Any computer can do the basics, but the best laptops feature powerful processors and graphic cards to boost the efficiency of your setup. As seasoned PC reviewers, we’ve tested a wide variety of laptops for work, school and gaming. Out of all of the laptops we’ve reviewed, the Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED stood out as the best laptop overall because its exceptional performance across several different computing tasks, brilliant screen and lightweight design make it a good choice for most people.
One of the best laptops of 2024 is the Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED.
ILLUSTRATION: FORBES / PHOTO: RETAILERS
Aside from the ZenBook, we tracked down eight additional models that cater to different needs. Whether you’re searching for one of the best gaming laptops or a laptop suited for working from home, we’ve leveraged our first-hand experience and in-depth research to find the best laptops available today.
Best for: Everyday web browsing, office use and watching movies on a brilliant, sharp screen.
Pros:
Great performance
Crisp, vivid OLED display
Extremely light
Cons:
Lacks an onboard GPU for gaming
The Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED has a thirteenth-generation Intel processor and comes with a boatload of memory—32GB of DDR5 RAM—making it perfect for heavy multi-tasking and having as many browser tabs open as you want. To top it all off, it has a 2.8K OLED screen, so images look ultra crisp with inky blacks and vibrant colors. That makes this laptop the perfect tool for work, entertainment and content creation.
This laptop doesn't let you down elsewhere, either. Battery life gets you an average of 10 hours of mixed use, and at only two pounds, this laptop is super light and portable.
CPU: Snapdragon X Elite | RAM: 16GB | Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno | Storage: 512GB | Display: 13.4-inch | Resolution: 1920 x 1200 | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Battery: Up to 27 hours | Weight: 2.62pounds
Best for: Everyday web browsing, office use and watching videos.
Pros:
Long lasting battery
Thin and lightweight
Bright display
Cons:
Limited ports
The Dell XPS 13 has long been one of the company’s most popular models, and this latest iteration proves it can carry on that moniker with its snappy performance and sleek design. At less than three pounds, the XPS 13 is incredibly thin and portable; alongside the Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED, it’s one of the most lightweight models on our list. Design aside, the Dell XPS 13 packs a punch with its Snapdragon X Elite processor, Qualcomm Adreno graphics and 16GB of RAM, offering plenty of power for office use, gaming or creative work. However, one downside is that the XPS 13 only comes with two USB-C ports so if you plan on connecting accessories, you’ll likely need a docking station.
Best for: Gaming at high detail and high frame rates.
Pros:
Excellent gaming performance, with DLSS 3 support
Fast and responsive display
Storage and RAM are fast and upgradeable
Cons:
Heavy
Battery life could be better
The latest generation of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 is a lesson in performance and efficiency. It has enough power to drive high-fidelity gaming at 1600p resolution, all while offering impressive battery life for a gaming laptop. It won't outlast true efficiency kings like Apple's MacBooks, but for a gaming machine? This laptop goes and goes, and goes hard. It has Ryzen 7 CPU from AMD featuring the latest Zen 4 cores on a tiny 5nm process node, and with eight cores and a high clock speed, there's nothing this chip can't handle. Paired with an Nvidia RTX 4060, and it can not only pump out high frame rates in any game you choose, but it supports both DLSS and its new DLSS 3 frame generation feature, which helps mid-range GPUs punch well above their weight in compatible games.
It has a gorgeous 16-inch display with a high refresh rate, above-average brightness and resolution, making it look crisp and vibrant. It's a touchscreen too, so in compatible games or apps you can enjoy that additional input option. You still won’t get a ton of battery life when gaming at high detail settings, but if you lower the screen brightness and limit the frame rate in casual games, you should be able to get a few hours of of this machine without difficulty. It also comes at an affordable price, making this a gaming laptop that almost anyone can enjoy.
Best for: Budget buyers looking for a capable performer for under $1,000.
Pros:
Good performance at an affordable price
Attractive 1080p display
Lots of fast storage space
Cons:
No dedicated GPU for gaming
This Dell Inspiron 14 has everything you need for a whole range of simple tasks, whether it's office work, web browsing and research or even casual gaming. It has thirteenth-generation Intel Core i7 processor with 10 cores. That gives it excellent multi-tasking performance if you're a heavy web browser or want to run a few different apps at once. The onboard graphics can run older and casual games. And with 16GB of fast memory and a 1TB SSD, the system is snappy and responsive.
At just 3.5 pounds, you can take this light, compact laptop just about anywhere without weighing you down. The battery lasts about 11 hours, which is more than enough for a workday and then some. The 16:10 aspect ratio display makes it more comfortable reading longer documents and web pages, too.
Best for: Laptop and tablet work—and casual gaming, too.
Pros:
Powerful internal hardware
Vibrant OLED 2K display
16:10 aspect ratio
Cons:
Lacks high-end graphics for gaming
The Lenovo Yoga 9i 14-inch delivers almost everything you’d want in a modern 2-in-1 laptop, with solid performance from its internal hardware and above average battery life. The Intel Core i7-1360p at the heart of this machine delivers excellent performance in both lightweight and more demanding tasks, partly thanks to its 16GB of high-speed LPDDR5 memory, which offers much greater bandwidth than previous generation 2-in-1s. It lacks dedicated graphics, so this isn't a 2-in-1 for gamers, but the Intel Iris Xe is enough for older indie and esports games.
The responsive 2.8K touchscreen OLED display produces crisp images, and its taller 16:10 aspect ratio makes it great for browsing longer documents or websites. Like all OLED displays, the Yoga 9i’s screen showcases inky blacks and vibrant colors that make every image, movie and TV show look stellar. Adjust this model to use it in multiple ways, thanks to its 360-degree hinge, which lets you use it as a tablet. It's heavier than detachable tablets at just over 3 pounds, but it’s still one of the lightest laptops for a 2-in-1 of this size.
A powerful work and gaming laptop is typically heavy, but it doesn’t have to be. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is both high-performance and pretty lightweight, weighing in at just over 3.5 pounds. That makes it great for lugging around at college, only to whip it out for school work or when you fancy a game. Its battery will last all day, too, which you won’t find on almost any other laptop of its kind. You’ll be able to watch videos and play most games at high detail with the Ryzen 7 CPU and RTX 4050 graphics, especially in games that support DLSS 3 frame generation. However, this isn’t a high-end gaming machine, so while it will make your games look great at 1440p, you might need to lower some settings to maintain high frame rates in AAA titles.
If you can get a high frame rate, you’ll really appreciate how smooth this laptop looks, too. It uses Mini-LEDs, so it gets very bright, helping HDR elements pop off the screen and making colors rich and vivid. It also has plenty of fast storage space, and a wide selection of ports, including USB-A, USB-C (one of which is USB4) and HDMI 2.1. It also has an SD card reader and a headphone jack.
Best for: Getting a gorgeous picture on a 17-inch display.
Pros:
Excellent performance
Big and bright 4K display
Strong battery life
Cons:
Expensive
Not very portable
The Dell XPS 17 bumps the processor to a thirteenth-generation Intel Core i9, memory from 16GB to 32GB, adds a step-up graphics card and doubles the storage to 1TB. This boosts make the Dell 17 up to almost any computing task. Its sleek design looks clean and professional, and though it's not a light laptop, it's not as heavy as some of the bulky gaming laptops.
Where this laptop really distinguishes itself is with its 4K touchscreen display. At 17-inches, the display has lots of screen space for multiple windows if you're multi-tasking. It’s also very bright, hitting as high as 500 nits in HDR movies and games. The battery can run for up to 10 hours of mixed use.
Best MacBook Laptop
Lightweight Yet Powerful MacBook
Best Buy
Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch (M2)
CPU: Apple M2 | RAM: 8GB | Graphics: Apple M2 GPU | Storage: 512GB SSD | Display: 13.3-inch | Resolution: 2,560 x 1,664 | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Battery: Up to 18 hours | Weight: 2.7 pounds
Best for: Completing lightweight tasks at blazing speed, or for Apple fans who want to stay in the ecosystem.
Pros:
One of the most affordable M2 MacBooks you can buy
Terrific performance
More than a full work-day of battery life
Cons:
Can get warm during high-computing tasks
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) builds on the success of the M1 generation Air with greater performance and a bright 500 nits, 2K display. This model’s aluminum body design presents as a classy and understated look. While you can use this laptop for everyday tasks including image and video editing, it is best suited to more lightweight tasks as the M2 can get warm during extensive, heavy use.
At just 2.7 pounds, the lightweight MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) is the best MacBook available for use on the go. This isn't the least expensive configuration of the MacBook Air 13-inch (M2), but the 256GB version ($300 less) has a slower SSD, making it less easy to recommend.
For parents searching for their kids’ first laptop, take a look at the Acer Aspire 3. It's a relatively lightweight and portable design, with impressive performance from its new-generation Ryzen 5 CPU and 8GB of fast DDR5 memory. This is backed up by 512GB of fast SSD storage, so there's enough space there for all your child's applications, games, files and folders. The 15.6-inch touchscreen is only 1080p, but that helps keep the battery life high, and its touchscreen allows for additional interaction options. It's not a fold-flat 2-in-1, though, so you can't use this as a tablet.
The battery lasts all day for up to 11 hours of mixed usage, so you won't always be looking for a charge point or power bank. It charges fast when you do plug it in, though, and it offers excellent connectivity. There's USB-C and USB-A, with a headphone and microphone jack, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 6 support, and a built-in webcam to help them stay in touch with friends and family.
Forbes Vetted contributor Jon Martindale is a tech journalist with years of experience covering laptops and computers. As a former owner of a PC review site, Martindale evaluates all sorts of computer hardware, from the best business laptops to computer monitors.
Consumer tech and electronics editor Rebecca Isaacs is an industry veteran who has been covering computer hardware for over four years. She oversees this guide and its updates, as well as our large library of laptop articles.
We routinely update this guide to make sure our recommendations remain current. It was last updated in June 2024 by tech updates writer Alexandra Garrett to add the Dell XPS 13.
How We Chose The Best Laptops
To find the best laptops of 2024, we tracked down top-rated models from tried and trusted brands, such as Asus, Dell, Apple, Lenovo and Acer.
We sought out reputable laptop brands and examined the critical features of the most popular models, prioritizing processing power, RAM, graphics, storage, display size, resolution, refresh rate, weight and battery life.
We leveraged Isaacs and Martindale’s hands-on experience building, testing and reviewing computers when compiling our list of laptop recommendations.
We pored over customer reviews and made sure each pick had an average rating of at least 3.5 stars out of 5.
Laptops aren’t one-size-fits-all, so we included options to suit a variety of needs and budgets, like the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 for gaming and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 for students.
The Best Laptop By Category
Looking for more options? We’ve got a list to help you find the best laptop for your lifestyle. From MacBooks and Chromebooks, to models under $500, we've got you covered.
