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MagyarThe Best Ultrabooks
Any notebook featuring an ultra-low-voltage processor (15 W), a touchscreen, a battery life north of 6 hours, and a case thinner than 21 mm was allowed to proudly display the Ultrabook logo on a sticker after Intel’s inception of this class of notebooks back in 2011. These days, Intel’s Ultrabook program has long expired, and technological advancements have rendered these requirements moot given that present-day ultra-thin notebooks sometimes even feature 45 W processors. Touch displays are now widely available, and convertibles both with keyboard docks (Surface Pro) or 360-degree hinges (e.g. Lenovo Yoga) are all the rage.
Accordingly, we had to create our own requirements of Ultrabooks for the sake of this list different from Intel’s initial requirements in order to better differentiate them from ultra-portable notebooks and subnotebooks. Our criteria are as follows:
- Detachables are allowed
- No size limits
- Less than 21 mm thickness
- Less than 2 kg (4.4 lbs) weight
- Browsing and/or NBC Wi-Fi test at least 7 hours
- 15 W Intel or AMD CPU
- Touchscreen
Please also consider the following lists before making a purchase:
- The Best Ultra-Portable Laptops (subnotebooks and portable laptops with a display size less than 14-inch)
- The Best Premium Business Notebooks (laptops designed for professional use)
- The Best Convertibles (notebooks with 360-degree hinge that can be transformed into a tablet)
The Best Ultrabooks
The table above contains an overview over the best Ultrabooks reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Editors' Comments
1st - HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5
We really liked the HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 in our review and the attractive 14-inch convertible can secure the top spot in our ranking. It is powered by an Intel Core i7-8650U in combination with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage.
The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 is not just a good choice for business users with frequent travels, but also for home users looking for a new Ultrabook. Even the least expensive SKU offers everything you come to expect from a convertible and you can save a few hundred Euros if the performance of the Core i5 is sufficient. The system cannot utilize the full potential of the i7 due to the limited cooling capabilities anyway.
The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 also manages very long battery runtimes, which makes it very versatile and it will easily last a full business day without recharging.
There is still some criticism, because you can hardly upgrade the device at all. The RAM is soldered and cannot be expanded. The fan noise is pretty high-pitched and a bit annoying under load. You will have to pay another 130 Euros for the HP Active Pen Stylus if you want to use an input pen.
The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 is a very good convertible for business users. If you want a device capable of gaming as well, you should consider alternatives with a dedicated graphics card.
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2nd – HP Elite Dragonfly
The HP Elite Dragonfly [see review here] is a light-weight business convertible based on an Intel Core i5-8265U, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. Its 13.3-inch touchscreen supports stylus input and offers a good contrast ratio and acceptable overall color space coverage levels. Another highlight is its long battery life. Furthermore, the HP Elite Dragonfly comes with WiFi 6, LTE, and a wide variety of security features that users will no doubt benefit from.
HP’s Elite Dragonfly turned out to be an excellent business convertible. While it has some minor flaws, they are easy to dismiss.
The compact case comes with its own set of drawbacks. For example, Intel’s Core i5-8265U was incapable of utilizing its full turbo-boost potential, and overall maintenance options are not particularly great.
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3rd - Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019 is made of very sophisticated materials, which are not only nice to touch and leave a high-quality impression, but it also looks very good. The build quality of ThinkPad models is on a very high level anyway, but we had the impression Lenovo did an even better job here.
Lenovo equips the ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019 with an Intel Core i7-8565U, which can consume up to 51 Watts. However, this setting results in heavy performance fluctuations under sustained workloads.
The advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019 also include the new speakers, which are much better compared to other ThinkPad devices. We also still like the good port selection, even though the lack of a card reader is a drawback. Keyboard, TrackPoint, and touchpad are still very good, but the key travel is a bit more shallow than before, so long term ThinkPad users will take some time getting used to it.
The performance of the 2019 ThinkPad X1 Yoga has not improved, but it is not worse, either. Lenovo did change the cooling solution though, because the fan does not run as often as before, although the surface temperatures are a bit higher.
The improved design, a brighter display, and better speakers are highlights of the 2019 ThinkPad X1 Yoga compared to the previous model.
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4th – HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4
HP’s EliteBook x360 1030 G4 [see review here] turned out to be a great device and scored very high in our review accordingly. As such, the compact 13-inch convertible easily made our top 10 list. It is powered by an Intel Core i7-8565U, a whopping 16 GB of RAM, and a large 512 GB SSD.
The HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4 is a decent convertible for everyday work. Its touchscreen is superior to other reflective alternatives.
The HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4 is not just aimed at business users on the go but also home users looking to buy an Ultrabook. Due to the limited turbo boost the system was incapable of utilizing the Core i7’s full potential anyway.
The device offered a long battery life and a very bright touchscreen display. Unfortunately, the latter’s PWM frequency of just 952 Hz was too low. Security features, such as SureView, can narrow down viewing angles but also impede upon image quality noticeably.
Our main gripe was the laptop’s poor maintainability. RAM is soldered and cannot be upgraded retroactively.
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5th – Dell XPS 13 9300
Dell’s XPS 13 9300 [see review here] offers a 16:10 display and an up-to-date Intel Ice Lake CPU including Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 GPU. As such, the compact convertible is a true jack of all trades, although gaming should definitely not be at the top of your list.
As an alternative to Apple’s MacBook the Dell XPS 13 9300 became much more attractive this year, particularly thanks to its design and the 16:10 display.
The XPS 13 9300 is Dell’s head-on attack on Apple’s MacBook sales trying to freshen up the scene. Admittedly, if you do not depend on macOS it does a great job as it offers a long list of pros. Unfortunately, the list of cons is not particularly short either.
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6th – Microsoft Surface Pro 7
On the outside Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 (see review here) looks like like its predecessor. As before, it feels very premium and great. On the inside, Microsoft upgrade both CPU and GPU. Due to its passive cooling the SoC has to throttle under sustained load. That said even bigger devices are not necessarily any better in this regard.
Battery life was slightly improved over its predecessor, and the new Surface Pro 7 lasted for around ten hours. This should be long enough to last a full work day, and it remains unrivaled in its class.
Microsoft remains true to its colors and left the design untouched for the 2019 model year. Looks, feel, and design are still premium, and the Surface Pro 7 offers a very good performance to boot. We still miss the future-proof USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 options. Why Microsoft refuses to include this port in 2019 is beyond us.
The top model, equipped with an i7 CPU and 1 TB of SSD storage, costs over $2,000. However, Microsoft recently got company with HP’s Elite x2 that costs around the same.
The Surface Pro 7 left a good impression on us during our review. We particularly liked the fact that the Surface Pen is now included by default. The type cover must however still be purchased separately, and will increase the giant gaping hole in your wallet even further. The device also lacks a USB-C port, which should be included given its price tag.
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7th – HP Spectre x360 13
HP’s Spectre x360 13 (see review here) is a well-made convertible that easily secured a spot in our top 10 list. Its case and build quality are state of the art, and the display is a feast for the eyes with its 100 % sRGB coverage and its high contrast ratio. That said it could use a better ex facto calibration.
The Spectre x360 13 furthermore offers a comfortable keyboard, a well-made touchpad, USB 3.1 Type-A, two Thunderbolt ports, and a microSD card reader.
The specs themselves do not justify the Spectre’s high price. Its build quality and modern design, on the other hand, do.
Performance was one of the characteristics we took issue with. Despite its very good components (latest generation Intel Ice Lake CPU including Iris Plus Graphics) the Spectre x360 13 was incapable of reaching its full potential. The integrated GPU is not powerful enough even for casual gaming.
If you don’t expect too much and want a cutting-edge modern workhorse for home use the HP Spectre x360 13 will be a good-looking partner in crime.
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8th – Acer Spin 5 SP513
One of the Acer Spin 5’s (see review here) most important benefits is its great price-performance ratio. Overall, the device managed to secure top or very good spots in many categories resulting in an overall very good rating. Performance is solid thanks to Ice Lake albeit sustained load resulted in thermal throttling. That said the device remained cool and quiet under regular everyday load. Build quality and choice of material are excellent. The aluminum case is robust but also significantly deeper than most of its competitors.
The Spin 5 SP513 is a well-made addition to Acer’s line-up. Our only real gripe was the PWM controller regulating the display’s brightness.
Avid typists will find the keyboard to be acceptable, and creatives will benefit from the convertible’s included stylus. The display was solid albeit users sensitive to PWM should probably look for alternatives. Our review sample’s PWM frequency was comparatively low, which might cause issues for sensitive users.
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9th – Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga
Lenovo’s ThinkPad L13 Yoga (see review here) is the Comet Lake-equipped successor to last year’s ThinkPad L390 Yoga. It features the same excellent input devices that avid typists have learned to love. In our review, the 13.3-inch convertible impressed us with its good system performance, its high-quality materials, its fast Wi-Fi, and an ActivePen stylus that can be conveniently stored inside the device itself.
All things considered the Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga offers what we would have expected. Great build quality and choice of material meet excellent input devices and a level of performance befitting of its high asking price.
Drawback include its short default warranty of just 12 months as well as the lack of WWAN option, which would have made this an excellent business laptop. Its unobtrusive fan control resulted in high surface temperatures under load, and its poor multi-core performance prevented a higher rating.
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10th – Huawei MateBook X Pro
Huawei’s MateBook X Pro (see review here) is a 13.9-inch touch display subnotebook equipped with Intel’s 10th generation Core i7 and a Nvidia GeForce MX250 for 3D acceleration. Under modest load it utilizes Intel’s integrated iGPU.
The Huawei MateBook X Pro offers a simple design and elegant case. Its Core i7’s performance is not particularly great, which means you might just as well go for the i5 SKU.
In our review we praised its elegant design and excellent case, its bright 3K display, and its input devices that are more than adequate enough for avid typists on the go. It also offers a long battery life to support its mobility claims. The MateDock 2, a USB-C dock with various useful ports such as HDMI or VGA, is included by default.
Performance did not improve over its own predecessor, which means that the 2020 model remained far behind its capabilities. The display, regardless of how great it was, was highly reflective and thus severely impeded working under challenging lighting conditions.
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Recent Ultrabook Awards
Top 10 Ultrabooks in Comparison
Test Results
| HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 | HP Elite Dragonfly-8MK79EA | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2019-20QGS00A00 | HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4 7YL44EA | Dell XPS 13 9300 Core i7-1065G7 | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Core i5-1035G4 | HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx | Acer Spin 5 SP513-54N-79EY | Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga 20R6S00800 | Huawei MateBook X Pro 2020 i7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | ||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 70.8 (34.8, 36) | 60.8 (30.8, 30) | 61.6 (30, 31.6) | 74 (30, 44) | 50 (22, 28) | 34.8 (16.8, 18) | 60.8 (26, 34.8) | 49 (22, 27) | 40 (21.6, 18.4) | 49.6 (23.6, 26) |
| Response Time Black / White * | 34.4 (18.8, 15.6) | 33.8 (17.2, 16.6) | 35.2 (18, 17.2) | 44 (22, 22) | 33.2 (16, 17.2) | 26.4 (13.2, 13.2) | 36.8 (15.6, 21.2) | 28 (16, 12) | 28 (15.6, 12.4) | 30.8 (14, 16.8) |
| PWM Frequency | 735.3 (100) | 952 (100) | 2500 (25) | 21550 (24) | 208 (90) | 25000 (50) | 29070 (40) | |||
| Screen | ||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 416.3 | 411 | 372 | 542 | 607.6 | 480.4 | 447.4 | 454 | 340 | 557 |
| Brightness | 400 | 388 | 368 | 653 | 595 | 485 | 420 | 426 | 336 | 532 |
| Brightness Distribution | 89 | 87 | 88 | 70 | 96 | 91 | 85 | 91 | 90 | 87 |
| Black Level * | 0.29 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.4 | 0.48 | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.18 | 0.33 |
| Contrast | 1436 | 1868 | 1691 | 2464 | 1519 | 1001 | 1443 | 1376 | 1889 | 1688 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 * | 2.69 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 4.72 | 3.23 | 5 | 4.23 | 1.27 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. * | 4.95 | 4.1 | 7.8 | 10.5 | 8.67 | 7.72 | 9.34 | 2.42 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated * | 2.13 | 1 | 0.9 | 1.01 | 2.44 | 1.32 | 0.78 | 0.7 | 0.7 | |
| Greyscale DeltaE2000 * | 2.9 | 2.5 | 5.9 | 7.71 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 1.07 | 1.9 | 2 |
| Gamma | 2.4 92% | 2.26 97% | 2.58 85% | 2.31 95% | 2.12 104% | 2.38 92% | 2.11 104% | 2.39 92% | 2.15 102% | 2.14 103% |
| CCT | 6623 98% | 6448 101% | 6516 100% | 6670 97% | 6413 101% | 7805 83% | 6136 106% | 6530 100% | 6735 97% | 6689 97% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 60.1 | 64.7 | 62.7 | 63 | 63 | 60.3 | 64.8 | 65 | 64.1 | 62.5 |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 94.5 | 99.3 | 97.8 | 100 | 97.5 | 93.2 | 98.9 | 100 | 99.6 | 99.5 |
| Noise | ||||||||||
| off / environment * | 28.3 | 29.5 | 29.3 | 30.3 | 28.3 | 28.5 | 26.9 | 29.3 | 29.6 | |
| Idle Minimum * | 28.3 | 29.5 | 29.3 | 30.3 | 28.3 | 28.5 | 26.9 | 29.3 | 29.6 | |
| Idle Average * | 28.3 | 30 | 29.3 | 30.3 | 28.3 | 28.5 | 26.9 | 29.3 | 29.6 | |
| Idle Maximum * | 28.3 | 30.3 | 31.1 | 30.3 | 28.3 | 28.5 | 27.8 | 29.3 | 30.3 | |
| Load Average * | 32.6 | 31.6 | 32.7 | 31.2 | 32.5 | 28.5 | 30.5 | 32.7 | 38 | |
| Load Maximum * | 36.6 | 31.6 | 32.7 | 32.8 | 39.3 | 35.3 | 32.4 | 32.7 | 38 | |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 39.3 | 35.3 | 38 | |||||||
| Heat | ||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 38.2 | 41.1 | 44.1 | 39.3 | 46.6 | 43.6 | 37.2 | 38.7 | 49.3 | 44.7 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 48 | 47.5 | 47.8 | 40.8 | 44.8 | 47.8 | 42.2 | 40.2 | 62.9 | 42.6 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 23.6 | 26.4 | 24 | 26 | 29.8 | 32 | 25.8 | 27.8 | 24.7 | 28.2 |
| Idle Bottom * | 26.6 | 29.7 | 24.8 | 26.5 | 29.8 | 32.4 | 28 | 27.3 | 25 | 28.1 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
| Reader / Idle | 1673 | 729 | 1336 | 2223 | 1301 | 912 | ||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 623 | 605 | 541 | 564 | 763 | 597 | 594 | 645 | 459 | 622 |
| Load | 187 | 166 | 85 | 177 | 116 | 160 | 148 | 123 | 146 | |
| Power Consumption | ||||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
| Idle Average * | 6.5 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 7.8 | 6.9 | 9.2 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 6.2 | 8.5 |
| Idle Maximum * | 11.5 | 8.1 | 9.1 | 10.3 | 7.5 | 9.6 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 11.2 | 12 |
| Load Average * | 38.7 | 35.6 | 38.6 | 36 | 33.3 | 42 | 32.6 | 36.6 | 44.3 | 54.8 |
| Load Maximum * | 50.5 | 44.7 | 64.5 | 49.5 | 48.4 | 63.5 | 59 | 37 | 65 | 61.5 |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 37.1 | 25.6 | 47.1 |
* ... smaller is better
