Not so long ago, if you were looking for ultra-thin laptops, you had a limited choice: the MacBook Air was the leader, and you didn’t have many other options.
You did have some other notebooks here and there that tried to build a slim and quality laptop, but with limited success.
Times have changed! Nowadays there are lots of great slim laptops on the market.
The most popular laptop brands have all produced their own ultra-thin laptops and it seems they get slimmer & better every month. This article will help you figure out which is the best slim laptop for you so you can have more space in your briefcase.
In this article, I focus on thin laptops with a screen size of 13-inch and more.
If you are looking for a notebook 12-inch or smaller, look at this article on the best small notebooks. (they are incredibly thin and portable as well!).
Our Top 3
#1 – Asus Zenbook UX331UA |
#2 – Acer Swift 7 |
#3 – Apple Macbook Air |
 |
 |
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Gorgeous Thin & Powerful Mid-Range |
The thinnest notebook on the market |
Almost perfect |
| 13.3″ HD | 14″ HD | 13.3″ QHD |
| Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| 256 GB SSD | 256 GB SSD | 512 GB SSD |
| Up to 14 hours | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours |
| Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review | Jump to our Review |
Table of Contents
- Our Top 3
- Top 17 Best Ultra-Thin Laptops
- # 10 to 17 Best Ultra-Thin Laptops
- 10 – Lenovo IdeaPad 720s – 13″ HD
- 11 – Microsoft Surface Laptop – 13″ QHD
- 12 – Asus Zenbook UX330UA – 13″ QHD
- 13 – Dell XPS 13 – 13″ QHD
- 14 – Apple MacBook Pro 13 – 13″ HD
- 15 – Samsung Notebook Spin 9 – 13″ QHD Convertible
- 16 – LG Gram 13 – 13″ HD
- 17 – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon – 14″ HD
- Q & A – Best Ultra-Thin Laptops
- Our Archives – Curious about the past?
What to expect from the best ultra-thin laptops?
Ultra-thin laptops are perfect for people that want a stylish, powerful & quality notebook without breaking their backs. Notebooks in this category are compact, less than 0.6 inch thick and weigh less than 3 pounds.
Most of them are notebooks equipped with is a 13-inch screen, but you’ll also find some 14-inch and 15-inch, HD & QHD. Expect a quality, vivid display.
Quality-wise, expect a solid notebook. To manage to build a quality, slim notebook, the manufacturers have to use high-end material that won’t bend and that will stand the heat produced in such a limited space. We’re talking about aluminium, magnesium alloys, and carbon fiber. Forget plastic, they wouldn’t last one month. Thanks to these materials, the laptop will not only be stylish but also ultra-light.
As for the price range, I’ve listed the slimmest laptops that are also rather affordable. There are more expensive ultra slim laptops on the market that deliver more performance and have more high-end specs than these. But for the average user, these ultra-thin laptops will deliver plenty of performance for a reasonable price.
Recommended for you:
Specs for the Top 17 Best Ultra-Thin Laptops
Graphics 13 to 14-inch Processor Pentium N4200, Intel i5 or i7 RAM 4 to 16 GB Storage 64 to 512 GB Battery life 5 to 17 hours OS Windows 10 or 10 Pro, MacOS Thickness / Weight 0.16 to 0.65″ / 1.9 to 3 lbs Price Range $, $$$, $$$$, $$$$$
Top 17 Best Ultra-Thin Laptops
1 – Asus Zenbook UX331UA – 13″ HD
“Gorgeous Thin & Powerful Mid-Range”
Honestly I could have put the whole ZenBook series here. It’s really one for my favorite for the quality, style, and performance it offers, at a fair price. I chose the UX331UA because Asus really managed to create a quality and powerful slim laptop at a good price. And oh so gorgeous!
With a great design on an aluminium frame, it is quite sturdy and has high-end quality. With a size and weight comparable to more expensive laptops, it’s also equipped with a great HD screen and has a battery time that lasts through a whole workday, plus overtime… and then some more. Its i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD make it a powerful thin laptop. Overall, an excellent balanced 13-inch laptop at a fair price.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 14 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.55″ / 2.47 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
13-inch HD + NVIDIA MX1502 – Acer Swift 7 – 14″ HD
“The thinnest notebook on the market”
Acer did an impressive job and managed to create the thinnest laptop on the market at less than 0.4 inch thick! You have to hold it in your hands to understand who crazy thin this device is.
It’s a quality, lightweight, and one of the best-looking laptops on the market. Not only does it look great, but they’ve also made sure that it is not a fragile product.
Add that to a competitive price – you can get your hands on this slim laptop for less than $800 – and the fact that it’s powerful with its i7 processor, and you’ve got an awesome device.
Acer really intended to compete with the best and they did pretty well!
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.35″ / 2.65 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
3 – Apple Macbook Air – 13″ QHD
“Almost perfect”
Apple’s new version of the MacBook Air clearly deserves its spot as one of the best thin laptops on the market. It has a keyboard that is pleasant to type on, a beautiful HD screen, an optimal size, and a powerful processor.
Overall, the MacBook Air is really a beautiful machine as the aluminium casing is slick & high-end. The Retina screen looks great, vibrant & detailed. Also, the onboard speaker – although it won’t ever be confused for an external sound system – is the best sound system I’ve heard in a long time on such a slim laptop. I also love the large touchpad and its multi-gestures.
The MacBook Air is expensive, but not disappointing. The only negative point is the webcam. In 2020 there’s no reason why the webcam should be this not very good.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ QHD screen (1680 x 1050) with Intel Iris Graphic |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | MacOS |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.16″ / 2.8 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
Recommended for you:
4 – Lenovo Yoga 920 – 14″ HD Convertible
“Great Thin Convertible”
This one is great if you are looking for a quality convertible laptop. As the high-end model of the Yoga line, it might be more expensive than some of the competition, but the versatility and overall quality are worth the extra price.
The Lenovo Yoga 920 is a slim laptop-to-tablet convertible that has is one of the best 14-inch ultra slim laptops on the market. The screen is bright, performance is great, the sound system is good and it has a long battery life. A great choice if you want a laptop and tablet combination.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.9″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 15.5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.5″ / 3 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
5 – HP Spectre X360 13t – 13″ HD Convertible
“A compact, slim & sleek 2-in-1!”
Ultraportable and touchscreen, the 13-inch HP Spectre x360 offers a high level of performance, a great battery life, and incredible HD images.
It’s perfectly equipped for intensive use of common office and multimedia applications. It is also stronger than the most ultraportables and convertibles from the competition.
Despite being compact, the Spectre x360 provides a nice typing experience. You can also work conveniently in dim light by activating the backlight that can be adjusted to three brightness levels. A nice addition.
Versatile, elegant, and very pleasant to use, the Spectre x360 13t deserves its place in the top 5.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ HD touchscreen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 9 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.55″ / 2.9 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Acer Swift 56 – Acer Swift 1 – 13″ HD
“Best Budget Ultra-Thin Laptop”
If you are looking for an ultra-cheap laptop that is also ultra-thin, the Acer Swift 1 might be your best choice. Of course you won’t get as much performance & storage as with more premium notebooks, but for that price, the Swift 1 has a lot of qualities.
You do get a bright HD display, it has a battery life that will last all day and you get a comfortable keyboard to type on. Really a great value budget slim laptop!
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Pentium N4200 with 4 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 64 GB eMMC |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.59″ / 2.87 lbs |
| Price Range | $ |
7 – Asus Zenbook Deluxe UX490UA – 14″ HD
“Gorgeous high-quality 14-inch”
The Asus Zenbook Deluxe UX490UA deserves the ‘deluxe’ name. Both in the build quality… and in the price. But look at this ultra-thin, ultra-light, gorgeous design. If you have the budget, it’s clearly one of the best laptops under 2000 dollars!
Not only you get top-of-the-line performance, but a vivid & colorful display, comfortable keyboard, and very good audio for such a thin laptop.
And the laptop stays quite cool even under stress. It would be almost perfect if it wasn’t for the below-average battery life which should last around 7 hours. But other than that, you really get a high-end product.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 9 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.5″ / 2.4 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$$ |
8 – Razer Blade Stealth – 13″ QHD
“High-Quality Slim notebook”
Razer is mostly known for their gaming laptops, but this time they went in the ultra-thin market and I must say they did not disappoint.
Like most of their laptops, the construction quality is top-notch and the QHD display is gorgeous. Add that to undeniable performance at a decent price point and you’ve got yourself a winner.
| Graphics | 13.3″ QHD touchscreen (3200 X 2800) with NVIDIA MX150 |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SDD |
| Battery life | Up to 5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.5″ / 2.93 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$$ |
9 – HP Envy 13 – 13″ HD
“Perfect for college students”
Often ultra-thin laptops will reduce the number of ports to reduce the frame size – I’m looking at you MacBook Air – but it’s definitively not the case with the HP Envy. Even with its thickness of 0.51″ and compact format, it’s packed with 3 USB ports, an SD card reader, and an HDMI connector.
The best features of this slim laptop are its great HD screen, Bang & Olufsen speakers that are in the premium league, and the performance that is more than enough for pretty much every user. It might not have the biggest hard drive and the longest battery life, but with a very competitive price, it packs a lot of value. It’s really a great laptop for college students
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 7.5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.51″ / 2.8 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Intel i7 + 8 GB RAM, 
Hybrid version
# 10 to 17 Best Ultra-Thin Laptops
10 – Lenovo IdeaPad 720s – 13″ HD
“Great ultra-thin value”
At an affordable price, the Lenovo Ideapad 720 delivers a lot of value. It has a colorful and bright 13-inch screen and good performance.
Lenovo made a great design here with a well-built, thin, light, and aesthetic body. Unfortunately, the audio system is not on par with the rest of the great features this 13-inch laptop has.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 9 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.53″ / 2.2 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Intel i7 + 16 GB RAM, 
14-inch HD + NVIDIA MX150
11 – Microsoft Surface Laptop – 13″ QHD
“High-end 13-inch”
Microsoft only produces high-end products and they did not disappoint with their new Surface Laptop.
It has an awesome look on a quality design with a simply gorgeous QHD display. Everything here is high-end, but it’s still priced as a mid-range laptop.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.5″ QHD touchscreen (2256 x 1504) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 14.5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.57″ / 2.83 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Blue
Graphite Gold12 – Asus Zenbook UX330UA – 13″ QHD
“Affordable, Stylish & Quality slim laptop”
This is not only one of my favorite 13-inch, but one of my favorite laptop period.
The UX330UA has all the characteristics of the Zenbook series: it’s sturdy and will definitely turn heads while remaining classy. At 2.6 pounds, it’s definitely ultra-portable and it’s one of the thinnest notebooks you can get.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ QHD screen (3200 x 1800) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.53″ / 2.65 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
13 – Dell XPS 13 – 13″ QHD
“Awesome mid-range ultra-thin”
This one is a market favorite for a reason! One look at it and you understand why. Not only it’s a slim laptop, it’s also very compact. In fact, the first time you look at it, you’ll think it’s an 11-inch instead of a 13-inch laptop!
The Dell XPS 13 has a quality aluminium body with a carbon fiber layer on the palm rest to keep your hands cool. With one of the best screens in its category, good performance, and a pretty good sound system, this ultra-thin laptop gets great reviews. With a competitive price, this Dell ultraportable is a no-brainer.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ QHD touchscreen (3200 x 1800) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Expect 10 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.59″ / 2.9 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
Intel i7 + 8 GB RAM, 
15-inch QHD + NVIDIA GTX 960M, 
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
14 – Apple MacBook Pro 13 – 13″ HD
“The Reference in Ultra Slim Performance”
The classic ultra-thin notebook! Graphic designers swear by it for a reason: it’s a powerful computer with an amazing screen and build-quality that is tough to beat!
Quality-wise it was and still is a reference. You’ll pay a premium for the name Apple, but otherwise there are very few flaws in this ultraslim laptop.
| Graphics | 13.3″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| OS | MacOS |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.59″ / 3 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
15-inch QHD + Integrated15 – Samsung Notebook Spin 9 – 13″ QHD Convertible
“One of the best thinnest 2-in-1 on the market!”
The Samsung Notebook Spin 9 is a laptop that deserves our attention. It is built like a reservoir. The beautifully sculpted aluminum frame is excellent! The possibility of using it as a tablet is really practical.
Sure, this 2-in-1 doesn’t offer the best battery life, but that doesn’t hamper it. Especially since it has a crisp screen, a solid design, and a very good performance. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed with this beauty.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ QHD touchscreen (3200 x 1800) |
| Performance | Intel i7 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 7.5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.59″ / 2.87 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
16 – LG Gram 13 – 13″ HD
“For portability & Battery life”
The LG Gram is quite impressive at 2 pounds for a thickness of 0.6 inches. With its magnesium alloy body, the LG is one the lightest laptop around. This ultra-thin laptop has a beautiful design that will stand out in a crowd and a great display.
A laptop to choose for portability, but that suffers some of the same flaws as its bigger brother, the LG Gram 15, mainly a rather flimsy design and worse audio than the competition. Choose this one for portability and battery life.
Pros
|
Cons
|
| Graphics | 13.3″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 17.5 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.6″ / 2.07 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$ |
Other similar versions (prices may vary)
14-inch HD + Integrated17 – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon – 14″ HD
“The business ultraportable”
This one is the business ultraportable of the list. The Lenovo X1 Carbon is a great ultra-thin laptop and the only reason it’s not at the top is because of its heftier price tag. Not that it’s not worth its price, but it’s aimed more towards business users due to its business features and extra toughness. The design follows the classic path of the ThinkPad series with its all-black look and sturdy frame.
It stands apart in this list with its 14-inch screen for about the same size as the 13″, has a great keyboard and touchpad – you also have the classic Lenovo red TrackPoint. The 14″ screen is bright and colorful and the sound system very decent for a 2 speakers laptop. Oh, and something not to neglect, it comes with a 3 years warranty instead of the standard 1 year. It’s not the cheapest one, but since it also has better features it still delivers great value.
| Graphics | 14″ HD screen (1920 x 1080) |
| Performance | Intel i5 with 8 GB of RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Battery life | Up to 11 hours |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
| Thickness / Weight | 0.65″ / 2.6 lbs |
| Price Range | $$$$ |
Q & A – Best Ultra-Thin Laptops
Here are the more common questions about the best slim laptops. You have one more? Ask it!
1 – What is the thinnest laptop?
With a thickness of only 0.16 inch, the MacBook Air is incredibly thin.
2 – What is the lightest laptop on this list?
The LG Gram 13 is incredibly light at only 2.07 lbs. Check out our page for the lightest laptops on the market for more information.
2 – What is the most powerful ultraportable?
Any laptop equipped with an i7 processor and 8 GB+ of RAM will give you more power. There are a few here! But for most people, an i5 processor is plenty.
3 – What are the cheapest ultra-thin laptop?
The Acer Swift 1, Lenovo Ideapad 720s, & the HP Envy 13 are some of the slim laptops at the best price.
4 – Which ultra-slim laptop is the strongest / most durable
The Lenovo X1 Carbon is a business ultraportable that is built to survive the everyday salesman
Our Archives – Curious about the past?
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.
24 Comments
Bill B.
Try this real world test on all of these laptops, dump your entire cup of coffee all over the keyboard while using the machine, and all of them die and need a major repair, on most of them, the repair cost exceeds the price of a new one. Your data stands a good chance of being lost as well, as the SSD is soldered in. The only laptop that comes away unscathed? – The Lenovo X1 Carbon!
Erik
I see you are a fan of the X1 carbon! Actually, most business laptops handle getting soaked in coffee better than mainstream notebooks.
But if that happens to any laptop, quickly shut it down, unplug it, remove the excess water and let it dry completely for 2 days. It should work!
Captain TrĪdden
Nice list. I’m probably going to be purchasing the Asus Zenbook UX330UA. It has pretty good specs and I like the look of it and the features it has. Plus it doesn’t break the bank. Just an FYI number 6 on your list says ASUS swift 7 and not ACER swift 7.
Erik
Yes the Asus Zenbook UX330UA is a great choice indeed. Nice to know we helped!
Thanks for the info on the Swift, I corrected it.