Looking back at the best laptops 2022 produced — the MacBook Air M2, Dell XPS 13 Plus, and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 — the honest 2026 verdict is that all three are now four generations behind on chip performance, and none is a good new purchase today except at a steeply discounted used or refurbished price. If you’re specifically researching what these models offered rather than shopping for a new laptop, here’s how they held up.
Best laptops 2022: how they’ve aged by late 2026
| 2022 laptop | What it was known for | Worth buying used/refurbished in 2026? |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air M2 | First redesigned Air with the M2 chip; excellent battery life | Reasonable if heavily discounted; four chip generations behind current Macs |
| Dell XPS 13 Plus | Bold, minimalist redesign with a controversial haptic touch row | Only at a steep discount; the touch-based function row still divides opinion |
| ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 | Compact gaming laptop with surprisingly strong battery life for its class | Gaming performance now meaningfully behind current mid-range gaming laptops |
Why “best laptops 2022” is now a historical question, not a buying guide
A laptop recommendation from 2022 reflects chip technology, pricing, and competition from that specific year — four hardware generations have shipped since, and the general rule that a laptop’s real-world performance and value proposition age out within three to four years applies here as much as anywhere. Searching this phrase in 2026 is far more useful as a “how did these age” retrospective than as a live shopping guide, which is the honest framing this article takes.
What actually still holds up from these picks
- Battery life on the MacBook Air M2 and the Zephyrus G14 remains genuinely competitive even against many 2026 laptops, since battery efficiency gains have been more incremental than raw processing power gains.
- Build quality on all three has generally held up well for owners who bought one in 2022 and are still using it today, assuming normal care.
- Software support continues on all three as of 2026, though newer OS features increasingly favor more recent chip architectures for the fastest, most capable AI-driven features.
If you’re considering one of these used today
A used MacBook Air M2, Dell XPS 13 Plus, or Zephyrus G14 can still be a reasonable budget buy in 2026 if priced significantly below its original launch price and if you don’t need the newest chip-level AI features increasingly expected in current software. Check the battery health and overall condition carefully on any used unit from this era, since a four-year-old battery has meaningfully more wear than one in a current-generation laptop.
What to buy instead if you want a current recommendation
If you’re actually shopping for a laptop today rather than researching how older recommendations held up, our current guide to choosing between a laptop and desktop in 2026 and our laptop picks by budget and use case reflect current-generation hardware and pricing rather than a snapshot from several years ago.
The broader lesson: why year-specific tech advice expires
Any “best of [year]” tech recommendation is inherently a snapshot of pricing, availability, and competing products at that specific moment — useful as a historical reference, but risky to treat as current advice once a few hardware generations have passed. When researching a purchase, checking that a guide is recently published or explicitly updated is a simple habit that avoids basing a decision on outdated pricing or since-superseded hardware.
How to check if a used 2022 laptop is a fair deal today
Compare the asking price against the model’s original launch price and typical depreciation curve — a four-year-old premium laptop should generally sell for a fraction of its original price, and a listing asking close to the original launch price is a red flag rather than a sign of exceptional condition. Also factor in a realistic remaining lifespan: buying a four-year-old laptop today likely means one to two more years of comfortable use before performance or battery degradation becomes noticeable, which should factor into what you’re willing to pay.
Common issues to check on an aging 2022-era laptop
Battery health is the most common complaint on laptops from this era — ask for a battery health percentage or cycle count before buying, since a heavily degraded battery is a costly and sometimes difficult repair depending on the specific model’s design. Also check for thermal throttling under sustained load, since four-year-old thermal paste and dust buildup inside the chassis can meaningfully reduce sustained performance compared to when the laptop was new, even if a quick benchmark still looks reasonable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the best laptops of 2022?
The MacBook Air M2, Dell XPS 13 Plus, and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 were among the most praised laptops of 2022 for their design, battery life, and performance at the time.
Are 2022 laptops still worth buying in 2026?
Only at a steep discount as used or refurbished units — all three are now four chip generations behind current hardware, making them reasonable budget buys but not competitive new purchases.
Does the MacBook Air M2 still perform well in 2026?
Its battery life remains competitive, but its M2 chip is now several generations behind Apple’s current silicon, so it’s best considered only as a heavily discounted budget option today.
Is the Dell XPS 13 Plus’s touch function row still divisive?
Yes, its haptic touch-based function row remains a point of disagreement among users, and this design choice hasn’t changed on used units from that generation.
What should I buy instead of a 2022 laptop today?
Check current guides reflecting present-generation hardware and pricing, such as our laptop-versus-desktop comparison and our budget-based laptop picks for college students, rather than relying on a multi-year-old recommendation.
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