When 17-inch laptops are too big and 13 and 14-inch systems are too small, the best 15-inch laptops are there to fill that medium gap in your life. When it comes to portability, performance, and real estate display, 15-inch laptops are a top choice as they split the difference between slim ultraportables and bulky desktop replacement. And with laptop manufacturers getting smarter with the design, notebooks are becoming lighter and slimmer across the board, making the decision to put it in the bag so much easier.
Even better, although 15-inches are getting thinner, in many cases it’s not due to sacrificing performance with many laptops with powerful processors, graphics cards, and SSDs. In other words, for those of us who love the middle, it’s a great time to invest in a 15-inch laptop. But the question is, which one?
Best 15-inch Laptops
In the course of the year, our team thoroughly vetted more than 100 laptops. We use rigorous benchmarks, hands-on testing, and comparisons to separate the wheat from the chaff. We’ve identified some of the best 15-inch laptops on the market based on budget and use cases.
Dell XPS 15
Best 15-inch laptop
Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inch UHD+ Touchscreen Laptop (Silver) Intel Core...
- Enjoy a 16:10 display that features a stunning edge-to-edge view, now with 922k more pixels on 4K Ultra HD+.
- Equipped with 100% Adobe RGB, 94% DCI-P3 color gamut, VESA certified DisplayHDR 400, and Dolby Vision, this display delivers more than 16 million ultra-vivid colors that are 40 times brighter than ever before
- Enjoy a 16:10 display that features a stunning edge-to-edge view, now with 922k more pixels on 4K Ultra HD+.
- Equipped with 100% Adobe RGB, 94% DCI-P3 color gamut, VESA certified DisplayHDR 400, and Dolby Vision, this display delivers more than 16 million ultra-vivid colors that are 40 times brighter than ever before
- With a 62% larger touchpad, 5% larger screen, and 5.6% smaller footprint, every element is carefully considered—from its inlayed stainless logos to its high-polished diamond-cut sidewalls
- Integrated Eyesafe display technology helps reduce harmful blue light.
- Corning Gorilla Glass 6 is tough, damage resistant, durable, elegant and allows for no flex in its display
Like the latest Dell XPS 13, the XPS 15 2020 makes one of the best laptops available. That’s mostly thanks to an even more immersive 15.6-inch InfinityEdge display, which throws out the bottom edge of the screen for a stunning 92.9% aspect to body ratio. The new XPS 15 is also enhanced by several smart design adjustments, including larger keyboards and a responsive touchpad more than 60% larger than the previous generation.
Don’t be fooled by its sleek and stylish design either; the XPS 15 2020 is an absolute workhorse. Its 10th Gen Intel’s Core processors can juggle multiple tasks with ease, and it’s optional Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU gives us some serious muscle for graphics and gaming. Factor in a pair of impressively loudspeakers and stable battery life for a 4K laptop, and the new Dell XPS 15 2020 is one of the best 15-inch laptops that you can buy.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme
A powerful 15-inch laptop
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme 2nd Gen 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) HDR 400 Display...
- Intel Core i7-9750H Six-core 2.60GHz (Up to 4.50GHz) Processor
- 32GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM (16GB DIMM + 16GB DIMM), 1TB PCIe-NVMe SSD
- 15.6" FHD (1920x1080, 500 nits) IPS anti-glare Display with Dolby Vision HDR 400
- Intel Core i7-9750H Six-core 2.60GHz (Up to 4.50GHz) Processor
- 32GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM (16GB DIMM + 16GB DIMM), 1TB PCIe-NVMe SSD
- 15.6" FHD (1920x1080, 500 nits) IPS anti-glare Display with Dolby Vision HDR 400
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q 4GB, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, 1 Year Lenovo Warranty
- *RAM & Hard Drive Upgrades | View Product Description for complete details and specifications
If you have the resources for an unstoppable workhorse, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Extreme mobile workstation is the best laptop to program for you. It gets our vote as one of the best Lenovo laptops for many reasons. It has different configurations at your fingertips, depending on your needs and budget. Still, in its most basic way, it’s already pretty powerful, packaged with a rugged graphics card in a robust carbon fiber and aluminum package that will survive any office or field. Currently, this is the best 15-inch laptop that you can buy right now.
MSI GS66 Stealth
15-inch compact gaming laptop
MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS-440 15.6" 300Hz 3ms Ultra Thin and Light Gaming...
- 15.6" FHD, Anti-Glare Wide View Angle 300Hz 3ms | NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 Super Max-Q 8G GDDR6
- Intel Core i7-10875H 2.3 - 5.1GHz | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201(2*2 ax)
- 32GB (16G*2) DDR4 3200MHz | 2 Sockets | Max Memory 64GB
- 15.6" FHD, Anti-Glare Wide View Angle 300Hz 3ms | NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 Super Max-Q 8G GDDR6
- Intel Core i7-10875H 2.3 - 5.1GHz | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201(2*2 ax)
- 32GB (16G*2) DDR4 3200MHz | 2 Sockets | Max Memory 64GB
- Killer LAN E3100 | Dynaudio Speakers 2W*2 | 720p HD Webcam
- Steel Series per-Key RGB with Anti-Ghost key (84 Key) | Silky Glass Touchpad
The MSI GS66 Stealth is a sparkling font. From its stellar graphics and overall performance, lightning-fast transfer speeds, and surprising stamina, there’s just a lot of gain under that 0.7-inch chassis. Not to mention the beautiful display and customizable keyboard. With the hands down, it’s a great gaming laptop that looks good and plays hard.
What makes the Stealth stand out is the battery life. The notebook has a 99.9-watt-hour battery, which is the most massive battery the TSA allows onboard an airplane. The laptop lasted more than 6 hours on our battery test. The laptop also dominated our gaming and overall performance thanks to the system’s 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor and an Nvidia’s GeForce 2080 Super Max-Q GPU. Overall, this is one of the best 15-inch laptops right now.
Microsoft Surface Book 3
A premium 2-in-1 detachable laptop
Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core...
- Most powerful Surface laptop yet, with quad-core powered, 10th Gen Intel Core processors. Now 30% faster than Surface Book 2 15”.
- Fastest graphics on Surface, powered by NVIDIA GTX GeForce GPU.
- Power when you need it. Up to 17.5 hours battery life[1] — plus improved standby that extends battery life when you’re away.
- Most powerful Surface laptop yet, with quad-core powered, 10th Gen Intel Core processors. Now 30% faster than Surface Book 2 15”.
- Fastest graphics on Surface, powered by NVIDIA GTX GeForce GPU.
- Power when you need it. Up to 17.5 hours battery life[1] — plus improved standby that extends battery life when you’re away.
- Robust laptop, powerful tablet, and portable studio in one.
- The connections you need, including USB-A, USB-C, and full-size SD card slot.
The 15-inch version of Microsoft’s Surface Book 3 is a stunning technical performance that packs a powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU into the basics of a detachable 2-in-1. With that kind of graphics power, you can edit 4K videos or create professional 3D animations while connected to the keyboard and then turn off the screen for drawing or taking notes. Surface Book 2 also features a brilliant PixelSense screen, a powerful Intel 10th Gen Core i7 CPU, and over 11 hours of battery life in laptop mode. Overall, this is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops right now.
Asus ProArt StudioBook 15
Powerful performance in a sleek design
ASUS ProArt StudioBook 15 Mobile Workstation Laptop, 15.6” 4K UHD NanoEdge Bezel,...
- 15. 6'' 4K UHD (3840*2160) NanoEdge matte display; 100% Adobe RGB; Pantone validated color accuracy; Delta E
- Intel Core i7-9750H (12M Cache, up to 4. 5GHz) with Windows 10 Professional
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM - RTX Studio Ready
- 15. 6'' 4K UHD (3840*2160) NanoEdge matte display; 100% Adobe RGB; Pantone validated color accuracy; Delta E
- Intel Core i7-9750H (12M Cache, up to 4. 5GHz) with Windows 10 Professional
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM - RTX Studio Ready
- Fast storage and memory featuring 512GB + 512GB (RAID 0) PCIe NVMe M. 2 SSD Hyper Drive and 32GB DDR4 Memory
- Extensive connectivity with HDMI 2. 0, RJ45, 1x USB-C support display, 2x USB type A 3. 2 Gen 1, 1x USB type A 3. 2 Gen 2 (*USB Transfer speed may vary. Learn more at ASUS website)
- Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ (802. 11ax) latest Wi-Fi standard + Dual-band Bluetooth 5. 0
- 18. 9mm thin and portable magnesium-alloy chassis that’s only 4. 37lbs
The slim laptop delivers excellent performance thanks to the Core i7 CPU, 32GB RAM, and Nvidia’s RTX 2060 GPU. It also has a stunning 4K panel that can compete with the best of them. However, there are a few frustrating omissions and disturbing drawbacks to consider before buying the ProArt StudioBook 15. Because of this, the ProArt StudioBook 15 barely misses its chance to be among the best 15-inch laptops.
The 15.6-inch, 4K screen on the StudioBook 15 is fantastic. The detailed panel has vibrant, accurate colors, and the matte finish prevents reflections from getting in the way when editing photos or videos. The Asus ProArt StudioBook 15 has an Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM. The ProArt StudioBook 15 is equipped with an Intel Core i7-9750H CPU and 32GB RAM. Overall, this is one of the best 15-inch laptops.
Alienware M15 R3
One of the best gaming laptops
Alienware m15 15.6 inch FHD Gaming Laptop (Lunar Light) Intel Core i7-10750H...
- High-end materials like magnesium alloy, copper and steel provide a premium, lightweight and performance-driven gaming experience with iconic AlienFX lighting
- Our fastest panel yet offers 300Hz 300nits 3ms Full HD for smooth, high-speed motion graphics
- High-end materials like magnesium alloy, copper and steel provide a premium, lightweight and performance-driven gaming experience with iconic AlienFX lighting
- Our fastest panel yet offers 300Hz 300nits 3ms Full HD for smooth, high-speed motion graphics
- Alienware Cryo-Tech optimizes component cooling, which maximizes overall performance and keeps your laptop cool to the touch
- FHD display with 3ms response time, 100,000:1 contrast ratio, 60Hz refresh rate and 300-nit brightness for pulse-racing gameplay
- At just 4.65lb and under 20.5mm, the new Alienware m15 is the thinnest laptop in Alienware history—even lighter and leaner than our previous m15
Dell’s Alienware gaming laptop line has established itself as one of the very best on the market. But by 2020, it’s back and better than ever, rocking the best gaming internals that money can buy. Of course, that means the configurations cost a nice penny, but if you have the money to save, it’s definitely worth the splurge because of its sublime gaming performance. That’s without factoring in its quirky yet attractive design, excellent build quality, and display with fast refresh rates. We had been fans of the line since its creation a few years ago, and that hasn’t changed. Overall, this is one of the best 15-inch laptops.
HP Spectre x360 15-inch
15-inch 4K OLED laptop in a 2-in-1 form factor
HP Spectre x360 15t Touch 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U, 4K IPS, 3...
- Include Windows 10 Professional, HP Premium Warranty, 3 Years McAfee Internet Security(activation required), HP Stylus Pen, and HP Sleeve by BEST LAPTOP an HP Authorized Partner
- Intel 10th Gen. i7-10510U (1.8 GHz, up to 4.9 GHz, 8 MB cache, 4 cores)+NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (2 GB), 16GB DDR4 RAM(2x8GB), 512GB PCI NVMe SSD
- Include Windows 10 Professional, HP Premium Warranty, 3 Years McAfee Internet Security(activation required), HP Stylus Pen, and HP Sleeve by BEST LAPTOP an HP Authorized Partner
- Intel 10th Gen. i7-10510U (1.8 GHz, up to 4.9 GHz, 8 MB cache, 4 cores)+NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (2 GB), 16GB DDR4 RAM(2x8GB), 512GB PCI NVMe SSD
- 15.6" diagonal 4K IPS micro-edge WLED-backlit (3840 x 2160), HP TrueVision FHD IR Camera with digital microphone, Fingerprint reader; Privacy Camera Kill Switch
- Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX 201 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5 Combo (Supporting Gigabit file transfer speeds), 2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s signaling rate, Power Delivery 3.0, DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge); 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A (HP Sleep and Charge); 1 HDMI 2.0; 1 headphone/microphone combo
- Full size backlit keyboard, Bang & Olufsen, quad speakers, HP Audio Boost, HP Imagepad with multi-touch gesture support, microSD card reader
What do you get when you combine a luxurious design with serious power? If you’re talking about laptops, you’re probably talking about the HP Spectre x360. In addition to a gloriously vivid touchscreen, you get an Intel Core i7 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce Mx150 GPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD, all in a sleek, foldable aluminum chassis. But the piece the resistor is the 4K OLED panel that is stunningly beautiful.
And while it has discreet graphics, the x360 is aimed at creative professionals, allowing consumers to quickly transform from a traditional laptop to a tablet to a tent stand. However, with only 7 hours and 46 minutes of battery life, you’ll want to keep the power cord handy. But overall, the 15-inch OLED Spectre x360 is an excellent laptop with a truly stunning display and great features that consumers and professionals will appreciate.
Razer Blade 15 (OLED)
The best 15-inch 4K OLED gaming laptop
Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020: Intel Core i7-10750H 6-Core, NVIDIA...
- More power: The 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H processor provides the ultimate level of performance with up to 5.0 GHz max turbo and 6 cores.
- Ray-tracing: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design is powered by the NVIDIA Turing GPU architecture and brings cinematic-quality rendering to the most visually intense games.
- More power: The 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H processor provides the ultimate level of performance with up to 5.0 GHz max turbo and 6 cores.
- Ray-tracing: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design is powered by the NVIDIA Turing GPU architecture and brings cinematic-quality rendering to the most visually intense games.
- Vivid visuals: The 4K OLED display delivers blazing fast 1ms response time and a wide color range covering 100% of the DCI-P3 space, while the HDR 400 true black ensures deep blacks and vibrant colors.
- Thin and compact: The CNC aluminum unibody frame houses incredible performance in the most compact footprint possible, while remaining remarkably durable and just 0.78" thin.
- Ready to connect: Fully loaded with Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, USB type-A and type-C ports, and HDMI, for a desktop-class experience
- Make it yours: Customize the backlight color of the keyboard with Razer Chroma, and expand the memory and storage, making the Razer Blade 15 uniquely yours.
Besides a beautiful 4K display with G-Sync technology, the Razer Blade 15 is the thinnest desktop replacement. It clocked around 438 nits of brightness and 243% of the sRGB color spectrum. The Core i9 processor and the Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU will drive you crazy. Not to mention the fact that it took more than 4 hours on our battery test.
Gaming is a feast for the Blade 15. Playing through Far Cry New Dawn, we were impressed by the golden yuka plants and the blue-green hummingbird buzzing and feeding it. The green meadows were dotted with neon pink flowers. The details were clear enough that we noticed the bark of each tree. Some had the usual texture you would expect, while others were stripped bare by grazing by the local fauna, and others were covered with moss. Overall, this is one of the best 15-inch laptops.
Dell G5 15 SE
The best 15-inch budget gaming laptop
Dell G5 SE 5505 15.6" FHD IPS High Performance Gaming Laptop, AMD...
- AMD 4th Generation Ryzen 5 4600H Processor (6-core, 3.0 GHz Up To 4.0 GHz, 8 MB Cache), 32GB DDR4 Memory, 1024GB PCIe SSD
- 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare Display, AMD Radeon RX 5600M
- 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet, 802_11_AC, Bluetooth 4.2, Card Reader, HD Audio with Stereo Speakers, Webcam
- AMD 4th Generation Ryzen 5 4600H Processor (6-core, 3.0 GHz Up To 4.0 GHz, 8 MB Cache), 32GB DDR4 Memory, 1024GB PCIe SSD
- 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare Display, AMD Radeon RX 5600M
- 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet, 802_11_AC, Bluetooth 4.2, Card Reader, HD Audio with Stereo Speakers, Webcam
- 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Type-A, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x Mini DP, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Headphone/Speaker/Line-Out Jack
- Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 Home 64-bit, 51WHr 3-cell lithium_ion, 5.51lb, Supernova Silver Cover
If you’re looking for an affordable but well-prepared gaming laptop, the Dell G5 15 SE 2020 is worth considering. Its un-flashy name hides a highly capable machine clad in a rather neat and modest chassis, for less than $1,000. And despite its price, it can keep up with some more expensive gambling laptops, especially at 1080p. You can expect very playable framerates in the form of Shadow of the Tomb Raider when running at maximum settings.
Dell has chosen to deal with an all AMD configuration, with a Ryzen 5 4600H or 4800H taking care of the processor tasks, and the Radeon RX 5600M taking care of the graphics. With up to 16GB RAM and 1 TB of SSD space, the Dell G5 15 SE 2020 is a highly capable gaming laptop. You will have to pay $1,049 for the best specifications, but that price also gives you a fast 144Hz refresh rate display. A plastic case may not scream ‘premium,’ but it still looks pretty sharp and can even perform double tasks as a powerful work machine when needed.
Acer Aspire 5
The best 15-inch budget laptop
Acer Aspire 5 A515-55G-57H8, 15.6" Full HD IPS Display, 10th Gen Intel...
- 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor (Up to 3.6GHz)| 8GB DDR4 Memory | 512GB NVMe SSD
- 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED backlit IPS Display | NVIDIA GeForce MX350 with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 VRAM
- 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor (Up to 3.6GHz)| 8GB DDR4 Memory | 512GB NVMe SSD
- 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED backlit IPS Display | NVIDIA GeForce MX350 with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 VRAM
- Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11ax | Backlit Keyboard | HD Webcam | Up to 8 Hours Battery Life
- 1 - USB 3.1 (Type-C) Gen 1 port (up to 5 Gbps), 2 - USB 3.1 Gen 1 Port (one with Power-off Charging), 1 - USB 2.0 Port & 1 - HDMI Port with HDCP Support
- Windows 10 Home
The Acer Aspire 5 proves that you don’t have to spend a lot to get a great laptop. This notebook has a full HD screen that is pretty bright, so it’s great for surfing the web, doing quick photo editing, and watching videos on Netflix, YouTube, or Disney Plus. And it has all the power you want for everyday tasks and multitasking, thanks to a 10th generation Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD. It’s all packed in a pretty lightweight 3.8-pound package.
The most pleasant surprise with the Aspire 5 is battery life. This laptop lasted almost 9 hours on our web surf battery test, which is very good for a 15-inch system. There are a few things we don’t like about this budget laptop; while the lid is aluminum, the rest of the laptop is made of plastic. You shouldn’t expect to play the latest games either. But overall, the Aspire 5 is one of the best laptops that you can buy right now.
