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Choosing the perfect laptop can be overwhelming. With so many options flooding the market, how are you supposed to find the best laptop for you? Luckily, that's where we come in.

We've done the hard work and scoured through the top-rated laptops to find the best of the best. Whether you're a student, a professional, or a gaming enthusiast, we've got you covered – your next laptop will be on this list. Keep reading to meet your perfect laptop!

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In this blog:

• Best overall
• Best for creatives
• Best for students
• Best for gaming
• Best MacBook
• Best Chromebook
• Best Windows

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Best overall

MacBook Air 13-inch M3

 

When it comes to selecting the best laptop, you can't go wrong with the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M3. Featuring an impressive 13.6-inch display with colour accuracy and True Tone technology, the MacBook Air M3 sets a high standard amongst both laptops and MacBook models.

The MacBook Air 13-inch boasts a sleek design with up to 18 hours of battery life, while the M3 chip handles the most demanding of tasks without compromise. You'll also find a 1080p webcam, Touch ID, and up to 24GB of memory.

Apple has also addressed SSD performance, significantly enhancing read/write speeds compared to its predecessor, the Air M2. Storage now ranges from 256GB SSD, all the way up to 2TB SSD.

The only downside to the MacBook Air 13-inch M3 is the lack of ports; there are only two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. If you don't tend to use your ports then this shouldn't be too much of a problem, and for those who do need more than two, a port adapter will do the trick!

Starting at £1099, the MacBook Air M3 offers solid value, making it one of the best laptops for users seeking a seamless blend of performance, style, and reliability.

Best for creatives

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Pro/M3 Max)

If you work in a creative industry, you'll want the 16-inch MacBook Pro (M3). It's sleek, big, and it can juggle intense software with ease.

It has a discrete GPU that you can easily upgrade without affecting the CPU and the Liquid Retina XDR display is stellar. The M3 Pro variants have a 12-core CPU while the M3 Max variants have a 14 and 16-core CPU, the GPU however, does vary depending on which model you choose. The cheaper variant comes with the M3 Pro chipset, but you can upgrade to the M3 Max chip if you'd like.

You'll get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, an SDXC card slot, a headphone jack and a MagSafe 3 port along with a Force Touch trackpad and Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Pro/M3 Max) is one of the best laptops both in terms of hardware and design for creative professionals who need powerful mobile hardware.  This model starts at £2599 and can be as pricey as $4099, so it's definitely on the premium side but well worth the money.

Best for students

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425)

Looking for the best laptop for students? Try the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425)! This laptop has a 14-inch vivid ASUS Lumina OLED touchscreen with powerful super-linear speakers and up to 15 hours of battery life. Plus, it can fast charge to 60% in just 49 minutes.

The Zenbook 14 sports Windows 11 and has an integrated NPU AI engine in the Intel Core Ultra processor, so you can effortlessly tackle tasks with AI. You'll get 1TB SSD storage and 16GB RAM, as well as a USB 3.2 Gen Type-A, two Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI and a 3.5mm audio jack.

For extra durability, ASUS added Corning Gorilla Glass and ensured that the Zenbook 14 has a MIL-STD 810H military standard rating. The Intel Core Ultra 7 processor is powerful enough to handle the average student's tasks, and the lightweight design makes it easy to carry around or slip into a backpack.

The Zenbook 14 features ASUS AiSense camera, making it perfect for online lectures and Zoom calls. And for when you need to study in silence, the Zenbook 14 has quiet keyboard technology so your keyboard stays silent no matter how much you type.

Best gaming

Razer Blade 15

Known as the best gaming laptop in the industry, the Razer Blade 15 is a powerhouse for gamers.

You have the option of selecting either a 12th-gen or 13th-gen model equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor, or a 12th-gen model with an Intel Core i9 processor, all of which boast Turbo Boost capabilities ranging from 4.8 GHz to 5.2 GHz and 24 MB of Cache.

In terms of connectivity, the Razer Blade 15 offers an array of ports, including three USB-A Gen 2, USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, a 3.5mm audio jack, an SD card slot and HDMI support.

Starting at £2499 and reaching £2699 depending on your chosen specifications, this laptop isn't cheap, but it promises unparalleled performance and features that justify the cost. Boasting NVIDIA's RTX 4080, Intel's latest 13th-gen CPUs, and rapid quad-HD displays, you're getting top-of-the-line technology for your money.

With its state-of-the-art components, robust construction, and exceptional colour fidelity and contrast, the Razer Blade 15 is the go-to laptop for gaming.

Best Chromebook

Acer Chromebook Spin 714

We've searched through the top-rated laptops to find the best Chromebook model, and well, we think the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 ticks all the boxes. This Chromebook comes with up to a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, giving it up to 10% more power than previous models.

Not only is it a Chromebook… it's a 2-in-1 Chromebook! With a 16:10 14-inch display, you can use it as a laptop or as a tablet thanks to its 360-degree convertible modes. You'll get a USI stylus with the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 that features 4,096 different levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt sensitivity. When docked, the stylus charges up quickly too, with 15 minutes giving you up to 240 minutes of use.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 boasts a rapid-charging 10-hour battery, dual upward speakers, a dual microphone array and a built-in MIPI 2K webcam. You can add an optional embedded fingerprint reader to the Chromebook too.

If you're on the clumsy side, you'll be glad to know that the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 has an Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass touchscreen and touchpad and features independently verified MIL-STD-810H8 military-grade durability.

In terms of ports, you'll find an HDMI port, a USB Type-A port and dual USB Type-C ports with the latest Thunderbolt 4 technology. This model costs around £799, so it's reasonably priced for the value you get.

Best MacBook

MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)

MacBook fans all agree: the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3, 2023) is one of the best laptops Apple has to offer. The M3 chip offers enhanced graphics and a significantly larger GPU compared to previous M2 models.

You can expect up to 24GB of unified memory, up to 2TB of storage and proMotion technology for adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz. As for ports, you'll have two Thunderbolt / USB 4 (USB‑C) ports, an HDMI port and an SDXC card slot to choose from.

This laptop sports a stunning 14.2-inch liquid retina XDR display with Magic Keyboard and impressive audio performance thanks to its high-fidelity six-speaker sound system. And with up to 22 hours of battery life, the MacBook Pro can last for almost the entire day.

Apple has also updated the GPU since the last generation of MacBook models, giving the MacBook Pro 14 a larger GPU and sport Dynamic Caching, a new ray tracing and mesh shading technology.

Pricing for the MacBook Pro 14 starts at £1699, so it's not cheap by any means, but it's well worth the price if you're looking for a top-rated laptop from Apple.

Best Windows

Dell XPS 13 Plus

For those of you who just can't get enough of your Windows laptop, an upgrade to the Dell XPS 13 Plus wouldn't go amiss – after all, it's Dell's most powerfully designed XPS 13 ever!

Starting at £949, it features 13th Gen Intel Core processors and Windows 11 all within a lightweight design. Thanks to its ExpressCharge feature, you'll get to 80% charge in less than an hour.

You can choose between an FHD+ and OLED display, however, this will impact the battery life of the device. The standard FHD+ display has up to 14 hours battery life, while the OLED display version has up to 8 hours battery life.

Dell has added EyeSafe technology to reduce blue light and new quad speakers for louder, broader sound on the XPS 13 Plus. The laptop also has ExpressSign-in paired with Windows Hello, which can detect your presence to sign you in or out of your device.

And if all that hasn't swayed you into thinking the Dell XPS 13 Plus is one of the best laptops out there, then maybe the built-in Dell performance application can seal the deal. This application lets you customise certain features for better performance, like increasing fan speed, boosting processor speeds and lowering fan noise.

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