Best by the numbers

Best laptops, ranked by the numbers

These shortlists rank real models by our hand-scored average across battery, display, build, keyboard, speed and value. For a pick tied to what you do (study, work, gaming, Linux), the buying guides name one clear winner instead.

• 

  Best laptops under €800 Solid machines at the budget end, minus the dim-panel traps. Top pick: Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 4 (AMD) See the ranking

• 

  Best laptops under €1000 The sweet spot for most buyers. Top pick: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) See the ranking

• 

  Best laptops under €1500 A genuinely good screen, build and battery without the flagship premium. Top pick: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) See the ranking

• 

  Best laptops with upgradeable RAM Add memory later: SO-DIMM or LPCAMM2, never soldered. Top pick: Tuxedo InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 (AMD) See the ranking

• 

  Best lightweight laptops under 1.3 kg The weight you stop noticing in a bag. Top pick: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4) See the ranking

• 

  Best 14-inch laptops The everyday size: usable screen, bag-friendly footprint. Top pick: Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro, 2024) See the ranking

• 

  Best 16-inch laptops Desktop-class screen space, still portable. Top pick: Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5 Max, 2026) See the ranking

• 

  Best laptops with 32GB RAM Ships with 32 GB or more for heavy multitasking and VMs. Top pick: Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M5 Max, 2026) See the ranking