How do I find the best laptop deals?

We've scoured the internet and given you the best deals on our favorite laptops just above, but we know they're not going to be the best options for everyone! If you're shopping around for something more suited to your tastes, here's how our team go about finding stellar savings. First things first, establish what you're looking to buy and set a budget. It's easy to watch costs spiral and before you know it, you've dropped thousands of dollars on additional power and features you may not need. Figuring out what you want to do with your laptop and how much money you're comfortable spending is the best option. For example, saying "I want a good gaming laptop for under $1,000" will net you a whole host of great budget-to-mid-range choices. Second, retailers are going to work really hard to make its deals look super attractive with huge percentage discounts, but don't fall for it. We've already spotted numerous deals that have actually been cheaper in the past, but just look better now because the original retail price was jacked up just before Black Friday. As a good sense check for this, take a look at downloading the Camelizer — a Chrome extension that can run an extensive historical price check on any Amazon product. With that line graph, you can see whether that Cyber Monday laptop deal is actually a deal. And finally, within your choice, have a think about what particular features of a laptop matter to you. If you're someone who cares about screen real estate, the choice is obvious. But if you can really stretch the graphical capabilities of that silicon with your workload, think again. Or maybe you want the vastly increased amount of app support and customization opportunities of Windows 11, which will also net you better value for money than the MacBooks, but also lacks the simplicity of macOS. Just take a breather, think about what things matter — the software, the keyboard being good to type on, etc — and make the best judgement for you.

What kind of laptop should I buy?

Laptops are so diverse now that it's impossible to know what you should buy without knowing your unique needs, but you can ask yourself some questions to help narrow down your options. Where will you use this laptop? If you need something to carry to work or school you'll want something that's light and lasts at least 10+ hours on a charge, like the MacBook Air or Acer Swift 5. What do you want to do with it? If you care about playing games, making games or doing video work you'll want a laptop with a discrete graphics card like the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra. True gamers will want to consider the best gaming laptops as well, but be warned most are heavy and barely last a few hours on a full battery. Which operating system fits your life best? MacBooks are best if you're going to be working with others on Macs, and they've got great integration with your iPhone and iPad. Windows laptops are also great, and much easier than MacBooks to integrate into an office or school full of Windows machines. But don't overlook Chromebooks, as these ChromeOS-powered laptops are typically cheaper than the competition yet are perfectly fine for browsing the web, basic productivity work and even light gaming.

How much RAM do I need?

This can be tricky to know because it's not like storage, where you can sort of predict how much you'll store on the laptop and plan accordingly. RAM is the memory your laptop moves files in and out of in real time while you're using them, so having more of it improves game performance, multitasking speed and generally makes everything feel snappier. In general, I recommend you get a laptop with at least 8MB of RAM if you don't want it to feel sluggish. If you plan to do a lot of multitasking or running demanding apps and games, try for at least 16GB of RAM. If you plan to play a lot of fast-paced modern games it's not a bad idea to get a laptop with as much RAM as you can afford, as much as 32MB or more.

Best laptops 2024 tested — April top picks

Jump to:

Quick list
Best overall
Best value
Best for Windows
Best Chromebook
Most repairable
Best for gaming
Best battery life
Best MacBook Air alternative
Best 2-in-1
Best MacBook Pro alternative
Best powerful MacBook
Best dual screen laptop
Battery life results
How to choose
Frequently asked questions
How we test

Best Laptop: Quick Menu

MacBook Air 15-inch M3 on desk — (Image credit: Future)

1. The list in brief
2. Best overall laptop
3. Best value
4. Best Windows laptop
5. Best Chromebook
6. Best upgradability/repairability
7. Best gaming laptop
8. Best battery life
9. Best MacBook Air alternative
10. Best 2-in-1 laptop
11. Best MacBook Pro alternative
12. Best powerful MacBook
13. Best dual screen laptop
14. Battery life chart
15. How to choose
16. Frequently asked questions
17. How we test

The best laptops are powerful enough to handle your day-to-day work and play, comfy enough to carry all day and efficient enough to ensure you won't run out of juice when you're in the lurch.

Not a lot to ask, right? Luckily lots of great laptops are on the market these days, but that abundance also makes finding the best laptop for you awful tricky. You can get a Chromebook or a compact, speedy Windows 11 laptop for not a lot of money, and those who can afford to spend a bit more have access to a slew of the best laptops from the likes of Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo and more.

That's why we test and review dozens of laptops from top manufacturers every year, then gather the very best together here in one easy-to-read list to help you make a more informed purchase.

You can count on the fact that every laptop on this list has been tested and reviewed by myself or one of my colleagues, so you know a real person has used it in real life and really likes it. Whether you're shopping for a sleek new ultraportable, a cheap Chromebook, a new gaming laptop or the best MacBook for your needs, you'll find at least one great option here!

Written by

Alex Wawro

Alex Wawro is a lifelong journalist who's spent over a decade covering tech, games and entertainment. He oversees the computing department at Tom's Guide, which includes managing laptop coverage and reviewing many himself every year.

The quick list

In a hurry? Here's a brief overview of the laptops on this list, along with quick links that let you jump down the page directly to a review of whichever laptop catches your eye.

Best overall

1. Macbook Air M3

The best laptop for most people

The MacBook Air 13-inch M3 is the laptop we recommend first to most people because it delivers unbeatable value. You get great performance from Apple's M3 chip, a bright display and more than 15 hours of battery life (according to our testing) in an ultraportable package.

Read more below

Best value

2. Asus Zenbook 13 OLED

The best value

The Asus Zenbook 13 OLED is a bit dated at this point, but if you can find one it delivers unbeatable value thanks to its speedy AMD CPU, killer 15-hour battery life (based on our testing) and beautiful 1080p OLED display.

Read more below

Best Windows

3. Dell XPS 15 OLED

The best Windows laptop for most

The Dell XPS 15 is our current pick for best Windows laptop overall. It's svelte and powerful enough for day-to-day work, with thin bezels that help the display shine. It's even better if you shell out extra for the OLED upgrade.

Read more below