HP's Spectre x360 is the best 13-inch notebook you can buy right now

There are plenty 13-inch notebooks out there to choose from, but which ones make the list of best Windows laptop options you can buy for the money? Luckily for you, it's a great time to be shopping for a Windows laptop. We've rounded up some of the best 13-inch notebooks available to make your purchasing decision easier.

Best Overall: Razer Book 13

You were expecting the Dell XPS 13, weren't you? Razer took the gaming laptop category by storm with the launch of the Blade family of notebooks, but the company isn't content with halting there as it set its sights on productivity. If you're not into heavy gaming, the Razer Book 13 may be what you're after as it's about the best you can get in a 13-inch form factor.

We were seriously blown away by this notebook. It's not better than the XPS 13 from Dell. Both are the "best" laptops so it largely comes down to personal preference. With Razer, you get more ports, better audio, and faster resume speed. But not everyone will want to pay that Razer-tax for the privilege, which is understandable.

Putting aside the rather high price, the Razer Book 13 is remarkable as this is the first non-gaming laptop the company has released. We're not too sure what will arrive with the next refresh, but 5G could well be on the cards alongside a slight performance boost. If you're OK with paying a little more, the Razer Book 13 is quite simply perfect.

Pros:

• Gorgeous, pristine design
• 11th Gen Intel and EVO certified hardware flies
• Brilliant IGZO display
• Excellent typing, trackpad, and RGB keyboard
• Fantastic speakers with THX Spatial Audio
• Plenty of ports

Cons:

• Pricey
• No LTE

Best Overall

Razer Book 13

From $1,200 at Razer

Incredible engineering

The Razer Book 13 is a tremendous first-gen Ultrabook that arguably takes on the category winner Dell XPS 13. Razer ticked all the right boxes: 16:10 display, fantastic speakers, a great keyboard and trackpad, and a premium all-aluminum chassis.

Runner-up: HP Spectre x360 13

The 13-inch HP Spectre x360 has been a favorite of ours for years and has been so close to perfection. HP did what any good manufacturer should do and acted on feedback to make the Spectre x360 even better. Changes like the new Precision-powered touchpad and thinner bezels make it far more appealing to both use and gaze at.

There are a variety of screen choices available that cover both 1080p and 4K. HP still hasn't departed from using a 16:9 aspect ratio, which could be argued as looking a little dated in modern laptops. Still, performance is right up there with 10th Gen Intel CPUs, 16GB of RAM, and 2TB M.2 PCIe. There's Wi-Fi 6 available for a better wireless experience.

If you want the best non-convertible laptop, the Dell XPS 13 (9300) would be your best bet. The Spectre x360 13 offers far better value with more modes and optional LTE. It's a reliable all-around Windows laptop and tops more than one of our round-ups, including the best Windows 10 LTE laptops.

Pros:

• 10th Gen Intel Core CPUs
• Wi-Fi 6 and LTE connectivity
• Precision touchpad
• 4K AMOLED touch display with a thin bezel
• Big 60Wh battery

Cons:

• Speakers moved to the bottom of chassis
• Still using 16:9 aspect ratio

Runner-up

HP Spectre x360 13

$1,050 at HP

A sublime notebook

The HP Spectre x360 13 is an incredible piece of kit. HP refined the laptop to remove almost everything we disliked about it.

Best Convertible: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

If you didn't find the original Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 appealing, we don't blame you. The Intel processors weren't great, but don't let that leave a sour taste when considering the new 7390 model. It has the latest 10th Gen Intel processors that offer plenty of performance while allowing for a full workday of battery life.

That may not sound like magic when compared to other laptops in its class, but this convertible notebook houses a 13.4-inch panel that can be configured as 1920x1200 or 3840x2400, depending on your preference. Both display options have an aspect ratio of 16:10. Much like the XPS 13, the design is exquisite, but the 2-in-1 has a few party ticks like various modes.

There's also active pen support and plenty of ports for you to connect all your favorite accessories. You'll find Thunderbolt 3, microSD card reader, and more. If you're more about the typing experience, the maglev keyboard here is simply awesome to use. The large Precision touchpad is also excellent.

Pros:

• Dazzling HDR anti-glare touch display
• Robust audio
• Eight-hour battery life
• Clean, minimalist design
• 10th Gen Intel hardware

Cons:

• Ports limited but powerful
• Hardware not upgradeable

Best Convertible

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

• From $1,150 at Dell

Versatile companion

Dell's XPS 13 2-in-1 convertible notebook is a fun PC to use if you want to take your computing experience beyond the traditional laptop setup.

Best Premium: Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5

We appreciated what Microsoft did with the Surface Laptop 2, but the small changes made for the Surface Laptop 3 13 are simply amazing. It's now available with 10th Gen Intel CPUs and can be configured with up to 16GB of DDR4X RAM. And because we're using 10th Gen processors, Wi-Fi 6 is included.

Other improvements include faster SSDs with a capacity of up to 1TB. There's also a USB-C port to let you connect all your modern accessories to the Laptop 3. Finally, the touchpad is larger than the previous generation of Surface Laptop, and Microsoft is still using its fantastic Precision drivers for a brilliant experience.

The design of the Surface Laptop 3 13.5 is a joy to look at. It's not only available with Alcantara either. Should you not enjoy the feel of the fabric finish, it's possible to kit out the Surface Laptop 3 with an all-aluminum finish throughout. An IR camera can be used for Windows Hello, and the display is nothing short of sublime with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 2256x1504 resolution.

There are a few drawbacks, however. These include the lack of Thunderbolt 3 and anti-glare for the displays.

Pros:

• Gorgeous design and craftsmanship
• Now with USB-C
• Superb keyboard and touchpad
• Intel 10th Gen hardware
• Some parts can be upgraded

Cons:

• No Thunderbolt 3
• No Dolby Vision or anti-glare display

Best Premium

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5

• $770 at Microsoft

Stunning Surface laptop

Microsoft took the Laptop 2 and added USB-C, Wi-Fi 6, and Intel 10th Gen CPUs, making the Surface Laptop 3 13.5 an incredible notebook.

Best Budget: ASUS ZenBook 13

The ASUS family of ZenBook laptops have always been head turners due to their striking design, weight, and how thin the chassis is. The ZenBook 13 with 10th Gen Intel processors takes everything to a whole new level. This laptop may be more affordable than other laptops in this collection, but don't put it down as not being able to keep up with the rest.

Processor choice includes 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 and Core i7-1065G7, which matches what you'd find elsewhere. RAM is up there too at 8GB of LPDDR4X. Storage is solid, with a 256GB PCIe SSD pre-installed. There's even a number pad next to the full-sized keyboard. And because this is 10th Gen Intel, there's Thunderbolt 3 and Wi-Fi 6.

Because this is more of a budget-friendly laptop, you won't find anywhere to select a 4K display. If you want something a little more fancy in the specification department, you'll need to look elsewhere. For those on a tighter budget, this is a beautiful notebook with plenty going for it.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Large ScreenPad/touchpad
• Produces good nice
• 10th Gen Intel CPUs
• Wi-Fi 6

Cons:

• No 4K option

Best Budget

ASUS ZenBook 13

• $775 at Newegg

Budget-friendly laptop

ASUS managed to make a premium-looking laptop with an affordable price tag. It even houses capable 10th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors.

Best Gaming: Razer Blade Stealth

So you like gaming, do you? There's only one option in the 13-inch laptop segment, and that's the Razer Blade Stealth. This is the Ultrabook for gamers. Razer has had the Stealth available for some time, but this latest version is something else.

The latest generation of Blade Stealth laptops can be kitted out with a 120 Hz 1080p display, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (Max-Q Design) GPU, up to a 25W Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU, and 16GB LPDDR4X RAM at 3733 MHz. There's a full-sized shift key, and the keyboard as a whole is a joy to use.

It's the gaming performance that sets this laptop apart from other offerings, however. The GTX 1650 Ti isn't the most capable GPU from NVIDIA, but it's more than capable of handling modern PC games. The best part is the battery, allowing you to enjoy some interactive media for longer than five minutes, as was the norm with more bulky gaming laptops.

Just don't go expecting this machine to set work records in benchmarks.

Pros:

• 10th Gen Intel CPUs
• Dedicated NVIDIA GPU
• Amazing gaming performance
• Compact Ultrabook design
• Solid battery life

Cons:

• Can struggle with demanding games
• Quite expensive

Best Gaming

Razer Blade Stealth 13

• From $1,600 at Razer

Game on!

If you want a sleek laptop that can also double up as a gaming machine, look no further than Razer's Blade Stealth. The one true gaming Ultrabook.

Best Business: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

Lenovo made headlines when it launched the ThinkPad X1 Nano. It weighs just 2 pounds (or 962 grams)! Where this 13-inch laptop really shines though is in the performance available in such a compact package. Even though this is an ultra-light notebook (the lightest Lenovo has made to-date) it still comes rocking Windows 10 Pro.

We're talking an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, Intel Xe graphics, and plenty of "smart" tech crammed inside. There's even a 16:10 aspect ratio display for a little more height. The base configuration likely has more kit than you'll need, but you can configure the X1 Nano to have 16GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe SSD.

Screen-wise, this notebook comes with a 13-inch 2K Dolby Vision display, available in touch or non-touch. Finally, to keep you connected when on the go, you'll find Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 4, and 5G abilities, making it quite literally a do-it-all laptop. It'll also remain online for a good 10 hours on a single charge. The only real downside to this laptop is the limited port selection, with only two Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Pros:

• 11th Gen Intel CPU
• 2K 16:10 display
• Wi-Fi 6 and 5G
• Ultra-light notebook
• Solid battery life

Cons:

• Limited port selection

Best Business

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano

• From $950 at Lenovo

Great for travelling

Should you be required to spend more time away from home, something light yet capable like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano will be a great companion.

Bottom line

There are so many 13-inch laptops out there to choose from. Like all notebook choices, you can't go wrong so long as it ticks all your boxes. For us, the Razer Book 13 is simply too good to pass up on. Sure, it's the company's first non-gaming notebook, but it has 11th Gen Intel CPUs, a gorgeous keyboard and touchpad, and can be configured with an excellent 4K display.

Should you desire something a little, well... more, Microsoft has your back with the Surface Laptop 3. This is one beautiful machine to gaze at, but it also packs a punch on the insides with 10th Gen Intel processors, plenty of RAM, and all the storage you'll ever need.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Rich Edmonds is a staff reviewer at Windows Central, which means he tests out more software and hardware than he cares to remember. Joining Mobile Nations in 2010, you can usually find him inside a PC case tinkering around when not at a screen fighting with Grammarly to use British words. Hit him up on Twitter: @RichEdmonds.

Daniel Rubino is the executive editor of Windows Central. He has been covering Microsoft since 2009 back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Surface, HoloLens, Xbox, and future computing visions. Follow him on Twitter: @daniel_rubino.