What is the best laptop overall?
The Apple MacBook Air M2 continues to hold the top spot on our list of the best laptops 2023. It is a solid choice for most people with a great combination of everything we look for when we’re testing: reliable everyday performance, long battery life and a design that works for a broad range of users. And, it’s now available in a larger, 15-inch size with the same great performance and features. The latest MacBook Air starts at $1,199, though, which is why we still recommend the MacBook Air M1 as a lower-cost alternative to the newest Air model, as it’s still an all-around excellent laptop. For those looking for a more value-oriented option, HP’s Pavilion Aero 13 is an excellent small and light laptop starting at $880, but frequently available for hundreds less.
The Dell XPS 13, like the MacBook Air, is a perennial favorite for its size, weight and performance as well as overall good looks. Plus, despite its sub-$999 starting price, this sturdy little laptop is thinner and smaller than past versions and packed with excellent components. The design is great (though there’s no headphone jack; a USB-C adapter is included instead) and the battery life is long. And, if the 13-inch display is too small for your needs, the XPS line includes 15- and 17-inch models.
HP packed a lot of value into the Aero 13: Eye-pleasing magnesium-aluminum chassis, strong processing performance, long battery life, a bright, colorful display and a weight of just 2 pounds (0.94 kilogram). Amazingly, with all that it offers, it doesn’t break the bank in terms of price at around $800 well configured, but it is frequently discounted for hundreds less.
Although this Microsoft Surface laptop is not the Surface Laptop, the Surface Pro continues to hit all the right notes if you’re looking for a do-it-all Windows tablet that doubles as a Windows laptop. Microsoft updated it for the Surface Pro 9, but little has changed beyond a processor upgrade from 11th-gen Intel Core processors to 12th-gen chips, as well as an option for a Microsoft SQ 3 processor with 5G wireless. If you were contemplating a Pro 8, it’s still around but now with a lower price, and is our go-to choice. However, here’s our review of the Surface Pro 9 so you can see how they measure up.
One of the first of the new generation of 18-inch laptops, the m18 can get expensive if you push it up to a high configuration — an RTX 4090 and Core i9-13900HX will get you to $3,300, without even a lot of memory or storage. But if the big screen is most important to you, it starts at $2,000 with a respectable i7-13650HX and RTX 4050. And don’t expect great battery life, plus the fans can get loud when you’re pushing it.
Apple’s 2023 update to its flagship MacBook Pro 16-inch line is a modest refresh from the more significantly redesigned 2021 model; notably, it upgrades to the latest generation of M2-class processors, Wi-Fi 6E and HDMI 2.1. With those updates, it gains support for displays up to 8K/60Hz and 4K/240Hz as well as variable refresh rates. The combination of the old and new enhances the veteran laptop’s chops as a powerhouse computer for creation and development work.
How we test laptops
The review process for laptops consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our reviewers. This includes evaluating a device’s aesthetics, ergonomics and features with respect to price. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments.
We test all laptops with a core set of benchmarks, including Primate Labs Geekbench 5 and 6, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10, a variety of 3DMark benchmarks (whichever can run on the laptop), UL Procyon Photo and Video (where supported), and our own battery life test. If a laptop is intended for gaming, we’ll also run benchmarks from Guardians of the Galaxy, The Rift Breaker (CPU and GPU) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
For the hands-on, the reviewer uses it for their work during the review period, evaluating how well the design, features (such as the screen, camera and speakers) and manufacturer-supplied software operate as a cohesive whole. We also place importance on how well they work given their cost and where the manufacturer has potentially made upgrades or tradeoffs for its price.
The list of benchmarking software and comparison criteria we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. You can find a more detailed description of our test methodology on our How We Test Computers page.
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