UPDATE: Oct. 7, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT We've updated one of our picks based on hands-on testing, replacing the original Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio with the new Surface Laptop Studio 2 as our favorite laptop for drawing. We're also shopping around for a new top budget pick.
Trying to pinpoint the very best laptops of 2023 isn't a quest for the faint of heart: Not all laptops are created equal, and the sheer number of models out there is enough to make anyone's head spin. To put things in perspective, Apple is selling three different MacBook Pros and three separate MacBook Air models as of 2023, and almost all of them come in multiple configurations with different M-something chips. (That's not even counting the older models still floating around at various third-party retailers.)
Ultimately, choosing the right laptop for you will come down to three main questions:
How are you going to be using your laptop?
What's your preferred operating system — macOS, Windows, or ChromeOS?
And perhaps most importantly, how much are you willing to spend?
Shoppers concerned about that last point should consider buying a new laptop in the coming weeks. While Amazon hasn't historically been the best place to search for enticing laptop deals, its Prime Big Deal Days holiday kickoff event from Oct. 10 to 11 will likely prompt Best Buy and other tech retailers to put their inventories on sale at deep discounts.
If you're not sure which models to look out for, continue reading for Mashable's guide to the best laptops, including two Apple MacBooks and several Windows models by Dell, Microsoft, and Lenovo.
Note: All listed specs and prices apply to each model's base configuration.
Best deals on laptops this week
- Dell XPS 13 9315 Intel i7 512GB SSD 16GB RAM FHD+ Laptop — $849.00 (List Price $1,099)
- Asus TUF Gaming F15 Intel i7 RTX 4060 512GB SSD Laptop — $999.99 (List Price $1,099.99)
- Dell Inspiron 16 5635 Ryzen 7 1TB SSD 16GB RAM Laptop — $599.99 (List Price $999.99)
- MSI GP Intel i9 RTX 4080 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 16" Laptop — $1,699.00
- HP Pavilion 15t Intel i7 256GB SSD 16GB RAM 15.6" Laptop — $579.99 (List Price $999.99)
- Asus Vivobook 16X Ryzen 7 512GB SSD 12GB RAM 16" Laptop — $479.99 (List Price $749.99)
