Laptops are expensive, so it’s important to know everything you need to before slapping down money on one of these pricey machines. If you’re using it frequently for work, school or even gaming, then it’s worth going a little more expensive. But which ones are the best for both work and play? We’ve done the research and testing to figure that out. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best 14- and 15-inch work and gaming laptops you’ll find on the market right now.

You’ve probably found — either from research or personal experience — that a 13-inch laptop is too small and a 17-inch can be too big; the sweet spot lies in the 14-inch and 15-inch screen range. Recently, laptop companies have been putting more emphasis on 14-inch models, directing marketing efforts away from 15-inch laptops. I prefer a 14-inch screen: It just seems to offer the best balance of price, performance and size. So, that’s why you’ll find many of CNET’s picks for the best 15-inch laptop are… 14 inches.

These are the laptops, from budget to premium, we consider to be the best 14- and 15-inch work and gaming laptop options based on:

• Performance and battery life for a given set of specs and intended use, where the configuration specs include the amount of solid-state storage and memory (SSD and RAM), main processor (CPU) and graphics processor (GPU), and operating system (Mac OS or Windows).
• Features for a given weight class, such as the combination of laptop screen size, type (touchscreen or not) and resolution (4K, QHD or FHD), ports (such as an HDMI port, Ethernet port and the type and number of USB connections), webcam and fingerprint reader.
• Design, both aesthetic and functional, including keyboard layout and feel (lots of people want a backlit keyboard and a numeric keypad on their laptops), build quality, upgradeability and reparability and so on.

If you’re laptop shopping, remember you don’t have to buy now if money’s tight or can afford to wait. If you decide to postpone your purchase, here are some tips for stretching the life of your old laptop. If you do opt to go ahead, think about recycling it.

This list is periodically updated with new models we’ve tested and reviewed. It’s a great place to start to get an idea of what’s available. If you need advice on whether a particular type of laptop or two-in-one is right for you, jump to our FAQ below this list.

Laptop FAQs