The best laptops of 2024 span a range of categories to suit different needs and budgets. Here are some top recommendations:
Best Overall Laptop: Dell XPS 15
The Dell XPS 15 (2024) continues to build on its strong legacy with some notable improvements and a few areas where it could still use enhancement.
Performance and Hardware
The Dell XPS 15 comes equipped with up to an Intel Core i9-13900H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, making it a powerhouse for productivity and creative tasks. It excels in handling demanding applications, evidenced by its strong performance in benchmarks such as Cinebench and Geekbench 6, though it does face stiff competition from the MacBook Pro in some areas .
Display
One of the standout features of the XPS 15 is its 15.6-inch OLED touchscreen with a 3.5K (3456 x 2160) resolution. This display offers vibrant colors, deep blacks, and sharp details, covering 137.9% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is significantly better than many competitors. However, its brightness, at 371 nits, falls short of some rivals like the MacBook Pro, which reaches up to 477 nits .
Design and Build Quality
The XPS 15 maintains its premium design with a sturdy build, a silver aluminum chassis, and a carbon fiber palm rest that adds to both aesthetics and comfort. The laptop is relatively lightweight for its class, making it portable despite its robust build .
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard and touchpad on the XPS 15 are generally well-received. The keyboard is spacious with good tactility, though some reviewers noted the arrow keys are less than ideal. The large touchpad is praised for its smooth surface and responsive clicks .
Audio
Audio performance on the XPS 15 is robust, with a quad-speaker setup delivering clear and loud sound. The speakers handle mids and highs well, though there is some distortion at maximum volume. The sound system is capable of filling a room, making it suitable for both media consumption and casual music listening .
Connectivity
The XPS 15 includes a good selection of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack. The laptop supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, although there were some reports of connectivity issues with 6 GHz networks .
Best Budget Laptop: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (2024) continues to solidify its position as an excellent all-rounder laptop, offering a blend of performance, portability, and features that cater to a broad range of users.
Performance
The Yoga Slim 7 is equipped with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor or an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, depending on the configuration. Both options provide robust performance suitable for multitasking, productivity tasks, and even some light gaming. The laptop handles daily tasks smoothly, thanks to its up to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage .
Display
The laptop features a 14-inch display with options for either a Full HD or a 3K OLED panel. The OLED version is particularly praised for its vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast, making it ideal for media consumption and creative work. The display supports Dolby Vision, enhancing the visual experience further .
Build and Design
Weighing around 1.3 kg (2.87 lbs) and with a thickness of just 15.6 mm, the Yoga Slim 7 is highly portable and well-suited for users on the go. Its aluminum chassis provides a premium feel, and the build quality is robust, ensuring durability. The backlit keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience with good key travel and spacing, while the touchpad is responsive and reliable.
Connectivity
The Yoga Slim 7 offers a good selection of ports, including two USB-C 4 ports with Thunderbolt 4, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, HDMI 2.1, and a headphone jack. This variety ensures that users can connect multiple peripherals and external displays with ease. The laptop also supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, although there have been some reports of slightly slower than expected Wi-Fi 6 performance .
Battery Life
Battery performance is one of the highlights of the Yoga Slim 7. The 60.7Wh battery provides up to 12 hours of usage on a single charge, depending on the workload. The laptop also features Rapid Charge Pro, which can charge the battery up to 50% in just 30 minutes, making it convenient for users who need a quick power boost during busy days.
Audio
The Yoga Slim 7’s audio system is another strong point. It comes with Dolby Atmos-tuned speakers that deliver clear and loud sound, enhancing the experience of watching videos or listening to music. The speakers are positioned beside the keyboard, providing a more direct and immersive audio experience compared to bottom-firing speakers .
Best Windows Ultrabook: Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED
The Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED (UX6404) is a notable entry in the premium laptop market, particularly appealing to content creators and professionals. Here’s a comprehensive review based on various sources:
Display
The highlight of the Zenbook Pro 14 OLED is its 14.5-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen, which offers vibrant colors and deep blacks, thanks to its OLED technology. It covers 100% of the sRGB, 97.2% of Adobe RGB, and 99.7% of DCI-P3 color gamuts, making it highly suitable for color-critical work. The screen supports a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR, providing a smooth and immersive visual experience, although its peak brightness of around 369 nits may be a bit limiting in bright environments.
Performance
Powered by an Intel Core i9-13900H processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, the Zenbook Pro 14 OLED excels in handling demanding tasks such as video editing and 3D rendering. It scores impressively in performance benchmarks, making it one of the most powerful laptops in its class . The inclusion of a hardware MUX switch allows seamless switching between integrated and dedicated graphics, enhancing performance efficiency.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is well-designed with good key travel and feedback, making it comfortable for extended typing sessions. The touchpad is large and responsive, featuring the innovative Asus DialPad in the top left corner, which can be particularly useful for Adobe Creative Suite users . However, the lack of a fingerprint reader is a slight drawback, although it is compensated by a reliable IR camera for facial recognition .
Audio
The Harman Kardon-tuned speakers deliver clear audio with good separation of high, mid, and low tones. While not matching the audio quality of a MacBook Pro, they are adequate for general use and provide a satisfactory listening experience for music and movies .
Battery Life
The battery life is decent, offering around 8-9 hours of typical usage. However, heavy tasks such as video rendering or gaming will significantly reduce this duration (Stuff).
Build and Design
The Zenbook Pro 14 OLED sports a sleek and sturdy design with a premium finish. Its compact size and relatively light weight make it portable and convenient for on-the-go professionals. The build quality is high, with a robust hinge mechanism and a glass-covered touchpad that adds to its premium feel .
Verdict
The Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED is a powerful and versatile laptop, ideal for professionals who require high performance and excellent display quality for content creation. Its combination of top-tier components, innovative features like the Asus DialPad, and a stunning OLED display make it a strong contender in the premium laptop market. However, it comes at a high price and has some minor drawbacks like the absence of a fingerprint reader and limited peak brightness .
Overall, if you’re looking for a portable powerhouse with a gorgeous display and robust performance capabilities, the Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED is a compelling option.
Best Laptop for Creatives: Apple MacBook Pro M3
The Apple MacBook Pro with the M3 chip has proven to be an exceptional choice for creatives, delivering significant improvements in performance, display quality, and overall usability.
Performance
The MacBook Pro M3 is powered by the new M3 chip, offering substantial performance gains over its predecessors. The M3 Pro and M3 Max configurations are particularly well-suited for demanding creative tasks such as video editing, 3D rendering, and intensive graphic design. The M3 Max, with up to a 40-core GPU, provides a 50% performance boost, making it a powerhouse for professionals who need top-tier performance.
Display
One of the standout features is the 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, which supports HDR content with a peak brightness of 1539 nits, making it perfect for color-accurate work and high dynamic range content creation. The Mini-LED technology ensures deep blacks and vibrant colors, crucial for photo and video editing .
Battery Life
Battery life is another strong suit, with the 14-inch model offering up to 18 hours of usage and the 16-inch model up to 22 hours. This extended battery life is beneficial for creatives who often work on the go, ensuring they can work throughout the day without needing to recharge frequently .
Connectivity and Ports
The MacBook Pro M3 offers a versatile range of ports including Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, and MagSafe 3, accommodating a wide array of peripherals and external displays. The M3 Pro and M3 Max models support multiple external displays, enhancing productivity for creatives who need extensive screen real estate .
Keyboard and Trackpad
The Magic Keyboard provides a comfortable typing experience, and the large Force Touch trackpad is precise and responsive, ideal for detailed work in design and editing software. The inclusion of Touch ID adds convenience and security .
Audio
The six-speaker sound system delivers impressive audio quality with support for Spatial Audio, making it suitable for audio editing and providing an immersive listening experience for media consumption .
Verdict
The MacBook Pro M3 is an excellent choice for creatives, offering powerful performance, a stunning display, and impressive battery life. Whether you’re a photographer, videographer, or graphic designer, the MacBook Pro M3 provides the tools and capabilities needed to handle demanding creative tasks efficiently. The high price point is justified by the comprehensive feature set and robust performance, making it a worthy investment for professionals .
Conclusion:
When choosing a laptop, consider what you need most—be it performance, portability, display quality, or price. Each of these laptops excels in different areas, ensuring there’s a top pick for every type of user in 2024.
