How Much Should You Spend on a Laptop?
If you're shopping for a laptop, you probably have an idea of how much you want to spend. But some context might help put things in perspective. The cheapest laptops cost around $200, but they can range up to $5,000. Meanwhile, the average amount people spend, according to the best data we have, is around $750. That lands decidedly in the midrange, spitting between the more expensive devices that are over $1,000 and the budget-tier machines you find below $700.
When we talk about pricing, it's often the “starting” price of the laptop, meaning the lowest-priced configuration. This is really important to consider, as you want to compare devices apples-to-apples as much as possible. For example, a cheaper laptop might start at $750 with 256 GB of storage, while a more premium laptop might start at this same price but come with 512 GB or even 1 TB of storage. Increasingly, you can find some really decent laptops around this price, some of which we’ve listed below.
If your budget needs to be under $750, though, there are still good options. Laptops below this price tend to compromise in one area or another. Most commonly, it's the quality of the display and touchpad that suffers, as these are things you can't see from a spec sheet or reference photo. Chromebooks often give you the best bang for your buck, especially if you're trying to spend $500 or less.
So, why spend more? Well, there are two primary reasons. First, you might want a more premium design, perhaps one that has a more daring aesthetic or high-end components. Take the MacBook Pro, for example. It starts at $600 more than the MacBook Air but comes with a brighter Mini-LED display, significantly better speakers, and more ports. The second primary reason to spend more than $750 or so is to get more performance. Whether for gaming or for content creation, laptops with discrete GPUs are more expensive, which is why it's hard to find a worthwhile gaming laptop under $1,000. If you're buying a gaming laptop, plan to spend at least $1,500.
What Are the Best Laptop Brands?
Unlike the smartphone world, the biggest laptop brands have been around in the tech industry for over 40 years by now. Taking Apple out of the picture, four laptop brands stand above the rest, following the latest trends and technology, while backing that up with reliable support and services.
Lenovo is the biggest PC brand in the world, at least in terms of global shipments. It's perhaps most well-known for its familiar sub-brands like ThinkPad and Yoga, but it also isn't afraid to take risks with more experimental designs and advanced technology. Lenovo has also made a name for itself in the gaming space too with its Legion laptops, known for balancing performance and features at the most competitive prices.
Asus has quickly become a favorite, notable for its sheer number of laptops available in the consumer market. The company takes a similar approach to Lenovo, and that's led Asus to quickly innovate on new technology and designs, while also launching premium clamshell laptops at more affordable prices than its competitors. Gaming laptops in particular are a space that Asus has come to dominate in, with the ROG Zephyrus, Strix, and TUF brands leading the way.
Dell and HP are a bit more conservative, though they aren't without their notable designs as well. Interestingly, the companies have both gone through a significant laptop rebrand in the past year. HP has introduced “Omnibook” as a replacement to the Spectre and Envy sub-brands in 2024, while Dell started 2025 by removing its well-known sub-brands entirely, including Inspiron and XPS.
Other laptop makers in the mix include Microsoft Surface, Samsung, Acer, LG, and MSI, though none of them have as big a footprint globally in laptops as the top four.
How Do I Choose the Right Laptop?
If none of these laptops quite rings your bell, that's OK! There are far more laptops than we have time to test. To help you make smart choices, we put together a complete laptop buying guide. We also have the details about all the CPUs and GPUs you need to know about for 2025. We recommend sticking to these guidelines:
RAM: In most cases, make sure you get 16 GB of RAM. That's become the new standard, in even more affordable laptops. Upgrading to 32 GB is even better and means you never have to worry about running out of memory, especially if you're a gamer or video editor.
CPU: In the world of Windows laptops, you have three CPU brands to choose from: Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm. Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 launched in late 2024, providing a huge increase in battery life. It also has the best integrated graphics of the three. Core Ultra Series 3 was recently announced and it will launch in early 2026. AMD chips have been primarily used in gaming laptops, as they’ve struggled to take much ground from Intel. Its next-gen chips, AMD Ryzen AI 400 series, are also rumored to launch in 2026. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips, however, have challenged Intel in a serious way over the past year with its ARM-based chips, offering some of the best battery life we've ever seen on Windows machines. The second generation of these chips, Snapdragon X2, was announced this fall and will launch in devices in 2026.
Discrete graphics: Want to play AAA PC games or edit video on your laptop? You’ll likely want a standalone graphics processor, and at this point, Nvidia is the primary option. The RTX 5090 launched this year as the most powerful new GPU available, but the 40-series still remains a good option. Integrated graphics have improved significantly over the years though too, especially with Apple's M4 line.
Screen: The display depends on the size of the laptop. A 1200-pixel resolution (HD+) screen on a 13- or 14-inch laptop looks sharp enough, but you’ll want more pixels on larger displays, such as a 2560 x 1600, 2880 x 1800, or even 3840 x 2400. While IPS screens will be good enough for most people, OLED or Mini-LED are becoming more common, which provide better color accuracy, contrast, and even decent HDR performance.
Connectivity: Ports are important, though everyone needs something different. For most people, though, we suggest at least two USB-C ports and at least one USB-A and HDMI for those legacy devices. (Remember that nearly all laptops today use one of those USB-C ports for the power adapter.) Thankfully, most laptops still have headphone jacks, but always check, because a few daring machines have dropped it. Lastly, make sure there's Wi-Fi 6E support or newer. Even if you don't have a Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 router yet, it's a good bet you will in the future (see our Best Routers or Best Mesh Systems guides if you need a new one).
Battery life: Battery life is extremely competitive these days, with Apple, Qualcomm, and Intel all making highly ambitious battery life claims. Most laptops with the latest chips (and without discrete graphics) will get you over 10 hours of battery life, or many more if your workload is lighter.
Intel vs. AMD vs. Qualcomm
In the world of Windows laptops, there are three primary options for CPUs: Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. All three companies have good options but it really depends on the type of laptop. For premium laptops, you'll want something like the Intel Core Ultra 258V or Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. Meanwhile, for budget laptops, Snapdragon X is the best option. And for gaming laptops, I'd recommend something from AMD like the Ryzen AI 9 365.
Intel and AMD are the eternal rivals in the game, while Qualcomm is the new competitor in the ring. Qualcomm made a huge entrance in 2024 with its Snapdragon X chips. These Arm-based chips, like Apple's M-series chips, emphasize efficiency, which drastically improves battery life. This has been a game-changer for Windows laptops across a wide range of price points. The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite is the highest end option in terms of performance, but the Snapdragon X Plus and base Snapdragon X still equally strong battery life, despite showing up in much cheaper laptops. (Qualcomm recently unveiled the Snapdragon X2 platform.)
But Intel and AMD haven't been sitting on their hands either. Despite all of Intel's financial woes, the company put out a surprisingly strong release with its Core Ultra Series 2. The V-series chips, also known as Lunar Lake, came out in late 2024 and provided comparably good battery life to Qualcomm and Apple. They also have the most powerful integrated graphics you'll find on basic consumer Windows laptops. Unfortunately, Intel's lineup of chips is convoluted and an horribly confusing, with three different generations of CPU architecture released in the past year. In addition to Lunar Lake, we also have Arrow Lake Core Ultra H chips and 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh for its highest-powered Core Ultra HX chips. Those HX chips even still use the old “Core i7” nomenclature, to make things even more confusing. (Intel recently announced its next-gen Panther Lake chips.)
Over on Team Red, AMD has grown into a competitive player in the gaming laptop space in particular. Its latest gaming chips are the most powerful gaming hardware you'll find on a laptop, including the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D. Unfortunately, it's still hard to find many laptops supporting these killer chips. The company also has its Ryzen AI 300 H and HX chips, which are bit more commonly found across gaming laptops. AMD does have its mainstream chips as well, as part of the Ryzen AI 300 Series, but they haven't made their way into as many laptops at this point and don't have as long of battery life as Intel and Qualcomm's latest options.
I have been reviewing laptops for a decade, and WIRED contributor Chris Null has been testing these machines for 25 years. We test each laptop we review in a variety of situations, including both synthetic benchmark tests, real-world use cases, and comparisons against similar equipment. We don’t consider hardware in a vacuum: Our reviews aim to match laptops with the users that will benefit from them the most, taking performance, usability, portability, and price all into account.
We put every laptop through a gauntlet of tests before writing a review and assigning them a rating.
Hands-on use: Here's we evaluate the exterior of the device. We compare how thin and light it is against other laptops. We repeatedly open and close the lid to test the quality and ease of use of the hinge. We push on weak points like the keyboard and lid to test build quality. We furiously type on the keyboard and swipe around on the touchpad to ensure it's comfortable and precise. These are all things you can't see just by looking at a device's landing page on Amazon. We use the laptop itself for many days (and sometimes weeks) to report on any quirks that might pop up, such as oddly placed ports, a surfeit of preloaded shovelware, or unexpected problems that make using the laptop difficult.
Sights and sounds: Once we boot up a device itself, it's all about the sights and sounds of the laptop. The screen is paramount, as its the world through which you experience the entirety of the device. There's a lot you can tell about the brightness, colors, and contrast of a display just by looking at it. Beyond just subjective testing, we also use a Spyder colorimeter to measure the brightness, contrast, color space, and color accuracy of a display. If it's an HDR-capable screen, we also test the peak brightness of the display in HDR content. We also test the webcam and speakers of a laptop to see if they are worthy of your video calls and music streaming sessions.
Performance testing: Finally, we test performance. There's a lot of ways to go about this, but we always evaluate a laptop's performance based on what it's intended for. We don't expect a $500 budget laptop to performance like a powerhouse gaming laptop, nor we expect a gaming laptop to get 18 hours of battery life. Our testbed includes more than 20 synthetic benchmarks, though this is constantly evolving and is dependent on the unit’s CPU and operating system, as macOS and Snapdragon-based laptops have fewer benchmarks available. Those benchmarks include various tests within the latest versions of Geekbench, PCMark, 3DMark, Procyon, GFXBench, Pugetbench, Superposition, Cinebench, and various gaming-related tests such as 3DMark and Cyberpunk 2077. Note that WIRED does not, in general, report raw benchmark scores. In addition to paying attention to the scores these benchmarks produce, we also observe the volume and speed of the fans, the surface temperature of the laptop, and the affect it has on battery life.
It's a lot, I know. But we're thorough because we want to stand by our recommendations, and ensure that the laptops we rate highly are worth the money.
Compare Top 9 Laptops
More Great MacBooks
Read our full Which MacBook You Should Buy guide for more recommendations.
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Apple MacBook Pro with M5
Photograph: Luke LarsenApple MacBook Pro (M5) for $1,449: Buying a MacBook Pro is complicated right now. The latest chip is the M5, but it launched exclusively on the base 14-inch MacBook Pro. It's in the awkward middle ground between the entry-level MacBook Air and the actual performance-driven MacBook Pros. So, while you probably won't regret the M5 MacBook Pro, I still think most people should buy the 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air, which are both significantly cheaper.
Apple MacBook Pro (M4 Pro/M4 Max) for $1,750: While the M5 MacBook Pro is powerful in its own right, if you're a video editing professional, you're still better off with the M4 Pro or M4 Max. Regardless of whether you choose the 16-inch or 14-inch size, the MacBook Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends), the iconic chassis hasn’t changed a bit, and that’s not a bad thing. The Mini-LED screen is color-accurate and HDR-ready, and now even comes with the option for a gorgeous nano-texture screen that effectively reduces glare to nil. It’s a perfect fit for video editors. There are plenty of ports too, and even support for Thunderbolt 5.
Apple MacBook Air (M1) for $599: I don’t normally recommend tech that is four and a half years old. In almost all cases, you should be able to find something newer that’ll last longer. But the M1 MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends) was a special laptop, and unlike many other MacBooks, it’s been kept around at a discounted price because of how well it's held up.
More Great Windows Laptops
Read our full Best Windows Laptops guide for more recommendations and buying advice.
Asus Vivobook 14
Photograph: Luke LarsenAsus Vivobook 14 for $650: Poor battery life and performance are common in budget laptops. Once prices get below $800, companies tend to rely on slow, lackluster chips. The entry-level Snapdragon X processor from Qualcomm changes that for the better. It’s not as fast as the Snapdragon X Plus or X Elite, but the resulting battery life is almost as good, as tested on the Asus Vivobook 14 (6/10, WIRED Recommended). That’s a huge upgrade for laptops at this price. Just know that the display and touchpad are both low-quality.
Asus Zenbook A14 for $550: This is one of the lightest laptops we've ever tested, thanks to Asus' “Ceraluminum” material. The Zenbook A14 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is also the first A-series laptop from the company, and it employs Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X chipset, which is the weakest and supposedly the most affordable of the Snapdragon X series. This one occasionally significantly drops in price, so try to avoid the $1,000 MSRP if you can.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Copilot+ PC for $800: Lenovo's svelte Slim 7x (7/10, WIRED Review) isn't exciting, but it offers the best price-to-performance ratio of the many Copilot+ PCs we've tested. Battery life and performance are standouts, though the fan does tend to run loud.
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 for $1,950: If you're looking for a proper Windows alternative to the powerful MacBook Pro, this is the best one I've tested so far. The Yoga Pro 9i 16 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) has two important features: a discrete RTX 5050 or 5060 GPU and a killer OLED display. Combine that with an excellent keyboard and touchpad, and even great speakers, and you have the whole package. I wish the battery life were better, but that's an area where it'll never quite compete with the MacBook Pro.
More Great Chromebooks
Read our full guide to the Best Chromebooks for more recommendations and buying advice.
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 for $599: This Chromebook uses the same efficient MediaTek processor as the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, which is currently my favorite Chromebook. The Acer model is just as premium, performant, and long-lasting, but it doesn't have the OLED panel. Instead, it gives you an option for a higher-resolution display, as well as a 360-degree hinge. It's sold for around the same price as the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, and it very much exists in the same class of Chromebooks.
Asus Chromebook CX14 for $206: This is the best Chromebook you can buy under $200. It lacks the high-end screen and quality touchpad, unfortunately, but that's the reality of buying a laptop at this price. Fortunately, what the CX14 does provide is a 1920 x 1200 resolution, plenty of ports, and decent-enough performance. Something this cheap should really only be purchased for a student or if you only need something basic, but it's the best option under $200.
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus for $480: This was one of the first “Chromebook Plus” devices we tested, and it's still among the best. While the newer Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is a higher-quality device, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (8/10, WIRED Recommends) comes in a couple of hundred dollars cheaper, which makes it attractive, especially for a Chromebook. You'll still get 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, too.
Acer Chromebook Plus 516 for $479: While the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 has the higher-end screen and processor, I was surprised by how quality this larger model was. Despite being under $500, the touchpad is actually quite good, which is often a huge compromise many laptops at this price make. So, if you need a larger-screen Chromebook at a low price, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 will do you right.
More Great Gaming Laptops
Read our full guide to the Best Gaming Laptops for more recommendations and buying advice.
Lenovo Legion 7i
Photograph: Luke LarsenLenovo Legion 7i for $1,800: It's one of the more expensive gaming laptops we've positively reviewed, but the Legion 7i's classy, all-white look and fantastic performance ensure you get the absolute most out of the components. The Lenovo Legion 7i (7/10, WIRED Recommends) also has one of the brightest OLED panels I've ever tested on a Windows laptop, making for exceptional HDR performance in games.
Razer Blade 14 for $1,450: The Razer Blade 14 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is unbelievably compact for how much performance it offers, with GPU options of either the RTX 5060 or 5070. So, while it's not as powerful (or thin) as the larger Blade 16, it's a fantastic option for students or anyone who wants a laptop that can handle gaming just as easily as work or school. It has an OLED display this time around, too, and gets decent battery life for a gaming laptop.
Alienware 16X Aurora for $1,100: It's priced close to the Razer Blade 14, but the Alienware 16X Aurora (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is quite a different type of gaming laptop. It's a large 16-inch device with a thick chassis, giving it great performance and a bright, sharp display. More than anything, if you can get this at $1,100 (as it's sometimes sold for), it's a killer deal.
Asus ROG Flow Z13 for $1,800: It's too expensive for most people to take a chance on, but I found a lot to like about the ROG Flow Z13 (7/10, WIRED Recommends). This gaming 2-in-1, a design no one asked for, works surprisingly well. The performance isn't full throttle, but the Z13's use of surprisingly powerful AMD integrated graphics makes it far more powerful than you might assume, all while keeping the heat away from your hands.
What Kinds of Laptops to Avoid
Amazon is filled with laptops you shouldn't buy. Just type in “best laptop” into the Amazon search box, and you'll find plenty of cheap laptops that no one should buy. That includes most of the Windows laptops under $500, which all use CPUs from three or four generations ago.
It gets worse when you search for “gaming laptops” on Amazon, which presents some cheap laptops that don't even have discrete graphics. Regardless of what companies or retailers try to say, you shouldn't expect a laptop without a discrete GPU to be able to play modern games. Some of these include laptops from knockoff brands you've never heard of, like this one. There's just no reason to buy something from an unknown brand.
When it comes to gaming laptops in general, I wouldn't recommend buying anything RTX 30-series or older in terms of graphics. You should still be able to find some decent RTX 40-series laptops that are a better bang-for-your-buck than the new RTX 50-series laptops.
Lastly, there's the topic of refurbished laptops. Online retailers are full of older laptops that are marked as refurbished or “renewed.” These can be good options, especially if they come heavily discounted, such as this M1 MacBook Air. But there's always some risk with buying refurbished. Make sure you read the retailer's return policy. With models that are only a year or two older, however, pay careful attention to the specs, especially when it comes to RAM capacity. For example, some older M3 MacBook Air models will show up with only 8 GB of RAM, not reflecting the increased base memory in the price.
Here are some other laptops we recently tested that aren't worth buying at their current price.
Dell 14 Premium for $1,719: It might be one of the prettiest laptops ever made, but it's also one of the most controversial designs in recent years. The Dell 14 Premium (6/10, WIRED Review) is the renamed successor to the Dell XPS 14, sporting the same divisive function row keys, invisible haptic trackpad, and limited ports. I'd have been happy to overlook those design elements (as they make for an ultra-modern aesthetic) if only Dell had been able to upgrade this from the RTX 4050 to the RTX 5050 series graphics cards. Without that GPU performance upgrade, my excitement has dulled for what this could be.
Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 16 2-in-1 for $600: As I've said multiple times in this guide, Windows laptops at around $650 to $700 are really hard to pull off. There will almost always be some compromises. There's no getting around that. The IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 just barely walks the tightrope without tipping over. Like many of these devices, it has a crummy screen, a tiresome keyboard, and an imprecise-feeling touchpad. The battery life was decent, however, and I liked that the display is touchscreen and glossy. The specs aren't half bad, but these days, you can get better laptops for this price.
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