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How we tested
Mashable staff or contributors hands-on tested all of the Windows laptops featured in this guide for several weeks at a time. This involved inspecting their build quality and using them for a variety of tasks: working in different kinds of documents, checking emails, watching videos, taking photos on their webcams, participating in video calls, listening to music (via Spotify), playing games, and experimenting with any unique software features or use cases they claimed to support.
Additionally, we ran a couple benchmark tests on most of our testing units. (We only spent a limited time with the Razer Blade 14, so it’s the sole exception.) First, we ran the Windows version of Primate Labs’ Geekbench 6, which measures processor performance in a handful of common tasks. We recorded each of their multi-core scores in our reviews — the higher the score, the better.
We also put most of our loaners through battery life benchmarks. On the HP Spectre x360, the Lenovo Slim 7i 14, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, and the Asus Zenbook Duo, we ran UL Solutions’ PCMark 10 battery life test at maximum brightness. This benchmark has the machine complete a series of apps and functions until it conks out. (To measure the Razer Blade 14’s battery life, we played games and then did some work, monitoring how long it lasted in each scenario.) On the Swift X 14, we conducted a video rundown test that involved playing a looped 1080p version of Tears of Steel, a short open-source Blender movie, at 50 percent brightness. Going forward, we will only be using this rundown method to test laptops’ battery life.
For reference, we look to see about nine to ten hours of battery life in the standard Windows PCs we review, with over 12 hours being exceptional. Meanwhile, gaming laptops need to last at least two hours per charge to get our approval, and they earn brownie points for reaching the four-hour mark.
After evaluating each model’s performance in these real-world and benchmark tests, we made our final recommendations based on whether we thought they offered a good overall value for the money. A too-expensive laptop will sometimes get a pass if we think it looks and works so great that it’s worth the trouble of finding on sale. (Looking at you again, Razer Blade 14.)
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