The best laptops for 2025, tested by our experts

Choosing the best laptop is a largely subjective decision that comes down to your primary use cases, your preferred operating system, and your budget. In other words, there’s no such thing as a universally best laptop.

This is an annoying fact of life for both laptop shoppers and those of us doling out “best laptop” recommendations, since we can’t make custom judgment calls for everyone in need of a new machine. (I would love to, but I’ve got a thing after this.) However, I can confidently point you in the right direction of some standouts that I and other members of the Mashable team have vetted and approved.

What are the best Windows laptops right now?

As of March 2025, Mashable’s top laptop overall is the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, a sophisticated Copilot+ PC with incredible performance, an unrivaled battery life of nearly 23 hours, and some fun AI features, if you’re into that sort of thing. Note that Microsoft recently announced an Intel version that may appeal to users wary of Windows on ARM for app compatibility reasons, but it’s a business-oriented model with a significant markup.

Among hybrid laptops, our 2-in-1 frontrunner is the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 (Gen 9), a solid performer with a gorgeous 2.8K OLED display, a rotating soundbar, and a superb webcam.

For those on a budget, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 (Gen 9) is our newly crowned “best cheap laptop” under $1,000. It’s a 2-in-1 Copilot+ PC with ample power for everyday tasks, a good amount of ports, and a starting price of $899.99. It replaces our previous pick, the $799.99 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, which has a premium, ultra-portable design and an excellent keyboard but dated internals and a lousy 720p webcam. (It’s still a passable option for brand loyalists with tight purse strings, but don’t buy it unless it’s on sale.)

What are the best MacBooks?

Team Apple is currently in limbo. Out of all the models we’ve actually tested, we think the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is the best MacBook for most people. It’s a sleek, peppy notebook that’s ideal for work and school; however, Apple just discontinued it after announcing its successor, the M4 MacBook Air, which offers open-lid support for two displays and promises faster performance.

So where does that leave shoppers? As of March 12, you can buy the new M4 MacBook starting at $999. We don’t like throwing our full recommendation behind laptops without thoroughly testing them first, but barring any surprises, we have a strong suspicion it’s going to be our new No. 1 pick. (We already know what to expect from its M4 chip). Stay tuned for next month’s update to find out if the M4 Air is as good as it seems on paper. In the meantime, you can grab the remaining M3 MacBook Air models on sale for $799.

Beyond that, the 16-inch M4 Pro-powered MacBook Pro is still holding strong as our favorite laptop for photo and video editing. It’s stupid fast, beautifully made, long-lasting, and configurable with a stunning nano-texture display.

Read on for Mashable’s in-depth guide to the best laptops of 2025. FYI: We’ve listed the pricing and specs of our testing units, which may not apply to each laptop’s base model.

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