The Razer Blade 14 is amazing — but should “normal” people actually buy this ultra-premium gaming laptop?

Who should spend their money on the expensive Razer Blade 14?

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025).

It’s difficult to find fault with the Razer Blade 14, but that doesn’t mean you should spend your money on it.

I recently reviewed the Razer Blade 14 (2025), the latest iteration (and a complete redesign) of Razer’s best-selling and most portablegaming laptop.

I awarded the new Blade 14 a healthy 4.5/5 star rating and generally praised this premium and powerful device, but hovering over every item of praise was the overbearing price tag attached to it.

That begs the question —Razermay have crafted an incredible gaming machine, but what kind of person should actually spend their hard-earned money on it?

Statistically speaking, most of the people reading this article probably don’t. Here’s what sets theRazer Blade 14apart from most laptops, and exactly who should consider making it their next companion.

>>>Replacement battery for Razer Blade RZ09-01302E22 RZ09-0102 RZ09-01161 RZ09-01301E41

What makes the Razer Blade 14 (2025) so special?

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

The Razer Blade 14 is packing some serious firepower.

14-inch laptops are a dime a dozen, even if you only consider premium options from companies likeHP,Lenovo,Dell,Apple, and many more. So, where does the Razer Blade 14 fall?

Unlike most premium 14-inch devices, the Blade 14 is designed with gaming and creation in mind. That means it packs some of the most powerful hardware you can squeeze into a laptop, despite being around 16mm thick (to put it into perspective, that’s actually thinner at points thanthe Surface Laptop 7 we reviewed).

The Razer Blade 14 has a lot of other things going for it: an attractive and durable body milled out of a single block of high-grade aluminum, a vibrant and responsive 120HzOLEDdisplay, a bolsterious six-speaker system with spatial audio, all the ports you could ask for, andWindows Hellofacial recognition to log you in without a password.

Under the hood, though, you’re getting one of the bestAMD Ryzen AIchipsets and anNVIDIA GeForceRTX 50-series GPU, which enables high-performance gaming, content creation,andsupport for all the bestAIfeatures aCopilot+ PCcan offer.

That’s a whole lot of PC in a small package.

>>>Replacement battery for Razer Blade 15 Base 2020

Aren’t normal laptops also quite powerful now?

The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 (2024) held in the hand in tablet mode.

For most people looking for a capable, premium 14-inch laptop, I’d recommend the OmniBook Ultra Flip before the Blade 14.

There’s simply no debating whether the Razer Blade 14 is one of the most powerful 14-inch laptops ever made — it is. That doesn’t mean that all other 14-inch laptops are slow, though; they’re simply designed for something else.

Takethe HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 (2024) I reviewed. This is still one ofthe best Windows laptopsI’ve ever tested, and it’s the laptop I chose to use as my backup whenever I’m not reviewing something else.

It’s thinner and lighter than the Blade 14, boasts a versatile 2-in-1 design with touch and stylus input, and true all-day battery life (where the Blade 14 can only make it through a full day if you cut some corners). It’s alsocheaperthan the Blade 14, despite arguably offering more features.

There’s no discrete NVIDIA GPU inside, nor is theIntel Core Ultra (Series 2)chipset it relies on as performant as the RyzenAIat the Blade 14’s center, but performance is still buttery smooth for 99% of what 99% of people do on their computers… even gaming.

Obviouslythe Razer Blade 14 will play games at higher resolutions, higher framerates, and higher settings.Of courseit will render video faster. But the OmniBook Ultra Flip can still play most PC games at lower settings just fine, and that’s all most people need.

>>>>Replacement adapter for Razer Blade 15

Why should I consider the Razer Blade 14?

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025).

There are a lot of great laptops that will do what people need it to do for less than the Blade 14.

If you need a reliable and competent 14-inch Windows laptop and are willing to pay for a premium device with more features, there are plenty of excellent alternatives like the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 — many with more versatile and portable designs, longer-lasting batteries, and even more AI features.

If you need a powerful gaming laptop that will spend most of its time plugged in, there are plenty of excellent alternatives like theLenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 10) I reviewed— many with far superior performance, greater thermal management, better keyboards, and larger and faster displays.

Even if you need a laptop that carefully straddles the gap — by offering most of the performance of a 16-inch gaming laptop with most of the portability and features of a 14-inch ultrabook — I’d still suggest considering something likethe ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) I reviewed.

That laptop targets a similar niche as the Razer Blade 14 (2025), and italwayscosts a lot less from configuration to configuration. I also love that laptop (so stay tuned for my review of the 2025 update, because I have that in hand right now).

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

The Razer Blade 14 is a phenomenal feat of engineering, and it’ll serve the people who need it well.

That’s a lot of “buts,” and I can still happily recommend the Razer Blade 14 (2025). All I’m offering is a word of caution; be sure the Blade 14 is the tool you need to get the job done.

Depending on your needs, you can find better battery life, better performance, or better value in many of the otherbest Windows laptops.

If what you need, though, is a thin and light luxury laptop with an industry-leading premium design, enough performance for all the greatest PC games and most demanding workloads, and a battery capable of lasting a full day when you need it to, then the Razer Blade 14 is thepeakof that specific category.

Just be prepared to pay for it, asthe Razer Blade 14 (2025) startsfrom $2,299.99 at Razer. It’s not a question of whether the Blade 14 is worth it, because itdoesjustify that cost — it’s a question of whether it’s worth it toyou.

HOW IMPORTANT IS HAVING DRAM IN AN SSD?

male hand holding wd sn810 ssd

You might have seen the words “DRAM” and “DRAM-less” tossed around when you’re out shopping for a new SSD and scratched your head. It’s almost confusing; doesn’t your PC already have RAM? Yes, but your storage drive can have its own dedicated memory chip. It’s a seemingly small detail, but it does have some effect on your PC’s performance and the drive’s lifespan.A Solid State Drive with DRAM includes a dedicated memory chip that acts as a cache for frequently accessed data. Its main job is to hold a digital map, or index, of where all your data is stored across the SSD’s NAND flash memory cells. This is similar to how a CPU uses its L1, L2, and L3 caches to grab data faster than it could from your main system memory. Likewise, the DRAM gives the SSD controller a shortcut, so it doesn’t have to search the entire drive to find what it needs.A DRAM-less SSD, as the name suggests, skips this dedicated memory chip to cut costs. But that’s not to say it doesn’t need any memory at all. Instead, it either stores its data map directly on the much slower NAND flash memory or it uses a feature called Host Memory Buffer (HMB). HMB allows the SSD to use a small chunk of your computer’s existing DRAM for its caching needs. For instance, some modern drives can tap into up to 64MB of your CPU’s DRAM to handle this mapping process instead of having their own chip. >>>Replacement battery for Razer RZ09-0510SGM4-R3G1 BLADE 16 2023 GEFORCE RTX 4070Do you really need an SSD with DRAM?

samsung evo 970 ssd being plugged into a system

If you’re focused heavily on raw performance, slotting an SSD with DRAM into your system can make a difference. Such SSDs generally exhibit superior overall performance, especially in tasks involving random access and multitasking. Sure, DRAM-less drives are great with sequential file transfers, but they may experience performance degradation when managing complex workloads. Another plus for DRAM is longevity. Drives with DRAM tend to have higher endurance thanks to greater efficiency in a process known as wear-leveling. This is because the process of spreading the program and erasing cycles evenly across all memory blocks prolongs the drive’s life.Moreover, as mentioned above, DRAM-less SSDs rely on HMB — a feature proven problematic for some. The Windows 11 24H2 update, late in 2024, caused disruptive Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors on specific 2TB Western Digital and SanDisk drives due to a conflict where the OS’s new memory allocation method for HMB triggered a flaw in the SSDs’ original firmware. While Western Digital released a firmware update to fix the incompatibility, some users are still reporting issues.That said, DRAM SSDs do come with their drawbacks (even if they’re relatively minor). Adding a DRAM chip increases prices anywhere between $15 and $35, which may prove high for some, considering the ever-rising SSD prices. DRAM also requires a lot of power because its data must be continuously fetched and written, making DRAM-less drives possibly a more power-efficient choice for laptops.>>>Replacement battery for Razer Blade Ryzen 14 2021 2022Still, your choice should depend on your specific needs and budget. You should absolutely go for a DRAM SSD if you’re a power user doing high-end content creation like video editing or using AutoCAD. A DRAM-less SSD, on the other hand, is a fantastic budget-friendly choice for less intense scenarios.

Razer Blade 14 (2025) review: Finally understanding why this is Razer’s best-seller

The Razer Blade 14 (2025) is an excellent compact gaming laptop, if you’re willing to pay the price.

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

Verdict

Following the trail blazed by its 16-inch sibling, the Razer Blade 14 is entering 2025 with a fresh new design, more power, and a whole lot of AI features. It’s Razer’s best-selling machine made better than ever, even though most people don’t really need this class of device. I also suggest opting for the silver colorway if you dislike dealing with constant fingerprint marks and smudges.

Pros

  • +The pinnacle of premium laptop design
  • +Beautiful OLED display and shockingly good speakers
  • +Excellent performance, including with AI features
  • +Decent battery life, if you adjust some settings

Cons

  • -Can get very warm
  • -The black chassis and keys are serious fingerprint magnets
  • -Still an expensive machine

I recently reviewed the Razer Blade 16 (2025)and found it to be a massive improvement over its predecessor, agaming laptopthat felt mismatched with its engorged price tag.

It’sRazer’s smallestgaming laptopthat is its best seller, though, and the Blade 14 received the same treatment for 2025 as the Blade 16 — a thinner and lighter redesigned chassis, and all-newAMDandNVIDIAhardware for better gaming performance and moreAIfeatures.

The result? One of the greatest compact gaming laptops you can buy. The Blade 14 is a seriously impressive display of engineering with far more strengths than weaknesses, but the real question most should be asking is: who should actually buy the Razer Blade 14 (2025)

>>>Replacement battery for Razer Blade RZ09-01302E22 RZ09-0102 RZ09-01161 RZ09-01301E41

Blade 14 review: Pricing and specifications

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

I had to aggressively clean this laptop multiple times while photographing it.

Like always, the Razer Blade 14 (2025) is a ridiculously pricey laptop, but you are getting the pinnacle of premium design, as well as most of the features you could ask for in a laptop.

The Razer Blade 14 (2025) startsfrom $2,299.99 at Razer, which is equipped with anAMDRyzenAI9 365 chipset,NVIDIA GeForceRTX 5060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage.

My review configuration upgrades to an RTX 5070 GPU and 32GB of RAM for$2,699.99 at Razer. If you want the best of everything,you can upgrade to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage for$2,999.99 at Razer.

>>>Replacement battery for Razer Blade RZ09-0102 RZ09-01161E31 RZ09 14 Series

There’s also a “Mercury White” (it’s silver) colorway.

SpecRazer Blade 14 (2025)
Display14-inch OLED, 16:10 aspect ratio, 2.8K (2,880 x 1,800) resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, 400 nits max brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, NVIDIA G-SYNC & Advanced Optimus support, Calman Verified
CPUAMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (Zen 5, 10 cores, 20 threads, up to 5GHz max boost)
GPUUp to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (Blackwell, 8GB GDDR7 VRAM)
NPUAMD XDNA 2 (Up to 50 TOPS)
MemoryUp to 64GB LPDDR5X @ 8,000MHz
StorageUp to 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD (expandable up to 4TB)
Ports2x USB Type-C 4.0 ports (40GBps, DisplayPort 1.4 via Radeon 880M iGPU, 100W Power Delivery 3.0), 2x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports (10GBps), 1x HDMI 2.1 port, 1x microSD card slot (UHS-II), 1x 3.5mm audio jack, 1x Kensington Nano Security Slot
ConnectivityWi-Fi 7 2×2, Bluetooth 5.4
Battery72Whr, 200W charger
Dimensions310.7 x 224.3 x 15.8-16.2mm (12.23 x 8.83 x 0.62-0.64in)
Weight1.63kg (3.59lbs)
Warranty1-year limited laptop warranty, 2-year limited battery warranty, RazerCare support

In the box, you’ll find the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop, Razer’s proprietary 200W DC charger, and 1 month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Razer also offers its RazerCare extended warranty and colorful Razer skins for the Blade 14.>>>Replacement battery for Razer Blade Ryzen 14 2021 2022

Blade 14 review: Design and build quality

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

It’s still obviously a Razer laptop, but this design is more refined.

The Razer Blade design language is iconic at this point, and Razer hasn’t dramatically changed its hand with the latest round of redesigns. This is all about refinement, and the finer details do make a sizeable impact.

The new Blade 14 is 11% smaller thanthe Razer Blade 14 (2024) we reviewed, dropping around 2mm in thickness and a third of a pound in weight. It’s still CNC-milled out of a single block of high-grade aluminum, but it’s sleeker and more comfortable than before.

Razer didn’t make any noticeable changes to its anodization and electrochemical bonding process, though, so the matte black color looks as amazing as always — until you touch it, where it’ll greedily hold on to every smudge.

I mentioned inmy initial hands-on of the new Razer Blade 14that it felt like Razer finally closed the gap withthe ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 I reviewed, and my mind hasn’t changed. The Blade 14 always had phenomenal build quality, but the new design is a big improvement in aesthetics.

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

On the left side, you’ll find the 200W Razer charging port, a USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, a USB Type-C 4.0 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

On the other side, you’ll find a Kensington Nano Security Slot, a second USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, and HDMI 2.1 port, a second USB Type-C 4.0 port, and a microSD card slot.

It’s impressive enough to make a 14-inch gaming laptop smarter, faster, thinner, and lighter in one go, but where Razer really surprised me is that it didn’t cut any features to make those reductions… In fact, it addedmore.

You’re looking at a very familiar array of ports, with connectivity rivaling much larger laptops thanks to dualUSB4ports withThunderbolt 4capabilities (including 100W Power Delivery for when you’re on the move and need a quick charge), full bandwidthUSBType-A ports, andHDMI 2.1display output.

However, Razer actually added a new microSD card slot as well, which will make some peopleveryhappy. I’ll talk more about them later, but there’s also an additional two speakers under the hood, so the Blade 14 rocks the same six-speaker system as both its larger siblings.

Blade 14 review: Display quality

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

Not everyone will prefer this display, but I really like it.

On the display front, last year’s Blade 14 rocked an IPS LCD panel with a 240Hz refresh rate. This year, Razer decided to follow in the wake of many other premium, 14-inch laptops with a higher resolution, lower refresh rateOLEDdisplay.

You’re looking at a 2.8K resolution (1800p instead of 1600p from last year), a 120Hz refresh rate, a blisteringly fast 0.2ms response time, and all the vibrant colors and punchy contrast expected from OLED.

It’s a familiar screen, and that comes with the same strengths and weaknesses. On one hand, this displaylooksgorgeous and offers best-in-class performance for gaming. While the refresh rate has technically been downgraded, 120Hz is perfect for the Blade 14’s capabilities, and everything looks crisp and defined.

Benchmark results for the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

This screen is even more color accurate, and Synapse includes the factory color calibration report to keep it that way.

The new OLED display is also more color accurate than last year’s panel, which will make a difference for creators. White balance is very consistent across higher brightnesses, too, so photo and video editors shouldn’t have any complaints.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) support is here, although Razer didn’t disclose the exact standards to me. Either way, though, this is where the weaknesses come in. This OLED display boasts only average brightness, and it’s noticeably lower than last year’s IPS LCD screen.

On top of the lowered brightness, you do also need to contend withPulse-Width Modulation (PWM) for dimming. Most people won’t be affected, but there are sensitive users who may experience headaches or eye fatigue from the rapid flickering at lower brightnesses, and Razer sadly doesn’t offer an alternative display option for the Blade 14.

SettingBrightness (nits)BlackContrastWhite point
0%4.40Infinite6,800K (0.308, 0.326)
25%30.30Infinite6,600K (0.312, 0.330)
50%910Infinite6,500K (0.313, 0.330)
75%210.40Infinite6,500K (0.313, 0.331)
100%398.70Infinite6,500K (0.312, 0.331)

The new OLED display is also more color accurate than last year’s panel, which will make a difference for creators. White balance is very consistent across higher brightnesses, too, so photo and video editors shouldn’t have any complaints.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) support is here, although Razer didn’t disclose the exact standards to me. Either way, though, this is where the weaknesses come in. This OLED display boasts only average brightness, and it’s noticeably lower than last year’s IPS LCD screen.

On top of the lowered brightness, you do also need to contend withPulse-Width Modulation (PWM) for dimming. Most people won’t be affected, but there are sensitive users who may experience headaches or eye fatigue from the rapid flickering at lower brightnesses, and Razer sadly doesn’t offer an alternative display option for the Blade 14.

Blade 14 review: Performance and thermals

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

Part of the new Blade 14 is a completely redesigned thermal hood, which debuted with the Blade 16.

It’s a given that you’ll have to sacrifice some performance with a 14-inch gaming laptop, because that’s how physics works. Still, the latest Blade 14 is consistently more performant than its predecessor while being both thinner and lighter, and there are some reasons for that.

Largely, it’s due to the completely redesigned thermal hood, which moves the hottest components under the same comprehensive vapor cooling chamber and refined dual-fan system. On the other side, the newAMD Ryzen AIandNVIDIA GeForceRTX 50-series hardware are more efficient than the last generation.

AMD, especially, makes a big difference here. I have a lot of respect for the latest Ryzen AI chipsets, which can’t quite compete withIntelandQualcomm’s most efficient mobile hardware, but easily bests both in terms of gaming, creative, and AI performance.

The result is an excellent computing experience. The Blade 14 feels every bit as responsive as it should, considering how much it costs, and is completely quiet the majority of the time.

My only complaint is that AMD still isn’t as good as Intel orQualcommwhen it comes to quickly waking from sleep or standby.

Benchmark results for the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

Razer is clearly using the same PCIe Gen4 SSD as last year, which is… Fine.

Benchmark results for the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

There are more powerful 14-inch laptops in terms of CPU performance, but the Blade 14 is up there.

Benchmark results for the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

Year-over-year performance gains aren’t mind-boggling, but the Blade 14 is consistently more powerful.

Benchmark results for the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

You see this with general productivity, too; this Blade 14 simply feels more responsive.

Benchmark results for the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

Once again, the RTX 5070 isn’t a huge leap over the 4070, but the improvement is there.

Benchmark results for the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

AMD laptops always perform well when encoding 4K video.

There were no surprises when benchmarking the Blade 14. Its AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 is a highly capable 10-core chipset, but it’s also far from themostpowerful in the Ryzen AI lineup.

The same goes for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, which is a balanced mid-range GPU with 8GB of VRAM, so it’s more than enough for all the best PC games right now. In the Blade 14, that 5070 is running at 115W TGP, which is less than Razer’s larger laptops but competitive with other 14-inch gaming machines.

Year-over-year, performance gains are minimal (around 12% for CPU and 3% for GPU), but the Blade 14 (2025) possesses one extremely important advantage: much better thermal performance.

The new Blade 14 runs cool and quiet most of the time, but the fans can get loud as they spin up — at least it’s a low whir, rather than a high whine. The Blade 14’s keyboard deck can also get hot, but never quite hot enough that I couldn’t comfortably touch it.

I ran the Blade 14 through 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark 25 times consecutively, and there was a 99.1% similarity between the best and worst loops. For comparison, the Blade 16 scored 98.1%, which is where a lot of modern gaming laptops land.

  • Forza Horizon 5 —106 FPS(Extreme preset, 1600p resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution/Frame Generation/Reflex Low Latency disabled)|74 FPS(Max settings, NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution set to Auto, NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation/Reflex Low Latency enabled)
  • Gears 5 —81 FPS(Ultra preset, 1600p resolution, uncapped framerate, v-sync enabled)
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 —92 FPS(Extreme preset, 1600p resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution set to Performance, NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation disabled, NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency enabled)
  • Cyberpunk 2077 —51 FPS(Ray Tracing: Ultra preset, 1600p resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, v-sync enabled, NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution Transformer Model set to Auto, NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation disabled, NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency enabled)|51 FPS(Ray Tracing: Overdrive preset, v-sync disabled, NVIDIA DLSS Multi-Frame Generation set to 4x, NVIDIA DLSS Ray Reconstruction enabled)

When gaming, the Razer Blade 14 (2025) is a competent performer for QHD (1600p) gaming at high to ultra settings, and games will still look great on the 14-inch display at a lower 1200p resolution if you’d prefer more frames.

I had zero issues with the Blade 14’s performance, but I have two interesting things to note: first, the RTX 5070 may benefit from NVIDIA’s DLSS AI upscaling and multi-frame generation, but the improvements aren’t nearly as dramatic as the 5070 Ti and up.

Secondly, the Blade 14 sometimes behaves weirdly with NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, where switching to the discrete GPU causes the display to freeze on its static RGB pixel array until you close the laptop and open it again. It only happened twice, but I’ve never experienced that with any other laptop.

Blade 14 review: Software and AI experience

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

Razer Synapse is good, and Razer doesn’t load a bunch of other crap on the Blade 14.

The Razer Blade 14 follows the Blade 16 as one of Razer’s first trueAI PCs, thanks to the AMD Ryzen AI silicon inside. This is a fullCopilot+ PC, so it’s future-proofed to get all the bestWindows 11features as they’re released.

Razer isn’t really taking advantage on its own, with no real AI features to speak of, but between the 50 TOPSNeural Processing Unit (NPU)and the NVIDIA GPU, the Blade 14 should be able to handle any AI task you throw at it across productivity, creativity, and gaming workloads.

Beyond that, this is a clean build of Windows. You’ll find the typical NVIDIA and AMD apps, but basically nothing else beyond Razer’s Synapse and Chroma applications for managing your laptop, Razer accessories, and RGB lighting.

Razer Synapse 4 doesn’t go crazy with the amount of control it gives you over your Blade 14, but all the basics you need are there, plus a few more.

Blade 14 review: Battery experience

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

No gaming laptop can expect multi-day battery life, but AMD Ryzen AI gives the Blade 14 a better shot than most.

You shouldn’t be buying a gaming laptop if you need amazing endurance, but the Blade 14 attempts to strike that balance better than most, with some degree of success.

Running the Blade 14 through an hour-long loop of genericMicrosoft Officetasks resulted in a battery drain of 22%, while looping an HD video at 50% volume took off 21% of the battery.

That’s already a bit better than most 16-inch laptops, and running aWindows Battery Reportshowed I was able to get around 6 hours of actual usage out of the Blade 14 without throttling every feature into the ground, which isn’t bad.

With some compromise, like disabling the keyboard lighting, reducing performance, and lowering screen brightness, you can get the Blade 14 through a full work day (as long as you’re not constantly spinning up that GPU).

On battery power, expect to lose around 30% and 37% of your CPU and GPU performance, respectively — that’s a sizeable bump down, but it’s again better than a lot of larger gaming laptops.

Blade 14 review: Keyboard and touchpad

This keyboard isn’t much different, but it’s solid.

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

I still love the two-stage lighting for highlighting secondary functions.

The keyboard is one area where the Blade 14 didn’t receive the same treatment as its big sibling, as it’s still the shallow 1mm keyboard as before. Off the bat, this isn’t my favorite keyboard in a 14-inch laptop by any means, but I enjoyed typing and gaming on the Blade 14 more than I expected.

Key action is tactile and responsive, and I do like this layout. Razer also implemented its two-stage RGB lighting for keys with secondary functions, helpfully highlighting them when you press the Fn or Shift keys. It’s an amazing detail that all premium laptops should adopt.

As an aside, Razer still has some of thebestRGB lighting in the business, so the per-key lighting on the Blade 14 looks fantastic and is easy to customize.

The touchpad is still comically large, which some people will love. It’s a mechanical touchpad, rather than a more premiumhaptic touchpad, but it’s at least coated in slick, high-quality glass, employsMicrosoft Precision driversfor gesture support, and is responsive and precise to use.

Blade 14 review: Other hardware

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

You do at least get Windows Hello facial recognition, which is nice.

The Razer Blade 14 is undoubtedly a premium laptop, so it boasts a lot of luxuries you’re not guaranteed elsewhere… But Razer didn’t stuff everything and the kitchen sink in here.

The front-facing, FHD webcam and microphone array are decent and more than usable, but nothing exceptional. You at least get an IR sensor forWindows Hellofacial recognition, butthat feature no longer works in the dark(and you don’t get a fingerprint sensor for backup authentication).

There’s also no proximity sensor for theHuman Presence Detection (HPD)features common with other premium AI laptops, nor an ambient light sensor for automatic brightness or color temperature adjustment. Most people won’t miss those features, though.

Wireless connectivity is at least cutting edge withWi-Fi 7and Bluetooth 5.4 on board, although I do wish Razer would bake its proprietary HyperSpeed Wireless technology into its laptops for easy accessory pairing.

One area where the Blade 14 is hands-down at the cutting edge is with audio, as it boasts a mighty impressivesixspeakers packed into its petite frame, tuned with THX 7.1 surround sound in mind. Physics still plays a part with such a small laptop, but these speakers are really good.

Blade 14 review: My final thoughts

Image of the Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop.

✅You should buy this if …

  • You want a premium 14-inch laptop with power for high-end gaming.
  • You want your laptop to make a statement with its design.
  • You want a gaming laptop designed with AI features in mind.

❌You should not buy this if …

  • You only plan to occasionally use the discrete graphics.
  • Reliable, all-day battery life is an absolute must.

Razer laptops have never been known to be affordable, and the Blade 14 is no exception. This is a costly machine, and a lot of that is tied up in the intricate way Razer constructs it.

The redesigned Razer Blade 14 (2025) is easily my favorite Razer laptop so far, though, and proves to me why the smallest in the lineup is also the best-selling. This is an excellent gaming companion with enough power for all the latest and greatest games, but a design thin and light enough to carry around with you everywhere.

It’s also more capable of surviving a full day of work than most gaming laptops, making it a potent option for those who want a premium device for work, play, creativity, and — increasingly important — artificial intelligence.

The Blade 14 is still overkill for a lot of people, though, and those only planning to casually game or occasionally use those beefy NVIDIA graphics may be better off with one of the shockingly capable Intel or AMD ultrabooks from companies like Lenovo or HP.

Those of you who know what they need, though, canget the Razer Blade 14 (2025)from $2,299.99 at Razerright now. If you want my recommendation, get it in silver.

Samsung Galaxy Flip 7 vs. Fold 7: Pocket-Size Style or Productivity Powerhouse?

Samsung’s newest foldable phones differ not just in style, but also in price—by nearly $1,000. Is the sleek, selfie-friendly Flip 7 your perfect match, or does the high-powered, book-style Fold 7 better suit your needs? Let’s break down the specs to help you choose.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Feels like flip phone perfection |  Tom's Guide

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7

Bottom Line

The Z Flip 7 is the smaller and more portable of the two phones and has dedicated selfie software. It costs far less than the Fold, but it’s not as good for multitasking.

What Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 color should you buy? | Android Central

>>>Replacement battery for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

Bottom Line

The Z Fold 7 is a book-style foldable that is a powerful productivity tool, but it’s immensely expensive and somewhat large.Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 bank on the “thinner-and-lighter is better” mantra as their main selling point. But in addition to refined designs, trimmer dimensions, and the usual bevy of spec updates, the Flip and Fold more clearly define their purposes. Both still feature inner and outer screens, but they have more focused features, software, and tools that set them apart more than ever. I got a chance to spend some time with the phones ahead of their July 15 release, and am here to highlight what makes each foldable unique to help you decide which is right for you.

Full SpecsSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 7Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Operating SystemAndroid 16Android 16
CPUExynos2500Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Dimensions3.37 by 2.96 by 0.54 folded, 6.56 by 2.96 by 0.26 inches closed6.24 by 2.87 by 0.35 inches folded, 6.24 by 5.64 by 0.17 inches open
Screen Size6.9 inches8 inches
Screen Resolution2,520 by 1,080 pixels2,184 by 1,968 pixels
Camera Resolution (Rear; Front-Facing)50MP, 12MP; 10MP200MP, 12MP, 10MP; 10MP, 10MP
Battery Life (As Tested)31 hours26 hours

>>>Replacement battery for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5

Pricing: The Fold Is About Twice the Price

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7

It’s not even close, not really. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung’s biggest and most powerful device, and it has always carried a shockingly high price tag to match. It starts at $1,999.99 for the 256GB model, which is $100 more than last year’sZ Fold 6. Meanwhile, the Z Flip 7 is about half as much at $1,099.99, which is the same price as last year’sFlip 6.Left to right: Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Fold 7 comes with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage, each of which is paired with 12GB of RAM. It’s surprising that Samsung didn’t boost the 1TB model’s RAM to 16GB. The Flip 7 ships in 256GB or 512GB models, also with 12GB of RAM. Samsung has yet to provide a full breakdown on the pricing for each model, but you can expect jumps of at least $100 to $120 for each successive bump in storage.

You get a better processor with the Fold, which packs a QualcommSnapdragon 8 Elitechip. Meanwhile, the Flip drops to a Samsung-made Exynos 2500 processor. The former is the top chip available to mobile phones today; we don’t know too much about the latter.

More capable processor or not, with a $900 price difference between them, it’s clear which one is more affordable.

Winner: Galaxy Z Flip 7

>>>Replacement battery for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5

Size and Design: One Folds Like a Book, One Flips Like a Clamshell

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

The full-size Z Fold 7 unfolds like a book to measure 6.24 by 5.64 by 0.17 inches (HWD) open. It’s taller and wider, but 48% thinner than the older model. It’s sort of like what you’d get if you took last year’s phone and pressed it flatter with an iron. It measures 6.24 by 2.87 by 0.35 inches when closed. It’s less heavy than the older model, but still fairly weighty at 7.58 ounces.Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7

The Z Flip 7 is more pocketable and flips open vertically like a clamshell phone of old. It measures 6.56 by 2.96 by 0.26 inches when open and 3.37 by 2.96 by 0.54 inches closed. It weighs 6.63 ounces. Like the Fold, it gains height and width in favor of less depth, though it’s hardly thinner compared with the 0.59-inch thickness of the Flip 6.Galaxy Z Flip 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)

Both phones are made from Armor Aluminum and have Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to prevent breaks. Samsung redesigned the hinges, which are smoother than ever, and carried over theIP48dust and waterproof rating from the outgoing models. They can handle larger dust particles (up to 1mm) and full immersion in about 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

Samsung reduced the color options year over year, and the selection is rather slim. The Z Fold 7 is available in Blue Shadow, Jet-Black, or Silver Shadow, while the Z Flip 7 is available in Blue Shadow, Coral-Red, or Jet-Black. You can get either in Mint (green) as an exclusive from Samsung’s website.

The Fold 7 is as large as any flagship smartphone, and the Flip 7 is half as much when closed.

Winner: Galaxy Z Flip 7


Screens: A Bigger Screen Equals More Multitasking

Samsung increased the size of all the screens this year. The Z Fold 7 now has a 6.5-inch outer display with a resolution of 2,520 by 1,080 pixels, a pixel density of 422ppi, a 21:9 aspect ratio, and a120Hz refresh rate. It’s the same shape as most other phone screens now, which makes it easier to use. The inner screen jumps from 7.6 inches to 8.0 inches and has 2,184 by 1,968 pixels for a density of 368ppi. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate. This is an incredible amount of screen real estate to have in your pocket.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 inner display

Galaxy Z Fold 7 inner display (Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Flip 7 has a 4.1-inch outer screen with 948 by 1,048 pixels at 342ppi and 120Hz. It’s capable of running more apps and widgets than before, but it’s not quite as powerful as the full outer screen of the Fold 7. The inner screen measures 6.9 inches with 2,520 by 1,080 pixels in a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Flip’s main screen is the same size as the Fold 7’s outer screen.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 inner screen

Galaxy Z Flip 7 inner screen (Credit: Eric Zeman)

All four displays are incredibly bright, have hard-to-see creases, and provide more real estate than ever, but the Fold is much better for multitasking.

Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 7

Cameras: The Fold Has More to Flip Out About

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

The Z Fold 7 takes a big leap forward this year, upgrading from a 50MP main sensor to the same 200MP sensor found in theGalaxy S25 UltraandS25 Edge. Samsung says it offers all the same features. The sensor can handle 2x optical zoom, macro shots, and 200MP, 50MP, or 12MP photos. Otherwise, it appears to carry over the 12MP ultra-wide sensor (now with autofocus) and the 10MP telephoto camera (with 3x optical zoom) lens on the Fold 6. The 10MP selfie camera on the cover is unchanged, too, but the user-facing camera that’s part of the display has been improved from 4MP to 10MP. Samsung also dropped the under-display technology for a regular old punch hole. Last, it improved the field of view to 100 degrees, allowing it to capture super-wide group photos.Galaxy Z Fold 7 in silver, blue, and black (Credit: Eric Zeman)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7

Samsung didn’t give the Flip 7 as much to brag about. From a hardware perspective, it ports over the entire stack from the Flip 6, which includes a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP selfie camera. Dedicated selfie software adds some appeal.Both phones gain access to the latest ProVisual Engine processing software, which Samsung says enables features like always-on 10-bit HDR+ color capture, noise suppression, and clear night videography. However, the Fold 7 has Qualcomm’s best ISP on board, and we know little about the Exynos ISP.Galaxy Z Flip 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)

Samsung says Fold 7 buyers will be as happy with their phone as shutterbugs are with the photo-first Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 7

Battery and Charging: The Smaller Phone Has More Battery

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

Samsung sticks with the same 4,400mAh battery it has used for the last three versions of the Z Fold. Meanwhile, the Z Flip 7’s battery grows slightly from 4,000mAh to 4,300mAh. Both phones continue to support 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. They also support reverse wireless charging, but at a pokey 5W.Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)

As with last year’s phones, Samsung says both the Fold and the Flip’s batteries will reach a 50% charge after plugging them in for just 30 minutes. You’ll have to provide the charger, though, as neither ships with one in the box.Samsung claims the Z Fold 7’s battery can provide up to 26 hours of video playback, and the Z Flip 7 can run for 31 hours doing the same. That’s for a 720p video stored locally.

In testing, last year’s Fold 6 ran for 11 hours and 30 minutes and the Flip 6 ran for 16 hours and 20 minutes. The former is less than most modern slab-style phones, while the latter is in line with today’s flagships. If the Fold and Flip 7 make any improvements at all here, you should be in good shape.

Winner: Tie


Software: Galaxy AI and Gemini Galore

Both phones gain new AI powers that are accessible from their outer and inner displays, whether they are opened or closed. The Flip takes a bigger step forward, though it all depends on whether you actually use the software.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7

According to Samsung, the Fold 7 and Flip 7 are the first phones to ship withAndroid 16and include One UI 8 on top. Each will receive seven years of OS and security upgrades.The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s Flex Window (Credit: Eric Zeman)

Samsung went out of its way to explain that the Flip 7 can now access Gemini Live right from the outer screen. A simple press of the side button allows you to start conversations with Google’s chatbot and ask follow-up questions without ever opening the phone. The Flip outer screen also gets the Now Bar and Now Brief, which are AI tools ported over from the Galaxy S25 line that provide real-time information about various things like the weather, news, and your daily schedule.

The Fold 7’s best AI-assisted features are centered on the camera and photo apps. Photo Assist moves, erases, or enlarges objects. Portrait Studio lets you clean up your people pics. Audio Eraser can automatically delete the unwanted background noise in your recordings. Side-by-side editing is possible on the Fold’s giant screen, which lets you see the original and edited photo at the same time.

Winner: Tie


Which Galaxy Foldable Is Right for You?

The use cases for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7 are quite different, as are their prices, sizes, and capabilities. In the end, that should make it relatively easy for you to decide between them. Consider the following:

  • If you want a smaller, less costly phone with plenty of AI, the Z Flip 7 is the right model for you.
  • If you’re willing to pay a premium and want a phone for multitasking, productivity, and photography, pick the Z Fold 7.

MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro 2025: Which Mac should you buy?

Here’s how to decide between the MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro in 2025.

MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 on a wooden table shown in a split screen image next to a MacBook Air 13-inch M14 on a wooden table.

You’ve decided you want a MacBook, but the question of “MacBook Airvs.MacBook Pro?” remains. 

Let’s start with the basics: In 2025, the MacBook Air and Pro lineups consist of four options: 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch MacBook Airs and 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch MacBook Pros.

The MacBook Air models are limited to Apple’s M4 chip, while the MacBook Pro features the M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max. Only the Pro models offer the more powerful “Pro” or “Max” chipsets, one of the most apparent differences between the Air and Pro MacBooks. The base MacBook Pro 14-inch blurs these lines with its standard M4 chip.

People often ask me, “Is the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro better?” There is no universal answer to that question; there is only which is better for you. So, let’s find out.

I will compare price, features, performance, battery life, and more to determine whether you should invest in the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro in 2025.

And once we’ve determined whether the MacBook Air or Pro is better for you, ourbest MacBook dealscan help you secure the best price.

>>>Replacement battery for Apple MacBook Pro 15 A1990 (Mid 2018)

MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Specs compared

Best for mostBig screen valuePortable powerPeak performance
Row 1 – Cell 0MacBook Air 13 (M4)MacBook Air 15 (M4)MacBook Pro 14-inchMacBook Pro 16-inch
Price$999$1,199$1,599$2,499
CPUM4M4M4, M4 Pro or M4 MaxM4 Pro or M4 Max
RAMUp to 32GBUp to 32GBUp to 128GBup to 128GB
Display13.6 inches (2560 x 1600)15.3 inches (2880 x 1864)14.2 inches (3024 x 1964), 120Hz16.2 inches (3456 x 2234), 120Hz
Ports2 Thunderbolt 3/USB 4, MagSafe, headphone2 Thunderbolt 3/USB4, MagSafe, headphone3 Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC card, MagSafe, headphone3 Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SDXC card, MagSafe, headphone
GraphicsM4M4M4, M4 Pro or M4 MaxM4 Pro or M4 Max
Storageup to 2TBUp to 2TBUp to 8TBup to 8TB
Battery Life (hrs)15:42 (tested)15:14 (tested)18:32 (tested)20:46 (tested)
SecurityTouch IDTouch IDTouch IDTouch ID
Size11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches13.40 x 9.53 x 0.45 inches12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches14 x 9.8 x 0.66 inches
Weight2.7 pounds3.3 pounds3.4 pounds4.7 pounds

>>>Replacement battery for Apple MacBook Air 11 inch A1370(Mid 2011) A1465(Mid 2013)

MacBook Air (13-inch, M4): Best for most people

1. MacBook Air 13-inch M4

The best MacBook for most people

Specifications

CPU:Apple M4GPU:Apple M4RAM:16/24/32 GBStorage:256GB/512GB/1TB/2TBDisplay:13.6-inch, 2560 x 1664 Liquid RetinaSize:12 x 8.5 x 0.4 inchesWeight:2.7 pounds

Reasons to buy

+Affordably priced
+Excellent performance
+Over 15 hours of battery life
+Bright Liquid Retina display
+Fast and comfortable typing experience
+Unmatched webcam

Reasons to avoid

-Limited ports
-Upgrades can get expensive

Pros:While the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 looks no different from its predecessor outwardly, multiple changes make it the best MacBook for most people right now. The $100 price cut helps, returning the base MacBook Air to a $999 starting price.

Combined with the bump to 16GB of RAM on the base model, formerly a $200 upgrade, our recommended configuration for the 13-inch MacBook Air is $300 cheaper than last year’s, even without scouting for one of thebest MacBook deals.

The MacBook Air’s 13.6-inch display is one of the brightest laptops around, and True Tone also ensures excellent color accuracy, but the vibrancy falls short of some of the OLED competition. Rumors of Apple moving to OLED in the future abound, but not yet.

Like its predecessors, the MacBook Air M4 is one of the thinnest laptops at only 0.4 inches. However, unlike many ultraportable laptops, it can keep up with an impressive workload, thanks to the M4 chip. Whether it was our benchmarks or real-world usage, the Air M4 was up for any task.

Looking at the benchmarks, the MacBook Air M4 scored 14,489 on Geekbench 6, easily surpassing the competition. Our Handbrake video transcoding test took 5 minutes and 40 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. This blows past the mainstream average, but still can’t hold up to the MacBook Pro models in similar tests. SSD speeds are among the best we’ve seen, with 3,456.2 MBps and 3,018.4 MBps in BlackMagic Write and Read tests, respectively.

All that performance prowess doesn’t hurt its battery life, either. If finding an outlet can be a challenge during your day, never fear: The Air M4 powered through almost 16 hours of battery life testing in our lab.

Rounding out the additions and upgrades from this year, the new Apple Center webcam is one of the best I’ve ever tested, the 12MP camera makes you look your best in any lighting.

Cons:So what are the downsides? If you have a lot of peripherals, the pair of Thunderbolt/USB-C ports may be challenging, but at least you have MagSafe 3 to keep both ports free while charging.

While the base $999 price for the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is reasonable given what you are getting, if you need to upgrade RAM or storage, each jump is another $200, but neither is user-upgradeable, so don’t leave yourself short.

Need more screen real estate? Look no further than the15-inch MacBook Air M4. It mirrors all of the strengths of its smaller sibling but with a larger 15.3-inch display.

>>>Replacement battery for Apple MacBook Pro 16″ Late 2021 A2485 A2780

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4Lenovo Yoga Slim 7xMacBook Air 13-inch M3Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425)
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better)14,84913,75012,08712,908
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better)5.405.167.406.17
SSD Transfer rate (Higher is better, MBps)Row 2 – Cell 11416Row 2 – Cell 31279.88
BlackMagic Write (SSD speed)3,456.23,253.33,058.8Row 3 – Cell 4
BlackMagic Read (SSD speed)3,018.43,652.63,030.7Row 4 – Cell 4
Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit)85.286.083.5111.9
Battery life (Higher is better)Row 6 – Cell 114.1415.1312.21
Display brightness (Higher is better)463464476354
sRGB color gamut (Higher is better)112%219%110%115%
DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better)79.6%155.4%77.8%81.7%
Color accuracy (Lower is better)0.20.370.210.21
Sid Meier’s Civ VI: Gathering Storm (1080p)40.6520.8741.3932.5
Borderlands 3 (1080p)20.8517.08
Shadow of the Tomb Raider3125

MacBook Air (15-inch, M4): Best affordable big screen

2. MacBook Air 15-inch M4

Best affordable big-screen MacBook

Specifications

CPU:Apple M4GPU:Apple M4RAM:16/24/32 GBStorage:256GB/512GB/1TB/2TBDisplay:15.3-inches, 2880 x 1864 Liquid RetinaSize:13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inchesWeight:3.3 pounds

Reasons to buy

+$100 cheaper than its predecessor
+Strong performance
+Over 15 hours of battery life
+Bright Liquid Retina display
+Class-leading webcam

Reasons to avoid

-Limited ports
-Upgrades can get expensive

Pros:Getting that big 15.3-inch display on a MacBook for as low as $1,199 is hard to pass up, considering that for years, a large screen MacBook was at least $2,499. While it lacks the 120Hz refresh rate of the Pro models, Apple didn’t skimp on the display, as it offers an excellent 476 nits of brightness in our testing.

At 3.3 pounds and just 0.45 inches thick, it’s a strong contender for thebest business laptopsorbest student laptopsfor anyone who values a larger laptop that won’t weigh down theirlaptop bag. Thanks to 15 hours and 14 minutes of battery life in our testing, it also won’t call it quits on you early.

It features the same M4 chip as the 13-inch Air M4. It delivers nearly identical performance results on many tasks, although sustained tasks like video editing tip in favor of the 15-inch model, presumably due to improved thermal performance.

Cons:Not many. I find the port situation slightly more frustrating on the 15-inch Air as it features the same pair of Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, MagSafe charger, and headphone/mic jack as the much smaller MacBook Air 13-inch. However, most of us who need more ports have long ago added aUSB-C huborlaptop docking stationto our assortment of gear.

MacBook Air 15-inch M4Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406)MacBook Air 15-inch M3Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 9)
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better)14,92111,15712,05212,455
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better)4.578.286.305.10
SSD Transfer rate (Higher is better, MBps)Row 2 – Cell 11007.29Row 2 – Cell 31016.42
BlackMagic Write (SSD speed)3,335.12,513.53,167.1Row 3 – Cell 4
BlackMagic Read (SSD speed)3,012.52,590.12,968.2Row 4 – Cell 4
Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit)90.097.783.595.0
Battery life (Higher is better)15.1413.5115.037.24
Display brightness (Higher is better)476342482357
sRGB color gamut (Higher is better)118%116%109%192%
DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better)83.5%82.0%77.5%136.3%
Color accuracy (Lower is better)0.220.210.30.27
Sid Meier’s Civ VI: Gathering Storm (1080p)44.7354834.97
Borderlands 3 (1080p)19.3823.6617.3
Shadow of the Tomb Raider3119

MacBook Pro (14-inch): Best for creative pros on the go

3. MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, M4 Pro/Max)

The best MacBook for creative pros on the go

Specifications

CPU:Apple M4, M4 Pro/M4 MaxGPU:Apple M4 , M4 Pro/M4 MaxRAM:16/24/36/48/64/128GBStorage:512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TBDisplay:14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024×1964 pixels)Size:12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inchesWeight:3.4 pounds

Reasons to buy

+Impressive performance
+Over 17 hours of battery life
+Great port selection
+Beautifully vibrant display with crisp detail
+Excellent audio

Reasons to avoid

-Off-putting notch
-Still no Face ID

Pros:The base MacBook Pro 14 with its M4 chip is an excellent value for those looking for more power than the Air can offer without spending upwards of $2,000. It’s also important to note when comparing against the Air that you start at 512GB of storage, a $200 upgrade for Air buyers. For most users, the base M4 will get the job done, but if time is money for you, then the M4 Pro and M4 Max processors Apple are among the fastest, most power-efficient chips ever built for portable computing.

The base models at both the M4 and M4 Pro levels are better than ever, with the M4 Pro outperforming the M3 Max in many metrics, so consider that before snapping up a deal on the older models. While the base model will be more than enough for most users, you can configure the M4 Max up to 128GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD. Battery life was tested at 18 hours and 32 minutes for the standard M4 configuration, and we would expect fairly similar results from the M4 Pro and M4 Max.

That redesign from 2021 still feels fresh with the 14.2-inch, 3024 x 1964-pixel Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. At 556 nits, this panel is one of the brightest laptop screens ever and both color accurate and vivid enough for creative work.

At 12.3 inches x 8.7 x 0.6 inches and 3.4 pounds, the 14-inch MacBook Pro remains portable despite the power it packs underneath the hood.

The 12MP Center Stage camera is another notable upgrade for the M4 MacBook Pros, it’s the best webcam we’ve ever seen on a laptop with outstanding color accuracy while holding up well in differing lighting conditions. Add in Touch ID, a six-speaker setup, and a comfortable keyboard and the 14-inch MacBook Pro has a lot going for it.

Cons:So, what’s wrong with the laptop? I’ll be honest, not much. It would be great to get Face ID support for facial recognition login since that’s been available onWindowslaptops for years. While your mileage may vary, I find the vent placement makes the MacBook Pro uncomfortable to hold in certain orientations, which isn’t a major issue, but it’s something I haven’t encountered on a MacBook previously.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4, 2024)Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3, 2023)HP Spectre x360 (14-inch, 2024)Asus Zenbook S14 UX5406SPremium laptops average
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better)15,11411,96812,35811,15710,492
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better, MM.SS)04:2805:3807:3008:2806:18
Battery life (HH.MM)18:3217:1611:0113:5113:23
DCI-P3 Color Gamut (Higher is better)80.281.385.88284.7
Display Brightness (Nits)556.6558366555434

MacBook Pro 16-inch: Best for peak performance

4. MacBook Pro (16-inch, M4 Pro)

The best MacBook for performance and battery life

Specifications

CPU:Apple M4 Pro/M4 MaxGPU:Apple M4 Pro/M4 MaxRAM:24GB/32GB/64GB/128GBStorage:512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TBDisplay:16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display (3024 x 1964 pixels)Size:14 x 9.8 x 0.7 inchesWeight:4. pounds

Reasons to buy

+Powerful overall and gaming performance
+First-in-class battery life
+Excellent audio
+Beautiful display

Reasons to avoid

-$2,499 starting price

Pros:This MacBook Pro has everything we love about the 14-inch MacBook Pro but with a large 16-inch display. It has the same M4 Pro and M4 Max chip options along with up to a ludicrous 128GB of memory and up to an 8TB SSD. Battery life is even better, at 20 hours and 46 minutes in our testing, our second-longest result ever and the longest ever for a MacBook. Given the sky-high performance benchmarks, that battery life is almost unbelievable, I’ve speculated before that Apple has a secret pocket dimension in the MacBook Pro chassis, and I’m still not counting that out as a possibility.

If you plan to keep your laptop for 5-7 years or more and particularly are doing creative work or other work that requires data transfers between your laptop and either an SSD or other hardware, then the 16-inch MacBook Pro offers another advantage over its smaller Pro sibling, Thunderbolt 5 ports. While there is little to take full advantage of the new standard at the moment, Thunderbolt 5 docks, external SSDs, and more are starting to arrive and will pick up over the next 12 months.

Cons:You can get most of what is available in the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the 14-inch model for $500 less. If you need the larger panel or Thunderbolt 5 support, then get the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but if that’s not crucial, there is little reason to pay up for the larger laptop.

Also, at 14 x 9.8 x 0.66 inches and 4.7 pounds, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is considerably larger than the 14-inch model, so if you regularly tote your laptop around, that’s worth considering as well.

Like the 14-inch model, I wish Face ID was available, and I’m not a fan of the vent configuration, but these are minor concerns overall.

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max, 2023)Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9Asus ProArt PX16 2024Premium laptops average
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better)22,82221,18212,14115,28610,492
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better, MM.SS)02:3802:3603:5303:1506:18
Battery life (HH.MM)20:4618:0509:5109:3213:23
DCI-P3 Color Gamut (Higher is better)81.481.8105.785.584.7
Display Brightness (Nits)565558373356434