Here's how we tested it
Here's how we tested it
The Mashable staff put most of the laptops on this list through varying degrees of testing. (The only exception is the Build Laptop 13 – the previous version we tried.) At the very least, this involves examining their build quality and using them for several weeks at a time for various real-world tasks. This includes working on various types of documents, checking emails, watching videos, taking photos on their webcams, participating in video calls, listening to music (via Spotify), playing games (if possible) and testing any individual software features or applications. Cases they claimed to support.
Additionally, most of the laptops featured here were built to run industry-standard benchmark software (again, save for the Configuration Laptop 13). We run these benchmarks because they mimic real-world tasks to create scores that we can use to easily compare the performance of different laptops. We recently started implementing these benchmarks in our testing, and we'll see them in our all-new laptop reviews going forward.
Performance criteria
We evaluate the overall performance of the laptop by running the appropriate version Primate Labs' Geekbench 6. (That's macOS for MacBooks; Windows for Windows laptops, including gaming laptops; and Android for Chromebooks.) The test measures CPU performance on a few common tasks, and we log a multi-core score as a result. The higher the score, the better.
To get the graphical potential of gaming laptops, so do we play Cyberpunk 2077 on them. We've chosen this game because it's a graphically intense triple-A title that pushes many systems to their performance limits. If the laptop has a discrete/dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics card (rather than an integrated GPU built into the CPU), we'll play Cyberpunk By doing so once again play the technology with DLSS using high preset without DLSS ray tracing. It tests the machine's raw GPU power and its performance with AI enhancements respectively.
We follow this 3DMark's Time Spy Benchmarks for gaming PCs and record their scores. Again, the higher the better.
Battery life benchmarks
We like to see around 11 to 12 hours of battery life on the MacBooks we test, with 15-plus hours being exceptional, and nine to ten hours on the Windows laptops we review, with 12-plus hours being ideal. Gaming laptops are a different story: to get our approval, if they last at least two hours per charge, hitting four hours gets extra brownie points. Meanwhile, eight hours is our baseline for Chromebooks, but nine to ten hours is better.
In the past we have evaluated the endurance of laptops in two different ways. (More on that soon.) We ran it on the Alienware M16 R2, Apple MacBook Pro, Asus Zenbook Duo, Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, and Surface Laptop Studio 2. UL Solutions' PCMark 10 Battery life test. (The MacBook Pro ran it because it lacked its own macOS version of Parallels DesktopPCMark 10.) This benchmark holds up to the laptop's ability to complete multiple applications and functions.
We used the respective section to test the battery life of the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch Policy Technologies' CrXPRT 2 Criterion.
Finally, we ran a video rendering test running a looped 1080p version on a MacBook Air and a Surface Laptop 7. Tears of steelA short open-source Blender movie at 50 percent light.
We only use our battery life testing system to standardize Tears of steel Here's a rundown of all MacBooks and Windows laptops. We'll stick with PCMark 10's battery life test for all gaming laptops and CrXPRT 2's test for Chromebooks.
Final thoughts
After evaluating the laptop's performance and benchmark test results, we make our final recommendations based on whether we think they offer good overall value for money. If we think a very expensive laptop is worth the trouble of finding it on sale, we sometimes get a pass.
Note that these aren't the only laptops we've tried — we're constantly testing new models in a variety of categories, and many don't make the final cut. With that in mind, you can expect this guide to evolve on a pretty consistent basis. We are always looking for new great recruiters.
