When talking about laptops in today’s modern market, there’s undoubtedly a lot of great options on the market, thanks to a rich variety of more capable machines from seasoned manufacturers, as well as newer software features in the mix. With that in mind, you might be one of many who are looking to upgrade from an older laptop, or maybe you’re a first-time buyer who’s curious about with laptop you should go for.
As such, we’ve put together this quick list of some of the best laptops that you can get on the market right now, each with their own particular strengths. We’ve decided to focus on productivity for this one, although if you’re looking for a gaming machine, then we’d recommend checking out these awesome choices for gaming laptops. Let’s get started!
Best Laptops for 2025
Best Overall Pick: Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
🥇 Editor’s Choice
Snapdragon X Elite/X Plus | Qualcomm Adreno GPU | 64GB LPDDR5x RAM | 1TB Gen4 SSD | 13.8-inch display, 2304 x 1536 resolution
There’s little question that Microsoft’s arm-based processing efforts have resulted in some of the most impressive portable computing that we’ve seen in recent years, thanks largely to Qualcomm’s new wave of Snapdragon X-series chips. These same chips power the 2024 Surface Laptop 7, which wins the top spot in our round-up.
With that in mind, the Surface Laptop comes in two different variants, with a more compact 13.8-inch option that’s available with either the Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite (the latter being a bit more expensive), and a larger 15-inch model that runs exclusively on the X Elite. While there are some differences based on which model you decide to go for (such as battery size and hardware connectivity), it should be noted that all variants share many similarities, including display brightness, RAM and storage options, and such.
The Surface 7 series also comes with Microsoft’s Copilot AI features which adds a bit of versatility in terms of AI-based capabilities, although the highlight is undoubtedly the new Snapdragon chips which offer terrific battery endurance, impressive performance, and improved thermals. Sure, it’s not a gaming powerhouse, but it remains a well-rounded option for day-to-day usage.
Best for Chrome OS Fans: ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34
Intel Core i5 | Intel Iris Xe Graphics | 16GB LPDDR5 RAM | 256GB UFS | 14-inch display, 1920 x 1080 resolution
While the entire point of Chrome OS was to initially introduce a lightweight operating system that would be capable of handling the essentials for work and school, it’s safe to say that Chromebooks have come a long way in terms of hardware and software capabilities, and the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 is a pretty solid example of this.
In addition to a more capable selection of processors courtesy of Intel, the CX34 can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and even 512GB of internal storage, and it does feature a decently-sharp display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Of course, Chrome OS takes centre stage here, and for users who are looking for an alternative to Windows without breaking the bank, then the CX34 makes for a terrific choice.
Best Budget Option: Acer Aspire 3
AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | AMD Radeon Graphics | 8GB LPDDR5 RAM | 128GB NVMe SSD | 15.6-inch display, FHD resolution
Still, if you’d like to stick to Windows without going overboard on your budget, then you might want to check out the Acer Aspire 3. At a price that undercuts a lot of competing machines on the market, the Aspire 3 comes with a pretty decent set of features without compromising on performance, unlike what we see on most budget Windows laptops.
Despite its reputation as a more affordable laptop, the Aspire 3 comes with the honor of being powered by AMD’s Ryzen 3 7320U processor, which is accompanied by 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of internal storage, the latter of which is a telling sign of the laptop’s budget-oriented origins. While it won’t be running Cyberpunk on full graphics settings anytime soon, it works great as a dedicated office or education machine (without ridiculous pricing involed).
Best for Apple Users: MacBook Air M4
Apple M4 Chip with integrated graphics | 16GB LPDDR5 RAM | 256GB SSD | 13-inch display, 2560 × 1664 resolution
Yeah we know, we know, it’s not the M4 Pro, but at its base asking price you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck with the M4-powered MacBook Air. Apple’s M4 chip continues its line of very impressive first-party silicon, and its decision to switch over from Intel has proven to be a great decision for the Cupertino tech giant.
With that in mind, the MacBook Air M4 manages to do a great job of providing users with pretty much a lot of the same features found on more expensive MacBook models, although we’d be lying if there weren’t some considerable differences included such as the lack of a dedicated cooling fan, less hardware ports, and battery. Overall though, you’re getting very similar performance for much less, with access to all of Apple’s essential software offerings and exclusives.
Best for Gaming: Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | RTX 5080 GPU | 32GB DDR5X RAM | 2x 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD | 16-inch display, 2560 x 1600 resolution
We said that we’d focus on general use-machines for this list, although we’d be remiss to not include at least one gaming entry. If you still haven’t checked out our top picks for gaming laptops for 2025 (and we highly recommend that you do), then you should know that our top spot was awarded to the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 is our top pick for the best gaming laptop 2025. The Intel Core Ultra 9 processor inside and RTX 5080 GPU work in tandem to handle demanding games, and the dual 1TB SSDs and 32GB RAM keep everything fast and responsive. It also has a killer display setup that’s built with a 240Hz OLED panel, with a 2560 x 1600 resolution in the mix.
Note: this article may contain affiliate links that help support our authors and keep the Phandroid servers running.