The best ultrabooks have a lot to offer. These laptops are lightweight. They are paper thin. They are elegantly decorated. Plus, they have the same power as many larger, bulkier laptops, making them powerful tools for creatives and professionals of all types.
Achieving this high level of performance while maintaining portability and all-day battery life requires high-end hardware, so be prepared for most Ultrabooks to come with premium price tags. A wide range of options are also available with different brands, operating systems and internal specifications, so use our guide to make sure you invest in the perfect Ultrabook for you.
Best Overall: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
What we like
- Rugged, portable design
- Excellent ThinkPad keyboard
- Business oriented features
What we don't like
- Relatively simple design
- Average webcam
Lenovo's well-established ThinkPad line is known as one of the best business laptops out there, but the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is simply a top-of-the-line modern ultrabook by any standards. The 8th generation model can be equipped with an Intel Core i7-10610U processor, 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB solid state drive (SSD). That's more than enough for any professional use, and you can stay busy all day long with a quoted 19.5 hour battery life on a 1080p Full HD display. You can also choose 4K resolution on the 14-inch screen for greater clarity at the expense of faster battery drain.
Visually, the matte black X1 Carbon may not seem overly bright, but it's expertly engineered to withstand the drag of even the most extreme working conditions. Even though it weighs no more than 2.4 pounds, the carbon fiber reinforced frame has been tested to 12 military-grade strength standards so it won't have a problem with everyday bumps, drops and spills. It also features the comfortable and responsive backlit keyboard that ThinkPad users love, with the iconic red TrackPoint navigation nub right in the middle.
“In choosing my own Lenovo laptop, I appreciated how many options there were to find exactly the right hardware configuration to meet your needs.”
Best Design: Razer Book 13
What we like
- Slim and light
- Fantastic display
- Powerful for its size
- Excellent RGB backlit keyboard
- Expensive touchpad
What we don't like
- Expensive
- Not as powerful as a gaming laptop
If you're looking for a stylish and comfortable laptop that's both portable and surprisingly powerful, the Razer Book 13 is a great option. It has a machined aluminum chassis and what's inside that shiny silver body is just as impressive.
The Book 13 has an RGB backlit keyboard that's comfortable to type on, plus a generous touchpad and responsive touchscreen. This touch screen is also a great interface for creative work and media viewing with 4k resolution and high color fidelity. It's all equipped with 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and an 11th Gen Intel processor, making this ultraportable laptop capable of light gaming.
The Razer Book 13 is a device that proves you don't have to choose between style and content.
"For such a thin laptop, the Book 13 has an amazing amount of ports."
Best Display: HP Specter x360 15
What we like
- Large display
- Powerful hardware
- Quality speakers
What we don't like
- A little bulky like a tablet
- Unrivaled battery life
Can a thin portable ultrabook be big, bright and beautiful? HP's eye-catching Specter x360 15 2-in-1 is definitely worth a look. It manages to fit into a wide 15.6-inch touchscreen. The size makes it a little unwieldy to use as a tablet, but the flexibility is still handy. A bright, bright display also hurts battery life - you can get through most of the day, but you need to keep a power source nearby.
The Specter x360 15 display is ideal for working with photos, videos or any media, and it contains everything you need to support it. Equipped with an Intel Core i7 10750H hexa-core processor, Nvidia GeForce MX150 Ti Max-Q discrete graphics, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, you get content creation performance that can rival much larger machines. Plus, if you're into audio or have a particular focus on it, four powerful, individually tuned Bang & Olufsen speakers deliver better sound quality than you'd expect from most other laptops.
“Instead of flat edges and square corners, the edges of this beauty are cut to reveal lustrous metallic surfaces that catch light and draw the eye.”
Best Price: Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
What we like
- Quality design
- Comfortable keyboard
- High performance and battery life
What we don't like
- Lack of ports
- Touchscreen but no tablet mode
Microsoft has created a range of Surface touchscreen laptops with a strong and varied set of options, and the Surface Laptop 3 is the latest in the traditional clamshell format. It's a stylish 13.5" Ultrabook (15" version also available) that just makes it easy to combine performance and portability. Its 10th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 quad-core processor is just about the fastest possible option, while still giving you almost a full day of battery life. However, the 13.5-inch model only includes integrated Intel Iris Plus graphics, so you'll need a dedicated graphics card configuration if you plan on more advanced gaming or video editing.
The quality design of the Surface Laptop 3 is easily seen in its minimalistic aluminum exterior (available in multiple color options), but it also applies to practical matters. The keys are nice to type on, the touchpad is large and responsive, and Alcantara fabric is now optional on the deck around the keyboard. Our tester also rated the decent 720p webcam, unlike other ultrabooks where it tends to be overlooked. The Surface Laptop 3 makes concessions on port selection, but at least it now has a USB-C input as well as a Surface Connect port for additional connectivity via the Microsoft Surface Dock.
"The keyboard is beautiful and fast, with well-spaced keys and optimal travel."
Best Battery Life: Asus ExpertBook B9450FA 14" Laptop
What we like
- Remarkable 24-hour battery life
- Lightweight and thin
- LED numeric keypad in touchpad
What we don't like
- More powerful alternatives available
- 1080p display only
Asus calls the ExpertBook B9450 the world's lightest 14-inch business laptop, and its starting weight of 2.2 pounds is certainly impressive. But what sets it apart even more from other ultraportable laptops is its battery life - depending on your settings, it can last as long as 24 hours before needing a charge. Currently, there is no other laptop that can compare to this. This means you can take the ExpertBook B9450 with you all day long without fear of wasting power, and if you bring a spare portable charger with you, you'll be sure to be set. Plus, with a military-grade durability certification, you don't have to worry about drops, spills, or extreme temperatures.
Of course, all this portability wouldn't matter much if it couldn't handle the tasks you want it to take on. Fortunately, this does not include its Intel Core i7-10510U chip, 16 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of SSD hard drive. Asus even added a few other unique modern touches. The screen hinge raises the keyboard to a more natural typing angle, which also improves airflow through the vents. Notebooks this size don't usually fit a dedicated numeric keypad, but on the ExpertBook B9450 you can turn on the LED numeric keypad right on the touchpad. Finally, a small light bar on the front glows blue when the built-in Alexa voice assistant is activated.
Best Mac: Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020)
What we like
- Superior Apple Chip Performance
- Excellent battery life
- Saves your favorite design
What we don't like
- Just two USB-C ports
- No touch screen
Apple's latest 13-inch MacBook Pro looks almost identical to previous generations. For some laptops, this may be a sign of an outdated design. Luckily for the MacBook Pro, this attractive, still modern look has attracted legions of fans (and imitators). It measures portable at 3 pounds and 0.6 inches thick and comes in silver or space gray. The 2560x1600 Retina display is as sharp, colorful and vibrant as ever. The keyboard and touchpad are comfortable and precise. On the downside, the design still only offers two USB-C Thunderbolt ports for multipurpose connectivity and charging.
Inside, however, the 13-inch MacBook Pro received some game-changing changes as it became one of the first devices to feature Apple's own M1 chip. After spending time with the machine, our reviewer came to the same conclusions as testers in the industry: The M1 and its 8-core processor deliver lightning-fast performance on Mac systems, something competitors should fear. All apps and features run surprisingly smoothly and quickly, including games available for Mac. In addition, battery life with the efficient M1 is one of the best among laptops, with 18 to 20 hours of high-definition video playback.
"This year's MacBook represents the best we've seen from an Apple laptop in a while."
Final verdict
Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon is also an excellent choice all around, especially for business users in the notebook market, it's both durable and powerfully productive. For those looking for a Mac, the current 13-inch MacBook Pro has the same attractive design, but with a big boost in performance and battery life thanks to Apple's new M1 chip.
What to look for in an ultrabook
Performance - while even the best ultrabook won't be able to lap a gaming laptop, you'll need a machine that can handle a variety of productivity tasks without too much trouble. This means making sure the CPU and RAM are healthy and also making sure they can maintain a reliable Wi-Fi connection.
Battery life - ultrabooks are meant to be portable, but it won't matter much if you have to lug around a charger. Some Ultrabooks can go over 20 hours on a single charge, but other than that, a laptop that can be charged via USB-C offers a bit more versatility.
Weight . An ultrabook that weighs over 5 pounds is just a laptop. If you're going to be taking your car with you everywhere, it's better if it's thin and light.
