Notebookcheck's Top 10 Ultrabooks

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.

The color changed, but the design of the Surface Pro 6 is otherwise pretty much the same. Microsoft's tablet is still a high-quality device and feels good in the hands. The manufacturer even implements a CPU upgrade and the quad-core processor in the Surface Pro (2018) is on par with a laptop. The CPU throttles under sustained workloads by 11 % despite the active cooling, but this is still a very good value compared to bigger laptops. Even bigger machines often suffer from a bigger performance drop.

The battery runtime is comparable to the predecessor and we determined about 8.5 hours. This is good for a business day and there is no real competition in this performance class right now.

Microsoft follows the familiar principle and does not change the design of the 2018 Surface. Design, haptics, and build quality are convincing and the Surface Pro 6 is powerful. A USB Type-C port including Thunderbolt 3 would have been more future-proof. We cannot understand why Microsoft still ignores the modern connector.

Microsoft charges more than 2000 Euros for the high-end model with i7 CPU and 512 GB SSD. HP's Elite x2 is in the same ballpark, however, so the Surface Pro is not overpriced.

The Surface Pro 6 combines many positive features and leaves a very good impression during our review. Both the Signature Type Cover and the Surface Pen are optional extras, which raise the price even further. We also miss a USB Type-C port, which should be included in this price range.

The Surface Pro 6 based on the i5 processor is not quite as powerful as the more expensive i7 SKU. Microsoft waives the active cooling unit on the smaller model, so the performance difference is higher than usual at 22 %. The 128 GB SSD is also a bit slower.

In the end, potential buyers have to decide whether the additional price for the Surface Pro 6 i7 SKU is worth it for their personal usage scenarios. You should choose the more expensive SKU if you need more CPU performance, but the Surface Pro 6 with the i5 is the better choice if you prefer a silent device.

Lenovo offers the sixth generation of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (here in review). This time we reviewed the SKU with the matte WQHD screen. The 14-inch business laptop got an excellent rating (90%) and secures a top spot in this ranking.

We now had the chance to test all display options of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon: The default 1080p IPS screen with and without touch, the matte WQHD panel as well as the glossy WQHD HDR option, which is brighter than all the others. However, the high resolution requires more power, so the runtime suffers a bit. The default matte 1080p SKU is leading the mobility aspect. 

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is one of the best business laptops, and this does not change when you select the matte WQHD screen. The matte panels are better suited for work compared to the very glossy WQHD HDR screen. The matte WQHD panel from LG Philips is subjectively superior in terms of picture quality compared to the FHD panels, but the latter last a bit longer on battery.

Other than that, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is an excellent business laptop with a high-quality, slim and light chassis. The utilization of the quad-core processor is good and we like the modern port selection including regular USB Type-A ports.

As you expect from a ThinkPad, you get an excellent keyboard and the battery runtime of 9 hours is not bad, either. Drawbacks include the heavily limited maintenance, the missing Ethernet port (even though the corresponding adapter is provided), as well as the high-pitched fan noise, which is sometimes running without apparent reason.

The business alternative is offered by Fujitsu. The LifeBook U938 is almost 200 grams lighter and just slightly smaller with its 13.3-inch panel, but Fujitsu does not offer as many display options.

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.

Fujitsu's Lifebook U938 (here in review) is a luxury lightweight laptop with a weight of just 920 grams. This means it is much lighter than the 13-inch rivals like the Dell Latitude 13 7380. The author criticizes the CPU performance as below-average for this SoC, but it is still sufficient for mobile applications, even without NVMe-SSD. Potential buyers will not expect workstation levels of performance in a device that weighs just 920 grams.
You can still maintain the device, despite the slim construction, which is rare. The manufacturer unfortunately did not improve the high-pitched fan noise; the old U937 already suffered from this problem.

Fujitsu's Lifebook U938 is a very light and compact subnotebook. However, we do not understand why the problems of the previous model have not been improved but just transferred to the new system.

There is unfortunately no background illumination for the keyboard, even though this should be standard for a notebook in this price range. The U938 is still a good subnotebook, which also lasts a full business day thanks to a WLAN runtime of 8:30 hours.

Microsoft saves in terms of connectivity for its second laptop, but you get an excellent screen. The second iteration of the Surface Laptop (here in review) is basically an update with a modern processor.

The 3:2 aspect ratio is rare and is particularly useful for office users. We liked the 13.5-inch PixelSense display: it is very bright, covers sRGB almost completely, does not use PWM, and the color deviations are low.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 os a good choice if you want a high-quality laptop with a good screen, quiet operation, and good input devices. The lack of Thunderbolt 3 is unfortunate and hard to understand, but the limitations on you everyday experience are still small.

Microsoft still uses a high-quality and sturdy chassis for the Surface Laptop. The performance is good and we like the speakers. The battery runtime of 9 hours is not bad, either.

Microsoft unfortunately does not offer Thunderbolt, USB-C, BT 5.0 or an SD reader. You cannot maintain the device and the additional charges for RAM, CPU and SSD are steep.

A good alternative is the current Dell XPS 13 9380 (2019). It is also available with a high-resolution screen and is superior in terms of connectivity.

The HP Spectre x360 13 (here in review) is a good convertible, which almost would have managed to secure a top spot. Both the case and the build quality are, without a doubt, state of the art. The display with almost full AdobeRGB gamut and the high contrast ratio is a joy to look at. 

You also get a comfortable keyboard and touchpad, USB 3.0 Type-A and Thunderbolt ports as well as a microSD card reader. 

The performance alone does not justify the high price in our opinion, but the build quality and the unique design do.

Dell offers the new 2019 XPS 13 9380. The cooling system with its dual fans ensures good performance utilization under sustained workloads, even though it is not always stable (Whiskey Lake quad-core). There is still an improvement over the 2018 model.

The 2019 XPS 13 only reduces its performance by 8% under sustained workloads, so it is faster than the Kaby Lake Refresh quad-core in the predecessor.

The case did not change; the XPS 13 still offers a nice design with slim bezels. A lot of display with a small footprint. The UHD screen, which is now provided by AUO (previously from Sharp) is bright, but the sRGB gamut is a bit lower.

The webcam is back at the top of the screen, but we cannot commend its quality.

The XPS 13 is a good option for all users looking for Thunderbolt and DisplayPort via USB Type-C and want a lot of performance in a small package. The battery runtime of 8 hours is nit bad, but not class-leading, either. The i5/1080p model from SKU managed almost 11 hours in the same test.

The HP Elite x2 1013 G3 (here in review) is primarily designed for business customers and is the successor to the HP Elite x2 1012 G2. However, there are not many similarities since the Elite x2 1013 G3 is a complete redesign. The new convertible appears slimmer and is powered by an Intel Core i5-8350U, which performed well during our review.

The high-quality screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio fits the device very well and images are extremely crisp thanks to the 3K resolution. The cooling solution convinces with a quiet fan, even under load.

All in all, HP offers a very convenient convertible without too many drawbacks. However, you should get an LTE modem for a price of almost 2000 Euros.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X390 Yoga [see review here] is the successor the last year’s ThinkPad Yoga 380. The case remained largely identical but the internal hardware was upgraded to reflect the latest technology available at the time of construction. The top of the line SKU includes an Intel Core i7-8565U quad-core CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a fast PCIe SSD. The FHD IPS display was good, and given its business pedigree the ThinkPad convertible can be easily opened for maintenance or upgrades. Among others, you can replace the SSD and clean the fan. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered to the mainboard.