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), we recommend the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022), the best 13-inch laptop we've tested. This premium ultraportable feels incredibly well-built and provides an amazing user experience with its sharp display, tactile keyboard, and gigantic touchpad. Apple's M2 chip can easily handle tasks like web browsing, text processing, spreadsheets, and even light photo and video editing. Plus, its amazing efficiency results in all-day battery life. Port selection is limited; it only has two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 with support for a single external display.

By the way, Apple has just announced a new MacBook Air with its M3 chip. There are only a few changes, including a marginally faster SoC, Wi-Fi 6E, and support for two external displays, though the latter is only possible with the lid closed. Also, the Midnight model supposedly has a more smudge-resistant finish. If you don't need these upgrades, Apple still sells the M2 model as a more budget-friendly option, cutting its price by $100 USD.

Our pick on the Windows side is a slightly larger 14-inch model, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024), also a sturdily built model that provides a great user experience. It has a gorgeous 120Hz OLED display, a large touchpad with an integrated virtual numpad, and a wider port selection with support for multiple external displays. Its Intel Core Ultra CPU performs well, though it throttles significantly under load, which isn't ideal for heavy, sustained workloads. The speakers are nowhere near as good as the MacBook Air's, and its battery life is also shorter at around eight hours of light use.

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 ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023). This sleek 14-inch ultraportable is very similar to the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024) mentioned above. The difference is that it has a 360-degree hinge that lets you flip the screen around, so you can set it up in tent mode for media consumption or use it as a tablet. Its 90Hz OLED display also supports pen input, though depending on the model, you may have to buy the stylus separately. Performance is great; its Intel 13th Gen CPU has no problem handling general productivity and more demanding workloads like photo editing and programming. Battery life sits around eight hours of light use, so depending on your usage, you may need to plug it in for a quick charge to get through the day.

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 ASUS, 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 want to consider as well. 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. 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.