The 6 Best 13-14 Inch Laptops - Spring 2024 Reviews

The best 14-inch laptop we've tested is the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023). This premium mobile workstation is one of the most well-built devices on the market. Its sleek and compact design makes it easy to carry around, and its battery lasts easily through a full day of light use. Working on this laptop feels amazing, as it sports a sharp 120Hz Mini LED display, a spacious and tactile keyboard, and Apple's best-in-class haptic touchpad. You get plenty of ports for peripherals and external displays, including three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.1, a full-size SD card reader, and a high-output 3.5 mm headphone jack for hard-to-drive headphones.

This late 2023 model is available with Apple's M3 Pro/Max SoCs, which are fast enough to handle demanding tasks like programming, 3D graphics, video editing, and game development. You can also get this MacBook Pro 14 with a base M3 chip, similar to the discontinued 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. This is a great option if you don't need a lot of processing power but still want the 'Pro' features like the Mini LED display and up-firing speakers. However, it has one fewer USB-C port and can only support one external display. Like all MacBooks, the RAM and storage drive isn't user-replaceable, so get enough for your needs upfront.

If you have a lighter workload and don't need all the processing power of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023), get the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) instead. This 13.6-inch ultraportable is thin and lightweight, making it easy to carry around, and it feels just as well built as the MacBook Pro above. The user experience is amazing; it has a sharp, bright display, a spacious keyboard, and a gigantic haptic touchpad. The speakers are among the best you can find on the market, and the same goes for the webcam. Though not as fast as the Pro/Max chips, Apple's base M3 SoC can easily handle general productivity tasks and even some light video editing and 3D graphics. Port selection is its biggest weakness, as it only has two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, and while it can output to two external displays, it can only do so with the lid closed.

Our recommendation for Windows users is a slightly larger 14-inch model, the LG gram 14 (2023). Like the MacBook Air, it provides a great user experience with a nice screen, comfortable keyboard, and responsive touchpad. The display doesn't get as bright as the MacBook's, but enough for good visibility in most indoor settings. It has a wider port selection that includes two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, allowing you to connect two 4k displays at 60Hz with a single cable. Besides the display's brightness, the only other downside is that its magnesium alloy chassis doesn't feel nearly as sturdy as the MacBook Air's all-aluminum build.

Our best mid-range pick is the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2022), a Chrome OS 2-in-1 convertible laptop. Its 360-degree hinge lets you set the laptop in tent mode for media consumption or use it as a tablet. It has a 16:10 IPS display that supports pen input, and it comes with a stylus that you can dock into the side of the laptop. Battery life is outstanding at over 13 hours of light use. The keyboard feels spacious but can be slightly tiring over time, and the touchpad is small but satisfactory. You get a 1080p webcam, Thunderbolt 4 support, Wi-Fi 6E, and a fingerprint sensor.

Performance is excellent; the Intel 12th Gen CPUs can easily handle anything you'd need to do on a Chromebook. Unfortunately, availability is scarce. There's a newer model with Intel 13th Gen CPUs, which we haven't tested but expect to be similar. You can even find it at a lower price than its predecessor on Amazon or Best Buy. In addition to the CPU upgrade, it also has a higher resolution 1440p webcam. Lastly, remember that Chrome OS is limited in the type of applications you can install, so you must ensure you can do everything through a Chrome browser or Android app.

The best budget 14-inch laptop we've tested is the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020), a Windows ultraportable. Acer's Swift laptops are usually mid to high-end models that cost much more. However, because this model was released in 2020, the price has decreased considerably, making it a great value. It has a sturdy all-aluminum build, a compact and lightweight design, and over 13 hours of battery life. The display looks sharp and gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings. Ports include two USB-As, one USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, a full-size HDMI, and a headphone jack.

This laptop is available with Intel 11th Gen CPUs, which are three generations behind Intel's current offerings but still adequate for general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback. There's a fingerprint sensor that allows you to log in quickly. Our only complaints about this laptop are the keyboard, touchpad, and webcam. The keyboard feels tactile, albeit cramped, and the touchpad is on the smaller side. As for the webcam, the image looks underexposed, and the microphone sounds staticky.

If you like 2-in-1 convertibles, check out the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024). This premium, well-built provides a greater user experience with its 120Hz 2.8k OLED display, tactile keyboard, and haptic touchpad. It also has an excellent 4k webcam, a rarity among laptops, even in the high-end tier. You get the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity and a decent port selection that includes two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s. Its 360-degree hinge lets you flip the screen around and use it as a tablet. The display supports pen input, though you may have to buy the pen separately, depending on the retailer. Intel's Core Ultra 5 or Ultra 7 CPU perform well with minimal throttling under load, and they also sport an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) that can help with some A.I.-based tasks, like background blurring on video calls and image processing in photo editing apps. You can get this laptop from HP if you have trouble finding it elsewhere.

Another option to consider is the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021), a tablet PC with a detachable type cover keyboard. This form factor is a bit more versatile, as you can detach the keyboard to make the device easier to hold as a tablet. It's also handy when you don't have a lot of space, like on a kitchen counter or airplane. The downside is that it makes the device harder to use on a lap because most of the weight is in the display, increasing the chance the device will tip over, and the kickstand can dig into your legs if you wear shorts. It has a sharp 120Hz display, but unlike the HP, it's an IPS panel, meaning blacks won't look as deep and inky. Also, it has a more limited port selection and an older, slower Intel 11th Gen CPU. There's a newer Surface Pro 9, which you might also want to consider. It's basically the same device but with faster Intel 12th Gen CPUs. See the Surface Pro 9 on Amazon here.

The best 14-inch gaming laptop we've tested is the Razer Blade 14 (2022). It's a high-end model with a premium build and tons of processing power to deliver a smooth gaming experience. It's available in three preset configurations; all three have the same AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, so you only have to choose the display and GPU combo you want. The display options comprise a 144Hz FHD and a 165Hz QHD+ display; both are IPS panels and support FreeSync. You get a comfortable keyboard with per-key RGB backlighting—of course—and plenty of ports for peripherals. As for portability, it's very thin and light for a gaming laptop, but you'll have to bring the charger if you want to game on the go, as the battery lasts about an hour when gaming.

Another great 14-inch gaming laptop to consider is the HP OMEN Transcend 14 (2024). Unlike the Razer Blade, this model is available with newer Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA RTX 40-series GPUs, giving you more processing power and Frame Generation support for a smoother gaming experience. The main drawback is the display; although it's OLED (great for dark room viewing), it has a lower refresh rate of 120Hz, and its response time is on the slow side, resulting in a blurrier image with more visible ghosting behind fast-moving objects. Also, it doesn't support VRR to reduce screen tearing.