5 Laptops With Built-In Audio So Great, You Won't Need External Speakers

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When you buy a laptop, your default assumption is that the speakers will be there just for when you need speakers, not to actually enjoy music or movies. And it makes sense. The laws of physics would seem to dictate that speakers crammed into a laptop chassis — particularly a thin-and-light one — can't sound good. Speakers need big drivers and lots of space to push air in an aurally pleasing way. The solution is usually to just get some decent speakers to accompany your laptop and call it a day. Or, buy one of the few laptops out there that have above-average speakers. Trust us, they exist.

We'll admit right from the get-go that laptops with good speakers are pricey, that sound is frustratingly subjective, and without thorough testing, the best we can do is give a general idea of how good the speakers are perceived to be — nothing that will be conclusive. We're looking for a consensus among professional reviewers and users (where possible), plus some personal opinion, to arrive at the conclusion of which laptops are good enough that you might not even need to buy speakers in the first place. These are five that will please discerning audiophiles and minimalists who want an all-in-one, easy setup.

Opinions will vary, but many would agree that Apple makes some pretty decent audio gear, as its highly popular AirPods lineup will attest. This is, after all, the company that changed music history with the iPod. In recent years, Apple has invested big in its secretive audio lab, and we'd guess the dividends paid there explain why the MacBook Pros sit in a class of their own. It's something you have to hear for yourself.

As a MacBook Pro owner myself, I did a double take the first time I used the speakers. To my pleasant surprise, the Pros produced impossibly large and loud sound that was crisp, with thumping bass that didn't wash out the other frequencies. Position your head in the center, close your eyes, and you could be convinced these are bookshelf speakers. I have equally enjoyed using them for bingeing TV shows and listening to music while working. Seriously, it's hard to justify desktop speakers for a MacBook Pro unless you need the best audio.

This is not just my opinion. Generally speaking, there is a consensus among pros and everyday users that MacBook Pros have some of the best — if not the best — built-in speakers in the business. So when Apple hits you with that "high-fidelity six-speaker sound system" jargon, for once it may not be an exaggeration. These excellent speakers can be found in all 14- and 16-inch M-series MacBook Pros released since 2021, including the smaller 14-inch MacBook Pro — not just the larger 16-inch models. Current MacBook Pros start at $1,899 with education pricing, going up to an eye-watering $6,634 when fully specced, but you'll get that same amazing experience with the cheapest base model.

Good audio matters a lot in gaming, not just because it's more immersive. Clear audio cues — opponent footsteps, an enemy starting its attack from your blind spot — can decide whether you live or die. So it makes sense that the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 comes with excellent speakers. It includes a six-speaker system with dual-sided woofers, somehow squeezed into a chassis only 1.49 centimeters thick. Our review of the 2024 version gave it a thumbs up — and Nadeem Sarwar gave one of those thumbs to the speakers, specifically. Other reviews we've seen from professionals (for other models, like the 2025 version) likewise take a second to praise the speakers, so, as with Apple, it's not just empty marketing speak. Regular users generally agree.

This is a very impressive laptop on all other fronts. The current 2026 version includes an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, a discrete GPU (up to the latest RTX 5090 if you want it), a 240Hz OLED display at 2.5K resolution, and a whole laundry list of other hardware pluses.

Unfortunately, none of that may matter since this is an incredibly expensive laptop even by MacBook standards, especially now that the RAM crisis has made prices for all devices — especially higher-end ones — climb to unattainable heights. The ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026 version) starts at $3,699.99, going up to $4,799.99 for the most expensive option. If you can find the 2024 or 2025 edition on the used market, that might be the right way to go right now.

Razer is another well-known player in the PC gaming space among the likes of ASUS and Alienware, and its Razer Blade 18 laptop is a formidable competitor to the ROG Zephyrus G16. Razer advertises it with a six-speaker array, including dual-force woofers and two tweeters, plus three smart amplifiers. All in a comparatively thin 1.1-inch chassis. So how do they sound? Great, to keep it short and sweet. Many who have reviewed it spend a few paragraphs on the speaker system alone, giving it an enthusiastic stamp of approval. The speakers support customizable THX Spatial Audio, getting as loud as you like without losing their clarity. Your mileage may vary, with some users finding Razer's Blade (and Windows laptops generally) to have pretty underwhelming speakers.

Speakers aside, the Blade 18 features an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, up to an RTX 5090 graphics card, an 18-inch screen with up to a 440Hz refresh rate, up to 128GB of RAM, and a whole bunch of I/O. Like the Zephyrus G16, though, The Blade 18 is also incredibly expensive now amid the RAM crisis. The 2026 Razer Blade 18 starts at $3,499.99. Upgrades for the GPU, processor, storage, and RAM range anywhere from an additional $500 to $3,000. Maxing it out will cost you $6,999.99. Opinions are not as favorable for previous-generation Blade models, so we can't confidently recommend buying used if exceptional speakers are what you're after.

You shouldn't have to buy a gaming-first laptop to get good speakers. Luckily, there are more general-purpose thin-and-light laptops that cater to consumers who want good portable sound. The Dell XPS 14 is one. Dell only gives the speakers a brief mention in its marketing material: a 10W, quad-speaker system that it boasts has great sound despite no ugly speaker grilles or mesh covers, and all in a 0.60-inch-thick chassis. That may be underselling it a bit because reviewers consistently take time to mention the speakers. Some compare it to a Bluetooth speaker in the size and depth of sound it produces, good enough that external ones need not apply; some say that among Windows laptops (which aren't usually praised for speaker quality) these are some of the best.

Putting speakers aside, the Dell XPS 14 is still a highly recommendable light laptop, sporting a Series 3 Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, 512GB of storage, and other little pluses such as Wi-Fi 7 and a Gorilla Glass palm rest. Pricing is not much better than the competition; the XPS 14 starts at $2,249.99. Considering you're not getting a discrete graphics card, there may be better options out there for your money. Having said that, the form factor of this laptop and the incredible speaker performance are not a combination you'll always find.

When you imagine a ThinkPad, you're probably picturing a chunky business laptop with an above-average amount of I/O. Rugged and reliable, but not something that produces good sound. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon may defy expectations if you haven't seen a ThinkPad in a while. From the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 in 2024 to the more recent 2026 Gen 14, the two Dolby Atmos speakers are a high point that reviewers take a moment to appreciate. Since ThinkPads are built for business people and travelers, the speaker quality will lend itself nicely to Zoom calls as well as entertainment. They're not as boomy and impressive as other speakers on this list, but they're much better than average.

This is a ThinkPad, so of course the specs are also great: up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, a maximum of 64GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, Wi-Fi 7, and the potential to upgrade to a 2.8K OLED screen. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon also continues the ThinkPad line's history of being fixable, earning a 9/10 iFixit repairability score.

Some may also get the impression that ThinkPads are expensive high-end laptops, and they are, but not as expensive as the competition in this speaker category. The current Gen 14 ThinkPad X1 Carbon starts at $2,407.30, and you can go even cheaper by buying the older Gen 13 for $1,645.88 from Lenovo's website. That older model comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, making it a decent option in today's market.

In researching and writing this, our focus was on audio quality, to the exclusion of most other considerations. Pricing, hardware specs, overall reviews, and the general user experience of these devices were factors we included, but we didn't give them enough weight to improve or detract from a laptop's standing. We wanted to give you an idea of the best speakers you could find in a laptop, simple as. Good enough that you wouldn't feel you were losing out by not having desktop speakers, and in the case of some laptops — like the MacBook Pro — so good that desktop speakers might never be a consideration, period.

Again, we fully admit speakers are only as good as the listener makes them out to be. One man's "clear" sound is another man's "tinny." However, we tried as best we could to find some amount of consensus among people who have actually had their hands on these laptops as to how they sound; if multiple people agree they sound good, we think that's a good sign. Finding user reviews on these speakers specifically is challenging, so these were included where they were available. We strongly advise not buying any of these laptops blind (if speaker quality is a big deal) and instead finding a local tech store where you can listen to them in person and make that determination for yourself.