Best laptops in 2026

Figuring out what laptop to buy is a daunting task, to say the least. There are so many companies vying for your attention, so many models available can sometimes be configured, naming conventions that make it hard to tell if you're even looking at the latest version of the laptop... the list goes on and on.

You also have to have a clear idea of what you need from your new laptop, as not all of them (or even most of them) are created for every use case. Will you be gaming on your laptop, or do you need to run a bunch of resource-heavy applications at once? Maybe you just need something to check your email and use Word or Google Docs on? Once you've honed in on what exactly you're going to use your laptop for, only then can you begin the task of researching.

But we can help with that part! Below are a list of the best laptops for most use cases. These laptops span a range of prices as well, so there is something within everyone's budget. Take a look and pick up your next laptop now.

Our favorite laptops in 2026

Choosing a best overall laptop is not easy, but even with so many great contenders, the 2026 Dell XPS 14 is an excellent pick. This laptop brings back the XPS branding Dell tried to ditch in 2025, and it does so in style.

For one thing, it packs the latest and greatest from Intel, up to a Core Ultra X7 388H, promising excellent performance for both the CPU itself and the integrated graphics, which are more powerful than ever. You also get fantastic battery life out of this processor, as Intel continues to refine its power consumption.

The XPS 14 also comes with a pair of great display options, including a 2.2K IPS panel or a 2.8K OLED touchscreen, and while the OLED model looks wonderful, the IPS screen has a better anti-reflective coating, so they're both great in their own right.

All of this comes wrapped in a super-sleek package that's become synonymous with the XPS brand, with a modern aesthetic, a powerful set of speakers, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports, making this laptop very easy to recommend to just about anyone. The asking price is a bit high, but you could never go wrong with this laptop.

Standard laptops work great for most people, but if you want somethiung a little more versatile and fun, then a convertible laptop may just be what you want, and in that field, you won't find much better than the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1.

Lenovo has been making fantastic devices with the Yoga 9i series for years now, and this latest model is no different, featuring the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, paired with 32GB of RAM and up to a 2TB SSD for a premium experience all around, delivering plenty of performance and power efficiency.

Along with that, you get a stunning 2.8K OLED touchscreen with pen support that comes included by default, and it can hit a whopping 1,100 nits of brightness for HDR content, so you get a fantastic visual experience for movies and other media. Not only that, but there's a quad-speaker setup that includes a soundbar on the hinge itself, perfect for media consumption.

All of this comes in a beautifully-designed chassis with matte surfaces and shiny edges, combined with a subtle, but still fairly unique Cosmic Blue colorway that gives the laptop a bit of personality. Plus, there's a pretty strong selection of ports here, enough for all your needs. You truly can't go wrong with this one.

If you need a laptop that lasts all day, then you might have to look no further than the HP OmniBook X Flip. This laptop may not have the latest hardware anymore, but it still offers fantastic battery life and performance.

The OmniBook X Flip comes in a few variants, including 14-inch and 16-inch models, and both sizes also offer the option to choose between either AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processors or Intel Core Ultra Series 2 chips. Both of these offer excellent performance and battery life, so you don't have to stress about that when making your choice. Also, you can snag some pretty good discounts on these models, so they're much easier to recommend to the average person.

There are plenty of configuration options available here, and that includes an option OLED touchscreen that feels fantastic to look at, plus it supports pen input if you're into handwriting or doodling. You also get a nice set of stereo speakers, plus a 5MP webcam with IR support for video calls and secure authentication.

All of this is wrapped in a premium aluminum chassis that also features plenty of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 connections (standard USB-C ports on the AMD models), two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, and a headphone jack. It's a little odd that all the ports except one USB Type-A port are on the same side of the laptop, but it's still nice to have all these options. For this price, the OmniBook X Flip is an easy recommendation.

Business users often need to travel with their laptops and work on the move, so relying on Wi-Fi is usually a bad idea. If you need to stay connected at all times, you need a 5G connection, and that's where the Surface Laptop 7 for Business comes into play.

This 5G-enabled version of the Surface Laptop 7 actually comes with Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors, not the Arm-based Snapdragon X chips found in the consumer model, delivering top-tier performance and efficiency, in addition to having up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The 5G module is optional, but highly recommended.

And it's not just that it's a laptop with 5G support, but it's also one that looks and feels good. Business laptops can often adhere to a very plain, boring, or old-school aesthetic (we're looking you you, ThinkPad), but the Surface Laptop 7 is modern in every sense of the word, providing unparalleled mobility while still looking great.

Otherwise, the Surface Laptop 7 for Business also includes a sharp and bright IPS display that's easily usable outdoors, it supports touch, and it has a dependable set of physical ports for your peripherals. Two Thunderbolt ports, USB Type-A, a headphone jack, and the classic Surface Connect port adorn every model, and if you choose to forgo 5G support and spring for the larger 15-inch model, you even get a microSDXC Express card reader, and in some markets, a smart card reader too.

It all comes together to form a great package, and this is an easy recommendation, though you'll specifically have to look at business sales channels; this one won't be on Amazon or Best Buy.

A student's laptop needs to be as frictionless to use as possible. This is a device that will be dragged around campus all day long, so it needs to be lightweight and have the battery power to last all day—no one wants to lug around more chargers or a power brick, after all. On top of that, it needs to be easy to use, so nothing breaks in the middle of class. This isn't much of a problem for the tech-savvy, but for those with less tech experience, an intuitive UI is important. Finally, the laptop needs to work with whatever the student's workload is and handle multitasking as needed

The latest MacBook Air checks all of these boxes and is priced around $1,100, or just $1,000 with a student discount. MacOS is an easy operating system to use—​​​​​​it's harder to accidentally download viruses, and integration with other Apple devices is a big plus. The Apple M5 chip is also very powerful, which will make it easy for users to open resource-heavy programs or multitask with no issues. We've only reviewed the M4 model so far, but the M5 is now the latest and greatest available.

Everything else about the MacBook Air is pretty much the same as in our review, and that's to say it's wonderful. This laptop only weighs 2.7 pounds (if you go for the 13-inch model), and it feels premium all around, with a solid aluminum build that can get you all the way through college with no problems. There aren't a ton of physical ports, but you're probably more interested in Bluetooth accessories anyway.

There is something to keep in mind before making the purchase, however. MacOS doesn't have the app variety and flexibility Windows has—so if you have particular specialty programs you need for class, make sure there's a Mac version first.

The MacBook Air may be a fantastic laptop for college students, but Apple has now entered the game for younger students with the MacBook Neo, and it's already looking great thanks to its surprisingly low starting price of $600, which you can bring down to just $500 with a student discount.

Powering this machine is an Apple A18 Pro chip, the same that was in the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024, but don't let that fool you. This is still a very capable processor that can handle all your web browsing and basic tasks just fine, and it's paired with 8GB of unified memory. It's not going to be great for multi-tasking, but for a younger child, this is all you need.

Plus, there are other things that make the MacBook Neo great. The 13-inch display comes in a nice and sharp resolution and it's got 500 nits of brightness so it can be used outdoors or sitting by the window in a classroom. And the laptop itself has a fully aluminum chassis, just like the MacBook Air, so it's as durable as ever. It also comes in more fun colors now, another sign that it's great for kids.

The only potential downside here is the lack of ports, as you only get two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, but you can always rely on Bluetooth or a cheap adapter for your peripherals. All in all, the MacBook Neo is a great budget option.

Whether it's a younger child, an older family member, or just a casual laptop user, Chromebooks can be a great budget option for someone who just needs to browse the internet, go on social media, or watch videos and movies.

The Lenovo Chromebook Plus is one of the best to ever fill that exact role. It features the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910, a very capable Arm-based processor that can handle day-to-day tasks completely fine, especially paired with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of fast UFS 4.0 storage. But this processor is also very efficient, to the point where it doesn't need fans to keep it cool, meaning this is a completely silent machine.

Add to that a nice Full HD+ OLED display and you have a great value proposition already for $750. This immediately becomes a fantastic machine for web browsing and especially consuming media with vibrant colors and deep blacks. And considering it lasts over 12 hours on battery, you can easily toss this in a backpack to watch movies during a trip or something.

Plus, there's a bit of a premium feeling to this laptop, too, since you get half of the chassis made of aluminum. There's also a fingerprint reader, a couple of USB-C ports, and one USB Type-A port along with a headphone jack. It's not mind-blowing, but it's more than enough to get you through the day.