The Best Laptops In 2024

I’ll admit it: as much as I like the power and pizazz of a supercharged desktop PC, there’s nothing like taking that performance on the go. That’s why the laptop is still very much alive, versatile enough to serve needs from gaming to 3D modeling to simply having a convenient all-in-one experience. Some modern-day laptops are strong enough to replace full desktops. Other lap-based devices, like the touchscreen-based 2-in-1s, stretch what the form factor is capable of, bringing in some tablet-like convenience.

The best overall laptop is the Apple Macbook Pro with M3. Yeah, we were surprised, too, but the MacBook Pro’s performance turns it into quite the portable workstation, and it can even do some light gaming, though the pickings can be a little slim on that front. Plus, it comes in black.

While it seems we’ve long reached the point when most manufacturers have figured out what does or doesn’t work with laptops, we’re still seeing designers stretch how many ports they hold, pure screen quality, and just how thin they can make these PCs. Not all laptops are built the same, and price doesn’t necessarily mean quality. It’s hard to parse the entire laptop landscape, so let’s walk through which product is best for your needs.

What laptop should I buy?

Your laptop buying decision should be defined by what you plan to do with the device and your budget. If it’s going to be your primary computer, sit on a desk, and never really move around or get packed in a bag, you don’t need to worry about size and weight. If you want to play video games, you’re going to need a faster processor. If you’re a road warrior, you want something small, light, and hard to break.

In our list below, we’ve identified several of those use cases and identified our top laptop pick for you. If money’s no object, you don’t have niche power user concerns like financial modeling, and you don’t care what operating system the hardware runs, go for our best overall laptop. Anything else, read on.

Finally, keep in mind that one of the rules of consumer electronics is that as soon as you buy a new gadget, it will immediately be eclipsed by a newer, faster, better model. We can say with confidence that chipmakers will continue to release powerful new processors in 2024, and laptop makers will roll out new products. But generally speaking, the first few months of the year are when we see the most new products announced and released.

The editorial staff of Gizmodo independently tests and reviews each product found in our Buyer’s Guides. If you purchase something using our affiliate links, G/O Media may earn a commission. Affiliate linking does not influence our editorial content.

Best Overall Laptop — MacBook Pro with M3

Apple declared its newest M3-powered products were “scary fast” during an event bearing the same name. They are, indeed, powerful machines, and all the benchmarks we were able to prove that. Yet the MacBook Pro is most comfortable when it’s running like it always has, for intensive tasks that allow users a fair bit of wiggle room so you’re not overtaxing your device. It can effectively power some heavy-duty rendering programs with ease. The M3 is, indeed, a more powerful chip than the M2. But depending on the user, that might not change much—or anything—about how you use Apple’s laptops sporting the company’s own silicon. Read More —Kyle Barr