The 6 Best Windows Laptops - Spring 2024 Reviews

The best Windows laptop we've tested overall is the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024), a premium 2-in-1 laptop. This laptop is a great choice for most people as it's lightweight, remarkably well-built, and offers good performance for light productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, web browsing, and video playback. It's configured with Intel's new Core Ultra CPUs and features a sharp 2.8k OLED display, a spacious keyboard, and an easy-to-use haptic touchpad. The display supports pen input using Microsoft Pen Protocol technology, although not every model includes a stylus. You get a decent port selection with one USB-A Port and two USB-Cs that support Thunderbolt 4, power delivery, and more. The battery lasts around eleven hours for light use, so you can make it through the day on a single charge. Unfortunately, this laptop uses soldered RAM, so get enough for your needs upfront.

Another option to consider is the Framework Laptop 13 (2023), a modular laptop designed to be easily repairable and upgradeable. You can buy every component in this 13-inch ultraportable from Framework, and they even provide manuals to guide you through the replacement process. It has a bright 3:2 display, a good 1080p webcam, and a modular port system that lets you swap out the ports to adapt to any situation. The keyboard feels tactile but requires a fair amount of force to actuate the keys, causing fatigue, and the touchpad isn't as responsive as the HP's. Also, depending on where you live, it may be hard to get this laptop because it's only available on Framework's website.

If you want a more modest mid-range model, check out the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023). Its large display gives you plenty of room for split-screen multitasking, and it supports pen input. You can choose between an FHD+ or QHD+ panel; we recommend the latter, as it's sharper and brighter. The display's glossy finish doesn't handle reflections well, so you may have some visibility issues in well-lit settings. Build quality is excellent, and while it isn't as portable as the LG gram 14 (2023) above, it's still relatively easy to carry around, thanks to its thin and light design. A stylus is included in the box; our only complaint is that the plastic pen holder feels rather janky, as it plugs into the USB-A port and can potentially break the port if you aren't careful.

This laptop is available with Intel 13th Gen U- and P-series CPUs, which are plenty fast for general productivity tasks like web browsing, text processing, presentations, and spreadsheets. There's Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, a fingerprint sensor and IR camera for biometrics, and tons of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI. Its 1080p webcam isn't bad; the image has a fair amount of fine details but an unnatural tint, and the microphone picks up some background noise. You can get this laptop directly from Lenovo if you have trouble finding it elsewhere.

The best budget Windows laptop we've tested is the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). This 16-inch model is a reliable everyday laptop that's portable despite its larger screen, relatively sturdy, and easy to service. Its AMD Ryzen CPUs are adequate for general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and web browsing. It also has a decent port selection that supports power delivery and fast charging over USB-C, but not video output or Thunderbolt 4. Battery life is good enough to get through an eight-hour day with light use, but anything more intensive (including video playback) will see you needing to plug it in to charge.

Although its display is large, the IPS panel looks slightly washed out and isn't bright enough to combat glare in well-lit settings. Also, the speakers sound boxy and unnatural, so this laptop doesn't provide you with the best multimedia experience.

Our cheap pick is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023), a 15-inch Windows ultraportable. It's available with various Intel 13th Gen CPUs, from a Core i3 to i7, and up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The Intel CPUs can easily handle light productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback. For the display, the cheaper configurations come with a low-quality TN panel, so you'll have to spend a bit more if you upgrade to an IPS display. The keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and the touchpad is small but responsive. The webcam is surprisingly good, allowing you to look and sound clear on video calls.

Port selection is good; you get two USB-As, a USB-C, an HDMI, and an SD card reader. The USB-C supports video output and charging but not Thunderbolt 4, which is unfortunate but expected for a budget-friendly model. A fingerprint sensor is present for quick logins. The biggest downside is its battery life, which lasts less than seven hours of light use. Compared to the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) above, this model gives you slightly more processing power as well as a better keyboard and webcam, but the display isn't quite as good, and the battery life is significantly shorter. You can get this laptop on Lenovo's website.

The HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024) is our pick for the best Windows workstation. This thin and light laptop is designed as a one-stop shop for gaming and intensive productivity tasks like content creation. Its Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA discrete GPUs can easily handle demanding workloads like video editing, programming, and 3D animation, and its 2.8k OLED display has full DCI P3 coverage, making it appropriate for color correction tasks. While the display is certainly bright enough for most indoor settings, it isn't suited to be used outdoors; also, the glossy finish makes it hard to see when light is shining directly on it.

The keyboard feels comfortable to type on for an extended period, and there are plenty of ports for peripherals and external displays, including a Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1 port. It doesn't get hot or loud under load, and while there's some thermal throttling, it's fairly minimal. Battery life is acceptable but not enough to get through the day. While this laptop charges over USB-C, not every charger will work with this laptop; it needs to have a minimum wattage (likely 100W), and using a third-party charger will result in a message to use an HP-branded charger. Unfortunately, you can only get up to 32GB of soldered RAM, which might not be enough for some workloads.

If you like a tablet with a detachable keyboard form factor, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021) is the one to get. It has a nice 3:2 display with a 120Hz refresh rate to provide better responsiveness, especially for pen input. It's compatible with Microsoft's Surface Pen or any third-party Microsoft Pen Protocol styluses. However, you must buy the stylus separately; the same goes for the keyboard. To Microsoft's credit, it's a pretty good keyboard with tactile keys and backlighting. Its 1080p webcam is among the best on the market, and like most Surface devices, there's a facial recognition IR camera. The battery lasts around seven to eight hours of light use, which isn't bad for a tablet PC.

Microsoft has already released the Surface Pro 9. However, it's only a minor internal upgrade to Intel 12th Gen processors, as the exterior design is largely the same as the Surface Pro 8. In other words, if you can find the Surface Pro 9 at the same price as the Surface Pro 8 or cheaper, go for the Pro 9. If it's more expensive, it'll depend on whether you need the extra processing power. There's also an ARM-based version of the Surface Pro 9 with 5G connectivity for on-the-go use, but it doesn't perform as well as the Intel version. See the Surface Pro 9 on Amazon here.