The best laptops of 2023 are already impressive, and we’ve just updated this guide with a brand new laptop from Apple: the stunning MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023). It made this list thanks to its incredible performance, great screen, and industry-leading battery life of nearly 20 hours.
However, it’s an expensive but powerful laptop aimed primarily at creative professionals, which means it won’t be for everyone.
1. Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
As we’d hoped, the new Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) is the best laptop you can buy right now, and it improves on Apple’s previous model (still on this list) in a number of important ways.
It has a new design that gives it a more modern feel while making it thinner and lighter, and in our review we liked the fact that it also has a bigger, brighter screen.
There are even more great additions to this new model, including a larger Touch ID sensor for logging in with your fingerprint and a 1080p webcam, making the new MacBook Air a great laptop for anyone who does a lot of video calling—now , they do most of us. The new MagSafe charging port makes battery charging of the new MacBook Air simple, safe and fast.
2. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook
The excellent Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook is a testament to how good today’s modern Chromebooks are. It can be used as a laptop or a tablet and has some pretty impressive specs.
Is it a Chromebook or a tablet? Well, thankfully, with the excellent Lenovo IdeaPad Duet Chromebook, you don’t have to choose. As the name suggests, this Chromebook combines two form factors into one, while taking advantage of the versatility of Chrome OS, and at a fraction of the cost of many of the best Windows tablets on the market.
Like the best Chromebooks, the battery has a long battery life of nearly 22 hours – so you can keep working through the night, day and afternoon and still pass out before the battery dies.
3. Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
The Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) remains the most affordable laptop money can buy right now. Thanks to the revolutionary ARM-based Apple M1 chip that powers the MacBook Air, it’s a remarkable feat: a thin and light laptop that delivers great performance even for 4K video editing, while also delivering incredible performance. Confident battery life.
In our testing, the battery life really convinced us. Easily manage over 11 hours on a single charge. It’s a laptop that’s easy to take to work or school, and it’s priced against Windows 10 competitors like the Dell XPS 15 very well. Running Mac apps old and new, the M1 MacBook Air can now also run iOS apps for iPhone and iPad, giving it access to hundreds of great mobile apps and games.
4. Dell XPS 13 (2022)
At this point, we suspect the Dell XPS range can do no wrong. It’s been regularly updated on our lists of the best laptops, and they just keep getting better. As expected, the Dell XPS 13 (2022) is a gorgeous package, with a new design, gorgeous screen, and state-of-the-art components.
It’s also great value for money. This is still a high-end ultrabook, but it starts at a lower price than many of its competitors — and it’s an inexpensive Windows alternative to the aforementioned MacBook Air (M1, 2020).
5. Dell XPS 15 (2022)
The Dell XPS 15 (2022) returns with new hardware and classic XPS styling to defend its title as the best 15-inch laptop, complete with upgraded internals like an Intel Alder Lake processor and faster RAM.
The design of the Dell XPS 15 (2022) really shines, bringing a classic XPS look while remaining light and comfortable to use (and sticking with the carbon fiber palm rest).
The Dell XPS 15 (2022) sets the bar high, and it does quite well, outperforming similar laptops. Thanks to its Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU, it can easily handle everyday tasks, and even some gaming. It also easily lasted a full workday on a single charge, averaging 12:01 on our PCMark 10 test and dropping about two hours (10:07 to be exact) on our HD movie test.
Conclusion
We then compare everything we know about the laptop to its price point to see if it offers customers the best value for money.
