Home > Best Small Laptops > Best 12-inch Laptops
The best 12-inch laptops are not only stylish & a marvel of engineering, they are also as powerful – sometimes more – than their bigger brothers.
They’re often as small as a paper pad and weighs so little you’ll forget it’s in your bag.
The best 12-inch laptops are made of quality materials and are – of course – ultra-thin and light.
Make sure you choose one with a long-lasting battery, because what’s the use of having a small laptop if you need to carry the charger all the time? You should aim for 7+ hours of battery life so you’re able to use it for a whole day at work or school.
Our Top 3
#1 – Asus Zenbook UX390UA |
#2 – Microsoft Surface Pro |
#3 – Lenovo ThinkPad x280 |
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Gorgeous quality 12-inch notebook![]() |
Near-perfect tablet-laptop combination!![]() |
A tad thicker, but it’s worth it![]() |
12″ HD | 12″ QHD | 12.5″ HD |
Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
256 GB SSD | 128 GB SSD | 180 to 256 GB SSD |
Up to 12 hours | Up to 9 hours | Up to 21 hours |
Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review |
Table of Contents
Is a 12-inch laptop what you need?
12-inch laptops are perfect for you if portability is more important than screen size. If you often work with multiple windows or large Excel files, a 12-inch screen might feel a little cramped after a while. If that’s the case, you might want to look at 13 or 14″ ultraportable instead or buy an external monitor for when you need to work long hours.
The best 12-inch laptops are ideal for students and reps that are always between two places
But if you are a student always between classes and coffee shops or a salesman on the road, buying a 12-inch laptop is probably the way to go.
What do you get with the best 12-inch laptops?
By buying a 12-inch laptop you’ll usually get quality, sturdiness, and performance. They perform as well as their bigger brother and you don’t have to compromise on features (graphics, sound, etc.).
But that usually comes with a more expensive price tag due to the technology involved in those small wonders. Putting as much performance in a smaller space without heating is a real technological challenge!
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Specs for the Top 10 12-inch laptops
Graphics 12-inch Processor Pentium,Qualcomm Snapdragon, Intel i3, Intel i5, Intel i7, and similar RAM 4 to 8 GB Storage 32 to 256 GB Battery life 7 to 21 hours OS Windows 10, ChromeOS, MacOS Thickness / Weight 0.2 to 0.7″ / 1.5 to 3.06 lbs Price Range $$, $$$, $$$, $$$$, $$$$$
Top 10 12-inch laptops
1 – Asus Zenbook UX390UA – 12″ HD
“Gorgeous quality 12-inch notebook”
The ZenBook series is one of my favorite and this 12-inch version lives up to the reputation! It has a great screen, a solid built with its aluminum frame and the battery will last about 7-8 hours which makes it a great road companion. And I haven’t even talked about the awesome premium look it has…
On the minus side, its keyboard is a bit shallow and it might run hot when you ask a lot from it. But otherwise, it’s an amazing piece of technology and a top choice as one of the best 12-inch laptops.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 12″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 256 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.46″ / 2 lbs |
Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
2 – Microsoft Surface Pro – 12″ QHD Detachable
“Near-perfect tablet-laptop combination!”
I’ve put the Microsoft Surface 4 in this position, but it’s so close it could as well have been first! It is a near-perfect detachable notebook that is sturdy, beautiful and that has great specs.
The screen is absolutely gorgeous and the pen makes it even more versatile. The keyboard / cover is well-engineered but unfortunately, it still has to be purchased separately.
Basically, the Surface Pro 4 is a small, powerful, versatile, and lightweight laptop that has very few flaws. Read our full review.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 12″ QHD touchscreen (2736 x 1824) |
Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 128 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 9 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.33″ / 1.73 lbs |
Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Intel i7 + 8 GB RAM,
Intel m3 + 4 GB RAM
3 – Lenovo ThinkPad x280 – 12″ HD
“A tad thicker, but it’s worth it”
The Lenovo ThinkPad x270 is a little thicker than the other small notebooks on this list, but it’s worth it. It’s one of the most solid laptops on the market with military-grade testing and it’ll last up to 21 hours without charge, making it one of the laptops with the longest battery life.
It’s not cheap, but if you want a sturdy small laptop with good performance and long battery life, this is it.
Graphics | 12.5″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 180 to 256 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 21 hours |
OS | Windows 10 Pro |
Thickness / Weight | 0.7″ / 2.9 lbs |
Price Range | $$$$ |
4 – HP Chromebook x2 – 12″ HD Detachable
“An Affordable High-end Chromebook”
HP has put together a Chromebook with a superb screen, a comfortable keyboard, and surprising performance. And it’s also a fabulous, thin, light tablet with a responsive touchscreen and a stylus that comes with it in addition to the keyboard, which is far from common on hybrids.
The HP Chromebook x2 is halfway between the classic PC and the tablet. Which makes it a partner that will make your good old tablet almost obsolete at home. It is also a powerful device that promises a very good lifespan.
It is as effective at work for taking notes and writing documents as at home for viewing multimedia content and surfing the Internet. A “must-have” if you are looking for a Chromebook.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 12.3″ HD screen (2400 x 1600) |
Performance | Intel m3 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 8 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.32″ / 3.06 lbs |
Price Range | $$ |
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5 – HP Spectre X2 – 12″ QHD Convertible
“The hybrid that wants to shade the Surface Pro”
This 2-in-1 notebook from HP is undeniably a very good surprise. The company built a “Surface Pro” competitor, but it would be simplistic to call it a clone. The design & finish are of excellent quality, the keyboard – provided compared to some competitors – is comfortable and the presence of a Core M processor offers very satisfactory performance for purely office use.
There is not much missing from this PC to be perfect. Better autonomy, narrower screen edges, and a higher contrast ratio would have allowed him to reach get an even better score for sure.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 12″ QHD touchscreen (3000 x 2000) |
Performance | Intel m7 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 128 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.52″ / 2.68 lbs |
Price Range | $$$ |
# 6 to 10 12-inch laptops
6 – Apple MacBook – 12″ HD
“The classic small laptop”
The MacBook is a thin and compact marvel of design. It’s really a great small laptop that’s easy to carry around, sturdy, and quite fast. Fortunately, Apple changed the keyboard since the last version. It used to feel like you typed directly in the frame, but not anymore. Thankfully they redesigned it and borrowed the Pro line keyboard.
Like most Apple products, this is a high-quality laptop and hands-down one the best small laptop on the market and if you are an Apple fan, go for this one.
Pros
| Cons
|
Graphics | 12″ HD screen (2304 x 1440) |
Performance | Intel m3 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 256 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | MacOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.52″ / 2 lbs |
Price Range | $$$$ |
7 – Samsung Galaxy TabPro S – 12″ HD Convertible
“The 2-in-1 outsider”
Samsung has long made a name for itself on the Android tablet market. With the Galaxy TabPro S, the Korean firm is trying to bring the two worlds together, by offering a 12-inch Windows 10 tablet accompanied by a keyboard. We therefore remain in the “ultraportable” category. As often in this range of products from Samsung, the finish is excellent and the whole exudes solidity.
The Galaxy TabPro S benefits from an Intel Core m3 processor, 4 GB of memory, a known combo and well suited to a PC of this type. Therefore you’ll enjoy a fluid Windows 10 and light applications that run very well.
The Galaxy TabPro S is thus ideal for typing text, surfing the web, or watching videos, but not much more. Don’t hope to make video editing or photo editing: this type of configuration simply does not lend itself to it. But pretty much all the competition is like that.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 12.3″ HD screen (2160 x 1440) |
Performance | Intel m3 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 256 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.2″ / 1.5 lbs |
Price Range | $$$ |
8 – HP EliteBook Folio G1 – 12″ HD
“The business slim choice”
The HP EliteBook Folio G1 is a great choice for businessmen – or businesswomen, let’s not make any discrimination here! – looking for a sturdy small laptop equipped with the latest features and tools.
It’s one of the sturdiest laptops you can find, which makes it perfect for someone always on the road. It’s definitively a competitor of the most popular business laptops on the market. Really a great 12-inch ultrabook! Read our full review.
Graphics | 12.5″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
Performance | Intel m5 with 8 GB of RAM |
Storage | 256 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 7 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.47″ / 2.14 lbs |
Price Range | $$$$$ |
9 – Samsung Chromebook Pro – 12″ HD Convertible
“Quality Convertible 12-inch Chromebook”
The Samsung Chromebook Pro deserves the ‘Pro’ in the name. It’s a solid, good-looking, and quite fast convertible notebook. The high-res touchscreen is vivid & responsive, the keyboard is comfortable which makes it a great notebook for school.
All-in-all a great quality product from Samsung at a reasonable price.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 12.3″ HD touchscreen (2400 x 1600) |
Performance | Pentium or better with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC |
Battery life | Up to 9 hours |
OS | ChromeOS |
Thickness / Weight | 0.5″ / 2.4 lbs |
Price Range | $$$ |
10 – Lenovo Miix 630 – 12″ HD Detachable
“The 2-in-1 of globetrotters”
The Lenovo Miix 630 is a Windows laptop. Its specificity is that it uses a processor similar to those of the best phones (including Samsung). Using this kind of processor on a laptop makes it last longer than a normal laptop, but won’t deliver the same power output.
Apart from its processor, we choose a Lenovo Miix 630 above all for a budgetary reason. Add to that a high-end box, a 4g for backpackers, a long battery life, and you have the globe-trotters’ laptop. This could be a great option for users who want an easy-to-use 2-in-1 laptop on the go, without worrying about battery life or Wi-Fi connections, but only if you’re happy with word processing and web browsing.
Pros
|
Cons
|
Graphics | 12.3″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1280) |
Performance | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with 4 GB of RAM |
Storage | 128 GB SSD |
Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
OS | Windows 10 |
Thickness / Weight | 0.28″ / 1.69 lbs |
Price Range | $$ |
Erik is the owner and main editor of lptps.com. He has been working in computers and information technology for more than 20 years. He’s a business analyst, developer, and avid traveler.