When I think of the best Dell laptops (and Dell in general), two memories come to mind: the "Dude, you're getting a Dell" commercial from the early 2000s, and my dad's first and only laptop — a 2012 Dell Inspiron.

My nostalgic feelings aside, Dell is a brand that sticks in many people's minds, particularly the iconic XPS series. The company has had a solid reputation since its first laptop was released in 1989, and you'll typically find a Dell among Laptop Mag's lists of best laptops, best budget laptops, best gaming laptops, and laptops with the best battery life. We've reviewed several of Dell's newest releases and expect to review more as 2025 marches on.

An important note: if you're considering buying a new 2025 Dell, I highly recommend reading my handy guide on how to find the right Dell laptop to understand the new product names. Dell laptops now have a naming convention closer to how Apple differentiates its MacBooks (XPS, Inspiron, Precision, and Latitude are no more, unfortunately), but my current recommendations still have those familiar, now-former names. It may also be a good time to find discounts on the old models among the best laptop deals.

Whether you've never owned a Dell or you've used Dell laptops for years and are ready to upgrade, this page is regularly updated with our latest reviews to reflect Laptop Mag’s top picks for 2025.

Update Log

5/30/25: Updated introduction, "recently reviewed," and FAQ sections.

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Best for most people

The Snapdragon-configured Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has many major qualities and features a modern laptop should have: incredible multitasking performance, seemingly endless battery life, a bright display — all packed into a reasonably light and thin chassis. It's a super-likable laptop.

The Inspiron's entry-level Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 processor stands toe to toe (more like shin to knee, really) with higher-end chips from Intel and Apple of its generation. With a Geekbench 6 multicore benchmark score of 13,281, (22% faster than the average premium laptop score of 10,435) it did "well juggling a couple dozen Google Chrome tabs and a handful of YouTube videos," as Rami Tabari, Laptop Mag's editor, said in he review. He also recommends this laptop for remote workers.

It's also 9% faster than the MacBook Air M3 (12,087) and 5% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (12,729) inside our pick for best budget Dell budget laptop — also an Inspiron 14 Plus!

The SSD is zippy, too. It can transfer a 25GB multimedia file at 1,510 megabytes per second, about 14% faster than the average laptop in its class (1,311 MBps.) It's 11% faster than the Asus Zenbook S14 (1,236 MBps) and 7% faster compared to one of its Snapdragon competitors, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (1,416 MBps).

Battery life and heat management are equally impressive. In our battery rundown test, it lasted a substantial 18 hours and 20 minutes — well beyond the average 13 hours and 23 minutes. I'd be comfortable putting this laptop on my bare skin, too, as it doesn't exceed 88 degrees on the underside.

PlusItsIt's display doesn't produce miracles, though. Covering just 69.1% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, everything on the screen looks drained of color. Some of this laptop's rivals, like the Zenbook 14 and MacBook Air M3, fare much better, 79.8% and 77.8%, respectively — and they're still below the 84.7% average. However, the Inspiron 14 Plus' display can get really bright, up to 470 nits.

See our full Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (7441) review.

Best budget

Even among laptops with Intel's new Lunar Lake chips, its last-gen chips are still nothing to brush off. This Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is a textbook example of why. It has just as much performance (especially for multitasking) and outstanding battery life, but its graphic capabilities are also far more powerful.

It scored 12,729 in the Geekbench 6 multicore benchmark, 9% faster than the average premium laptop (10,435). "The laptop easily kept up with my daily workload and task switching between email, text editing, and Photoshop," Laptop Mag's staff writer, Madeline Ricchiuto, wrote in her review. It's also 6% faster than the MacBook Pro M3 (11,968) and 3% faster than our favorite 2-in-1 laptop, the HP Spectre x360 14 (12,358), with the same chip.

When it comes to its graphics capabilities, this laptop also outshines its rivals, particularly the Snapdragon's Qualcomm Adreno iGPU. On Medium settings at 1080p, its Intel Arc integrated graphics averaged 34 frames per second in the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark. Our playability threshold is 30 fps, so it passed that — but the Snapdragon Inspiron 14 Plus mustered only 21 fps.

That difference is starker in 3DMark’s Fire Strike synthetic graphics benchmark: the Intel Inspiron scored 8082, where the Snapdragon Inspiron scored 5965 — a 27% difference.

This laptop doesn't get as much battery life compared to the Snapdragon Inspiron 14 Plus, but it still gets 15 hour and 6 minutes, a couple hours more than the average premium laptop. It does outlast both the Spectre (11:01) and the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (15:52), and sneaks past the 15-inch MacBook Air M3 by 3 minutes, too.

Like the Snapdragon model, this laptop's display is dull, covering only 68.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It doesn't get nearly as bright, either, topping out at 367 nits. However, that's on par or better than some of its other rivals, like the Spectre x360 14 (367 nits) and the Zenbook 14 OLED (339 nits).

The Inspiron 14 Plus' heat management isn't great, either, most likely because Intel mobile processors tend to run the hottest out of any Windows laptop chip — its surface warmed up to 108 degrees, well past our comfort threshold.

See our full Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (7440) review.

Best gaming

Budget gaming laptops have been steadily disappearing from the laptop market over the last few years — so when one that packs a ton of performance and costs less than $1,000 falls into our hands, it's a great day at Laptop Mag. Like our editor, Rami Tabari, said in his review: "For its current price of $949, the Dell G16 (7630) is an absolute stunner."

Graphically intensive games like Cyberpunk 2077 achieved 33 frames per second at 1080p on Ultra settings, slightly higher than the Asus TUF Gaming A14 (30 fps) and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (32 fps) with the same RTX 4060 graphics card. In Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Ultra, 1080p), the G16 did exceptionally well (88 fps), and remained on par with the A14 and Neo 16.

One feature that surprised us is the quality of its display. Its 2560 x 1600, 240Hz screen is a common feature in gaming laptops — but not the quality of the IPS panel itself. It covers a massive 114% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, soaring past the average budget gaming laptop (79.1%). Even the TUF Gaming A14 (81%) and Predator Helios Neo 16 (92%) fall far behind it.

Unfortunately, its display doesn't get all that bright. At a max 310 nits, its close to the overall average (317), but is much dimmer than the A14 (411 nits) and Neo 16 (370 nits).

But there is one more thing that the G16 has that its closest rivals don't: a Cherry MX tactile mechanical keyboard. Revered for their longevity, travel distance and actuation point, sound, and feel, these switches are more commonly found in desktop gaming keyboards —and there are gaming laptops twice the price of the G16 that don't have them!

Its battery life is decent, too. At 5 hours and 4 minutes, it outlasts the average budget gaming laptop and the Predator Helios Neo 16 by an hour It's no TUF Gaming A14 (10:04), but that laptop's battery life is an exception to the rule.

In that light, the gripes we have with this laptop seem relatively minor compared to the higher-end features it offers. If you already have a gaming headset you can easily avoid the speakers harsh, hallow sounds. And if you already have a gaming mouse, you'll never need to touch the tiny trackpad.

See our full Dell G16 (7630) review.

Best display

The Dell XPS 13 — a long-time Laptop Mag favorite. We've reviewed many configurations over the years, and each stood out for various reasons. Though I'd describe its new, minimalist design with a "touch bar" and "invisible" trackpad among reviewers as a love/hate relationship, we adore the OLED display on this iteration. There are plenty of other great things about the Dell XPS 13. From "solid performance and respectable integrated graphics to impressive battery life and impactful speakers," our staff writer, Madeline Ricchiuto, talks about this in her review.

We wouldn't recommend it for having the best display if it didn't stun us with a kaleidoscope of colors. The panel covers 144.60% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, way beyond this laptop's base, IPS panel (69.9%). Some of its closest competitors, like the 13-inch MacBook Air M3 (77.8%) and Asus Zenbook S 14 (82.0%), aren't on the same wavelength, either.

Though it was not the dimmest OLED display we've tested, we wish it was a bit brighter; an average peak brightness of 377 nits is enough to cut through most lighting glare, though not all of it. It's still brighter than its IPS counterpart (357 nits) and the Zenbook S 14 (342 nits), but the MacBook Air is the brightest out of all of them (476 nits).

Its chassis is as thin and light as ever, with the OLED model at 0.6 inches thick and weighing the same 2.6 pounds as the non-OLED. It's not as slim as the MacBook Air M3 (0.44 inches) or Asus Zenbook S 14 (0.47 ~ 0.51 inches), but it weighs the same amount.

One major sacrifice that comes with the XPS 13 OLED: its tandem display sucks up a lot of power, leaving the laptop with 8 hours and 40 minutes of battery life. That's 5 hours less than the average premium laptop (13:23), and way, way less than the non-OLED's outstanding 18 hours and 43 minutes.

At least you won't have to worry about this laptop's performance. In the Geekbench 6 single-core benchmark, it held its own (2,772) against the Snapdragon Dell XPS 13 (2,797) and Asus Zenbook S 14 (2,751). Paired with Intel's current-gen Arc integrated graphics, this laptop can function as a decent gaming laptop if you casually play games that don't push the graphics too hard.

In the Sid Mieier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p, Medium) benchmark, it averaged 53 fps — behind what the Asus Zenbook S 16 with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 chip can do (63 fps) but beyond the Snapdragon XPS 13 (22 fps), which didn't meet our minimum 30 fps playability threshold.

See our full Dell XPS 13 OLED (9350) review.

Best battery life

Having endured years of bartering with college classmates and random coffee shop patrons for a seat next to a wall outlet, long battery life is one of my must-have features in a laptop. It could have a horrible display but over 15 hours of battery life, and I'll still look at it like, "Yeah, but that battery life!" That's the Dell XPS 13 (9345) in a nutshell.

It had phenomenal battery life before we updated the BIOS during our testing, increasing it from 19 hours and 1 minute to 20 hours and 51 minutes. That's way beyond the average premium laptop average (13:23) and the MacBook Air M3 (15:13), Asus Zenbook S14 (13:51), and HP Spectre x360 14 (11:01) with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip.

That also puts this laptop in the same league as the MacBook Pro 16 M4 Pro (20:46) and Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 (21:02) — and none of them are direct competitors!

As a heavy multitasker, performance also matters a lot to me. I need my laptop to handle dozens of open browser tabs while Slack and Discord run in the foreground and Spotify loops through my favorite songs. This laptop's Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 processor has some of the best multicore processing power to handle all that.

In the Geekbench 6 overall performance benchmark it scored 14,635, making it 29% faster than the average premium laptop (10,492). It's also 8% faster than the MacBook Air M3 (12,087), 14% faster than the Zenbook S14 (11,157), and 6% faster than the Spectre x360 14 (12,358).

Remember what I said about a horrible display? This XPS 13s' is a let-down. It covers just 66.9% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is 20% lower than the average premium laptop (86.8%) — and duller than its MacBook Air M3 (77.8%), Zenbook S14 (82.0%), and Spectre x360 (85.8%) rivals.

When our editor, Rami Tabari, watched the Borderlands trailer during his testing process, he noticed the "entire horizon beyond the crew was washed out due to the terrible contrast" and "deep orange-colored canyons were reduced to a pale yellow devoid of life."

But at least the display is bright! Its max 456 nits comes close to the average premium laptop (467 nits), and it's just a tad dimmer than the MacBook Air M3 (476 nits). It literally outshines both the Zenbook S 14 (342 nits) and Spectre x360 (366 nits), too.

See our full Dell XPS 13 (9345) review.

Benchmark comparisons

Recently reviewed

Not every laptop can make the best Dell laptops page. (We wouldn't be doing you that much good if that were the case!) We review new laptops every week and over 100 laptops yearly, so here's a look at our most recently reviewed laptops that didn't make this page either due to a fault, battery life, performance, price, or something else.

How to find the right Dell laptop

In January of 2025, Dell announced name changes impacting its entire lineup. We've already reviewed several models with the new names (with more to come), so we put together a table to help anyone shopping for a new Dell laptop understand how the old model names translate to the new ones.

It's important to note that while the names are changing, the basic product lines remain the same, and in most cases, the designs are unchanged for 2025.

The most affordable Dell laptops were the Inspiron and Inspiron Plus lines, starting for well under $1,000. In 2025, those will just be known as Dell and Dell Plus. If you are looking for an affordable laptop that can handle basic web browsing, productivity tasks, and entertainment, these laptops are typically a perfect fit.

The premium consumer laptop line was XPS, and it is now Dell Premium. These laptops go head-to-head with the best MacBooks and fall into similar pricing, starting just below $1,000 and ranging above $3,000 for the top configurations. These laptops are for people who want a more premium fit and finish to the laptop or those with more robust needs, whether that's more performance for massive multitasking or tasks like photo editing or video editing.

Those are Dell's consumer laptops. Now, we move into the business and workstation-class laptops, where things get a little more complicated with multiple tiers, but you also can see the benefit of Dell's new naming.

Dell's business laptops were known as Latitude. Starting at just above $500 and ranging up to around $2,500 for the top configurations, these catered to businesses of almost any size. Going forward, these are the Dell Pro models with three tiers: Dell Pro, Dell Pro Plus, and Dell Pro Premium. Performance and quality improve as you move up the line, so finding the best business laptop for you is just a matter of your budget.

Finally, we have the Dell Precision lineup, which are Dell's workstations, now known as Dell Pro Max. Again, there are three tiers to this lineup: Dell Pro Max, Dell Pro Max Plus, and Dell Pro Max Premium. Now, the names start to feel a little long, but it remains very simple to understand. You can spend as little as around $1,300 for the Dell Pro Max, and it scales up to $4,000 for a high-end Dell Pro Max Premium. The best workstations are designed for people with intensive performance needs, such as rendering 3D graphics, simulations, 4K or 8K video, etc.

FAQs

Q: Are Dell laptops good for gaming?

A: While Alienware is the dedicated gaming laptop brand that is a part of Dell, some Dell laptops cater to gamers. The Dell G16 (7630) is one of our selections for the best gaming laptops and the best cheap gaming laptops. If you are wondering if a specific Dell laptop is good for gaming, check out our review. We have a dedicated section on gaming in every review we publish.

Q: Do Dell laptops come with Microsoft Office?

A: No. You may receive a trial of Microsoft Office software through Microsoft 365, but the software is not free with a new Dell laptop.

Q: Are Dell laptops good for students?

A: It depends! Some Dell laptops are certainly candidates to be the best student laptops; it just depends on your course of study and budget. Most bachelor of arts students would likely be happy with an Inspiron or Inspiron Plus (Dell, Dell Plus) laptop. Students with more intensive needs, such as those in engineering, programming, or even film, should consider the XPS (Dell Premium) or even the Precision (Dell Pro Max).

Q: Where are Dell laptops are manufactured?

A: Dell manufactures its laptops in various cities across Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific region. Its US-based facility is located in Austin, Texas, where the company was originally founded in 1984.

Its Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu (China) and Limerick, Ireland facilities are arguably the company's most important hubs for manufacturing and distributing laptops and other computing devices outside of the United States.

How we test laptops

We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers, and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 6 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.

To determine real-world performance, we convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and duplicate a 25GB file. Our real-world graphics test is Cid Meier's Civilization V: Gathering Storm benchmark at 1080p resolution and Medium graphics. We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. For gaming laptops, we test Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin's Creed Mirage, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Borderlands 3, Far Cry 6, and others.

For our battery test, we continuously web surfing over WiFi at 150 nits of brightness. For Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 10 hours is considered a good result, whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered longer than 5 hours deserve praise.

Following these tests, the laptop is given to our expert reviewers for extensive hands-on testing. Our reviewers will spend days using the laptop as part of their typical workflow to get a sense of the real-world performance and live with the laptop to come away with a thorough understanding of the hardware and software experience. This blended lab testing and hands-on approach allows us to offer you a clear and comprehensive view of every laptop that comes through Laptop Mag.

See this page on How We Test Laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.

Why trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

A lot of what makes the best laptops for Adobe Photoshop also makes the best laptops for video editing: a well-balanced combination of performance, battery life, and a bright and vivid display. Whether you're just learning the ins and outs of editing photos or can wield the lasso tool like a scalpel in the hand of a surgeon, there's no shortage of great options, whatever your skill level.

Laptops with Nvidia's RTX 50-series GPUs are now available for creators with demanding Photoshop needs, as well as all Intel's Core Ultra 200-series and AMD's Max Pro series of processors. Professional editors can benefit from the added performance of a discrete graphics card by enabling Photoshop's hardware acceleration features, which helps power through demanding tasks faster.

A high-resolution OLED display is also something to consider. You'll not only get to enjoy the rich hues and deep contrasts OLEDs are famous for, but some of them also have wide color gamut coverage — wide enough to find colors in between colors.

For beginners or anyone looking to save money, any laptop with last-gen hardware will still provide more than performance to move Photoshop edits along quickly. Even ones without a discrete graphics card. Check out our best laptop deals for the best discounts at various price points.

This page is regularly updated with our latest reviews to reflect Laptop Mag’s top picks for 2025.

Update Log

6/6/25: Updated intro, benchmark comparisons, recently reviewed, and FAQs; added the HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a as the best workstation and the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition as the best 2-in-1.

The Quick List

Best Overall

There's little not to love about the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9. It features a gorgeous display, powerful processor, solid discrete graphics, and enough memory and storage for creators of all skill levels. It even comes with decent battery life and a comfortable, bouncy keyboard.

Rami Tabari said in our review, "I love a display with a little kick. The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i’s 16-inch, 3200 x 2000, 165Hz panel is gorgeous. It’s reasonably bright and offers a vivid wave of color."

The Yoga Pro 9i covers 105.7% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is well above the premium laptop average (91.2%). Its display is far better than similar laptops like the HP Spectre x360 16 (87.1%), Dell XPS 14 OLED (79.9%), and Apple MacBook Air (77.8%).

The Yoga Pro's powerful combination of an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card provide enough power for even the most demanding projects. The Yoga Pro 9i also lasted a respectable 9 hours and 51 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, which is far more than many similarly packaged laptops.

The Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 base model costs just $1,482 for an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The fully specced $2,043 version provides an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor with an RTX 4060 GPU and a 16-inch, 3.2K, Mini-LED display. Our preferred middle-of-the-road spec costs just $1,784.

See our full Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 review.

Best under $1,000

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425) is a laptop that can do just about anything. It continuously amazes us how budget-friendly this absolute powerhouse is. With its power performance, solid graphics, and almost 16 hours of battery life, we have good reason to love the Zenbook 14 OLED as much as we do.

In my review, I note that "the display panel on the Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425M) looks incredible. The new trailer for Chris Pine's The Poolman showed crisp, vibrant colors, particularly in the scenes shot outdoors in LA during what appears to be a Lunar New Year celebration."

Starting at just $799, this laptop has a powerful Intel Core Ultra 5 135H processor with 8GB of DDR5 memory, 512GB of SSD storage, and a 14-inch FHD OLED panel. But if you can flex your budget just a bit more to the higher-end spec, at just $1,049, you get an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor with 16GB of DDR5 memory and 1TB of SSD storage.

The Zenbook 14 OLED's display could be brighter and more vibrant, but with a DCI-P3 rating of 79.8%, it is comparable to most other laptops in its category, such as the Apple MacBook Air 13 M3 (77.8%) and the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UX3405M (81.7%).

But the Zenbook 14 OLED is more than its display panel. Surviving a shocking 15 hours and 52 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, it is one of the longest-lasting Intel laptops we've seen this year. Considering how budget-friendly this laptop is and how well it handles Photoshop, you can't go wrong with it.

See our full Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425M) review.

Best under $1,500

The Acer Swift X 14 is a powerful, budget-friendly option for Photoshop users who need more 3D rendering capacity. The base model starts at just $1,099. The mid-range model combines a powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor with a workhorse Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, plus 16 GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It retails for just $1,299. This mid-range model offers similar performance at a lower cost without sacrificing the display.

In my review, I observe that "the glossy CineCrystal OLED display on the Acer Swift X 14 looks fantastic to the human eye. The colors are bright and vivid, though the display panel does suffer from glare, especially with overhead office lighting."

However, if you'd like more memory, storage, and a more powerful GPU, our preferred Swift X 14 configuration is available for just $1,699. It includes an Nvidia RTX 4070, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.

Acer rates the CineCrystal display on the Swift X 14 to 100% coverage on the DCI-P3 format. Our lab display test measures OLED panels a bit differently, so our testing indicated that the Swift X 14 covered 79.6% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Pro (81.4%) and HP Spectre x360 14 (85.8%) outperformed the Swift X 14 in our lab testing, but the Swift X 14's display looked incredible to the eye. In addition, the Swift X 14 offers a powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 to 4070 GPU, making it a better fit for more in-depth Photoshop work.

Based on the Laptop Mag battery test, the Swift X 14 with an RTX 4070 GPU can last for 7 hours and 33 minutes while surfing the web at 150 nits of brightness. While that isn't the best battery life for a laptop on this list, it's not bad for a laptop packing a discrete GPU and OLED display panel.

See our full Acer Swift X 14 review.

Best 2-in-1

Like some of the other Laptop Mag writers, I'm picky when it comes to convertible laptops — so it's a great day when a highly-rated review of one comes across my desk, and I get to give it a buying guide superlative. The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is without a doubt a laptop that deserves to be on this list.

This laptop's headlining feature is the display, a 14-inch OLED that's "far superior and even more colorful than most premium laptops overall," as Laptop Mag reviews editor Rami Tabari notes in his review. Covering 149.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, it produces vivid and richly saturated, drool-worthy colors. The display averages a maximum of 421 nits of brightness, higher than you'd see on many competing OLED laptops —all major reasons why this Yoga 9i 2-in-1 is also our current pick for the best touchscreen laptop with an OLED display.

When it comes to performance, this laptop takes a leisurely approach to finishing demanding tasks. Compared to the other laptops on this list, it was the slowest to convert a 4K video file to 1080p. Photoshop users may experience some lag when batch-processing dozens of images with numerous layers or working with filters and brush tools.

But if you're not a graphic designer or photographer who uses a lot of advanced features in Photoshop, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 has a lot of other things going for it: a stellar and responsive keyboard; speakers that can actually handle a baseline; nearly 13 hours of battery life; and it weighs just under 3 pounds. (Other 2-in-1s are much more brick-like.) Also, I would feel comfortable putting it on my bare lap. At its hottest point, this laptop didn't reach 88.3 degrees, well below our 95-degree comfort threshold.

See our full Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition review.

Best MacBook

For Apple users and design enthusiasts, the 2024 MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro CPU reigns supreme for photo editing. While pricey (starting at $2,499), it offers powerful performance and a seamless experience within the Apple ecosystem. Opting for a 1TB SSD and 32GB RAM configuration delivers ample storage and smooth Photoshop performance, making it a compelling choice for creative professionals though upgrading the memory and storage capacity can get pricey.

Reviewer Sean Riley observes, "The 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro is more laptop than most people need, but that likely won't stop you from wanting one, and after a week with it, I can't blame you."

With any configuration of the M4 chip, you’ll get a brilliant 14-core Apple M4 Pro CPU, a 20-core Apple GPU with a 16-core Neural Engine, and a gorgeous 16.2-inch 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR display. Our lab benchmarking rated the 16-inch Liquid Retina panel as covering 81.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is high for laptops on this list. The MacBook Pro also scored well on the brightness test, with an average of 565 nits, much brighter than the category average of 391.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro (2024) is a smart choice for Photoshop because of its beautiful, bright display and powerfully smooth internal specs. However, there’s another crucial spec to consider: battery life. MacBooks are known for having excellent battery life, which is a fantastic feature for those wanting to use Photoshop on the go. The 16-inch MacBook Pro lasted an amazing 20 hours and 46 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, significantly longer than its workstation laptop competitors.

See our full Apple MacBook Pro 16 M4 Pro review.

Best Workstation

At CES 2025, we were so blown away by the HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a that we gave it our best laptop award — and after reviewing it, we're still blown away by it. At 0.71-inches thick and weighing 3.4 pounds, it could easily be mistaken for a productivity laptop. However, with the driving force of an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395 chip, it's anything but.

The great news for Windows users is that it comes "very close to eclipsing the MacBook Pro" in terms of portability and raw CPU power, as Laptop Mag staff writer Madeline Ricchiuto candidly mentions in her review. In some of our real-world testing, it's evenly matched; the ZBook converted a 4K video to 1080p 4 seconds faster than the MacBook Pro 16 M4 Pro in our Handbrake transcoding test.

It's OLED display comes in an extremely close second to the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition, covering 139% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. (Many OLED laptop displays don't break 100%!) Its max brightness in on par with other competitors, maxing out at an average 368 nits — but if you're searching for the perfect shade of Pantone-like purple, this could be the workstation you've been looking for.

Being as powerful as they are, Windows workstations usually come with a battery life caveat, and with a run time of 6 hours and 46 minutes, this ZBook is no exception. To be fair, that's typical for a workstation, but it's a key area where this laptop doesn't eclipse the MacBook Pro, as well as other creator-focused laptops like the Asus ProArt PX13.

Ultimately, the ZBook's price tag is where most potential buyers could draw the line. The model we reviewed costs an enormous $4,049, but the base configuration starts at a substantial $2,599. If you're not loyal to a specific operating system, that amount of money can get you a MacBook Pro M4 Pro with better battery life — but it's hard to ignore that the HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a is a marvelous laptop for any creative work.

See our full HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a review.

Benchmark Comparisons

Recent reviews

We review more than 100 laptops annually, and while some simply don't have what it takes to make our buying guides, others are still strong options that came up short for one reason or another. Here are some of our most recently reviewed laptops that didn't make the cut for "Best laptops for Photoshop" but could still be solid machines for your photo editing needs.

How to choose a laptop for Photoshop

CPU: You want a high-performance processor like an Intel Core Ultra 7 or 9, an AMD Ryzen 7 or 9, or an Apple M4 chipset to handle complex filters, large photo files, and multiple project layers.

GPU: For heavy-duty tasks like intricate filters, 3D effects, or AI generation, you may want to consider a laptop with a discrete graphics card like an Nvidia RTX or AMD Radeon RX card.

RAM: You need at least 16GB of memory, but depending on your budget, Photoshop users will certainly benefit from 32 or 64GB of RAM. I'd stress the latter in particular isn't something you need to consider unless money is no object or you are doing this professionally and every second counts.

Storage: 512 GB is the minimum I'd consider if I'm doing a lot of photo work, though splurging for 1TB or more is a good idea. Unlike the CPU, GPU, and RAM, you can always turn to external storage, so if your budget requires you to save somewhere, this is the place to do it. However, I'd still stress that you want 512GB at a minimum to handle at least one project at a time without turning to an external drive.

Display: You want to be picky about the display since photo editing is a visual medium. You'll want a crisp, high-resolution panel in the QHD to 4K range with accurate color reproduction. For the best combination of brightness and vibrancy, we recommend opting for an IPS, OLED, or Apple Liquid Retina XDR display to ensure a high level of color fidelity.

If you're looking to set up a full photo studio workstation and didn't select a laptop with the best display, you could also upgrade with one of our picks for the best monitors or best portable monitors for on-the-go editing.

FAQs

Q: What minimum specs do I need for Photoshop?

A: Lower than you might think! As of October 2024, the minimum system requirements for Adobe Photoshop running on Windows 11 are: an Intel or AMD processor with AVX2 and SSE 4.2 or higher support, or a WinARM processor; 8GB of RAM; 256GB total SSD storage space; and a graphics card that's newer than 7 years with at least 1.5GB of video RAM, and supports DirectX 12; and a 1080p monitor.

All that applies if you have a Mac, except the graphics card, but you'll want to make sure you have macOS v12 or higher.

If you a faster laptop to run Photoshop, we recommend at least: an Intel 13th-gen Core i7 processor or newer, an AMD Ryzen 7 7000 series or newer, or Apple Silicon M2 or newer; at least 16GB of RAM; 512GB or more of total SSD storage space (PCIe Gen 4 or newer); an Nvidia RTX 2050 or newer graphics card with at least 4GB of VRAM; and a 1080p display or higher.

Mac users should be running macOS Sonoma or newer.

Q: Is a laptop that's good for Photoshop also good for video editing?

A: Most laptops that are good for Photoshop will also work for video editing, but you'll also want to be aware of the audio quality of a laptop when choosing a video editing machine. So not all the laptops on this list will be ideal for editing video or audio files.

Video editing can often demand more RAM and GPU resources than photo editing, so you may want to opt for a laptop with a discrete GPU if video editing is going to be a large part of your workflow.

Q: Why don't we recommend a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite laptop for Photoshop?

A: On the hardware-side, a Snapdragon X Elite laptop is an excellent machine for running editing programs like Photoshop — but few native Windows on Arm versions of Adobe programs exist overall.

Currently, only Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom can run natively on Snapdragon X Elite laptops. This might not be an issue if you only use Photoshop, but if you also use Adobe Premiere Pro, InDesign, or Illustrator, those can only run via emulation.

It's a similar concept to running a virtual version of Windows 95 on a Windows 11 PC, but the computer will use more resources running both the emulator and program at the same time, which could slow down various editing tasks. If you don't have enough available RAM or video RAM, the entire program could crash.

How We Test Laptops for Photoshop

Every laptop we test undergoes countless lab tests before a review goes live. We look at how a laptop performs in terms of CPU and GPU-intensive tasks, battery life, speakers, heat management, and display. While each laptop on this list has gone through every test we could run on it; there are a few specific test results we paid close attention to when choosing the best laptops for Photoshop.

When you work with Photoshop, it’s important that the colors you’re working with will translate to other screens when your file is shared. To detect a laptop’s display brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut, we use a Klein K-10A colorimeter, Klein ChromaSurf, and DisplayCal to calculate a laptop's average brightness and color gamut volume. We also pay attention to each laptop’s Delta-E score, showing how accurate a display’s colors are.

Additionally, performance is important in a laptop running Adobe Photoshop. The Geekbench CPU benchmark tests a laptop’s overall performance. To test a laptop’s GPU, the 3DMark benchmarks determine how well a laptop can run graphic-intensive applications. Discrete graphics are ideal when selecting a laptop for Photoshop, but not essential, so you might forgo a discrete GPU for a more budget-friendly laptop.

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

Forget the myth that stellar laptops require exorbitant prices. I can find a fantastic laptop under $1,000 that doesn't sacrifice performance, battery life, or durability. In fact, some of these laptops also rank among the best laptops we’ve tested overall.

With modern processors, many of which are AI-powered, these sub-$1,000 laptops are well-rounded machines that offer great performance, solid battery life, and durable build quality. You don't have to sacrifice screen brightness or performance for battery life.

That said, there are multiple ways to narrow down your search and find the best laptop under $1,000 for your specific needs.

If you’re looking for the most affordable option and primarily use the web, consider one of the best Chromebooks or the best laptops under $500. If you want the best performance possible for gaming on your laptop, you may need to accept a lower-quality display. Alternatively, consider upping your budget slightly and take a look at the best gaming laptops under $1,500.

Whether you’re searching for a budget-friendly laptop that’ll last all day without charging, seamlessly handle your tendency to leave multiple tabs open, or help you unwind with AAA games in the evening, we’ve got you covered.

After thousands of hours testing and reviewing laptops this year, here are the best laptops under $1,000 in 2025.

Update log

6/16/2025: Moved the Acer Swift Go 14 from Best Overall to Best Windows; added the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 as the Best Overall pick; added the Acer Nitro 17 as the Best Gaming pick; added the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus as the Best Chromebook pick; removed the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425M) as the Best Student pick

The Quick List

The best laptops under $1,000 you can buy today

After rigorous testing, we've compiled a list of the best laptops under $1,000. Our mini-reviews are linked to more extensive reviews, but you should get all of the information you need right here.

Best overall

Apple’s MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is more powerful and long-lasting than its predecessor, and yet it’s $100 cheaper. The latest M4-powered MacBook Air starts at just $999, and for that incredible price, you get a thin, lightweight laptop with fantastic performance, a gorgeous display, and over 15 hours of battery life.

Sean Riley writes, “Apple's MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is not a perfect laptop, but at its new starting price of $999, it is the perfect laptop for many people.”

Despite its affordable starting price (which often dips below $900 during sales), the MacBook Air 13 M4 is no slacker when it comes to performance. This laptop delivered a Geekbench 6 score of 14,849, which is a higher score than many of its more expensive competitors churned out. If your productive work days are full of so many Chrome tabs you lose count, this laptop can handle it with no issues and still manage to keep things cool.

What makes the MacBook Air M4 one of the best laptops in general, not just one of the best laptops under $1,000, is that it doesn’t ignore the finer details. Yes, this laptop offers incredible performance and battery life wrapped up in an easily portable chassis, but it also features an unmatched webcam, a bright, sharp display, decent speakers, and a lovely keyboard.

Touching on the display a bit more, it’s impressive to see a display on a sub-$1,000 laptop as premium as this one. This laptop features a 13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina LCD display that averaged 463 nits brightness in testing. It also covered 79.3% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, on par with other laptops in its category.

For all these reasons and then some, we’d recommend the MacBook Air 13 M4 to anyone sticking to a strict budget of $1,000 or less. The only downside worth mentioning is the laptop’s limited ports, but that can easily be fixed by adding one of the best USB-C hubs to your setup.

See our full Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 review.

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Best Windows

Acer's Swift Go 14 ushers in a new era with impressive AI capabilities. Gone are the days of lackluster integrated graphics — the Swift Go's Arc GPU tackles most tasks effortlessly while its NPU optimizes performance for a seamless user experience.

The GPU and NPU power results in smooth 4K video editing, even unplugged, making it a compelling alternative to the pricier MacBook Air M2. Even in our lab, the Acer Swift Go 14 achieved a multi-core average of 11,815 on the Geekbench 5.5 overall performance test. That put the Macbook Air M2 and Macbook Pro 13 M2 to shame, with the M2's score being 8,919.

The Swift Go 14 improved over last year’s entry, netting an additional 2 hours of battery life for 9 hours and 50 minutes. It’s not the best, but it lasts a whole work or school day. Its 14-inch, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution touch display is no joke. It covered 79.1 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut and averaged 374 nits of brightness. That’s vibrant as hell for a laptop at this price.

You may or may not know this, but laptop webcams suck. Not this one, though. The Swift Go 14’s QHD (2560 x 1440) webcam is excellent. You get improved image quality thanks to the high resolution and Acer’s included AI tools.

All that is packed into a sturdy aluminum build, which weighs 2.9 pounds and measures 12.32 x 8.58 x 0.68 inches. Budget laptops can get a little chunky, so it’s refreshing to see a machine that looks good and is highly portable.

With its powerful performance, ample storage, affordability, and top-notch webcam, the Swift Go 14 emerges as a serious contender for budget-conscious students, creators, and professionals on the move.

See our full Acer Swift Go 14 review.

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Best Gaming Laptop

The Acer Nitro 17 is a wildly impressive gaming laptop at its price. With smooth gaming performance powered by a Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, excellent overall performance thanks to an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, a large and good-looking display, great audio quality, and a comfortable, RGB backlit keyboard, you’d expect this portable gaming machine to be much more expensive.

Stevie Bonifield writes, “for those who only want a desktop or a laptop for gaming, the Nitro 17 is a fantastic option and it may even be a worthy replacement for older or underpowered desktop gaming PCs.” This hefty gaming laptop may not necessarily have the most powerful specs and it may not be able to run your favorite AAA games at max settings, but for the price, the Nitro 17 can’t be beat.

Looking at overall performance first, the Nitro 17 earned a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 12,358 and managed to transfer 25GB of files at 1,844 Mbps. When tackling daily tasks like web browsing and word processing, the laptop breezed through. At its hottest point under pressure, the max temperature reached on the laptop was only 91.5 degrees, below our comfort threshold of 95 degrees.

On the 3DMark FireStrike benchmark, the Acer Nitro 17 notched a score of 24,422. Then, in our Borderlands 3 benchmark at 1080p, the laptop averaged 84 frames per second. When playing less graphically intensive games, like Starfield and Roboquest, the Nitro 17 sailed on smoothly with no lag, glitches, or freezing.

With such excellent performance, the Nitro 17 does falter in the battery life category. On our web-surfing battery life test, this laptop only lasted 7 hours and 22 minutes, which is pretty decent for a gaming laptop, but not on par with non-gaming Windows laptops. Plus, its internals make the overall rig quite heavy at 6.8 pounds.

If you plan to have the Nitro 17 plugged in at all times in a fairly permanent spot in your home, then you won’t even have to worry about its poor battery life and hefty form factor.

See our full Acer Nitro 17 review.

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Best Chromebook

You can find cheaper Chromebooks out there, but you won’t find any that are quite as great a value as the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus. Many Chromebooks offer dull displays, middling performance, and poor battery life, but the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is a breath of fresh air, with a stellar, large display, impressive tab-hoarding capabilities, and a battery that lasted over 11 hours.

Perhaps the Galaxy Chromebook Plus’ most impressive feature is its display, which isn’t surprising seeing as it’s made by Samsung. James Pero says this laptop’s 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 AMOLED display is “fairly dynamic and plenty bright, especially if you're using it for what most people might use a Chromebook for — general web browsing and YouTube viewing or maybe the occasional movie.” It’s also worth noting this laptop covers a whopping 108.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

Moving on to performance, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus earned a multi-core score of 6,016 on the Geekbench 6 benchmark, which is about half of what we typically see from a non-Chromebook laptop. With about a dozen tabs open, including YouTube, this laptop performed well, with no lag and fast page-loading times.

This laptop also has a surprisingly wide array of ports for how thin and lightweight it is. On the left side, there are two USB-C ports and an HDMI port. On the right, you’ll find a USB-A port, a microSD card slot, and an audio jack.

Despite this laptop’s larger-than-average, AMOLED display and great performance results, it lasted quite a while on our web-surfing battery life test. It’s not uncommon to see Chromebooks die before hitting the 10-hour mark, but the Galaxy Chromebook Plus lasted 11 hours and 12 minutes.

See our full Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus review.

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Best business

With people returning to the office and traveling for work, the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 is perfectly positioned to take center stage in this new hybrid work landscape.

This portable workhorse is an ideal travel companion thanks to its MIL-STD 810H certification, which proved that it can withstand the average drops and tumbles on top of extreme temperatures, dust, shocks, and more. Its IR camera, webcam shutter, and fingerprint sensor make it less susceptible to security breaches.

On the performance side, the ThinkPad E14 is packing an Intel Core i7-1355U processor, which scored 8,000 on the Geekbench 6 overall performance test, beating the average laptop in its category at the time of the review. Its 512GB SSD is also quite speedy, clocking in at 1,258 megabytes per second.

I love it when a display brightens my day — the ThinkPad’s 14-inch, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution touch display averaged 366 nits of brightness. However, there are a few clouds in the forecast, as the panel covered a measly 46.3 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. That means the display is half as colorful as the average laptop in its category.

If you’re familiar with the ThinkPad brand, you’d know how famously comfortable its keyboards are. The ThinkPad E14 is no different, boasting a super responsive keyboard with excellent bounce. The spacing between the keys is great, and the pointing stick users will be satisfied knowing this machine has the nub.

However, a big drawback for business users is its battery life. The ThinkPad E14 lasted only 7 hours and 48 minutes on a single charge. That almost completes a workday but won’t get you over the finish line. As long as you’re okay with reaching for a charger at the end of the day, the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 is a great business laptop.

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 review.

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How to choose the best laptops under $1,000

There's a lot to consider when shopping for one of the best laptops under $1,000. Here's a good breakdown of how to find the best laptop for you.

What's your budget?

Sure, you can find some diamond-in-the-rough Windows laptops and Chromebooks among the best laptops under $500, but you may have to deal with a low-performing CPU or a poor multitasker. If you're a light laptop user, those will be OK, but if you need something more powerful, aim higher — the base model for some of the best mainstream laptops start between $800-$1,000, so you'll make some trade-offs, but there are outstanding options for most people in this range.

Do you want a 2-in-1 or a clamshell?

If you enjoy the awesomeness of converting your laptop into a tablet, the best 2-in-1 laptops are a good choice. Just keep in mind that a traditional laptop usually has a lower price and stronger-performing features.

How much battery life do you need?

If you're on the go, you'll need to snag a laptop that lasts more than 11 hours. But if you're a homebody or tied to your desk all day, perhaps you can sacrifice some battery life and save money. Check out our laptops with the best battery life list if this is your top priority.

What specs do you need?

If you want decent performance, aim for a Core Ultra 5, AMD Ryzen 5, Apple M4, or Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite CPU. For memory and storage, aim for 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. As far as display, don't get anything less than a 1080p screen—your eyes will thank you later.

Gamers and content creators will likely want a laptop with discrete graphics, but you'll likely be looking for a previous-generation GPU to stay under $1,000; otherwise, consider increasing your budget and look to our best gaming laptops under $1,500.

How we test the best laptops under $1,000

We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing—both synthetic and real-world—before we send it to our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers, and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the laptop's display's brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5 and 6 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop with converting a 4K video to 1080p resolution and duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is Sid Meier's Civilization 6 Gathering Storm benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over nine hours is considered a good result, whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for more than five hours deserve praise.

We complement our lab tests with a full week of hands-on use, giving our reviewers time to evaluate how each laptop performs in real-world scenarios. Over that week, they critique everything from the durability of the materials to the responsiveness of the keyboard and touchpad.

See this page on How We Test Laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100 percent independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades and continues to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

One of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing, enforces our editorial trustworthiness. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

Nothing is more cutting-edge in 2025 than the best AI PCs from Qualcomm, Intel, AMD, and Apple. Picking a new laptop is already tough, let alone when you want the latest and greatest technology, so I'm here to help you navigate these stormy seas.

I'll be your AI laptop deep-dive instructor as we find the best AI PC for you. As Laptop Mag's resident hardware enthusiast, I've lived and breathed AI PCs for over a year. I've spent hours going over AI PC performance and efficiency benchmarks, and I've reviewed over 30 AI PCs personally, while the Laptop team has reviewed over 100 laptops in this emergent category in our never-ending quest to find the best laptops.

We've seen all of this generation's AI processors from Qualcomm, Intel, AMD, and Apple, so this list presents the best of the best when it comes to AI-powered laptops with options to suit any need. Even if AI isn't part of your daily life today, it would be a mistake to ignore it as you buy a new laptop in 2025 as AI is more prevalent than ever.

If you want to jump straight to our top choices, our pick for the best AI PC overall is the Asus Zenbook S 14 UX5406, which pairs a stunning OLED display with outstanding performance and efficiency thanks to the Intel Core Ultra Series 200V chipset inside. If battery life is your priority, the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 is your pick, with over 21 hours on our test. And for Apple enthusiasts, the MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025) is the way to go for the best combination of value, performance, and longevity.

That's just entering into the shallows of our top picks; here's my promised deep dive into the best AI PCs in 2025.

The Quick List

Here's a quick rundown of our top picks for the best AI PC laptops. You can also follow the links to the full review to learn more about any of the computers on this list.

The best AI PCs in 2025

Best Overall

The Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) rocketed to the top to become our favorite AI PC laptop. This laptop is one of the first to feature an Intel Core Ultra 200V series processor and at just $1,499, you get a fantastic balance of performance, full-day battery life, a stunning 14-inch OLED display, plus enhanced storage and memory. So you can keep open your 57 'emotional support' Chrome tabs while still streaming music and running ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion.

In our review, Madeline Ricchiuto writes, "From its stunning design to its vivid OLED display panel, there’s plenty to appreciate about the Asus Zenbook S 14."

The Asus Zenbook S 14 lasted 13 hours and 51 minutes on our battery life test, so you should have no trouble leaving your charge cable at home while you head to work or to class. The Zenbook also features a scratch-resistant Ceraluminum ultralight chassis and Asus' quality customer support so you don't need to worry about any tech-related meltdowns.

The Zenbook S 14's 3K (2,880 x 1,800) OLED display is vividly colorful, capturing 82% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. at 342 nits of brightness, it can contend with most screen glare.

If you need to save money, Some of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Copilot+ PCs are a bit cheaper. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is one of our favorites of the Copilot+ lineup and starts at just $1,199, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition starts at just $999 and features the same Copilot+ AI features as the Yoga Slim 7x. If you prefer an AI PC with a larger screen, the Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra has a stunning 16-inch AMOLED display. The Galaxy Book 4 Ultra also offers excellent battery life and the powerhouse combo of an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor and Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU.

See our full Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) review.

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Best battery life

One of the most highly anticipated features of the Copilot+ AI PC platform was the extended battery life offered by AI optimization combined with Qualcomm's ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite chip, and the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 has more than delivered on that promise.

In our review, Stevie Bonifield writes, "Battery life is one area where the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 really shines. It lasted 21 hours and 3 minutes in our battery test, longer than any of its rivals — longer than any laptop we’ve ever tested."

The ThinkPad T14s lasted an astounding 21 hours and 3 minutes on our battery test, outperforming even the MacBook Pro 16 (M4 Pro, 2024), which lasted 20:46. It also stole the battery life crown from the Dell XPS 13 (9345), which had just claimed the title of laptop with the best battery life in July 2024.

But the ThinkPad T14s offers more than just incredible battery life, as it combines power efficiency with strong CPU performance thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (XIE-78-100) chipset and surprisingly light 2.72-pound chassis.

In fact, the ThinkPad T14s has more powerful multi-core performance than some of our favorite laptops, like the MacBook Air 13 M3 and Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425M). On the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark, the ThinkPad scored an average of 14,486 compared to the MacBook Air's 12,807 or the Zenbook 14's 12,358. The T14s also has better battery life than both, making it the best choice for power and longevity.

So what are the downsides? The ThinkPad T14s suffers from a tired design, sub-par graphics rendering, and an inaccurately calibrated display, which hold it back from taking the top spot in this category. But if you don't plan to use your AI PC for a lot of photo or video work, the ThinkPad T14s more than makes up for its shortcomings in terms of battery life and performance. In fact, with this ThinkPad, you can even dare to leave your charger at home.

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 review.

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Best budget

AI PCs offer good power efficiency, strong performance, and lightweight designs, even on budget-friendly systems. The Acer Aspire 14 AI benefits from an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor with powerful Intel Arc 130V graphics and a 40 TOPS Intel AI Boost NPU all integrated into the chipset. It also features 16GB of unified memory on-package, a 2TB SSD, and a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 display. Plus, it lasted over 14 hours on the Laptop Mag web surfing battery test and weighs just 3.2 pounds. And you get all that for just $699.

Claire Tabari writes in our review of the Acer Aspire 14 AI, "The Acer Aspire 14 AI shines as a budget laptop, hitting an affordable price point for solid Lunar Lake processing speeds, excellent battery life, a satisfying keyboard, and a sturdy chassis."

Our testing revealed that the Aspire 14 AI "delivered a Geekbench 6 score of 10,043, which is fantastic for a budget laptop." The Aspire 14 also features a swift 1TB SSD, with a transfer rate of 1,746 megabytes per second.

While the Acer Aspire 14 AI's 14 hour and 15 minute battery life average is far from the most impressive on this list, it easily competes with our top AI PC pick overall, the Asus Zenbook S 14 (13:51), however, it is almost an hour behind our top Apple pick, the MacBook Air 13 M3 (15:13).

The Acer Aspire 14 AI does have a powerful second-gen Intel AI Boost NPU which offers 40 TOPS of performance. This means it is part of Microsoft's Copilot+ program and gets access to advanced AI features like Live Captions and studio camera effects.

See our full Acer Aspire 14 AI review.

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Best for business

Not everyone wants a 2-in-1 laptop, but the convertible form of the MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo makes it a handy, versatile tool. The Summit also features a Microsoft discrete trusted platform module (TPM) 2.0 and Microsoft Pluton security. So its versatile and secure.

Madeline Ricchiuto writes in our review of the MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo, "There are plenty of reasons to recommend the Summit 13 AI+ Evo. It offers almost 17 hours of battery life, dependable performance, a bright display, a satisfying keyboard, sturdy hinges, and it comes with 2TB of storage space and a stylus for just $1,599."

MSI has also put the Summit's durability to the test through the MIL-STD-810H durability testing. The Summit 13 AI+ Evo can survive high altitudes, extreme temperatures, and exposure to dust and humidity. Making it the perfect companion for your pitch meeting in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

Like the other Copilot+ laptops, the MSI Summit 13 has full-day battery life, solid performance, and a bright, vibrant display. Even if security is not your top priority, you're still getting a solid laptop that lasted 16 hours and 52 minutes on our battery test. On our other lab benchmark tests, the Summit was competitive with the likes of the Asus ExpertBook P5 and HP EliteBook Ultra G1q, with a Geekbench 6 score of 10,895 compared to the ExperBook's 11,259 and the EliteBook's 12,717.

While you could use one of the other Copilot+ or AI PC laptops, like the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x or Dell XPS 13 (9350), as a business laptop, MSI offers additional security and durability features alongside a stellar all-around laptop experience.

With a starting price of just $1,499, most other business laptops can't compete.

See our full MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo review.

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Best for AMD fans

This AI powerhouse isn't part of the Copilot+ PC program, but with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, it more than meets the requirements for NPU performance with 50 TOPS of AI processing power. So, if you want a top-of-the-line AI PC and Qualcomm's ARM chip won't work for you, the Asus Zenbook S16 is your best pick.

Rami Tabari writes in our review, "The Asus Zenbook S16 UM5606 has the makings of a great laptop, from its incredible performance and graphics to its long battery life and stellar design."

Of course, the Zenbook does have a few drawbacks, like an unsatisfying keyboard and slower SSD, but it makes up for those shortcomings by surviving an impressive 11 hours and 35 minutes on our battery test. And it starts at just $1,399.

The Zenbook S16 scored above most of its competition on Geekbench 6, with a multicore average of 13,282. That outpaces even the MacBook Air 15 M3's 12,052 average and the Intel Core Ultra-powered Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425M), which scored an average of 12,717.

So, if you need a powerful AI PC that runs Windows 11 without needing software emulation, the Zenbook S16 is the most affordable, powerful option.

See our full Asus Zenbook S16 review.

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Best for Apple enthusiasts

We rarely give out 5-star ratings here at Laptop Mag, and the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 is one of the chosen few. Starting at just $999, with education pricing dropping it to $899, the new 13-inch Air is a laptop we can recommend for just about any purpose. It's affordable, especially by Apple standards, and it features an excellent keyboard, fantastic performance, and outstanding endurance, which makes it a great laptop for just about anyone's needs.

In our review, Sean Riley writes, "The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 feels like the return of the original M1 Air. It's an undeniable value that will give you years of excellent performance, even if you pick up the base model."

With macOS 18, the M4 chips have access to Apple Intelligence, making the MacBook Air 13 M4 one of the most affordable AI PCs on the market, with features similar to those found in Microsoft's Copilot+ PC system, like image and text generation, email summaries, and in-call recording and summaries.

Outside of the fancy new AI features coming to Macs this fall, the MacBook Air M4 boasts the same kind of all-day battery life as the other AI PCs on this list, lasting 15 hours and 42 minutes in our battery life test.

The MacBook Air is more than competitive with other AI PCs when it comes to performance, scoring a Geekbench 6 multicore average of 14,849 which outperforms the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (13,750) and Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (12,908).

Of course, you could choose the MacBook Pro 14 M4 instead. Thanks to its fan-cooled design and larger battery, it has better performance and longer battery life, but it has a much higher starting price: $1,599.

So, if you want to stick with macOS and get the best Apple Intelligence features at an affordable price, the MacBook Air M4 is the way to go.

See our full Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 review.

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Benchmark Comparisons

AI Benchmarks

We run all of our AI PCs through a series of AI-focused benchmarks, including the Geekbench ML and Geekbench AI test suites. However, because of how fast AI and machine learning is evolving, these benchmarks are often difficult to compare between versions.

Geekbench ML does not test the NPU at all, while Geekbench AI will test the NPU using the best AI inference software for that chipset, so it can be difficult to compare NPU results between chipmakers.

Though AI PCs are all identifiable by their integrated NPUs, AI workloads run off all three hardware accelerators, so we try to benchmark the CPU, GPU, and NPU in AI tests rather than just focus on the NPU alone.

But if you're curious as to how our best AI PCs stack up in the AI benchmarking stakes, here's a comprehensive chart of our testing data.

Recent reviews

We review dozens of laptops annually, and while some simply don't have what it takes to make our buying guides, others are still strong options that came up short for one reason or another. Here are some of our most recently reviewed laptops that didn't make the cut, which for this page could simply mean they aren't classified as "AI PCs."

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How to choose the best AI PC

There are several factors you should consider before buying an AI PC.

The benefits of AI laptops are multifaceted, but portability and battery life are some of the more tangible benefits of buying a laptop with a neural processing unit NPU. Courtesy of AI optimization, these laptops are more efficient than their non-AI counterparts, which helps shave off some weight with thinner, smaller batteries that can still last all day on a charge. Most AI PCs we've seen have lasted for more than 10 hours on our battery test, and many of the AI laptops we've reviewed and recommend go well beyond that, some even eclipsing 20 hours of battery life.

On-device AI is another key benefit of the AI PC platform, though we are still in the early days of generative AI, so those features will be upgraded and added as Microsoft, Apple, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm flesh out their AI platforms. But at a minimum, all of the AI PCs have a dedicated NPU and can tackle on-device AI tasks like AI image and AI text generation. While some have more powerful NPUs than others, all of these AI PCs can run your favorite large language model.

Regarding minimum specs, we recommend a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus, AMD Ryzen 8000 series, Intel Core Ultra 100 series, or Apple M2. You'll also want to go for at least 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD minimum for extra memory and storage for your AI tasks.

Other deciding factors that can make your AI PC life even more successful are the same as most other laptops, including a comfortable keyboard, a sensitive touchpad, and a bright, vivid display. So you can enjoy your laptop for more than just its generative AI capabilities.

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FAQs

What makes a laptop an AI PC?

While there are many definitions for what counts as an AI PC, the one commonality between all laptops and desktops marked as "AI PCs" is the presence of a neural processing unit (NPU) machine learning core.

AI workloads will often use the CPU, GPU, and NPU of a machine, with certain tasks favoring one hardware accelerator over another. But to get the most use out of on-device AI, you'll want a computer with a strong chipset that has CPU, GPU, and NPU cores.

What does an AI PC do?

AI PCs are specialized laptops built to run AI workloads. They also offer great battery life and general performance. All laptops will be AI PCs at some point in the future, but for now, they're a bit more of a niche category. Essentially, any computer with an NPU machine learning processor is an AI PC.

You can use an AI PC to run on-device AI models like GPT-4 or Stable Diffusion. AI PCs can generate AI text and AI images and provide live AI translations or better video filters for your next Zoom meeting. One of the key differentiators is that these tasks are handled, at least in large part, by the NPU, which helps free up the CPU and GPU for other tasks.

You can also use an AI laptop for typical computing tasks like browsing the web, playing games, editing photos and videos, or productivity tasks if this is a work laptop. They're a versatile category of powerful, efficient laptops that fill various needs.

What specs do I need for a good AI PC?

While you can run generative AI programs like GPT-4, Stable Diffusion, or Dall-E on older processors, you'll want to opt for a newer, high-end CPU, GPU, and NPU combination if you plan to do a lot of on-device AI.

Different AI programs run through different hardware accelerators, so you'll want to have all-around powerful hardware.

An AMD Ryzen AI 300 processor gets you the most powerful NPU and a solid CPU and integrated GPU. Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series processors offer the best combination of powerful NPU and CPU performance with top-end battery life. The Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" series gives you a strong NPU with solid CPU and GPU performance for additional AI support and great battery life. The Apple MacBook Air M3 gives you access to the Apple Intelligence AI software suite, alongside Apple's fantastic build quality, performance, and battery life at an affordable price. The M4 is better optimized for AI workloads and will be the superior choice once the M4 chipset hits the MacBook Air line.

If you're using mostly cloud-based AI software, you can use a processor with a less powerful NPU because the cloud server will run the AI model for most of your AI usage. However, in that case, you'll still want a laptop with a decent processor and at least 16GB of RAM to get a timely response.

Do I need a Copilot+ PC to have a good AI PC?

While having a powerful NPU rated to at least 40 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) can make certain AI programs run more smoothly, the requirement for at least 40 TOPS of NPU performance was based on Microsoft Recall. That particular segment of Microsoft's Copilot+ AI suite hasn't fully launched yet, but it is available in Preview Mode for Windows Insiders.

AI PCs can do more than just Microsoft Copilot+. Many other AI workloads, including webcam background blur, AI audio effects, and generative AI can be handled by smaller NPUs or can be run through the CPU or GPU instead of the NPU. So you can still get a quality AI PC experience with a lower-spec NPU than you'll find on Copilot+ PCs.

But if you want an NPU that can last for the next few generations of AI and you want access to every AI feature, you'll want to opt for a Copilot+ PC.

Should you get a discrete GPU for your AI PC?

Depending on the AI you intend to use, you may want a more powerful GPU. However, the integrated graphics tiles on the Ryzen AI 300 series and Intel Core Ultra 200 series are powerful enough for some light gaming and get solid GPU-based AI performance.

Of course, if you're going to be getting into heavy on-device AI that requires high graphics demands, getting a laptop with an Nvidia RTX 40-series or RTX 50-series GPU wouldn't be a bad idea.

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How we test AI PCs

We put each laptop we review through extensive benchmark testing using synthetic and real-world tests before it goes to our reviewers. Our reviewers evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers, and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and the sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 6 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. A Geekbench 6 multicore score of 10,000 or higher is needed for AI workloads. While AI PC laptops don't need to be great at gaming, a higher score on 3DMark benchmarks can indicate good image generation capabilities.

With AI PC laptops, we also use machine learning benchmark tests like Geekbench ML, Geekbench AI, UL Procyon Computer Vision, and UL Procyon Image Generation. These tests use real AI workloads and models to test a laptop's AI performance capabilities. Most of these tests can target CPU and GPU performance on AI workloads, but as NPUs are the defining factor of AI PCs, we tend to focus on NPU performance for these benchmarks.

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop with compressing a 4K video to 1080p resolution and duplicating a 25 GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark with medium settings at 1080p and native resolution. On gaming laptops, we run additional benchmarks, including Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Cyberpunk 2077, and Assassin's Creed: Mirage.

We also test the laptop's cooling capabilities by playing a 15-minute 4K video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop, such as the keyboard, touchpad, and underside, to determine whether it is too hot to be safely used on your lap or if it should be relegated to a desktop.

Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 or Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result, whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered longer than 5 hours deserve praise. We expect over 10 hours of battery life with AI PCs, though many AI PC laptops get around 14 hours of battery life.

Following these tests, the laptop is given to our expert reviewers for extensive hands-on testing. Our reviewers will spend days using the laptop as part of their typical workflow to get a sense of the real-world performance and live with the laptop to come away with a thorough understanding of the hardware and software experience. This blended lab testing and hands-on approach allows us to offer you a clear and comprehensive view of every laptop that comes through Laptop Mag.

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Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over a hundred laptops yearly, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100 percent independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades and continues to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

Future Publishing, one of the world's largest technology publishers, enforces our editorial trustworthiness. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

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The best touchscreen laptops cover a wide spectrum of performance powerhouses, budget-minded stalwarts, entertainment wonders, and versatile 2-in-1s. Toss in a long battery life, and it's no wonder they're a great value for anyone who likes navigating with a screen instead of a touchpad — and you'll often find them among Laptop Mag's best 2-in-1 laptops and best laptops overall, too.

Our new favorite touchscreen laptop is the 2-in-1 Asus Vivobook 16 Flip. With commendable speed, battery life, and a vibrant 16-inch OLED panel, it's a strong value. If you need something cheaper, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus offers incredible multitasking performance and over 18 hours of battery life for under $1,000. If you want the best, thinnest, and lightest touchscreen laptop available, check out the Asus Zenbook S 14.

If you're not sure you'll need a touchscreen, check out our best laptops page, which includes non-touch models. If you are looking for a touchscreen to do specific creative work, the best laptops for Photoshop or the best laptops for graphic design include touchscreen laptops geared for those specific tasks. If you want to save money, our curated selection of the best laptop deals is an excellent, up-to-date resource.

This page is constantly updated based on our latest reviews to reflect Laptop Mag's current picks for the best touchscreen laptops in 2025.

The Quick List

Best overall

2-in-1 laptops are designed for a wide range of situations, and as Laptop Mag staff writer Madeline Ricchiuto mentions in her review of the Asus Vivobook 16 Flip, we "tend to be picky about our 2-in-1s." But the Flip offers a “compelling combination” of solid performance, power efficiency, a stunning OLED display, and smooth iGPU gaming performance — making it the best touchscreen laptop on the market.

Its speedy Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor and 32GB of RAM offer ample multitasking power, but the laptop's battery life doesn't suffer for all the performance it cranks out. In our battery rundown test, it surfed the web for nearly 14 hours before it needed a charge — 3 hours longer than our previous pick, the HP Spectre x360 16. And in our Handbrake transcoding test, it converted a 4K video to 1080p in under 8 minutes. That's not the fastest we've ever seen, but for a 2-in-1 laptop that's not primarily designed to be a video editing or graphic design laptop, that's good!

The Flip doesn't have the brightest OLED display Laptop Mag has ever tested, but a max of 356 nits of brightness is enough to ward off most glare. (Try to angle the screen away from any harsh overhead lighting, though.) A good thing, too, since the display produces incredibly vibrant colors and deep contrasts. It covers 84.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is much more than most competing laptops.

Another of the Asus Vivobook 16 Flip's great features: gaming. Its integrated graphics make most games playable (at least 30 fps) on Medium graphics at 1080p — even Baldur’s Gate III.

See our full Asus Vivobook 16 Flip review.

Best budget

The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (7441) is part of the first wave of Copilot+ PCs to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor — and for a budget touchscreen laptop we've seen go on sale for less than $1,000, it's impressive: great performance, great heat management, excellent battery life, and even a solid webcam. Laptop Mag's editor, Rami Tabari, sums it up best in his review: "If your focus is affordability and incredible battery life, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is the one to buy."

It has one of the slower Snapdragon X processors, but it sure doesn't feel like it. This laptop flew past the average premium machine in our Geekbench 6.3 overall performance test, 13,281 to 9,726, respectively. It also has one of the longest battery lives we've seen in any laptop: 18 hours and 20 minutes, which blows past the average premium laptop by almost seven hours.

There's more: it has a surprisingly good 1080p webcam that clearly captures fine details like strands of hair, and the contrast doesn't blow out when there's too much light. You can safely keep this Inspiron on your laptop, too, whether you're writing a paper for a history class or streaming the latest gaming news on YouTube.

But here's the sacrifice: this laptop's display color. It's dull, covering only 69.1% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. (The average premium laptop covers 88.7%.) Brightness is its redeeming quality: a max of 470 nits.

See our full Dell Inspiron 14 Plus review.

Best Chromebook

I definitely agree with our reviewer, Stevie Bonifield, in that the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is "ideal for students or professionals who mainly work through web browsing."

Typing with its keyboard feels comfortable and crisp. Movie dialogue comes through its speakers loud and clear. It can transform into a tablet, which makes it easier to use certain Google Docs features like handwritten annotations. And as an added bonus, buyers get a free, 1-year subscription (normally $20 per month) to Gemini Advanced, Google's suite of AI tools like Deep Research.

Its Intel Core Ultra processor handles multiple open Chrome tabs, video streaming, and other basic tasks with legerity. In the Geekbench overall performance test, the Spin performed admirably with a score of 6,335, making it 8% faster than the average Chromebook (5,246) and in-line with our real-world experience.

While we wish its battery life was longer, it can still last through a typical day at work or school — but that's dependent on how bright you set the display and how often you'd use this Chromebook throughout the day.

For our battery run down test, we set the display to 150 nits of brightness and have the laptop continuously cycle through a series of web pages until the battery runs out of power. The Spin made it 9 hours and 30 minutes before powering down.

If you have the display set to its maximum brightness of 355 nits, that number can be shorter. Still, that number is higher than some Chromebooks we've tested in the past.

See our full Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 review.

Best OLED

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is another convertible laptop that passed the Laptop Mag "taste-test." Our reviews editor, Rami Tabari, called it a "great all-in-one package" that's like having an LG OLED TV in your lap. Featuring an alluring OLED display, boomin' audio, a clicky keyboard, and long battery life packed into a lightweight chassis, it has almost everything an ideal laptop should have.

It's our best OLED pick for a reason: the incredibly color-accurate display. The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition covers an outstanding 149.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and had Tabari "drooling over the colors." (I would too.) With over 400 nits of max brightness to push through harsh glare, it's not only great for watching movies, but also for video editing, graphic design, and drawing.

However, its processing performance makes it a better portable movie theater than a device for editing them (at least professionally). The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V isn't a slow-poke, but some of this laptop's biggest competitors offer comparable features with faster performance at a lower price.

The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition falls behind in raw multicore performance by as little as 1% or as much as 29%. However, when it comes to real-world tasks like video transcoding, this laptop fares better. In our Handbrake test, it took almost 6 and-a-half minutes to convert a 4K video to 1080p.

If you want to use it as a drawing tablet, this laptop is thankfully cool enough to put in your lap. Its hottest point, between the G and H keys, didn't exceed 88.3 degrees during testing — well below our 95-degree comfort threshold.

See our full Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition review.

Best ultraportable

As Laptop Mag's Madeline Ricchiuto said in her review of the Asus Zenbook S 14: "This is an impressive launch laptop for Intel Lunar Lake and a win for Asus." Nearly everything about it — its design, portability, performance, battery life, and OLED screen — makes it the best-balanced, thin and light laptop in its class.

It's OLED display and battery life are this laptop's most impressive features. The glossy, 3K display produces rich and accurate colors. Its peak brightness (342 nits), though dimmer than some of its competitors, is still bright enough to ward off the harsh glare of fluorescent office lighting. The 3K display also helps conserves power, while still looking as crisp and clear as 4K; the Zenbook S 14 lasted just under 14 hours in our web surfing battery test.

While that's not as long as some of its competitors, it's impressive how Asus fit a large, 72Wh battery inside the laptop's incredibly thin chassis. That definitely has a hand in powering this laptop past the 10-hour mark.

It handles dozens of open browser tabs and simultaneously running apps without a hitch, too. On the Geekbench 6 cross-platform CPU benchmark, it's evenly matched in single-core performance with the the Asus Zenbook S 16 (AMD Ryzen AI), 2,751 to 2,765, respectively. Just a 0.5% difference.

Multicore performance is a different story, though. It trails behind the Asus Zenbook S 16 (13,282) by 16% and the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (12,707) by 13%. That's disappointing to see, especially compared to Intel's last-gen Meteor Lake chip.

But the Zenbook S 14 makes up for that with its quick SSD, taking just 17.8 seconds to complete our 25GB File Copy test at a transfer rate of 1,513 MBps.

See our full Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) review.

Best business

A good business laptop should have a powerful CPU, a snappy keyboard, and an office-appropriate chassis. But a great one does all that and more, like the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x G4. Our reviewer, Stevie Bonifield, writes that it has "surprising strengths" for a business laptop, including "seriously impressive speakers." It's the kind of laptop that can be an "an around-the-clock companion."

At 0.5 inches thick and 2.7 pounds, this ThinkBook is as thin and as light as other laptops on this list. It's easy to travel with, whether flying to a conference or walking down the hall to the conference room (or, for you remote workers, to your favorite coffee shop). Its two-toned, silver-gray chassis is business-appropriate without being business-boring. It also has a snappy keyboard with a decent amount of tactile feedback, yet it stays pretty quiet. (I've tested a lot of Lenovo laptops over the years, and I like their keyboard for the same reasons.)

Stevie praises how well Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes” sounded through the ThinkBook's speakers; the bass was smooth, balanced with the highs in a way that created a surround-sound effect.

While this laptop's CPU isn't the most performative compared to some of its closest competition, it still handles numerous open browser tabs with two or three apps open at once just fine. Geekbench 6 benchmark tests revealed a multicore score of 11,058, which is lower than some of its director competitors. But most people will not notice a difference in basic productivity tasks.

Unlike CPU performance, though, battery life is definitely more noticeable, and we wish this laptop lasted longer than 8 hours and 39 minutes. By comparison, every laptop on this list has much more battery life, between two hours and ten hours more.

But if your job doesn't constantly keep you glued to your laptop, or you rarely ever work away from a desk (maybe you're a teacher!), its lower-than-average battery life shouldn't be a huge concern.

See our full Lenovo ThinkBook 13x G4 review.

Benchmark comparisons

Recently Reviewed

Not every laptop can make the best touchscreen laptop page. (You'd be scrolling for days if we included them all!) We review new laptops every week and over 100 laptops yearly, so here's a look at our most recently reviewed laptops that didn't make this page either due to a fault, price, battery life, display brightness, or something else.

How to find your perfect touchscreen laptop

Whether you're looking for a clamshell or a 2-in-1, there are a few key things to keep in mind before you buy a touchscreen laptop.

Display: You need something bright and sharp

Touchscreen laptops aren't exclusively reserved for artists and designers but many use them. (Some even come with a stylus.) If you're looking for your next digital sketchbook or canvas, you absolutely need a display that can accommodate your creative endeavors. If it's too dim or can't accurately present color, you most likely will be disappointed.

OLED displays generally produce the richest colors with the widest color gamuts, but there are also good IPS displays out there. 80% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut should be your minimum if you're an artist, but you'll be better off the closer you get to 100% (or higher in some cases).

We also recommend getting a laptop with a high resolution display since they present sharper images. If you're an artist or designer who creates highly detailed work, a 2K display or higher will let you get into the nitty gritty.

Design: Sturdy portability is a necessity

Flexibility is vital, especially for 2-in-1 laptops. Not only do its hinges need to support up to 360-degree angles, but trying to draw or tapping on a screen that constantly bounces becomes a headache real quick. Creaky hinges and a lid that feels like it'll snap off every time you lift it are an absolute no.

The best touchscreen laptops support themselves in any position and require conscious force to open and close the lid. Laptops with an aluminum chassis are usually the sturdiest, but you'll want to read our reviews and see which ones feel the best in practice.

We also recommend getting a light laptop, anything around four pounds. Depending on the size, some can be a little heavier or lighter, though.

Battery life: The longer the better

Battery life is another key component of any good laptop. If you travel a lot, walk back and forth across campus multiple times a day, or draw in the park against your favorite tree for hours on end, don't count on there being an outlet! Consider a laptop with at least ten hours of battery life, which should get you through most days.

FAQs

Q: Is there an Apple touchscreen laptop?

A: No, currently, no Apple touchscreen laptop is produced by the company. The closest you can get in 2025 is purchasing an iPad Pro 13-inch M4 with an Apple Magic for iPad Pro 13-inch. This combination gives you a powerful detachable 2-in-1 laptop experience, but the big trade-off is that you are running iPadOS rather than macOS. Depending on your usage and software needs, that may be a dealbreaker for you.

As for whether there will ever be an Apple touchscreen laptop, there have been rumors of a foldable MacBook and patents for touchscreen MacBook designs filed by Apple, but it is unclear if any of these designs will ever come to market.

Q: Are there touchscreen gaming laptops?

A: While touchscreen gaming laptops are uncommon, they do exist. The best touchscreen laptop for gaming in 2025 is the Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025). This detachable 2-in-1 gaming laptop offers a bright and vivid touchscreen display and remarkable performance.

For gamers, the biggest caveat with this laptop is that it only includes integrated graphics, and while our reviewer says they are, "The most powerful integrated graphics I've ever tested," they still can't compare to a dedicated high-end GPU. Asus does have a solution for that, you need to purchase the Asus ROG XG Mobile, an external GPU that plugs into the Z Flow 13 via Thunderbolt 5 and supercharges it with up to an RTX 5090 laptop GPU.

Q: I already have a stylus; will it work with one of these laptops?

A. That depends! Not all touchscreens have stylus support. The ones that do might not support the same type of pens. We recommend checking the manufacturer's website of both the laptop and stylus to be absolutely sure.

This will help you determine what pen protocols the stylus and laptop support. The two main ones are Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP) and Wacom AES. They're not intercompatible, but some pens support both, while others only support one.

How we test touchscreen laptops

We put each touchscreen laptop through extensive benchmark testing—both synthetic and real-world—before we send it to our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers, and heat management.

For synthetic performance, we run each laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 6 and 3DMark professional graphics tests. On Chromebooks, we also use Geekbench 6 in addition to JetStream 2, WebXPRT 4, and CrXPRT 2 to determine their CPU and web performance.

To measure real-world performance on laptops, we: convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution; duplicate a 25GB multimedia file; and run the Sid Meier's Civilization 6 Gathering Storm benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution to test graphics.

On both laptops and Chromebooks, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to measure display brightness and DCI-P3 color gamut. To measure heat output, we play a 15-minute, full-screen video and then measure the surface temperature of different areas on the laptop.

For battery tests, we set the display to 150 nits of brightness and then the laptop navigates a controlled group of web pages with text, images, and videos.

Once a laptop is through our initial lab tests, our expert reviewers take over, using it extensively in their daily work for approximately a week. This hands-on, real-world approach, coupled with our lab data, enables Laptop to deliver a detailed and accurate review of every laptop.

See this page on How We Test Laptops for more details on our benchmarking procedures.

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops yearly, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100 percent independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades and continues to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

One of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing, enforces our editorial trustworthiness. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

The best 2-in-1 laptops in 2025 offer a versatile experience: They can flip between a traditional laptop layout, a tablet, and anything in between using a 360-degree hinge. For those who constantly change their environments, this form factor is perfect.

After over five years of reviewing laptops, I've tested my fair share of 2-in-1 laptops, so I know what boxes a laptop needs to tick to earn a spot as one of the best. Plus, I have a personal love for convertible laptops. My first work laptop was the convertible Lenovo Flex 5, and the Lenovo Yoga 9i has been my daily driver for the last three years.

If you've decided a 2-in-1 laptop is the best option for you, you're likely looking for a laptop that can move with you throughout the day. Use it in traditional laptop mode to get your work done, flip it into tablet mode for drawing or graphic design tasks, and tent mode is perfect to end the night watching your favorite TV show or movie.

Every convertible laptop I've picked for this list is well-constructed, with sturdy hinges that'll stand up to daily rotation. Beyond great build quality, the best 2-in-1 laptops feature a battery that'll last all day, solid multi-tasking performance, and a gorgeous display. These 2-in-1 laptops are among the best laptops, period.

No matter what you're searching for in a 2-in-1 laptop, we have an option that'll fit the bill.

Update log

5/22/2025: Swapped the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition in for the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i as the best graphic design option and updated benchmark comparisons.

The Quick List

The best 2-in-1 laptops in 2025

Through extensive hands-on testing and a series of thorough benchmarks, we decided that the products below are indeed the best 2-in-1 laptops of 2025.

Best 2-in-1 overall

The Asus Vivobook 16 Flip is a “compelling combination” of specs and features, according to Laptop Mag’s Madeline Ricchiuto, making it our favorite 2-in-1 laptop to recommend for most people.

Inside, you’ll find an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor leading the pack, accompanied by 32GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and integrated Intel Arc 140V graphics. For supporting multiple RAM-hungry browser tabs and even Photoshop and low-intensity games, this configuration is more than equipped.

For concrete proof of this convertible laptop’s performance abilities, let’s take a look at a few benchmarks. In our testing, the Vivobook 16 Flip delivered a great Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 10,987, completed the Handbrake conversion test in 7 minutes and 41 seconds, and maxed out at 85.8 degrees Fahrenheit, well below our comfort threshold of 95 degrees.

Despite impressive performance, this laptop promises healthy battery life. In our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits brightness, the Vivobook 16 Flip lasted a whopping 13 hours and 47 minutes, winning out easily over our previous overall pick: the HP Spectre x360 16 (11.07). That’s more than enough for a full work day, followed by a few hours of streaming or internet shopping.

And of course, for a 2-in-1 laptop, a stunning display is paramount — and this laptop doesn’t disappoint. The Vivobook 16 Flip sports a 16-inch, 2880 x 1800, OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Whether you’re drawing, watching a TV show, or organizing your calendar, this laptop’s display will deliver vibrant colors and rich contrast.

As a bonus, you can even get some solid gaming performance out of this laptop. In our review, it handled Baldur’s Gate III at Medium, 1080p settings incredibly well, with stable frame rates and lush visuals. It’s not going to earn a spot as one of the best gaming laptops any time soon, but it’s an impressive feat for a convertible laptop.

See our full Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (TP3607) review.

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Best budget

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is a 2-in-1 Chromebook that'll save you a little more than a shiny penny and still provide a solid overall experience. It's packed with an Intel Core i3-1315U processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage, and a 14-inch, 1920 x 1080 touchscreen display.

Mark Anthony Ramirez said, "The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i takes full advantage of Google's AI-infused Chrome OS and delivers potent performance that will impress you," in our review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus.

For its performance, we tested it against the Geekbench 6 overall performance test where the IdeaPad Flex 5i scored 5,384, sliding past the 5,259 Chromebook average at the time. That's decent enough to get you through most less-taxing tasks. And thanks to the Chromebook's relatively light operating system, it won't suffer the same slowdowns as a Windows laptop.

The IdeaPad Flex 5i is also quite portable, measuring 12.4 x 9.0 x 0.8 inches and weighing 3.57 pounds. It lands somewhere between the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (3.02 pounds) and the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (3.7 pounds). It also looks nice, featuring an aluminum storm grey colored lid — that's not common for a cheap laptop.

Adding to that portability is its battery life. It lasted 9 hours and 43 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, which consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits. It's a bit shorter than the Chromebook average at the time (9:50). However, you'll get more than a workday or school day's worth of life out of this laptop. Close to 10 hours is still solid, especially for a laptop this affothat is rdable.

Unfortunately, you'll need to sacrifice the display. The Flex 5i's 14-inch, 1080p display covered a dismal 46.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and produced only 306 nits of brightness. This isn't too far from what we expect from a laptop at this price point. Still, both scores landed well below the Chromebook average at the time.

Despite that, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop if you are on a budget.

See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review.

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Best for graphic design

With its gorgeous OLED display, good performance, and a plethora of other premium features, the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is one of the best laptops for graphic design you’ll find with a nifty convertible form factor. Though it's not a cheap 2-in-1 rig at $1,749 full price, you get a lot of value in exchange.

In our review of the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition, Rami Tabari notes, “Between its battery life and punchy keyboard, and its OLED display and strong speakers, this thing is sure to be one of the best laptops I review this year.”

This laptop’s best-selling feature is, without question, its 14-inch, 2880 x 1800-pixel OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. We were “drooling over the colors” in testing, which makes total sense, seeing as the laptop covered an impressive 149.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Then, the display also clocked 421 nits brightness, plenty for working indoors or in direct sunlight.

On top of its enticing display, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition also packs one of Lenovo’s famously clicky, satisfying keyboards, a well-balanced soundbar that lives between the laptop’s hinges and produces stellar audio, and an all-aluminum chassis that’s cool to the touch and rounds out the premium experience.

The only feature that falters slightly is performance, notching a Geekbench 6 score of just 11,059. For everyday tasks, this is perfectly fine. However, if you plan on tackling more intense projects, like video editing, it may struggle to keep up with you. The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition also lacks an HDMI port and more than one USB-A port, but this is easily remedied by adding one of the best USB-C hubs to your setup.

In exchange for average performance, this laptop is able to achieve a full workday of battery life and then some. In the Laptop Mag battery life test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits brightness, this laptop held on for 12 hours and 47 minutes. It’s not going to beat the laptops with the best battery life, but it’s impressive nonetheless, considering the laptop’s power-hungry OLED display and its thin-and-light chassis.

See our full Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition review.

Best foldable

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold model we reviewed is built with an Intel Core i7-1260U, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and a 16.3-inch OLED display at 2560 x 2024-pixel resolution. Of course, the main selling point of this device is that it's foldable. If you're unsure what that means, it essentially has the ability to act as a laptop with a keyboard magnetically attached to the deck, and if you remove the keyboard, you can extend it out into a single, full-sized tablet.

Madeline Ricchiuto said, "As a business machine, the ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 is perhaps positioned better than its competitors because its flexibility matches the current hybrid work environment better than a standard laptop might," in our review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold.

This means most people aren't going to need this laptop, but for those that do, our reviewer claimed that it's arguably the best foldable laptop available right now. It's shockingly thin and light, coming in at just 2.9 pounds in tablet mode and 4.3-pounds with the keyboard and stand attached.

Its design allows for a compelling all-in-one use case. You can turn the laptop into a makeshift monitor and then detach the keyboard to emulate a quick desktop setup in no time at all. Considering it's only 4.3 pounds, it can easily fit most bags and is perfect for on-the-go workers who prefer larger space for their projects.

It's important to keep in mind, however, that its Intel Core i7-1260U is a couple of generations old now, so don't expect the latest and greatest processing speeds. On the Geekbench 6 overall performance test, its multi-core score of 7,953 is decent but notably slower than other laptops on this list, like the Yoga 9i's 9,954.

Its battery life also leaves a bit to be desired, coming in at 8 hours and 44 minutes in laptop mode and 7 hours and 22 minutes in tablet mode. Regardless, it has more than enough success in its execution to make for a great foldable.

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 Gen 1 review.

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Best for travel

What makes a laptop great for travel is its physical portability. The LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 (16T90SP) is the lightest 2-in-1 16-inch laptop ever. The Gram Pro 16 comes in at 14.1 x 10 x 0.51 inches and 3.08 pounds, which is tiny compared with the HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) (4.3 pounds, 14.1 x 9.7 x 0.8 inches) and the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 (4.7 pounds, 14.3 x 10 x 0.7 inches).

Sean Riley said, "It can rattle around in your laptop bag on a trip or commute and come out unscathed," in our review of the LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1.

Adding to its portability is its battery life. The Gram Pro lasted 10 hours and 41 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits. That puts it in a tightly competitive spot with the HP Spectre (10:45), and it crushes the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (9:51). So not only is the Gram slim and light, but it'll also survive longer than your average workday.

The Gram Pro is built with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. On the Geekbench 6.3 overall performance test, the LG Gram Pro soared over the category average, which was a couple of thousand points lower at the time. It also hovered around the HP Spectre (12,370) and Yoga Pro 9i (12,141).

Its 16-inch, 2880 x 1800 Touch OLED display is absolutely stunning to behold, managing an 133.5% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut and a brightness of 392 nits. Its combination of brightness, color, and high resolution should be fantastic for artists who need to go in-depth with accuracy.

The keyboard is pleasantly bouncy despite its low key travel. The touchpad is also quite responsive. Unfortunately, the touchpad is quite mushy, so if you choose the Gram Pro 16, you might want to check out the best wireless mouse page.

Ports are also very important on a laptop for travel. The last thing you want is to be carrying a dongle or worse yet, forgetting to pack it, so make sure these ports suit your needs. The LG Gram Pro comes with two USB Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, two USB Type-A ports, and a headphone jack. Unfortunately, if you need an SD or microSD card slot, you'll need a USB Type-C hub.

See our LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 (16T90SP) review.

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Best business

The MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo A2VM is among the first batch of laptops that have earned our prestigious Editor's Choice badge in 2025, and it has shot its way up to the top as one of the best business laptops we've tested.

The MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo is built with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of SSD storage, and a 60Hz, 1,920 x 1,200-pixel resolution IPS touchscreen. Even while its display may seem underpowered on paper, it boasts solid color depth and decent brightness.

The MSI Summit scored 10,895 on the Geekbench 6 overall performance test, which is pretty solid, but you can definitely find better performance in competitors like the Asus Zenbook S 16 (13,282) or HP EliteBook Ultra G1q (12,717)

Its display performed solidly in our color tests, reproducing 85% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is about better than what we'd expect out of a business laptop. The MSI Summit was similarly decent in our brightness tests, as it managed an average of 366 nits, which is fine enough for most. We do think it might be a bit too dim for usage while outdoors, especially if it's a sunny day, but it will be more than enough for a majority of indoor settings.

Unfortunately, we were pretty let down by its speaker system, as it's underwhelming in both volume and quality, delivering audio that delivers an uneven sound.

The best part of the MSI Summit is its staggering battery life, lasting 16 hours and 52 minutes in Laptop Mag's test which involves continuous web browsing over wifi at 150 nits of brightness. We typically recommend laptops with more than 10 hours of battery life, and this absolutely crushes that metric.

You won't regret your purchase of the MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo if you're a business user. With its incredible battery life, solid performance, sturdy hinges, and satisfying keyboard, this is a great laptop.

See our full MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo review.

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Benchmark comparisons

Recently reviewed 2-in-1 laptops

Not every laptop we review can make it onto our best 2-in-1 laptop buying guide, but just because they came up short of the guide doesn't mean they aren't worth checking out. Here's a look at some of our recent reviews that may still be a fit for you despite not making our buying guide, either for a minor fault or simply because it isn't a convertible laptop.

How to find the best 2-in-1 laptops

Finding the perfect 2-in-1 for you differs from a traditional laptop. After all, these are meant to be portable and must fulfill their name appropriately.

Display: You need something bright and sharp

While 2-in-1s aren't exclusively reserved for artists and designers, it's often used by them to make a quick and easy transformation from a traditional laptop to a tablet for illustrating. As a result, you absolutely need a display that can accommodate your creative endeavors, and if it's too dim to be taken on-the-go or too lackluster to accurately present color, you will absolutely be disappointed.

OLED is a great start if you're in need of a quality 2-in-1, but IPS displays can also feature excellent color in some cases. 80% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut should be your minimum if you're an artist, but if you can get closer to 100% or even go beyond, the better off you'll be.

We also recommend higher resolutions to let you get into the nitty gritty when illustrating, as it will present crisper detail for artists and designers. 2K should be your floor, but the higher, the better.

Design: Sturdy portability is a necessity

2-in-1 laptops are inherently all about flexibility, as their hinges support up to 360-degree angles. You don't want hinges that creak and a lid that feels like it'll snap off every time you lift it. Sturdiness is a necessity, and we've found that the best 2-in-1 laptops can support themselves in any position and require conscious force to move about. An aluminum chassis is a great start, but you'll want to read our reviews and see which ones feel the best in practice.

And since 2-in-1 laptops are frequently moved around quite a bit, we recommend something light. Anything around 4 pounds and under is recommended, but some can be a little heavier, depending on the size.

Battery life: Long-lasting is vital for being on-the-go

Battery life is another key component of any good 2-in-1 laptop. If you plan to take the notebook to class, work, or spend a whole day illustrating in a park, don't count on there being an outlet! Consider a laptop with at least 11-12 hours of battery life, which should be enough to get you through most of the day without worry. In any case, the longer, the better.

FAQs

What does "2-in-1 laptop" mean?

It can mean different things for different laptops, but the core design philosophy implies that the product can transform from a laptop into a tablet. They're also all touchscreen laptops (because it would defeat the purpose otherwise).

Now, that can take many forms. The most common one is a traditional laptop with a 360-degree hinge. But there are also detachable laptops, which feature a removable keyboard. There are dual-display laptops, which feature a discrete Bluetooth keyboard. Then there are foldable laptops, which feature a display that can fold in two and also may feature a discrete keyboard.

Do all 2-in-1 laptops fold the same?

No, and this is actually super important to research. Some 2-in-1 laptops are well-crafted with sturdy hinges and magnetic folds that snap in place when put in tablet mode. However, I've also reviewed laptops with sloppy hinges and no magnetic backing. It's important to take a look at the Design sections in Laptop Mag's reviews.

Additionally, there are foldable and detachable laptops. The former features a screen that folds in half, and the latter features a traditional tablet design with a detachable keyboard. Again, read that Design section to ensure you're getting what you need.

Do 2-in-1 laptops break easily?

Ideally, 2-in-1 laptops should not break easily. 2-in-1 laptops often feature the strongest hinges in comparison to traditional laptops, as they're designed to support their own weight when configured in various positions.

Whether you're in tablet mode or tabletop mode, it should be able to hold its own weight. If we review 2-in-1 with weak hinges, it's unlikely that we'd recommend it to begin with, as sturdy hinges is a necessary baseline requirement for a solid 2-in-1 laptop.

Are 2-in-1 laptops good for drawing?

It depends. 2-in-1 laptops are used for business, or casual use, and then some with a very specific focus on catering to artists.

Some are designed for illustrating, but you want to ensure that's one of its intended use cases. You'll also want to make sure it's compatible with a pen.

Are 2-in-1 laptops good for gaming?

No, 2-in-1 laptops are not generally good for gaming. The crossover between gaming laptops and 2-in-1 laptops is pretty much non-existent, but 2-in-1 laptops with discrete GPUs do exist, like the Asus ROG Flow X16. However, these are pretty rare.

Integrated graphics have gotten significantly better over the years. If you're using a laptop with a modern Lunar or Arrow Lake processor or even one of AMD's latest AI chips, you'll likely get some decent performance for casual gaming, but don't expect too much. The gaming-focused Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) is one of the only examples of a gaming 2-in-1 laptop with integrated graphics that we recommend.

Is a convertible laptop the same as a 2-in-1 laptop?

Generally speaking, the terms "convertible" and "2-in-1" are used interchangeably to describe a device that can be used as a traditional laptop and folded into a tablet.

However, more specifically, a convertible laptop typically involves a built-in keyboard. According to IT company CDW, the term "hybrid laptop" describes a laptop with a keyboard that can be removed, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold.

That said, any laptop with a 360-degree hinge that can fully fold backwards is typically lumped into the same broad category, whether it's technically a convertible or hybrid laptop.

How we test the best 2-in-1 laptops

We put 2-in-1 laptops through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5.4 and 6.3 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark with high settings at 1080p resolution. Gaming laptops go through an entire library of games at high settings to see how their discrete GPUs keep up.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result, whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.

These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad. For 2-in-1 laptops in particular, it needs a strong hinge and practical design to support its own weight. It's important that every part of the design feels sturdy so that no matter what position a user bends the hinge, it won't collapse.

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

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Fantastic summer savings on our favorite Dell products start now with the Dell Black Friday in July sale. Now's a great time to beat the pinch of inflation with sitewide discounts on everyday laptops, gaming laptops, business notebooks, monitors, and PC accessories.

For a limited time, save up to $400 on the new Dell Plus laptop series starting at $699, up to $600 on Dell XPS laptops from $1,099, and up to $250 off Dell Inspiron laptops from just $499.

Browse: Dell's entire Black Friday in July sale

Or save big on professional-grade productivity and performance with up to $330 off Dell Pro and Dell Pro Max business laptops. Prices start from $719.

If you're a gamer or creator looking for a price break on a gaming-specific laptop, brace yourself for this one. Right now, you can score huge savings of up to $900 on Dell and Alienware gaming laptops.

Complement your new laptop, existing workspace, or gaming setup with Dell and Alienware monitors from $145 and PC accessories from $19.

Whether your daily driver or peripherals are in dire need of a refresh or you want to beat the back-to-school shopping rush, don't miss Dell's Black Friday in July sale.

Dell's limited-time deals typically sell out fast, so if you see something that catches your eye, act now. Keep scrolling to see my recommended Dell Black Friday in July deals starting from $19.

Dell Black Friday in July sale deals — Quick links

• Browse: Dell Black Friday in July deals
• Dell USB Slim DVD +/- RW Drive: was $40 now $19 at Dell
• Alienware Wired Gaming Headset: was $79 now $69 at Dell
• Dell 27 Plus QHD Monitor: was $219 now $179 at Dell
• Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Monitor: was $1,199 now $849 at Dell
• Alienware S5000 Gaming Chair: was $419 now $339 at Dell
• Dell 15 Laptop: was $549 now $399 at Dell
• Dell Inspiron 14 Laptop: was $749 now $499 at Dell
• Dell G15 RTX 3050 Laptop: was $899 now $599 at Dell
• Dell 14 Plus Laptop: was $1,099 now $699 at Dell
• Dell Pro 16 Laptop: was $839 now $719 at Dell
• Dell 16 Plus Laptop: was $1,299 now $899 at Dell
• Dell Pro 16 Plus: was $1,299 now $1,159 at Dell
• Dell XPS 14 Laptop: was $2,061 now $1,561 at Dell
• Alienware 16X Aurora RTX 5060 Laptop: was $1,649 now $1,499 at Dell
• Alienware 18 Area-51 RTX 5070 Ti Laptop: was $3,299 now $2,799 at Dell

Dell Black Friday in July sale deals

Laptops

Gaming laptops

PC accessories

Dell may no longer call its flagship consumer laptop line the XPS, but we know an XPS when we see one.

From today, the Dell 14 Premium and Dell 16 Premium laptops are available to purchase — and we have high hopes for them, especially after generally enjoying the XPS 14 and XPS 13 last year, despite the disappointment of the Dell 14 Plus and Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1.

While there's plenty new to mention about these new laptops, I'm actually glad to see the old XPS chassis return for another generation, even if it's a little divisive for some. Though the XPS name has been retired, it's good to see that Dell hasn't sunset the things that made it so special. Let's take a closer look at what's in store.

Dell Premium: Specs

Dell Premium: Features

Much like last year's Dell XPS models, the new Dell Premium lineup features a minimalist chassis with an ultra-slick keyboard deck, complete with an invisible touchpad and disappearing function row.

The Dell 14 Premium and Dell 16 Premium also feature top-firing speakers, optional OLED display panels rated to 100% DCI-P3 coverage, and Intel's powerful Core Ultra 200H series processors.

Unfortunately, due to the smaller NPU on Intel's Core Ultra 200H series, the Dell Premium laptops don't meet the minimum requirements for the Microsoft Copilot+ program. But if you ask me, you're not missing much.

The Dell 16 Premium also comes with the option for a discrete Nvidia GPU, from the RTX 5050 to the RTX 5070, so you can get the right amount of graphics power for your needs, whether you want to do some casual gaming or heavy video editing.

Dell also makes strong claims about the Dell Premium's battery life, with the Dell 14 Premium reportedly delivering up to 20 hours of video streaming, while the Dell 16 Premium gets up to 27 hours of streaming battery life.

Of course, that's with the LCD panel option, rather than the OLED.

What's next

The Dell 14 Premium is available now in the US and Canada, with a starting price of $1,649.

The Dell 16 Premium with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU is available now in the US and Canada, with a starting price of $2,699.

The Dell 16 Premium models with Intel Arc graphics, Nvidia RTX 5050, and Nvidia RTX 5070 will be available soon.

Pricing is not yet available for these models, but we would expect the Dell 16 Premium with integrated Intel Arc graphics to be closer in price to the Dell 14 Premium, while the RTX 5050 and RTX 5070 models will be closer to the 5060's $2,699 starting price.

While these new Dell Premium laptops are no longer called the Dell XPS, they maintain the XPS' level of high-end components with powerful Intel Core Ultra processors, OLED displays, and optional discrete graphics on the flagship Dell 16 Premium.

And hey, they've even got the XPS chassis, complete with an invisible touchpad and function row keys that are an accessibility nightmare.

More from Laptop Mag

• Cheap laptops aren't always a great value — here are 3 budget laptops I love
• Moore's law isn't dead — it's just buried under six feet of silicon spin
• Microsoft just threw Windows 10 users a free lifeline — but it could test your loyalty

It's wild how many Dell laptop deals I'm about to show you.

It's officially June, so you wouldn't typically think that it's the best time to shop. We've left the recent Memorial Day sales in the rearview mirror, and as we ride into the summer, we're still yet to bump into Prime Day deals (although there are already some Prime Day-worthy deals to check out, yay!).

Still, unexpected as they may be, Dell laptop deals are very much here, and the best deal gives you savings of up to $900.

Fine, let's start out big. The Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop is now $2,799, down from $3,699, at Dell. With $900 in savings and Nvidia's best last-gen graphics card, the RTX 4090, this is one gaming beast that's certainly worth buying. For more inspiration, don't forget to check out our ranking of the best gaming laptops.

Gamers, breathe, I do have a cheaper option for you: the Dell G16 is now $1,381 (down from $1,469) if you apply a coupon at Amazon.

If you want a laptop that does laptop things and doesn't need to be used for (too much) gaming, the Dell Precision 15 5550 was $899, but it's now $460 at Walmart. Dell also has the Inspiron 16 2-in-1 on sale right now, at a major discount, too. It's down to $899 (previously $1,349), and who doesn't love a convertible laptop?

Whether you're eyeing something for gaming, something for work, or something that can do both, this June, Dell laptop deals are shockingly generous. Scroll on down to check out my favorite picks!

The best Dell laptop deals — Quick links

• Dell Precision 15 5550 15-inch: was $899, now $460 at Walmart
• Dell Inspiron i3535 15-inch: was $799, now $699 at Best Buy
• Dell Latitude 3550 15.6-inch: was $999, now $849 at Amazon
• Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1: was $1,349, now $899 at Dell
• Dell G16 7630 16-inch gaming laptop: was $1,469, now $1,381 at Amazon w/ coupon
• Dell Alienware x16 R2 16-inch: was $3,699, now $2,799 at Dell
• Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 18-inch: was $3,199, now $2,999 at Dell

The best Dell laptops under $1,000

The best Dell laptop deals over $1,000

Dell naming scheme: Which Dell laptop is best for you?

Choosing the right Dell laptop gets a little confusing, but knowing the company's naming scheme lets you differentiate between the best of the best and the mainstream laptops.

But before we get down to the wild and wonderful world of Dell naming conventions, let's talk about series numbers and names.

It's worth noting that Dell recently updated its naming scheme for upcoming products. You'll now see three tiers of products: Dell, Dell Plus, and Dell Premium for consumer products, and Dell Pro, Dell Pro Plus, Dell Pro Premium, Dell Pro Max Plus, and Dell Pro Max Premium for laptops for professionals.

The older names still apply to previous laptops, though, which is why we'll cover them here, but they're no longer relevant to products released in 2025 and beyond.

If you're buying an older Dell, you'll find that some — like the Inspiron and Latitude — are also broken down by series numbers such as 3000, 5000 and 7000. Systems in the 3000 series are typically entry-level devices with lower-end components and a price tag to match, while 5000-series laptops cover mid-tier configurations.

Consumers who are in search of a high-end system will want to check out notebooks with 7000-series stamps, since they typically offer premium build materials as well as top-of-the-line specs.

With that out of the way, let's break it down into different product lines.

Dell XPS (Dell Premium)

The crème de la crème of Dell's consumer laptops, the XPS line (now known as Dell Premium) is all about high-end looks, with specs and pricing to match.

Targeting power users and creative professionals alike, the XPS is Dell's answer to Apple's MacBook Pro, offering high-resolution displays and speedy performance capabilities that are perfect for video or photo editing (check out our tips for getting the most usage and value out of your XPS 13).

Dell Inspiron and Inspiron Plus (Dell and Dell Plus)

Inspirons are the wide-ranging brand for Dell's general-purpose consumer laptops, and they come in a variety of sizes, designs and price ranges. They are now known as either Dell Plus (for Inspiron Plus) or Dell (for Inspiron).

These laptops are definitely not made for business, nor do they have the premium features of the pricier XPS line.

Dell Latitude (Dell Pro, Pro Plus, Pro Premium)

A true business line, Latitudes are available in different designs, sizes, and price ranges. You can tell them apart from their consumer-centric siblings by the "Dell Pro" name.

They are built to withstand the rigors of work, and most have some degree of rugged certification and a number of security features that include TPM, vPro, and optional fingerprint readers. As with the Inspiron line, Latitudes are divided up into 3000, 5000, and 7000 series models, with the 3000 series being the cheapest and the 7000 offering the most premium designs.

Dell Precision (Dell Pro Max, Max Plus, Pro Max Premium)

Outfitted with high-end components, these pricey mobile workstations can handle the rigors of mechanical design, engineering simulations or animations without breaking a sweat. Dell Precision has been rebranded to Dell Pro Max.

Dell Alienware

Featuring flashy customizable light shows, powerful specs and gorgeous displays, Alienware laptops are the gold standard for gaming. These systems are available in three main sizes that can be configured to your specific gaming needs.

Summer savings start now at Dell with sitewide discounts on AI-ready laptops and peripherals. If you're planning a summer tech upgrade, but don't want to spend a whole lot, Dell offers hundreds of reasons to save. Literally.

Save up to $450 on Dell's AI-ready laptops and up to $900 on Alienware-branded gaming notebooks for a limited time. Yes, RTX 50-series laptops included.

Browse: Dell's entire sale

One wallet-friendly laptop deal drops the Dell Inspiron 14 to just $599 ($250 off). We gave the Plus version Dell Inspiron 14 our Editor's Choice Award for its quick, responsive performance, satisfying keyboard, powerful speakers, and long battery life.

If you're in the market for a business laptop, you can get the new Dell Pro 14 for $779 ($130 off). This is the lowest price I've seen for this 14-inch Dell business laptop since its January 2025 launch.

Ready to build that two-screen or multi-monitor setup of your dreams? Save up to $300 on select Dell productivity monitors and Alienware gaming displays. Plus, save up $400 on PC accessories like keyboards, mice, charging docks, webcams, SSD storage, and printers.

One top deal knocks the excellent Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor to $899 ($300 off). One of the best displays we've reviewed yet, the Alienware AW3222QF earned our coveted Editor's Choice award due to its vivid quantum dot OLED display, fast refresh rate, and ultra-fast response time.

See for yourself and browse my 15 recommended deals from the sale below.

• Shop: Dell's entire sale
• Dell Inspiron 14 Laptop: was $849 now $599 at Dell
• Dell Latitude 3340 Laptop: was $762 now $659 at Dell
• Dell Pro 14 Laptop: was $909 now $779 at Dell
• Dell Inspiron 16 Plus Laptop: was $1,099 now $799 at Dell
• Alienware 32 240Hz Monitor: was $1,199 now $899 at Dell
• Dell Pro Max 14 Laptop: was $1,779 now $1549 at Dell
• Dell Latitude 7350 2-in-1 Laptop: was $1,811 $1,559 at Dell
• Alienware x16 R2 RTX 4060 Laptop: was $2,099 now $1,799 at Dell
• Alienware 18 Area-51 RTX 5070 Ti Laptop: was $3,199 now $2,999 at Dell

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If your daily driver just isn't cutting it anymore, Dell has your summer upgrade covered. Right now, Dell is slashing up to $450 off select AI-ready laptops like the best-selling Inspiron series.

During the sale, you can get the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus Intel Core Ultra 9 Laptop for just $799. It normally costs $1,099, so that's a massive $300 in savings and the biggest markdown I've seen for it yet. In terms of laptop clearance sales, this is one for the record books.

Browse: Dell's entire sale

Sleek, stylish, and AI-ready, the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus is one of the best laptops for work and play.

We didn't test this 16-inch version, however, we reviewed and rated the 14-inch Dell Inspiron Plus 4 out of 5 stars. Our expert was so impressed by the laptop's quick, responsive performance, powerful speakers, and 15-hour battery life that they bestowed it with our Editor's Choice Award.

Expect the laptop in this deal to be on par with its smaller sibling, only with a bigger, 16-inch 2.5K 120Hz display. Suitable for multitasking, some light creating tasks, and some gaming, it runs on an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H 16-core CPU alongside 16GB of RAM with Intel Arc Graphics.

For fast file transferring and storage, it supplies you with an ample 512GB SSD. If you require more storage, it's easily expandable with an external SSD, SD, or microSD.

At $300 off, the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus is a steal of a deal! Dell deals like this typically sell out fast, so I recommend you gran it while you still can.

Today's best Dell Inspiron 16 Plus deal

Summer upgrade season at Dell.com is in full swing, and the latest Dell Pro laptops are seeing first-time discounts. Thanks to Dell's generous savings, you can get yourself a capable Windows 11 Pro business laptop for under $800.

One ongoing discount drops the Dell Pro 14 Laptop to just $779. Previously priced at $919, that's $140 in savings and one of the best laptop deals of the day.

Browse: Dell's entire sale

It's also the lowest price I've seen for this newest 14-inch Dell business laptop since it launched back in January.

Design-wise new Dell Pro 14 in this deal sports a textured finish, magnetite color scheme, and is military-grade durable, so it can take a beating. In terms of specs, this base configuration has a 14-inch FHD+ display and runs on an Intel Core Ultra 5 120U 10-core CPU alongside 16GB RAM with Intel Integrated Graphics.

You'll store your files on the laptop's 256GB SSD and hold video calls on an FHD HDR + IR webcam featuring a built-in microphone and privacy shutter. Powered by Windows 11 Pro, the Dell Pro 14 has a dedicated Windows Copilot key for instant access to the integrated personal AI assistant.

If you have room in your budget, Dell offers the larger 16-inch Dell Pro 16 Laptop for $1,039 ($190 off). Or, get maximum performance and savings with the Dell Pro Max for 16 for $1,440 ($240 off).

Now $779, the Dell Pro 14 is a wallet-friendly choice if you prioritize professional-grade productivity and portability in a laptop.

Today's best Dell Pro 14 business laptop deal

Some laptops come so close to offering great value for your money, only to have a critical flaw weighing them down. The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is a perfect example.

Starting at just $799, this is a budget-friendly 2-in-1 with a roomy 16-inch display, great for watching movies or even some casual gaming. While it could have performed better in some areas, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 isn't a bad deal at all, at least at first glance. It's when you dig a little deeper that a major flaw appears, one that will be a deal breaker for many users: disappointing battery life.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly 16-inch laptop, you may want to start your search with the best 16-inch laptops or the best 2-in-1 laptops. The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 might seem like a good deal at first, but there are a few things you should know about it before buying.

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Specs (as reviewed)

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Price and configurations

The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is available in three configurations, starting at $799. The base configuration includes an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor, Intel Arc integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

The next configuration up, which is the one we tested, costs $1,199 and includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. The third configuration includes all the same specs, except it ships with Windows 11 Pro instead of Windows 11 Home, which increases the price to $1,299.

The second configuration will be the best fit for most people. Unless you're specifically buying a laptop for work, you don't need to spend the extra $100 for Windows 11 Pro. However, spending a few hundred to get twice as much RAM and storage compared to the base model is a good idea if you can afford it.

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Design

Dell went with a basic, straightforward design for the 16 Plus 2-in-1. The chassis is a dark, metallic blue that's almost black, with a glossy Dell logo in the center of the lid. The keyboard is a dark gray with a thin, minimal font.

Since this is a 16-inch laptop, you get a very roomy keyboard and touchpad, including a function row and number pad. While the power button is part of the keyboard, I appreciate that it is relatively isolated in the top right corner and feels distinctly different from the other keys, making it less likely you'll hit it by accident while you're typing.

This is a 2-in-1, so you can flip the display all the way around to use it in tablet mode. However, I noticed that the hinges are pretty stiff, which is preferable to weak hinges on a 2-in-1, but you may need to apply a bit more pressure to flip the display all the way back.

One unfortunate trade-off with the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is its somewhat bulky design. 16-inch laptops aren't the most portable in general (if that's your top concern, a 14-inch is definitely the way to go), but the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is on the heavier side, even compared to similar laptops. It measures 14.05 x 9.87 x 0.67 inches and weighs 4.52 pounds. That's over half a pound heavier than similarly-sized laptops:

• Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (TP3607): 13.98 x 9.62 x 0.69 inches, 3.9 pounds
• Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16 (2025): 14.21 x 10.12 x 0.67 inches, 3.96 pounds
• MacBook Air M4 (15-inch): 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches, 3.3 pounds

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Ports

The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is somewhat sparse on ports but has the basics most people need:

• 1x HDMI 2.1
• 1x USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4
• 1x USB Type-C
• 1x USB Type-A
• 1x 3.5mm headphone jack

Those ports might be enough for casual users, but if you have multiple accessories you like to use with your laptop, I suggest pairing the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 with one of the best laptop docking stations or a USB Type-C hub. Keep in mind, one of the USB Type-C ports on this laptop doubles as the charging port.

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Battery life

Battery life is the biggest weakness of the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1. It severely underperformed on our battery life test compared to similar laptops, lasting just 7 hours and 37 minutes. That's less than a full day at work or school, which is a huge disappointment.

That weak battery life combined with a somewhat bulky design make it difficult to recommend the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 to commuters or anyone who travels frequently with their laptop. You'll need to lug around the charger, too, since this laptop is not going to last all day.

Meanwhile, the Asus Vivobook 16 Flip and the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1, both similarly priced 16-inch laptops, lasted 5 to 6 hours longer than the Dell. If battery is a top priority for you, either of these laptops would be a better choice.

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Display

The display on the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is good for the price. It's a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, Mini-LED touch display that's reasonably sharp and bright. It's not as good as OLED, but it's better than a typical LCD in this price range. Colors are vivid and accurate, with decent contrast, and text is perfectly legible.

I watched a couple of episodes of Lost Cities with Albert Lin on the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1, and it displayed National Geographic's sprawling vistas and sharp close-up shots with good depth, detail, and contrast. The display gets pretty bright, too — I never had to crank it up past the halfway mark.

While I usually prefer 14-inch laptops over 16-inch ones, I must admit that the larger display is great for watching shows and movies. If you mainly want a laptop for entertainment and casual use, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 could be a good fit.

The only thing I dislike about the display is its high reflectivity. In dark scenes or with dark mode on, I could easily see my own reflection on the screen, which is very distracting. Here's how it stacks up against the competition in our display benchmarks:

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Keyboard and touchpad

The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 features a full-size keyboard with a function row and number pad, which is a huge bonus for anyone who relies on macros or often uses their laptop for productivity tasks.

The keyboard is roomy, snappy, and responsive. On the Monkeytype typing test, I scored 92 words per minute with 95% accuracy, which is a bit lower than normal for me, but still decent.

I have a love-hate relationship with the touchpad on the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1. On one hand, it's huge, measuring 5.2 x 3.5 inches. Unfortunately, clicking feels mushy and dull, with little travel or feedback. You can always connect a wireless mouse to resolve that issue, but that could use up one of the few ports on the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1.

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Audio

The speakers on the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 sound surprisingly good. Of course, they're not going to compete with high-end audio gear, but they sound better than I expected for the price.

The atmospheric guitar rhythms of Girl in Red's "We Fell in Love in October" were smooth, crisp, and surprisingly clear, considering the Dell's speakers are bottom-firing. The vocals came through with good depth and clarity without needing to crank the volume up above 40.

Dialogue sounds good, as well. I could hear every line in Lost Cities With Albert Lin with perfect clarity and no noticeable distortion or muddiness.

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 (DB06250): Performance and heat

The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor that's able to keep up well with casual daily tasks like web browsing and word processing. It doesn't have any trouble managing a plethora of browser tabs, and multitasks fairly well. I didn't notice any significant lag or long loading times during my daily use.

However, if you're a power user, you'll run into the limitations of this laptop. It scored 11,152 on the Geekbench 6 benchmark, which is on par with other laptops with this CPU, but on the lower end compared to what you can get in this price range.

For instance, the similarly priced MacBook Air M4 (15-inch) scored significantly higher at 14,921. Of course, it isn't a 2-in-1, so if tablet mode is a must-have, the MacBook might not be an option for you. The same goes for dedicated Windows users.

While I would have liked to see higher performance scores from the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1, it's not bad considering the specs you're getting for the price (32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage). The performance you'll get here is more than enough for casual users or lightweight tasks for school and work.