Apple’s vertical integration allows the company to offer bespoke wearable hardware that works in tandem with its own software, creating a refined experience across the entire stack. This is often called a walled garden – a beautiful prison. In contrast, Windows laptop makers have very little control over Windows itself and must negotiate with parts makers, from AMD to Nvidia, when building a new laptop. It’s a difference you’ll almost certainly notice when making the switch, especially if you’re on a budget.
While even the budget MacBook Neo (our review) has an aluminum shell, lower-end Windows laptops are often made of plastic that bends and creaks. That said, you can find Windows laptops with premium hardware, and you might even prefer the unique designs available on this side of the fence. For example, we reviewed the Dell XPS 13 2026, which has an aluminum chassis to rival the MacBook Neo. Meanwhile, Asus’ latest laptops, such as the Zenbook A16, have members of the tech press raving about their custom “ceramic” material. And while rumors of an upcoming touchscreen MacBook swirled as of this writing, Windows has offered plenty of tablet and 3-in-1 options for over a decade.
Since most Windows laptops still use the x86 architecture, these models tend to have much worse battery life than MacBooks powered by Apple’s ARM-based M-series silicon. However, Microsoft has made a new push towards ARM-based Windows laptops. As a result, you can now find a number of laptops powered by Qualcomm and MediaTek chips, which tend to compete more closely with MacBooks in terms of battery life. The downside to Windows on ARM is software compatibility, as we’ll see.
On the plus side, you have a lot more hardware options when you buy a Windows laptop. You can get a slim ultrabook with an ARM processor, perfect for work, or tank up a gaming laptop for long sessions on the latest AAA titles. If you want to play a wide range of games, Windows is a must. MacBooks are also limited in terms of ports; Even though recent generations of MacBook Pros have added HDMI ports and SD card readers, Windows laptops generally offer a much more generous range of connectivity options. You could even opt for something like the excellent Framework Laptop 13 Pro, a modular machine with hot-swappable I/O and easy-to-upgrade internals.
Speaking of upgrades, they are another benefit of the Windows ecosystem. MacBooks now use the M-series SoC, which welds the processor, RAM, and storage onto a single, non-upgradeable module. In comparison, you can more easily find Windows laptops with replaceable RAM and storage.
