For many users, a 15-inch screen is the ideal size for a laptop. This is a size where you can still strike a great balance of portability and real estate. Most 17-inch laptops tend to be heavy, and 13-inch laptops just don't give you as much screen size to comfortably multitask.

In 2023, it seems like many of the best laptops on the market have started shifting to taller, slightly larger screens, so 15-inch laptops are actually a lot less common than they used to be. However, there are still some fantastic choices out there for all kinds of people. Take a look below to check out some of the best 15-inch laptops you can buy right now.

Our top 15-inch laptops in 2023

The Dell XPS 15 has long been one of the best 15-inch laptops on the market, and that holds true to this day with the 2023 model.

It starts with powerful performance, handled by 13th-generation Intel Core processors up to a Core i9-13900H with 14 cores and 20 threads. That's paired with discrete graphics, starting with an Intel Arc A370M and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, a big performance bump over the previous model, making it even better for content creators. You can also configure the laptop with a whopping 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD.

Similarly, the display is phenomenal, being a 15.6-inch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The base model is an IPS panel with Full HD+ resolution, and it's already fantastic, but you can also upgrade to a 3.5K OLED panel. This one is even more vibrant and sharper, with deep blacks thanks to the OLED technology. This configuration also supports touch. Unfortunately, the laptop also sticks with a lower-quality 720p webcam, which supports Windows Hello. Dell is one of the few companies still using 720p cameras in its premium laptops.

Despite the powerful specs, the Dell XPS 15 is surprisingly thin, at 18mm, and it weighs 4.21 pounds, which is very reasonable for a laptop of this size with this kind of performance. It looks just the same as last year, with a silver exterior and a black carbon fiber palm rest. For ports, you get three USB-C connections (two supporting Thunderbolt 4), along with a headphone jack and an SD card reader. It also comes with a USB-C adapter that gives you a USB Type-A port and HDMI, if you need it.

While it's not a perfect laptop, the Dell XPS 15 continues to be an extremely impressive machine, even with little changes being made each year.

As you can tell, a lot of the laptops on our list are running Windows. But if you're an Apple fan, or just own a lot of Apple products, you'll want to consider the 15-inch MacBook Air M2. As we found in our MacBook Air (M2, 15-inch) review, Apple's only 15-inch MacBook is one for the masses. It has a great design, display, performance, connectivity, and more.

This MacBook is one of the thinnest 15-inch laptops you can find, coming in at just 0.45 inches. It also has a sleek design, but the aluminum finish is a fingerprint magnet. It's also quite heavy, coming in at 3.3 pounds. The weight has some benefits, though, mainly the bigger screen. The screen is pretty crisp, packing a 2880x1864 resolution, and a density of 224 pixels per inch. It hits 500 nits of brightness and is great for working outdoors. The notch on the screen might annoy some people, but it is there to house the 1080p webcam, which is the same quality as most Windows laptops.

Under the hood of this MacBook is the Apple M2 silicon. This custom chip outscored any other CPU we've tested when it comes to single-core performance, showing its power. It's also great for casual photo and video editing, though we don't suggest pushing it that far, since there's no active cooling, causing some throttling, and lower multicore performance compared to some Windows laptops.

The battery life on this MacBook is also pretty good, too. Our Brady Synder found in his review that he gets about six to eight hours of constant use, and extra houses in standby time. Sometimes even 10 hours of battery life. He was even able to use a portable charger to juice up the laptop.

Finally, as far as connectivity goes, this MacBook has a MagSafe 3 port for charging, two Thunderbolt USB-4 ports, and a headphone jack. There's no USB-A or HDMI, so dongles will be needed, a problem that has been an issue with Macs for a while. You'll also only be able to output to a single display, so you'll need a Thunderbolt dock to connect to multiple displays if that's something you plan on doing.

Gaming laptops have largely switched to the larger 16-inch form factor for 2023, but the iconic Razer Blade 15 stands strong, and it's more powerful than ever before.

This iteration of the Blade 15 comes with 13th-generation Intel Core processors, up to a Core i9-13900H, with 14 cores and 20 threads, giving you powerful performance for gaming and content creation. It also comes with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU with 110W of power, so any modern game should run smoothly on this machine. Specs are rounded out with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, both of which can be upgraded.

There's also a great display on the Razer Blade 15. It's a 15.6-inch panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and it comes in Quad HD resolution, so it's plenty sharp. That's combined with a 240Hz refresh rate to make for a fantastic gaming experience. The screen even covers 100% of DCI-P3, so it's great for content creators, too. And the Razer Blade 15 was one of the first gaming laptops to have a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello support, which is still available today. Razer didn't skimp out on anything.

Even the design is impressive. Despite the powerful specs, the Razer Blade 15 comes in at just under 17mm thick, and it weighs 4.4 pounds, which really isn't that heavy for this kind of laptop. It looks sleek and clean with the all-black design, too, and only the keyboard has some subtle RGB lighting. And for connectivity, you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, three USB Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader.

Starting at $2,500, the Razer Blade 15 may seem expensive, but frankly, not a lot of laptops offer everything Razer packed in here, so the price is somewhat justified. The combination of performance, sleekness, and other high-end features make this an easy recommendation if you can afford it.

15-inch gaming laptops are still popular, but they often might be expensive. That's where the Dell G15 comes in. If you're on a budget but still want a solid laptop, you're going to love the Dell G15. It starts at under $1,000, and it is still a pretty capable gaming system. The system features up to RTX 40-series GPUs (though it adds to the price) and has Intel's 13th-gen HX series CPUs.

Overall, even picking an option for RTX 3050 graphics should still make this a great laptop for gamers on a budget. Paired with up to the starting Intel Core i5-13450HX CPU (which has 10 cores and 16 threads), you'll get solid performance for gaming, coding, or anything. The newer RTX 40-series GPUs will get you slightly faster performance overall, but you'll still have a good experience with the base model. Other than that, you can add up to 16GB RAM on this laptop, and up to 1TB of storage, too.

Beyond those specs, the 15.6-inch display comes with three options. You can choose basic FHD with a 120Hz refresh rate, or upgrade to a faster 360Hz refresh rate. And, there's even a QHD resolution option, packing in a 240Hz refresh rate. There are plenty of display options here. Finally, with the design, this is a sleek-looking laptop since it has an orange backlit keyboard and a number pad. The laptop is designed for gaming, too, with four heat pipes, and improved fans to boost cooling. Dell even includes lots of ports for you, so you can worry less about buying a dongle. You'll get USB-A, USC-C, HDMI, and a headphone jack.

As with most categories, business laptops have also been moving to taller aspect ratios like 16:10 and larger sizes. If you want a 15-inch panel, though, the HP EliterBook 650 is still a fantastic choice.

This is an Intel-powered model, featuring 13th-generation processors up to a Core i7-1370P or a Core i7-1365U, depending on what you prefer. The P-series models give you higher performance, with up to 14 cores and 20 threads, but they have worse battery life. The U-series only goes up to 10 cores and 12 threads, but battery life is bound to be better, and performance is still good enough for most use cases. Some U-series models include Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050 graphics to provide a bit more power in GPU-intensive tasks. Aside from that, you can configure the laptop with up to 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.

The display is a 15.6-inch panel, and it comes in a typical 16:9 aspect ratio and Full HD resolution. You can't go higher than that, but there are options like touch support or a brighter panel, which is useful for outdoor use. The base model also includes a 720p webcam, and you can add Windows Hello support or spring for the much better 5MP camera if video meetings are common for you.

Like all HP business laptops, the HP EliteBook 650 G10 comes in silver, and it looks as subdued and boring as you'd expect. At 3.94 pounds, it's not exceptionally light, either. One thing it does get right is connectivity, with a lot of ports including two USB-C connections (one with Thunderbolt 4), two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, RJ45 Ethernet, and a headphone jack. The laptop can also be configured with LTE support, which adds a nano-SIM slot.

It's not a particularly fancy laptop, but the HP EliteBook 650 G10 nails all the basics for a business user, and it's not overly expensive like many higher-end business laptops are. Build-to-order configurations are still a bit pricey, but discounts should start showing up soon.

LG has been making ultralight laptops for years, but the Gram SuperSlim goes further and gives us a laptop that's not only extremely thin but is still powerful enough for most people.

On the performance front, we're looking at an Intel Core i7-1360P with 12 cores and 16 threads, which is plenty fast for all kinds of day-to-day tasks. It can also be configured with up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, which is more than anyone should need.

One of the highlights of the LG Gram SuperSlim is its display. Not so much for the resolution; this is a 15.6-inch Full HD panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which isn't all that special these days. However, it is an OLED panel, which means colors look vibrant and blacks look deep, making for a fantastic viewing experience. The webcam is also great: a 1080p camera with Windows Hello facial recognition, which has thankfully become the standard for LG.

The other highlight is the design, of course. Coming in at just 11mm of thickness and a feather-light 2.18 pounds, the LG Gram SuperSlim is extremely portable thanks to its magnesium chassis. This does come with a downside, as magnesium can sometimes feel cheap compared to aluminum, but it's just as durable. It comes in a subdued Neptune Blue colorway, which is more like a dark gray. Because of how thin it is, though, it doesn't have a ton of ports. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, plus a standard USB-C port and a headphone jack, though this at least gives you the option to use a Thunderbolt dock.

Between its fantastic portability, beautiful display, and top-tier performance, the LG Gram SuperSlim gets a lot right, and it's very easy to recommend. You can check out our LG Gram SuperSlim review for more.

For some users (myself included), nothing can match the versatility of a convertible, and if you're looking for a 15-inch one, then the HP Envy x360 is the option for you.

Inside the HP Envy x360 15 are 13th-generation Intel Core processors, up to a Core i7-1355U, a 10-core, 12-thread CPU that delivers pretty good performance across the board for day-to-day tasks. If you enjoy gaming (or content creation) and want a little more power, you can also add an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU. On top of that, the laptop can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

There are a few configurations for the display, which is a 15.6-inch panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio and Full HD resolution. The configurations boil down to a 250-nit or 400-nit IPS panel, plus the more premium OLED display option, which is expectedly more vibrant. All models have the same resolution, and they also all support touch. Interestingly, last year's Envy x360 had the option for a Quad HD 120Hz panel, but that's not available with this one. What is still here is the fantastic 5MP webcam with Windows Hello support, a staple in HP laptops.

Most HP laptops look very similar, and this one is no exception, featuring a clean, sleek aluminum chassis that comes in either black or silver. Being a 15-inch aluminum convertible does make this a heavy laptop, though, weighing in at 4.22 pounds. For connectivity, you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader, a very solid setup all around.

All things considered, the HP Envy x360 15 continues to be one of the best convertibles around, and as more laptops switch to a 16-inch display, it's that much easier for it to stand out as a fantastic choice.

If you're looking for a premium-feeling laptop that's still easy to carry, Microsoft's Surface Laptop 5 may be the one for you.

The Surface Laptop 5 is powered by Intel's 12th-generation Core processors, up to a Core i7-1255U with 10 cores and 12 threads. It still delivers good performance for day-to-day tasks and it does so while being very power-efficient. You can also configure the Surface Laptop 5 with up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, more than enough for heavy multitasking and storing lots of documents.

The Surface Laptop 5 also has a great display — a 15-inch panel with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2496x1664. That gives you a pixel density of 201 PPI, which is great for a default configuration, and the tall aspect ratio makes this a fantastic screen for getting work done. Sadly, there's only a 720p webcam above that display, which is disappointing, but at Windows Hello facial recognition is supported.

Design-wise, the Surface Laptop 5 is also very premium. It comes in an aluminum chassis that looks and feels great, with the sleek look we've come to expect from Surface. The 15-inch model is available in either Platinum or Matte Black colorways, and it weighs 3.44 pounds, which is fairly light for a 15-inch aluminum laptop. There are lighter laptops, but they're made of magnesium, which often feels cheap. Ending with ports, the Surface Laptop 5 has a decently varied setup, with one Thunderbolt 4 port (USB-C), one USB Type-A port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port, which is used for charging. It's the first numbered Surface Laptop to support Thunderbolt, too, so you can use a wide array of docking stations.

All things considered, the Surface Laptop 5 is one of the best laptops out there, potentially the best one if you want to strike a great balance of portability and performance while still having a premium experience.

Not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on a laptop, and if you want something more affordable, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is a great option.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is already available with 13th-generation Intel Core processors, though only a Core i3 model is available at writing time. That gives you six cores and eight threads, but models up to a Core i7 should be available in the future. We also get 8GB of RAM and up to a 512GB SSD, but again, higher-end models are planned, up to 16GB and 1TB, respectively.

The display isn't exactly impressive, but it is a Full HD panel, and it reaches up to 300 nits of brightness (depending on the model), which isn't bad at all. There's even an option for touch support. Current models have a 720p webcam, but a 1080p version is also planned to launch at some point. Neither version includes Windows Hello facial recognition, but there is a fingerprint reader available if you want that convenience.

Of course, design isn't a major focus for an affordable laptop like this. It's made of plastic, and it weighs 3.57 pounds, so it's not exactly light, but not overly heavy, either. It comes in a unique blue colorway that helps it stand out somewhat from the sea of silver and black laptops on the market. As for ports, we're looking at one USB Type-C port, two Type-A ports, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a full-size SD card reader.

Even at its regular price, this is a very cheap laptop. As higher-end models become available, you may be able to get a more powerful configuration for a pretty low price, seeing as Lenovo often runs sales on many laptops on its website. For more on why we love this laptop so much, head over to your IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) review.

Best 15-inch laptops in 2023: Bottom line

As you can see, there are still a lot of great 15-inch laptops you can buy today. The Dell XPS 15 is definitely worthy of being considered the best one, seeing as it blends together powerful specs, a compact and premium design, and absolutely fantastic display options. It manages to pack a ton of performance into a chassis that's still relatively portable, and that means a lot.

Of course, it is pretty pricey, so if you can't see yourself spending that much, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is a much more affordable option that still nails the basics for a good day-to-day experience. It has a decently sharp display and solid performance, so it's great for a younger student to use in school, or just to have around the house for occasional use.

While there are still great laptops on this list, it's clear that many of the best laptops on the market are ditching this screen size. We couldn't even find a proper laptop for creators with 13th-generation processors. 16-inch laptops are taking over, and it's worth checking them out if you want some of the best experiences on the market. If you're someone who can't let go of old music CDs and DVDs, you may want to check out our list of laptops with optical drives in them.