The 58th annual CES was an absolute whirlwind of computing news, the most jam-packed with new silicon in years. Every single major PC chipmaker involved in the laptop game—AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm—had new mobile processors debut at the show. Of course, with that came a deluge of new laptops from nearly every vendor, including Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, LG, and Samsung.
This was also the year that the AI PC finally came alive. For starters, Nvidia launched its consumer-strength “Blackwell” GPU architecture for desktops and laptops with the GeForce RTX 50 series, rocketing us further into the age of AI-driven graphics processing. That’ll have a knock-on effect for gamers, to be sure, especially in cases where Nvidia’s upcoming DLSS 4 can push extremely high frame rates with AI help.
Plus, now every major laptop chipmaker has CPUs capable of meeting Microsoft’s requirements for running its suite of Copilot+ AI tools for Windows 11. Thanks to all of this new NPU-enhanced silicon, AI-based computing looks set to take off this year.
To say this was the busiest CES for PC hardware in a long time would be a gross understatement, but the silver lining to all that hard work bringing you detailed and insightful coverage is that we found a surefire pick for every subcategory. We went hands on with each of the laptops we highlight below, seeing everything from a few hopeful MacBook Air killers to the most power-packed laptops to date. These are the nine best laptops of CES 2025.
Best Laptop Overall
Asus Zenbook A14
(Credit: Brian Westover, Lily Yeh)
The Asus Zenbook A14 is not only our favorite laptop at the show but also the official Best Laptop of CES. This slick ultraportable represents an ideal blend of power and battery life with some unexpected features in an attractive, svelte design. A Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor gives it Copilot+ PC powers like AI summarization and text generation, intuitive photo editing, and the ability to search your media with natural language. A rich collection of ports (including USB-C and HDMI 2.1) and wireless connections are complemented by cool touches like tap-and-slide touchpad controls for volume, brightness, and track selection. Its OLED display looks gorgeous, its battery promises more than 30 hours of power, and the whole thing weighs less than 2.2 pounds, making it the thinnest and lightest Copilot+ PC yet. The X Elite model we saw launches next week for $1,099, with a Snapdragon X Plus model coming in March for $899. —Brian Westover
Best Ultraportable Laptop
Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition
The top-billed Asus Zenbook A14 is an ultraportable, but we can’t ignore this standard-setter from Lenovo. Its ThinkPad X9 is also poised to combat Apple’s MacBook Air at both screen sizes but uses Intel Core Ultra 200V processing to achieve Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC certification. More to the point, however, is that Lenovo has developed a custom cooling system housed in a bar in the base to fan-cool the Intel chip while maintaining competitive thinness with Apple’s laptop. It’s quite an impressive arrangement to challenge the apple-shaped elephant in the room. Starting at $1,399 for a 14-inch screen and $1,549 for 15-inch, I just wish it were priced a bit more competitively. Regardless, the ThinkPad X9 is a remarkable feat of mobile engineering. —Joe Osborne
Best Content Creation Laptop
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (2025)
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The Yoga Book 9i from last year was already a beautiful dual-screen system, and the new Lenovo Yoga Book 9i model debuting at CES is getting some key upgrades. The OLED panels are each growing an inch to 14 inches, and a bigger battery has been added, but despite this, it’s also thinner and lighter than the previous version. Combined with the device’s 360-degree hinge, the dual 120Hz touch displays with variable refresh rate support and wide color coverage make this a joy for content creators and media pros. You can use the bottom screen for extra productivity, connect a keyboard, or use the bottom screen as a drawing and input surface for the main display. This includes AI image generation, thanks to Intel’s AI-ready Core Ultra 7 255H processor, adding to its creator chops. —Matthew Buzzi
Best Gaming Laptop
MSI Titan 18 AI (2025)
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The Titan 18 model we reviewed last year was the best-performing laptop we tested, so it’s only natural that our eyes lit up when MSI showed us its updated model. The 2025 MSI Titan 18 AI is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, plus Nvidia’s top-end new RTX 50 series mobile GPUs, and this beefy chassis has the thermal headroom to make those parts count. More than a gaming machine, the Titan is a professional-grade workstation with memory and storage that maxes out at 96GB and 8TB, respectively, while the 18-inch display is a 4K 120Hz mini LED panel. It’s a true workhorse, with extra enhancements like Cherry MX mechanical keys and an RGB haptic touchpad. Plus, if you hadn’t noticed, MSI has a limited-run dragon-themed Norse Myth edition of this Titan if you really want to turn some heads. —MB
Best Business Laptop
HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a
(Credit: John Burek)
This next-level workstation from HP takes one of AMD’s latest AI Max Pro (aka “Strix Halo”) processors. It unlocks the full potential of its unified, on-die memory architecture, which can allocate up to 96GB of its 128GB maximum RAM capacity for GPU tasks including AI processing. That’s more than any desktop GPU can hope to have access to for quite some time. While I’m also excited to test out its relatively slim 0.73-inch thickness and feathery 3.3-pound weight, it’s the potential for how far the Strix Halo chip can go with cutting-edge memory solutions that earn the ZBook Ultra 14 G1a our pick for top work laptop of the show. —JO
Recommended by Our Editors
Best 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop
Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Surprising no one, Lenovo takes home another trophy for one of its 2-in-1 laptops. The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition earns it this time with top-tier hardware construction and the latest, most potent silicon Intel has for AI processing. Not only is this laptop a gorgeous example of modern laptop design (at just 0.63 inch and 2.91 pounds, and with an 1800p OLED touch screen), but it’s prepared for AI-assisted content creation work. The included and improved Yoga Pen stylus also earns the Yoga 9i bonus points toward its trophy. The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 looks like a full-package premium experience that we’re excited to test out later this year. —JO
Best 2-in-1 Detachable Laptop
Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025)
(Credit: John Burek)
This is not the first edition of this gaming-focused tablet we’ve seen from Asus, but it is the most capable yet. The 2025 Asus ROG Flow Z13 packs AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, the most powerful mobile chip announced in AMD’s fresh CES lineup. We haven’t been able to test it yet, of course, but it’s a creator-tier chip that should crush professional workloads—certainly more performance than you’ll find in most tablets—and the system’s unified memory architecture (up to 128GB) can empower more capable graphics and AI performance. That still can’t compete with discrete graphics, of course, so an ROG XG Mobile external GPU enclosure (sold separately) is available to make your Flow Z13 fully capable when you return to your desk or arrive at your destination. It connects easily through Thunderbolt 5 rather than any clumsy proprietary port. —MB
Best Dual-Screen Laptop
Asus Zenbook Duo (2025)
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
We were thoroughly impressed by the current iteration of the Zenbook Duo, so naturally, this upgraded version looks like a hit. The Zenbook Duo is our favorite execution of the twin-screen laptop concept so far, and now, it’s powered by Intel’s “Arrow Lake” AI processor platform. It runs up to a Core Ultra 9 285H CPU, with 32GB of memory and a 2TB SSD to support media professional workflows. The design looks complicated, but the execution and versatility are elegant, and we can’t wait to put it to the test in the lab. —MB
Best Budget Laptop
Acer Aspire 14 AI
(Credit: Mark Stetson)
At a chaotic trade show, flashier is always better, so low-priced laptops have never really been CES stars. But Acer brings an impressive player for just $800, elevating its budget Aspire brand with Copilot+. Equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 200V processor with 22 hours of battery life and Wi-Fi 6E, the Aspire 14 AI brings many luxury laptop features down to the mainstream. It can even use some AI features, like the Acer Assist knowledge base, without an internet connection. That’s more value than you’re likely to find in most machines that ring up under a grand. —JO
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About Brian Westover
Lead Analyst, Hardware
Read the latest from Brian Westover
About Matthew Buzzi
Lead Analyst, Hardware
Read the latest from Matthew Buzzi
About Joe Osborne
Deputy Managing Editor, Hardware
