The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a very good laptop with good performance and a ton of flexibility. But the Apple MacBook Pro 14 remains best of class.
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 seriously ups the performance -- on paper. That makes it a stronger competitor to the excellent Dell XPS 15, at least in theory.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 got a price increase, putting it in competition with two excellent laptops in the Apple MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Air M2.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go started out as an attractive budget laptop. In its third generation, its price has creeped up and it's largely lost its appeal.
The Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 is an incredibly expensive portable workstation that doesn't offer much compared to laptops costing thousands of dollars less.
The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus and the HP Envy 16 are both attractively priced 16-inch powerhouses. But the Envy 16 is a more elegant and configurable laptop.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Apple MacBook Air 15 are both excellent examples of thin and light laptops with large displays. But the MacBook is more refined.
The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus is priced like a premium laptop but built like a midrange machine. It provides good performance, but its display leaves me wanting.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is a fast 16-inch laptop for productivity users with a beautiful OLED display. It's incredibly thin and light, and it's nicely priced.
The MSI Modern MD271UL is confusing to configure, but once you get it right, it provides excellent colors, brightness, and contrast at an affordable price.
Both the Dell XPS 15 and MacBook Pro 16 offer exceptional performance, lovely displays, and great build quality, but which of these laptops is the better value?
The Dell UltraSharp 38 Curved USB-C monitor has a long name, but it's worth it with a ton of connectivity and convenience. If only the image quality was better.
The Envy x360 15.6 is an OK laptop with decent performance and battery life. But its old-school 16:9 OLED display isn't sharp enough. It just doesn't stand out.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 14 tries its hardest to keep up with the class-leading MacBook Pro 14. But poor battery life and an inconsistent display hold it back.
The Lenovo Slim 9i 14 is a portable powerhouse with an elegant and solid design. But its mini-LED display is disappointing, as is its very poor battery life.
The Dell XPS 17 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 are two of the best large laptops you can buy, but the MacBook Pro 16 has unrivaled performance and battery life.
Buying a laptop for creative work can be a daunting challenge, and so we've broken things down by listing the best machines you can find at various prices.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i performs well and costs a lot less than the Apple MacBook Pro 16. But you can't argue with the latter's refinement and battery life.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 is largely unchanged, with just an update to Intel 13th-gen CPUs. It retains its lightweight chassis, which is feeling dated.
The Apple MacBook Air M1 and Asus ZenBook 14 OLED are both great laptops for less than $1,000. But the Asus wins out thanks to its vastly superior display.
The Dell XPS 15 is a better overall laptop than the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, but the latter is less expensive. If pure performance is the measure, either works.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i takes what's best about the Slim 9i and beefs it up, with a superfast CPU, a competent GPU, and a Mini-LED display great for creators.
