The Dell XPS 13 made an immediate impact upon its debut in 2015. The eye-catching, almost bezel-free design of its InfinityEdge display makes it stand out from the crowd and fit a 13-inch laptop into the form of an 11-incher.It's incredibly well made, formed of aluminum and carbon fiber, and sports a full-sized keyboard and powerful internals — including 8th generation Core i7 processors, PCIe SSD storage and 16GB of RAM, plus USB-C Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. Depending on specs, you can expect between seven and 10 hours of battery life, so fairly good for those jaunts away from the wall. The XPS 13 is not only perfect for taking on the road, it's perfectly well-equipped to be your only machine. Starting at $999.99.Bottom line: It packs the power of a bigger laptop in a smaller body — and is the perfect travel companion.One more thing: If you prefer a convertible, Dell also now has a 2-in-1 version of the XPS 13.
Why the Dell XPS 13 is the best
Why you can trust Windows Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Lugging a massive laptop through airports isn't a fun experience, and that's where the Dell XPS 13 really comes into its own. With the striking InfinityEdge display, Dell managed to squeeze a 13-inch laptop into the form factor of something closer to the 11-inch MacBook Air. And that's an incredible achievement.
It's a high-end Ultrabook in a teeny tiny chassis.
And this isn't just a laptop. It's a high-end Ultrabook boasting 8th generation Intel processors, a 4K touchscreen, massive internal storage and plenty of ports. This is a top-of-the-line Ultrabook in a teeny, tiny chassis.
It's also incredibly well made. With aluminum on the outside and carbon fiber when you open the display, the XPS 13 will stand the test of time and many, many trips in and out of overhead bins. It's probably the best way to travel light with a Windows 10 PC.
The HP Spectre x360 has a fantastic build quality and a crazily thin body. The 13.3-inch, 1080p touch display works well while in tablet, stand or tent modes, and the keyboard and touchpad are a joy to use while in notebook mode.Inside you get an 8th generation Intel Core i7-8550U processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB NVMe solid-state drive (SSD). There's now also in the latest refresh an option for NVIDIA MX150 dedicated graphics, proving this laptop is perfect for all scenarios and starts at just over $1,200.Bottom line: This is a laptop that does it allOne more thing: HP also has a larger, 15-inch version of the Spectre for fans of bigger screens.
Now in its sixth generation, the X1 Carbon starting at around $1,140 is a superb laptop for frequent travellers thanks to its optional LTE capabilities.Inside the latest model is up to an 8th generation Intel Core i7-8650U vPro CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB PCIe SSD. Also important for travel is that it weighs handily under 3lbs, and it's very slim and sleek, too.The X1 Carbon also has a 14-inch display available in 1080p touch, 1440p non-touch, and 1440p non-touch HDR, has two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-A 3.1, HDMI, and an SD card reader as well as support for Windows Hello There's an IR camera for quick logins. And of course, Lenovo's signature pointer.Bottom line: It delivers true mobile productivity thanks to 4G LTE support.One more thing: Read our in-depth review of the fifth-gen X1 Carbon for more.
The Surface Book 2 starts at $1,199 and is the ultimate 2-in-1 because you can use it as a tablet either connected to the keyboard dock or completely detached from it. What's extra nice is that by docking the tablet to the keyboard you actually get more battery life, because that part is stuffed with a big ol' battery.In true Surface style, it's also ridiculously portable and very well equipped. With options including Core i7 processors, 512GB SSD storage and up to GTX 1060 graphics from NVIDIA, the Surface Book 2 packs an awful lot into its sleek frame. It's also available in 13- and 15-inch sizes.Bottom line: Easily the best 2-in-1 PC you can get right now.One more thing: Available in either a 13- or 15-inch size.
The Dell XPS 13 made an immediate impact upon its debut in 2015. The eye-catching, almost bezel-free design of its InfinityEdge display makes it stand out from the crowd and fit a 13-inch laptop into the form of an 11-incher.It's incredibly well made, formed of aluminum and carbon fiber, and sports a full-sized keyboard and powerful internals — including 8th generation Core i7 processors, PCIe SSD storage and 16GB of RAM, plus USB-C Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. Depending on specs, you can expect between seven and 10 hours of battery life, so fairly good for those jaunts away from the wall. The XPS 13 is not only perfect for taking on the road, it's perfectly well-equipped to be your only machine. Starting at $999.99.Bottom line: It packs the power of a bigger laptop in a smaller body — and is the perfect travel companion.One more thing: If you prefer a convertible, Dell also now has a 2-in-1 version of the XPS 13.
Updated May 21, 2018: We updated our roundup for 2018.
