Best Laptops of 2025: What to Buy Now + Spec Cheat Sheet

Choosing a laptop in 2025 can feel overwhelming—there are more sizes, chips and features than ever. The good news: modern notebooks deliver excellent performance, battery life and portability. A standout all-rounder this year is Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air (M4), which remains a top pick for most people thanks to its strong performance, quiet fanless design and 18+ hour battery potential (workload-dependent). Prefer Windows or ChromeOS? There are great options there, too, including thin-and-light ultrabooks, Creator-class machines and affordable Chromebooks.

Top takeaways

• Best for most: MacBook Air M4 balances speed, battery life and portability remarkably well.
• Windows variety: From budget to premium OLED ultrabooks and gaming rigs, you can tailor specs to your workflow.
• Chromebooks: Solid for web-first users and students; Chromebook Plus models add speed and AI-powered perks.

Spec cheat sheet (minimums we recommend)

• MacBooks: Apple Silicon M2 or newer; 16GB RAM; 256GB SSD or larger.
• Windows laptops (general): Latest-gen Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen 8000/9000; 16GB RAM; 256GB+ SSD.
• Chromebooks: Recent Intel Core/AMD or Chromebook Plus; 8GB RAM (4GB = bare minimum); 128GB+ storage.
• Gaming: Ryzen 9000 or Intel 14th Gen HX/Core Ultra; 16–32GB RAM; 1TB SSD; discrete GPU (NVIDIA RTX 40 series / AMD Radeon RX 7000).
• Budget: Latest-gen Intel/AMD; 8GB RAM (16GB ideal); 256GB SSD (512GB preferred).

AI PCs, NPUs and Copilot+

An AI PC includes a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that accelerates on-device AI tasks efficiently. Microsoft’s Copilot+ initiative targets systems with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD and NPUs rated at ~40+ TOPS for features like Windows Studio Effects and upcoming tools (e.g., Recall, when available). New Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite/X Plus laptops promise big efficiency gains; Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen AI chips also bring NPU support.

Key buying factors

• Operating system: macOS is seamless for iPhone users and delivers stellar battery life. Windows offers broader hardware choice and gaming. ChromeOS is simple and affordable for web-first use.
• Battery life: Expect 8–20 hours depending on class. Macs often lead; new Copilot+ PCs aim to close the gap.
• Display & refresh: OLED/IPS at 300+ nits for bright spaces; 120Hz+ offers smoother scrolling and gaming.
• Size & weight: 13–14 inches hits portability sweet spot (2–3.5 lbs). 15–16 inches suits creators; 17–18 inches target gaming/workstations.
• Ports & connectivity: USB‑C/Thunderbolt are standard; HDMI/SD are nice-to-haves. Look for Wi‑Fi 6/6E or newer.
• Price: Typical mainstream laptops run $1,000–$1,800. Spend more for dedicated GPUs, extra RAM/storage or Creator displays.

Notes from recent testing

• MacBook Air (M4): Excellent performance-per-watt, silent operation, long battery life makes it an easy default for most.
• Windows thin-and-lights: Look for Core Ultra/Ryzen AI chips and 120Hz OLED options for a noticeable quality-of-life upgrade.
• Gaming laptops: Prioritize GPU class and cooling; budget for 1TB SSD and consider a 32GB RAM configuration if you multitask heavily.
• Chromebook Plus: Better baseline specs and access to Google’s online AI features make these the ChromeOS models to target.

Helpful links:
MacBook Air ·
Microsoft Copilot+ PCs ·
In-depth guide to 2025 laptops

Tip: If your laptop’s RAM and storage are not upgradeable, buy a bit more than you need today (e.g., 16GB RAM, 512GB–1TB SSD) to extend its useful life.

Discussion: What’s your biggest deciding factor for your next laptop—battery life, display quality, or raw performance (CPU/GPU)?