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If you're looking for the best laptops of 2023, you've come to the right place. Over the years, I've personally tested hundreds of laptops from major brands on the market and gained unparalleled insight into how to choose a great laptop with good value for money. This article goes through a rigorous review process to ensure that every laptop deserves our recommendation.
In this guide, I've handpicked a selection of the best laptops to suit every budget and use. No matter what type of laptop you need, I've got you covered.
Best overall: Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
The Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) fills many of the gaps, bringing out the best of its predecessors. It is arguably one of the most remarkable laptops in Apple's history, with a new design and powerful M2 chip that can easily handle a variety of daily tasks, and is worthy of being the successor of its predecessor.
One of the most impressive features is its extremely long battery life, which we tested to last up to 16 hours of continuous use. However, as you pointed out, this powerful performance is also accompanied by a corresponding price increase that can exceed the budget of some people.
The new Apple MacBook Air is not only thinner and lighter, but also has a larger screen. The screen is also brighter than previous models, making it a good option for those who don't want to pay a high price for the MacBook Pro.
Their modern design has given Apple once again a leader in aesthetically pleasing laptops, and while the new color options may not be as vibrant as some users expect, they still add a unique personality to Apple's thin and light laptops.
In terms of performance, this MacBook Air performs well. The macOS system boots up quickly, runs smoothly overall, and the new screen performs well. Browsing the web in Safari and Chrome is very fast and responsive, even with multiple tabs open at the same time, while the redesigned keyboard makes typing documents for long periods of time feel very pleasant and comfortable.
In my tests, the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) had a battery life of up to 16 hours when playing 1080p video, 30 minutes longer than the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022), far more than the 2020 MacBook Air, which lasted only 11 hours in the same test.
While the price of the new MacBook Air (M2, 2022) has increased, the boost is also understandable. However, this means that it may be less attractive relative to the older MacBook Air, which is indeed a bit of a shame, because one of the biggest selling points of the 2020 MacBook Air is its affordable price and excellent performance.
Best 15-inch Laptop: MacBook Air 15-Inch (2023)
Although the MacBook Air 15-inch (2023) screen size has increased and portability has been slightly affected, it is still a lightweight laptop that makes it a pleasant experience.
Apple has completely redesigned the MacBook Air, Apple's most affordable MacBook in years, and the biggest improvement. This welcome upgrade brings a much-needed modern look to the MacBook Air 13-inch (2023), along with a vastly improved screen and MagSafe 3 charging port.
Apple has maintained the consistency of the 15-inch model with its previous design. Apple believes that the 13-inch and 15-inch models are largely part of the same product family, and apart from the difference in size, they look almost identical.
While don't expect the MacBook Air 15-inch (2023) to be drastically different from last year's model, the M2 chip performs well and is ideal for everyday use, including tasks like web browsing and video editing.
Because of its bright screen, vivid colors, and high resolution, it looks stunning when watching movies. If you're after the purest movie-watching experience, you can hardly find a better option than this laptop, especially when those six built-in speakers are fully functional.
As for the MacBook Air's 15-inch (2023) battery life, Apple promises up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and 18 hours of video playback, which far exceeds Windows 11 competitors.
On top of that, the laptop is relatively reasonably priced, with the base model starting at a slightly higher price than the 13-inch MacBook Air launched last year, but it's great value for money. Compared to competitors such as the Dell XPS 15, it is also more affordable.
Best Productivity Laptop: MacBook Pro 16" (2023)
Without a doubt, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is the best laptop I've tested for creative professionals.
Powered by the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, this mobile workstation laptop excels in every aspect, from display to design to battery life, especially for those who need a powerful machine for creative work.
However, if the high price and bulky body put you off, then the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023) is also a good choice. It is powered by the equally excellent M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, offering very similar performance, but with a smaller screen size and a more affordable price.
While the bottom body is quite thick to accommodate a range of ports, including 3 Thunderbolt 4, 1 HDMI, and 1 SDXC, the thin bezels help keep the overall size relatively small. As for the notch on the screen, although there is some controversy, it is actually not a big problem.
The M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are a huge leap forward from the existing M2 chips, and the M2 chips themselves are already excellent. In addition, the 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display features mini LED technology for great visual performance.
The high refresh rate makes scrolling a pleasure while also maintaining clarity. However, this performance gain comes with a certain amount of power consumption, and unless you need to do some demanding tasks like video editing or 3D rendering, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) may perform more than you actually need.
For non-visual creative users, the MacBook Pro 13-inch may be smarter, and if you just need a MacBook for everyday work, the MacBook Air is the way to go.
Apple claims that the MacBook Pro 16-inch can reach 22 hours of battery life in terms of full-screen video playback. In our battery life test, we kept looping 1080p video until the battery ran out, and the results were impressive at 19 hours and 39 minutes.
The MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is an incredibly ambitious laptop both in terms of hardware and design, especially for creative professionals who need powerful mobile hardware.
Best Laptops for Gaming: Razer Blade 14 (2023)
This year's Razer Blade 14 (2023) update features the latest hardware specs, including the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. Despite having such powerful and often heavier components, it still manages to maintain a thin and light figure – something that many gaming laptops have been struggling with.
Razer is known for its excellence in thin and light laptops, and the Razer Blade 14 (2023) is a great representative.
Despite its RTX 4070 GPU, it is lightweight and slim. With a 14-inch screen, it fits easily into most medium and large bags, making it easy to carry while adding little to no weight.
Compared to other similar gaming laptops, the Razer Blade 14 (2023) offers excellent gaming performance. In testing, it performed very well, rivaling many other similarly configured laptops on the market.
In games, the frame rate stays above 75 frames per second even at the highest settings. Plus, thanks to the high refresh rate of the Razer Blade 14 (2023) screen, the gaming experience is extremely smooth, which is undoubtedly a highlight for gamers who are keen on gaming.
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) claims to have a battery life of up to 10 hours, but in my tests, it was about 8 hours with light office use. However, for high-intensity use cases such as streaming and gaming, battery life drops significantly, making it difficult to reach four hours.
Therefore, in any case of high load use, it is recommended to keep it plugged in. Razer laptops are usually more expensive, and the Razer Blade 14 (2023) is no exception.
Best 17" Laptop: Dell XPS 17 (2022)
If the Dell XPS 17 (2022) looks familiar, it's because it is. In fact, this is one of the most stylish and sophisticated laptops on the market right now.
Dell has made a number of improvements in updating the internals of the XPS 17, which now houses Intel's 12th generation processors. If you're looking for a stylish design and need a large-screen laptop for the most complex tasks, the Dell XPS 17 (2022) is a great choice you can't ignore.
The Dell XPS 17 (2022) is elegantly designed and crafted with a precision-machined aluminum case and screen, and a carbon fiber in the palm rest.
Thanks to its ultra-narrow bezels on all sides, it still looks very modern. It is worth mentioning that it also comes with a 720p webcam and supports Windows Hello facial recognition.
In terms of performance, this laptop has everything it deserves. Whether you're working on video encoding or 3D rendering, it's up to the task.
Powerful, large-screen laptops like the Dell XPS 17 (2022) used to have unsatisfactory battery life. But now it's different.
Under light loads such as watching videos and browsing the web, battery life can be expected to easily reach more than 10 hours. In my tests, the Dell XPS 17 was enough to last the entire workday on a single charge.
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