Greatest 13-inch laptops in 2021
The perfect 13-inch laptops provide a steadiness between portability and productiveness. College students can effortlessly carry 13-inch laptops round campus and enterprise professionals can slip them into briefcases when touring (or you may simply transfer them from your property workplace to the sofa). But regardless of their dimension, a 13-inch laptop computer outfitted with an Intel U-series or AMD Ryzen CPU can present sufficient efficiency for many customers.
We have compiled the very best 13-inch laptops, however should you’re not offered on this display dimension, take a look at our greatest laptops web page or the very best 15-inch laptops should you want extra display actual property. College students ought to see our greatest school laptops web page, the place they’re going to discover the very best pocket book for his or her respective fields.
There are many upcoming 13-inch laptops that we’re excited to get our hands-on. These embrace the rumored 13-inch MacBook Professional refresh with an improve to the M1 chip. We’re additionally anticipating to get the most recent Envy 13 in for overview to see if it may well swap locations with the 2019 mannequin that after topped this listing.
Listed below are the very best 13-inch laptops for each finances.
The HP Envy 13 is the very best laptop computer for underneath $1,000 and top-of-the-line 13-inch laptops available on the market. Whereas it nonetheless has a plastic touchpad, the Envy 13 is a implausible worth if you’d like the very best laptop computer for lower than 4 figures. What makes this such a terrific deal is its completely aluminum design and the superb eleventh Gen Intel Core CPUs.
In our testing, we discovered that an Envy 13 with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 delivers quick efficiency for nearly any activity. This particular Envy prices simply $900 and might outmuscle laptops that price properly over $1,000. Furthermore, the Envy 13 has a brilliant, vivid 13.3-inch show and a snug keyboard.
There may be little or no we do not like concerning the Envy 13. If you will get over the shortage of an IR digicam (there’s a fingerprint sensor), then it’s the final money-saving laptop computer.
See our HP Envy 13 (2021) overview
What do you get whenever you put certainly one of Intel’s new Tiger Lake processors right into a Dell XPS 13? Much more superior. The most recent Dell XPS 13 retains all of the issues we beloved about this 12 months’s earlier mannequin, akin to a smaller body, four-sided InfinityEdge bezels and a bigger keyboard. However this refresh brings Intel’s eleventh Gen Tiger Lake processor and a number of promised options, together with higher CPU and graphics efficiency and longer battery life. You additionally get Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6. These are all the reason why it is the very best 13-inch laptop computer you should purchase if finances is not a priority.
However does Tiger Lake stay as much as the hype? Completely. With the brand new Intel Iris Xe GPU, you may play sure AAA video games on an built-in GPU, albeit on low settings. And in lots of circumstances, the general efficiency is top-notch as properly. The battery life even surpasses Intel’s new Evo requirements by two hours. For these searching for a laptop computer with equal elements magnificence, energy and longevity, the Dell XPS 13 is the laptop computer for you.
See our full Dell XPS 13 (Late 2020) overview.
And right here is our overview of the Dell XPS 13 with 4K show and the XPS 13 OLED launched in 2021.
When you favor macOS to Home windows 10, then go together with the Apple MacBook Air. The largest enchancment to this 12 months’s mannequin is the brand new M1 chip, which delivers excellent efficiency and glorious battery life, making the brand new MacBook Air the quickest ultrathin laptop computer ever.
Better of all, the MacBook Air nonetheless prices solely $999, and but, you may unequalled efficiency together with 14 hours and 41 minutes of battery life. It is a mixture you will solely discover from the perfect Home windows 10 laptops, and even they cannot compete in head-to-head efficiency.
So why purchase the MacBook Air as an alternative of the Professional? Whereas the Professional has higher sustained efficiency, the MacBook Air is cheaper and is pin-drop silent as a result of it would not have a fan. And, after all, Apple’s least costly 13.3-inch mannequin is probably the most transportable, coming in at solely 0.6 inches thick and a couple of.8 kilos.
However now the MacBook Air is slower to parity with the MacBook Professional than ever earlier than. It has comparable pace and battery life, the identical 720p webcam, a snug Magic keyboard and two USB-C ports. Additionally, the 13.3-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel Retina show on the M1 mannequin was improved with P3 colour protection, making it extra vibrant than the earlier panel.
See our full Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) overview
That is the large leap ahead we have been ready on. It’s all due to the brand new M1 chip, Apple’s first-ever customized SoC for laptops. With the very best power-per-watt efficiency of any processor, the M1 brings the MacBook Professional’s efficiency and battery life to the subsequent degree.
Extra particularly, the MacBook Professional is extra highly effective than almost each PC available on the market, together with some workstations. And regardless of cramming a lot energy into such a slim and glossy chassis, the Professional lasted for an excellent 16 hours and 32 minutes on our battery take a look at, which simulates real-world testing.
With a picture processing unit, the webcam (sadly, nonetheless 720p) is best than earlier than and because it runs on Apple’s ARM-based structure, iPad and iPhone apps are actually obtainable on Mac. Yep, you may run all of your favourite iOS video games and apps in your laptop computer now.
Rounding out the quite a few enhancements discovered within the newest MacBook Professional is Huge Sur, the newest model of macOS. The most important replace since OS X launched a decade in the past, Huge Sur is a lovely redesign of the desktop OS. With the advantage of sustained efficiency, the MacBook Professional is a extra succesful 13-inch laptop computer than the MacBook Air however not nearly as good of a price.
See our MacBook Professional (13-inch, M1, 2020) overview
You might be in all probability accustomed to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon at this level. It has been our favourite enterprise laptop computer for ages attributable to its light-weight design, glorious efficiency and handy options. The X1 Nano makes use of the Carbon as a platform however packs all the pieces into a fair smaller chassis with a 13-inch, 2K show.
That panel is a wonderful one, flaunting a pointy image and lovely colours. Regardless of the high-res panel, the X1 Nano lasted for 12 hours on a cost, making it nice for frequent vacationers. The efficiency is sweet, not nice, however you continue to get a quick machine that weighs solely 2 kilos.
It is not an ideal laptop computer — we nonetheless favor the X1 Carbon — however for individuals who want absolutely the most transportable answer, the X1 Nano is the best way to go.
See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano overview.
The Pixelbook Go is definitely top-of-the-line Chromebooks you should purchase. Google’s laptop computer is tremendous slim and lightweight at simply 2 kilos, and it sports activities an easy-to-grip design. The acute portability extends to this Chromebook’s battery life, because it lasted a really spectacular 11 hours and 29 minutes on our web-surfing battery take a look at.
Different highlights embrace a vibrant 13.3-inch show and stable efficiency kind its Core m3 processor (Core i5 is on the market). The audio system aren’t stellar and Chrome OS nonetheless has its limitations, however general the Pixelbook Go is a superb choice.
Learn our full Pixelbook Go overview.
If I had to decide on between the Spectre x360 14 and Spectre x360 13, I might purchase the 14-inch mannequin. However whenever you issue within the additional price (nearly $400 on the time of writing) of the bigger model, I begin leaning towards the Spectre x360 13. Just like the Spectre 14, this 13-inch model has a brilliant show, a snug keyboard, epic battery life, and some of the placing designs we have ever seen on a laptop computer.
It brings with it eleventh Gen Intel CPUs for quick efficiency and the included IR digicam and fingerprint sensor imply you by no means have to make use of a password once more. And whereas it could not embrace a stylus, the Spectre x360 13 in all fairness priced for a premium convertible laptop computer that may rework right into a pill.
See our HP Spectre x360 13 overview.
Dell’s new XPS 13 2-in-1 takes all the pieces we love concerning the clamshell XPS 13 — quick efficiency (due to eleventh Gen CPUs), a glossy, light-weight design and really lengthy battery life — and put it in a versatile convertible chassis. You additionally get a novel 13.4-inch, 1920 x 1200-resolution show.
No, that is no typo; The XPS 13 2-in-1’s contact display has a 16:10 side ratio, making it taller than nearly each different 13-inch show. Higher but, that panel is each brilliant and vivid. Whereas the shallow keyboard will not be for everybody, the XPS 13 2-in-1 makes up for it with lengthy battery life and glorious construct high quality.
See our full Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 overview.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13 with AMD CPUs is the very best enterprise laptop computer for college kids as a result of it has tons of options at a low worth. Beginning at properly underneath $1,000, the ThinkPad X13 will get you all the very best ThinkPad options, together with a world-class keyboard, a webcam cowl, a rubber pointing stick and a magnesium chassis rated to military-grade sturdiness.
On prime of these safety and sturdiness options, the ThinkPad X13 delivers excellent efficiency due to its AMD Ryzen CPUs, which blow away their Intel counterparts. Whereas the ThinkPad X13’s battery life is a bummer, the price-to-performance ratio makes up for it. Oh, and you’ll tons of ports so there isn’t any want to purchase a dongle.
See our full ThinkPad X13 (AMD) overview.
The ZenBook 13 might not have been in a position to surpass the beastly Acer Swift 5 on our benchmarks, however it crushed the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre x360 13 on the graphics and file-transfer checks. It additionally blew all of its rivals out of the water with its extraordinarily colourful OLED show. The clicky keyboard is spectacular, too — particularly for such a compact, transportable laptop computer. Laptops with 13-inch shows sometimes really feel cramped, however I felt comfy typing on the ZenBook 13.
The Numberpad 2.0 is one other stellar function. Asus additionally deserves a pat on the again for the MyAsus software program, an all-in-one app that facilitates all of your wants, together with fast, wi-fi file transfers, display mirroring, configuring fan controls, initiating updates, working a system diagnostics, and coolest of all, utilizing your cellphone as a webcam. Plus, the ZenBook 13 lasts greater than 13 hours on a cost.
See our full Asus Zenbook 13 (UX325) OLED overview.
Home windows 10 customers envious of the MacBook Professional or MacBook Air ought to flip their course to the Floor Laptop computer 4. With a first-rate construct high quality and a slim, elegant aluminum chassis, the Floor Laptop computer 4 is arguably extra enticing than Apple’s beloved notebooks. It additionally has a equally implausible 13.5-inch show (with a 3:2 side ratio) that’s extra vivid than the one on the most recent MacBook Professional.
Different issues we like concerning the Floor Laptop computer 4 are its quick efficiency greater than 10:45 hours of battery life. The keyboard can also be implausible, and much more comfy to sort on than the brand new Magic Keyboard on the MacBook. So though there aren’t any Thunderbolt 3 ports and the bezels stay a bit chunky, the Floor Laptop computer 4 is a superb laptop computer for individuals who desire a trendy ultraportable machine with excellent construct high quality.
See our full Microsoft Floor Laptop computer 4 overview.
Asus has executed it once more. They’ve modified the definition of what the very best gaming laptop computer is. By itself, the Asus ROG Move X13 is a compelling laptop computer. It’s very uncommon to see a 13-inch gaming laptop computer and even rarer for it to be a 2-in-1. However Asus didn’t cease there, they threw a high-powered AMD Ryzen 9 processor into the combination and even outfitted the pocket book with its personal discrete Nvidia GPU.
It’s when the XG Cellular comes into play the place issues get fascinating. For the lifetime of me, I’m baffled about how they match an RTX 3080 into such a small enclosure. Though I want Asus may have discovered a extra elegant answer than that vast proprietary plug, I can’t argue with the outcomes. The XG Cellular is the proverbial lure card, remodeling it into the darkish magician of gaming laptops. It doesn’t have any proper to be as highly effective as it’s, however right here we’re, once more impressed by Asus’ ingenuity.
See our full Asus ROG Move X13 overview.
How to decide on the very best 13-inch laptop computer
There’s so much to contemplate past display dimension when selecting the very best 13-inch laptop computer.
The primary is portability. 13-inch laptops are standard, particularly amongst school college students, as a result of they provide a great steadiness between display actual property and portability. The Dell XPS 13 is a superb instance. It weighs round 2 kilos and is simply 0.5 inches thick but you get a 13.3-inch edge-to-edge show.
Battery life is one other key element as a result of transportable machines ought to ship lengthy runtimes. Think about a laptop computer that will get no less than 9 hours of battery life, which needs to be sufficient to get you thru a full day of labor or an extended worldwide flight.
Relating to specs, we suggest shopping for a laptop computer with an Intel U-series or H-series Core i5 CPU, no less than 8GB of RAM (16GB is nice) and a minimal of 256GB of storage. AMD is coming in scorching with its 4000-series chips, so maintain a watch out for these. You would possibly discover that the brand new MacBook Air 2020 would not match these necessities (it has a low-power Y-series CPU) however it’s nonetheless a great choice should you favor macOS and do not need to lay our a fortune. Talking of which, Chromebooks just like the Pixelbook Go provide glorious worth and we’re seeing increasingly 13-inch fashions.
Different issues to contemplate embrace a comfortable keyboard and delicate touchpad. And when it is time to watch Netflix or YouTube, make sure you get a laptop computer with a vivid and brilliant show (like several of these listed right here).
How we take a look at laptops
We put every laptop computer by means of intensive benchmark testing — each artificial and real-world — earlier than they find yourself within the fingers of our reviewers. We consider every side of the laptop computer, together with its efficiency, battery life, show, audio system and warmth administration.
In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB colour gamut of the laptop computer’s show. For efficiency testing, we run the laptop computer by means of a gauntlet of benchmarks, together with Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark skilled graphics checks.
To find out real-world efficiency, we activity the laptop computer to transform a 4K video to 1080p decision and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics take a look at is the Grime 3 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p decision.
We additionally run warmth checks by taking part in a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in several areas of the laptop computer. Final however not least, our battery take a look at consists of steady net browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Home windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is taken into account a great end result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that may keep powered for longer than 5 hours deserve reward.
These checks are complemented with intensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique all the pieces from the laptop computer’s supplies to the texture of its touchpad.
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