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How we tested
Mashable staff subjected most of the laptops on this list to varying degrees of hands-on testing (save for the Framework Laptop 13 — we tried a previous version). At minimum, this involved inspecting their build quality and using them for a variety of real-world tasks for several weeks at a time. This included 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 (if possible), and experimenting with any unique software features or use cases they claimed to support.
Additionally, most of the laptops featured here were made to run industry-standard benchmark software. We recently started implementing these benchmarks in our testing, and you can expect to see them in all of our new laptop reviews going forward. (The exceptions were the Framework Laptop 13 and the Razer Blade 14; we tried the latter before deciding on these benchmarks.)
Performance benchmarks
We evaluate a laptop’s overall performance by running the appropriate version of Primate Labs’ Geekbench 6 (macOS for MacBooks, Windows for Windows laptops, and Android for Chromebooks). This test measures CPU performance in a handful of common tasks, and we record the resulting multi-core score. The higher the score, the better.
Battery life benchmarks
One way we assess the stamina of MacBooks and Windows laptops is by putting them through UL Solutions’ PCMark 10 battery life stress test. (The former run it via Parallels Desktop, since there’s not a native macOS version of PCMark 10.) This test runs a series of apps and functions until a laptop conks out. We look to see about 11 to 12 hours of battery life in the MacBooks we test, for reference, with 15-plus hours being exceptional, and nine to ten hours in the Windows laptops we review, with 12-plus hours being ideal.
For Chromebooks, the respective portion of Principled Technologies’ CrXPRT 2 benchmark is our go-to battery life test. Eight hours is our baseline, but nine to ten hours is best.
After evaluating a laptop’s benchmark testing results, we make our final recommendations based on whether we think they offer 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 it on sale (one example being, again, the Razer Blade 14).
Finally, it should be noted that these aren’t the only laptops we’ve tried — we’re constantly testing and assessing new models across different categories, and many don’t make the final cut. With that in mind, you can expect this guide to evolve on a pretty continuous basis. We’re always on the lookout for new top pick contenders.
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