By @mashable
Publication Date: 2025-12-20 10:00:00
At present, I think the best Windows laptop for most people is the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 powered by the Snapdragon X Elite chip. It’s a stylish workhorse with enough power to handle demanding workloads and has a premium build as well as an amazing all-day battery life (outdone by just two other models). Even the M4 MacBooks can’t keep up. Beyond that, I have other picks for users with different budgets, use cases, and design preferences.
I chose my picks based on hands-on testing conducted by myself and other Mashable staff and contributors. We’ve reviewed dozens of PCs on the basis of performance, build quality, battery life, and value over the years, and the ones I’m recommending are the cream of recent-gen crops. Most of them scored high enough to secure a Mashable Choice Award, the highest honor we give to the gadgets we review.
Why now is a good time to buy a new Windows laptop
AI data centers have gobbled up DDR5 RAM and SSDs in recent…