12 Best Windows Laptops to Match Your Style

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19 February 2024

12 Best Windows Laptops 2024

A laptop is a pretty serious investment, and when shopping for Windows laptops, there are many brands from which to choose. Being such a large investment, it’s important to do your research beforehand to find the best laptop option for you. For this, you have to consider a lot of factors. For example, price, portability, battery life, and what you need to use it for.

There are a few great review sites such as Consumer Reports, CNET, and PC Magazine that test and rate laptops based on a number of different factors. We’ve done our research across many of these sites, compiling some of the best Windows laptop options for various popular use cases.

Here is our list of the 12 Best Windows laptops in 2024 by how you plan to use them.

Best Laptop for Gaming

Lenovo Legion Pro 7i

PC Magazine’s overall pick for the best gaming laptop is the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, a very modern laptop that has the latest graphics card and very impressive specifications. PC Mag notes that this laptop is really only essential if you intend to play video games regularly and want a clean, stylish chassis.

However, they also say that this laptop has low battery life and is overall not very portable. It’s a good option for gamers who need to go from outlet to outlet with their computers and play most modern video games without breaking the bank. It has a surprisingly competitive price at around $1,800 MSRP.

Best Laptop for College

HP Pavilion Aero 13

CNET’s choice for the best Windows laptop for students is the HP Pavilion Aero 13 – a lightweight, not too expensive laptop that has everything a college student needs: A long battery life, great performance for basic programs, an SSD for quick startups, and only about 2.5 pounds of weight.

It should be noted that this laptop does not have touchscreen capabilities and the keys are not backlit, which can make typing in dark rooms difficult. The HP Pavilion Aero 13 laptop is starts at $880 on HP’s website.

Best Laptop for Battery Life

HP Dragonfly

For the longest battery life on a single charge, PC Mag recommends the HP Dragonfly, a highly customizable laptop that’s notable for its extremely long battery life and lightweight design. This laptop is ideal for frequent travelers who won’t always have access to a power outlet nearby. It’s sleek, professional, and portable.

While being able to custom-order an HP Dragonfly to your specifications, remember that this can get expensive, with the price ascending well over $2,000 when further customized. Because of this, it’s difficult to give an accurate price, but it’s likely to start around $1,500.

Best Laptop for Everyday Use

HP Pavilion Plus 14

For the best overall laptop, CNET recommends the HP Pavilion Plus. This laptop may not be the best at any one thing, but it will have excellent performance, a great display (1440p with 120hz refresh rate!), and a reasonable battery life. This laptop is ideal for home use or casual mobile use, as it’s only 3.2 pounds.

As we said, the Pavilion Plus won’t be the best at anything, but is great for casual Windows users who need a simple, affordable laptop. The HP Pavilion is highly customizable and starts around $550.

Best Laptop for Grandparents

Acer Aspire 3

Many of the stats and features that we’ve mentioned before regarding laptops may not be relevant, or not make sense, to you. That’s ok! Many grandparents and seniors just want a laptop that’s simple and feels great to use. Making a PC feel easy to navigate is incredibly important, and the OneLaunch desktop toolbar is all about putting your favorite apps where you need them for easy access. For a laptop that suits the OneLaunch toolbar well, Forbes recommends the Acer Aspire 3, a highly portable touch screen Windows laptop that also works as a tablet.

It runs fast, has an extra long battery life, and isn’t too expensive. The Acer Aspire 3 has a price of around $400.

Best Laptop for Kids

Lenovo Flex 5i

Whether it’s for school or play, it’s becoming increasingly common for children to have simple laptops that they can use. These laptops need to be lightweight, touchscreen, and not too expensive. PCMag recommends the Lenovo Flex 3i, a 2-in-1 device that acts as both a laptop and a tablet, letting your kids (or grandkids) flip the screen around 360 degrees as needed.

PCMag’s review notes that a pen for touch screen use is not included, and battery life may be shorter than some other options. The Lenovo Flex 5i is currently around $600

Best Laptop for Live Streaming

Asus ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED

When streaming movies or TV, you want a gorgeous, high-resolution screen with good audio. The ProArt Studiobook has just that, with a 16:10 OLED display that allows you to watch 4k movies and TV directly from your laptop. The unique OLED tech also means that you can watch things from just about anywhere. This laptop is also very powerful, meant for designers, artists, and editors that require a high-resolution screen.

This laptop is definitely higher end, and may not be necessary for just streaming, but it certainly is the best. It is priced at around $1,900.

Best Laptop for Price

Asus Aspire 5

In 2024, the newest model of the Asus Aspire remains one of the best budget options for laptops. The Asus Aspire is not too bulky but also not small with three size options. It has various important ports such as a USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port, an ethernet port, and an HDMI port. It has a decent battery life, lasting around 420 minutes from a full charge.

Note that the Asus Aspire does not have a backlit keyboard and may not have the highest quality build when compared to other laptops. However, this is still a great modern budget option at around $450.

Best Laptop for Remote Work

Lenovo ThinkPad E16

For remote work, smaller, more lightweight laptops with lasting battery lives are extremely important, as you need a laptop that’s reliable while on the go. The ThinkPad E16 comes with a powerful AMD CPU and a 1 TB SSD, quick boot ups and excellent multitasking capabilities. It also has a high resolution 1080p webcam for those who frequently are on Zoom calls. The ThinkPad E16 is notable for being easy to type on and great for working on the go.

Reviewers do mention that the outer casing of the ThinkPad is prone to fingerprint smudges after excessive use. A cleaning cloth or wet wipe should probably be packed in your backpack for remote work. The Lenovo ThinkPad E16 is around $800 on Amazon.

Best Laptop for Small Business

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Laptops for small businesses need to be sturdy, reliable, and be usable all day without frequent charging. This version of the ThinkPad, recommended by PCMag for business laptops, is lightweight while having a tough carbon-fiber and magnesium-alloy chassis that makes it extremely tough. During testing, this laptop was reported to have almost 13 hours of battery life — very impressive!

Because of this higher price and premium construction, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is around $1,200.

Best Laptop for Trading Stocks

Dell XPS 15

Stock trading software can be surprisingly resource-intensive, requiring laptops that can run for long periods of time without performance issues. TechRadar recommends the Dell XPS 15, a sleek and powerful laptop that has a battery life as long as 10 to 12 hours. This laptop will be able to handle most stock trading programs, but may struggle with any intensive or demanding video games.

TechRadar does mention that the 2022 version of the XPS 15 is far better than the 2023 version, so try to find an older version if possible. The XPS 15 is highly customizable on Dell’s website but is around $1,500.

Best Laptop for Writers

Lenovo Yoga 7i

For writers, the #1 priority for laptops is the feel of the keyboard. Sure, being able to use the laptop anywhere for a long period of time is a nice plus, but if the keyboard doesn’t feel great, it’s just not good for writers. The Lenovo Yoga 7i comes highly recommended for writers and can come customized with different processors and specs, depending on your use case.

While this won’t be the most powerful Windows laptop, it will work excellently for any writer. It’s currently available online for $600.