There's no such thing as a universal best laptop. Whether a laptop works well for you — and there could be several that fit the bill — is a largely subjective decision that comes down to your primary use cases, your preferred operating system, and your budget.
This is an annoying fact of life for both laptop shoppers and those of us doling out "best laptop" recommendations, since we can't make custom judgment calls for everyone in need of a new machine. (I would love to, but I've got a thing after this.) However, after spending countless hours reviewing popular laptops, we can confidently point you in the right direction of the best laptops that stand out for meeting important, impartial standards for performance, build quality, and overall value.
We think these laptops will serve most people well, and at the very least, we think they can be useful archetypes within different categories of computers (from MacBooks to Windows PCs, budget laptops, gaming laptops, and Chromebooks). Don't start from square one if you don't have to, you know?
Read on for Mashable's hands-on tested guide to the best laptops of 2024. FYI: We've listed the pricing and specs of our testing units, which may not apply to each laptop's base model.
UPDATE: Oct. 22, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EDT In October 2024, we removed the Framework Laptop 13 (13th Gen Intel Core) from this guide; it was previously our favorite repairable laptop. The pre-built version is no longer in stock now that Framework has replaced it with the Laptop 13 (Intel Core Ultra Series 1), which gets you a newer processor and a better webcam for $50 more. We'll be testing the updated model soon.