We've Spent Hours Testing Out Laptops to Find the Best Worth Buying Today

Stefan Vazharov
·11 min read
Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images


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Buying a laptop today is more exciting than ever. The market is constantly growing with new options catered to more specific needs, like the person who wants their laptop to double as a tablet or the pro gamer who always needs to play on the go.

We've been researching and testing out laptops for years, and we're constantly keeping our eye out for new laptop launches that might rival one of our favorites. We're constantly scrutinizing specs and putting laptops through hands-on testing to determine the best worth buying. For our guide this year, we evaluated products from Apple, Microsoft, Dell, HP, and Acer, among other leading brands.

Best Laptops of 2022

How We Chose

In order to narrow down the best laptops for our list, we looked for laptops with the most up-to-date hardware specs in their product categories at various price points. After all, a well-equipped notebook guarantees many years' worth of reliable performance between upgrades.

We only considered products with Bluetooth 5.0 (or higher), and Wi-Fi 6/6E are two wireless connectivity. The former will ensure that your notebook can pair with the latest wireless headphones, earbuds, and speakers, while the latter guarantees a rock-solid Wi-Fi experience for years to come.

Additional features like a high-quality webcam and microphones were also essential in our selection process, as these tools are necessary for many laptop users' remote-work routines.

What to Consider

Form Factor

Before choosing your next laptop, think about how you'll be using it. Larger laptops typically pack beefier hardware and more elaborate sets of additional features than their compact siblings, but they aren’t as portable.

If you're looking for a lightweight notebook to use on the go, you'll want a display that measures 14 inches or less diagonally — anything bigger than that are preferable for gaming and desktop use.

Hardware Specs

In 2022, every new MacBook you plan on buying will pack an Apple M1 or M2 chip. The former has insanely capable Pro and Max iterations, which debuted alongside the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros in late 2021.

If you're shopping for a new PC laptop or a Chromebook, look for an 11th-or 12th-generation Intel processor — the more contemporary, the better. AMD-equipped notebooks should pack Ryzen 5000 or 6000 series chips.

Since a capable graphics card is essential for conquering heavy workloads and high-powered gameplay, I highly recommend you consider notebooks with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs for such tasks.

Screen

A good laptop should have a screen with Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution or (preferably) higher. Apple’s MacBook lineup has rocked beautiful Retina displays for many years, so you won’t be short on pixels if you opt for one. And thankfully, the latest PC laptops sport display panels with whose resolution is well above Full HD.

Displays with a high maximum refresh rate will bring more fluid, infinitely more enjoyable interactions at the expense of battery life — a feature that's an absolute must for gaming laptops.

Battery Life

Unless you're shopping for a portable desktop replacement or a gaming rig, the laptops on your radar should be able to make it at least through a workday of mixed-use. If battery endurance is an absolute priority, you should consider a MacBook with an Apple M1 or M2 chip, as these products’ ability to last between charges is in a league of their own.

With all of that in mind, read through our guide to find the best laptops worth buying in 2022.

Best Overall

Key Specs

  • Apple M2 chip with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, Neural Engine

  • Up to 24GB of RAM, up to 2TB of SSD storage

  • 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone Technology

  • Up to 18 hours of battery life

The all-new, thoroughly redesigned MacBook Air with the Apple M2 chip is hands down today's best overall laptop. Powered by the tech giant's silicon, the elegant machine offers industry-crushing speed and battery endurance that no rival can match. Unless you really need a touchscreen, this is the laptop to get.

In addition to being sleek, light, and powerful, the M2 MacBook Air features a captivating Retina display and a superb Magic Keyboard with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Its FaceTime HD webcam and speakers are also excellent and a step above its predecessor's. "Given its redesign, larger and brighter display, improved webcam, snappy performance, and outstanding battery life, it's a worthy investment," noted my colleague Brandon Carte after testing the new MacBook Air.

For $100 more, the new MacBook Pro with the M2 chip offers a more powerful GPU and longer battery life than the MacBook Air, though its design is nowhere near as fresh. If you are shopping on a tighter budget, consider the MacBook Air with the M1 chip. Almost two years after its debut, it is still a great buy.

Best PC Laptop

Key Specs

  • 12th-generation Intel Core i5 CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics

  • 8GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage

  • 14-inch 2.2K IPS display with 2,240 x 1,400 pixels

  • Up to 11 hours of battery life

The HP Pavilion 14 Plus is the best PC laptop for most consumers, offering a sleek design, top-tier build with recycled metal housing and plastic bits, excellent performance, and a reasonable price. The notebook has powerful hardware, a sharp display panel with thin bezels, and dependable battery life. If you're looking for a great 15-inch PC laptop, consider this sub-$1,000 HP Pavilion.

Thanks to Intel's latest chip and graphics, the Pavilion 14 Plus can conquer almost any task you throw at it. Other key features of the notebook include a convenient fingerprint sensor, a high-quality webcam, stereo speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen, and a ton of futureproof wired and wireless connectivity features.

Dropping another $150 will get you a fancier HP Pavilion 14 Plus version with a captivating OLED display panel, a more powerful chip, and more memory. I tested the product, and it's the best HP Pavilion I have seen. It takes the value-packed product family to a new level by delivering hardware specs and an overall experience worthy of a higher price tag.

Best Chromebook

Key Specs

  • 11th-generation Intel Core i5 CPU

  • 8GB of RAM; 256GB of SSD storage

  • 14-inch Full HD touchscreen with a 360-degree hinge

  • Up to 10 hours of battery life

The Chromebook Spin 514 by Acer is today's best Chrome OS laptop. It's elegant, tough, and incredibly versatile, thanks to a 360-degree touchscreen. It also packs a powerful Intel chip, an excellent backlit keyboard, a top-notch webcam, and a wide array of futureproof wired and wireless connectivity features.

Rather impressively and unlike most laptops, the Chromebook Spin 514 is built to meet military-grade standards for durability. Acer claims that the MIL-STD-810G compliance has been independently verified. The notebook's rugged metal housing and display panel with Corning Gorilla Glass also have a premium look and finish. Given its hefty price tag, we expected nothing less.

If you're looking for a touchscreen-toting Chrome OS laptop on a tighter budget, consider the Acer Chromebook Spin 314. It has the same versatile design, an entry-level Intel chip, and less memory. On the other hand, the 15.6-inch Acer Chromebook 315 offers a big-screen Chrome OS experience for frugal upgraders.

Best Budget

Key Specs

  • AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU, Radeon graphics

  • 8GB of RAM (upgradeable), 256GB of SSD storage

  • 15.6-inch Full HD display with 1,920 by 1,080 pixels

  • Up to 11 hours of battery life

The Acer Aspire 5 Slim is the best PC laptop for budget-conscious buyers and our favorite under $500. It offers solid hardware specs with a capable AMD processor and graphics, upgradeable memory, solid battery life, and Windows 11 — the platform’s most up-to-date iteration.

The Aspire 5 has an aluminum top cover, making it look like a more expensive product. The full-size backlit keyboard and abundant connectivity features are also excellent, especially considering the product's agreeable price. The big-screen notebook is also impressively portable, weighing under 4 pounds.

If you're looking for an even more affordable option, consider this Acer Aspire 5 version with a lower-level AMD Ryzen 3 chip, less memory, and an onboard fingerprint sensor for $100 less. The under-$700 Acer Aspire Vero is another stellar budget laptop with intel hardware and a characterful recycled plastic exterior and keyboard keycaps.

Best Gaming Laptop

Key Specs

  • 12th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics

  • 16GB of RAM (upgradeable), 512GB of SSD storage

  • 16.1-inch Full HD display with 144 Hz maximum refresh rate

  • Up to 6 hours and 45 minutes of battery life

HP's Victus 16 is a great laptop for gamers, thanks to an elegant design, stellar hardware specs that result in an uncompromising performance, and a reasonable price. The big-screen gaming notebook is a solid purchase that won't need an upgrade for quite a while, so it is a favorite of ours in this highly competitive product category.

The gaming performance of the Victus 16 is excellent for its price range. The device's NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU can easily power through today's AAA gaming titles in full HD resolution with high levels of in-game detail.

We're also impressed by the display panel's fast refresh rate, ensuring the gameplay is incredibly smooth. Thanks to an anti-glare finish, the screen is suitable for use in bright spaces, too. As expected from a gaming rig, the Victus 16 also packs a praiseworthy set of connectivity features (both wired and wireless).

If you are shopping for a portable gaming rig on a smaller budget, consider this HP Victus variant instead. It has the same cool design but toned-down specs and price tag.

Best 2-in-1 PC

Key Specs

  • 11th-generation Intel Core i5/i7 CPU

  • Up to 32GB of RAM, up to 1TB of SSD storage

  • 13-inch high-resolution PixelSense touchscreen with 120 Hz refresh rate

  • Up to 16 hours of battery life

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is the gold standard for 2-in-1 PCs. It has all the qualities that make the tech giant's Surface products a hit with consumers: looks, craftsmanship, power, and versatility. You can instantly transform the Pro 8 from a tablet to a laptop by attaching the Signature Type Cover.

Microsoft offers the Surface Pro 8 in many hardware configurations, ensuring buyers can find one that fits their budget. Every variant packs a powerful Intel chip, a beautiful PixelSense touchscreen with a smooth refresh rate, and up-to-date connectivity features.

It would have been great if the Signature keyboard cover and the Surface Slim Pen 2 — a pair of must-have accessories for the Pro 8 — didn’t cost extra. I still highly recommend that you get these accessories if you opt for this product — they are essential for making the most out of its vast capabilities.

In case you are shopping for a 2-in-1 PC on a tighter budget, consider the compact Microsoft Surface Go 3 instead. It packs a smaller display and an entry-level Intel processor.

Best PC Ultrabook

Key Specs

  • 11th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics

  • 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage

  • 13.4-inch IPS touchscreen with Full HD+ resolution

  • Up to 14 hours of battery life

A year after hitting the shelves, the XPS 13 by Dell is still our favorite PC ultrabook. It has a peerlessly elegant design, top-tier hardware specs and performance, and robust battery life. Crafted from aluminum, carbon fiber, and Corning Gorilla Glass, the XPS 13 is also a joy to interact with. It is pricier than its competitors, but its design and craftsmanship are worth splurging on.

I tip my hat to Dell for making the XPS 13 compact and lightweight. Weighing less than 3 pounds, the notebook is thinner than a dime when closed. Because of its impossibly slim display bezels, the XPS 13 has the footprint of an 11-inch laptop despite rocking a 13.4-inch panel.

Consider this Dell XPS 17 iteration if you like the design of the XPS 13 but need the ultimate in specs and power. The big laptop rocks a 17-inch display with a higher resolution, a latest-generation Intel Core i9 processor with NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics to go with a thunderous price tag. More reasonably priced XPS 17 versions are also available if you want to keep your upgrade budget below $3,000.

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