6 best Windows laptops of 2024, tested and reviewed

Overview

Best Windows laptop overall

HP Spectre x360 14 (2024)

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$1,549.99 Amazon

Best mid-range Windows laptop

Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024)

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$1,240 Lenovo

Best budget Windows laptop

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

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$759.90 Amazon

Best Windows laptop for photo and video editing

Acer Swift X 14 (2024)

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$1,699.99 Acer Store

Best dual-display laptop

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024)

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$1,449.00 Amazon

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The best Windows laptops run an impressive gamut, from 2-in-1s with new Intel Core Ultra hardware to dual-display stunners and AI-ready gaming stations. (Some of them, dare we say, will tempt even the most devoted Macbook disciples.) Users who need a new laptop for everyday productivity, creativity, or entertainment have no shortage of options. And that's for better or worse.

To help you pick out your next PC from the crowded Windows market, we've broken out our best laptops rundown into this separate guide to the best Windows machines of 2024. All of these laptops have been rigorously hands-on tested by the Mashable team for performance and build quality, and we stand by their value — or at least think they're worth finding on sale.

Speaking of: Amazon's flagship summer Prime Day sale is set for July 16 and 17. For Windows users looking to save on an upgrade, the 48-hour event should get marked on your calendar. It's not because Amazon itself offers amazing deals on Windows laptops during the sale, though we do sometimes encounter cheap gaming machines there. No, it's because Prime Day motivates other tech retailers and computer brands to run their own competing sales.

The one to watch in particular will be Best Buy's Black Friday in July savings event from July 15 to 17. Per a Best Buy rep, this will be its "biggest sale of the summer" with "a variety of deals on the latest tech," including laptops. We're keeping a close eye on Best Buy's sizable lineup of new Copilot+ PCs, so stay tuned.

Be sure to bookmark our guide to the best Prime Day laptop deals on Amazon (and beyond) if you don't have the bandwidth to pore over every markdown yourself. In the meantime, read on to learn more about the best Windows models for your shopping shortlist.

FYI: We've listed the pricing and specs of our testing units, which may not apply to each laptop's base model.

The latest Prime Day deals:

iRobot Roomba Essential Vac Q011 Robot Vacuum Cleaner — $245.00
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 64GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet — $178.49 (List Price $219.99)
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case — $179.99 (List Price $249.00)
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker With 6-Months Membership — $159.95
Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm, Midnight, S/M, Sports Band) — $329.00 (List Price $399.00)

Best Cheap Laptops Best Robot Vacuums 2024 Best Echo Devices All Best Products

Our Pick

HP Spectre x360 14 (2024)

Best Windows laptop overall

$1,549.99 Amazon

Read Mashable's full review of the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024).

Who it's for:

The Mashable Choice Award-winning HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) is a premium hybrid laptop geared toward users who need a sleek and flexible machine for all-day productivity. Bonus points if you have a dedicated work spot, as it's not very portable for a 2-in-1. However, if you have a little cash to burn, and if you're sick of looking like a blurry blob on video calls, this is a powerful and versatile laptop with a fantastic touchscreen display. Less specced-out versions also start at $1,499.99.

Why we picked this:

How much time do you have? The latest Spectre x360 14 boasts a beautifully bright and vivid 14-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen, which supports stylus input, and HP is kind enough to throw in a Rechargeable MPP 2.0 Tilt Pen valued at $76.99. There are rich, entertainment-ready speakers nestled into its base. You can flip it into tablet mode to take notes or tent mode to watch movies, though you may have a hard time parting from its clicky keyboard: Mashable tech editor Kim Gedeon called it "addictive."

The maxed-out variant we tested has a zippy new Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU that's decently power-efficient, offering over 11 hours of battery life per charge. (You'll get even more runtime out of an Apple MacBook Pro, but 11 hours is a pack-leading number among the Windows PCs we've tested.) To top all that off, its 9MP webcam is adept at capturing true-to-life colors and details, leaving standard 1080p shooters in the dust.

Sure, it's not as flashy as last year's Spectre x360 14, trading in blingy accents for a minimalist, bevel-edged design, and its port setup is a little awkward. But overall, this 2-in-1 "seems to finally cover all the bases necessary for a satisfying Windows experience," to quote Gedeon again.

The Good

The Bad

Details

GET IT

$1,549.99 Amazon

$1,969.99 HP

Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024)

Best mid-range Windows laptop

$1,240 Lenovo

Read Mashable's full review of the Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024).

Who it's for:

Lenovo's latest Slim 7i 14 is for users in search of a well-made Windows laptop that balances affordability with a handful of fresh specs. You just have to be OK with cozying up to a power source.

Why we picked this:

The new Slim 7i 14 is a 14-inch clamshell-style laptop that's a sneak at its $1,200-ish price point, flaunting high-end features that are usually reserved for much more expensive PCs. "This laptop has a gorgeous OLED display, a keyboard that’s a joy to type on, and performance capabilities that blew me away," wrote reviewer Sarah Chaney, referring to the oomph of its new Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor. It also packs an above-average 1080p webcam, decent-sounding speakers, and mostly excellent connectivity, all wrapped up in an elegant, fingerprint-resistant aluminum design.

Charging is the primary area where the Slim 7i 14 falls flat: It lasted just over eight hours in our testing, and its power cable is a tad short. It also crowds its USB-C ports over to one side. Still, it makes for a dreamy daily driver if you're willing to linger near an outlet. If given the option to trade in her pricier Lenovo Yoga 9i for this bad boy, "I’d choose the Slim [7i] 14," Chaney said, deeming it a "mid-range gem."

The Good

The Bad

Details

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$1,240 Lenovo

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

Best budget Windows laptop

$759.90 Amazon

Read Mashable's full review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3.

Who it's for:

While incredibly well-made, Microsoft's current entry-level laptop won't meet the needs of power users. But it can be worthwhile "if you’re a student who needs a snappy keyboard that can keep up with you while typing notes," said Mashable's Gedeon, especially if you typically work remotely.

Why we picked this:

The Surface Laptop Go 3 is a compact Windows laptop with the essence of a MacBook Air — minus the peppy M-something chip. It's a lightweight looker above all, with a polished, durable aluminum-slash-plastic design featuring a responsive 12.4-inch touchscreen and an absolutely fantastic keyboard. (Its only rival is the keyboard on our beloved HP Spectre x360 14.) "For a notebook that starts at $800, the Surface Laptop Go 3 feels like a $1,200 laptop," Gedeon wrote.

Its internals left a different impression, and it wasn't a great one. The Surface Laptop Go 3 has an outdated 12th-generation Intel Core processor and lasted less than eight hours on a single charge in our battery life test. It also comes with a 720p webcam, which is simply unacceptable in the year of our Zooming lord 2024. We wouldn't call it a stellar value at full price, suffice it to say, but fortunately it's easy to find on sale for at least $100 off at Amazon and Best Buy.

The Good

The Bad

Details

GET IT

$759.90 Amazon

$799.99 Best Buy

Acer Swift X 14 (2024)

Best Windows laptop for photo and video editing

$1,699.99 Acer Store

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Swift X.

Who it's for:

The latest Acer Swift X 14 is a lesson in not judging a laptop by its boring gray chassis. Photo and video editors with intense workload needs will appreciate its beautiful OLED display and unassuming brawn; it's a Windows workhorse that can go toe-to-toe with Apple's powerful M3 machines.

Why we picked this:

That "Swift" in its name is not false advertising. Its Intel Core Ultra 7 155H configuration is the fastest laptop we've tested to date — even faster than other modern PCs with that same chip, including those on this list. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU in our loaner also managed to outperform the M2 and M3 chips in Apple's recent MacBook Airs in a graphics benchmark. There is one downside to all of this power, which is that the Swift X 14's fans can get quite loud, but fortunately its battery life doesn't take a hit. It lasted for about 8.5 hours in our trial, which "isn't half bad for a laptop with discrete graphics," Gedeon wrote in her review.

Media editors and other creative types will also make good use of the Swift X 14's ample port selection (there's a microSD card slot) and 14.5-inch 120Hz OLED display, which Gedeon deemed "a visual treat." The same can't be said of its overall design; this is an objectively boring-looking aluminum laptop, so seek artistic inspiration elsewhere. But that was hardly enough to stop us from giving it a Mashable Choice Award.

The Good

The Bad

Details

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$1,699.99 Acer Store

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024)

Best dual-display laptop

$1,449.00 Amazon

Read Mashable's full review of the Asus Zenbook Duo (2024).

Who it's for:

Prolific multitaskers who want a nontraditional (but ungimmicky) Windows laptop will delight in Asus' dual-screened Zenbook Duo. It's a convenient all-in-one package with a futuristic look but a down-to-earth price.

Why we picked this:

Decked out with a pair of 120Hz OLED displays that make it easy to bounce between different apps, the Zenbook Duo dazzles. "[Single-screen] laptops are now cancelled," Gedeon gushed, adding that she would "gladly give up my M2 MacBook Air for Asus’ dual-screen beauty." Moving under its hood, the Zenbook Duo is powered by a new Intel Core Ultra CPU, and we got nine-ish hours of battery life out of the starting 7 155H configuration. Considering it's powering two screens at once, that's commendable. It also has a surprisingly good array of ports for a hybrid device that can switch between laptop, dual-screen, desktop, and sharing/laid-flat modes.

But what's extra great about the Zenbook Duo is that it includes compatible accessories like a built-in kickstand, a stylus, and a clicky detachable keyboard (complete with a full touchpad), so you don't have to spend any more cash on top of its extremely reasonable $1,500 entry fee. Too bad about its quiet speakers and dull webcam, but those are just minor nit-picks that don't distract from its productivity potential and general cool-as-hellness. It should come as no surprise that the Zenbook Duo is a Mashable Choice Award-winner.

The Good

The Bad

Details

GET IT

$1,449.00 Amazon

$1,449.99 Best Buy

$1,499.99 Asus

Razer Blade 14 (2024)

Best gaming laptop

$2,699.99 Razer Online Store

Read Mashable's hands-on review of the Razer Blade 14 (2024).

Who it's for:

The new Razer Blade 14 is a beefed-up choice for on-the-go gamers, as well as those who are tired of being moored to outlets. Hope you started saving for it yesterday.

Why we picked this:

The new Blade 14 is a gorgeous piece of cutting-edge machinery. Our testing unit, which ran cool and quiet, paired NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics with a hefty AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor (complete with a built-in neural processing unit, or NPU, for speedy AI-related tasks). It's compact and sleek, sporting a gorgeous 14-inch, 16:10 QHD+ display with a 240Hz refresh rate. It has a spiffy Chroma RGB keyboard that you can customize and remap via the Razer Synapse app. And that battery life, man: Lead shopping reporter Dylan Haas got four hours of gameplay and over 10 hours of regular productivity out of the Blade 14 in testing, which are both above-average numbers. With that much stamina, "[we] could easily see the Razer Blade 14 being someone's everyday device for work, as well as their main gaming source," Haas wrote.

All of that being said, the numbers behind that dollar sign are still excessive and, frankly, stupid. If you don't need a new gaming laptop immediately, do your bank account a favor and wait for it to go on sale. We expect to see it reach a more palatable price around Prime Day.

The Good

The Bad

Details

GET IT

$2,699.99 Razer Online Store

Topics HP Lenovo Microsoft Prime Day Windows

How we tested

Mashable staff or contributors hands-on tested all of the Windows laptops featured in this guide for several weeks. We inspected their build quality and used them for a variety of tasks: working in different kinds of documents, checking emails, watching videos, taking photos on their webcams, participating in video calls, listening to music (via Spotify), playing games, and experimenting with any unique software features or use cases they claimed to support.

Additionally, we ran a couple benchmark tests on most of our testing units. (We only spent a limited time with the Razer Blade 14, so it's the sole exception.) First, we ran the Windows version of Primate Labs' Geekbench 6, which measures processor performance in a handful of common tasks. We recorded each of their multi-core scores in our reviews — the higher the score, the better.

We also put most of our loaners through battery life benchmarks. On the HP Spectre x360, the Lenovo Slim 7i 14, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, and the Asus Zenbook Duo, we ran UL Solutions' PCMark 10 battery life test at maximum brightness. This benchmark has the machine complete a series of apps and functions until it conks out. On the Acer Swift X 14, we conducted a video rundown test that involved playing a looped 1080p version of Tears of Steel, a short open-source Blender movie, at 50 percent brightness. Going forward, we will only be using this rundown method to test laptops' battery life. (To measure the Razer Blade 14's battery life, we played games and then did some work, monitoring how long it lasted in each scenario.)

For reference, we look to see about nine to ten hours of battery life in the standard Windows PCs we review, with over 12 hours being exceptional. Meanwhile, gaming laptops need to last at least two hours per charge to get our approval, and they earn brownie points for reaching the four-hour mark.

After evaluating each model's performance in these real-world and benchmark tests, we made our final recommendations based on whether we thought they offered a good overall value for the money. A too-expensive laptop will sometimes get a pass if we think it looks and works so great that it's worth the trouble of finding on sale. (Looking at you again, Razer Blade 14.)

Haley Henschel

Senior Shopping Reporter

Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.

Haley received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and honed her sifting and winnowing skills at The Daily Cardinal. She previously covered politics for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigated exotic pet ownership for Wisconsin Watch, and blogged for some of your favorite reality stars.

In her free time, Haley enjoys playing video games, drawing, taking walks on Lake Michigan, and spending time with her parrot (Melon) and dog (Pierogi). She really, really wants to get back into horseback riding. You can follow her on X at @haleyhenschel or reach her via email at [email protected].