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The 5 Best 15-16 Inch Laptops - Fall 2024

Updated Aug 28, 2024 at 09:40 am
Best 15-16 inch Laptops

15-16 inch laptops are very popular, and for good reason. They give you plenty of room to place windows side-by-side, lots of space on the keyboard deck to rest your palms, and they often have a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, which is great for those working with numbers. Plus, their larger chassis allows for a more effective cooling system, resulting in better performance. Although some are bulky and hard to carry, most 15- and 16-inch laptops are thin and light enough for on-the-go use.

We've tested over 130 laptops, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best 15- and 16-inch laptops. You can also see our recommendations for the best Chromebooks, the best 2-in-1 laptops, and the best laptops for graphic design.


  1. Best 16-Inch Laptop

    The best 16-inch laptop we've tested is the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023). With its thin bezels, this 16-inch model is practically the same size as most 15-inch laptops. It feels incredibly well-built, provides an amazing user experience, and is ideally suited to demanding tasks like video editing and 3D graphics. It has a bright Mini LED display with full DCI P3 coverage, a comfortable keyboard that you can type on all day, and a gigantic, easy-to-use haptic touchpad. The speakers and the webcam are among the best on the market. Its port selection is excellent, so you can connect multiple peripherals and external displays easily. The only downside is that none of the components are user-replaceable, and upgrading the RAM and storage adds to the total cost of the device considerably.

    For Windows users, we recommend the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 (2024), a premium workstation laptop. This model is configurable with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, up to a Core Ultra 9 185H, and various NVIDIA discrete GPUs, including GeForce and RTX Ada Generation models, giving you plenty of processing power to tackle demanding tasks. You can get up to 64GB of RAM and 8TB of storage, and unlike the MacBook, these components are user-upgradeable. Three display options are available: a 60Hz FHD+ IPS, a 165Hz QHD+ IPS, and a 60Hz 4k+ OLED panel—the latter has full DCI P3 coverage, making it suitable for color-critical work. The user experience is great. You get a comfortable keyboard, a large haptic touchpad, Lenovo's iconic Trackpoint, and an excellent 1440p webcam. Port selection is excellent, as is battery life, which is almost on par with the MacBook.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range 15-Inch Laptop

    If you only need to perform light tasks like web browsing and text processing, get the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024), one of the best 15-inch laptops we've tested that uses Windows. It's the first Surface Laptop to sport an ARM SoC, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. The biggest concern is app compatibility, as most programs don't run natively on an ARM processor, so you need to ensure that the apps you use have a native ARM version or run well enough through emulation to get your work done. Compatibility aside, this laptop provides an amazing user experience with one of the brightest displays and the longest battery life we've tested. It even beats Apple silicon's battery efficiency, lasting up to 17 hours on a single charge for light use. It also stands out for its keyboard, touchpad, and webcam quality. RAM and storage max out at 64GB and TB, respectively. The storage is user-replaceable, but the RAM isn't.

    For those who want a Mac, get the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024), one of the best 15-inch laptops we've tested. This laptop is super thin for its size but still feels rigid and exceptionally well-built. It comes with the same powerful (base) M3 SoC as the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) above, but due to the fanless design, it's not intended for intensive and sustained tasks. The user experience is great; you get amazing up-firing speakers, a large haptic touchpad, and a 2.8K display with full DCI P3 coverage. The display is IPS, so it doesn't get as bright as the Pro's Mini LED panel, and its refresh rate is only 60Hz rather than 120Hz, so it doesn't feel as smooth. Port selection is scant, with only two USB-Cs, but they offer USB4/Thunderbolt 3 data speeds and charging. Unlike the older M2 version, there's support for two external displays, but only if you close the laptop lid.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range 16-Inch Laptop

    Our best mid-range pick is the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023), a 2-in-1 convertible. It's fairly portable for a 16-inch device, thanks to its thin and light design, and while it doesn't feel as premium as the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) above, it's still very sturdy, sporting an all-aluminum chassis. Its large display gives you plenty of room for split-screen multitasking, and since this is a 2-in-1, you can flip the screen and use it as a tablet. There's also pen input support, and the laptop comes with a stylus in the box. The keyboard feels comfortable to type on for extended periods and includes a Numpad, which is handy if you work with lots of numbers.

    Port selection is excellent; you get two USB-As, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, an HDMI, and a MicroSD card reader. Biometrics include a fingerprint sensor and facial recognition camera. Spec-wise, it's available with Intel 13th Gen U- and P-series CPUs, which are plenty fast for general productivity tasks like web browsing, text processing, and video playback. The webcam is decent; the image looks relatively sharp but has an unnatural tint, and the microphone picks up some background noise. Finally, while the manufacturer has discontinued this laptop, you can still get it directly from Lenovo's website if you have trouble finding it elsewhere.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget 16-Inch Laptop

    The best budget 16-inch laptop we've tested is the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). Although its display is large, the IPS panel looks slightly washed out and isn't bright enough to combat glare in well-lit settings, unlike the picks earlier in our list. Also, the speakers sound boxy and unnatural, so this laptop doesn't provide the best multimedia experience. Still, this is a reliable, portable everyday laptop despite its larger screen. It's also 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. Its battery life is good enough to get through an eight-hour day with light use, but anything more intensive (including video playback) will require you to plug it in to charge.

    See our review

  5. Best 16-Inch Gaming Laptop

    Our best gaming laptop pick is the Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023). This 16-inch model provides an amazing gaming experience. It's available with fast AMD Ryzen CPUs and various discrete GPUs, up to a Ryzen 9 7945HX and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (mobile), respectively. Display options include two QHD+ panels (165Hz or 240Hz) and an FHD+ 480Hz panel, so you can choose based on your budget, preference, and CPU/GPU configuration. All three panels support variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing. RAM and storage max out at 64GB and 8.5TB, respectively; both are user-replaceable.

    This laptop feels very well-built. It has a solid metal and plastic construction, with a finish that doesn't pick up many fingerprints or smudges. It isn't the best for on-the-go use, though, as It's bulky and heavy, and you'll need to bring the charger because the battery lasts less than an hour when gaming. The keyboard is configurable; you can get it with scissor or low-profile CherryMX mechanical switches. Online gamers, you'd be happy to hear it has Wi-Fi 6E and an Ethernet port to ensure a reliable internet connection. There's also a newer Dell Alienware m16 R2 (2024), but it has fewer configurations (it only goes up to an RTX 4070), and its thermal performance isn't quite as good.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023): The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) is a decent Chrome OS alternative to the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). It has a larger touchpad, a better webcam, and a longer battery life. However, it has a dimmer display and lacks biometrics. Also, remember that Chrome OS is more limited in the type of applications you can install, so you need to be sure you can do everything through a Chrome browser or Android app. See our review
  • Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023): If you are on a tighter budget, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023) is a cheaper alternative to the Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023). It's also an excellent gaming laptop that provides a smooth gaming experience, but you can only get up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU and a 240Hz display. Also, unlike the Dell, the keyboard isn't customizable. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Aug 28, 2024: Due to better performance, we've replaced the Dell XPS 16 (2024) with the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 as the alternative to the MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) and replaced the MacBook Air 15 (2023) with the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) as the 'Best Upper-Mid Range' pick. Finally, due to availability, we've replaced the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) with the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023).

  2. May 31, 2024: Due to availability, we've replaced the Dell XPS 15 (2023) with the Dell XPS 16 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) with the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024). Minor text changes were made for accuracy and clarity.

  3. Apr 05, 2024: Small text edits to provide information about new Dell XPS models and the M3 Apple MacBook Air 15. No change in recommendations.

  4. Feb 02, 2024: Replaced the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) with the M3 version because the M1 model is discontinued. Replaced the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023) with the Dell Alienware m16 R1 (2023) because the Dell has more configurations and a sturdier build. Added the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023), the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023), and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023) as Notable Mentions.

  5. Dec 07, 2023: Replaced the ASUS VivoBook 16 M1605 (2023) with the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) because the Lenovo is cheaper and available with up to 16GB of RAM. Removed the Lenovo Chromebook C340 15 (2020) because it's near the end of its OS support.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best 15- and 16-inch laptops to buy. In addition to the test results, we factor in the price (a cheaper laptop wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no laptops that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you prefer to make your own decision, here’s the list of all of our laptop reviews, sorted by price from low to high. Keep in mind that most laptops are available in various configurations, and the table only shows the results of the model we tested, so it’s best to see the full review for information about other variants.