The best laptops of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

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The past twelvemonth has been immense for laptops. With truthful galore caller models, identifying the champion laptop for you tin beryllium overwhelming. Luckily, our experts person tested immoderate of the champion laptops of the year, like the latest Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell's XPS lineup, and the originative powerhouse Asus ProArt P16. We reviewed spec sheets to measure representation and storage, physique quality, portability, and value, successful summation to investigating immoderate of the best affordable laptops.

Using industry-standard benchmarking programs, we trial each laptops to measurement performance, artillery life, and show quality. After going hands-on with dozens of models, we recovered the champion laptop to beryllium the MacBook Pro M4 for its fantastic artillery life, fast performance, and sleek, portable signifier factor.

MacBook Pro (M4) | Best laptop overall

Best laptop overall

The MacBook Pro M3 Max is thing abbreviated of a desktop-class laptop with a stunning show susceptible of outputting a 120Hz refresh and 1,600 nits of highest brightness. Simply put, this laptop is an elegant beast, and our fig 1 pick.

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Dell XPS 16 | Best Windows laptop

Best Windows laptop

As 1 of the astir versatile laptops connected the market, Dell's XPS 16 (2024) is besides 1 of the best-designed. Its zero-lattice keyboard and superb 4K OLED show marque for a striking archetypal impression, portion the almighty hardware nether the hood follows up with awesome performance.

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MSI Stealth A16 AI Plus | Best gaming laptop

Best gaming laptop

MSI's Stealth A16 AI Plus is simply a gaming laptop that excels arsenic a desktop replacement acknowledgment to its top-tier hardware. The 240Hz, QuadHD show ups the ante for exceptional graphics delivery.

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Asus Zenbook A14 | Best lightweight laptop

Best lightweight laptop

Asus' Zenbook A14 is simply a well-balanced ultraportable with a superb OLED display, competitory hardware, and satisfyingly-light carnal form.

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What is the champion laptop close now?

Our prime for the wide champion laptop is the M4 MacBook Pro. It has astir everything you could privation successful a laptop: a long-lasting battery, generation-defining artificial quality features, top-tier performance, and a vibrant display. Basically, it checks disconnected each the boxes and looks arsenic bully arsenic it performs. As large arsenic it whitethorn be, however, the M4 MacBook Pro isn't for everyone, and we included immoderate further options arsenic well.

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All Value Performance Design/Build Battery life Display

The champion laptops of 2025

Taking the apical spot arsenic the champion laptop of 2025 is Apple's M4 MacBook Pro. This whitethorn astonishment immoderate people, arsenic we're definite a fewer were expecting the M4 Pro oregon M4 Max version, but determination is simply a bully crushed wherefore we went with the basal model: however good it balances powerfulness and affordability.

The M4 is the latest chipset successful Apple's silicon line, with a 10-core cardinal processing portion (CPU) and a 10-core graphics processing portion (GPU). As acold arsenic representation goes, you tin spell up to 32GB with up to 2TB of storage. Kerry Wan, the Senior Reviews Editor astatine ZDNET, said the basal configuration volition apt conscionable the needs of astir users, providing an wide delightful computing experience. Whether for photograph editing, video work, oregon airy gaming, the M4 does it each smoothly, adjacent outperforming the aged M1 Pro chip.

Review: MacBook Pro (M4)

Artificial quality besides plays a large relation successful the M4 ecosystem. It enables the caller ChatGPT-powered Siri, allowing the AI adjunct to respond to blase queries instad of relying connected Google Search.

I besides privation to outcry retired the nano-texture display, which is susceptible of staying "clear and pristine" adjacent "after a week of intensive use". If wealth is not an issue, you tin acquisition the MacBook Pro lodging the M4 Pro oregon M4 Max chipset. These 2 supply an adjacent amended idiosyncratic experience, though beryllium prepared to wage overmuch more.

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With truthful galore fantastic Windows laptops retired there, it was hard to prime conscionable one, but we had to springiness it to Dell's XPS 16, arsenic it succeeds connected aggregate fronts. And it looks large with a stunning 4K solution show surrounded by bladed bezels, making the surface look larger than it is.

What's more, it's supported by respective image-enhancing features similar Dolby Vision, which increases the colour vibrance, arsenic good arsenic a opposition ratio of 1,000,000:1. The second ensures images output precocious amounts of detail.

Review: Dell XPS 16 (2024)

Under the hood, the XPS 16 houses an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series graphics card. Combine these specs with its 32GB of RAM, and you're looking astatine a laptop that tin easy grip each demanding workloads, from gaming to video editing. In short, it's a powerhouse.

The XPS 16 besides has a stylish design. The zero lattice keyboard and the relation cardinal interaction sheet springiness it a chiseled look seen obscurity else, and the iconic invisible trackpad contributes to its ultra-minimalist design.

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There are 2 things we privation to pass you about, however. First is that the XPS 16 is not the lightest laptop around, and second, the minimalist aesthetic continues to its connectivity. It lone has 2 USB-C ports, truthful you whitethorn request a docking station. Be definite to cheque retired ZDNET's database of the best laptop docking stations for recommendations.

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MSI's Stealth A16 AI Plus is simply a gaming laptop that excels arsenic a desktop replacement. This is chiefly owed to its top-tier hardware: an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, and a coagulated 32GB of RAM. AMD's Ryzen CPU, arsenic its sanction reveals, utilizes artificial quality to boost performance, portion freeing up processing powerfulness to let the Stealth A16 to gain precocious marks connected show tests.

Review: MSI Stealth A16 AI Plus

Admittedly, galore laptops, including immoderate enactment machines, person akin hardware, truthful MSI's instrumentality isn't unsocial successful that regard. What makes it peculiar is that each its components are paired up with a 16-inch QuadHD (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) show moving astatine 240Hz. A precocious refresh complaint ensures creaseless on-screen animation: enactment sequences from video games tally smoothly and the full acquisition feels much responsive than laptops with slower displays.

Additionally, the laptop sports unsocial optimization features. MSIHybrid, for example, is simply a mode that balances show and artillery efficiency. Its SteelSeries keyboard is different standout feature, offering comfy typing. If longevity is simply a concern, the Stealth A 16 comes with Integrated Graphics mode to widen the artillery life, pushing the artillery to implicit 11 hours connected a azygous charge.

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Acer Aspire Go 15 stands gangly arsenic the champion fund laptop. For little than $300, you get a portable notebook built to screen the basics. What it lacks successful fancy aesthetics oregon premium features, this instrumentality makes up for it by being a coagulated secondary machine for students oregon professionals.

Powered by an Intel Core i3-N305 and 8GB of RAM, the instrumentality tin grip lightweight productivity tasks reasonably well. Its 15-inch 1080p show provides decent viewing angles and capable opposition with a humble level of brightness.

The institution opted for a utilitarian plan erstwhile creating the Aspire Go 15, featuring a full-sized keyboard alongside a well-placed trackpad. Battery beingness is different standout feature, lasting implicit 10 hours consecutive during our video playback tests. That fig does driblet down to astir 8 hours of emblematic use. What's more, the laptop tin beryllium versatile acknowledgment to a humble enactment of ports, including USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI.

Review: Acer Aspire Go 15

Amazon sells aggregate configurations of the Aspire Go 15. If you privation a mentation with much powerfulness down it, the retailer has the 2024 Performance model. It comes with an Intel Core i5-13420H and a touchscreen. There's besides the 2023 Browse mentation if you privation to prevention much money.

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When Asus officially announced the at CES this year, I wasn't the lone 1 to be low-key enamored with it. It's a great laptop in its ain right, but it stands retired with its palmy balancing enactment betwixt show and affordability portion hitting each the close notes that consumers attraction about.

Made of Asus' proprietary ceraluminum material, the Zenbook A14 is exceedingly light, weighing conscionable 2.1 pounds. For reference, the 13-inch MacBook Air is 2.7 pounds. When you acceptable it down, the instrumentality opens easy with the assistance of a azygous finger, revealing the superb integrated light-emitting diode (OLED) display.

Review: Asus Zenbook A14

It's a sleek and lightweight laptop for the modern nonrecreational who lives successful the cloud, works remotely, and values a bully display. In addition, the Zenbook A14 boots quickly, loads apps swiftly, and navigates the web without lag. It runs soundless and cool, generating astir nary vigor -- adjacent with the slim signifier factor.

Hands down, the champion portion of this laptop is the outstanding artillery life. Asus advertises up to 32 hours connected a azygous charge. Although that's the apical extremity of the estimation, it's not acold disconnected from what you tin expect with mundane use.

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Asus' ProArt P16 is simply a laptop designed chiefly for contented creators who request a instrumentality with robust hardware to enactment their work. Powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU and an Nvidia GeForce 4060 GPU, this instrumentality excels astatine handling pugnacious workloads similar video editing and graphic design. The hardware ensures seamless multitasking, portion the 16-inch Active-Matrix integrated light-emitting diode (AMOLED) touchscreen delivers vibrant visuals successful crisp detail.

Artists, successful particular, volition admit this display's glossy surface, which responds good to styluses. The Asus DialPad integrated into the trackpads allows users to make customized controls to streamline workflows.

Review: Asus ProArt P16

Other customization options see DialPad and Performance Profiles, which fto you prioritize definite aspects of the laptop depending connected the situation. For example, if you person a engaged workflow and request a show boost, you could person the hardware prioritize artillery beingness for amended longevity oregon processing power. The MyAsus app besides helps connected this front, arsenic it offers tools to negociate updates oregon show performance.

Of course, I can't hide to notation Vivobook Pro's top-notch design. It boasts bully ergonomics and a sturdy hinge that prevents unnecessary movement. Its keyboard is notably quiet, truthful you won't disturb the radical astir you erstwhile typing. The ProArt P16 is simply a bully alternate to either the M3 oregon M4 MacBook Pro, though getting the astir retired of it requires precise optimization.

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Lenovo's sixth-generation ThinkPad T14s is an fantabulous prime for professionals seeking a fast laptop that tin tackle intensive productivity tasks. It performs good acknowledgment to the precocious released AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor, the integrated AMD Radeon 880M graphics card, and of course, the ample 32GB of RAM. Hardware similar this delivers exceptional multitasking capabilities.

Benchmark results item its power, scoring implicit 9,300 points successful PCMark 10's Essential Productivity tests. Cinebench results amusement representation rendering is remarkably fast, further demonstrating the ratio of the Ryzen AI processor. If that wasn't enough, the neural processing portion (NPU) boosts the computer's hardware adjacent further arsenic the constituent offloads enactment and accent from the main processor.

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6

Beyond its hardware, the T14s Gen 6 sports a lightweight design, emblematic of different models successful its line, and a coagulated 12-hour artillery life. I besides admit however accelerated the artillery charges, reaching 70% successful astir an hour. Other notable features see a 5MP webcam for wide video calls successful 1440p, Thunderbolt 4 ports for speedy record transfer, and Dolby Atmos, enabling immersive sound. Lastly, it supports Wi-Fi 7, truthful users tin guarantee speedy wireless speeds.

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Chromebooks deed their stride past twelvemonth arsenic third-party manufacturers introduced beefier hardware and chill features to the devices. Once relegated to tablets and devices with precise constricted use, the upgrades person allowed Chromebooks to go a valid 3rd enactment alongside MacBooks and Windows laptops.

One of the amended Chromebooks released successful 2024 was Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook Plus, a lightweight instrumentality with a brilliant OLED display and a fistful of AI-powered features. The caller Quick Insert cardinal connected the Galaxy Chromebook lets users bring up a power sheet for mobile devices to assistance multitask, portion the Help Me Read diagnostic scans and summarizes websites, articles, and substance files. Even better, these functions are built into the instrumentality astatine the OS level.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus

The Galaxy Chromebook Plus looks large with its vivid 15.6-inch display. It is well-rounded capable for assorted usage cases -- adjacent unreality gaming -- which lone a fewer years agone was not thing you'd deliberation astir doing connected a Chromebook. Praise indispensable beryllium levied astatine its design, too. My colleague, Kyle Kucharski, complemented Samsung for foregoing the implementation of a touchscreen. Doing truthful allowed the tech elephantine to make a Chromebook that is bladed and comparatively casual to use.

The champion portion astir each of this is that the instrumentality is affordable, astatine $699, which is simply a competitory terms for a portable workstation, gaming machine, oregon main driver.

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ZDNET's apical prime for the champion laptop is Apple's MacBook Pro M4, which features a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, large performance, and promises 22 hours of artillery life. This illustration breaks down however the laptop stacks up with the apical features connected different devices, from terms to CPU/GPU, surface size, and show resolution.

Best laptop	Starting price	Processor/GPU	RAM/Storage
MacBook Pro (M4)	$1,399	Apple M4 SoC	Up to 24GB, up to 1TB
Dell XPS 16	$1,699	Intel Core Ultra 7 \| Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070	Up to 64GB, up to 4TB
MSI Stealth A16 AI Plus	$1,999	AMD Ryzen AI 9-365 \| Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070	32GB, 1TB
Acer Aspire Go 15	$255	Intel Core i3-N305 \| Intel UHD	8GB, 128GB
Asus Zenbook A14	$1,099	Snapdragon X Plus \| Qualcomm Adreno	32GB, 1TB
Asus ProArt P16	$1,649	AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 \| Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060	32GB, 1TB
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6	$1,401	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite \| Integrated Qualcomm GPU	Up to 32GB, up to 1TB
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus	$699	Intel Core 3	8GB, 256GB

The main question erstwhile buying a laptop is: "What bash you privation to bash with it?" Once you've established that, you tin absorption your probe connected uncovering the close instrumentality for you.

For example, if you're connected the determination a lot, you'll privation a bully operation of flexibility, sturdiness, connectivity, security, and a agelong artillery life. However, you should opt for a laptop with almighty hardware if you're a mostly deskbound graphic decorator oregon contented creator. Devices with top-tier processors and graphics cards thin to beryllium heavier than most.

Here's a well-researched (and tested) database of our favourite laptops for a wide array of usage cases.

Buy this champion laptop...	If you need...
MacBook Pro (M4)	A powerful, well-rounded laptop for the bureau and home. The MacBook Pro with the M4 spot brings show for astir everything from elemental spreadsheets and video calls to video editing.
Dell XPS 16	A Windows-based laptop with earnestly almighty hardware and tons of antithetic options for customizing it to your needs.
MSI Stealth A16 AI Plus	A top-notch gaming laptop with a accelerated surface moving astatine a 240Hz refresh rate.
Acer Aspire Go 15	A earnestly inexpensive laptop that has each the basics for mundane use.
Asus Zenbook A14	A lightweight and well-designed laptop with a gorgeous OLED show and marathon battery.
Asus ProArt P16	A laptop designed specifically for contented creators with a superb OLED show and a ton of customization options.
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6	An ultraportable laptop for work. It houses the latest AI-powered AMD processor and a accelerated charging battery.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus	An affordable, lightweight Chromebook with a gorgeous display

We usage a operation of methods to trial laptops present astatine ZDNET. First, we get information from benchmarking bundle to analyse a system's metrics nether the hood and comparison those to advertised numbers. Then, we walk an extended magnitude of clip with the laptop -- usually a week oregon 2 -- utilizing it the aforesaid mode a mean user would, to measure its portability, signifier factor, and however good the battery actually holds up. For an extended breakdown, cheque retired our comprehensive laptop investigating methodology.

Benchmarking: First, we tally a bid of tests to enactment the computer's hardware done the wringer successful bid to spot what it's susceptible of. Cinebench is 1 of the astir commonly utilized hardware investigating suites, which tests the laptop's rendering show connected azygous and aggregate cardinal processing portion (CPU) cores. PCMark 10 is different almighty programme that covers a wide assortment of tasks performed successful the workplace, and determination are galore others that we usage successful tandem to stitchery arsenic overmuch information arsenic we can. Some components we tally tests connected include:
Processor: The "brain" of the laptop and 1 of the astir important factors that determines performance. The 4 biggest manufacturers that marque astir of the CPUs recovered successful laptops contiguous are Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Apple -- successful Apple machines only. This is tested successful benchmarking software.
The display: The size of the show -- measured diagonally from country to country -- is besides what dictates the laptop's wide size and plays a large relation successful the device's cost. Brightness is measured successful "nits," and colour spectrums are tested successful benchmarking software.
The graphics processor (GPU): Whether it's integrated into the CPU oregon a dedicated graphics card, however good the instrumentality handles graphics is simply a cardinal origin erstwhile it comes to demanding tasks similar video editing, rendering, and of course, gaming. We trial the GPU with a operation of benchmarking software, gaming, and media playback.
Physical signifier factor: Finally, the laptop's wide quality and carnal signifier origin encompasses its weight, thickness, however the keyboard and trackpad feel, and whether it has a show that tin beryllium folded backmost to signifier a tablet. We transportation the laptop astir for astatine slightest a week and enactment however good it commutes.
Battery testing: We trial a unit's artillery successful a fewer ways. A fistful of benchmarking programs person their ain artillery investigating components, but we besides volition conscionable fto the laptop tally for arsenic agelong arsenic it tin nether a mean load. We guarantee screensavers and hibernation mode are turned off, acceptable the display's brightness and audio astatine 50%, load up a livestream connected YouTube successful Chrome, and hold 'til the end.
The quality element: As we mentioned earlier, metrics and strategy information is important, but numbers unsocial don't springiness you the afloat picture. This is wherever we weave successful our idiosyncratic acquisition with the instrumentality and pat into the applicable usage cases that consumers really attraction about.

Ultimately, our extremity is to interruption down the capabilities of each and each laptop we trial into digestible presumption that existent radical find useful. There is simply a batch of sound and disorder erstwhile it comes to navigating the laptop and machine user market, truthful we anticipation to bring an intuitive constituent to the full process by leveraging our team's decades of experience.

Multiple factors power the prime of laptops for this list. We look for machines with large designs, performance, and effectual retention and RAM. We besides considered the antithetic purposes for which you whitethorn request oregon usage your laptop and the wide worth -- including the terms constituent -- that the laptop promises.

Design: Whether your laptop is your eventual workstation oregon root of entertainment, its design, display, and portability find however you interact with the unit.
Performance: For many, laptops are indispensable for workflow and communication. The champion laptops committedness businesslike velocity and performance, powered by the top and latest chipsets -- similar the Apple M3 Max.
Storage and RAM: It's apt you'll usage a laptop to store cardinal documents oregon memories, and the champion models person plentifulness of country for you to bash so.
Purpose: We strive to reply the question, "What laptop should I get if ___" arsenic we cognize you person antithetic workflow and amusement needs and preferences, from graphic plan to gaming.
Value: The champion laptop tin beryllium a pricey investment, truthful we considered qualities that guarantee you'll get your money's worth.

While the desktop signifier factor, particularly successful the signifier of all-in-one (AIO) devices, inactive exists, laptops travel successful assorted sizes and screen galore usage cases. They scope from thin, light, and ultraportable to bulky, powerful, and deskbound. Because of however bully laptops are nowadays, astir radical opt for sticking with a laptop to service arsenic their main computer. If a tiny laptop surface is an issue, an outer show tin beryllium connected.

While each computing level has its loyal supporters, astir radical extremity up utilizing a peculiar operating strategy due to the fact that of cardinal applications moving connected it, leader preferences, oregon budgetary constraints. Windows, which ranges from fund to premium, and Apple's MacOS, which is exclusive to premium devices, screen a wide spectrum. ChromeOS is mostly constricted to mid-range devices.

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All Windows devices listed present conscionable the requirements for Windows 11. If you acquisition a instrumentality with Windows 10 installed, you volition beryllium capable to upgrade to Windows 11 if you take to bash so. Note that aft October 14, 2025, Windows 10 enactment volition end, and determination volition beryllium nary further information patches oregon diagnostic updates.

In general, the starring PC vendors person the astir extended scope of offerings and the best-documented way records for merchandise improvement and lawsuit relations. Therefore, if you bash not person a specialized usage lawsuit oregon budgetary constraints, you volition typically see vendors specified arsenic Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple, oregon Asus. These vendors presently pb the PC marketplace successful presumption of shipments, on with respective different well-known brands.

The bully quality is that you don't request to person the biggest, best, newest components to get a decent gaming laptop. To play astir triple-A and indie titles, we urge a rig with astatine slightest 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, a 120Hz refresh complaint for the display, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card.

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And if you privation to effort your manus astatine contented creation, thing similar the Corsair Voyager a1600 is simply a definite bet. You mightiness besides privation to see equipping with accessories. An Elgato Steam Deck integration, for example, tin connection streamlined workflows erstwhile editing videos, livestreaming, and adjacent mounting up video calls with transmission moderators oregon collaborators.

It truly depends connected the student, but determination are immoderate communal factors to see erstwhile buying for a laptop for school. You'll privation thing tiny and lightweight for easier commutes to and from schoolhouse and betwixt classes.

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You'll besides privation thing with astatine slightest 8 hours of artillery beingness to get done a emblematic schoolhouse time without needing to plug in. This is fantabulous for younger kids who whitethorn beryllium forgetful and permission their charging cablegram astatine home. Also, look for a laptop with astatine slightest 4GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and cloud-storage backup to make duplicate copies of important files and classwork. You'll besides privation to debar laptops with dedicated graphics cards aimed toward gaming to assistance chopped down misuse and procrastination.

Whether you're looking for a azygous laptop for yourself oregon a fleet for your business, the champion laptops for enactment connection large performance, aggregate connectivity options, and durable builds.

You'll privation to look for a exemplary with astatine slightest 8GB of RAM, a 256GB retention drive, a quad-core CPU, and a show ample capable to enactment connected without being excessively bulky to question with. You'll besides privation a exemplary with astatine slightest 8 hours of artillery beingness to get done a emblematic time of enactment without needing to recharge constantly.

We powerfully urge getting an M4 MacBook and purchasing Final Cut Pro, an editing bundle exclusive to the Mac ecosystem. Buying the 2023 MacBook Pro is different bully option. It sports an M2 Max spot and offers large show for contented creators. The instrumentality tin grip 4TB of footage with ease.

Review: The champion laptops for video editing: Expert tested

Therefore, Apple MacBook Pros are a fashionable prime arsenic are immoderate laptops with almighty processors, dedicated graphics cards, and high-resolution displays specified arsenic the Dell XPS 13 and 15.