I Test Hundreds Of Laptops, And This Is My Honest Advice On What Laptop To Buy

I have been reviewing laptops for over 10 years now,

and I have reviewed hundreds

of different models in that time.

But here in 2026,

these are the laptops that I find myself

personally recommending most,

and I have to start with the classic,

the MacBook Air.

I really believe that this is the laptop

that most people should consider buying first.

Now, I probably don't have to spend a lot

of time introducing this laptop to you.

It is pretty well known,

but it's been updated this year

with the M5 chip, Apple's latest,

which is gonna be overkill for what most people wanna do.

But I really believe,

even with all the different Mac options

that are now available,

I do think the M5 MacBook Air is the best option

that people should at least consider first

before going up to something like a MacBook Pro

or a MacBook Neo.

However, there's also a good starting place

on the Windows side because the Surface Laptop 7,

which has been around for over a year,

over a year and a half at this point,

is a really good alternative to the MacBook Air.

It outdoes it in a number of different areas,

especially in terms of the display.

I love the three by two aspect ratio of that.

Gives you lots of screen real estate to work with.

I do think a new version of that is coming later this year,

but I still think this is a really good laptop

to buy here today.

Now, both of those laptops are over $1,000,

and I do think there is a large group of people out there

who don't want to spend that much on a laptop,

and the good news is,

there are some great options that you don't have to,

and I think I have to start with the MacBook Neo.

This is the sort of latest and greatest from Apple.

This is a step down from the MacBook Air.

It's 599 as a starting price.

And I do think it's a really good option for students,

for people who have a use for a laptop that maybe

is not a sit-down at your computer

every day type of workflow, but need a device

to do basic word processing, emails, browsing.

I mean, you can do more than that,

but the MacBook Neo is meant for that type of user.

Still has an excellent display,

which is one of the greatest strengths

of this device being sold at 599.

But back on the Windows side of things,

again, I think this laptop here takes it a step above

what the MacBook Neo offers at that price.

This is the HP OmniBook 5,

and this is the 14-inch model.

It's a little bit bigger than the MacBook Neo,

but it's not thicker.

I mean, it's actually exactly the same thickness.

And it is a really, really impressive deal for what you get.

A really beautiful display for the price

and a really nice design.

I mean, Windows laptops at this price,

which this gets down to $500,

or I've even seen it lower than that on discount.

I do think this comes with the Snapdragon X processor,

which is gonna give you really great battery life.

I think between these four options,

you're gonna find a laptop that works really well for you.

Of course, there's a need for more

powerful laptops out there,

but this is a really good starting place

for how to choose the best laptop for you.