Shopping for a new laptop can be a confusing experience. I find the best place to start is with size. Do you want a featherlight ultraportable or a larger model that has a bigger screen but is more of a chore to lug around? Or something in between that offers a balance between portability and productivity? Deciding on factors as straightforward as size actually goes a long way in helping choose more complex parts, including the processor. You'll still be faced with a variety of CPU options, but settling on a size helps narrow the field, and what's below can ensure you get the right processor for your needs.
Intel and AMD have long been the two most popular chipmakers for Windows laptops, and Qualcomm has recently reemerged as a third option. Each of the three offers a wide range of processors that you'll see offered on nearly every type of laptop. It's more straightforward with Apple using its own M-series chips for MacBooks, but even then, you've got some choices to make.
If you want to skip right to the point, here's the TL;DR info for picking the best laptop CPU:
Our top pick for a laptop CPU is Apple's M-series chips. That's because they offer the best balance of CPU and GPU performance, plus lengthy battery life. There's a reason the M4 MacBook Air tops our Best Laptops list.
For Windows, we recommend a laptop with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processor. With its mix of performance and battery life, it comes closest to rivaling that of a MacBook. However, Qualcomm laptops come with the risk of software compatibility issues. If that's enough to scare you off, then we recommend an Intel Core Ultra 200V chip from the chipmaker's Lunar Lake series. It offers competitive application, graphics and AI performance along with the efficiency that allows a laptop to run for nearly as long as one with a Qualcomm chip.
Gamers, content creators and graphics pros will find laptops with high-powered processors from both Intel and AMD, but choosing between them matters less than getting a laptop with the best GPU you can afford.
For those who want to dive into the details, keep reading. Below, we'll explain the differences between the current crop of mobile processors from Intel, AMD, Qualcomm and Apple to help you pick the right CPU for your next laptop -- no matter its size, price or operating system.
Current laptop CPU landscape
For Windows laptops, the choice for decades has been between Intel and AMD. Intel's current lineup is its Core Ultra Series 2 chips (aka Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake), and AMD's latest series is its Ryzen AI 300 series (aka Strix Point and Krackan Point). Each company refers to its latest batch as AI chips because, in addition to the central processing unit and integrated graphics processing unit, they include a neural processing unit, which is a power-efficient chip for handling AI tasks.
There's a lot of overlap and direct competition between Intel's and AMD's processors, from low-voltage chips for greater efficiency and longer battery life to higher-powered processors that prioritize performance.
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