If you ’re frequently taking your laptop computer to and from the office , then you ’ll want something as light and slender as possible . This is where our good ultrabook roundup comes in .
While the terminal figure ‘ ultrabook ’ was ab initio coin by Intel , it has since been adopted by the wider food market to refer to any laptop computer that is perceptibly light and thin . As a solvent , we ’ve made sure to include laptop computer , even if they ’re using an AMD or Apple chip .
For our best ultrabooks list , we ’ve included high - scoring laptop computer with a maximum screen size of 14 inch , while ruling out any portable that ’s either thicker than 20 mm or weighs more than 1.5 kg .
Our team of expert have critique countless laptops that conform to these criterion , but we ’ve pick out the very best options here to facilitate narrow down your hunting . Every laptop we ’ve reviewed has been tested for at least a workweek . We ’ve not only accept into thoughtfulness the design but also test the performance via bench mark computer software and measured the screen caliber with professional equipment .
Ca n’t find an ultrabook you wish enough to buy ? No need to concern , as we ’ll be updating this list on a even basis as more and more laptop computer limited review are published on our site .
And if you ’re felicitous to buy a laptop that does n’t meet the ultrabook criterion , then check out ourBest Laptop , Best Student laptop computer , Best MacBookandBest Gaming Laptoppages too .
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Learn more about how we test laptops
Every laptop we review goes through a series of consistent checks designed to estimate primal things admit build timber , execution , concealment calibre and battery sprightliness .
These admit schematic synthetic benchmarks and scripted trial , plus a serial of real world checks , such as how well it runs the most frequently used apps .
We also check that to habituate every laptop we review as our primary gadget for at least a week to insure our review is as accurate as possible .
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED
Pros
Cons
Apple MacBook Air M3
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Acer Swift Edge 16
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 360
HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook (2023)
HP Chromebook x2 11
Huawei Matebook 14 (2024)
Trusted Score
Intel Core Ultra is here and it ’s apt that the groundbreaker of the “ Ultrabook ” terminal figure has produced an first-class one that assume its new chip with a likewise “ Ultra”-flavoured soubriquet . TheAsus Zenbook 14 OLEDis our plectron for the best overall ultrabook .
The Zenbook range has been on a tear over the last couple of years , with the 13 - column inch “ S ” model gaining plenty of extolment . But , over the last class , the 14 - incher has do to the fore . This model disport the new Core Ultra mountain range , it ’s Intel ’s attempt at add some graphical grunt to its premium thin - and - light option , taking on the MacBook Air . The Zenbook 14 OLED is a sensational showcase for it , absolutely rive through productivity tasking and letting you dabble in both gaming and creative work .
Of course , this is an ultrabook so being tenuous and light is a key factor . Despite its solid power , the Asus weighs just 1.29 kilo and comes in at 15 mm thin . It is spectacularly flowing and portable . In the thin lid , another stone of a feature film is blot out , a 14 - column inch 2.8 K 120Hz OLED . The combination of specifications means you get lush visuals across games , motion-picture show and your day - to - day tasking . While the OLED engineering science means its tremedously colour accurate for creatives too .
Ultrabook stomach for strong stamp battery lifetime too , and the new Core Ultra chips have boosted the offerings from Intel ’s flagship Window laptop devices . The Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode comes in at around 13 hour , which is up there with the best of them on Windows , and come within a few hours of touching distance with the wondrous MacBook Air ’s stamp battery life .
Ultrabook may be an Intel design , and Team Blue is now no longer part of the Apple family , but not many equipment ooze out the ultrabook sentiment quite like the13 - inch MacBook Air M3 .
The premature M2 Air model was already one of the very best slight - and - light laptop computer you’re able to buy but the iterative boost offered by the M3 necessitate it to an even higher level , even if it is n’t a Brobdingnagian one . It ’s portable chops do in the sort of a sleek 11.3 mm and 1.24 kilo weight , that ’s enhanced by just how premium this all - metal simple machine feels .
The new model of the MacBook Air continues to be reverence - inspiring in terms of the might it can offer without a buff , achieving something Windows political machine still skin to compete with , especially when the aura can consort extremely well off mightiness , unlike significantly reduced Windows cream . Our 16 GB interconnected memory manikin is able to absolutely prevail productivity tasks without blinking while its spectacularly open for creative job , topping many key contender comfortably in our benchmark examination .
No devices suffer the ultrabook sentiment of top - tier battery sprightliness in a slight and scant form element quite like the MacBook Air . The M3 manages to volunteer around 15 hours of web browsing and 18 hours of video cyclosis .
TheMicrosoft Surface Laptop Go 2is a bantam laptop computer , with a blind size of just 12 inches . This arguably makes it the most portable laptop on this good ultrabook list , even if it is n’t quite the clean or thin .
But the most likeable factor of the Surface Laptop Go 2 is its monetary value , piddle it the most affordable laptop computer on this list by a considerable margin . With a similar terms to a Chromebook , this is an excellent option for both students and those on a budget .
Why is this laptop so cheap ? Well , our bench mark results show it ’s the slow laptop on this tilt ( but still all right enough for productiveness labor ) while the low screen resolve makes it a misfortunate selection for those who wish to watch the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus on their laptop computer .
But considering the humiliated damage and its superb portability prowess , the Surface Laptop Go 2 is still a fantastic alternative for those look for one of the best ultrabooks laptops available .
The term “ 16 - inch ultrabook ” feel like an queer one but we call up theAcer Swift Edge 16falls firmly into that bracket . It ’s a machine that well fills the thin and light legal brief despite its vast display .
Like the LG Gram range , the Acer Swift Edge 16 aims to offer something breathtakingly sluttish . This 16 - inch laptop computer come in at just 1.23 kilo and a 12.95 mm heaviness . Yup , those numbers are dead right . hold this twist and carrying it around in a handbag is truly something else . It ’s hard to believe but this is an impressively thin and light-colored simple machine for its size .
The large size of it enable a glorious 3.2 K 120Hz OLED video display . The OLED tech means you get pop coloration and the high-pitched resolution brings bags of detail . It ’s also impressively colour accurate for those who like to dabble in originative piece of work .
We ’re defying Intel ’s ultrabook inheritance once again by include this AMD offering on this listing . The Ryzen 7 7840U within enables comfortable productivity tasking while it provides amazingly unassailable execution in multi - core examination . So , you could utilize this for short creative work and a smidgen of gaming too . Battery life is a bit short of traditional ultrabook criterion , coming in at an average eight hour .
TheSamsung Galaxy Book 3 360unfortunately live in the phantasma of the flagship Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Galaxy 3 Book 3 Ultra models , and it really should n’t . Its supremely lean , metal design is very high - quality , with the larger 15 - inch exemplar come in at a reasonable 1.46 kilo and 13.7 millimetre tenuous , while the smaller 13.3 - inch provide a 1.16 kg free weight with a thickness of just 12.9 mm .
Being a 360 model , this laptop can be flipped around and used as a improvised tablet . Pop it up in the collapsible shelter position and watch media content , or flip it around completely and practice the bundled S Pen to doodle or surf the vane . We found that the S Pen offered accurate composition and drawing , with a nigh - flawless absence of stave , crap it a great option for those who need to switch between productiveness work to originative job .
If you are originative then you will be very proud of to know that the Galaxy Book 3 360 managed to mark 100 % , 96 % and 100 % in oursRGB , Adobe RGBandDCI - P3tests , respectively , making it more than serviceable for color - sensitive workloads . Samsung opted for aFull HD(1920×1080 ) resolving power , but that is massively enhanced by the underlyingAMOLEDtechnology , which made medium subject see shrill and vibrant .
That being said , the internals of the Galaxy Book 3 360 do restrain it slimly , but you should still be capable to cut into into some light creative tasks . The comprehension of theRaptor LakeIntel Core i5 processor makes it a marvelous productiveness pick , though , with our reviewer noting that it corrode up these task with simplicity . It had no hassle getting up to 20 web browser lozenge alongside multitasking without any hiccough , meaning that you will have no difficulty taking it into your school or workplace .
If you ’re after a lightweight , intercrossed laptop computer that wo n’t stop the bank then the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 360 is one of the best recommendations you could discover . It offers almost everything you could ask for when it comes to productiveness and can handle smaller originative tasks thanks to its color - precise sieve , with all the benefits of a two - in - one excogitation .
While Windows may be the nonremittal operating system that we all turn to , theHP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook ( 2023)is still a fantastic ultrabook that should not be pass over . It runs onChromeOSand comes with theIntel Evocertification , imply that it has passed a phone number of trial correct by Intel and is deemed to be the emollient of the harvest of lightweight laptops .
In our tests , we found that the12th - genIntel Core i5 central processor was more than powerful enough for a Chromebook . Unless you ’re plan to do some serious multitasking and take onAAA gamesat a high-pitched skeleton rate , the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has you cover , putting it quite far beyond the Chromebook ’s traditional remission .
The 14 - inch touchscreen domiciliate on the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is seriously smart , at 1200nits . It also packs aQuad HD+ declaration ( 2560×1600 ) that makes for a crisp and vibrant media experience . The multi - touch capableness of the display worked very well for zooming in on picture , scroll through World Wide Web cognitive content and even represent touchscreen game from the Google Play Store , giving it a lot of versatility .
Another interesting feature of the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is the inclusion of RGB backlighting . Even though it ’s not inherently pitch towards gamers , it ’s the first “ non - gaming ” Chromebook to have anRGBkeyboard , tally an extra level of customisation . The keyboard is draw with a pair ofBang & Olufsenspeakers on either side of the key , which we found had a great level of separation . The sound was very elaborated and nuanced with plenty of discernable bass , meaning that you should n’t have to splurge on any international audio gadget .
As far as high - oddment Chromebooks go , the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook ticks almost every loge . The reliable carrying out , great exhibit and first-class audio timbre make it a satisfying option for productiveness workers and one of the best Chromebooks on the mart .
Not everyone can give to splash out on the most expensive productiveness laptop computer , which is why we ’ve made sure to include one of the good budget ultrabooks on the market properly now ; theHP Chromebook x2 11 .
At just £ 499 , it comes with a two - in - one design , reserve it to be used as both a tablet and a laptop . The tablet portion of the Chromebook x2 11 felt very solid to use and the detachable keyboard and rear covering attach via magnets , reserve for a unassailable connection during use .
The keyboard itself offered solid locomotion and a seemly level of tactility , unlike some more affordable Chromebooks that we have tried . The downside is that it has been squished down to jibe into an eleven - inch pad of paper flesh , so it might be an allowance for those currently using a enceinte laptop computer . gratefully , the touchpad offered excellent veridical landed estate for your fingers and provided some tactile feedback , even if it did experience a short vacuous on occasion .
The 11 - in display come with an impressiveQuad HD(1440p ) resolution and a quoted 400nitsof brightness . It managed to produce some excellent detail with generally vibrant range and solid colour while pour television content .
Inside of the Chromebook x2 11 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c central processing unit . This chip is a match of years old but it allow enough power for day - to - daylight tasks that Chromebooks are designed for ; the laptop did n’t bumble with multiple tabs overt or during our industry - received benchmark test .
Overall , if you ’re look for something that can deal intensive graphical workloads then theApple MacBook Air 15 - inchmay be the better option , but for simple productivity workers , this laptop will work a treat . The solid keyboard , vibrant display and reliable operation combine to make a very up to laptop that has an promiscuous - to - digest monetary value to iron boot .
TheHuawei Matebook 14 ( 2024)isn’t the tinny ultrabook on this list ( that honour goes to theHP Chromebook x2 11 ) , however , it is the good value one we ’ve tested , making it an excellent selection if you ’re looking to get the most bang for your buck overall .
The MateBook 14 is lightweight but still tough . The trackpad is fluent and responsive and the port selection is decent , but feedback from the keyboard could be more accurate . That say , the Key do extend a good amount of travel .
The ultrabook has a vibrant 14.2 - inch OLED display with great direct contrast and a smooth 120Hz refresh charge per unit . This make the laptop apotheosis for teem capacity , though you ’ll want to geminate it with some phone as the construct - in utterer are n’t quite up to equivalence with other laptops we ’ve tested .
The Matebook 14 is powered by Intel ’s fourteenth - coevals processors , with configurations including the Intel Core Ultra 7 and the Core Ultra 5 . We found the performance to be speedy and appreciated the generous 1 TB SSD . That said , the lack of a distinct GPU mean we would n’t recommend choosing this laptop for more diagrammatically intensive project , such as gambling or video editing .
The Huawei Matebook 14 include a 70Wh stamp battery which we found extend just over 10 hours of enjoyment when loop productiveness workloads via PCMark 10 . The ultrabook also comes paired with a 65W battery charger capable of in full shoot the machine in 90 minutes .
FAQs
Intel primitively coined the word to represent lightweight Windows laptops with a rapid public presentation provide by Intel Core chips . But the term has since been adopted by the wide market to represent any productiveness laptop computer that is loose and slender . For this leaning , we ’ve set our own standard : every laptop take to have a screenland size 14 inch or smaller , librate no more than 1.5 kg and be thinner than 20 millimetre when closed . Both MacBooks and Chromebooks can be included as long as they meet those criteria .
Ultrabooks are great for on - the - go workplace since they ’re light and low enough to carry around in a succinct bag . If you often take your laptop computer to work or university , you ’ll want an ultrabook that does n’t add unneeded weight .
Ultrabooks are commonly not built for gaming , as consecrated GPUs generally press a lot . There are of course of instruction exceptions , such as the Asus ROG Flox X13 , but you still not last to get a gamy - end gaming operation by opting for an ultrabook . you could still use cloud - streaming services such as GeForce Now , Google Stadia and Game Pass Ultimate though .
Test Data
Full Specs
