As you can see, gaming laptops have become a major focus for AMD, marking a key area where the company has secured designs against Intel. A notable example is the Razer Blade 16 2025, which opted for the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 instead of one of Intel’s HX chips. Similar to Intel and Qualcomm, AMD is also expected to unveil its next-gen chips at CES 2026, which are rumored to feature Zen 6 architecture.
Apple has been producing a variety of chips for its MacBooks, Macs, iPads, and iPhones. The M-series chips have been a significant success since their debut in 2020, greatly enhancing both performance and battery life. Thankfully, understanding these designations is a bit easier. Each chip generation is marked by a number, while designations like Pro and Max indicate enhanced processing and graphics capabilities.
The M5 chip family for MacBooks is the latest release, though its availability has been somewhat limited thus far. Currently, it’s only found in the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which means Apple is still offering the M4 MacBook Air along with M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro models. The older chips are still relevant, especially since the M1 MacBook Air is still available for purchase. You can also find “renewed” or refurbished versions of previous models, such as the M3 Pro or M2 Max MacBook Pro. While each generational upgrade (like M3 to M4) consistently boosts CPU performance, understanding the differences between specific models like the M2 Max and M3 Pro requires a bit more in-depth comparison. For more details, check out our Best MacBooks guide.
Rumors suggest that the M5 MacBook Air, M5 Pro MacBook Pro, and M5 Max MacBook Pro could launch in early 2026.
How Much Processing Power Do You Need?
If you’re a typical user running a web browser, Microsoft Office Suite, and maybe some photo editing software, we recommend a laptop with one of Intel’s Core Ultra V-series chips, like the Core Ultra 7 258V. These chips offer solid performance and excellent battery life.
There are also compelling reasons to consider Qualcomm. While these laptops have a battery life similar to Intel’s latest offerings (and Apple’s as well), their performance doesn’t drop off as significantly under load. Plus, prices tend to be lower, especially for Snapdragon X and X Plus configurations. You can find laptops starting as low as $799 that use the Snapdragon X. While they don’t perform as well as the X Plus or X Elite models, they still deliver impressive battery life for this price range.
