The top 10 laptops our readers are buying in 2025 (including a surprise pick)

Kicking off our list is the Acer Aspire Go 15 Slim. Admittedly, I didn't expect to see this on the list, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The Aspire Go 15 Slim is a top-notch, budget-friendly laptop. At $300, you receive a highly capable device that is perfect for everyday usage. It can handle lightweight workloads with ease. What's more, Acer's model is slim, has a decent webcam, and a decent battery life of eight hours 

If you need a cheap laptop for work or school, the Aspire Go 15 Slim is highly recommended.

Review: Acer Aspire Go 15 Slim

Dell's Inspiron 16 Plus 7540 is a versatile laptop that perfectly balances power and functionality without breaking the bank. With its Intel Core Ultra processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, and 32GB of memory, it is well-equipped for a wide range of tasks. The laptop even boasts a vibrant 2.5K display. If that wasn't enough, the Inspiron 16 Plus houses features powered by generative AI to help with everyday workloads.

Review: Dell's Inspiron Plus 16 (2024)

Lenovo's sixth-generation ThinkPad E14 is a dependable business laptop perfect for office productivity and general usage. It has classic ThinkPad features such as the signature red TrackPoint and the scissor-lift keyboard for extra comfort. Running on an Intel Meteor Lake processor, the laptop can multitask without skipping a beat. Tech-savvy users, in particular, will appreciate the wide port selection and security features like the self-healing BIOS.

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 14-inch

With its sleek design and speedy Snapdragon X chipset, Microsoft's Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC delivers a MacBook-like experience to Windows users. It was among the first of the company's AI-powered laptops. sporting features like the auto-enhancing document tool in Word and image generation in Paint. Creative professionals, in particular, will appreciate the vibrant touchscreen. 

At the time of this writing, the Surface Laptop is on sale at Amazon.

Review: Microsoft Surface Laptop Copilot+ PC 15-inch

Apple's MacBook Pro M4 takes everything that was great about its predecessor and dials it up, offering significant improvements to its display, performance, and battery life. Thanks to its powerful M4 Pro chip and efficient thermal design, the laptop can tackle demanding workflows like video editing and high-resolution gaming. New Thunderbolt 5 ports and the ability to power two external monitors provide great day-to-day usability.

Review: Apple MacBook Pro M4

Similar to its Pro sibling, the MacBook Air M4 offers meaningful hardware upgrades while maintaining its sleek, lightweight design. The combination of its Liquid Retina display, long battery life, and 12MP webcam ensures a top-notch experience whether you're editing photos or hopping on a video call. The base M4 chip stills performs well, enabling smooth multitasking. Plus, its support for two external monitors makes this a well-rounded machine for productivity and casual use alike.

Review: Apple M4 MacBook Air

Asus' Vivobook S15 is a sleek 15-inch laptop that excels in work travel. It houses a stunning 3K OLED display running at a speedy 120Hz refresh rate. Combine these aspects with the thin bezels and its 16:9 aspect ratio, and you get a laptop that is ideal for creative work. Under the hood is a powerful Snapdragon X Elite chipset that barrels through tough workloads. What makes this laptop's performance so good is the neural processing unit. or NPU, which harnesses AI software to push its output further.

Review: Asus Vivobook S15

The HP EliteBook X G1a is a premium business laptop. Just by looking at the device's sleek, minimalistic design and robust selection of ports, you can easily tell that it was designed with professionals in mind. Its impressive performance is courtesy of its AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor and 32GB of memory. Plus, HP's machine has one of the best keyboards out there with quiet, tactile feedback that almost makes it feel mechanical. Granted, it is an investment at over $2,000, but it is worth the price of admission for the experience it offers.

Review: HP EliteBook X G1a

Apple isn't the only company with double entries on this list. The Microsoft Surface Pro is one of the best work laptops released last year. It was also one of the first Copilot+ PCs, utilizing AI software to enhance its output. This single model elevated the Surface series to new heights. In addition to its chipset, the device houses a brilliant 13-inch touchscreen plus a great battery life of 14 hours.

The 2024 Surface Pro shines best when equipped with its many accessories. The Flex keyboard is lightweight yet sturdy, while the Slim Pen provides outstanding accuracy.

Review: Microsoft Surface Pro Copilot+ PC

Rounding out the list is another tablet -- the Asus ROG Flow Z13. The device has earned a spot on ZDNET's best Windows tablets list for being the best option for content creators. It stuffs a high-performing 13th-Gen Intel Core i9-13900H processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card into an ultra-compact form. A configuration like that can easily handle demanding creative tasks from 3D rendering to music production. To keep cool, the Z13 houses a large fan plus a custom-made vapor chamber.

Also: The best Windows tablets you can buy 

Laptops Reviewed & Compared