Other Good Laptops We’ve Tested
Dell 14 Plus Photograph: Luke Larsen
Dell 14 Plus for $1,100: This is the first laptop in Dell's major rebranding effort, and this one is a follow-up to the Dell Inspiron Plus 14. The Dell 14 Plus (6/10, WIRED Review) is a solidly midrange laptop, meaning it sports a clean but generic design and solid performance, without some of the bells and whistles that make laptops feel premium. The IPS screen is decent, as is the performance and battery life. The only real problem is that all available configurations come with 1 TB of storage, which is why there are no starting configurations under $1,000. Despite being new, however, I've already seen it drop in price significantly, making it better value.
Surface Pro 12 Photograph: Luke Larsen
Microsoft Surface Pro 12 for $770: While it’s a tablet, the Surface Pro 12 (6/10, WIRED Review) is designed to be a true laptop replacement as well, which is why it's on this list. Its $779 price would be excellent for a fanless machine running on the Snapdragon X chip, but it doesn't come bundled with a keyboard. Once you add that in, this becomes more of a premium laptop. Still, for the right person, it's a killer travel device for taking your work on the road with you.
ROG Flow Z13
Asus ROG Flow Z13 for $2,100: It's too expensive for most people to take a chance on, but I found a lot to like about the ROG Flow Z13 (7/10, WIRED Recommends). This gaming 2-in-1, a design no one asked for, works surprisingly well. The performance isn't full throttle, but the Z13's use of surprisingly powerful AMD integrated graphics makes it far more powerful than you might assume, all while keeping the heat away from your hands.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (Copilot+ PC) for $1,300: The first Intel-based Copilot+ PC (7/10, WIRED Review) we tested is a winner on all fronts, boasting outstanding AI and graphics performance and some of the best battery life we’ve ever seen on Intel hardware. With its slightly oddball 15.3-inch screen, it hits its high points without breaking the bank, though the fan is loud and the system may weigh you down more than you’d like.
Asus Zenbook A14 for $750: This is one of the lightest laptops we've ever tested, thanks to Asus' Ceraluminum material. The Zenbook A14 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is also the first A-series laptop from the company, and it employs Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X chipset, which is the weakest and supposedly the most affordable of the Snapdragon X series. While this laptop excels in build quality, portability, and sports excellent battery life, the chipset is lackluster, only suitable for average web browsing tasks. It has dipped as low as $750 during sale events, so try to avoid the $1,000 MSRP.
Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
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