9 Best Laptops of 2026

MacBook Air with M5 is the most complete everyday laptop on this list for the money. Apple's March 2026 release lists the M5 chip with faster unified memory, 512GB of storage as standard (double the previous generation) and a new SSD that Apple says reads and writes twice as fast. The design stays fanless, so there is no fan noise under load. Apple lists up to 18 hours of battery life, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, MagSafe charging and support for up to two external displays, which covers a desk setup with two monitors. The 13.6-inch or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display reaches 500 nits, and the 12MP Center Stage camera supports Desk View for video calls. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 come from Apple's N1 wireless chip. The tradeoff is price: at $1,099 for the 13-inch model it costs $500 more than MacBook Neo, and the 15-inch starts at $1,299. Buyers who need Windows-only software should look at Surface Laptop or ASUS Zenbook 14.

MacBook Neo is Apple's answer to the budget laptop, and at $599 ($499 for education) it is the cheapest machine on this list. Apple's launch release describes a 13-inch Liquid Retina display at 2408 by 1506 with 500 nits and support for 1 billion colors, an A18 Pro chip in a fanless body, and up to 16 hours of battery life. It weighs 2.7 pounds and comes in blush, indigo, silver and citrus. Connectivity is basic: two USB-C ports, both of which can charge, a headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6. The camera is a 1080p FaceTime HD unit with dual mics. The cuts compared with MacBook Air are clear on paper. There is no MagSafe and no Thunderbolt, and Apple says only the MacBook Neo model with Touch ID offers fingerprint login and Apple Pay authorization. For browsing, schoolwork, streaming and light photo editing it covers the basics, and buyers who expect to keep a laptop for many years should weigh the extra storage and ports of the Air.

ASUS Zenbook 14 (UX3480QA) is the best-value Windows laptop on this list. ASUS's October 5, 2026 US release lists a starting price of $799.99 at Best Buy for a 2.87-pound all-metal laptop with a Snapdragon X processor and an NPU rated up to 45 TOPS. The 14-inch OLED panel runs at 1920 by 1200 with 100% DCI-P3 color, though it is rated at 300 nits and 60Hz, below the brighter screens on MacBook Air and Surface Laptop. ASUS lists up to 18 hours of web browsing and a compact USB-C charger that can also charge other devices. Unlike several thin laptops, it keeps USB Type-A and full HDMI alongside USB-C, plus an audio combo jack. Windows Hello facial recognition and Microsoft Pluton handle login and security. The $799.99 version has 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage, which is tight for heavy multitasking; ASUS also sells a 16GB configuration, and says only select models qualify as Copilot+ PCs.

Surface Laptop is the Windows pick for people who care most about battery life. Microsoft's US page lists the 13-inch model with a 6-core Snapdragon X2 Plus processor and up to 22.5 hours of video playback, the longest rating among the laptops we compared. It weighs 2.7 lbs (1225 g) and has a 13-inch 3:2 PixelSense touchscreen at 1920 by 1280, a shape that shows more of a document or spreadsheet than a 16:10 panel. Ports are two USB-C (USB 3.2), one USB-A 3.2 and a headphone jack, and login uses a fingerprint reader. The 13-inch and 13.8-inch models are both listed from $1,199.99; the 13.8-inch steps up to a 120Hz HDR screen, a 10-core or 12-core Snapdragon X2 chip, USB4 and face login, while the 15-inch starts at $1,699.99. Against ASUS Zenbook 14 it costs $400 more and drops HDMI. Buyers who mainly want a long-lasting touchscreen Windows laptop will find the 13-inch version well matched.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition is the laptop for people who want the lightest machine with business-grade options. Lenovo's CES 2026 release lists a starting weight of 996g, up to Intel Core Ultra X7 Series 3 processors with an NPU up to 50 TOPS, and up to 64GB of LPDDR5x memory at 9600MT/s. Lenovo says the updated thermal design sustains 30W of power. A new 10MP camera with a 110-degree field of view and distortion correction from Immervision is a clear step up for video calls. Display options range from a 500-nit WUXGA IPS panel, including an ePrivacy version, to a 2.8K OLED touchscreen. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7 plus 5G and 4G options, and Lenovo lists Windows 11 or Linux. Lenovo also says the X1 Carbon line has sold more than ten million units since 2012 and cites a 9 out of 10 iFixit repairability score for the X1 series. The catch is cost: the estimated starting price is $1,999, and configurations on Lenovo's US store vary widely.

Dell XPS 14 returns as Dell's premium 14-inch Windows laptop, and Dell's US store describes it as its thinnest 14-inch laptop with exceptional battery life, without giving an hour figure on the page. The base configuration lists an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 with 8 cores, Intel Arc graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 512GB SSD and a 14-inch FHD+ (1920x1200) non-touch screen at a Dell Price of $1,699.99, discounted from an estimated value of $2,149.99. Stepping up to the Intel Core Ultra 7 358H with 16 cores and 32GB costs $2,399.99, and the QHD+ (2880x1800) touchscreen version is listed at $3,149.99. Dell's page highlights Copilot+ PC features such as Recall and Click to Do, plus Windows Hello login. The XPS 14 makes sense for buyers who want Intel's newest chips and a premium build from a major PC maker. Buyers focused on value will get an OLED screen and HDMI for less with ASUS Zenbook 14, and longer rated battery with Surface Laptop.

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro is the laptop to pick if you already carry a Galaxy phone or tablet. Samsung's US newsroom lists Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, the first client chips built on Intel 18A, and says Galaxy Book6 Ultra and Pro have Samsung's longest-lasting battery yet at up to 30 hours of video playback. The Pro 16-inch model measures 11.9mm and gets a vapor chamber for cooling for the first time. The bigger reason to buy it is the Samsung software. Link to Windows shows phone messages and notifications on the laptop, Multi Control lets you copy, paste and drag files between Galaxy devices, and Second Screen turns a Galaxy Tab into an extra display. AI Select and Search answer natural-language queries. Samsung lists a US starting price of $1,599.99. That is $800 more than ASUS Zenbook 14, and much of the extra value depends on owning other Samsung hardware, so iPhone owners will get more from a MacBook.

Framework Laptop 13 is the laptop to buy if you want to keep one machine for years by upgrading it. Framework's page says every part is replaceable with the single tool in the box, memory can be upgraded to 96GB of DDR5, and storage uses standard M.2 SSDs up to 8TB. The Expansion Card system replaces fixed ports: you choose which ports you want and on which side. The current mainboard uses AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors with up to 12 CPU cores, and Framework says you can upgrade the processor generation over generation. The 13.5-inch 3:2 screen comes in 2.2K or 2.8K matte versions, the webcam is 1080p, and physical switches cut power to the webcam and microphones. It is 15.85mm thick and under 1.3kg. You can buy it pre-built with Windows 11 or as a DIY Edition with your own OS, including Linux. The page we fetched showed prices in PLN, so we have not confirmed a USD price, and Framework lists a 61Wh battery rather than an hours rating.

Dell 14S is the cheapest Windows laptop we compared, with a Dell Price of $649.99 and a student offer of $549 on Dell's US site. The base configuration lists a Series 3 Intel Core 5 320 processor with 6 cores and a 16 TOPS NPU, Intel graphics, 8GB of LPDDR5x memory, a 256GB SSD and a 14-inch non-touch 1920 x 1200 screen at 60Hz and 300 nits with 100% sRGB coverage. It ships with Windows 11 Home, with Windows 11 Pro available, and Dell sells it in several colors. Dell's configurator lists 16GB memory for $200 more and storage up to 1TB. That 8GB base memory is single-channel and onboard, so it cannot be added later; buyers who plan to keep the laptop for several years should pay for 16GB at checkout. Dell describes long-lasting battery life but does not give an hours figure on the page. For browsing, email and documents it does the job, but MacBook Neo costs $50 less and Apple lists up to 16 hours of battery.