Thanks to the specifications imposed by Intel on Ultrabooks, 13-inch laptops have become popular by leaps and bounds.
In many ways, a 13-inch notebook is the perfect size, they are not as complex or harmful to the eyes as netbooks, but they are not as heavy or uncomfortable as a larger laptop. Moreover, there are a lot of options in the market, for both Windows and Mac .
For more information, we recommend that you take a look at our article on the best laptops today. But, whatever you do, keep reading the following paragraphs to find out which 13-inch notebooks are our favorites of these past months, be aware that you can consider each of these notebooks as the best of these inches within their price range.
Our favorite 13-inch notebooks
Acer Chromebook 13
Welcome the Chromebook with most duration.
This Chromebook is powered by a NVIDIA Tegra K1 4-Plus-1 Quad Core ARM Cortex-A15 Mobile processor and has a bunch of features in a very small body. Users will love its 13.3-inch screen and 1080p resolution, as well as its portability. With its one and a half kilos of weight, the Acer Chromebook 13 is a fairly light laptop.
This Chromebook has some minor problems, such as the fact of not working too well in multitasking mode or the narrow range of colors in which it is available, just one. But its price, around 300 dollars, its simplicity and performance will certainly help you overcome these design limitations.
Specs:
- 13.3″ Full HD Display (1920 x 1080)
- NVIDIA Tegra K1 4-Plus-1 Quad Core ARM Cortex-A15 Mobile Processor up to 2.1GHz
- NVIDIA Kepler GPU with 192 NVIDIA CUDA cores
- 2GB DDR3
- 16GB SSD
- 2 x USB3.0; 1 x HDMI; Bluetooth 4.0; 802.11ac WiFi
- 4-Cell Lithium Ion Battery (3220 mAh, 48Whr), Up to 11-hours Battery Life
- Chrome OS
Dell XPS 13
Quite a revolution in notebook design.
Already in 2014 we thought the Dell XPS 13 was a brilliant 13-inch computer, thin and light, but this year the brand has really put all the meat on the grill by launching its new version. The new Dell XPS 13 is a 13.3-inch notebook, but it has the presence of a small 11-inch notebook.
Fortunately for us, the XPS 13 is no beauty without brains. This notebook has the power to welcome both work and play and its battery has enough duration to never leave you hanging. Whether you decide to upgrade your laptop to the touch screen quad HD + version or decide on the Full HD model, the Dell XPS 13 will provide you a great experience for years to come.
Specs:
- 13.3 inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080)
- Intel Core i5-6200U 2.30 GHz with turbo boost upto 2.6ghz,
- HD Graphics 520 (perform similar to a dedicated GeForce 820M)
- 128GB SSD
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C with Thunderbolt, 802.11ac Gigabit Wifi, Bluetooth 4.1, Backlit Keyboard
- 52 WHr 4-cell Battery(up to 11 hours battery life)
- Windows 10 Home 64bit
Toshiba Chromebook 2
Finally a great 1080p display on a Chromebook.
For about 300 dollars, the Toshiba Chromebook 2 is a beautiful and affordable laptop that doesn’t have many weaknesses. It has more RAM (4GB DDR3) and a Full HD 1080p display, which is a big step forward compared to other models in its class, such as the Samsung Chromebook 2 and the Acer C720.
However, potential buyers should note that the Toshiba Chromebook 2 brings Chromebooks closer to the most affordable territory of a Windows 8.1 notebook. So, if you’re not buying the device made specifically for the Google ecosystem, you could be paying too much.
That said, the 1080p resolution display is a great advantage and the Skullcandy Portable Speakers are great. Add it up all and the Toshiba Chromebook 2 could be a fantastic streaming system for any occasion, whether you want to use YouTube, Netflix or any other platform.
Specs:
- 13.3-Inch Full HD IPS Display
- Intel Celeron 3215U 1.7 GHz Processor / Intel Core i3-5015U 2.1 GHz
- HD Graphics (Broadwell)
- 4GB DDR3 Ram
- 16GB SSD
- 1 x USB3.0, Bluetooth, 802.11 A/C, LED-Backlit Keyboard
- Chrome OS
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina display
The smaller and faster MacBook is quite a force of nature.
Although the outside of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro retina has not changed, on inside they have made great improvements, this is why it’s considered one of the best brand of laptops. The Pro Retina has the latest Intel Core i5 Broadwell processor, which is more powerful than last year’s Haswell, and a better Intel Iris Graphics 6100. That Broadwell processor is also a great improvement for the average battery life compared to the 2014 MacBook Pro retina.
Even though it may not have the smooth design of the new MacBook, this new version of the MacBook Pro has features like the Apple Force Touch Trackpad which uses different sensitivity levels instead of mechanical buttons to click. In addition, Apple’s solid quality build, its large screen and a good level of performance in all aspects make the new MacBook Pro with Retina display one of the safest bets as far as the current 13-inch notebook market is concerned.
Specs:
- 13.3″ LED-Backlit IPS Retina Display 2560 x 1600 Native Resolution
- 2.7GHz Intel Core i5-5257U
- Intel Iris Graphics 6100
- 8GB DDR3
- 128 GB SSD
- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0; 2 x Thunderbolt 2, 2 x USB 3.0, HDMI
- Up to 10 hours of wireless web; up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback
- Mac OS X 10.10 or 10.11
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro Convertible Ultrabook PC
The most representative of Lenovo’s Ultrabooks won’t completely subdue to your will.
If you are interested, mainly in style and you don’t need a super powerful machine, you won’t find any better than the latest release of Lenovo. While it may not be as striking as its predecessor (partly due to its low-power and fanless Intel Core M chip), it can still handle all your basic tasks (such as Office work, Surfing online, watch movies…) without problems.
Also, thanks to its new metal hinge and an extra slim design, the Yogra 3 Pro works better than ever in its multiple use modes. In any case, it is one of the thinest, lightest and crispest Windows notebook to date. And if you are still doubting if you should pay for it, we assure you that if you’re a design freak it will be worth the expense.
Specs:
- 13.3″ QHD+ LED Glossy Multi-touch display (3200×1800)
- Intel Core M-5Y71 (1.20GHz 1600MHz 4MB)
- Intel HD Graphics 5300
- 8GB DDR3
- 256GB SSD
- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi; 2 x USB3.0; Bluetooth 4.0;
- Windows 10 64-Bit
Asus ZenBook UX305
A really excellent Ultrabook and at a very affordable price.
Even though the Asus UX305 doesn’t break new ground in the landscape of Ultrabooks, it is an almost perfect notebook at a very affordable price, so it really deserves all the praise that it can get.
The ZenBook UX305 is a superbly built laptop, a machine totally made of metal, thin, lightweight and very attractive. This lightness makes carrying out everyday tasks such as surfing the Internet, watching videos or editing images a sea of easy and convenient-ness. In addition, considering that the screen is 1080p, its battery life duration is excellent.
Of course, what’s most striking about the UX305 is that it costs about 750 dollars, a great price for a notebook. And in this case even more because you get a Premium metal Ultrabook with an excellent Full HD screen and a 256 GB SSD. So, even though it is not the world’s most innovative Ultrabook, it is one that has a better quality-price relationship and you’d hardly be disappointed.
Specs:
- 13.3-Inch Full-HD IPS Display (1920*1080)
- Intel Core i5 6200U 2.3GHz (Turbo up to 2.8GHz)
- HD Graphics 520 (perform similar to a dedicated GeForce 820M)
- 8GB DDR3
- 256GB SSD
- 2 x USB 3.0; 1 x USB 2.0; 1 x micro HDMI, 802.11AC, Bluetooth 4.0
- 10-Hours Battery Life
- Windows 10 64 bit
13-Inch MacBook Air
Has the MacBook Air finally made available to us the all-day battery? The market for thin laptops is more densely populated due to the wide variety of manufacturers, however, Apple retains its privileged place thanks to the MacBook Air.
This 13-inch notebook features the latest technology from Intel, faster RAM and more updated connection ports compared to its predecessor, all of which results in a great user experience. In addition, the keyboard is excellent (and backlit), the Multi-Touch trackpad works very well and is as fast as desired.
Specs:
- 13.3″ Glossy Display 1440 x 900
- Intel Core i5-5250U 1.6GHz (Turbo up to 2.7GHz)
- Intel HD Iris Graphics 6000
- 4GB DDR3
- 128GB SSD
- 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0; 2 x USB 3.0; Thunderbolt 2
- Up to 12 hours Battery life
- Apple OS X Yosemite 10.10.2
Acer Aspire S7
This luxurious Acer notebook is an ultra portable star.
Acer has updated its high-end laptop with a super sharp QHD touchscreen screen. This 2560 x 1440 panel is prepared for the day when hyper-HD content can be viewed reliably via wireless Internet. Meanwhile, texts looks perfect, just like images – thereby increasing the feeling of near future of this device.
The build quality of the Aspire S7’s screen with its Gorilla Glass frame is palpable. Just like its agile keyboard with its fancy electroluminescent lighting. The Acer Aspire S7 laptop (with a price starting at 1,200 euros) really feels like a machine built for the present and that you won’t mind continuing to use well until into 2016, or more. In short, we love the Aspire S7 for its cutting-edge construction, the vast writing experience it offers and its Premium features.
Specs:
- 13.3-Inch WQHD Touch Display (2560 x 1440 pixels)
- Intel Core i7-5500U processor 2.4GHz (Turbo up to 3.0GHz)
- Intel HD Graphics 5500
- 8GB DDR3
- 256GB SSD
- 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, 2 x USB3.0, 1 x HDMI
- Up to 9.5-hours battery life
- Windows 10 Home
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