We have scored 26 laptops on long-term regret. Across them, a median of 80% of owners would buy again. The one owners keep: Apple MacBook Air (M1), at 15/100. The one they regret most: Apple MacBook (12-inch, 2015), at 72/100.
The laptops where owners are most likely to buy again.
Where the long-term reporting turns against the launch reviews.
Lowest regret first. Each links to the full long-term review and its sources.
| # | Product | Regret | Buy again | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple MacBook Air (M1)$999 at launch (base 8GB/256GB) | 15 | 93% | BUY |
| 2 | Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M1 Pro)$1,999 at launch (base) | 15 | 90% | BUY |
| 3 | Apple MacBook Air (M4)$999 (13-inch) – $1,199 (15-inch) at launch | 16 | 91% | BUY |
| 4 | Apple MacBook Air (M3)$899 – $1,299 | 18 | 89% | BUY |
| 5 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M4 Pro)From $2,499 at launch | 18 | 88% | BUY |
| 6 | Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3 Pro)$1,999+ | 22 | 87% | BUY |
| 7 | Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4)$1,599 at launch (16GB/512GB) | 22 | 87% | BUY |
| 8 | Framework Laptop 13$899 – $2,000 | 23 | 86% | BUY |
| 9 | Apple MacBook Air (M2)$799 – $1,199 | 25 | 86% | BUY |
| 10 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon$1,400 – $2,300 | 25 | 85% | BUY |
| 11 | Acer Chromebook Plus 514$350 – $500 | 25 | 81% | BUY |
| 12 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 7From $999 at launch | 28 | 80% | BUY |
| 13 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2)$1,299 at launch (8GB/256GB) | 28 | 80% | BUY |
| 14 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x$1,199 at launch (16GB/512GB) | 30 | 80% | BUY |
| 15 | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14$1,400 – $2,200 | 34 | 75% | BUY |
| 16 | Asus Zenbook 14 OLED$900 – $1,400 | 37 | 72% | THINK TWICE |
| 17 | LG Gram 17$1,300 – $1,900 | 39 | 70% | THINK TWICE |
| 18 | Dell XPS 14$1,699 – $3,699 at launch | 40 | 64% | THINK TWICE |
| 19 | Lenovo Legion 5 Pro$1,300 – $1,900 | 41 | 68% | THINK TWICE |
| 20 | Microsoft Surface Pro$999 – $1,800 | 45 | 64% | THINK TWICE |
| 21 | Apple MacBook Pro 13 (M2)$1,299 at launch (8GB/256GB) | 45 | 62% | THINK TWICE |
| 22 | HP Spectre x360 14$1,300 – $1,800 | 47 | 61% | THINK TWICE |
| 23 | Razer Blade 14$2,000 – $2,800 | 48 | 61% | THINK TWICE |
| 24 | Dell XPS 13 Plus$1,099 – $1,699 | 62 | 45% | SKIP |
| 25 | Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2016, butterfly keyboard)$1,499 at launch (no Touch Bar) | 72 | 38% | SKIP |
| 26 | Apple MacBook (12-inch, 2015)$1,299 at launch (base) | 72 | 30% | SKIP |