11 Popular Laptop Brands Ranked From Worst To Best According To Consumer Reports

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Buying a laptop is a decision that requires a lot of research. After all, you'd want to be confident in the purchase you make instead of regretting your choice every step of the way. The trustworthiness and reliability of the brand you're going to buy a laptop from are major factors to consider. With numerous players in the market trying to position their laptops as the very best consumers can get their hands on, it can be overwhelming to make an informed decision here.

Whether you're seeking out a laptop for all your professional needs or trying to find the best portable gaming system your money can buy, make sure that the manufacturer you finally decide on has a good track record. Consumer Reports has made this task easier for you by testing and scoring various laptops from numerous brands. By calculating the average of all these scores, we can figure out which popular laptop brands should be trusted over others.

Alienware has positioned itself as a premium gaming laptop brand that will provide you with the performance you need to enjoy high-fidelity gaming on the go. For many people, Dell's subsidiary brand has become a status symbol of sorts, with the power of this gaming hardware being off the charts. However, as strong as Alienware's brand positioning may be, it isn't known for making value-for-money laptops. The Alienware X14 R2 is a great example of this. It boasts an amazing 16:10, 14-inch QHD+ display that boasts a 165Hz refresh rate, with an Intel Core i7-13620H processor and a GeForce RTX 4060 completing the package. However, with a $1,749 price tag, you can find much, much better hardware at half the price.

Overpriced laptops are a running theme with Alienware and make it hard to recommend their laptops. The same complaint is echoed for the Alienware 16 Aurora — a laptop that looks good on paper, with great specs on the highest-tier model that consist of 32GB RAM along with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 GPU. However, given the performance this laptop affords, the price of $1,449 isn't justifiable. Sure, you can opt for the cheaper, $1,099 model, but the 16GB RAM and a paltry storage of 512GB are far from acceptable in the eyes of many. The Alienware m16 R2 is one of the brand's better offerings, with its sleek design, Stealth Mode, and great gaming performance being its highlights. Unfortunately, even this laptop has its caveats, with an unnaturally dim display and loud fans being two of its biggest problems. As a result, all three of these laptops have pretty torrid scores on Consumer Reports.

If its subsidiary brand isn't up to the mark for you, then you can definitely opt for Dell itself as your laptop brand. With numerous offerings in the market, choosing just one of the many Dell laptops you can get your hands on can be a challenge. Unless you're working on a budget, the base Dell Inspiron series should be avoided. All of these consumer-grade models have earned less-than-average scores on Consumer Reports, with the dim display, lack of WiFi 6E support, and disappointing performance being common complaints. The Inspiron Plus may be a better purchase, but keep in mind that this laptop isn't perfect, with a lack of ports and its unnaturally heavy weight being two notable engineering faults.

Dell's business-grade laptops are far better purchases, with the Latitude 7000 series being especially excellent. With 4K and HDR options for its bright screen, up to 15 hours of battery life, and a lighter build, this laptop is a great option for professionals. However, the starting price of $1,500 for the 7350 Detachable is a lot, so you can opt for the more affordable 5000 series instead. The tradeoffs aren't too impactful — the build is slightly heavier, and battery life is shorter by just two hours — and the fact that this laptop can be purchased from Best Buy for just around $949 at the time of writing is a steal. The Dell Plus laptops are also great midrange options, with their battery life, build quality, and 2560x1600 display being quite solid for the starting price of $699. If you're in the market for a cheap Chromebook, then the Dell Chromebook 11 is a decent choice, but its Consumer Reports score makes it clear that you can do better.

If you're looking for a budget gaming laptop, then MSI is a name you've heard of multiple times. Keep in mind that these slashed prices come at a major tradeoff, namely when it comes to build quality and battery life. Take the MSI Cyborg — a price tag of less than $1,000 at the time of writing for this gaming laptop is appealing, but there are numerous caveats to keep in mind. The Intel Core i7-13620H and Nvidia RTX 4050 should be enough for your gaming needs, but the GPU's 45W power rating limits it to just barebones 1080p gaming. However, MSI has other models that may be more up your alley.

The MSI Crosshair is one of the best RTX 5070 laptops on the market that is nowhere near as expensive as some of its counterparts. For a price that's just under $1,700, this 18-inch behemoth runs like butter and unlocks high frame rates on the most demanding games around. The laptop cuts corners with its okay-ish native resolution and a cheap-feeling plastic body, but these are minor issues in what is otherwise one of the best gaming laptops on the market. The MSI Vector is also an excellent option, providing the power of an RTX 5070 GPU for the unbelievably low price of $1,399 with its base model. A less-than-stellar display takes nothing away from this incredible gaming laptop. However, if you're in the market for something business-oriented, then don't shy away from the MSI Prestige. Unlike its gaming counterparts, the Prestige boasts an impressive battery life of 14 hours. With a 2880x1800 OLED display, using this laptop feels extremely smooth and satisfying.

Microsoft's Surface series are decent, if somewhat expensive, business laptops, although your experience with this brand will depend on the model you purchase. The Surface Go 3 hasn't received the best ratings on Consumer Reports, with the ergonomic design and excellent build quality not doing enough to justify its high price. The Intel Core i5-1235U CPU is outdated, and the 1,536x1,024 display doesn't even boast 1080p resolution. As a result, shelling out $749 for the base 8GB model may not be worthwhile. The 7th Generation Microsoft Surface laptop is far more deserving of being an alternative to the MacBook, with its powerful Snapdragon X Elite processor and a 17-hour battery life making it an excellent business-grade laptop. With its 1080p webcam and a high-quality 2496x1664 IPS display, the Surface Laptop 7 more than justifies its $899 price tag. The AI-assisted features are also a nice touch if you're going to employ these processes in your workflow.

If you want a 2-in-1 laptop-tablet device, then the Surface Pro is the way to go. There's no denying that it's ridiculously expensive, especially with the keyboard being sold separately. However, if you have around $1,000 to spare along with a few extra bucks for the Surface Pro keyboard, you'll enjoy the capabilities of one of the fastest and most satisfying laptop-tablet hybrids on the market. The OLED display looks like a million bucks, the 1440p webcam makes your video calls better than ever, and its all-day battery life makes this laptop a productivity powerhouse.

HP is one of the more trustworthy laptop brands on the market. Their products cover everything from casual use to high-end gaming. HP laptops do suffer from their fair share of issues, including pre-installed bloatware and poor thermal management, but this can be mitigated by choosing a good HP Series. The Omnibook, OMEN, and Envy laptops are all great choices with good scores on Consumer Reports. If you want a thin, light laptop with good specs, the HP OmniBook 7 Aero is the way to go. Just keep in mind that this brilliant design comes at the cost of low graphical performance — the AMD Radeon 860M is a relatively weak integrated GPU — and a steep $1,249 price tag. Meanwhile, the HP OmniBook X Flip is the highest-rated HP laptop on Consumer Reports, with its OLED display making both the 14" and 16" models look beautiful. This 2-in-1 laptop's beautiful design is yet another reason why the Omnibook X Flip deserves all its plaudits.

For creative use, the HP Envy x360 is a great all-rounder. It may not be all that intuitive to use in tablet mode, but the 2-in-1 device is easy to carry around and has an impressive eight hours of battery life. A beautiful OLED display is the cherry on top of this alluring package. For $1,129, this is easily one of the more affordable 2-in-1 devices on the market. Finally, if a good gaming laptop is what you require, then the HP OMEN is great. With a GeForce RTX 5060 8GB GPU, this $1,499 laptop is more than equipped to suit all your 1080p gaming needs.

Lenovo has some of the most diverse offerings in the laptop market and is a pretty reliable brand you can opt for. The ThinkPad, IdeaPad, Legion, and Yoga series have some great laptops that will suit a bevy of needs. Ratings on Consumer Reports aren't exactly glowing for the ThinkPad and IdeaPad series, but the Yoga and Legion series have stellar scores across the board, making them easy to recommend. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition has an especially high score, and understandably so. Sturdy build quality, a great 2.8k IPS touchscreen (unfortunately, the OLED model isn't available in the US), and a brilliant battery life of around 12 hours make the Slim 7i a great purchase.

Meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion series is perfect for gamers. The Legion 5i is held in high regard by many, with its 2.5K OLED screen being one of its many highlights. For a gaming laptop, it only weighs 4.3 pounds. The fans aren't too loud, either. While its 5-hour battery life isn't great, that's a compromise most people are willing to make for a gaming laptop. The Intel Core i7-14700HX CPU, 32GB RAM, and an 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 GPU make this a stellar gaming machine and one of Lenovo's best offerings.

It's a testament to ASUS's quality that they have maintained impressive scores across the board on Consumer Reports – barring a few exceptions — despite flooding the market with an array of laptops. Gamers are familiar with the ROG series, with the Zephyrus laptops combining form and function in an ultraportable package. However, if you want a bona fide desktop replacement, then the Asus ROG Strix G18 is exactly what you need. It's definitely one of the more expensive laptops on the market, but the $2,000 you spend will be more than worth it once you see this powerful machine in action. A 240Hz display, an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX with a whopping 24 cores, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 with 16GB VRAM, and 32GB RAM are mouthwatering specs, ensuring that every modern AAA game runs like a dream on this chunky laptop.

The Zenbook series is perfect for working professionals who want to work on a sleek, powerful laptop. The Asus Zenbook S 14 enjoyed the highest rating on Consumer Reports out of all models. This light, stylish system more than justified its $1,599 price tag, going all out with an OLED touchscreen, a 72Wh battery that can last a day with ease, and a lot of ports to make working with this laptop easier than ever. If your wallet can't handle this expense, you can opt for the budget-friendly Vivobook series instead. Creative professionals will have a field day with the ASUS ProArt P16, with its OLED display, minimalist design, and great gaming performance making it a perfect work-and-play laptop for many. The only negative is a steep, steep price point of $2,799.

Acer has consistently been one of the most trusted brands in the laptop market, with their diverse portfolio catering to various types of users. For less than $1,700, the Acer Predator Triton PT16 will fulfill all your gaming requirements. An Intel Core i7 13700H processor, 16GB of RAM, and an 8GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU will be more than enough to enjoy your favorite games in 1080p. If you want a work-oriented laptop to boost your productivity, the Acer Swift Go 14 will be more suited to your needs. An 11-hour battery life, excellent portability, and bright screen — especially with the alternate 2.8k OLED display — make this laptop perfect for the working professional.

An area where Acer has completely knocked it out of the park is with their Chromebooks. Consumer Reports has given the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin a stellar rating, and understandably so. $579 for a Chromebook may seem a touch on the pricier side, but a battery life of 15 hours, its thin yet durable build, and excellent performance courtesy of the Kompanio Ultra 910 processor make it clear why Acer's Chromebook has become the gold standard of what to expect from a device running ChromeOS.

By sticking to the Galaxy Book series, Samsung has prioritized quality over quantity with its laptops. Their high ratings on Consumer Reports, especially for the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro and its convertible 360 variant, make it clear that their laptops are perfect for professional use. It's a bona fide MacBook Pro challenger courtesy of a gorgeous 3K AMOLED display, premium build quality, and more than ten hours of battery life. $1,649 is a huge ask, but the Galaxy Book5 Pro more than justifies this price once you get used to this laptop.

The touchscreen display of this device becomes even more useful in the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, with this slim laptop effortlessly turning into a tablet courtesy of its 360° hinge. If you're deep into the Samsung ecosystem or just want to use a MacBook-esque system with Windows 11, then the Galaxy Book series is perfect for you.

There's a reason why shifting to macOS was so easy for Windows purists, with Apple's incredible design ethos ensuring that the MacBook would become one of the most popular laptops around. This proprietary operating system is a productivity machine, with the hardware complementing the macOS being notable in its own right. Consumer Reports has reserved some of its highest scores for all MacBook models, which just hammers in how trusted this brand is.

If you want to enjoy the most powerful Apple laptop with the latest M5 chip, get the MacBook Pro. A 24-hour battery life and the Liquid Retina XDR display will turn this laptop into an indispensable part of your workflow, regardless of whether you use it for coding or video production. If your laptop use isn't too heavy and you prefer a light device over a powerful one, go for the Air instead. The ergonomic design comes at the cost of lower storage space, a display that isn't as great as the Pro's, and lower battery life, but the price difference more than justifies this. While the 14" MacBook Pro with the M5 chip starts from $1599, the 13" MacBook Air can be bought for far cheaper at $999.

With the highest average scores across all models on Consumer Reports, LG takes the crown for being the best laptop brand. It may come out of left field, but LG earned this top spot by pursuing a business model that's very similar to Samsung and Apple's approach. Instead of diversifying across multiple laptop series, the company focused solely on the LG Gram. In doing so, both the LG Gram and the LG Gram Pro have become some of the thinnest and most powerful systems on the market. The LG Gram 17 boasts one of the most beautiful displays on the market, with its 17" IPS display and QHD+ resolution looking jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Despite being impossibly thin and light, the Gram 17 is surprisingly durable, with its 15-hour battery life being the cherry on top of a tantalizing package.

If you want a more feature-rich version of this laptop, then look no further than the LG Gram Pro 2-in-1 16. It has the highest rating out of any tested laptop on Consumer Reports, a distinction it shares with the LG Gram Pro 16". With a 2880x1800 OLED screen, a premium magnesium chassis, 18 hours of battery life, and a generous number of ports, this ultrathin and ultraportable laptop gives strong competition to the MacBook Air, if not beating it outright.

All laptop brands have been ranked after calculating the averages of the scores their laptops and Chromebooks have received on Consumer Reports. Alienware had the lowest number of devices at just 3, while ASUS had the biggest sample size with 37 laptops.