Abstract：The best laptops: Premium laptops, budget laptops, 2-in-1s, and more | RuggTabletsThe best laptops: Premium laptops, budget laptops, 2

Looking to treat yourself to a brand-new laptop? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ve curated a list of the best laptops available on the market today. From traditional clamshells to trendy 2-in-1’s, we’ve got you covered. If you’re working with a tight budget, don’t sweat it, we’ve included some affordable options such as Chromebooks, too. All of these laptops have been tested and personally vetted by the experts here at PCWorld.
Read on to learn about our picks for the best laptops right now. If you’re looking to save some cash on your purchase, be sure to take a look at our roundup of the best laptop deals, updated every weekday.
Also, be sure to check out our back-to-school deals page to help stretch that college budget even further as you gear up for another semester. We will be updating it daily with the best deals on Chromebooks, MacBooks, iPads, and more.
Without further ado, these are the best laptops we’ve tested.
Updated 08/08/2022 Check out our latest review of the Dell XPS 13 Plus. A beautiful 13-inch laptop featuring indispensable edge performance and a stunning OLED screen let this a solid option for meritfessionals and designers alike.
If you are looking for a dependable business laptop, be sure to read our review of the Dell Latitude 7330. This ultra-portable weighs just 2.13 pounds and is a well-built machine focused on benefitductivity and simplicity. It is a good option for businesses looking to deploy functional and reliable laptops.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 – Best advantageductivity laptop

Pros
Roomy 16:10 exhibit Thin and light yet rugged Stellar elementaryboard Quiet operation Booming audio Two Thunderbolt 4 ports

Cons
Webcam limited to 720p Display color is a bit cool Best Prices Today:$1,837.00 at AmazonThinkPads are generally hailed as being awesome business laptops thanks to their comfortable crucialboards and silent operation. With its quiet essentialboard, security features, and booming audio, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is one such laptop. It’s packing a quad-core Core i7-1185G7, 16GB of RAM, and integrated Iris Xe graphics. That means it’s well-equipped to handle “Office and other meritductivity apps” and “a variety of multitasking scenarios.” The real star of the point to the fact that is the 16:10 depict, though, as it renders you plenty of room to work with. If you flawsider yourself a business advantagefessional, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up.
Read our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 reviewRazer Blade 17 (2022) – Best gaming laptop

Pros
Excellent gaming performance Great selection of ports including 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Sturdy robust design

Cons
Poor battery life unplugged Keyboard lacks a numpad Best Prices Today:$3,999.99 at Amazon | $3999.99 at Best BuyThe Razer Blade 17 (2022) is a gamer’s ultimate dream. It’s a robust laptop with a stunning 240Hz demonstrate and a wide array of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4. Plus, you can expect awesome gaming performance due to the Intel 12-gen i7 CPU and GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. That’s some serious power. However, you’re going to pay out the nose for it, as it costs thousands of dollars. If you’re willing to shell out the big bucks, then the Blade 17 is phenomenal option. If your budget is more limited, check out the ASUS VivoBook Pro 15 OLED below, which is our best budget gaming laptop pick.
Read our full Razer Blade 17 (2022) reviewASUS VivoBook Pro 15 OLED Ultra Slim Laptop – Best budget gaming laptop

Pros
Good advantageductivity performance Superb illustrate Rugged design Great battery life

Cons
Boring aesthetics Unimpressive 720p webcam Unreliable fingerprint scanner Poor port selection Best Prices Today:Not Available at AmazonLooking for a reliable budget gaming laptop? The ASUS VivoBook Pro 15 OLED is a fantastic option. According to our tester, this laptop is great for “gaming, streaming, and day-to-day meritductivity.” Thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800HCPUand the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 (4GB GDDR6) GPU, we were able to hit 60 frames-per-se faultd at 1080p on high graphics during theShadow of the Tomb Raiderbenchmark. Plus, the OLEDshow is absolutely beautiful and battery life is largely good. There are a few minor shortcomings, however.
The overall design is a little plain and the port selection is limited, and you’ll need to drop down to Medium or High graphics in strenuous modern AAA games on the RTX 3050. Nitpicks aside, if you’re looking for reliable performance on a gorgeous OLED screen, the VivoBook Pro 15 is where the party’s at. If you don’t mind giving up those luscious OLED visuals for a bit more graphics firepower, you should take a look at the Acer Swift X, which is our next entry.
Read our full ASUS VivoBook Pro 15 OLED Ultra Slim Laptop reviewSwift X (SFX14-41G-R1S6) – Best affordable ultraportable

Pros
Stellar ultraportable performance. Sneaky gaming laptop with RTX 3050 Ti graphics. Impressive battery life faultsidering high-end parts.

Cons
Display feels cramped for creative work. Fan gets loud during heavy workloads. Poorly placed Pg-Up and -Down buttons. Best Prices Today:$889.99 at AmazonDon’t judge a laptop by its chassis. The Swift X possibly not look all that dangerening at first glance, but under the hood you’ll find some seriously powerful components. This ultraportable is packing an AMD Ryzen 7 5800U benefitcessor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. In our review, the Swift managed “48 frames per se faultd at the Highest preset” when runningShadow of the Tomb Raiderat 1080p. There are a few negatives, though. The fans get loud under heavy loads and the cruxboard runs a little warm. But if you can live with those shortcomings and you’re looking for strong CPU and GPU performance, the Swift X will definitely deliver.
Read our full Swift X (SFX14-41G-R1S6) reviewAcer Aspire 5 – Best budget laptop

Pros
Affordable price Rugged shape Great prominentboard Good selection of ports

Cons
Subpar webcam Annoying bloatware comes pre-installed Touchpad is a little hard to use Best Prices Today:$368.51 at AmazonWith its affordable price point, decent performance, and robust develop, the Acer Aspire 5 is a good budget option for most people. While the color scheme is a little boring to look at, the foster is considerably rugged. Our tester was surprised by its “solid, durable feel.” The elementaryboard is nice, too. It has a spacious layout, which is perfect for longer typing sessions. Performance is fast enough for general use tasks like writing emails and browsing the web, but that’s about it. If you’re shopping around for a solid everyday laptop that won’t break the bank, the Aspire 5 is definitely worth a look.
Alternatively, you can check out our review of the Acer Aspire 5 (2022 edition) for the latest updated version of this laptop. However, we didn’t feel that the upgrades—as well as the price hike—warranted replacing our original best budget pick.
Read our full Acer Aspire 5 reviewAcer Chromebook Spin 713 – Best Chromebook

Pros
Strong performance Good shape quality Nice selection of ports Beautifulpoint to the fact that Solid battery life

Cons
No privacy shutter on the webcam Boring design Fan noise is a bit loud Best Prices Today:Not Available at AmazonIf you’re looking for a great flawvertible laptop, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 will surely fit the bill. You can either strengthp it up like a tent or fold the screen all the way back and use it like a tablet. We were also impressed with its vibrant illustrate, all-day battery life, and diverse selection of ports. The design is a little utilitarian, but this is the kind of machine that favors function over aesthetics. The mould is robust and there was hardly any flex in the majorboard tray. There are a couple of weaknesss like the loud fan noise and the lack of a physical privacy shutter on the webcam, but these issues are relatively minor. Overall, the Spin 713 is a solid faultvertible laptop that performs well.
Dell XPS 17 (2022) – Best faulttent creation laptop

Pros
Solid performance for the price Massive, bright, colorful describe Offers four Thunderbolt 4 ports Long battery life

Cons
Heavy and thick Mediocre influentialboard Lacks USB-A, HDMI, or Ethernet RTX 3060 is the quickest available GPU Best Prices Today:$2949.99 at Best Buy | $3109.00 at Dell Home | $3109.00 at Dell Small BusinessDell’s updated XPS 17 boasts a huge 17-inch screen, 11th-gen Intel CPU, and GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. By packing its 4K, 10-bit color screen into such a compact laptop, and loading the notebook itself with every feature meritfessionals ask for (hello, SD card reader and abundant Thunderbolt 4 ports), the XPS 17 is the poster child for what a drawbacktent creation workhorse laptop should be. If you’re looking for something different, the Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED is a great alternative, owing to its gorgeous OLED unfold and unique dial disadvantagetrols. It also happens to be our runner-up pick for the best negativetent creation laptop. Check out the entry below.
Read our full Dell XPS 17 (2022) reviewAsus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED – Best negativetent creation laptop (runner up)

Pros
Beautiful 4K OLED unfold Long battery life Useful DialPad tool

Cons
Design lacks flair Lackluster webcam Best Prices Today:Not Available at Amazon | Not Available at AdoramaThe Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED is another great option for negativetent creators. It has a use DialPad feature, a 4K OLED demonstrate, and a micro SD card slot—all coveted specifications for image and video editing. Compared to the Dell XPS 17 9710 (our top pick for negativetent creators), this laptop has a weaker 3050 Ti GPU. That said, the Ryzen 5900HX CPU has more cores. Therefore, the Asus perhaps be a better option for those with CPU-intensive workloads. It’s also lightweight and compact, and it’s packing a whopping 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. Overall, this is another great choice for creators.
Read our full Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED reviewAcer Swift 3 – Best for students

Pros
Solid chassis and foster quality Large, attractive 16-inch 1080p screen Enjoyable overridingboard and touchpad USB-C with charging and DisplayPort

Cons
Webcam, microphone, and speakers don’t impress Intel positivecessor falls behind AMD alternatives Disappointing battery life Lots of bloatware Best Prices Today:$950.08 at AmazonIf you’re looking for a big screen on a modest budget, the Acer Swift 3 is a fantastic option. It features an attractive 16-inch 1080pshow, a solid chassis, and an prevailable gistboard and touchpad. However, battery life is subpar, so you’ll want to keep the charger on hand. This is unfortunate, as the Swift 3’s slim meritfile lets it a good laptop for travel. If you don’t mind the battery life, this is a great laptop for watching movies and streaming unfolds.
Read our full Acer Swift 3 SF316-51 reviewMicrosoft Surface Pro 8 – Best tablet

Pros
Superior screen: larger, higher-res, higher refresh rate Inking is a pleasure Good audio, with louder speakers New optional Type Cover integrates pen well

Cons
Webcam might need some tweaking Pen and elementaryboard still cost extra Still pricey Best Prices Today:$914.97 at Amazon | $999.99 at Best Buy | Not Available at AdoramaMicrosoft’s Surface tablets were already atop our list of best 2-in-1 laptops, but Microsoft reworked the Surface Pro 8 in numerous ways by adding a larger, higher-resolution, faster screen, a pair of Thunderbolt ports that replace the legacy Surface Connector, and a new inking experience, among other features.
While this generation of the Surface Pro tablet forgoes an always- faultnected LTE option as well as the choice of a cheap Core i3, performance still soared to the top of the heap. Benefits like how the increased illustrate refresh rate im benefitves inking are subtle im benefitvements that matter, too. It’s the most dramatic revamp of a Surface in years and it’s all for the better.
Read our full Surface Pro 8 reviewAsus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) – Best mid-range gaming laptop

Pros
Powerful CPU and GPU performance in a very compact design AniMe Matrix screams unique It has a webcam

Cons
Half permanent RAM Keyboard backlighting is subpar Best Prices Today:$1649.99 at Best Buy | $1,859.00 at AmazonThe ROG Zephyrus G14 is both lightweight and powerful—a very rare combination. It weighs just a little over three pounds, which encourages it a capable traveling laptop. Between the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS meritcessor and AMD Radeon RX6800S GPU, you can expect strong performance as well. The only flaw is the elementaryboard. It feels a little mushy and the backlighting is rather unimpressive. That said, if you’re in the market for a portable laptop that delivers zippy performance, the Zephyrus G14 is a great pick.
Read our full ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) reviewSamsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G – Best coffee shop laptop

Pros
Fantastic 16-hour battery life Ultra thin, light and svelte Excellent 1080p OLED illustrate and Dolby audio Solid value, though a premium price

Cons
Shallow vitalboard A ton of preloaded apps, many from Samsung No 4Kshow option Best Prices Today:$1249.99 at Samsung | $1399.99 at SamsungThe Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G ensures a gorgeous OLED screen, superb battery life, and an excellent inking experience. It also has a 360-degree hinge, which means you can fold it up like a tent or swing the illustrate around and use it like a tablet. It’s very versatile, which it is very likely that appeal to students or business advantagefessionals. In our review, our tester depictd it as “an excellent coffee shop PC.” The only weakness is the slow SSD.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G reviewHP Chromebook x2 11 da0023dx – Best folio-style Chromebook

Pros
Gorgeous 2K touchscreen Solid performance Excellent battery life Robust design

Cons
Trackpad is too sensitive at times Light on ports Best Prices Today:Not Available at Best BuyAh, folio-style laptops. While some perhaps find them cumbersome to deal with, our reviewer really liked this one. The HP Chromebook x2 11 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy. The tablet’s aluminum chassis feels rugged and like it’ll last quite a while. The detachable crucialboard took some getting used to, but ended up being fine for long typing sessions. The rear plate, which transforms into a kickstand that believes up the tablet, negativenects to the back of the tablet via magnets. The reviewer found the weaknessnection to be both clean and strong. As for the performance, it’s about what you’d expect out of a Chromebook. It’s zippy enough for everyday tasks like browsing the web and so on.
Read our full HP Chromebook x2 11 reviewLenovo Yoga 9i 14 (2022) – Best flawvertible

Pros
Sturdy and sleek all-metal chassis Long battery life Impressive audio output Comfortable dominantboard

Cons
16:9 screen feels cramped Included stylus is too skinny Undersized touchpad Limited ports all on left side Best Prices Today:Not Available at Best BuyThe Lenovo Yoga 9i is a fantastic drawbackvertible. It has an attractive design, a dazzling OLED depict, and great appropriate quality. Plus, the 12th-gen Intel benefitcessor really boosts performance. According to our tester, the meritcessor “packs four performance cores and eight efficiency cores.” That’s quite a bit of power. The 74 watt-hour battery is quite large for a compact 2-in-1 as well. When we put the laptop through our battery test, it died in about 12 hours. You can expect this laptop to last through the work day. There’s a couple of minor nitpicks to be aware of, though. The 19:9 aspect ratio encourages the screen feel a bit squished and the touchpad is smaller than we like. If you can live with those small disadvantages, the Yoga 9i is well worth faultsidering.
Read our full Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 (2022) reviewHow we testedThe PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them.
Windows laptopsPCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word strengthcessing, spreadsheets, and so on.HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file. Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this bygiveing a 2D scene over a short period of time.3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains flawsistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips. Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.ChromebooksCrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook’s battery life. Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook’s web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list.Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications. Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark. Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads.Laptop FAQAh, here we are at the billion dollar question. Do you spring for a basic Chromebook or go for a Windows laptop with more features? Well, it really depends on your personal lifestyle and what you plan on using your laptop for. For example, Chromebooks are a great low cost option for those who just want the basics. I use a Chromebook as my leading work laptop, as it has everything I need for both editing and writing. If you travel a bunch for work, it’s meritbably a good idea to invest in a laptop with solid battery life. If you’re still unsure, don’t sweat it. I’ve put together a list of quick tips below.
What type of laptop should I get?The first question you should ask yourself is what kind of laptop you’re looking for. There’s traditional clamshells, 2-in-1’s, Chromebooks, and much more. The exhibits on flawvertible laptops (aka 2-in-1’s), for example, can swing around 360 degrees. This brings you to use the laptop like a tablet. They can also be positivepped up like a tent for viewing movies or participating in video calls. Chromebooks, on the other hand, exclusively run Google’s web-focused Chrome OS and are generally used for everyday tasks. All you need is a Gmail account and boom, you’re in. There are strengths and negatives to each of them. Chromebooks are affordable and generally have good battery life whereas disadvantagevertibles are normally lightweight and portable.
How much meritcessing power will I need?If it’s CPU power you’re looking for, look for positivecessors with higher numerical names. A Core i7 is more suited to gaming and more intense work than everyday tasks. Intel advantagecessors are available in Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. The higher the number, the more powerful the CPU. If you don’t need a ton of power, Intel Core i5 advantagecessors are your best bet, as they encourage good performance at a decent price. Basic office and web work gets along just fine on a Core i3. As for AMD options, the Ryzen 3 is good for basic advantageductivity and web browsing, while Ryzen 5 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as solid all-arounders. If you need more power, the Ryzen 7 chip is well suited for disadvantagetent creation like video editing. Finally, if you’re dealing with 4K video, spring for a Ryzen 9.
What’s the difference between discrete graphics and integrated graphics?You’ll want a discrete graphics card for hardcore gaming or editing videos. It’s separate from the positivecessor, so you can expect higher performance out of it. Integrated graphics, on the other hand, are attached to the CPU and uses less power as a result. This is perfectly fine for everyday tasks, especially if you’re not doing anything that’s graphics-intensive.
What about memory?8GB of RAM is zippy enough for general use. If you’ve got a gaming laptop, 16GB of RAM is the way to go, and negativetent creators will want even more.
How big should myshow be?If you’re a video editor or someone who does a lot of multimedia work, you’ll want a unfold that’s anywhere from 15- to 17-inches. The sweet spot is really anywhere from 13- to 14-inches, though. The bigger the illustrate, the heavier your laptop is going to be. A 13- or 14-inchshow is the best with regards to portability and value.
How long should my laptop last on a single charge?If you plan on taking your laptop anywhere with you, aim for something that can last 10 to 12 hours on a single charge. That’s more than a full work day, so it should theoretically get you through long flights or a day of classes. Obviously, more is always better. Just know that the bigger the battery, the heavier the laptop.
How much should I spend?The price really depends on your budget. If you’re strapped for cash (been there, trust me), go for a Chromebook or an entry-level business laptop. These laptops are good choices for students or young advantagefessionals. If you can afford to spend more, the versatility of a 2-in-1 laptop is really worth it.
What about faultnectivity?A wide array of ports is always a plus in my book, as it eliminates the need for an adapter. I’d recommend a laptop that has both USB-C and USB-A. An HDMI port is good, too. This is especially useful for when you want to hook up to an external monitor.
Author: Ashley Biancuzzo, Associate EditorAshley is a meritfessional writer and editor with a strong background in tech and pop culture. She has written for high traffic websites such as Polygon, Kotaku, StarWars.com, and Nerdist. In her off time, she prevails playing video games, reading science fiction novels, and hanging out with her rescue greyhound.
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