The best 13-inch laptop 2017: the top 13-inch laptops we've reviewed

If the last few years have shown us anything, it’s that the best 13-inch laptops can do everything that their larger-screened brethren can. In fact, the top 13-inch laptops are many times more portable and compact than larger 15-inch variants, while still being more visually appealing than 11 or 12-inch laptops. Most 13-inch laptops truly strike the perfect balance between portability and power, and the best 13-inch laptops are certainly earning their unparalleled popularity.

Either way, wherever your next laptop lands on the 13-inch scale, just make sure to pick up one of the best 13-inch laptops. Now, while this list is going to cover a large amount of 13-inch laptops, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re all going to do the same things. For instance, some are simple and conventional notebooks with premium features, like Ultrabooks. Others are far more versatile in their use, like 2-in-1 laptops that are focused more on balancing between being both a tablet and a laptop rather than any raw throughput or out-of-this-world battery life.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what type of person you are or what kind of things you need to do with your laptop – you can count on the best 13-inch laptops to get you through whatever task lies ahead of you. With this list, we will show you some of the best laptops that we have reviewed over the last year or so, and have ranked them in order of awesomeness.

Best 13-inch laptop

Dell has done it again, striking (rose) gold with the 2017 model of the XPS 13. Not a lot has changed year over year, but the refinements are definitely noticeable. On the high end, the XPS 13 now offers up to 16GB of RAM, letting you multitask like never before. Don’t let this apparent lack of innovation distract you however – the beautiful design, lengthy battery life and even the SD card slot are still there – but now it’s got beefier internals and a sleeker design that puts it head-to-head with the MacBooks and HP Spectres of the world. What’s more, the full-size processor and 13.3-inch display are somehow packed (magic?) into an 11-inch frame made possible by Dell’s own nearly bezel-less InfinityEdge display technology.

Read the full review: Dell XPS 13

Best 13-inch laptop

There’s a new entry to Asus’s Zenbook lineup with the UX360, featuring a lot of the same specs as its predecessor but with the flexibility of a 2-in-1 laptop. While the ability to bend over backwards may diminish the build quality somewhat, it allows for new levels of functionality for computer consumers who want a laptop and tablet all in one. Thanks to an all-day battery, the Zenbook Flip UX360 really can go with you for everything you do. And, with a wide variety of internal customization, you can deck out the Zenbook Flip UX360 for your own personal needs, saving you some cash or boosting its performance.

Read the full review: Asus Zenbook Flip UX360

The HP Spectre x360 is the laptop that you show to your parents. It’s beautifully well-crafted, featuring a chrome design that makes it every bit as cutting-edge on the outside as on the inside. With the option between a 7th-generation i5 or i7 Ultrabook-class CPU and a 1080p or 4K Display, HP allows for plenty of room for customization. It’s not underpowered, nor does its battery life suffer from overcompensation. In fact, in our own movie test, the HP Spectre x360 lasted a surprising 8 hours and 45 minutes. The only real catch is that, like a lot of its competitors, the Spectre x360 also lacks an SD card slot, opting instead for a pair of USB Type-C ports.

Read the full review: HP Spectre x360

Best 13-inch laptop

Samsung may not have made much of a dent in the laptop scene with much more than its Tab Pro S convertible, but Samsung's follow-up to the 2012 Series 9 notebook doesn’t just feature impressive specs – it’s got a competitive price as well. Marketed as an Ultrabook, it's certainly disheartening to know the battery life lasts only five hours, but given its sleek and sexy design, it almost doesn't matter. What's more, with the Samsung Notebook 9, you won't have to deal with the bloatware that makes many other Microsoft the target of angry forum posts.

Read the full review: Samsung Notebook 9

The Surface Laptop is Microsoft’s first stab at a 'traditional' laptop, if you can even call it that knowing full well that its PixelSense touchscreen and Alcantara keyboard are anything but conventional. Featuring a full stack of U-series 7th generation Intel Core i processors, the Surface Laptop beats out Apple’s 12-inch MacBook any day of the week, and for a lower starting price at that. Despite the ports and operating system being limited, the Surface Laptop is appealing for its laudable design, beautifully vivid screen and impressive performance.

Read the full review: Surface Laptop

The Lenovo Yoga 910 is all about second chances. It throws away many of the signature design traits of the previous model, the Yoga 900, in favor of a more pristine outward appearance and a heavy duty Intel Core i7 processor as well as the option of a 4K display. Lenovo also managed to squeeze a larger, nearly 14-inch screen into the same 13-inch chassis of the Yoga 900 without compromise. Not to mention, even with the implementation of USB-C ports, the Lenovo Yoga 910 doesn’t completely neglect USB Type-A, dragging the precious connection standard of the past along with it.

Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 910

Best 13-inch laptop

In a market densely populated with slim-line laptops from a massive range of manufacturers, Apple's MacBook Air fights on admirably – though it started showing its age on the outside a long time ago. It has Intel's fifth-generation Core-series processors rather than the newest Skylake variants, but it's still a capable machine; even more so since Apple made 8GB of RAM standard across the line.

Read the full review: 13-inch MacBook Air

best 13-inch laptop

The latest iteration of Apple’s seminal MacBook Pro series is here, and as you would expect it makes a number of notable improvements over last year’s offering. While it might not exactly feature the strongest battery life in the game (scoring under an hour less than last year’s offering), it does offer increased performance by way of a new CPU and faster RAM. Add that to Apple’s continued dedication to simplicity and beautiful design and you have a laptop that is sleek, portable and reliable.

Read the full review: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2017)

Joe Osborne and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article