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Best MacBook
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2022)
Best Windows Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
Best Budget Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad 5
Best For Creatives
Apple MacBook Pro (16-Inch, 2023)
Buying any laptop is a big decision. You may end up using it for several years before getting another, and there are many makes, models, and chip configurations to choose from. Lucky for you, we’ve tested many of the new releases in the past year. These are our top picks for the very best laptops you can buy right now.
If you don’t know exactly what you need, or what all the various hardware jargon means, be sure to read our guide on How to Buy a Laptop. And check out our many other computing guides, including the Best MacBooks, Best Gaming Laptops, Best Cheap Laptops, and Best Laptop Backpacks.
Updated March 2023: We’ve added the Apple MacBook Pro 2023 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5.
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Scott Gilbertson, Brenda Stolyar, and Andrew Williams contributed to this guide.
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Photograph: Apple
Best MacBook
Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, 2022)
Apple’s newest MacBook Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is powered by the company’s second-gen M2 processor. It won’t blow your mind quite like the 2020 model with the M1 chip, but the new upgrades are very welcome. There’s a larger and brighter display, a 1080p webcam, a flatter, more modern design, and the return of the MagSafe connector—handy if you tend to trip over the charging cord.
Battery life remains ahead of the competition and performance is breezy for most average tasks. (You’ll notice some stuttering here and there if you tend to push your devices hard with demanding apps.) It’s a fanless design, so it won’t sound like you’re sitting in a jet, but this Mac does tend to run hot. One big downside? The Air can only connect to one external monitor, which means no dual-monitor setup for you.
Specs to look for: Apple M2, 8-Core GPU, 8 or 16-GB of Unified Memory, 256-GB SSD
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Photograph: Lenovo
Best Windows Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5 range has been a tremendous value proposition for several years now, and things are no different with this 2-in-1 model. Alongside the 360-hinge, accommodating a tent mode for better movie-viewing angles, and a tablet mode, there’s a snappy AMD Ryzen 5 chip, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256-GB SSD. That combo is plenty for essay-writers and heavy web-browsers alike. There’s a Ryzen 7 model also available should you want an extra boost in performance, though it costs a smidge more.
Whichever you get, you’ll be happy with the connectivity options: There are two USB-A ports, an HDMI, an SD card reader, one USB-C, a headphone jack, and a charging port (though you can use the USB-C to recharge the laptop too).
Specs to look for: AMD Ryzen 5, 16-GB RAM, 256-GB SSD
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Photograph: Lenovo
Best Budget Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad 5
The IdeaPad 5 has been WIRED’s favorite budget laptop for some time now and the trend continues. It retains its low price alongside a good productivity keyboard and plenty of performance.
The compact size is ideal for mobile working, likewise the strong selection of ports. The display isn’t going to knock your socks off but, at this price, it’s decent enough. The battery life is one of the high points, lasting you well into a second workday if you avoid cracking the brightness to the max.
You’re getting all this for under $600, with value to be had considering the Ryzen 7 model and its better processor, or boosting to 16-GB RAM. This is a device that nails the basics of productivity for almost half the price of some disappointing rivals—this year’s Dell XPS 13 (5/10, WIRED Recommends) being a prime example. This is still the value laptop pick.
Model tested: Ryzen 5 5625U, 8-GB RAM
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Photograph: Apple
Best For Creatives
Apple MacBook Pro (16-Inch, 2023)
Apple’s latest MacBook Pro models don’t reinvent the wheel—in fact, they barely fit shiny new rims. All the changes come on the inside, with the big difference being the M2 chips. If you have an M1 Pro or M1 Max MacBook Pro, then you don’t need to upgrade. Otherwise, these are the versions to buy if you’re looking to nab a powerful Apple laptop.
Get the new M2 Pro if you’re a serious productivity user or creative—say, more than 20 tabs in Chrome and a bit of multitasking or light video editing. Take a look at the M2 Max if you need some serious power for demanding creative and production tasks, like 3D modeling and complex video editing. As for screen sizes, the 16-inch model will nab you better battery life and a larger display versus the 14-inch, but there’s not much between the two.
Like the previous models, the keyboard and trackpad are excellent, if lacking some travel. The display is bright and luxurious. And the new selection of ports will allow most to live a welcome dongle-free life too.
Models tested: 16-inch M2 Max, 64-GB RAM (Adam), 14-inch M2 Pro (Brenda)
