Technology & Innovation

Best Laptops and Tablets to Give as Holiday Gifts for 2024
Our experts have spent hundreds of hours researching the top laptops and tablets to give as holiday gifts. Whether it's for gaming, content creation, entertainment or all of the above, these are our top picks.

Article updated on Oct 5, 2024

Written by Joshua Goldman

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Best laptops for the holidays

M3 MacBook Air (13-inch, 2024)
Apple's latest MacBook Air is one of the best laptops you can buy, and it's a great choice for someone who wants a machine that's thin and light but doesn't compromise on speed. With this model, Apple moved from its M2 silicon to M3 chips, and while the performance differences are modest, graphics performance did get a noticeable bump. You'll also get faster Wi-Fi 6E support compared with its predecessor and the ability to run dual external displays. Available in two sizes: 13 and 15 inches.

M3 MacBook Air 13 review.
$999 at B&H Photo-Video
$1,099 at Best Buy
$1,099 at Apple

HP Pavilion Aero 13
HP packed a lot of value into the Aero 13: Eye-pleasing magnesium-aluminum chassis, strong processing performance, long battery life, a bright, colorful display and a weight of around 2 pounds (0.91 kilograms). Amazingly, with all that it offers, it has an affordable starting price.

Read our HP Pavilion Aero 13 review.
$550 at HP

Dell G15 Gaming Laptop
Dell's G15 has been a favorite budget gaming laptop for the past few years, along with the HP Victus line. It also comes in a 16-inch version, the G16. We tested both and were impressed with what each offers. If you're looking for a gaming laptop bargain, the G15 is the way to go. But if you can afford to spend a couple hundred dollars more, the G16 is a better bet for longevity. Either way, you'll get a good gaming laptop for the money, but we strongly recommend waiting for a sale.

Read our Dell G15 and G16 Gaming Laptop review.
$600 at Dell

Acer Aspire Go 14
For under $300, Acer’s entry-level Aspire Go 14 holds its own against other budget models that cost twice as much or even more. That makes it a great inexpensive laptop to gift a kid or anyone who just needs to be able to browse the Internet and write a paper.

$279 at Acer