How to Choose the Right Size
While it might be tempting to just opt for a model with the biggest screen, take a few minutes to consider which option best suits your lifestyle. A large model can be tough to lug around and a small model (say, under 15 inches) can leave you with a cramped keyboard. So you may want to visit a store to put the laptop you like through its paces before you buy it.
Small (10- to 13-Inch Screen Size)
A 10- to 13-inch laptop is great for people on the move. It’s compact, light, and powerful enough to handle everyday productivity tasks with relative ease, although the Level 3 processors found in 10-inch models may be a touch slow for some applications. Battery life varies but should get you through a full workday. In fact, the best models now deliver more than 20 hours on a single charge.
Medium (14- to 16-Inch Screen Size)
This size range offers a compelling mix of performance, portability, and price. Models often have generous battery life and higher-end specs, at times even including AMD or Nvidia graphics cards that make them appealing to gamers. All of this comes in handy when you’re tackling more demanding tasks like high-res video editing or a Halo marathon.
Large (17- to 18-Inch Screen Size)
Sometimes referred to as “desktop replacements,” these models are more or less tethered to your desk, given their hefty size and weight. But that majestic screen comes in handy when you work with spreadsheets or a series of windows open at once—or when you enjoy ending your day with an Academy Award-nominated film.
More Variations
Chromebooks
These laptops run on Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system developed by Google that has a user interface that resembles the Chrome web browser. They can be very inexpensive, starting at less than $200, but you’ll also find higher-end Chromebook Plus models with specs similar to those found on a regular laptop.
Chromebooks rely heavily on cloud-based apps like Gmail and Google Docs and store most of their files online, so they require much less onboard storage. Be prepared to stream rather than download content. Given the emphasis on cloud-based software, you’ll want a reliable internet connection to make the most of a Chromebook.
Convertibles & Detachables
Some laptops offer 2-in-1 functionality, serving as both a laptop and a tablet. Convertibles have a keyboard that you can tuck behind the touchscreen display via a 360-degree hinge, and detachables let you remove the keyboard entirely. This may be useful if you want to use the screen like a tablet (say, to stream video) or prop it up in “tent mode” and let others watch beside you. A touchscreen display can be a convenient way to quickly scroll through photos, too.
Apple doesn’t make a 2-in-1 laptop, but you can pair an iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard for a similar experience.
Tablets
A powerful tablet is another alternative. (See our tablet buying guide.) Lightweight and highly portable, it can be paired with a Bluetooth keyboard and serve as a word processor, web browser, e-book reader, movie viewer, music player, photo- and video-editing tool, and more. For those with children, some models even offer dedicated parental control features.
Models generally weigh between .5 and 1.5 pounds and have touchscreens that measure 7 inches or more (diagonally, like a TV). In our tests, batteries often deliver more than 10 hours’ worth of power per charge, with some hitting nearly 20 hours.
Laptop & Chromebook Specs
Processors
Processors with multiple cores can process more data simultaneously, giving you more speed. Our ratings say how many cores a laptop’s processor has.
Clock speed, measured in gigahertz (GHz), along with the number of cores and other factors, determine how quickly a processor can process information. Many processors can up the speed a bit for a brief time to yield maximum performance. Generally speaking, within a processor family, the higher the clock speed, the faster the processor. Clock speeds typically start at around 1 GHz for a mobile processor.
For more info, consult our article on choosing the best processor for your new computer.
Another important factor when choosing a processor, especially for laptops, is battery life. Lower power consumption equals longer battery life.
If you’re looking for a very basic or budget computer for browsing the web, emailing, and working on Office documents, every processor on the market should be sufficient.
For Windows laptops, if you plan to watch high-resolution videos or play mainstream games, you’ll want a midtier (or higher) processor, such as Intel’s Core 5 (formerly Core i5) and AMD Ryzen 5.
If you’re shopping for a Mac laptop, note that Apple no longer uses Intel processors but rather the company’s homegrown M series of processors (M1, M2, or M3). All are fast and help deliver long battery life.
Choosing an Operating System
Mac or PC? It’s really up to you. You’ll find models on both platforms that score well in our labs. They’ll support the most popular software options, too, from Adobe Photoshop to Chrome, Slack to Zoom. But there are benefits to pairing an iPhone with a Mac or an Android phone with a PC. You may be able to answer a text message with your keyboard, for example, or share copy-paste data between a computer and a smartphone.
How Much Memory?
The more memory a computer has, the faster it is, up to a point. Memory is measured in gigabytes (GB). For midrange laptops, you’ll likely find 16GB of memory, while less expensive models will have 8GB. If you’re the type of person who likes to keep multiple browser tabs open, having 16GB will provide a smoother experience.
All About Drives: Solid-State, Hard, and Optical
- Solid-state drives: SSDs are significantly faster than traditional hard drives, in part because they don’t have moving parts. They’re also smaller than traditional hard drives, which allows the laptops themselves to be smaller than they otherwise might be. Like traditional hard drives, SSD sizes are measured in gigabytes and terabytes, with 256GB and 512GB commonly found in laptops. Higher-end models may have 1 terabyte or more of storage.
- Hard drives: Also known as a hard disk, this type of drive stores files on a spinning disk and uses more power than a solid-state drive. It’s also slower overall. Hard drive sizes are measured in gigabytes and terabytes, while the speed is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). A slow hard drive will take longer to start up the OS and programs and complete tasks. Hard drives are becoming less common in laptops, but you may still find them in budget models.
- Optical drives: Optical drives have all but disappeared from laptops. If you still need one (say, to install an old app or to watch an old DVD), you can use an external option that plugs into a USB port. These typically cost around $20 to $30.
The Battery
When not plugged into a wall outlet, laptops use a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power. They go into sleep mode when used intermittently, extending the time between charges.
You can lengthen battery life if you dim the display, turn off WiFi connectivity when it’s not needed, and use only basic applications.
An increasing number of laptops have batteries that can’t be easily removed by users, which means they’ll need to be taken to service centers when they no longer effectively hold a charge, which shouldn’t happen for several years of use.
In general, laptops are more difficult and costly to repair than comparable desktops, in part because of their small size and specialized parts. That means you should be extra careful drinking your morning (or afternoon or evening) coffee while next to your laptop.
Laptop Buying Guide Video
For more details on specs and brands, watch our video below.
Laptop & Chromebook Features
Use this guide to wade through your options. For more information, check out our laptop & Chromebook ratings (available to CR members).
Laptop Displays
A 15- to 16-inch display should suit most people. Displays that are 13, 14, and 17 inches are also common, and some manufacturers offer 11-inch displays.
The screens on most laptops are glossy instead of matte. Glossy screens have more saturated colors and deeper blacks but are also more prone to glare. Like desktop monitors, most laptop displays are wide-screen to show wide-screen movies at their best.
Touchscreens
Inspired by tablets, many companies have begun including touchscreens on laptops. (The notable exception is Apple.) The touchscreen models have custom touch-enabled multimedia apps and include multitouch capability, which lets you use your fingers to zoom, turn, and scroll. Just keep in mind that computers with touchscreens tend to cost more.
Networking
Laptops come with wireless connectivity built in, and some have a port for plugging in an Ethernet cable, although many are ditching that to save space.
Wireless Mouse
If you have a wireless mouse, you won’t have to deal with a cord, but you’ll have to recharge or replace the batteries every few months.
Laptop Ports
The latest port to arrive on computers is USB-C. It’s reversible, so you’ll never insert a USB-C plug the wrong way. It can also be used to supply power to your laptop. With an adapter, it’s compatible with earlier versions of USB.
USB ports let you connect a variety of add-on devices, such as digital cameras, external hard drives, or flash drives.
An Ethernet port or a wireless network card lets you link several computers in the household to share files, a printer, or a broadband internet connection.
Thunderbolt, a very fast data-transfer port, is also used for connecting external devices. The latest version, Thunderbolt 4, uses a USB-C connector and enables connectivity to 4K displays. But there are fewer compatible devices available for it than there are for USB.
An HDMI output jack lets you run a video cable from the computer to a TV, so you can view a movie or stream from an online service to a TV from your laptop.
PHOTO: GOOGLE
Laptop Displays
A 15- to 16-inch display should suit most people. Displays that are 13, 14, and 17 inches are also common, and some manufacturers offer 11-inch displays.
The screens on most laptops are glossy instead of matte. Glossy screens have more saturated colors and deeper blacks but are also more prone to glare. Like desktop monitors, most laptop displays are wide-screen to show wide-screen movies at their best.
Laptop & Chromebook Brands
When choosing a brand, consider a manufacturer’s technical support, and take a look at reliability and owner satisfaction as shown in our ratings.
