Best AI laptops in 2025: Intel, AMD, and Snapdragon laptops with CPU, GPU, and NPU for artificial intelligence apps

Buying an AI laptop as your next PC means getting a system with specialized hardware designed to handle local AI tasks.

There are AI PCs for regular productivity work, AI PCs with high-end designs and features, and AI PCs built specifically for gaming and other demanding tasks.

As of my most recent update, we've tested more than 30 AI PCs, which equates to hundreds of hours spent with AI laptops.

That experience helps me pinpoint exactly which options are the best for you, with considerations for features beyond the CPU, like display quality, battery life, memory, and storage.

My top pick is the ASUS Zenbook A14, but there are plenty more great alternatives if it's not quite what you need.

The quick list

My favorite AI laptops in 2025

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Best 14-inch laptop

The ASUS Zenbook A14 isn't designed to be a powerhouse. Instead, it focuses on being as thin and light as possible.

It uses ASUS' "Ceraluminum" material throughout, which ASUS says is 300% stronger than the average aluminum material used in laptops. This results in a total weight that's 21% less than the 2024 MacBook Air.

The Zenbook A14 has Qualcomm's latest entry-level Snapdragon X chip, the X1-26-100, inside. This chip has an NPU inside with up to 45 TOPS of power — Copilot+ requires at least 40 TOPS — giving it about as much AI power as possible without adding a discrete GPU.

The relatively lightweight Snapdragon X SoC also promotes long battery life. Windows Central reviewer Zachary Boddy noted in their ASUS Zenbook A14 review:

"Running a Windows Battery Report backs those estimates — squeezing over 12 hours of actual screen-on usage from the Zenbook A14 isn't just possible, it's easy.

"There's no absurd throttling being done to achieve that endurance, either. I tested the Zenbook A14 on and off the charger with identical settings, and observed a 0.7% drop in CPU performance and a 1% drop in GPU performance."

A 14-inch OLED display with 1920x1200 resolution tops things off. It only hits a 60Hz refresh rate, but it provides perfect color in the sRGB and DCI-P3 gamuts and is capable of reaching up to 400 nits brightness.

👀 Read our full ASUS Zenbook A14 review

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Best convertible laptop

HP's redesigned OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 doesn't sound as sleek as its "Spectre" predecessor. However, HP wasn't fooling around when it went all-in on a rebrand in 2024. The Spectre x360 14's successor is thinner and lighter while offering improved computing and AI performance thanks to the Intel Core Ultra "Lunar Lake" mobile CPUs inside.

The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is available with up to a Core Ultra 9 288V CPU with 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM, relying on integrated Intel Arc graphics that are more potent than you might imagine.

The built-in NPU hits up to 48 TOPS of AI power, getting you into Copilot+ and other AI-focused software. And thanks to HP's Wolf Security, the laptop can leverage the NPU for additional security without a noticeable impact on overall performance.

Windows Central's Zachary Boddy reviewed the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14, stating:

"That is to say, this laptop runs like a dream. It's not a powerhouse workstation for heavy-duty creative work or hardcore gaming, of course, but it's a stellar performer considering its compact stature and flexible design. Intel Evo certification guarantees short waits when booting up, waking from sleep, or logging in, as well as fantastic standby endurance."

The convertible PC's display can rotate all the way around on 360-degree hinges, giving you plenty of versatility in how you use the screen. On that note, all models have the same display as the Spectre x360 14 predecessor: it measures 14 inches with an OLED panel, offering unreal color and contrast. In Boddy's testing, it hit 100% sRGB and DCI-P3, dropping only to 93% for AdobeRGB.

👀 Read our full HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 (2024) review

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Best screen

Lenovo's Yoga Slim 9i 14 (Gen 10) is centered around Intel's Core Ultra (Series 2) chips, with your choice of either Core Ultra 7 256V or Core Ultra 258V.

Both chips include Intel's AI Boost NPU with up to 47 TOPS of AI power, giving it enough juice to handle Copilot+ and other software. Its integrated GPU is also quite potent, coming out ahead of most other AI laptops we've tested.

On top of general performance, the NPU ties in to Lenovo's AI Core to boost security and intelligent power management. In Zachary Boddy's Yoga Slim 9i 14 (Gen 10) review, they saw on average about 6 hours of runtime from the 75Wh battery.

That's at least in part due to the 4K OLED touch display that's on board, offering a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and perfect coverage of the sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts. Capable of up to 400 nits in standard mode, it can climb to 750 nits with HDR enabled.

👀 Read our full Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 (Gen 10) review

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Best 16-inch laptop

The first AI laptop tested at Windows Central with AMD's latest Ryzen AI 300 mobile CPUs comes from ASUS, and it's a beauty for anyone who needs all-day battery life from an x86-64 system. That means you don't have to worry about any limitations or emulation requirements associated with ARM64 systems.

Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson, in his Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) review, found that the laptop could last longer than an eight-hour workday, climbing to more than 13 hours in PCMark 10's Modern Office rundown.

The chip has an NPU with up to 50 TOPS of AI power for Copilot+ and other AI software, and it otherwise has tons of CPU power for standard computing.

Wilson shares some NPU performance insights in his review, in which he tested the NPU using Amuse image generation:

"After four iterations, the Zenbook S generated the image in 2.8 seconds with the Radeon 890M GPU. I performed the same steps on an Intel-based Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (Gen 9), which took 8.9 seconds to generate the same image via the Intel Arc GPU. Local image generation is performed exclusively on the CPU or GPU in Amuse, leaving the NPU only for AMD XDNA Super Resolution upscaling, where supported."

Alongside strong performance and efficiency from the AMD chip, the laptop has a 16-inch OLED touch display with a 2880x1800 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

Considering you can pick up a model with a 120Hz OLED display, Ryzen AI 9 365 chip, 24GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for about $1,400 at Best Buy, you can rest assured that you're getting a competitive price on a great AI PC powered by AMD.

👀 Read our full ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5605) review

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Best 14-inch gaming laptop

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) offers respectable gaming performance in a slim chassis that's easier to carry around than more traditional 16-inch gaming devices. It was redesigned for 2024, resulting in a more streamlined approach with an aluminum design and an understated look. It's slim, it's sleek, and it offers a high-end keyboard, touchpad, and speakers.

Inside is an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU with AI Ryzen NPU managing 16 TOPS of AI-specific performance. It's underpowered compared to other NPUs in this list, but the dedicated NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU easily bests the TOPS of any CPU-bound NPU on the market right now.

The laptop's primary focus is gaming, but the PC's modern design also makes it suitable for creative and design work. It will get hot to the touch when under prolonged load, but it runs without major throttling thanks to intelligent power balancing. Battery life goes from about two or three hours when gaming up to about six hours for lighter tasks.

The 14-inch OLED display is gorgeous, with a 2.8K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness with HDR enabled, 100% DCI-P3 color reproduction, and NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility.

Staff Writer Zachary Boddy remarked in their ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review that "ASUS set out to perfect its 14-inch gaming laptop and kissed the feet of sublimity with the latest version."

👀 Read our full ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) review

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Best 16-inch gaming laptop

As far as 16-inch gaming laptops go, the Alienware m16 R2 is one of the best we've ever tested. If you prefer a larger display with Intel and NVIDIA performance hardware, it should be hard to pass up.

In her Alienware m16 R2 review, Editor Rebecca Spear said:

"Its performance and how long the battery can last when running average office programs thoroughly impressed me. For this reason, the laptop will serve you well if you need to use it for work, school, and video games."

As with the ROG Zephyrus G14, most of the AI power comes from the dedicated NVIDIA RTX laptop GPUs. However, Intel's Series 1 Core Ultra chips also have a dedicated NPU with about 13 TOPS of power. That won't make the cut for Copilot+, but that matters less to gamers.

Other review highlights include the generous selection of ports, customizable RGB lighting, strong battery life outside of gaming, and the sleek redesign that makes it more compact than its predecessor.

It would be nice to have more screen brightness, but the QHD+ display is otherwise impressive for gaming with 240Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, G-Sync support, and 99% sRGB color.

👀 Read our full Alienware m16 R2 review

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Best Windows on ARM

One of the biggest criticisms of past Surface Laptop models involved the design. It wasn't poorly designed — quite the opposite — but new models often didn't make any major changes to help sell the fresh hardware. This was true for both sizes of the laptop.

That's changed with the Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC. The new model has thinner display bezels, rounded corners on the display, an upsized touchpad using Sensel haptics, an angled underside, and clean edges. It's now even easier to replace parts, and Microsoft sells the hardware directly.

The Laptop 7 still doesn't have OLED panels, but its IPS screens are impressive. The 13.8- and 15-inch sizes have the same 201 pixels-per-inch, 3:2 aspect ratio, 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, and Dolby Vision IQ support. They even max out around 600 nits of brightness. I just wish it had an anti-reflective coating.

Typing and pointing are top-notch, the speakers have Dolby Atmos, and the Qualcomm chips offer tons of power and long battery life. Windows Central Senior Editor Zac Bowden reviewed the Surface Laptop 7, noting on the subject of emulated app performance:

"On older generations of Windows on Arm chips, running even basic apps under emulation felt slower than running an Intel or AMD machine. That's no longer the case here on Snapdragon X. Many of the apps I've tried that run under emulation feel fine, with no scrolling lag or frame dropping when navigating through an app."

The Laptop 7's Snapdragon X chip includes an NPU with 45 TOPS of power, more than enough for Copilot+ and other AI tasks.

The Surface Laptop 7 Bowden tested hit 18.5 hours in PCMark 10's Modern Office rundown, and you should expect anywhere from 12 to 15 hours of runtime in a real-world situation.

👀 Read our full Surface Laptop 7 review

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Best 2-in-1

This 2-in-1 laptop "is the most exciting version since the original Surface Pro," according to Windows Central Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino in his Surface Pro 11 review.

That's mostly thanks to the inclusion of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-80) and Plus SoCs with strong performance and impressive efficiency, but there are some other goodies that help sell the PC.

The core 2-in-1 design remains the same, offering tons of versatility as a tablet or as a laptop, but there's a new Pro Flex keyboard with wireless capabilities, a Sensel haptic touchpad, and a more rigid core to help with wireless use.

The Pro 11 now also has an optional OLED display. The 13-inch 2880x1920 panel works dynamically between 60Hz and 120Hz, it supports VESA DisplayHDR 600 and Dolby Vision, and it hit 100% sRGB and 96% DCI-P3 color reproduction in our testing. If you'd like to spend less, the usual touch IPS display is still available.

Performance and battery life are both stellar. The X Elite (X1E-80) chip we tested even pulls ahead of the Core Ultra chip in the XPS 14 and XPS 16, with no real performance slowdown when you unplug the PC. The Pro 11 averaged about 10 hours of runtime from a charge, hitting as high as 15 hours with mixed work.

It does, of course, come with an NPU at about 45 TOPS, giving it access to Copilot+ AI tools and additional performance for other AI tasks. Rubino states in his review:

"In short, the NPU, along with software in Windows 11 and software from third-party vendors, can run AI software much faster and more securely than sending it to the cloud and having it come down again, which is currently how most AI apps are handled due to the complexity of the task."

👀 Read our full Surface Pro 11 review

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Honorable mentions

The Windows Central team is always busy learning about and testing new laptops. I've selected the best AI laptops above, but there are more worth checking out in this section of honorable mentions.

• HP Spectre x360 14 (2024): The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 I featured above has succeeded the Spectre, but it remains an outstanding laptop with an AI CPU, premium design, and outstanding touch display. 👉 Read the full HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) review
• ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2025): This 2-in-1 AI laptop is essentially an overpowered Surface Pro designed for AI workloads and gaming. It's not for everyone, but enthusiasts will love the high-end specs. 👉 Read the full ASUS ROG Flow Z13 review
• Dell XPS 14 (9440): Dell's 14-inch AI laptop was my top pick, but it's about to be replaced with a new model under Dell's rebranded naming. The XPS is still a good model, but the newer Zenbook A14 takes the top title. 👉 Read the full Dell XPS 14 (9440) review
• ASUS Zenbook DUO (2025): This updated dual-screen AI PC only gets better in 2025, and it's the perfect PC for busy multitaskers who need double the screen space and AI PC enhancements. 👉 Read the full ASUS Zenbook DUO (2025) review
• Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro: An outstanding AI PC that's slim and powerful. Features a gorgeous 16-inch AMOLED display and fantastic battery life. 👉 Read the full Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro review

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Recent reviews

A lot of laptops in need of testing cross our desks, and not all of them end up with a high enough score to warrant a place on my list. In this case, it might be a great laptop that lacks an NPU; worth mentioning but not technically an AI PC.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 13) | Core Ultra 7 268V | 32GB LPDDR5x | 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros: Incredible design that's light and durable; Intel Core Ultra improves day-to-day performance; excellent keyboard.

Cons: Battery life and raw performance trail behind competition; few configuration options (for now).

👉 See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 13) review

Acer Swift 14 AI | Core Ultra 7 258V | 32GB LPDDR5X | 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe

Score: ⭐⭐⭐½

Pros: Long battery life; sturdy design; Thunderbolt 4 ports, Windows Hello (IR and fingerprint).

Cons: Mediocre performance; no SD card reader; lots of bloatware.

👉 See our full Acer Swift 14 AI review

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Cale Hunt

I've been covering laptops at Windows Central since 2016, and the recent AI PC craze has certainly given me a lot more to learn about. With my own testing as well as the expert reviews done by my Windows Central colleagues in mind, I can confidently recommend these AI PCs.

How we test AI laptops

As with any PC that comes our way at Windows Central, all AI laptops are put through a long list of benchmarks and real-world tests to determine their value.

Because each reviewer essentially adopts the AI laptop for regular use, it quickly becomes clear how well it delivers on promises surrounding overall system performance and thermal capacity, display quality and brightness, battery life and real-world runtime, audio and camera quality, typing and pointing, and more.

👀 How we test and review laptops at Windows Central

For general PC performance, laptops are put through more tests from Geekbench, Cinebench, CrossMark, PCMark, 3DMark, CrystalDiskMark, and more. We also like to test heat and thermals using a FLIR camera, as well as noise using a sound level meter.

For AI laptops, we push beyond the usual performance tests to focus on the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), key hardware in any AI PC. We generally apply Geekbench's AI and ML tests, Procyon's Intel OpenVINO and Windows ML tests, and some image generation tests also available through Procyon.

Display quality is measured using a colorimeter (usually a Datacolor SpyderX), which tests for color gamuts, tone, and brightness.

And as for battery life, a combination of real-world usage, Windows battery reports, and benchmarking tools like PCMark's battery rundown are enough to get a clear idea of how long the laptop can run on a charge.

How to choose the best AI laptop for you

AI PCs, as defined by Intel, require a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which is a specific piece of hardware set aside for AI work, lessening the load on the processor (CPU) and graphics chip (GPU).

Microsoft adds the necessity of a Copilot key on the keyboard in its definition of AI PC, and some options in this list feature the new dedicated input.

I've also included some of the best Copilot+ PCs tested and reviewed here at Windows Central, featuring Snapdragon X ARM64 chips and access to advanced AI features in Windows 11.

AI PCs really don't look any different from standard laptops, and some of the devices included here are laptops that have received regular refreshes for 2024 and 2025, albeit this time with a CPU that includes an NPU.

The ASUS Zenbook A14 is my new top pick thanks to its incredible design and display alongside Snapdragon X AI performance. If you want a thin and light AI laptop, this is the one to get.

If you're more interested in a convertible laptop, the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 (2024) is one of the best that we've ever tested. It succeeds the Spectre x360 14, coming in as a thinner, lighter, and more powerful sibling. It's the right choice if you want to maximize versatility.

For high-end gaming laptops, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) and Alienware m16 R2 are both standouts from recent reviews. They've both received overhauls for the new generation, and they can both deliver a high-end gaming experience from display to keyboard to performance hardware inside.

We've also been testing and reviewing Copilot+ PCs powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus ARM64 chips. The Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 have long been some of our favorite Windows laptops, and this year's refresh with Snapdragon X has pushed them into a new class with all-day battery life and snappy performance on or off the charger.

Best AI laptops FAQ

New to the world of AI laptops? Here are some answers to the top questions surrounding AI PCs.

What is an AI laptop?

The definition of "AI PC" is still murky, but Intel and Microsoft have been leading the way so far in attempting to set guidelines.

Intel says an AI PC requires a modern CPU, GPU, and NPU with AI acceleration capabilities, while Microsoft adds Copilot software and a Copilot key on the keyboard as requirements.

The NPU is a new addition designed specifically to perform AI tasks, helping take some of the load off of a system's CPU and GPU. While a GPU is still used, in many cases, for AI acceleration, more general AI tasks can absolutely benefit from the NPU.

We know that Copilot+ features in Windows 11 require at least 40 TOPS (Tera Operations per Second) of NPU power. This feature is becoming more common as laptops receive the latest Intel and AMD hardware. The Copilot+ exclusivity with Qualcomm has seemingly come to an end, and you can now choose between Snapdragon X, AMD Ryzen AI 300, and Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) CPUs for your Copilot+ PC.

What's the difference between Copilot+ PCs and AI laptops?

AI PCs have been around for a while, but Copilot+ PCs have arrived to shake things up (and make things more complicated for buyers). The difference between Copilot+ PCs and AI PCs ultimately comes down to NPU performance and access to certain AI features.

In a general sense, an AI PC has a CPU, GPU, and NPU designed for local AI acceleration. This includes PCs with a discrete GPU with specific cores for AI, but it also includes laptops with modern Systems-on-Chip (SoC). Laptops with Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm hardware can be considered AI PCs.

Copilot+ was announced by Microsoft as a term for new AI features in Windows as well as the laptops capable of running them locally. The new AI features — including Windows Recall, Live Caption, enhanced local Cocreator, improved Windows Studio Effects, Auto Super Resolution, and more — are only available on PCs with an NPU capable of at least 40 TOPS.

What AI laptop is best for students?

Students of all ages are headed back to school, and the lure of an AI PC is undoubtedly tempting. The uses for AI in your laptop are still what I'd consider limited, but the tools continue to improve and I admit that I often tap in for some quick help when writing, taking notes, or brainstorming.

If I'm recommending an AI PC for the average student, it's likely going to be one with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X SoC inside. Something like the Surface Pro 11 or Surface Laptop 7 provides all-day battery life, snappy performance even on DC power, high-end touch displays, and sleek designs. They're perfect for long days of lectures and labs, and they're easy to carry around in a backpack.

For students who require discrete graphics performance or who don't want to fiddle with ARM64 emulation, I'd suggest taking a look at the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, the Dell XPS 14, or even the ASUS Zenbook S 16 (though it lacks a discrete GPU).

Do you really need an AI laptop?

Most people don't need to rush out and buy an AI PC at this point, but anyone shopping for a new device might find it hard to avoid a system with an NPU. Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm chips have saturated the market, and the new Copilot+ PCs will be tempting for anyone who values performance and efficiency. There's a good chance that you'll end up buying an AI PC anyway even if you don't set out with the specific goal in mind.

The usefulness of an AI PC is only going to increase as we see more apps and operating systems integrate AI, so it's not a bad idea to at least consider one of these laptops as your next device.