Acer Notebook Best Buy
At CNET, our laptop experts have collective decades of experience testing and reviewing laptops, covering everything from performance to price to battery life. This hand-curated list covers the best laptops across various sizes, styles and costs, including laptop computers running on Windows, MacOS and Chrome.
acer notebook best buy
If you want more laptop brands and options for a particular category, we also have specialized lists you can look at, including the best gaming laptops, best 15-inch laptops, best two-in-ones and best Chromebooks, as well as the best laptops for college students, designers and the best MacBook Pro alternatives. If you need to stay as low as possible on the price of a new laptop computer, check out our best budget laptop and best budget gaming laptop picks.
This best laptop list is updated periodically with new models we've tested and reviewed. If you need advice on whether a particular type of laptop or two-in-one is right for you, jump to our laptop FAQ at the bottom of the list, and if you're looking to save some money on your purchase, be sure to check out our best laptop deals page.
Thanks to a new design, a larger display (13.6 inches versus the previous 13.3 inches), a faster M2 chip and a long-awaited upgrade to a higher-res webcam, the 2022 version of the MacBook Air remains our top choice for the most universally useful laptop in Apple's lineup, with one caveat. At $1,199, the $200 increase over the traditional $999 MacBook Air starting price is a disappointment. That's why you'll still find the M1 version of the Air retains a spot on our best laptop list. Still, we like everything else about it and it's our first choice if you're considering an Air and don't mind spending more.
Acer had one of the best Chromebooks available in 2021 with the Spin 713, and now it's repeated that success with the Chromebook Spin 714. The premium two-in-one doesn't stray far from its predecessor in terms of what it offers, but Acer did make some changes to keep it competitive, like including a USI pen that stores and charges in the 714's body. There are less expensive options, but if you want a Chromebook that'll last for years, this is it. Keep an eye out for a sale on this one: Its normal price is $729, but is frequently on sale for less if you shop at the right time.
There's a lot to love with the Razer Blade 14, which incorporates one of the fastest mobile CPUs available (for now, at least), the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, and top-end mobile graphics with the GeForce RTX 3070 or 3080. Its display can go pixel-to-pixel with the MacBook's. And its high-quality build is up there with the best MacBooks but, like an Apple, it's not necessarily the best laptop deal, even compared to other premium laptops.
Samsung's big-screen two-in-one doesn't look all too different from its predecessor, but inside is a 12th-gen Intel processor that gives it a sizable multicore performance bump. Plus, the other, smaller updates Samsung made to the Pro 360 improve the overall user experience, making it one of the best two-in-ones available. At least until we get a chance to test and review the Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360.
The XPS 17 combines the same slim, premium design of its 13-inch linemate but with increased performance possibilities. It can be configured with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i9 processor, 64GB of memory and a 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics chip. The best part: Dell trimmed up the chassis so much that you get a 17-inch display in a body that's the size of an older 15-inch laptop. You're getting a lot of power and a big screen in the smallest possible package.
Setting a budget is a good place to start when shopping for the best laptop for yourself. The good news is you can get a nice-looking, lightweight laptop with excellent battery life at prices under $500. If you're shopping for a laptop around $500 or less, check out our top picks here, as well as more specific buying advice for that price range.
Above $1,000 is where you'll find premium laptops and two-in-ones. If you're looking for the fastest performance, the best battery life, the slimmest, lightest designs and top-notch display quality with an adequate screen size, expect to spend at least $1,000.
MacOS is also considered to be easier and safer to use than Windows, especially for people who want their computers to get out of the way so they can get things done. Over the years, though, Microsoft has done its best to follow suit and, with Windows 11 here, it's trying to remove any barriers. Also, while Macs might have a reputation for being safer, with the popularity of the iPhone and iPad helping to drive Mac sales, they've become bigger targets for malware.
If you like to write, browse, game, or work in different parts of your home or office, one of the best laptops is a necessity in 2023. There are many to choose from, but you can first narrow your options by looking at laptops from the most established and respected brands.
A decade ago, no one would have thought that Microsoft would be one of the best laptop brands in the world, but today, it has a well-earned spot on this list. After a few iterations of Surface tablets with some reliability issues, the latest crop can go toe-to-toe with the best laptops from Dell, HP, and Apple.
Asus laptops might not often take the top spot in our best-of lists, but they usually warrant place high up thanks to their fantastic all-around capabilities. The current crop of its laptops includes thin and light Zenbooks, affordable Chromebooks, and powerful gaming machines like the incredible 2023 ROG Zephyrus G14. And as much as anyone, Asus is leading the movement to tiny bezels that pack as much laptop as possible into the smallest chassis.
Just how good are we talking? The 2022 Razer Blade 15 introduced an incredible 240Hz refresh rate in an OLED display, and offers incredible HDR gaming. And the Blade line regularly makes our lists for the best gaming computers, offering the power, RAM, display, and cooling capacity that gamers need for the best results. And with the release of our pick for the best gaming laptop, the Razer Blade 14 with AMD Ryzen 6000 chips, the future looks very bright.
The Slim 9i emerged as one of the best 14-inch laptops in 2022, while the latest ThinkPad X1 Nano is one of the best choices for an ultraportable laptop under 2 pounds. Meanwhile, the ThinkPad X12 with its detachable screen is a worthy alternative to Surface Pro and Surface Book computers. Lenovo announced a brand new line, the ThinkPad Z, at CES 2022, and both the ThinkPad Z13 and ThinkPad Z16 are excellent, yet different additions to the ThinkPad line.
Is it time to upgrade your home office? A dedicated work laptop is the best thing to start with. Grabbing a business laptop will increase your organization, speed and privacy. Luckily, our favorite work-from-home laptop from Dell is on sale today. Right now you can grab the Dell Vostro laptop for only $849, a $464 discount from its usual price. This is one of the best laptop deals for professionals working at home. Grab it before Dell stops the sale.
HP Chromebook 14: was $339 now $285 @ Amazon (opens in new tab)This HP Chromebook 14 model has a 14-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) display, an Intel Celeron Processor, 4 GB RAM, and 32 GB of eMMC storage. The notebook also has a 720p webcam and an estimated 12 hours of battery life.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5: was $499 now $379 @ Best Buy (opens in new tab)The original Lenovo Chromebook Duet earned a spot on our list of best Chromebooks. While we've yet to test the Duet 5, on paper this Chromebook appears to be a worthy successor. It features a detachable keyboard and fabric back cover with built-in kickstand, 13.3-inch 1080p OLED display, Snapdragon SC7180 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB eMMC.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4: was $899 now $647 @ Amazon (opens in new tab)This Microsoft Surface laptop is one of the best around for productivity thanks to its 11-hour battery life, comfortable keyboard, and slim design. This fourth-generation model features an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Gaming Laptop: was $1,649 now $1,099 @ Best Buy (opens in new tab)This Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Gaming Laptop has just been slashed $550 off at Best Buy, dropping it to $1,099. Underneath its sleek casing, you'll find an AMD Ryzen 9 CPU, AMD Radeon RX 6700S GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It also packs a 14-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate. It's a great pick for newcomers to the world of PC gaming and veterans alike and currently tops our ranking of the best gaming laptops.
MacBook Pro 14" (M1 Pro/512GB): was $1,999 now $1,599 @ Best Buy (opens in new tab)The 2021 MacBook Pro remains one of the best laptops you can buy. It sports Apple's powerful M1 Pro chip with 8 more GPU cores, a better Media Engine, and more memory bandwidth than the already incredible M1 chip. It's also Apple's first 14-inch MacBook Pro featuring a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display. Other specs include 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. You also get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, SD card slot and MagSafe charging.
MacBook Pro 14" (M2 Pro/512GB): was $1,999 now $1,949 @ Amazon (opens in new tab)The 2023 MacBook Pro 14-inch packs Apple's new M2 Pro silicon, which outperforms most of today's flagship laptops. (It can also be configured with the M2 Pro Max). In our MacBook Pro 14-inch 2023 review, we called it the world's best laptop. It offers an incredible battery life of over 14 hours. The base model includes a 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964), M2 Pro 10-core CPU w/ 16-core GPU), 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
The Acer Aspire 5 is one of the best laptops under $500. It features a bright, 1080p display, strong 8th Gen Core i3 processing performance, and offers 9 hours of battery life. The affordably priced Aspire 5 is much thinner than its sibling, the Aspire E 15. The Aspire 5 is the best sub-$500 laptop currently available. 041b061a72