The best compact clamshell picks

The Apple MacBook Air M3 is Apple’s most recent Air, coming in 13- and 15-inch sizes. It’s also the best MacBook for the vast majority of people and, we think, the best 13-inch laptop overall. 

This ultrabook is sleek, powerful and has an 18-hour battery life that’ll get you through even the busiest of days. 

The 13.6-inch display is the same as that found on the previous MacBook Air M2 models. The IPS LED panel is bright and colourful, with a maximum brightness of 450 nits and a sharp 224 PPI. There’s no proper HDR playback and the refresh rate is stuck at 60Hz – for that, you’ll need a MacBook Pro. 

The MacBook Air M3 is powered by the same M3 chip that debuted inside the iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro in late 2023. This includes an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU in the 13-inch model and is paired with 8/16GB of RAM and 256/512GB of storage. These can be upgraded to 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage when bought directly through Apple. 

As far as ports go, you’ll find two USB 4/Thunderbolt 3 ports and a MagSafe charging connector all on one side. There’s no SD card slot or HDMI port, with these reserved for the Pro models. 

As you would expect, the MacBook Air M3 outperformed the MacBook Air M2 and M1 in both our single-core and multi-core benchmarking tests. It also bested all of the Intel and AMD processors we pitted it against in our Geekbench 6 single-core tests, with only the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H-based Asus Zenbook 14 OLED beating the MacBook Air M3 in the multi-core tests. 

If you’re looking for an excellent 13-inch laptop, the Apple MacBook Air M3 doesn’t disappoint. 

Reviewer: Max Parker

Full Review: Apple MacBook Air M3

The Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) may not quite reach the heights of the industry-topping Dell XPS 13 that dominated the 2010s, but its new design offers an impressive glimpse into the future.

This 13-inch laptop stands out for what you lay your eyes on once you open it up. First, the bottom half offers what Dell calls a lattice keyboard. This essentially means there are no gaps between the keys, and it looks great. Morever, the performance is more than up to standard, offering a typing experience that is up there with the best of them. You then have the invisible haptic trackpad, which has no borders but your muscle memory will do the trick. Not only do these cutting edge features look remarkable, they operate at a high level too.

The display keeps the whole thing rolling, with our review model providing a stunning 3.5K OLED panel. The result is a remarkably accurate display that offers luscious colour and bags of detail. Despite its smaller size, this is absolutely a display you’ll revel in watching video on.

Under the hood, this sleek device is backed up by an Intel Core 13th Gen P-series processors, which adds up to plenty of juice for productivity work and the ability to dabble in creative tasking.

Reviewer: Adam Speight
Full review: Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) review

The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i was a rather unique proposition until recently when the dual-screen 14-inch Asus Zenbook Duo burst onto the scene. If you’re into the idea of two 13-inch displays in a remarkably compact form factor, then the Yoga Book 9i is worth considering.

Admittedly, this Lenovo dual-screen marvel isn’t perfect, with a high price and the lack of a physical trackpad. But, what it does offer is very impressive. There are very few other devices that can offer this level of portability and productivity in one package. We found the dual-displays to be of huge benefit when it comes to multi-tasking and the fact it’s easy to take on the go too just makes it that much sweet.

The displays themselves are vibrant and accurate propositions, coming in at 2.8K resolution and using OLED technology. The result is lush and detailed, making it ideal for watching videos, dabbling in light creative work and productivity.

We were surprised by the impressive battery life on offer too. Despite powering two displays, we were able to get around 12 hours out of the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i.

Reviewer: Adam Speight
Full review: Lenovo Yoga Book 9i review

In contrast to our luxury Dell XPS 13 Plus pick, the MSI Prestige 13 Evo is all about function, with strong performance and long battery life.

Getting the negative out of the way, the Prestige 13 Evo certainly doesn’t offer up the fanciest of displays. But it’s a testament to the rest of the device that, if it did, this would likely be a contender for the best laptop around.

Despite being a 13-inch laptop that is impressively thin and light, this MSI Prestige 13 Evo manages to sport very few compromises. The performance here is ideal for productivity users who have several tasks to complete at once or are in need of many tabs being open. The small chassis and power surprisingly doesn’t add up to loud fans or a warm body, with both rarely disturbing you.

The battery life is the star of the show, with this device’s modest 75Wh cell managing close to 16-hours of battery life. That means you’ll be able to get roughly two days of work out of this laptop under the right conditions. The keyboard isn’t compromised either, offering up surprisingly good travel and a satisfying click, though the keys are slightly small.

Reviewer: Adam Speight
Full review: MSI Prestige 13 Evo review

Like the Dell XPS 13 Plus, the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED (2023) isn’t the peak device is the range’s history but, in 2024, it remains a strong option.

The Zenbook S 13 OLED really is a sight to behold. The previous model was truly excellent while being impressively thin and light, but the 2023 version takes this even further. This newer laptop revamps the design of the lid, using sustainable materials to create a unique and eye-catching look, and it’s backed up by being just 13.9mm thin and weighing 990 grams.

The 13-inch screen on the Zenbook S 13 OLED is another highlight too, as you might expect from its name. The 16:10 2.8K OLED panel offers an experience that truly defies its smaller size. The resolution means there are tons of detail, the squarer aspect ratio is ideal for productivity and the thin bezels create an immersive vibe. It’s top-notch in terms of colour accuracy and makes watching video a joy.

This laptop won’t knock your socks off in terms of running whisper quiet or having a long battery life but the productivity performance is up to snuff. It largely kept pace with competitors in our benchmarks and you’ll be able to run upwards of 20-25 tabs in Google Chrome with little trouble.

Reviewer: Adam Speight
Full review: Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED (2023) review

A thin and light 13-inch gaming laptop? No, you aren’t dreaming. The Asus ROG Flow X13 (2021) is our favourite 13-inch gaming laptop, and it isn’t just because it is one of the few devices to warrant this moniker. It is truly impressive in its own right.

The ROG Flow X13 can be viewed in two different ways, either as a thin and light gaming machine that can run the latest games at entry-level settings or, on top of all of that, something to be paired with Asus’ ROG XG Mobile external graphics chip to gives it more performance heft.

The laptop itself is an impressive feat of engineering, managing to offer a lightweight and trim 13-inch design alongside gaming-friendly features. It may not suit serious eSports types but the keyboard is pleasingly crisp and offers surprisingly good travel. The display errs on the side of gaming prowess, with FHD+ resolution alongside a strong 120Hz refresh rate. However, it is 16:10 so it will equally suit productivity tasking.

When paired with an RTX 3080 version of the XG Mobile, this combination managed upwards of 90fps in fidelity-focused titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and Borderlands 3. For those craving higher refresh rates, we managed to hit that 120fps sweet spot in our Dirt Rally test.

Reviewer: Mike Jennings
Full review: Asus ROG Flow X13 (2021) review