Best laptop for beginners 2021

Weve tested and reviewed well over 400 laptops over the years, searching for the best of the best. But to earn the crown for best laptop in 2021, it needs to have it all: Gorgeous design, killer performance, a productive keyboard, long-lasting battery life, and much more.

Each of the laptops below has been vetted thoroughly, whether its an affordable Chromebook or a decked-out gaming laptop. Our pick for the best overall laptop, the Dell XPS 13 , is the option we recommend to most people, but something from the list below should suit your needs.

The 10 best laptops for 2021:

• Dell XPS 13
• Apple MacBook Air M1
• Acer Swift 3
• Dell XPS 17
• Apple MacBook Pro
• Razer Blade 14
• Google Pixelbook Go
• Microsoft Surface Pro 8
• HP Elite Dragonfly G2
• Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5

Dell XPS 13

Why you should buy this: Its the best overall laptop you can buy in 2021.

Who its for: Almost everyone unless you have a specific need such as gaming or video editing.

Why we picked the Dell XPS 13:

No laptop in the past few years has been more influential than the XPS 13. It started the race to thinner bezels back in 2015, which has now spread to every gadget that has a screen.

In its newest iteration, which was updated in 2020, Dells taken things even further. The latest XPS 13 made the screen larger using a 16:10 aspect ratio, all while shrinking the bottom bezel. The result is a larger screen without needing a larger overall laptop, another trend that many other laptops have come to copy.

That update of the Dell XPS 13 also received a larger keyboard and touchpad, making use of every possible surface of the device. Its just as powerful and long-lasting as before, not sacrificing function over form. The XPS 13 starts out with a Core i3-1115G4, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB solid-state drive [SSD], and a Full HD [1,920 x 1,080] display and can be configured with a faster Core i7-1185G7, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 2TB of storage, and the OLED display. The upcoming 2021 update even provides an option for an OLED 4K screen.

It all adds up to what is undoubtedly the best laptop you can buy. We recently reviewed very competitive rivals like the HP Spectre x360 14 and Razer Book 13, but still found the XPS 13 to be the best option.

Read our in-depth Dell XPS 13 review

Apple MacBook Air M1

Riley Young/Digital Trends

Why you should buy this: Its the best laptop for college students and the best MacBook for 2021.

Who its for: College students and Apple fans.

Why wepicked the MacBook Air:

It might not look any different, but the most recent MacBook Air is a huge departure from the Macs of recent years. Like the latest MacBook Pro and Mac Mini, the MacBook Air now runs on Apples own silicon, the M1 chip. Despite not increasing the price of the laptop, this M1 chip brings a few major advantages to the MacBook Air, making it the perfect laptop for college students. In addition to the M1 chip, you can configure up to 16GB of RAM and up to a 2TB SSD.

The two big improvements the M1 brings are in battery life and performance. The old MacBook Air was hamstrung by a slow, dual-core processor. Not only is the new MacBook Air now completely fanless it doesnt have to sacrifice speed to keep the temperatures down.

The battery life, though, is really what makes this the ultimate student laptop. Youll enjoy all-day battery life [or multiple days if your use is sparing] perfect for classrooms, coffee shops, libraries, and other locations where an outlet is hard to find.

Indeed, $999 isnt cheap, but the $100 discount for students makes the MacBook Air a perfect gift for a student going off to college.

Read our in-depth MacBook Air M1 review

Acer Swift 3

Why you shouldbuy this: Its the best budget laptop you can buy right now.

Who its for: Anyone who cares more about performance and functionality than style.

Why we picked the Acer Swift 3:

Usually, when you spend around $650 for a budget laptop in 2021, one of the first things you give up is performance. Thats not the case with the AMD version of the Acer Swift 3, which equips a Ryzen 7 4700U CPU. Thats an eight-core processor that churns through demanding tasks and laughs at mere productivity work. You can do real video editing work on this laptop, and thats amazing for the price.

You also get 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which is also great value. Were not that excited about the display, but something had to give. The Acer Swift 3 s build quality, though, is fine, even if this isnt the prettiest laptop around.

Read our in-depth Acer Swift 3 review

Apple MacBook Pro

Why you should buy this: Its the best laptop for photo editing or video editing you can buy.

Who its for: Creative professionals who need a seriously powerful laptop.

Why we picked the Apple MacBook Pro:

The MacBook Pro fixes a lot of the problems with the Pro line in the past few years. The Touch Bar is gone. Extensive port selection is back. Its even thicker and better cooled now.

But its more than just an apology tour. The 120Hz mini-LED screen is the best laptop screen Ive ever seen, especially when viewing HDR content. The M1 Pro and M1 Max, meanwhile, add discrete-level graphics to the incredible efficiency of the M1. Battery life is off the charts. The 1080p webcam and improved speakers are both best-in-class.

The price and performance mean its not for everyone, of course. The average person doesnt need more than the MacBook Air. But if you need a powerful laptop for content creation, the MacBook Pro is the best pro laptop you can buy.

Read our in-depth Apple MacBook Pro review

Dell XPS 17

Why you should buy this: Its a great Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro.

Who its for: Video editors who want powerful components and a big, beautiful display.

Why we picked the Dell XPS 17:

When youre editing video, you want plenty of space to view both the results and your favorite applications interface. But, if youre using a laptop rather than a desktop PC, then you want to be able to do your editing on the go. Thats where larger laptops come in theyre powerful and, thanks to todays thin-bezel movement, highly portable.

The biggest and most powerful of the bunch for video editing is the Dell XPS 17. Despite having a 17-inch screen, the overall size of the laptop is not much bigger than your average 15-inch laptop. Thats thanks to the tiny bezels, of course. It even comes with four powerful Thunderbolt ports and a full-size SD card slot for convenient transfers directly from your camera.

But the performance is what really counts for video-editing laptops. Between the eight-core, Core i9 processor and an Nvidia RTX 3060, the Dell XPS 17 is one of the most powerful consumer-class video editing laptops weve ever tested, blowing through video exports in Adobe Premiere like nobodys business. The gorgeous 4K display is the final piece of the puzzle, which is bright, beautiful, and has nearly perfect color reproduction. You can trust your color edits with this one.

Read our in-depth Dell XPS 17 review

Razer Blade 14

Why you should buy this: Its the best gaming laptop you can buy in 2021.

Who its for: People who want a fantastic laptop that can also game.

Why we picked the Razer Blade 14:

The Razer Blade 14 feels like it shouldnt be possible. Up to an RTX 3080 in a thin, 14-inch laptop? Yep, thats right. And it does it with some pretty impressive performance too.

There will always be room for larger gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 15 or Lenovo Legion 5 Pro, but the Razer Blade 14 still feels like a miracle. Its the first AMD-powered Razer laptop, featuring the powerful Ryzen 9 5900HX. It also sports a 1440p 240Hz screen, ensuring that youre never bottlenecked by the display. Amazingly, the Razer Blade 14 does all this at a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Razer Blade 15.

But no, its not the cheapest gaming laptop. Nor is it the most powerful. It is, however, the best overall gaming laptop you can buy.

Read our in-depth Razer Blade 14 review

Google Pixelbook Go

Why you should buy this: Its the best Chromebook you can buy.

Who its for:Students, people who need only basic functionality, anyone who wants a cheap laptop to use as a second PC.

Why we picked the Google Pixelbook Go:

Chromebooks are best-known as cheap alternatives to Windows PCs, and there are plenty of good options for under $500. The Pixelbook Go, though, makes a serious case for a Chromebook with a bit more finesse. Its beautifully designed, rigidly built, and a joy to use.

Thanks to its ultra-light 2.3-pound weight and fantastic battery life, its a great option for students and people taking their work on the go. With a starting price of $649, the Google Pixelbook Go is a significant price cut from the $999 original Pixelbook, while maintaining many of its best aspects.

You do, of course, face the usual limitations with Chrome OS. Its designed around Googles Chrome web browser, meaning you cant download your normal Windows applications. Its wonderfully simple and intuitive to use, however, and with the inclusion of the Google Play Store, you can fill some of the gaps in software with Android apps.

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 and Asus Chromebook Flip C436 both give the Pixelbook Go a run for its money, but in terms of battery life and portability, its still undefeated.

Read our in-depth Google Pixelbook Go review

Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Why you should buy this: Its the best 2-in-1 laptop you can buy.

Who its for: Anyone who needs versatility on top of performance.

Why we picked the Surface Pro 8:

The Surface Pro hasnt changed much over the years. But with the Surface Pro 8, it received the upgrades it always deserved. Thinner bezels, a larger screen, and a redesigned stylus, the Surface Slim Pen 2, the Surface Pro 8 finally feels ready to take on the iPad Pro for all its worth.

The Surface Pro 8 even features a 120Hz refresh rate to pair with its larger 13.3-inch screen. Its an absolutely gorgeous display. The detachable keyboard and touchpad are as solid as ever, and the new Slim Pen 2 slot is downright clever.

Windows 11, though, is the key feature. Coming preinstalled, Windows 11 dramatically increases the usability of the Surface Pro 8 as a tablet. Using the device without the keyboard is no longer a huge pain. And while it might not have the tablet app ecosystem that the iPad has [that is, until Android apps finally show up], the Surface Pro 8 is the best representation of a 2-in-1 Windows has ever had.

Read our in-depth Surface Pro 8 review

HP Elite Dragonfly G2

Why you should buy this: Its the best business laptop you can buy in 2021.

Who its for: Business pros who want a laptop that wont embarrass them.

Why we picked the HP Elite Dragonfly G2:

Business laptops have a certain stigma around them. Its often assumed that they need to be clunky, ugly, and full of bloatware. Not so.

The Elite Dragonfly G2 has everything your IT department will need [and youll appreciate] without getting in the way of a supremely beautiful and modern laptop. The ideal person for the Dragonfly is someone who takes their work on the go with them, whether thats on long flights or subways. Thats where the Dragonfly really comes alive as a highly portable laptop that might actually fit on your pull-down tray. Intel 11th-gen Core processors, with the business-friendly vPro option, are matched with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage to provide for excellent productivity and performance.

On top of all that, the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 is one of the first 5G-enabled laptops, which could come in handy as the faster connectivity standard rolls out. And, HP announced two new models of the laptop at CES 2021, the Elite Dragonfly G2 and Max, the upgrade to Tiger Lake CPUs, and add in a number of features that make the laptops even better for remote workers. Stay tuned for reviews of these new models, and theyll likely take this spot once weve had a chance to check them out.

Read our in-depth HP Elite Dragonfly review

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5

Why you should buy this: Its the best laptop you can buy under $500.

Whos it for: Students, those with basic computing needs

Why we picked the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5:

Many people dont use their laptops for more than web browsing, social media, watching videos, and online apps for work. A cheap Chromebook fits the bill. Not all Chromebooks under $500 are made equal, though. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 outdoes many of its competitors with its fast Intel Core i3 processor, solid 1080p screen, and impressive battery life. It also comes in a fairly portable package with an aesthetic that doesnt offend.

Its not a perfect laptop the touchpad could be better, as could the speakers. But if your computing needs are fairly basic, dont spend more than you need to on your next laptop. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 will surprise you with just how much laptop $410 can buy you.

If you need a Windows laptop under $500, the 2020 Acer Aspire 5 is a solid option just stay away from the 2021 model.

How we test

Youve read our laptop reviews.Youve read our conclusions. And now youre wondering how we came to them.

Good question. Reviews often lack context, which is evident in the wildly different scores some laptops receive from different publications. Conflicting opinions can actually make buying a laptop more difficult if the reviews criteria arent made clear.

Allow us to lift the veil. Here well explain the benchmarks we use for objective testing and the perspective from which we approach subjective topics. We dont expect everyone to agree with our opinions, but we hope that sharing our process will leave you better equipped to decide what laptop best fits your needs.

Research and buying tips

• Whats the best laptop brand?
• Whats a 2-in-1 laptop?
• What processor should I buy?
• How much RAM do I need?
• Should I buy a laptop or a tablet?
• Should my laptop have USB-C?

Whats the best laptop brand?

Picking just one laptop brand as the best is a bit of a challenge lately. There are so many great laptops available today, and they come from several manufacturers. Hold our feet to the fire, though, and well have to pick Dell as the overall best. Dell seems invested in applying the latest materials to improve the performance of its laptops, and its constantly coming up with new innovative designs.

HP is no slouch either. It, too, utilizes some unique materialsand makes some customer-friendly design decisions, such as resisting the thin-and-light trend to pack in more battery capacity.

In terms of customer service and reliability, Apple carries the torch for its convenience. Its issues with its recent keyboards have been fixed, making MacBooks highly durable. Its customer service is top-notch.

Whats a 2-in-1 laptop?

A 2-in-1 laptop is one that isnt limited to the traditional clamshell configuration. Instead, a 2-in-1 can convert from a clamshell into some form of tablet PC that allows for natural inking and media consumption.

The concept isnt brand-new Microsoft sold a Tablet PC version of Windows as far back as 2001 that supported pen input, but it never caught on. As electronics have gotten more powerful and fit into smaller chassis, and capacitive touch and active pen technology has improved, the modern 2-in-1 has emerged. Microsoft kicked off the form factor with its Surface line in 2012, and most manufacturers followed with their versions.

Today, you can pick from among a variety of different kinds of 2-in-1s. The most popular types are the tablet with a detachable keyboard, epitomized by the Microsoft Surface Pro 7, and the 360-degree convertible where the display flips around to turn into a [usually larger] slate.

The main advantage of the tablet 2-in-1 is portability tablets are extremely thin, light, and easy to carry around while they also work the best for drawing and taking notes on the pen-enabled display. The 360-degree convertible 2-in-1, on the other hand, isnt quite as handy as a tablet but it tends to work better in clamshell laptop mode especially when using it on the lap, where its more stable than most detachable tablets.

What processor should I buy?

The most popular CPUs for laptops today are Intels eighth-generation Whiskey Lake processors that include low-power Y-series and fast and efficient U-series. For most productivity Windows 10 users, we recommend a minimum of the Core i5-8265U, which is a highly capable processor that can handle most productivity tasks without slowing down. Its also efficient, meaning youll enjoy great battery life. If you skip back to older generations of Intel processors, youll find slower clock speeds and fewer cores at your disposal, meaning you may run into bottlenecks while multitasking or running multi-threaded applications.

Chromebook running on Googles more efficient Chrome OS can utilize slower processors and still perform well, such as an Intel Core i3 or even a Pentium processor. Not many Chromebooks bother with the fastest Core i7 CPU.

If youre looking for a gaming or content creation laptop, we recommend either last years eighth-generation or the most current ninth-gen, ultra-power H-series CPUs. Youll find these in laptops ranging from the Dell XPS 15 to the Razer Blade 15.

How much RAM do I need?

The sweet spot for memory for both laptops and desktops is 8GB. You can check out our explainer on how much RAM do I need you need for the details. But generally speaking, 8GB will suffice whether youre running Windows, MacOS, or even the more lightweight Chrome OS. And, it will provide plenty of headroom for multitasking and more demanding applications. If youre doing high-end photo, video editing, or gaming, then we recommend 16GB [or more].

Should I buy a laptop or a tablet?

As we mentioned above, you can get a tablet that can morph into a laptop just by attaching a keyboard. And so if you really want the power of Windows in a form factor thats easier to carry around, then you can select a tablet 2-in-1. With the advent of Windows 11, its finally starting to become a better software platform for tablets. If you want the utmost in simplicity and an even smaller device, then a pure tablet like the iPad can be great for web browsing, triaging email, consuming media, and other tasks that dont require the full power of a real PC.

So, where doesnt a tablet work? If youre a hardcore gamer, need a laptop that can churn through video and huge photos, or do a lot of multitasking. Tablets are very thin and tend to use slower CPUs and integrated graphics that wont accelerate creative applications or power modern games. Meanwhile, the software on these devices isnt as full-featured as a desktop operating system like Windows 10 or MacOS.

Should my laptop have USB-C?

The short answer is: Yes, you should try to pick up a laptop with at least one USB-C port. This is the latest in connectivity that ensures that you can connect to legacy devices [via adapters] while being covered for future devicesas well. USB-C can provide for data transfer, power, and display connections, and USB-C hubs can greatlyextend how many peripherals you can easily connect to your laptop.

The good thing is that laptops, even budget models, increasingly include USB-C. The longer answer is that not only do you want USB-C, but you want ports that support the even more powerful Thunderbolt 4 standard. Thunderbolt 4 provides up to 40 gigabits per second [Gb/s] over a single connection and 32Gb/s PCIe data transfer, which is twice the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3. It can support multiple 4K displays and external GPU enclosures that can greatly improve graphics performance.