Best Laptop 2023: The top 10 laptops around, hand-picked by our experts

The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch is our pick for the best overall laptop you can buy. The latest Air model builds on its, already excellent, smaller sibling by accommodating an improved viewing experience with its larger display.

The MacBook Air range has been a tremendous showcase of Apple Silicon since the launch of the first M1 model and the latest version is no different. The new 15-inch model offers tremendous productivity performance, if you’re using this for writing essays, browsing the web and watching multimedia, it’ll be a delightful breeze for you to use from the moment you turn it on. With no fan on board either, it runs silently.

All this is backed up by excellent battery life, coming in at well over a work day in our real-world testing and managing 14 hours in our battery benchmarking test. The results are similar to the 13-inch MacBook Air as, despite the 15-inch model having a slightly larger battery, it seems to be offset by the larger display. The larger screen is absolutely a welcome addition, providing a more multitasking-friendly canvas as well as a more immersive panel for watching movies.

Movie-watching and the overall audio experience is boosted from the 13-inch too, which already donned class-leading sound. The larger chassis enables additional speakers and it’s mightily impressive, with strong bass chops and solid vocal clarity. The entire package makes this the best laptop for most people, dominating the productivity category.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Apple MacBook Air 15-inch review

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 360 is the dark horse of the laptop world in 2023. It hasn’t been touted by Samsung all that much, overshadowed by the Galaxy Book 3 Pro and new Galaxy Book 3 Ultra. But, when it comes to broad appeal and value, it’s comfortably the best of the bunch.

Despite its lower price than many key rivals, the 13th Gen Intel Core P-series chip inside provides plenty of productivity performance, no less than you need for a student or word processing workload. And, it’s aided by a display that may look under-specced initially. Coming in at just Full HD, the screen redeems itself through Samsung’s AMOLED panel, which is crisp and lush. With a 16:9 aspect ratio and 360-degree hinge, this is a laptop that’s ideal for media consumption too.

The keyboard experience is excellent, you can spend hours comfortably typing away on the Galaxy Book 3 360. And, you’ll be proud to do it in whatever setting, with the design matching that of most high-end, and more expensive machines, with an all-metal build. The top-notch S Pen is included too, for breezy drawing and handwriting capabilities.

Reviewer: Adam Speight
Full review: Samsung Galaxy Book 3 360 review

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is a dinky 12-inch touchscreen laptop that’s available for less than $600/£530, making it an ideal option for students or anyone else on a tight budget.

Despite its low price, it boasts excellent build quality and offers a nippy performance for basic day-to-day workloads. Microsoft has opted for a new processor for this sequel, which has even given it a battery life boost compared to the original laptop. During our standard battery test, it managed to keep running for 9 hours and 11 minutes.

Of course, the Surface Laptop Go 2 isn’t as powerful as some of the other laptops on this list and will struggle with the likes of gaming and content creation, but it’s not expected to cope with such workloads at this budget-friendly price.

Our only major gripe with this ultra-portable laptop is its screen quality. With a low 1536 x 1024 resolution, images and video don’t look sharp, making it a substandard option for the likes of Netflix. And that tiny 12.4-inch may make this laptop super portable, but it’s also difficult to have multiple browser windows and apps open simultaneously.

We recommend checking out the similarly priced Acer Swift 3 if you really care about the screen quality. But if you can overlook those drawbacks, then we still think the Surface Laptop Go 2 is one of the absolute best Windows laptops at this price point.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Surface Laptop Go 2 review

The MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) isn’t just the best laptop that Apple has created so far, but it’s also our top recommendation for anyone who wants to edit photos or videos, or engage in any other intensive task.

The new 2023 iteration has seen a processor upgrade, with Apple offering the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. Our tests show these chips to offer a relatively minor performance boost compared to their predecessors, so probably aren’t worth upgrading to if you already own an M-chip MacBook Pro.

However, our benchmark tests also showed the MacBook Pro (2023) to boast a massive performance jump on a Windows laptop powered by an RTX 3050. If you want a heavy-duty portable for content creation, the Pro is your best bet.

We were also impressed by the Mini LED display and stylish design. Sadly, Apple has upped the price in the UK, with a starting price of £2149/$1999. With that in mind, it may be worth seeing if you can find the MacBook Pro (2021) with a discount, as it remains an excellent laptop.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) review

Buying a brand-new laptop doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll have to break the bank to do so – you just have to look in the right places. That’s where the HP Chromebook x2 11 comes in. This is one of the best budget machines you can buy at the moment at just $599/£499.99. 

It features a 2-in-1 design, allowing you to use it as both a tablet and a laptop. The keyboard and cover attach to the tablet portion separately, meaning that it can operate as a proper tablet when required, as opposed to a half-hearted attempt at one like more traditional 2-in-1 laptops. It weighs in at just 1.03kg – or 580g as just the tablet unit – which makes it highly portable and ideal for hybrid workers or students who are regularly on the go. 

The display sits at only 11 inches but comes with an impressive Quad HD (1440p) resolution and a quoted 400 nits of brightness. Our reviewer found that video content offered some excellent detail with generally vibrant images and solid colours. The tablet comes with integrated Bang & Olufsen speakers which carry plenty of volume, although they can’t hit the same heights as some dedicated Bluetooth speakers out there.

The Snapdragon 7c chipset provides enough power for the Chromebook x2 11 to get through day-to-day tasks, although you should look towards laptops like the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) or Samsung Galaxy Book 3 360 if you’re after more raw power. It did not falter with multiple Chrome tabs open and managed to stay relatively cool and quiet throughout, making it a reliable choice for anyone who will be predominantly working in word processors and on the web. 

All in all, the HP Chromebook x2 11 is a rare example of a budget workstation that hasn’t shirked on power or design. If you’re happy to carry out daily tasks on a ChromeOS device and want the added benefit of a 2-in-1 design, then this is one of the best options out there. 

Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Full Review: HP Chromebook x2 11

The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook (2023) is a rare ChromeOS device that justifies its higher price, successfully offering an excellent all-round experience that few comparative Chromebooks have since the Pixelbook Go. Unfortunately, it isn’t available in the UK but can be purchased in the US.

ChromeOS isn’t a demanding platform but this laptop squeezes every smidgen of performance out of it. It’s an ideal machine for productivity use. This is only aided by a great keyboard, that’s ideal for any long typing sessions. The, admittedly, higher price for a Chromebook, at $1000, gets you a top quality build. It offers a stylish off-white matte finish or a sparkling black option. It’d sit nicely on the desk of any student or nestled in any home office.

The audio is up to snuff too, presenting a pleasing pair of Bang & Olufsen speakers that are detailed and offer a surprising amount of bass for an averagely sized laptop.

Reviewer: Chris Smith
Full Review: HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook (2023) review

Asus didn’t quite nail its flagship Zenbook S 13 OLED this year, with its switch to an Intel chip and an ambitiously slim design having key consequences, but the same can’t be said for the excellent AMD-powered Asus Zenbook 15 OLED (2023).

It may not be as trim as its smaller sibling but the Zenbook 15 OLED brings many of the same benefits, without the power limitations. The fast Ryzen 7 chip is a versatile option, providing snappy productivity use and enough graphical juice for some light creative work and low-end gaming. The keyboard and trackpad are a potent combo, with the former being comfortable to type on the latter offering an accurate response.

One of the stars of the show is the glorious OLED screen. Coming in at 15.6-inches and a QHD+ resolution, you can have a broad canvas to accommodate multi-window work as well as stunning colour and detail.

Reviewer: Stuart Andrews
Full Review: Asus Zenbook 15 OLED (2023) review

Not only did the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) make it onto this Best List, but it also managed to score the top spot on our best gaming laptop round-up. We gave this laptop a faultless five-star review and maintain that this is one of the best gaming laptops money can buy, thanks to its huge levels of processing power and impressive gaming performance.

It features a 13th-generation Intel Core i9-13980HX processor, which on paper is one of the fastest mobile CPU chips Intel has ever made. It packs 16 E-Cores and eight P-Cores and can monster its way through 24 simultaneous threads, with our Geekbench 5 and PCMark 10 benchmark results proving how powerful this machine truly is. This translated very well to real-world applications, with a multitude of games running smoothly thanks to the inclusion of the RTX 4080 GPU. Borderlands 3 managed to reach 106fps at a native screen resolution (2560×1600) with everything maxed out, while Horizon Zero Dawn hit 120fps.

The battery life was more than reasonable when you take the specs into consideration, lasting five hours and 51 minutes in PCMark 10’s Battery benchmark. While we wouldn’t recommend gaming on this laptop when it’s not on charge, the battery life will allow users to engage in productivity work from time to time. However, the bulky 2.5kg weight means that this is not a laptop you’ll want to take on the go, although the sizable mass does make it feel like a very robust machine. 

Connectivity is also more than suitable, with two USB-C ports – one of which supportsThunderbolt 4 – alongside an HDMI 2.1 output, 2.5GbE Ethernet port, 3.5mm audio jack and two USB 3.2 ports. That’s more than enough to cover you for external displays, peripherals and storage, with Wi-Fi 6E also on board to ensure that you can game online without any issues. 

All in all, this is one of the best gaming laptops that money can buy. With formidable internals and a striking design, anyone that’s looking for their next gaming device should seriously consider the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023). 

Reviewer: Stuart Andrews
Full Review: Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) review

The Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED may look like any other laptop but it’s hiding a wide range of capabilities. The OLED technology comes with fantastic colour depth and a 2880×1800 resolution, which we found to be more than crisp enough for watching video content. 

It’s also deceptively powerful, featuring an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU, an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU alongside 32GB RAM and a 2TB SSD. These internals make the Zenbook Pro 14 OLED an all-rounder, with the GPU giving users the ability to play high-end games. Intensive graphical tasks such as 3D modelling are also well-within reach, although we would recommend that you keep it plugged in to reach its maximum performance. 

When you consider the 1.65kg weight, this is an incredibly portable device for all the power. We were able to carry this around in a backpack without any issues, potentially making it a great pick for anyone who regularly likes to work on the go. 

Looking at the keyboard, we found it to feel very deep and substantial, even if the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 can reach better heights in this category. Other than the space bar being oddly loud, we found that this was a joy to type on, making it ideal for anyone looking to smash out their next essay. 

The touchpad felt velvety to use and was very responsive. The trackpad features a DialPad in the corner, which looks like a circular dial. You can use it to scroll through shortcut tools; in basic Windows, these are screen brightness and volume, but in the ProArt Creator app you can choose what the dial does, per app, giving it a lot of versatility. 

Overall, the Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED is one of the best, if not the best, Windows device for content creation. It is fantastically adaptive thanks to the high-end internals and comes with a vibrant OLED display, with a reasonable asking price of £1,499. 

Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full Review: Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED (2023) review 

Ever heard of Medion? If you haven’t and are after a top-notch bang-for-your-buck gaming laptop then you need to pay attention to them. The Medion Erazer Major X20 is the stand-out in its excellent value range and gained a rare 5-star review from us.

We loved this laptop as it provides a stunning amount of gaming performance for a price far lower than most similarly specced devices from rivals, at under £2000 for a 13th Gen Intel Core i9 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 combination. The team-up gives you QHD+ performance at high settings across a range of titles, netting 55fps in Returnal, 46fps in Cyberpunk 2077 and 79fps in Borderlands 3.

You’ll find better performance in gaming laptops that don the more powerful RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 chips but the jump isn’t typically significant enough to warrant the massive rise in cost.The gaming experience is boosted by an impressive set of Cherry MX switches for the keyboard, with 1.8mm travel along with pleasing and precise feedback.

The display itself gets plenty bright, at around 411 nits, and offers crisp visuals through its QHD+ IPS panel. It’s well equipped for competitive gaming too, with a 240Hz refresh rate. Surprisingly, the screen is matched by decent sound, especially for a value-focused gaming laptop. The speakers get plenty loud and offer acceptable quality. There’s even a good amount of bass too.

Reviewer: Alun Taylor
Full Review: Medion Erazer Major X20 review