Laptop Mag: Find the Perfect Laptop, Tablet or 2-in-1 for You Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu Laptop Mag US Edition US Canada UK Australia RSS Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search Laptop Mag Best Picks Ultimate Laptop Guide Apple 2-in-1 Laptops News Windows 11 More Chromebooks Deals Docking stations Smartphones Keyboards and mice AI PCs Reviews All laptop reviews Smartwatches How we test laptops About us Trending2-in-1 laptopsNintendo Switch 2 reviewHot Swap: The SeriesBest laptop deals Latest News Best laptops with CD-DVD drives in 2025 Rami Tabari published 28 November 25 The best laptops with CD-DVD drives — and an alternative to consider This is your brain on ChatGPT Rael Hornby published 8 July 25 MIT finds AI tools like ChatGPT can limit brain activity, impair memory, and decrease user engagement. MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro 2025: Which Mac should you buy? Sean Riley published 8 July 25 Our guide to deciding between the MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro in 2025 is based on hundreds of hours of testing and our thorough reviews of every MacBook. I used the Switch 2 and Switch OLED side by side for a week — here’s what surprised me Rami Tabari published 8 July 25 The Switch 2 is here, but is it really better than the Switch OLED? Let me tell you why you shouldn’t count the Switch OLED out just yet and why, depending on your needs, it might be worth upgrading. I switched to a MacBook after using Windows for over 30 years. Here’s what happened. Jowi Morales published 8 July 25 Switching from Windows to a MacBook after 30 years showed me the way of macOS, but there’s something about PCs that I just can’t give up. I switched from a Kindle ereader to Kobo for a week — here’s why I’m never going back Stevie Bonifield published 8 July 25 I ditched my Kindle for a Kobo ereader for a week. It changed my mind about my favorite way to read ebooks. Laptop Mag powers down after 34 years of tech journalism The 10 best laptop picks for 2025: Tested, reviewed, and ready to buy Our regularly updated guide to the best laptops in 2025 leverages Laptop Mag’s testing and reviews of over 100 laptops annually to find the best picks for you. Laptop buying guide: 8 essential tips to know before you buy Our laptop buying guide will teach you how to choose a laptop by showing you what to look for in a laptop and everything you need to consider before you buy. I review laptops for a living — here are the 6 best 2-in-1 laptops that I’d buy with my own money We test more than a dozen 2-in-1 laptops annually, and here are our favorites, based on test results and hands-on reviews of the best 2-in-1 laptops. The best AMD Ryzen laptops in 2025: 6 tested and reviewed Our top picks for the best AMD Ryzen laptops in 2025 based on hundreds of hours of testing and reviews. Best 14-inch laptops in 2025: 7 tested and reviewed picks The best 14-inch laptops in 2025 for consumers and business users — including our most well-reviewed 2-in-1s, gaming notebooks, and Chromebooks. I found the 6 best touchscreen laptops for college, work, and creative pros — lab-tested and expert-reviewed From clamshell ultrabooks to convertible workstations, these are the best touchscreen laptops in 2025 after hundreds of hours of testing and reviews. MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro 2025: Which Mac should you buy? Our guide to deciding between the MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro in 2025 is based on hundreds of hours of testing and our thorough reviews of every MacBook. Best Chromebook games of 2025 Gaming on a Chromebook can be fun, but finding the best Chromebook games isn’t easy, so here are my 16 favorite games for ChromeOS with a bonus recommendation. I found the 6 best business laptops for 2025 based on our expert testing and reviews These are the 6 best business laptops in 2025. We have top picks whether you work in the office, have a hybrid work plan, or work from home. Best MacBook for college students in 2025 The best MacBook for college students based on hundreds of hours of testing and reviews. Find the right MacBook to fit your major and budget in 2025. How to open .key files on Windows A .key file is a presentation created with Mac’s Keynote app and doesn’t run by default on Windows. Here’s how to open one. Best AI PCs in 2025: 6 outstanding AI laptops I recommend When it comes to AI PCs, you have more and more options every day, so to make buying your new AI laptop easier, here’s a guide to the best of the best. From color accuracy to rendering speed — here are the 6 best laptops for video editing in 2025 The best video editing laptops in 2025 offer powerful performance and excellent displays. Here are six picks based on hundreds of hours of testing and reviews. I’m a teacher, and these are the 7 best laptops for students that I recommend in 2025 Finding the best student laptops can feel like researching for a term paper, but we test and review over 100 laptops yearly to find our top recommendations. Get The Snapshot, our free newsletter on the future of computingSign up to receive The Snapshot, a free special dispatch from Laptop Mag, in your inbox.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Buying Guides A great laptop under $500 is hard to find — here are the 4 best budget laptops I recommend in 2025 By Joanna Nelius published 28 November 25 We’ve found the best budget laptops under $500 in every form factor: clamshells, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1 hybrids. Laptops Nearly 40 years of history — here are the 5 best Dell laptops you can buy today By Joanna Nelius published 28 November 25 The best Dell laptops in 2025 were selected based on hundreds of hours spent testing and reviewing laptops from Dell and other manufacturers annually. Windows Laptops The best webcams in 2025: The top picks, based on our real-world testing By Rael Hornby published 28 November 25 Here are the best webcams to replace your laptops built-in camera. We’ve tested dozens of webcams to find the very best no matter your use case or budget. Webcams I’ve reviewed 90+ gaming laptops, these are my top 6 picks for 2025 By Rami Tabari published 28 November 25 Here are the best gaming laptops in 2025 for every budget based on hundreds of hours of testing and reviews, which include 13 performance and gaming tests. Gaming Laptops & PCs Chromebooks are good laptops for many people — these are the 5 best Chromebooks of 2025 By Madeline Ricchiuto, Joanna Nelius published 28 November 25 We’ve tested and reviewed the best Chromebooks of 2025 — no matter your needs. Chromebooks A picture is worth 1,000 words — these are the 6 best laptops for Photoshop By Madeline Ricchiuto, Joanna Nelius published 28 November 25 These are the best laptops for Adobe Photoshop, whether you use the software for work or for fun. Business Laptops VIEW MORE Reviews by Brand I never thought I’d spend $450 on a pair of headphones, but Sony proved me wrong. By Rami Tabari published 28 June 25 Sony’s WH-1000XM6 deliver everything I wanted in a pair of headphones. A rich soundstage, excellent design, long battery life, and dual Bluetooth connectivity. Noise Cancelling Headphones The Asus ROG Strix G18 is proof that paying more for an RTX 5090 is a waste of money By Stevie Bonifield published 26 June 25 With an 18-inch display and top-tier performance, the Strix G18 delivers an impressive gaming experience that’s competitive with pricier RTX 5090 rivals. Gaming Laptops & PCs The HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI lures you in with an affordable big screen, but it may be a trap. By Stevie Bonifield published 22 June 25 The HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI is affordably priced with some minor strengths, but flaws like its dull, dim display and lackluster performance overshadow them. Laptops I played the Nintendo Switch 2 for one week and I desperately want it, but not all of it By Rami Tabari last updated 18 June 25 Playing Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 with my daughter might’ve sold me on it, but after one week, it’s still missing one thing Nintendo I used the Asus ROG Strix G16 for a week, and it may be the best value in gaming laptops right now By Madeline Ricchiuto published 12 June 25 The Asus ROG Strix G16 features strong performance, solid Nvidia RTX 5070Ti graphics, a bouncy keyboard, plenty of ports, and a bright, vibrant IPS display. Gaming Laptops & PCs Insta360 Link 2 review: A near-perfect webcam with a twist By Rael Hornby published 6 June 25 Everything that made one of the best 4K webcams in recent years great at $100 less? The Insta360 Link 2 is less of a gamble and more of a guarantee of satisfaction. Webcams Deals Walmart is having a big storewide sale this Presidents’ Day weekend, here are 18 of the best tech deals to shop By Hilda Scott last updated 23 May 26 Browse top deals from today’s Walmart Presidents Day sale Laptops Dell Black Friday in July sale 2025: Shop 10 deals I recommend to save up to $900 By Hilda Scott published 30 June 25 Shop Dell Black Friday in July sale deals for big savings on laptops, monitors, and PC accessories. Gaming Laptops & PCs Save $65 with this Galaxy Tab A9 Plus and Samsung microSD memory card bundle By Hilda Scott published 30 June 25 Save $65 when you bundle the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Plus with a 512GB Samsung Pro Ultimate microSDXC memory card. Tablets Best Buy’s early anti-Prime Day sale continues, here are the top deals this week By Hilda Scott last updated 30 June 25 Best Buy plans to run its own alternative Prime Day deal savings event in July. Laptops 25+ best early Prime Day Apple deals 2025: MacBooks, iPads, AirPods By Hilda Scott last updated 28 June 25 Get ready to shop and save Prime Day Apple deals in July Macbooks VIEW MORE Laptops Walmart is having a big storewide sale this Presidents’ Day weekend, here are 18 of the best tech deals to shop By Hilda Scott last updated 23 May 26 Browse top deals from today’s Walmart Presidents Day sale Laptops A great laptop under $500 is hard to find — here are the 4 best budget laptops I recommend in 2025 By Joanna Nelius published 28 November 25 We’ve found the best budget laptops under $500 in every form factor: clamshells, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1 hybrids. Laptops Nearly 40 years of history — here are the 5 best Dell laptops you can buy today By Joanna Nelius published 28 November 25 The best Dell laptops in 2025 were selected based on hundreds of hours spent testing and reviewing laptops from Dell and other manufacturers annually. Windows Laptops The best webcams in 2025: The top picks, based on our real-world testing By Rael Hornby published 28 November 25 Here are the best webcams to replace your laptops built-in camera. We’ve tested dozens of webcams to find the very best no matter your use case or budget. Webcams I’ve reviewed 90+ gaming laptops, these are my top 6 picks for 2025 By Rami Tabari published 28 November 25 Here are the best gaming laptops in 2025 for every budget based on hundreds of hours of testing and reviews, which include 13 performance and gaming tests. Gaming Laptops & PCs VIEW MORE Laptop Accessories The best webcams in 2025: The top picks, based on our real-world testing By Rael Hornby published 28 November 25 Here are the best webcams to replace your laptops built-in camera. We’ve tested dozens of webcams to find the very best no matter your use case or budget. Webcams Yes, you need a laptop docking station. And these 7 are the best for ports, power, and performance. By Rael Hornby published 28 November 25 After testing and reviewing dozens of docking stations, here are our picks for the best docking stations in 2025 based on ports, power, performance, presentation, and price. Docks & Chargers The 25 best tech and accessories for remote workers in 2025 By Monica J. White published 30 May 25 Picking the best tech and accessories for remote workers all boils down to figuring out what makes your life easier. I’ll walk you through options ranging from laptops to noise-cancelling headphones. Noise Cancelling Headphones This wearable could replace the mouse and keyboard, and I saw it first-hand at MWC 2025 By Madeline Ricchiuto published 5 March 25 The Mudra Link lets you control almost everything with a wave of your hand. Laptop Accessories Plugable’s overkill USB-C charging hub is the smarter charger I’ve been waiting for By James Pero published 15 January 25 Charging intelligently isn’t for everyone, but for me it feels like my prayers have been answered Laptop Accessories The Asus ROG XG Mobile eGPU is the Best Thunderbolt 5 accessory at CES 2025 By Sean Riley published 10 January 25 Gaming VIEW MORE Meet the team Hilda Scott Deals Editor Rael Hornby Special Projects Editor Madeline Ricchiuto Staff Writer Oscar Gonzalez Weekend News Editor Stevie Bonifield Contributing Writer Matthew Murray Head of Testing for Future Arif Bacchus Lab tester for Future Sean Riley Managing Editor Rami Tabari Reviews Editor Nick Lucchesi Editor-in-Chief Ai Google Gemini is about to control your messages and calls, even if you say no By Luke James published 26 June 25 Google’s AI assistant is about to get full access to your calls, texts, and WhatsApp — even if you’ve disabled activity tracking. AI Altman and Ive’s internet-breaking ’io’ project just vanished, and its name is to blame By Mahnoor Faisal published 24 June 25 No, Altman and Ive didn’t pull the plug. A court did, kind of. AI Trump’s ’Big Beautiful Bill’ could give AI firms more freedom than ever. What to know. By Oscar Gonzalez published 22 June 25 A provision in Trump’s big bill could block state AI laws for 10 years, giving companies a clearer path forward. AI Apple’s next big AI move might be buying Perplexity, signaling a shift in strategy By Oscar Gonzalez last updated 21 June 25 A new report says Apple had talks about making a big AI acquisition. AI Meta’s Oakley smart glasses look like a better choice than Ray-Bans for your first pair. Here’s why. By Oscar Gonzalez published 21 June 25 Meta is outdoing itself with these new smart glasses. AI Apple won’t build an Apple Intelligence chatbot, but you can in seconds — here’s how By Sean Riley published 20 June 25 Apple may not be making an Apple Intelligence chatbot, but you can make one yourself in just a few seconds with Shortcuts. AI Gaming The Xbox is an ex-box: A founding developer has just resigned the gaming console to death By Stevie Bonifield published 30 June 25 A founding member of the Xbox team just shared a grim prediction for the future of Xbox consoles. Here’s what she had to say, and what it means for gamers. Gaming Apple may launch Vision Air headset and smart glasses in next two years, analyst says By Oscar Gonzalez published 30 June 25 Apple is reportedly developing new wearable tech with advanced features like gesture recognition, audio playback, and environmental sensing. VR Death Stranding 2 causes overheating issues on some PS5 consoles. Here’s what we know. By Oscar Gonzalez published 29 June 25 The game runs smoothly for most players, but others report overheating when lingering on the map screen. Playstation Steam Deck leaves Windows handhelds behind in new performance tests By Oscar Gonzalez published 29 June 25 New benchmarks show Steam Deck rivals like the ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go struggle with performance due to Windows 11, while SteamOS delivers smoother gameplay. Gaming More MicroSD Express cards are on the way to address the Switch 2’s biggest headache By Oscar Gonzalez published 28 June 25 The Switch 2’s storage needs some help. Nintendo 7 best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals 2025: Games, consoles, accessories By Hilda Scott published 28 June 25 The best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and other retailers. Nintendo Apple You don’t have to give up physical media in 2025; I found the best external DVD drives for CDs, DVDs, or Blu-Rays By Rael Hornby published 28 November 25 Check out our selection of the best external DVD drives in 2025. There are still numerous benefits to having an optical media drive to plug into your laptop. Laptop Accessories Apple’s all-new MacBook may snub the M5 chip for a surprising alternative By Rael Hornby published 30 June 25 A trusted analyst believes an all-new, low-cost MacBook is coming, one that drops Apple’s M-series chips for a cheaper, less powerful alternative with a strategic upside. Macbooks Apple may launch Vision Air headset and smart glasses in next two years, analyst says By Oscar Gonzalez published 30 June 25 Apple is reportedly developing new wearable tech with advanced features like gesture recognition, audio playback, and environmental sensing. VR Microsoft fails to exorcise the ghost of Windows Vista with latest Insider update By Mahnoor Faisal published 27 June 25 The Windows Vista boot chime is still playing in some Windows 11 Insider builds, though Microsoft at least attempted to fix it. Windows Laptops Moore’s law isn’t dead — it’s just buried under six feet of silicon spin By Madeline Ricchiuto last updated 26 June 25 Silicon wafer sizing isn’t what you think. Yes, 3-nanometer and 2-nanometer chips sound incredibly tiny. But semiconductor process node technology names are really just marketing at this point. Laptops Apple doesn’t want you to see its latest MacBook ad — or several others just like it By Stevie Bonifield published 25 June 25 Apple abruptly removed a controversial ad over the weekend, but it doesn’t top Apple’s biggest advertising fumble. Macbooks Windows Power, battery life, and value — these are the 5 best laptops under $1,000 right now By Sarah Chaney published 28 November 25 We round up the best laptops under $1,000 Laptops Microsoft just killed Windows’ most dreaded feature — the nightmare is getting a dream makeover By Luke James published 27 June 25 After four decades of terrifying users, the most infamous Windows error screen gets a reboot. Software Microsoft just threw Windows 10 users a free lifeline — but it could test your loyalty By Rael Hornby published 24 June 25 Windows 10 users holding out for a Microsoft change of heart may have been granted an extra year of support, but to get it, you may have to do the unthinkable. Windows Laptops This Microsoft app thinks Google Chrome is NSFW (Not Safe For Windows) By Rael Hornby published 20 June 25 Windows 11’s Family Safety feature is blocking Chrome like it’s something indecent, and it’s hard to tell who is at fault — but we understand why you’d assume. Windows Laptops Look but don’t touch: New Windows 11 Start menu swaps one frustration for another By Mahnoor Faisal published 20 June 25 Classic Microsoft, fixing one mess and creating another. Windows Laptops Windows Outlook is a nightmare right now, but there’s a weirdly simple fix By Mahnoor Faisal published 19 June 25 A fresh Windows bug is destroying Windows Outlook’s usefulness for some users, but there’s a workaround. Software More From Laptop Mag Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Everything we know about the thinnest foldable ever By Rael Hornby published 30 June 25 The thinnest Galaxy Fold ever is set to be revealed during next month’s Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, but you can catch early Galaxy Z Fold 7 details right now. Phones Save $65 with this Galaxy Tab A9 Plus and Samsung microSD memory card bundle By Hilda Scott published 30 June 25 Save $65 when you bundle the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Plus with a 512GB Samsung Pro Ultimate microSDXC memory card. Tablets I never thought I’d spend $450 on a pair of headphones, but Sony proved me wrong. By Rami Tabari published 28 June 25 Sony’s WH-1000XM6 deliver everything I wanted in a pair of headphones. A rich soundstage, excellent design, long battery life, and dual Bluetooth connectivity. Noise Cancelling Headphones $719 for a Pixel 9 with two years of unlimited service! Save $800 in short-term Mint Mobile deal. By Sean Riley published 28 June 25 You can snag the Google Pixel 9 and two full years of unlimited Mint Mobile service for only $719 with this time-limited sale. Android Phones Save up to $200 on the latest Motorola Razr 2025 flip phone series By Hilda Scott published 27 June 25 Save up to $200 on the Motorola Razr Plus and Razr Ultra, the official phone of Love Island USA season 7 Foldable Phones Trump Mobile websites shifts messaging away from "Made in the U.S.A." By Chris Stobing published 27 June 25 Trump Mobile has changed the messaging about its T1 Phone being ’Made in the U.S.A.’ on its website and marketing materials. Phones Laptop Mag is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Add as a preferred source on Google Terms and conditions Contact Future’s experts Privacy policy Cookies policy Accessibility Statement About us Archive Careers © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.