drive (SSD)
• Intel 12th Generation Core i7 14-core processor
• 16GB DDR5 memory
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card
• Windows 11 Home
• 1x USB-C, 2x USB-C/Thunderbolt 4
• Estimated 12-hour battery life
• 720p HD camera
• Wi-Fi 6

Pros

• Amazing display quality for a laptop
• Dedicated graphics card
• Powerful processor
• Massive solid-state hard drive

Cons

• No HDMI port built-in
• Battery life could be better
• Less-than-impressive webcam compared to other specs

Best Lightweight: Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro

Price: $1499.99

The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro gives users all the features you could want in a laptop while maintaining a 13″ screen and weighing just over 2 pounds (0.9 kg). It offers comparable specs to any other laptop on this list, making it a great option for anyone who is constantly on the go.

Tech Specs

• 13.3″ OLED touchscreen with 1920 x 1080 resolution
• 512GB solid-state drive (SSD)
• Intel 12th Generation Core i7 Evo Platform processor
• 16GB LPDDR5 memory
• Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics
• Windows 11 Home
• 1x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD
• Estimated 12-hour battery life
• 1080p FHD camera with built-in microphone
• Wi-Fi 6E

Pros

• Extremely lightweight
• Impressive OLED display
• 1080p camera
• Massive 1TB hard drive

Cons

• No built-in HDMI port
• No dedicated graphics
• Average battery life

Tip: if you’re concerned about whether your monitor is keeping up, you can always test the refresh rate.

Best 2-in-1: Lenovo Yoga 7i (14″)

Price: $1199.99

Between its impressive performance and lightweight design, the Lenovo Yoga 7i makes a great choice for anyone looking for a 2-in-1 machine. It packs an Intel Core i7 and 16GB RAM alongside an incredible touchscreen, while only weighing 3.1 pounds (1.4 kg). If you do anything where the option to flip between tablet and PC would help, this is a great choice.

Tech Specs

• 14″ 2.2K LCD touchscreen with 2240 x 1400 resolution
• 512GB solid-state drive (SSD)
• Intel 12th Generation Core i7
• 16GB LPDDR5 memory
• Intel Iris Xe Graphics
• Windows 11 operating system
• 1x USB-A 3.2, 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI, 1x microSD
• Estimated 16-hour battery life with rapid charge
• 1080p FHD IR Camera
• Wi-Fi 6E

Pros

• High-quality touchscreen
• 16:10 aspect ratio
• 16GB RAM
• Includes HDMI and USB-C ports
• Lengthy battery life

Cons

• Lacks dedicated graphics card
• A bit large for standalone tablet

Best Chromebook: Acer Chromebook Spin 714

Price: $729.00

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 offers impressive specs for a Chromebook, along with a durable design and a built-in stylus. Also, since it’s a 2-in-1 laptop, you get the best of both worlds between a tablet and a Chromebook.

Tech Specs

• 14″ Corning Gorilla Glass touchscreen with ‎1920 x 1080 resolution
• Intel Evo Core i5 processor
• 256GB solid-state drive (SSD)
• 8GB LPDDR4X memory
• Intel Iris Xe Graphics
• Chrome OS operating system
• 1x USB-A 3.2, 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4,
• Estimated 10-hour battery life
• 1080p camera with a built-in microphone
• Wi-Fi 6

Pros

• 2-in-1 laptop
• 16:10 aspect ratio
• Quick-charging stylus pen included

Cons

• Relatively short battery life
• Fairly heavy for Chromebook

Tip: use Chromebook keyboard tips to work more efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I look for in a quality laptop?

Depending on your specific needs, when shopping for a laptop, you should first look at the technical specifications, such as the processor, RAM, and hard drive capacity. After that, consider factors like portability, ports, and durability.

Should I buy a Windows or Mac laptop?

Most users stick to what they know. However, both operating systems offer their own benefits. If you use an iPhone or other Apple products, a Macbook may come in handy. Similarly, a Windows laptop may be handy if you use a lot of Microsoft software.

Will any laptop work for gaming?

Unfortunately, not all laptops are built with gaming in mind. Most only include integrated graphics, and the lack of a dedicated graphics card does not work well for most PC games. If you’re aiming for a gaming laptop, check out our APU vs. CPU vs. GPU comparison to decide which is the best option for you.

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