THESE MINI LAPTOPS PROVE THOSE BIG THINGS STILL COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

Laptops are smaller, thinner, and more powerful than ever before. But they all vary in size and shape.

Although most laptops these days have a 13.3-inch display size, some are equipped with screens as large as 17 inches and weigh as much as 9 pounds. So we’ve scoured the internet to find the best, most powerful, and portable laptops money can buy. Our picks not only offer a screen size of fewer than 14 inches and a lightweight, but they also promise impressive battery life, a strong build quality, and a fast processor.

Here are the best picks on the market for when you need to get work done on the go.

Apple MacBook Air

The latest MacBook Air sports an all-new and updated design that’s thinner and lighter than its predecessor. More importantly, it’s packed with Apple’s beautiful Retina display and is powered by the latest eighth-generation Intel processors.

The laptop’s 13-inch screen is sharp, colorful, and outshines the previous Air in every way possible. Its bezels aren’t as thin as those found on some Windows laptops, but you’ll love its larger trackpad and smaller footprint.

As you’d expect from an Apple laptop, the new MacBook Air offers a premium build quality — and surprisingly enough, the computer is made of 100% recycled aluminum. It would make an excellent laptop for a college student or someone who travels frequently. But if you build graphics or edit 4K videos, we recommend opting for the more powerful MacBook Pro instead.

During our tests, we found that the Air could still handle more than 15 tabs on your browser and some light photo editing, but it starts to slow down when editing large files — especially since its base model is only configured with 8 GB of RAM. Regardless, we think the MacBook Air is a nice upgrade. You get better speakers, Touch ID, two USB-C ports, and 10 hours of battery life all in a small package.

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Dell XPS 13 (9380) Mini Laptop

The XPS 13 by Dell is a high-end Windows 10 laptop with an eye-popping, 13.3-inch, nearly bezel-less display, a sleek aluminum body, and a battery that can last up to 11 hours on a single charge. PC Mag calls it the “best ultraportable laptop you can buy.”

Thanks to the tiny bezels around its display, the XPS 13 looks much more compact than its screen size suggests. Its base model has just 4 GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD, but for around $300 extra, you can double the RAM and storage space. You can even get it configured with a touch screen.

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Huawei Matebook Mini Laptop

The ultra-light and portable Matebook weighs less than 3 pounds and is one of the most superbly crafted mini laptops available. Its 10-point touch screen measures approximately 11 inches, but with a near-borderless edge and an 88% screen-to-body ratio, you’ll feel like you’re viewing content on a much larger screen.

Not only does this offering sport incredibly thin display bezels, users will also appreciate its fast-charge function that gives you 2.5 hours of use from a quick 15-minute charge. It’s packed with some of the latest processors from Intel, has both a USB-A and USB-C port, and an HDMI jack. It’s arguably one of the best mini laptops money can buy.

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Microsoft Surface Go

The latest member of the Microsoft Surface product family is an ultra-compact, a 10-inch tablet that’s a capable Windows 10 PC. A budget of just $500 will get you the entry-level Surface Go with 64 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM.

During our test with the Surface Go, we found that it’s powerful enough to handle a steady stream of apps without slowing down. Microsoft claims that the Surface Go is capable of delivering up to 9 hours of video playback between charges, but we averaged between 6 and 7 hours of screen-on time with the device before needing to recharge it.

The Surface Go is a compact and versatile laptop that’s perfect for work or play. If you’re looking for a practical, affordable, and stylish mini laptop, you won’t be disappointed.

ASUS ZenBook 13 Mini Laptop

The ASUS ZenBook 13 has an attractive design, an all-metal body with a gold finish, and a 13.3-inch Full HD display. It has up to 14 hours of battery life, but it supports fast charging, meaning you can increase its charge a whopping 60% in just 45 minutes.

Other key features of the notebook include various Intel processor options, 8 GB RAM, a 256 GB solid-state drive, and a rich set of wired and wireless connectivity options. The ZenBook weighs 2.5 pounds, and it comes in a separate configuration — dubbed the ZenBook Flip — with a convertible touch-screen display.

ASUS VivoBook E203MA Mini Laptop

The ASUS VivoBook is an affordable mini laptop that’s great for students. It’s equipped with dual USB Type-A ports, a USB-C port, a microSD card slot, and an HDMI out port. Its 11.6-inch display is bright with a 1080p resolution. Since the screen is on a 190-degree hinge, you can lay it flat on a table to share content with friends, classmates, or colleagues.

With up to 4 GB of RAM, an Intel Celeron N4000 processor, and 64 GB of storage, the computer might not be the most powerful on the block. But it is more than capable of handling most tasks — from editing photos to watching HD videos. Plus, it has an all-day battery that should last well over 10 hours on a single charge.

HP ENVY x2 Mini Laptop

The ENVY x2 is HP’s answer to the iPad Pro. Compared to the iPad, this mini laptop comes bundled with a keyboard cover and stylus. It’s also equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 128 GB of storage, 4 GB of RAM, and dual USB-C ports.

Not only that, but it also has dual cameras, which come in handy for video calls. You can expect 20 hours of use on a single charge, and if you need more storage space, it has a built-in card reader. There’s even a slot for your SIM card, so you can use your cellular data plan to access the internet.

ASUS C302CA-DHM4 Chromebook Flip

For those in search of a versatile two-in-one that’s more affordable and portable than competitors, the Flex 11 is worth your consideration. It provides an impressive 9 hours of battery life, a sleek design, and speedy performance given its sub-$300 prices.

Although it only packs 64 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM, it runs apps just fine, just as long as you’re not doing any serious video editing. It weighs only 2.75 pounds, packs plenty of ports, and has an 11-inch high-resolution touch-screen display. Our only complaint is that its speakers sound weak and distorted — so we definitely recommend opting for a pair of headphones instead!