The best laptops of winter 2023/2024 - Comparison of 42 reviewed notebooks

After classifying the reviewed notebooks by their potential use cases (“work”, “create” and “play”) for the first time in our previous rundown, we have now added a new “travel” category in this article to identify especially compact and portable laptop – ones best suited for use on the go.

Out of the notebooks we tested out in the last three months, two Apple laptops managed to secure the top spots. In first place is the latest MacBook Pro 16 with the Apple M3 Pro chip. Power users can take advantage of the increased efficiency and higher single-core performance of the multimedia all-rounder, which favours content creation and editing when it comes to use case. The current MacBook Pro with M3 Pro is available on Amazon for around €2,600 (US$2,300).

Second place goes to its smaller sibling MacBook Pro 14 M3 Pro. It likewise has higher performance and longer battery life than the base version and even features an extra USB-C port to boot. This device targets the same audience as the MacBook Pro 16, but with a greater emphasis on portability. The Pro 14 will save you roughly half a kilo (about one pound) compared with the 16-inch version. The MacBook Pro 14 with M3 Pro can be had for around €2,250 (US$2,200) from retailers like Amazon.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14 G4 is a compact universal workstation. We had the chance to test out a variant with AMD components. Our overall score of over 90% makes one thing clear: the ThinkPad T14 G4 AMD is a compelling option and should be place on your shortlist if you are looking for a portable work companion. The ThinkPad T14 G4 is available starting at around €1,400 (US$1,399). 

The next top device on the list is the ThinkPad P1 G6, a high-performance mobile workstation for particularly demanding computing work. What’s more, it can be configured with an OLED display. The ThinkPad P1 is made for professional and comes with a price tag to match: prices start at around €3,000 (US$3,200).

Framework takes an interesting approach to sustainability with their Framework Laptop 16. The notebook can be tailored to your individual needs thanks to its modular design. You can even add a dedicated GPU to the device. Many of its components are also relatively easy to access and replace. The Framework Laptop 16 is thus highly versatile in the space between office and multimedia use. It can be purchased directly from the manufacturer for about €1,600 (US$1,400) and up.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z13 G2 packs a lot of punch in a compact 13-inch silver-grey aluminium chassis that stands in stark contrast to the usual stuffy ThinkPad style. The package is suitable for basic multimedia applications as well as for work use. Prices start at about €1,500 (US$1,250).

Moving on to a gaming-calibre laptop: the Alienware M18 R1 offers an extremely high performance combined with an impressive 18-inch display. We had the chance to check out the AMD variant, but unfortunately Dell only ships the AMD-based M18 in the US, with prices starting at around US$2,000.

The MSI Stealth 16 is a powerful multimedia notebook with a wide range of possible applications – from office tasks to digital content creation to PC gaming. The AMG Edition is particularly designed to appeal to motorsports fans. Price: about €3,000 (US$2,900).

The Lenovo Legion 5i is another 16-inch gaming laptop. The variant we reviewed is already kitted out with a 14th gen Intel CPU (Raptor Lake refresh), an RTX 4060 and a fast 240Hz display. The Legion 5i is available directly from Lenovo for as low as €1,700 (US$1,610).

German manufacturer Tuxedo mostly targets Linux users and provides comprehensive compatibility. The Pulse 14 G3 is a compact 14-inch laptop based on powerful AMD hardware. Prices start at roughly €1,200 (US$1,300).

The ThinkPad T14s is a slightly more compact alternative to the T14. It is slightly smaller and lighter than the “original” but feels right at home handling roughly the same kinds of tasks. In other words: a portable work computer for typical office applications. The Lenovo all-rounder will set you back around €1,600 (US$1,300) and up.

The HP ZBook Power 15 G10 achieved a high overall rating of 89%. It is an exceptionally powerful 15-inch workstation aimed at professional users. Various configurations are available, with the base model costing around €1,500 (US$1,600).

With the Titan 18, MSI too has an exciting device in their product range for those looking for no-compromise performance and maximum screen real estate. You can tame the Titan starting at €4,900 (US$5,400).

Yes, Lenovo ThinkPads can do multimedia as well. One great example of a well-executed package is the ThinkPad Z16 G2. The laptop comes with a 16-inch display (as the name suggest) and is only available with AMD components for the time being. At any rate, it largely managed to impress us and achieved a score of 89% in our review. Lenovo has slapped a starting price of €2,100 (US$2,500) on the version with dedicated graphics.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 is an attractive and extremely versatile notebook. The our AMD review model offers lots of performance and a good 14.5-inch display. For the base configuration, you can expect to pay around €1,100 (US$1,180).

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16s is a workstation that focuses on portability. The AMD version featured in our review has integrated AMD graphics and a vibrant OLED display. With the base model costing around €1,400 (US$1,380), the ThinkPad P16s is definitely affordable even for consumers.

For the Vision 14 M23, Schenker pairs an Intel CPU with an Nvidia RTX GPU in a compact 14-inch chassis. The result is a laptop that is both powerful and portable. It can be had from around €1,300 (US$1,400). 

The Prestige 16 is an exceptionally exciting notebook in MSI’s product portfolio. Sporting the latest Intel Ultra processors and Intel Arc graphics, the 16-inch laptop manages to strike a balance between performance and portability. It is even possible to get more than 18 hours of battery life from the device! The base model will set you back €1,600 (US$1,600).

The Pavilion Plus 14 is a great example of HP’s ability to create a compact 14-inch multimedia laptop. Equipped with AMD components and an OLED display, the notebook is ready to take on a whole host of use cases. Price: approx. €1,600 (US$1,300). 

The ThinkPad P14s is one of the smallest workstations in Lenovo’s lineup. It boasts the right now highly popular combination of AMD CPU and AMD integrated graphics. Prices start at about €1,400 (US$1,100).

Acer is on a mission of sustainability and aims to offer an especially ecofriendly office laptop with the Aspire Vero AV15. The device managed to impress us throughout our review. The use of recycled material is apparent in the product’s look and feel and also lends the Vero an individual character. The Vero can be had from €750 (US$750).

In the best-of list below, you’ll also find many other noteworthy laptops ranked according to their overall Notebookcheck rating.

Based on the test results within the period under review, we carried out an editorial vote among our senior authors in order to present the Editors' Choice Award. Special awards are given to the laptops that stand out thanks to their superb overall package, absolute top performance in special evaluation areas — or if they boast a particularly good price-to-performance ratio and represent an attractive purchase option for our editors in the respective category.

Initial results we obtained from the pre-production model are very promising: Intel’s Meteor Lake chips have made a significant leap in GPU performance and can now even render current games at adequate frame rates – at least with reduced settings. This massively broadens the Swift Go 14's range of applications, whilst the laptop has managed to retain a high level of portability. 

The new Acer Swift Go 14 configured with an Intel Ultra 5 CPU can be had for as low as roughly €1,000 (US$850). Our review unit comes with an Intel Ultra 7 processor and costs €1,150 (US$1,000).

More information regarding Intel’s Meteor Lake platform is also available in the following video:

Please note: Commercial use of the award graphics may require a license. Further details.

he table above shows all laptops tested in the period under review with their overall and partial ratings in our detailed test, as well as a selection of important parameters and benchmarks. All results and details can be found in the linked reviews. 
The table can be sorted in each column, simply click on the respective column title, for example "weight".