Whether you’re looking for a Windows laptop for school, work, gaming, entertainment or all of the above, we can help. Our top picks for the best Windows laptop options include models by Dell, HP, Microsoft, Asus, Acer, Lenovo and more. Because 2021 models are only now starting to roll out, many of the laptops on this list were tested in 2020 but are the most current models available.
Best small laptop
Dell XPS 13 2020
The Dell XPS 13 is a perennial favorite for its size, weight and performance and just overall good looks. In 2020, Dell made the laptop even smaller, while making the laptop screen larger and increasing performance for both CPU and graphics-intensive tasks. It’s not a huge leap, but this Dell XPS is still the best in the category. And for those who want the laptop brand’s latest and greatest Intel processors, the Dell XPS 13, as well as the company’s XPS 13 2-in-1 (also a great pick), are available with the chip-maker’s 11th-gen Core processors, with Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 options. This Dell laptop also offers a selection of SSD storage and memory options starting with a 256 GB SSD hard drive and 8 GB of memory.
Best laptop alternative to MacBook
ProRazer Book 13
The Book 13 is a more office-friendly business laptop version of the company’s Razer Blade Stealth gaming laptop, with a 13.4-inch display with a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, fast mobile performance, long battery life and enough connection options to make working from home easier. Its high-quality build is up there with the best MacBooks but, like an Apple, it’s not necessarily the best deal, even compared to other premium laptops.
Best small laptop under $1,000
Asus ZenBook 13
The Asus ZenBook 13 is a stylish but not showy 13.3-inch ultraportable with the perfect footprint for squeezing onto a tiny table. You’ll get 12-plus hours of battery life depending on your configuration — it’s available with 10th gen Intel processor or 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor — and plenty of performance to make quick work of daily office or school tasks. Plus, like many of Asus’ laptops, the ZenBook adds a few gadgety extras to hopefully make your life easier while you’re out and about.
Best small 2-in-1
HP Envy x360 13 (2020)
The HP Envy x360 13 is a great pick for an older high school or college student or anyone looking for a small, stylish two-in-one travel laptop with a vibrant screen. This HP laptop is light at just less than 3 pounds (1.3 kg) and battery life is long despite the size. It’s also available with a choice of AMD Ryzen 5-4500U or Intel 11th-gen Core processors. Essentially, you’re getting a speedy little two-in-one that’s ready to use as a business laptop for working from home or remote learning, but is also ready for your backpack.
Best Surface laptop
Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Although it’s 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. This powerful Surface laptop features a 10th-gen Intel processor, fast Wi-Fi 6 wireless and long-lasting battery life. This Microsoft Surface laptop is also the first from the brand to feature an honest-to-goodness USB-C port.
Best laptop on a budget
Acer Swift 3
A remarkable deal for simple tasks like email, word processing and much more, thanks to the new AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. This budget laptop has a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader and a USB Type-C port, too. The Acer Swift 3 is also an incredibly lightweight laptop — less than 3 pounds — for a machine that can be found for less than $700.
In addition to this Acer Swift, we’re also fans of the Acer Aspire 5, which has a larger 15.6-inch display. The Acer Aspire 5 is available in a variety of configurations, but if you are looking for a cheap Windows laptop you can find it starting as low as $400. It can go up to $830 if you want entry-level discrete graphics for basic gaming and content creation.
Best cheap gaming laptop
Dell G5 15
Dell’s G-series gaming laptops are cheaper than those from its Alienware division, but still capable of playing the latest AAA titles. There are three separate Dell laptop models — the G3, G5 and G7 — available in 15- and 17-inch sizes. The midrange G5 15 hits the mark with an excellent price-to-performance ratio, build quality and design. The newest versions start at $900, including a special-edition model with AMD’s impressive Ryzen 5 4600H processor.
Best laptop with a large screen and long battery life
LG Gram 17
There are simply no other 17-inch laptops that are this light and also have long battery life. The Gram 17 lasted 13 hours on our streaming video test, beating last year’s model by 47 minutes on the same test. Processor performance is stepped up some from the 2019 version, too, thanks to the addition of a 10th-gen Intel Core i7 processor. This is partnered with more powerful Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics as well, giving you a little extra speed for photo and video editing and casual gaming.\
Best 2-in-1 with a pen
Lenovo Yoga 9i
Though HP and Dell have excellent premium two-in-one convertible laptops, they have smaller 13.3- and 13.4-inch displays. If you want a bit more room for your work or entertainment, the 14-inch Yoga 9i is a great choice. One of Intel’s Evo platform laptops, the 9i is tuned to be more responsive and for longer battery life. Everything about it is fast. Plus, it’s one of the few that come with a pen, which charges and is stored in the body.
Best Windows 2-in-1 laptop with a tall display
Acer Spin 5
Acer updated the Spin 5’s design and features in 2020 to improve its mobility, but also added a bright 2,256×1,504-pixel resolution, 13.5-inch touchscreen. The 3:2 screen ratio gives you much more vertical space and, since it’s roughly the size of a sheet of paper, it’s more comfortable to use for note taking and sketching with the included active pen.
Best laptop with dual displays
Asus ZenBook Duo 14
If you’ve ever wished for just a little extra screen space on your thin-and-light laptop, your wish is granted. The Duo 14’s 12.6-inch secondary touchscreen behaves just like any other attached display except it’s built into the body above the keyboard. You can use it for extending the main 14-inch display so it works like one large screen, or use it for apps that would normally be buried behind what you’re working on. If that’s not enough, it’s pen-enabled so you can write and draw on it with the included pen. Plus, Asus’ ScreenXpert software lets you turn it into a giant touchpad, a number pad or even a tool deck for Adobe Creative Cloud software.
Best MacBook Air alternative
Lenovo Yoga 7i
Regularly available for less than $700, this thin, 3-pound convertible is a solid choice for anyone who needs a laptop for office or schoolwork. The all-metal chassis gives it a premium laptop look and feel, and it has a comfortable keyboard and a responsive, smooth precision touchpad. Though it’s light on extra features compared to its premium linemate, the Yoga 9i, it does have one of Lenovo’s sliding shutters for its webcam that gives you privacy when you want it. And it has a long battery life to boot.
Best gaming laptop
Razer Blade Pro 17
Yes, the best gaming laptop at the moment is the same as our top pick for a MacBook Pro alternative. There is one small exception, though: While we recommend getting this Blade Pro laptop with its 4K-resolution display option for creators, gamers will want to get the display with a 300MHz refresh rate that Razer offers for this model
Best Windows 2-in-1 laptop for mobility and gaming
Asus ROG Flow X13 with XG Mobile
The Flow X13 keeps you from having to choose between getting a 13-inch two-in-one and a powerful gaming laptop. The little laptop is great for productivity, but its unique external USB-C hub has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 mobile GPU inside for when you need a graphics boost for gaming or content creation.
