It’s getting harder and harder to buy a bad laptop, but what separates the best laptops from the average ones is how they balance power, efficiency, portability, and comfort.
A top laptop should have a fantastic keyboard and trackpad – after all, those are the two main reasons you’d choose a laptop over a smartphone or tablet. Its display should be easy to look at, bright and clear enough not to be distracted by jagged edges and visible pixels. It should be powerful enough for almost anything except intensive video editing and advanced gaming. It should be easy to carry from place to place and should be able to last all day without needing to be plugged in.
So here are, in our view, which laptops meet these criteria in 2022.
1. Apple MacBook Air (M2)
The latest MacBook Air, equipped with Apple’s M2 processor, is the best laptop for most people.
The base model includes 8GB of memory, 256GB of storage, an 8-core processor and an 8-core GPU. A model with 512GB of storage is what we recommend for most people.
The Air has lost its signature wedge design, but retains many of the other great features from years past, including MagSafe charging, Touch ID and the scissor keyboard, and adds a new 1080p webcam and two new options of color.
The M2 processor inside isn’t as fast or powerful as the M1 Pro or M1 Max you get in the larger (and more expensive) MacBook Pro models, but it’s still very fast.
2. MacBook Pro (14-inch and 16-inch)
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the most powerful laptop Apple has ever made. If you’re willing to pay the price (and it’s a hefty price), you’ll almost certainly be happy with what this laptop can do. The MacBook Pro 16 handles all tasks better than any other laptop you’ve ever used.
Battery life is also a record. The 16-inch configuration with the M1 Pro processor also lasts 16 hours in tests.
Otherwise, the newest MacBook Pro has a gorgeous display that can reach 1,000 nits when playing HDR content. It also comes with the best set of speakers you’ve ever heard on a laptop.
If you’re looking for a laptop that can handle a demanding workload while also serving as a great multimedia device when you’re not in your free time, the MacBook Pro 16 is the best device for you.
If you’re a creative professional who doesn’t want to pay the price of a 16-inch MacBook Pro, or you’re looking for something more compact, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is probably a better fit for you. This device is smaller, lighter and less expensive than its 16-inch counterpart, but comes with the same monstrous processor options and stellar display.
3. MacBook Air (M1)
If you’re interested in a lightweight MacBook, but the Air isn’t in your budget, the 2020 MacBook Air M1, which Apple continues to sell, is probably a better fit for you. The base model includes 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The older MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 screen, Touch ID, 720p webcam, fingerprint sensor, and scissor switch keyboard.
The M1, while not as fast as the M2, is still fast. In tests it handled intensive photo and video editing tasks better than almost any thin and light Intel processor laptop.
Battery life is also not as good as the M2’s, but it’s very close.
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