Generally speaking, laptops get faster and more capable with each generation. But this year, something is different.
Between higher-performance hardware, more efficient components, designs built with less environmental impact, and laptop designs that aren’t afraid to be unique and different, I’d say 2025 is the most exciting year for laptops in years.
When you look at our top laptop lists—whether they’re the best overall laptops, gaming laptops, or the best laptops for college students—you’ll find a few trends running through them.
I’m particularly fond of the new OLED displays, which are more vibrant and super bright, but everyone has their own preferences.
So let’s get started! Here are some of the top trends that are making 2025 a great year for laptops.
Recyclability and eco-friendly designs
Many major laptop brands have recently taken big steps to improve their environmental standards, and this year they have really stepped it up a notch.
You’ll find a variety of recycled materials (such as recycled steel and aluminum) in almost every top laptop model, as well as reduced emissions during production and more environmentally friendly packaging.
Dell, HP, Lenovo and others are pushing the economy of laptop manufacturing to be circular, with many aiming for zero-emission manufacturing by 2040 or 2050.
Today’s laptops are easier to repair than ever before, which means they last longer. According to a recent laptop teardown by iFixit, most of the latest models tested have a high level of repairability.
Popular devices like the Surface Laptop 7 allow easy access to internal components, and even Apple, which is a big fan of glue and its own screws, allows for battery replacement on its latest M4 models.
Fanless designs also reduce moving parts, reducing the risk of damage and further increasing the lifespan. If you’re considering it, now is a good time to switch to an eco-friendly laptop.
OLED technology is gaining popularity
For years, OLED was considered a high-end option, keeping it out of reach for most consumers. In fact, OLED is still much more expensive than other options for TVs and gaming monitors—but in laptops, OLED is practically the standard.
Compared to regular LCDs, OLED is still a high-quality option. But it’s not as expensive as it used to be. Plus, many of the common problems associated with OLED displays (such as burn-in and low brightness) have been solved with technological advancements. Just look at the gorgeous display on the Lenovo Yoga 9i.
OLED displays are now available in a variety of forms. In addition to dual-screen OLED laptops like the Asus Zenbook Duo, there are also high-refresh-rate OLEDs for high-performance gaming (such as the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI), various foldable OLED laptops, and even rollable OLED displays like the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Rollable.
The Rise of Upgradable, Modular Laptops
Framework has really led the way in this innovation, and their latest Laptop 12 is the most exciting. Available in a variety of sizes, this laptop is packed with the latest components and a variety of upgradeable modules, allowing you to customize your laptop as you see fit.
The whole idea of a modular laptop is amazing. It brings the LEGO-like customization of desktop PCs to a portable laptop.
While other companies haven’t gone that far with their laptops, the idea is gaining traction. Panasonic’s Toughbook 55 MK3 came out with a variety of upgradeable modules last year.
Compal also introduced the Adapt X Concept earlier this year as a viable option for OEM buyers (and even won a design award).
Intel is also touting the idea of a modular PC for two reasons: environmental impact and support for the “right to repair” bill.
Not every laptop will be modular—not at all—but the idea has proven popular enough to keep the Framework afloat all these years (despite the tax issues). It’s possible that other laptop manufacturers will soon start to emulate its success.
Thin and light, but still powerful
While the latest generation of graphics cards and processors aren’t necessarily better than their predecessors, thin and light laptop designs are really working.
Razer this year slimmed down its flagship Blade 16 laptop by 30 percent. That means it weighs just over 3.5 pounds, and it can handle RTX 50-Series GPUs and top-of-the-line CPUs from AMD and Intel (which is pretty impressive).
Classic thin-and-light designs like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 are still as thin and light as ever, but they’re also packed with the latest CPUs and graphics chips, which are more powerful than ever. Most of them also come with OLED displays, giving them a double whammy.
Upgraded versions of high-performance gaming tablets (like the Asus ROG Flow Z13) also feature modern CPUs and weigh in at around 2 pounds.
At the very thin end, there are devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (2025), which weighs just 1.5 pounds. (This doesn’t include high-end graphics capabilities, but for such a thin device, you can forgive it, and you have to think about these things realistically.)
20+ hour battery life is the new norm
Thanks to Windows on Arm technology for this trend. But laptops are still powered by those models (like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series), or (with the push to follow suit) by AMD or Intel, and there are plenty of modern laptops that offer 20+ hours of battery life.
This isn’t just a hallmark of Apple’s thinnest MacBooks. Even some gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 16 can last up to 10 hours on a single charge (as long as you’re not gaming).
Thanks to a combination of more efficient hardware, advanced power management techniques, and larger batteries in slimmer designs, some models like the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x and HP OmniBook 5 14 are now getting close to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge—something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
If this interests you, You should check out our list of the longest battery life laptops we’ve ever tested.
Also Read: Best Free VPNs in 2025: Top Picks for Secure Browsing
Local AI Technologies Are Coming Everywhere
If there’s one word that will dominate the market vocabulary in 2025, it’s “AI.” In addition to the ChatGPT trend that everyone knows about, Microsoft is also pushing the “Copilot+ PC” moniker.
This name is reserved for laptops with powerful NPUs (Neural Processing Units) that can handle AI tasks directly on the laptop, rather than sending tasks to the cloud. (Learn more about NPUs in laptops).
Almost every high-end laptop in 2025 is expected to include some form of AI. And it’s not just Copilot that’s integrated into Microsoft 365 and Windows 11.
- Samsung laptops include AI Select and Photo Remaster.
- HP has its own AI Companion.
- Other companies also have AI translation services and photo enhancement effects.
While the usefulness of these AI features is uncertain, they’re there, It can’t be ignored, and it’s been a major attraction in laptop sales this year!
