Top Laptops 2023

The Zenbook's big, bright and colourful OLED display is a treat for the eyes, and the 1.4kg weight of the Zenbook makes it a great option for travelling too. Its performance is more than adequate for daily tasks, however the OLED display uses a lot of power, and there are many lightweight laptops that provide better battery life.

With a tweaked design and a bigger, brighter, higher-resolution screen, the Acer Nitro 16 is one of the strongest Nitros yet. However, you’ll need to make some settings compromises to make the most of that excellent display.

Every part of the Alienware x16 is top-notch: the stunning, clear, very bright and colorful 2560x1600 display, the cracking sound system, the RGB lighting, particularly the gorgeous RGB touchpad, and of course, the guts of the machine, the Nvidia RTX 4080 and the i9-13900HK. But it is very expensive, particularly considering some of its competitors use the more powerful i9 HX for their CPUs. Even so, if you have the money, you’ll find in the x16 a fantastic, very colorful laptop you can use for years to come.

The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 picks just the right things to trim from its pricier sibling to cut costs while still offering a great option for gamers hunting for value.

Acer's Swift Go 16 isn't cheap, but its value is undeniable, with a phenomenal display in a well-built chassis. Only its keyboard and battery life keep it off the award podium.

The ZenBook Pro 14 OLED packs a lot of power into a slimline design, although its modest battery life means that it will be most at home in an office with a mains power supply close at hand. The OLED display is also impressive, but it’s expensive and perhaps seems more like a luxury than a must-have feature.

MSI's Stealth 14 Studio is a well-executed content creation laptop that simply needs better battery life to shine. It crams lots of power and a brilliant screen into a light package.

The Asus ROG Strix G18 is a massive, enticing 18-inch gaming laptop that delivers a better blend of price and performance than some rivals.

The Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 delivers huge performance and style for the money. Only its low-end webcam and all-plastic frame keep it from true stardom.

If raw power and outright luxury are your only concerns, feel free to switch that verdict for a full five stars – but we feel the weight, fan noise and cost of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2023) might be a little more than most folks can stomach.