Review of Windows Laptops - 2025 Edition

Seiya recently asked for either a Windows laptop or iPad for the upcoming school year starting in April. I couldn't find any documents on his school's website specifying the technical requirements, so I created my own priorities of it being lightweight, having good battery life, an excellent screen, good keyboard and trackpad, all for around $1,000 or less.

I've been a long-time Mac user, so I haven't been aware of the latest tech for Windows since my Dell XPS purchase in 2018. I had to start my research from scratch.

Because I would always hear about Paul Thurrott rave about the Microsoft Surface laptops on the Windows Weekly podcast, that lineup was first in my mind. I love the quality and attention to detail they put into the Surface. Picking one up and testing it out makes it feel like it came straight from Cupertino. The problem is that for their latest revision, Microsoft ditched Intel and AMD and went all-in on Qualcomm's ARM-based, Snapdragon SoC. I understand why they did this, on paper it attempts to compete for the performance-per-watt crown of Apple's ARM-based laptops, but it falls short in one crucial aspect, application compatibility. While improving, the current list of native applications is abysmal. Plus, I didn't want to risk some school-based application not working with a non-x86 chipset.

Eliminating Snapdragon, I simplified my search by just focusing on 14-inch, Intel-based chipsets. IMO, 13-inches is ideal for portability but non-ideal for everyday work. 15-inches is ideal for everyday work but non-ideal for portability. 

Listed below are the laptops I researched. Note that the Japanese laptop market often doesn't align with the U.S., with models being slightly different in configuration. Also, Japanese models seem to be about 25 to 50% more expensive.

• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i Gen 10
• Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Gen 9 
• Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i Gen 9 
• ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED
• ASUS Zenbook S 14 
• HP Pavilion Plus 14
• Dell XPS 14

What I quickly discovered is that there is no one, perfect laptop for a mid-range budget. There was always some gotcha. Either a too low-resolution display, too heavy, a non-haptic trackpad, inadequate key travel, low build quality, an aging chipset, or too expensive for the configuration. Any choice was a compromise.

In the end, I favored the HP Pavilion Plus. It'll be up to Seiya if that's what he wants, or if he will choose an iPad instead.