Best laptops: A buying guide for the holidays 2025

Looking for the best laptops? The holiday season is the perfect time to buy. With deals during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shoppers can cut through the noise and focus on laptops that meet real-world needs. This laptop buying guide breaks down essential specs, use-case scenarios, and smart shopping strategies to help you make confident, informed purchases—whether buying for yourself or gifting.

Surface Laptops are built to handle everything from writing research papers to running AI-intensive processes like real time translations during video calls and image generation.

Whichever Surface laptop you choose, you get a device that’s built for the power of now and the future—with AI PC performance that helps you get more done, more confidently.³

Start with a clear budget

Before shopping, it’s important to establish a budget. Knowing your budget upfront can help narrow your choices and avoid unnecessary upselling during promotional events such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Here’s what to expect at different price points:

• Under $600: Basic functionality for web browsing, email, and light productivity. Great for casual users.
• $600–$1,000: Good displays, decent battery life, and enough power for multitasking. A strong option for students and professionals.
• $1,000+: Premium builds, high-res screens, faster processors, and integrated AI capabilities. Ideal for gamers, creators, and power users.

When shopping during the holidays, leverage tools such as price alerts, browser extensions, and deal aggregators to track discounts. Always verify that the specifications and components match the promotional claims, and purchase only from trusted retailers.

Match the laptop to the user

The best laptop is one that meets the specific needs of the person using it. This section outlines what to consider for different types of users.

Laptop, tablet, or both

So many options are available when choosing a device. It’s helpful to first know if you want a laptop, a tablet, and or a 2-in-1 PC:

• Laptop: A portable computer with a built-in keyboard and trackpad.
• Tablet: A touchscreen device optimized for media consumption and portability.
• 2-in-1: A hybrid design, think of a 2-in-1 as a touchscreen laptop with a detachable keyboard or a tablet with an attachable keyboard. You can switch between laptop and tablet modes.

Lightweight and ultra-portable, Surface Copilot+ PCs help empower you with tools to help you be more productive, engaging, and secure. And Surface gives you a couple of choices:

• Surface Pro 2-in-1 delivers a flexible, AI-powered tablet experience that transforms into a full laptop with a detachable keyboard⁵. Available in 13-inch and 12-inch sizes, Surface Pro is perfect for users who value portability, pen input, and the freedom to work where they want, when they want—it works like a laptop and plays like a tablet.

For students

Look for:

• Lightweight, portable design
• Long battery life
• Support for writing, research, and video calls

Copilot to help summarize notes, draft essays, and stay organized.

For creators

Look for:

• Color-accurate, high-res displays
• Pen input and touch support
• Sufficient RAM and SSD space

Surface USB4 Dock⁵ to help enable fast iteration and efficient design.

For casual users

Look for:

• Ease of use
• Comfortable display for media and browsing
• Reliable battery life

Surface Pro offer casual users built-in AI tools, such as instant access to Copilot via a dedicated Copilot key and AI features like Recall, which you use to search for a document, email, or web page simply by describing how you remember it.

What to look for when buying a laptop

Here are the specs to look for and how specs connect to real performance.

Processor (CPU)

Avoid outdated chips (such as, Intel 11th Gen, AMD Ryzen 3000). Instead, be sure the device you purchase has one of the following processors:

• Snapdragon® X Elite Plus Series (AI-power, fanless, highly efficient)
• Intel Core Ultra (2024+)
• AMD Ryzen 8000 series or newer

Surface Pro feature the latest Snapdragon® X Elite Plus processors, purpose-built for AI workloads.

NPU

An NPU is a dedicated chip that runs AI tasks locally, which is essential for long-term performance and battery efficiency.

Surface computers are designed around the NPU to enable advanced AI features to run locally and without cloud lag.

RAM

RAM affects how smoothly your laptop runs, especially when multitasking or working with large files. While 8GB can cover basic tasks like web browsing and writing, creators, professionals, and students running modern AI-enhanced apps will benefit from 16GB or more.

Surface Pro are equipped with fast LPDDR5x RAM that supports fluid multitasking, quick app switching, and AI-powered experiences. This performance is built in—no need to compromise speed or responsiveness during your daily workflows.

Storage

Storage impacts both capacity and speed. SSDs are standard for fast boot times and smooth file access. However, while light users might find 256GB of storage to be enough, creators, students, and professionals often need 512GB of storage or more.

Surface Pro come equipped with high-speed SSD storage that supports fast data access and responsive system performance, which is essential when working with large files or switching between multiple apps enhanced by AI tools. These devices also avoid hidden upgrade costs—storage options are clear and included with the purchase.

If longevity matters, you can look for a device with upgradable RAM or storage. Or simply pick a Surface device that’s already built with enough RAM, storage, and processing power to last.

Display

Display quality is often sacrificed to hit lower price points. Budget models may feature dim, low-resolution screens that are uncomfortable to use for long periods.

Surface Pro feature high-resolution PixelSense™ touchscreens, which provide crisp visuals, vibrant colors, and responsive touch input. Whether you're working on a document, attending a video call, or using digital ink with a Surface Slim Pen, the display is designed to enhance clarity and reduce eye strain—especially important for long study or work sessions. Express yourself with touch, voice, or pen on your PixelSense touchscreen display.

Battery life

Battery claims in marketing materials can be misleading, often based on lab conditions that don’t reflect real-world use. Demanding tasks like video conferencing or multitasking with AI features can drain battery faster than expected.

Surface Pro are tested for real-world performance and offer all-day battery life, even when handling tasks like video calls, multitasking, or using AI features. Because AI tasks run locally on the device, rather than in the cloud, Surface delivers efficient power usage and lightning-fast performance.²

Ports and connectivity

Thin laptops often compromise here. Make sure your laptop includes:

• USB-C (for charging and peripherals)
• USB-A (legacy devices)
• Headphone jack (if needed)

Surface Pro come equipped with USB-C and USB-A ports as well as a headphone jack. This setup supports external monitors, peripherals, and audio devices, ensuring you have what you need for both productivity and entertainment without requiring additional adapters.

AI art created via Copilot