The current top 5 laptops across major categories are:

[poilk]

As of May 2026, the laptop market is defined by a major shift toward high-efficiency chips from Qualcomm (Snapdragon X series), Apple (M5), and Intel (Core Ultra "Panther Lake"), which have pushed battery life on top models to between 18 and 34+ hours. [1, 2]
The current top 5 laptops across major categories are:

• Best Overall (Windows): HP OmniBook 5 14
  This is widely considered the best choice for most people, featuring a record-setting 34-hour battery life. It uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip and features a vivid OLED display in a thin, light frame.
• Best Overall (Mac): Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5)
  The new M5 chip significantly boosts graphics and AI performance while maintaining its fanless, ultra-thin design. It remains the benchmark for ultraportables, offering around 18 hours of battery life.
• Best Budget Laptop: Apple MacBook Neo
  A new entry-level option from Apple that starts at £499–£599. It uses an A18 Pro chip to run macOS in a premium aluminum chassis, though it lacks a backlit keyboard and is limited to 8GB of RAM.
• Best Business Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition
  This model earns a perfect 5.0 score for its incredibly light 2.17lb frame and 2.8K OLED display. It is "Copilot+ PC" ready and significantly improves battery life over previous generations to nearly 20 hours.
• Best Gaming Laptop: Razer Blade 16 (2025/2026)
  The Blade 16 continues to lead for those with high budgets, featuring an RTX 5090 GPU and a 240Hz QHD+ OLED display. It is unique for offering 10+ hours of battery life during standard productivity use, a rarity for gaming rigs. [1, 2, 3, 4]

[1] https://uk.pcmag.com
[2] https://www.cnet.com
[3] https://www.wired.com
[4] https://uk.pcmag.com
[5] https://www.tomshardware.com
[6] https://www.pcmag.com
[7] https://www.pcmag.com
[8] https://www.tomshardware.com