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Article updated on December 31, 2023 at 9:20 PM PST

Best 15-Inch Gaming and Work Laptop for 2024

We’ve rounded up all of the best-performing laptops from Razor, Lenovo, Apple, and Acer.

Our Experts

Written by 
Lori Grunin
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
Lori Grunin Senior Editor / Advice
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Expertise Photography, PCs and laptops, gaming and gaming accessories
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Our Picks

$619 at Amazon
acer-swift-3-14-inch-2020-0034
Top budget pick
Acer Swift 3
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$900 at Dell
dell-g15-3
Best for gamers on a budget
Dell G15
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See at Best Buy
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra 16-inch laptop on a gray wood table.
A top 16-inch choice for creators
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra (no longer available)
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$403 at Walmart
HP Chromebook x360 14 open and angled to your left
Recommended 14-inch Chromebook under $500
HP Chromebook x360 14c
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$2,000 at Apple
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro
Best Apple laptop
Apple MacBook Pro 14
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$1,750 at eBay
Razer Blade 15 open and angled to your left
Top pick for work and play
Razer Blade 15
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$900 at Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 open and angled to your left
Best 15-inch 2-in-1
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
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$1,399 at Walmart
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 (14 inch)
A great 2-in-1 at a smaller size (Currently out of stock)
Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 7, 14-inch)
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If you’re in the process of selecting a new gaming and work laptop, you’re most likely aware that the prices can be rather steep. So, if you’re going to invest in a new system, naturally you want to ensure that you don’t rush the process and do all of the necessary research. That way you'll pick a machine that can perform at the standard required. 

The good news is that there are a wide number of 15-inch laptops that can handle everything an avid gamer and professional worker will throw at them. Admittedly, these devices don’t come cheap, but if you’re smart about the model you pick, you’ll find it’s worth the cost. 

If you’re in the know when it comes to these kinds of laptops, you may be aware that the majority of models are actually 14 or 16 inches, rather than 15 inches. So, that’s why you’ll find that a few of the picks below for the best 15-inch laptop are actually 14 or 16 inch screens. 

These are the laptops, from budget to premium, we consider to be the best 14- and 15-inch work and gaming laptop options based on:

  • Performance and battery life for a given set of specs and intended use, where the configuration specs include the amount of solid-state storage and memory (SSD and RAM), main processor (CPU) and graphics processor (GPU), and operating system (Mac OS or Windows).
  • Features for a given weight class, such as the combination of laptop screen size, type (touchscreen or not) and resolution (4K, QHD or FHD), ports (such as an HDMI port, Ethernet port, and the type and number of USB connections), webcam and fingerprint reader.
  • Design, both aesthetic and functional, including keyboard layout and feel (lots of people want a backlit keyboard and a numeric keypad on their laptops), build quality, upgradeability and reparability and so on.

If you're laptop shopping, remember you don't have to buy now if money's tight or can afford to wait. If you decide to postpone your purchase, here are some tips for stretching the life of your old laptop. If you do opt to go ahead, think about recycling it

This list is periodically updated with new models we've tested and reviewed. It's a great place to start to get an idea of what's available. If you need advice on whether a particular type of laptop or two-in-one is right for you, jump to our FAQ below this list.

$619 at Amazon

Top budget pick

Acer Swift 3

It's a 14 incher, but if you're on a tight budget, 14 inches is your friend. It's a good deal for the basics like email, word processing and much more, thanks to AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. It's available with 11th-gen Intel processors too. This budget laptop has a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader and a USB Type-C port, too. The Acer Swift 3 is also an incredibly lightweight laptop -- less than 3 pounds -- for a machine that can be found for less than $700.

In addition to this Acer Swift, we're also fans of the Acer Aspire 5, which has a larger 15.6-inch display. The Acer Aspire 5 is available in a variety of configurations starting as low as $400, but that's for a pretty poor configuration.

$900 at Dell

Best for gamers on a budget

Dell G15

Dell's G15 has been a favorite budget gaming laptop for the past few years, along with the HP Victus line. In late 2022, a 16-inch G16 joined the veteran 15-inch G15. If you're looking for a gaming laptop bargain, the G15 is the way to go. But if you can afford to spend a couple of hundred dollars more and don't mind the slight step up in size, the G16 is a better bet for longevity. We do recommend waiting until it goes on sale, though, since the entry-price model incorporates only an RTX 3050, which may not future-proof you against the growing legion of power-hungry games. Read our Dell G15 and G16 Gaming Laptop review.

See at Best Buy

A top 16-inch choice for creators

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra (no longer available)

It's a 16-inch rather than a 15-inch, but this Editors' Choice-earning laptop is a serious contender for your 15-inch needs. It offers seamless integration with other Galaxy devices, coming closer to matching a MacBook's Continuity behavior with Apple devices than any other Windows laptop. It delivers excellent performance, decent battery life and a great OLED display, all packed into a relatively lightweight design. And with Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series discrete graphics, it can be a pretty solid gaming system for occasional players. The sound isn't terrific, and the oddly placed touchpad might annoy some people, but those may be minor nitpicks. 

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra Review

$403 at Walmart

Recommended 14-inch Chromebook under $500

HP Chromebook x360 14c

The two-in-one design means you can use the HP Chromebook x360 as a tablet (though it's a bit heavy to use as a handheld device), and 14 inches is much less awkward to use that way than a 15-inch model. You can also tent it, connect an external keyboard and mouse and use it as a small all-in-one computer. 

The Core i3 processor and 8GB of memory keep this HP Chromebook running smoothly even with a couple dozen tabs open and streaming video in the background. And this Chromebook laptop has a long battery life, lasting 10 hours, 40 minutes in CNET's tests.

$2,000 at Apple

Best Apple laptop

Apple MacBook Pro 14

If you need any convincing that 15-inch (and 17-inch) laptops are a dying breed, take Apple's killing them off as a confirmational nail in their coffin. If your major concerns are weight and price, and you don't need much power, then the smaller MacBook Air rules. 

But I disagree with my colleague Dan Ackerman that the Air is the best choice for most people: I think the MacBook Pro 14 is. It costs a lot more, but it's significantly better in every way, and I think it will meet most people's needs for a lot longer. (The 2022 model of the Air with an M2 processor got better, but the price for models with the newer chip went up as well. I agree that the MacBook Pro 13 M1 and M2 give you very little over the Air for the extra cost and weight.) On the flip side, the 14-inch can be configured closely to the weightier and more expensive MacBook Pro 16, with the exception of the bigger screen and option for a higher-performing GPU.

$1,750 at eBay

Top pick for work and play

Razer Blade 15

The 2022 model we tested of the Blade 15 (we've reviewed the new 18-inch model) retains the title of least-gaming-like gaming laptop, but doesn't forgo the speed, but like all Razer's it's pretty expensive. It's got a streamlined, slim and sturdy design with plenty of ports and a comfortable Razer Chroma RGB keyboard, plus the latest from Intel and Nvidia and new high-quality panel options for gaming. For work, you can benefit from the 1080p webcam with Windows Hello support. It can get a bit warm when it's revved up, though.

The 14-inch Blade 14 is equally attractive and lighter, as well as a little cheaper -- a nice 165Hz QHD model with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX will run you around $2,300, but the older generation is still around as well if you can find a good deal. The extra room on the 15-inch gives it space for a Thunderbolt connection, SD card reader and an additional USB-A port.


$900 at Samsung

Best 15-inch 2-in-1

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360

The highlights of this thin and light 15-inch Windows two-in-one are its excellent battery life, high-contrast OLED screen and the plethora of cross-device features it serves up for owners of Samsung's Galaxy phones and accessories. It's specifically designed for people who want a laptop experience similar to that of their phones, with similar responsiveness. For its size, it's relatively slim and lightweight, and includes the excellent S Pen.

$1,439 at Walmart

A great 2-in-1 at a smaller size (Currently out of stock)

Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 7, 14-inch)

The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 continues the company's streak of fantastic premium two-in-ones. The 12th-gen Intel processor delivers a big performance jump in multicore tasks compared to its predecessor, and the features and design are worth the higher price. The latest model offers a big performance jump, top-flight sound and visuals and bundles a sleeve and stylus. It does go hot and heavy on the software and services upselling, though, so if that's going to drive you nuts, run away.

Laptop FAQs

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How we test computers

The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computer-like devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both those objective and subjective judgments. 

The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include: Primate Labs Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found in our How We Test Computers page. 

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Which is better, MacOS or Windows?

Deciding between MacOS and Windows laptop for many people will come down to personal preference and budget. Apple's base model laptop, the M1 MacBook Air, starts at $999. You can sometimes find it discounted or you can get educational pricing from Apple and other retailers. But in general, it'll be at least $1,000 for a new MacBook, and the prices just go up from there. 

For the money, though, you're getting great hardware top to bottom, inside and out. Apple recently moved to using its own processors, which resulted in across-the-board performance improvements compared to older Intel-based models. But, the company's most powerful laptop, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, still hasn't been updated to Apple silicon. 

But, again, that great hardware comes at a price. Also, you're limited to just Apple laptops. With Windows and Chromebooks (more on these below), you get an amazing variety of devices at a wide range of prices. 

Software between the two is plentiful, so unless you need to run something that's only available on one platform or the other, you should be fine to go with either. Gaming is definitely an advantage for a Windows laptop, though.

MacOS is also considered to be easier and safer to use than Windows, especially for people who want their computers to get out of the way so they can get things done. Over the years, though, Microsoft has done its best to follow suit and, with Windows 11 hereit's trying to remove any barriers. Also, while Macs might have a reputation for being safer, with the popularity of the iPhone and iPad helping to drive Mac sales, they've become bigger targets for malware.

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What size screen do I need? Do I need a 4K screen?

One of the reasons I like 14-inch more than 15-inch displays is because they strike a much better balance among price, size and performance while sacrificing only about 0.6 inches (15.2mm) horizontally and 0.8 inches (20mm) vertically of screen real estate (although you lose more like 2 inches (50mm) horizontally if the comparison is between a 16:9 aspect ratio screen and 3:2).

Resolution, the number of vertical x horizontal pixels that comprise the image, is inextricable from screen size when you're choosing a screen. What you really want to optimize is pixel density, the number of pixels per inch the screen can display, or its reciprocal, pixel pitch. Those determine how sharp the screen looks (though there are some other factors), as well as how big elements of the interface, such as icons and text, can appear. 

You can easily calculate the pixel density of any screen at DPI Calculator. But my rule of thumb for laptop screens in the 14- and 15-inch size class: FHD is fine, QHD is better and 4K is usually overkill.

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Can I get a Chromebook instead of a Windows laptop?

A lot can be done entirely on the web these days, though you can use Chromebooks offline in some cases. Take stock of everything you do on a daily basis, and you may find there's nothing you can't accomplish with Chrome at its most basic level. 

That said, a Windows laptop or MacBook can run the Chrome browser as well as other software supported by those operating systems. Even if you don't immediately need a particular piece of software, it's nice to have the option. Plus, if you're shopping for a Chromebook for remote learning with Google Classroom, a Mac or Windows PC will work as well. 

Chromebooks are not natively compatible with Windows or Mac software, though current models can run Android apps and there are also web apps that are available through Google's Chrome Web Store. You can't install the full Office software on a Chromebook, but Microsoft makes both web-based and Android versions available in the Chrome and Google Play stores, respectively. But generally speaking, if you need or want a specific Windows or Mac application -- and there's no suitable web or Android app substitute and you don't want to use VMware -- don't get a Chromebook.

Also, if you need advanced photo- and video-editing capabilities, you'll want a Windows, Mac or Linux laptop. Basic photo and video editing is fine, but Chromebooks typically don't offer the graphics performance you need for demanding tasks or, again, the option to install Windows or Mac software and games.

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Can I use a hub to compensate for insufficient connections?

Yes and no. For the most part, USB-C hubs deliver seamless expansion in cases when you've traded off USB, Ethernet and display ports for the extra millimeter it can shave off a laptop's thickness. But you can't assume you won't have any problems, especially when it comes to 4K monitors, webcams, gaming peripherals or the number of devices connected to it. Anything else sensitive to the quality and power of the signal could cause a problem. Or you may have to spend a lot for a Thunderbolt hub instead of USB-C to ensure sufficient power and bandwidth for your particular needs -- that can cost upwards of $300.

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