2025 Laptop Awards - The Best of the Best!

Best Budget Laptop

HP OmniBook 5 (14" & 16")

Why it won:

• Consistently available near $400, an unmatched price-to-spec value.
• Strong fundamentals: current-gen processor, solid build, good display, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage.
• Competitors under $400 compromise heavily in at least one key area.

Notable drawbacks:

• 14-inch model runs warm while charging.
• Slightly heavy for its class.

HP OmniBook 5 16 - 2025

16 Inches | 512 GB | 16 GB | Ryzen AI 7 350

HP OmniBook 5 16 - 2025

16 Inches | 512 GB | 16 GB | Ryzen AI 7 350

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$1,399

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Best Value for Money Laptop

MacBook Air 13 & 15 (M4)

Why it won:

• Premium chassis and excellent performance for under $1,000.
• Regular sale prices: $750 for 256GB and $950 for 512GB configs.
• Delivers reliable everyday experience: top-tier trackpad, speakers, battery life, and silent fanless operation.

Notable drawbacks:

• Still limited to a 60Hz display.
• No Wi-Fi 7.

Best Premium Laptop

MacBook Pro 14 (M5)

Why it won:

• The most complete all-around laptop of 2025.
• Extreme performance paired with top-tier battery life and quiet operation.
• High-end Mini-LED display, excellent keyboard, speakers, and strong port selection.

Notable drawbacks:

• Lacks Wi-Fi 7.
• Large display notch.
• macOS may not suit everyone.

Best Premium Windows Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15

Why it won:

• Exceptionally portable for a 15-inch laptop with standout battery life.
• Bright, high-resolution OLED display.
• Super comfortable keyboard and haptic trackpad combo.
• The Core Ultra 7 variant allows light gaming.

Notable drawbacks:

• No iconic ThinkPad TrackPoint. Pretty minor if you ask us.

Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition - 15 - 2025

15.3 Inches | 1 TB | 32 GB | Core Ultra 7 258V

Lenovo ThinkPad X9 15 Aura Edition - 15 - 2025

15.3 Inches | 1 TB | 32 GB | Core Ultra 7 258V

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Lenovo

Thunder Grey

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$1,879

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Pros

• Fantastic 4k Webcam
• Great screen options
• Effective anti-reflective coating on the display
• Accurate haptic trackpad
• Great speakers
• Good port placement

Cons

• Missing the red Trackpoint and trackpad buttons
• Pricey
• Port selection is limited
• Its performance is at the lower end for similar laptops

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Thunder Grey

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Best Budget Gaming Laptop

Lenovo LOQ

Why it won:

• Rare combination of good build quality, 100% sRGB display, strong keyboard, and proper GPU power at this price.
• Outperforms similarly priced gaming laptops that often cut corners in cooling or display quality.
• Competing budget models often suffer QC issues—LOQ avoids most of them.

Notable drawbacks:

• Bulky and heavy

Best Value for Money Gaming Laptop

Lenovo Legion 5i (Intel)

Why it won:

• Around $1,000 for an OLED display, high-wattage Nvidia GPU, and Intel Arrow Lake HX processor.
• Strong performance, comfortable keyboard, and compact footprint at 15 inches.

Notable drawbacks:

• Weak speakers.
• No face recognition.
• Ports placed inconveniently.

Best Premium Gaming Laptop

Lenovo Legion 7i

Why it won:

• Bright 500-nit OLED panel—rare for gaming laptops.
• Excellent keyboard layout with large arrow keys.
• Powerful Intel HX processor and mid-range GPU with high wattage.
• Upgradeable memory.

Notable drawbacks:

• Limited to 8GB VRAM. Some modern titles might need more.

Best 14-inch Gaming Laptop

ASUS TUF A14

Why it won:

• The only 14-inch gaming laptop of 2025 without a major design flaw.
• Excellent cooling, rare in this size.
• Strong battery life.

Notable drawbacks:

• Not the most premium or highest performing device.

Best 16-inch Gaming Laptop

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16

Why it won:

• Best thermals of any full-power 16-inch gaming laptop.
• No numpad, keeping hands away from hotter center areas.
• Rear exhaust design prevents hot air from blowing on hands.
• Stunning fast-refresh Mini-LED display.
• Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5090. Great components.

Notable drawbacks:

• It's big, but not bigger than the competition.

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 - 2025

16 Inches | 2 TB | 32 GB | Core Ultra 9 275HX | RTX 5080

Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 - 2025

16 Inches | 2 TB | 32 GB | Core Ultra 9 275HX | RTX 5080

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$3,299

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$3,199

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Pros

• High end components
• Feels very cool to the touch while gaming
• Exhausts hot air out the back
• Comfortable keyboard
• Great Mini-LED display
• Ports in good locations away from your mouse
• Easy to upgrade as back can be taken off without tools

Cons

• Heavy
• Like all thick laptops, you may feel it biting into your wrist a little

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$3,299

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Best 18-inch Gaming Laptop

Alienware 18 Area-51

Why it won:

• Coolest operating temperatures among 18-inch competitors, especially vs. Legion 9i.
• Curved front edge adds comfort during long sessions.
• 2560 × 1600 panel enables higher FPS than 4K alternatives.
• Optional Cherry MX mechanical keyboard.

Notable drawbacks:

• Extremely heavy.
• Side exhaust vents can direct heat toward the mouse hand.
• Mechanical keyboard produces a slight ringing noise when typing fast.

Best Portable Gaming Laptop

ASUS Zephyrus G16

Why it won:

• Balanced performer: good for gaming, editing, Linux, and general use.
• Cooler and quieter than the 2024 model.
• Compact form factor with GPU options above 8GB VRAM.
• Comfortable keyboard and solid speakers.

Notable drawbacks:

• GPUs aren't fed full wattage so they don't perform at full capacity.

Best Creator Laptop

ASUS ProArt P16

Why it won:

• Creator-focused version of the Zephyrus G16 with elite color-accurate displays.
• Optional 4K Tandem OLED panel looks exceptional; super bright.
• Strong specs: Ryzen 9 HX 370 + RTX 5090.
• Fast full-size SD card reader and highly portable design.

Notable drawbacks:

• GPU isn't fed full wattage, so it will not perform at its best.
• Tandem OLED configuration (the one we recommend) is extremely expensive.

Best Programming Laptop

MacBook Pro 14 (M5)

Why it won:

• Extremely bright, high-resolution Mini-LED display ideal for reading code.
• Exceptional battery life, even under heavy development workloads.
• Very fast CPU performance and silent operation.
• Reliable unplugged performance unlike many Windows laptops.

Notable drawbacks:

• Higher RAM configurations are expensive.
• Base keyboard has lower travel vs. higher-end M4 Pro/Max models.

Apple MacBook Pro 14 - M5 Series - 2026

14 Inches | 1 TB | 24 GB | M5 10-Core | M5 10-Core GPU

Apple MacBook Pro 14 - M5 Series - 2026

14 Inches | 1 TB | 24 GB | M5 10-Core | M5 10-Core GPU

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Space Black

$2,199

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Space Black

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$2,074

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Pros

• Excellent performance
• Very long battery life
• All round premium laptop
• Exceptionally quiet and mostly feels cool to the touch
• Very premium - Great speakers, webcam, trackpad, keyboard, dsiplay
• Extremely fast storage

Cons

• An incremental update that doesn't change much from the M4 version or give a big performance boost in CPU or GPU tasks
• No Wi-Fi 7
• Not good for gaming
• No Thunderbolt 5
• The price has gotten much more expensive as of June 25, 2026.

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Space Black

$2,199

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$2,074Save $125

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