The best laptop is the one that does everything you need it to and nothing more. Luckily, in 2023 you have the widest ever selection of brands, styles, prices and form factors to choose from, including MacBooks, Chromebooks, and laptops from Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft and HP.
Maybe you’re working from home and you’ve decided you need a fast, reliable and long-lasting laptop for tackling emails, working remotely, and hosting virtual meetings, without outdated hardware slowing you down.
Perhaps your faithful old laptop has gone to the big blue screen in the sky and you’re finally ready to move on to something new. Or you might be a student in search of the perfect two-in-one laptop for work, media and gaming.
Competition between the top brands is so fierce now that you could throw a dart in a Currys store and find a perfectly decent laptop to handle most everyday tasks. But if you’d rather some expert guidance – and don’t want to be banned from your local Currys – we’ve assembled a list of the best laptops in 2023 to help you choose the device that’s right for you.
However you use your laptop, the breadth of options out there can make purchasing a new one can feel like an overwhelming prospect. To take some of the stress out of the process, we’ve put together a short guide on what to look for in a laptop. If you’d rather we take care of the hard part, you can continue reading below for our recommendations.
How we tested
These are laptops we’ve tested thoroughly and can recommend, from MacBooks and Windows models to convertible two-in-one devices. We’ve included budget laptops and high-end machines capable of handling the most demanding applications and playing games on the go.
Most of the laptops featured here can be configured to have more RAM, a bigger hard drive or a faster processor. You can also find a bargain by searching for earlier models of the laptops we’ve picked, though be aware that some of the features we mention might not appear in previous generations.
If you’re not sure what type of laptop you want, head over to our comprehensive guide to choosing the best laptop for your needs, where we break down some of the basic components, functions and features to look out for.
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The best laptops for 2023 are:
- Best overall – Dell XPS 15: £1,429, Dell.com
- Best gaming laptop – Razer Blade 15: £2,039.95, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for students and writers – Microsoft Surface Laptop 5: £999, Currys.co.uk
- Best for creatives – Apple MacBook Pro: £1,225, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for working from home – Huawei MateBook X Pro: £1,799.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for a bargain – Lenovo Yoga Slim 7: £749, Amazon.co.uk
- Best Apple laptop – Apple MacBook Air: £1,119, Amazon.co.uk
- Best Windows laptop – Microsoft Surface Studio: £1,449, Currys.co.uk
- Best for business – HP Spectre x360: £1,349.99, Johnlewis.com
- Best for travel – Asus ZenBook 13: £604.99, Box.co.uk