Best 13-inch laptop in 2022 | Laptop Mag

The all-time 13-inch laptops offer a remainder between portability and productivity. Students can effortlessly comport thirteen-inch laptops around campus and business professionals tin slip them into briefcases when traveling (or you can easily move them from your home office to the couch). Nonetheless despite their size, a xiii-inch laptop equipped with an Intel U-series, AMD Ryzen or Apple M1 can provide plenty performance for most users.

We’ve compiled the best xiii-inch laptops, simply if you lot’re not sold on this screen size, check out our best laptops folio or the best xv-inch laptops if you need more screen existent manor. Students should see our best college laptops page, where they’ll observe the best notebook for their respective fields of study.

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The HP Envy 13 is the best laptop for under $i,000 and ane of the best 13-inch laptops on the market. While it notwithstanding has a plastic touchpad, the Envy 13 is a fantastic value if y’all want the best laptop for less than four figures. What makes this such a great bargain is its entirely aluminum design and the excellent 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs.

In our testing, nosotros institute that an Green-eyed xiii with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 delivers fast performance for nigh any task. This specific Green-eyed costs only $900 and can outmuscle laptops that cost well over $1,000. Moreover, the Envy 13 has a bright, vivid 13.3-inch display and a comfortable keyboard.

At that place is very piddling we don’t like about the Envy 13. If yous tin can go over the lack of an IR camera (at that place is a fingerprint sensor), and so it is the ultimate money-saving laptop.

Encounter our

HP Envy 13 (2021) review

What do you get when y’all put one of Intel’southward new Tiger Lake processors into a Dell XPS thirteen? Fifty-fifty more awesome. The latest Dell XPS 13 keeps all the things nosotros loved about this year’south previous model, such as a smaller frame, four-sided InfinityEdge bezels and a larger keyboard. But this refresh brings Intel’south 11th Gen Tiger Lake processor and a host of promised features, including meliorate CPU and graphics performance and longer battery life. You as well go Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6. These are all reasons why it’southward the all-time 13-inch laptop y’all tin buy if budget isn’t a concern.

But does Tiger Lake alive up to the hype? Absolutely. With the new Intel Iris Xe GPU, you can play sure AAA games on an integrated GPU, admitting on low settings. And in many cases, the overall performance is top-notch too. The bombardment life even surpasses Intel’s new Evo standards by two hours. For those looking for a laptop with equal parts beauty, power and longevity, the Dell XPS 13 is the laptop for you.

See our full

Dell XPS 13 (Late 2022) review
.

And here is our review of the

Dell XPS 13 with 4K display

and the

XPS 13 OLED

released in 2022.

If you lot prefer macOS to Windows 10, and then become with the Apple MacBook Air. The biggest improvement to this twelvemonth’s model is the new M1 fleck, which delivers outstanding functioning and excellent battery life, making the new MacBook Air the fastest ultrathin laptop ever.

Best of all, the MacBook Air still costs but $999, and yet, you lot can unrivaled performance forth with 14 hours and 41 minutes of bombardment life. This is a combination yous’ll but find from the very all-time Windows 10 laptops, and even they can’t compete in head-to-head performance.

So why buy the MacBook Air instead of the Pro? While the Pro has better sustained performance, the MacBook Air is cheaper and is pin-drop silent because it doesn’t have a fan. And, of class, Apple tree’s least expensive 13.iii-inch model is the well-nigh portable, coming in at but 0.6 inches thick and 2.8 pounds.

Merely now the MacBook Air is slower to parity with the MacBook Pro than ever earlier. It has similar speed and bombardment life, the same 720p webcam, a comfy Magic keyboard and 2 USB-C ports. Also, the 13.3-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel Retina display on the M1 model was improved with P3 color coverage, making it more vibrant than the previous panel.

See our full

Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2022) review

This is the huge jump frontward we’ve been waiting on. It is all thank you to the new M1 chip, Apple’southward commencement-ever custom SoC for laptops. With the best ability-per-watt performance of any processor, the M1 brings the MacBook Pro’south performance and battery life to the next level.

More than specifically, the MacBook Pro is more powerful than well-nigh every PC on the marketplace, including some workstations. And despite cramming so much ability into such a slim and sleek chassis, the Pro lasted for an outstanding 16 hours and 32 minutes on our battery test, which simulates real-world testing.

With an prototype processing unit, the webcam (sadly, still 720p) is better than earlier and since information technology runs on Apple tree’due south ARM-based architecture, iPad and iPhone apps are at present available on Mac. Yes, y’all can run all your favorite iOS games and apps on your laptop at present.

Rounding out the numerous enhancements constitute in the latest MacBook Pro is Big Sur, the latest version of macOS. The largest update since Os X launched a decade ago, Large Sur is a beautiful redesign of the desktop Os.  With the do good of sustained performance, the MacBook Pro is a more capable  thirteen-inch laptop than the MacBook Air but not as good of a value.

See our

MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2022) review

Yous are probably familiar with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon at this point. It has been our favorite business laptop for ages due to its lightweight design, excellent operation and convenient features. The X1 Nano uses the Carbon equally a platform merely packs everything into an even smaller chassis with a 13-inch, 2K display.

That panel is an excellent one, flaunting a abrupt picture show and gorgeous colors. Despite the high-res console, the X1 Nano lasted for 12 hours on a charge, making it dandy for frequent travelers. The performance is good, not great, merely you even so get a fast automobile that weighs merely ii pounds.

It isn’t a perfect laptop — nosotros still favor the X1 Carbon — just for those who need the absolute most portable solution, the X1 Nano is the way to go.

See our full

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano review
.

The Pixelbook Go is easily ane of the best Chromebooks you tin buy. Google’s laptop is super slim and light at only 2 pounds, and it sports an easy-to-grip design. The extreme portability extends to this Chromebook’southward battery life, every bit it lasted a very impressive eleven hours and 29 minutes on our web-surfing bombardment exam.

Other highlights include a vibrant xiii.3-inch display and solid performance form its Core m3 processor (Core i5 is bachelor). The speakers aren’t stellar and Chrome Os still has its limitations, but overall the Pixelbook Become is a peachy option.

Read our full

Pixelbook Go review
.

If I had to choose between the Spectre x360 14 and Spectre x360 thirteen, I’d buy the 14-inch model. But when you gene in the extra price (most $400 at the time of writing) of the larger version, I offset leaning toward the Spectre x360 xiii. Similar the Spectre xiv, this 13-inch version has a bright brandish, a comfortable keyboard, ballsy bombardment life, and one of the almost striking designs we’ve ever seen on a laptop.

Information technology brings with it 11th Gen Intel CPUs for speedy performance and the included IR camera and fingerprint sensor hateful you never have to utilize a password over again. And while it may not include a stylus, the Spectre x360 13 is reasonably priced for a premium convertible laptop that can transform into a tablet.

If you lot want a larger screen, nosotros strongly recommend the Spectre x360 14.

Run across our
HP Spectre x360 13 review
.

Dell’s new XPS 13 two-in-1 takes everything we love most the clamshell XPS 13 — fast performance (thanks to 11th Gen CPUs), a sleek, lightweight design and very long battery life — and put it in a flexible convertible chassis. You also go a unique thirteen.4-inch, 1920 x 1200-resolution brandish.

No, that’s no typo; The XPS 13 ii-in-1’southward touch screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio, making it taller than almost every other 13-inch display. Better nevertheless, that panel is both brilliant and vivid. While the shallow keyboard won’t be for everyone, the XPS 13 2-in-i makes up for it with long battery life and excellent build quality.

See our total

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 review
.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13 with AMD CPUs is the best business laptop for students because it has tons of features at a depression toll. Starting at well under $i,000, the ThinkPad X13 gets you all the best ThinkPad features, including a world-class keyboard, a webcam cover, a condom pointing stick and a magnesium chassis rated to armed forces-form durability.

On pinnacle of those security and durability features, the ThinkPad X13 delivers outstanding performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen CPUs, which blow abroad their Intel counterparts. While the ThinkPad X13’southward battery life is a bummer, the cost-to-performance ratio makes upwards for information technology. Oh, and you tin tons of ports so there is no need to purchase a dongle.

See our full

ThinkPad X13 (AMD) review
.

The ZenBook 13 may not accept been able to surpass the beastly Acer Swift 5 on our benchmarks, but information technology crushed the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Spectre x360 thirteen on the graphics and file-transfer tests. It also blew all of its rivals out of the water with its extremely colorful OLED display. The clicky keyboard is impressive, too — peculiarly for such a compact, portable laptop. Laptops with thirteen-inch displays typically experience cramped, only I felt comfortable typing on the ZenBook 13.

The Numberpad 2.0 is another stellar feature. Asus too deserves a pat on the back for the MyAsus software, an all-in-one app that facilitates all your needs, including quick, wireless file transfers, screen mirroring, configuring fan controls, initiating updates, running a system diagnostics, and coolest of all, using your phone equally a webcam. Plus, the ZenBook 13 lasts more than thirteen hours on a charge.

See our full

Asus Zenbook thirteen (UX325) OLED review
.

Windows 11 users envious of the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air should turn their management to the Surface Laptop 4. With a outset-rate build quality and a slim, elegant aluminum chassis, the Surface Laptop 4 is arguably more than attractive than Apple’s dearest notebooks. It likewise has a similarly fantastic 13.5-inch display (with a 3:2 aspect ratio) that is more brilliant than the one on the newest MacBook Pro.

Other things we like most the Surface Laptop 4 are its fast operation more than 10:45 hours of battery life. The keyboard is also fantastic, and fifty-fifty more than comfortable to type on than the new Magic Keyboard on the MacBook. So although there are no Thunderbolt 3 ports and the bezels remain a bit chunky, the Surface Laptop iv is a wonderful laptop for people who want a stylish ultraportable machine with outstanding build quality.

Come across our full

Microsoft Surface Laptop iv review
.

Asus has done it again. They’ve changed the definition of what the best gaming laptop is. By itself, the Asus ROG Flow X13 is a compelling laptop. It’s very rare to run across a 13-inch gaming laptop and fifty-fifty rarer for it to be a 2-in-1. Simply Asus didn’t stop there, they threw a high-powered AMD Ryzen 9 processor into the mix and even outfitted the notebook with its own discrete Nvidia GPU.

Information technology’southward when the XG Mobile comes into play where things get interesting. For the life of me, I’thousand baffled about how they fit an RTX 3080 into such a small-scale enclosure. Even though I wish Asus could have establish a more elegant solution than that huge proprietary plug, I can’t argue with the results. The XG Mobile is the proverbial trap menu, transforming it into the dark magician of gaming laptops. It doesn’t have any right to exist equally powerful as it is, but here nosotros are, over again impressed by Asus’ ingenuity. half-dozen

See our full

Asus ROG Menses X13 review
.

If the ROG Catamenia sounds intriguing but a detachable form factor is more your speed, the new

Asus ROG Menses Z13

could be the answer.

How to cull the all-time thirteen-inch laptop

At that place’s a lot to consider across screen size when choosing the best thirteen-inch laptop.

The first is portability. 13-inch laptops are popular, peculiarly among college students, because they offer a skillful rest betwixt screen real estate and portability. The Dell XPS xiii is a great example. It weighs around two pounds and is just 0.v inches thick nevertheless y’all go a thirteen.three-inch border-to-edge display.

Bombardment life is some other primal component considering portable machines should deliver long runtimes.  Consider a laptop that gets at least 9 hours of battery life, which should exist enough to get yous through a full 24-hour interval of work or a long international flight.

When it comes to specs, nosotros recommend buying a laptop with at least 8GB of RAM (16GB is great) and a minimum of 256GB of storage. While Intel had things on lock for years, whatsoever of the latest chips from Intel, AMD or Apple should be sufficient for near users.

Other things to consider include a comfy keyboard and a sensitive touchpad. And when it’southward fourth dimension to sentry Netflix or YouTube, be certain to get a laptop with a vivid and bright display (like whatever of those listed here).

How we test laptops

We put each laptop through all-encompassing benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its functioning, bombardment life, display, speakers and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we utilise a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the effulgence and DCI-P3 color gamut of the laptop’due south display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.

To determine real-world performance, nosotros task the laptop to catechumen a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to indistinguishable a 25GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Clay 5 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery exam consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows xi laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a skilful issue whereas gaming laptops and workstations that tin stay powered for longer than five hours deserve praise.

These tests are complemented with extensive easily-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop’s materials to the feel of its touchpad.