I finally tested a Windows laptop that can hang with the MacBook Pro
PLUS: The best budget laptops to get your money's worth. View in browser | Your newsletter preferences These past five years have been rough on Windows laptops. Since the appearance of custom Apple Silicon chips, the entire PC market has been in a race to catch-up. As someone who's been testing every major laptop for the past decade, it's been exhilarating to watch the innovation happen, even if it's taken longer than anyone wanted. I'm happy to say that in 2026, Windows laptops have never been closer to replicating the performance, battery life, and quality of MacBooks. I recently tested out two versions of the Dell XPS 14 , one of the very first laptops to embrace Intel's new Panther Lake chips, which mark a turning point both for Intel and for Windows laptops as a whole. Foregoing old-school graphics for Intel's new high-powered integrated option, the Dell XPS 14 (and other first-edition Panther Lake laptops I've tested) are finally giving...