With Windows 10 support set to end on Oct. 10, it’s high time to find a replacement if you’re still rocking a pokey old Windows laptop. And as Mashable’s resident laptop expert, I’m here to guide you to your dream laptop. To find the best Windows laptops, we thoroughly hands-on tested dozens of PCs on the basis of performance, build quality, battery life, and value. All of the laptops we picked scored high enough to secure a Mashable Choice Award — the highest honor we give to the gadgets we review.
The best Windows 11 laptops run an impressive gamut, from lightweight Copilot+ PCs that last all day to dual-display stunners, subtle gaming stations, and approachable modular systems. Some of them, dare I say, will tempt even the most devoted Apple MacBook disciples.
As of September 2025, Mashable’s favorite Windows laptop for most people is the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, a stylish workhorse powered by the very impressive Snapdragon X Elite processor. It’s got enough power to handle demanding workloads, a premium design, and an amazing all-day battery life (outdone by just one other model). Even the latest M4 MacBooks can’t keep up in our performance tests. Beyond that, I’ve added four new laptops this month in the budget, 2-in-1, dual-display, and repairable categories based on our latest round of testing.
What’s new
As of September 2025, the Asus Zenbook A14 replaces the Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 (Gen 9) as our favorite budget Windows laptop. The Yoga 7i 14 is no longer in stock, but even if it was, we prefer the Asus model by miles: It’s 23% faster, lasts more than twice as long, and comes standard with a bright, beautiful OLED display for just $100 more.
The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition succeeds the now-discontinued Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 (Gen 9) as our top 2-in-1 laptop. It’s 13 percent slower, but it runs cooler and quieter while delivering triple the battery life. It also retains the same pretty design helmed by a 2.8K OLED display. Last year’s model had ridiculously good speakers and an S-tier webcam, making the Aura Edition’s counterparts a bit disappointing in comparison, but they’re still above-average compared to the ones we encounter on most laptops.
In more Lenovo news, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 10) is now our favorite dual-display laptop, ousting the Asus Zenbook Duo from 2024. It’s almost 50 percent faster in multi-core tasks, lasts a bit longer, packs better speakers, and features higher-res OLED screens. It is $620 pricier than the Zenbook Duo we tried last year (and $420 more than the 2025 version with twice the RAM), but it comes with a few more accessories on top of those other improvements, including a detachable keyboard, mouse, stylus, folio case, and protective sleeve.
I’ve added the Framework Laptop 13 (Intel Core Ultra Series 1) to this guide as the best repairable laptop. As mentioned earlier, I have some of its latest components in hand for testing, and I’ll update our review with my takeaways in the coming months.
Finally, I’ve also removed one of our former top picks from this guide: the HP OmniBook X 14. It used to be our No. 1 mid-range Windows laptop, but with the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and the Zenbook A14 in the picture, it’s not a very competitive option anymore.
What didn’t make the cut?
We’ve tested other good-but-not-great Windows laptops so far this year. They might meet some users’ needs or have a couple of standout features, but they fell short of earning Mashable Choice Awards and our top picks outclass them in their respective categories.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is a powerhouse with a stellar thermal design and a matte display, but its obnoxious, gamer-y look is a turnoff.
The Dell XPS 13 (9530) has a fantastic tandem OLED display and a slick edge-to-edge design — it’s such a striking laptop, and a very portable one, too. Unfortunately, its keyboard is cramped, its touchpad is glitchy, and it’s scant on ports.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (AMD) is an impressive performer for the price, but it has poor speakers, a crude webcam, and a cheap feel to it.
The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is configurable with a gorgeous mini-LED touchscreen, but it has a mediocre battery life and a creaky build.
The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is a handsome convertible with a velvety touchpad, a springy keyboard, and a rich 3K OLED touchscreen, but it underperforms for the price and has some strange port placements on its corners.
The HP OmniBook X Flip 14 is another pretty 2-in-1. It has a nice 2.8K OLED touchscreen and an aluminum chassis that doesn’t cling to fingerprints, but it could use a slight battery life boost.
