The Top Laptops of 2022: Our Picks

The best laptops are those with the right combination of features, performance, and design. Whether you're shopping for a laptop or upgrading from one, there's an entry-level laptop you can find that will fulfill your needs. Our list is organized by type so you can easily find what you're looking for in any category. Best Overall Lenovo IdeaPad 3 8.7 Best value Acer Aspire 5 15.6 Best 2-in-1 Asus Zephyrus Duo 14 7.0 Best budget Dell XPS 13 93 16 Best hybrid/all-rounder HP Envy 13 6.7 Best all-powerful Macbook Pro M2 12 Best battery life (except Chrome OS) Apple MacBook Air i9 11 Best build quality (except Intel CPUs) Microsoft Surface Go

Best Mobile Flagship

Best Budget Laptop

Best All-Round Android Device Overall Samsung Galaxy Book S - 3 1.5 Best battery life (except Chrome OS) Google Pixel Flex 2 0.3 Best display size (except 1080p) Nokia Lumia 9 PureView 10 1.5 Best processor (except Snapdragon) LG Wing OLED 4 0.6 Best RAM (except DDR4) Lenovo Yoga A 5 0.6 Best storage (except 64GB) Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha (3)

Best Windows-Only PC

Best Chromebook

Best Tablet

Best Media Player (except Apple TV)

Best Smartphone Today's Best Deals View at Amazon (opens in new tab) View at Walmart (opens in new tab) View at Target (opens in new tab) Reasons to buy + Good productivity + Strong GPU performance + Fast performance Reasons to avoid - Bad sound card compatibility - Pricey

The cheapest laptop on this list is currently the Chromebook from Google, which costs $329, while the priciest option is the more expensive HP model with AMD Ryzen processors and Nvidia RTX graphics. While some other manufacturers have their tablets as part of a larger line, the majority of these devices cost over $1,000. Although price isn't everything, we believe most of the choices made here at least average out to offer good value for money if you want the latest hardware. For example, many of our top picks are under $800.

However, we found it to be somewhat difficult finding a model with a less powerful CPU that would still meet the criteria in terms of specifications, and we recommend not spending too much time searching for what makes up the "best" package when you plan your upgrade. More important than pricing is portability. You don't want to spend two hundred dollars on a device only able to run some games on its modest screen. If you do need something smaller for certain tasks, like using word processing software or emailing web pages, go with a budget-friendly machine. We also tend to prefer more affordable models, like the one listed above from Lenovo, because they usually have better batteries and provide more ports. However, the most affordable options available generally are either 2-in-1s such as the current Asus Zenfone x2, 2-in-1 phones like the Huawei MateBook Pros, or even cheaper 1-in-1s like the newly released Panasonic RZ-E1. Many of the top-tier machines also come on mobile platforms; the upcoming Redmi Notebook Pro looks promising (opens in new tab), and the recently announced iPhone SE may be coming soon. Some of these will likely come later this year. With that said, keep in mind that each model has been tested and reviewed by someone who has tested a variety of brands and models, so if you experience a problem or have questions about whether a particular product should be your next purchase, take comfort in knowing that others have had similar experiences in making the same decision.

Read more about buying smartphones and tablets.

Best Affordable Desktop Laptop

The first thing to consider is that it might seem odd to recommend low-end computers, especially considering how far they're typically priced from high-end ones. But, as we mentioned, the cost is rarely the decisive factor in purchasing a computer. Rather, affordability is. Even though today's prices often beat out the likes of last year's flagship tech gizmos, it should only be an indicator for people willing to commit to investing money. Prices aren't always indicative of quality as well, since the latest models on sale will often be slightly improved — but there's no guarantee these systems are worth paying for. Instead, focusing on performance and performance alone is key. That means going back to basics. For most budgets, a desktop PC will be enough, and sometimes this can mean sacrificing some features to cut down to just essentials. In many cases, people make compromises by opting instead for laptops. They're typically lighter and thinner, and they save space at home, whereas desktops can weigh quite a bit more. These lower-cost machines are also generally built similarly to higher-end versions of older PCs. So, for example, a gaming rig as it were (opens in new tab) will typically be capable of running some very demanding applications with a decent number of frames per second and a smooth frame rate even when running an intensive game. There are also plenty of great third-party programs to choose from, even if none match the capabilities of some enterprise suites with full control over system resources. And most systems on the market look fantastic thanks to a wealth of free content, software, and online support materials. With that being said, buyers need to know that when comparing systems, you'll pay for components and configurations differently based on how much power and cooling capacity they have. This varies depending on the manufacturer. Some use fans so a fanless machine may mean a significant loss of performance, whereas other manufacturers use dedicated liquid cooling units, which allows for faster performance — but it means you'll have to replace both the coolant bottle and the chassis. One thing to note: although desktop PCs tend to be smaller than ultraportables, they usually offer the same amount of power to perform almost equally well. Therefore, the differences between a lot of popular laptops are usually negligible and can be largely attributed to how well the specs match those of individual parts being sold. Most laptops on our list are pretty basic, but some are a little more advanced, but most also fit the bill for everyday tasks. However, if you're planning on doing heavy computing or creative work, remember that small improvements can certainly make a big difference if you want speed without taking away from your overall performance. Plus, you don't want to risk having issues with overheating hardware that could lead to problems with the processor itself. Keep your temperatures checked anyway, but bear in mind that overheating can be as bad as hardware overheating, meaning it could affect how quickly the entire computer works. To prevent problems such as these, you might be getting cooler. Also, take note of where a few extra dollars go: as previously mentioned, you won't get the same level of performance as you would expect with larger displays, nor do you get nearly as much memory in a compact portable device. Ultimately, this comes down to

the fact that you shouldn't necessarily expect any noticeable benefits by upgrading a laptop at a reasonable price point. We also don't recommend it unless you're comfortable with overclocking. Depending on the motherboard, graphics card, and wattage that you choose, you could bump the clock speed up or down tenfold. Or if you like playing around with temperatures or managing power consumption, you might want to avoid overclocking to increase performance. Otherwise, keeping things simple when it comes to core capabilities will give you the best bang for your buck. Read our full review of the lowest-end notebooks on the market.

Best Value Entry-Level

The biggest perk of the Dell XPS13 is that it starts relatively inexpensively and manages to deliver solid performance despite its relative lack of additional bells and whistles. It's worth consideration, especially given the massive increases in recent years. That being said, the main issue with this system is that it doesn't compete with similarly-priced alternatives, which are often built better than the previous generation that came before. Because of this, for some serious gamers, the Dell XPS13 won't be the right choice. But you'll still be happy to know it's significantly more affordable than the most comparable alternative. Read our full review of this system. Below are details regarding the configuration. Prices start at $1,999.99.

Best Gaming Laptop Under $1,000

If you're on a limited budget, you probably want a less specialized machine for specific activities or projects, e.g., reading books, watching movies, editing photos, etc. Fortunately, a midrange or sub-$500 laptop can handle almost anything you throw at it, and we found several affordable offerings that do just that.

Best Cheap Alternative to Full HD Display?

The most obvious benefit of choosing a cheap laptop is that you get to try out some different designs instead of waiting for upgrades later. At our disposal, we currently have a lot ranging from thin to slim, sleek and stylish, and colorful to plain black or gray. By testing a range of machines across price ranges, we've discovered several excellent laptop designs among budget makers that you might be interested in. We didn't include a ton of them due to time constraints, but we found the following devices as offering acceptable performance for consumers who don't need the super-fast screens offered by premium competitors. Since we can't decide between products based on image quality or form factor-based features, we chose to focus on form factors, rather than features. Additionally, we think some of the more interesting options on this list can help improve one of our favorite tablet apps, TikTok.

Read our detailed guides of many of the best and worst consumer laptops.

Best Low-Power Choice to Consider

A good laptop must still pack a punch