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Best Laptops (2026): My Top Recommendations After Testing Hundreds
For more guidance, also see my recommendations in specific categories, such as the Best MacBooks, Best Gaming Laptops, Best Chromebooks, Best Budget Laptops, Best Windows Laptops, and Best 2-in-1 Laptops. My guide on How to Choose a Laptop may also help if you’re undecided.
Updated July 2026: I’ve reevaluated the laptop landscape given recent price increases, including Apple’s MacBook lineup. I’ve also included notes from my recent testing of the Dell 14S.
When friends or family ask what laptop to buy, I always start with the MacBook Air. It is far more powerful than its compact size suggests. It’s a shame about the recent $200 price increase from $1,099 to $1,299, but even at that new price, it remains my top pick because it nails the big picture. Everything from the trackpad to the speakers are of the highest quality, and it delivers all the performance and battery life the average person needs.
With the latest M5 chip, its GPU matches the M3 Pro MacBook Pro, easily handling everything from gaming to video editing. That’s not at all what the MacBook Air is designed for, but the performance is there when you want to dabble. It’s what makes it feel like a do-it-all machine, all contained in a fanless chassis that’s still one of the thinnest laptops you can buy. Oh, and did I mention it’ll last well over a full work day away from the wall socket and perform just as well on battery as when plugged in? In almost every aspect, it’s the gold standard.
While the lower price of the new MacBook Neo might be tempting, the MacBook Air is the better choice for anyone working at a computer all day. With its superior performance, extra memory, faster storage, and Thunderbolt ports, you will never have to question if you have the right tool for the job. (And unless you already know you need a MacBook Pro, you probably don’t.)
If you prefer Windows or need it for specific applications, the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 is the strongest alternative to the MacBook Air. It might just be the best laptop HP has ever made. The device is beautifully built and incredibly sturdy, with a thin chassis (though the height of the feet makes it taller on the table next to the MacBook Air), an oversized haptic trackpad, and polished metal edges. I also appreciate the three Thunderbolt 4 ports split between both sides for convenient charging, as well as the surprisingly good speakers.
I tested the high-end model, which features a fast Snapdragon X2 Elite, 32 GB of RAM, and a gorgeous 2880 x 1800 OLED display. The screen offers near-perfect colors, excellent brightness, and astounding HDR performance. It doesn’t get much better than this. My only real complaint is that the glossy OLED screen is quite reflective and lacks an anti-glare coating. It’s hoped there will soon be more configuration options, as I’d love to see this higher-end OLED panel available in a cheaper configuration. (The base configuration sold directly from HP has a dimmer, lower resolution screen.)
My other favorite alternative to the 15-inch MacBook Air is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x. I was impressed by the overall package for this laptop. The price has increased since I reviewed it, up from $900 to $1,150. But compared with the competition, it still rises to the top, primarily thanks to its fantastic 2560 x 1600 OLED display with a 165-Hz refresh rate. I highly recommend spending the $30 to upgrade from the base screen (sold on Amazon) to this excellent OLED version (sold by Lenovo). Additionally, while it is slightly thicker than the MacBook Air, that extra space allows for a great selection of ports, including HDMI, USB-A, and an SD card slot. The Snapdragon X2 Plus isn’t quite an M5 killer, but I was happy with the performance and battery life provided. While I can no longer say it’s the best laptop under $1,000, in a world where laptop pricing keeps increasing, it’s the best value for what you get.
If you are actually shopping for a laptop under $1,000, I’d point you in the direction of the Dell 14 Plus. It came out last year, and in recent months it’s become one of the few Windows laptops worth buying at this price. It has a sharp screen, a decent touchpad, and great battery life. Performance is solid too, using previous-gen Intel chips and 16 GB of RAM. The Dell 14 Plus is exactly that, and it’s currently the best Windows laptop you can buy for less than $1,000.
I used to recommend the Surface Laptop 13.8 (also known as the 7th Edition) as one of my top picks. While I still love this laptop, it’s risen in price dramatically and no longer feels like as good of a value, especially since it’s two years old. The 2024 model now starts at $1,200, while the next-generation model with the Snapdragon X2 chips costs $1,700.
While “cheap” means something different to everyone, the best budget laptops generally fall under $750. This is where Windows truly shines, offering great specs for less money. Thanks to the latest processors from Qualcomm and Intel, these laptops now offer battery life that rivals Apple. The best affordable laptop I’ve checked out is the HP OmniBook 5. The model I tested has a Snapdragon X processor, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, and a 14-inch OLED screen. Discounts fluctuate frequently, but right now you can buy the 256-GB model directly from HP for $630. That’s a killer deal.
I also recently tested the new HP OmniBook 3, which uses the same chip as the OmniBook 5. It frequently sells for less than the OmniBook 5 by at least a $100 or so. While the OmniBook 3 is a good alternative, the OmniBook 5 is much thinner and looks more modern. Neither laptop has a particularly great touchpad, which is easily the biggest flaw in both laptops. The OmniBook 5 is the better buy if you can afford it, though.
The MacBook Neo is Apple’s new entry-level laptop. It initially started at an aggressive $599, but that price has recently been raised to $699. Even at that price, the laptop shines when it comes to the display. It offers the best sc...
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