7 Best 13-Inch Laptops for Artists, Traveling Professionals, Students and Gamers | 2020 Awesome Buyer’s Guide

This guide looks into TOP-7 best 13-inch laptops and peculiarities of the application of each model. It also discusses strong and weak points of Windows and Apple laptops, advantages and disadvantages of using standard and hybrid units. In addition, you will learn which use cases determine the product category you need. A comparative chart of the effectiveness of each item will help you to choose the right unit.

What You Will Learn From This Guide:

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How Do 13-Inch Laptops Work?

The hardware inside laptops is, on a fundamental level, not so different from what goes into PCs, it’s just got a compact form factor and engineering layout. It’s a challenge to pack the power of a PC into something portable, and the result is that they aren’t as powerful as high-end PCs as a result, compact stuff usually being about two and a half generations behind, sometimes three. However, unlike most tablets, which use ARM CPUs (which use less power and thus can run off of smaller batteries), laptops generally use x86/64 architecture in the form of an APU, which is a single processor array handling CPU and GPU, though some have two different chipsets. The CPU is usually Intel or AMD (AMD laptops are somewhat rare but not unicorn levels of rarity), and the GPU runs the gamut of AMD/ATI, Nvidia and Intel. There is a space for compact ram, and usually a 2.5” compact HDD or SSD, sometimes both. Many laptops of modern times don’t possess an optical drive. A backlit, high-resolution OLED or AMOLED screen attaches via a clamshell form factor. In many modern high-end laptops, this also has a capacitive digitizer (touch screen) as well as pressure stylus magnetic signal sensors. With touch-enabled laptops, the clamshell can bend completely backward, or swivel, to become a makeshift tablet. A typical modern laptop will have at least two if not four USB ports, one or two HDMI out ports (for monitors), an RJ45 LAN cable jack, an SD card reader, and a power port. They will also offer Bluetooth and Wi-Fi without needing dongles. In lieu of a traditional mouse, there is a capacitive touchpad just below the keyboard area. These are horrible and nobody likes them, so when using mouse functionality, most people pack a mouse in their laptop case, either Bluetooth wireless or USB. Laptops usually have one of two operating systems installed by the factory – Mac OSX on MacBooks, and Windows 10 on others. Variants such as “Chromebooks” or “netbooks” do exist, but they’re pretty useless. Linux variants can be easily installed on all x86/64 laptops.

What Are The Types of 13-Inch Laptops And Their Differences?

In general, there are two ways to categorize laptops of this size – Windows laptops vs. Apple laptops, and standard laptops vs. hybrid laptops. We’re going to look at both categorization systems and their impact on what the laptop is good for.

Windows Vs. Mac

First, let’s talk about Windows or Mac (Apple). I won’t lie to you, this isn’t coming from a completely non-biased perspective, but I’m not here to be an arbiter of fair debate, I am here to inform you about the best choices for 13-inch laptops, right? I don’t like Apple products. I never was wild about them in the old days, but they at least were as useable as any of the plethora of other platforms at the time.

Modern Apple products after Jobs’ return, I regard as essentially overpriced and useless things.

Windows laptops are more common, as any laptop not branded as Apple is likely to have windows installed. Pretty much any PC game will run on this platform (if the laptop has the power), as well as any other big name software produced. Windows is an open platform as far as development is concerned.

Mac laptops are only manufactured by Apple. They have the same hardware as Windows laptops, but the price is severely elevated in the same way brand names make shoes or clothes artificially costlier. Mac OS X is a cousin of Linux without the usefulness. There are almost no games made for this platform, and support by business software and design software is sluggish, due to the walled garden. Apple products appeal to three demographics: brand-conscious consumers, long-time Apple users disinterested in changing platforms after so long, and novices whom wrongly think Windows is harder to use.

Standard Vs. Hybrid

You won’t see a hybrid Apple laptop. If you want a touch device by them, they expect you to buy a questionably-useful iPad or an iPhone. That said, most hybrid laptops are going to be Windows, with a few Android or Linux ones floating around (we won’t see Linux or Android ones today).

Standard – This is the modern take on the standard clamshell laptop. The screen may still have touch features, but they’re not good for much with these. What you have with these is a standard portable computer. These tend to be beefier than hybrids, the expense of their manufacture going into the power for gaming. This does not make all standard laptops gaming machines, but most gaming machines are standard.

Hybrid – Hybrid laptops have a capacitive multi-touch screen, which can usually fold a full 360 degrees forward or backward, allowing for tablet mode settings. These are usually not as powerful as standard laptops, intended to be portable tablet replacements. They also usually have a responsive active stylus with pressure and proximity, similar to a drawing tablet. These are valued by artists and on-the-go professionals, rarely by gamers.

What To Look For When Buying A Product?

Some things, you need to expect from any or all laptops, which we’ll outline first. Then we’ll point out which use cases will determine which category you want. USB Ports – You want no less than two but should aim for four USB ports. This allows you to add things like a real mouse, a gamepad, and other more comfortable peripherals.

– You want no less than two but should aim for four USB ports. This allows you to add things like a real mouse, a gamepad, and other more comfortable peripherals. HDMI Out – At least one, but two HDMI ports are helpful, allowing you to plug bigger displays in.

– At least one, but two HDMI ports are helpful, allowing you to plug bigger displays in. Bluetooth – Pretty much all devices should support Bluetooth these days.

– Pretty much all devices should support Bluetooth these days. SD Card Reader – Given optical drives are vanishing, you need some physical external media, and SD cards are the most likely candidate.

Which Category?

Gamers – Gamers will want a standard laptop with a high-definition screen, more RAM, a beefier CPU (four cores minimum) and a solid onboard GPU – preferably not an APU configuration.

– Gamers will want a standard laptop with a high-definition screen, more RAM, a beefier CPU (four cores minimum) and a solid onboard GPU – preferably not an APU configuration. Artists – Artists will, hands down, want a hybrid model, with good stylus and pen-to-screen. Many of these have legitimate Wacom digitizer and stylus technology.

– Artists will, hands down, want a hybrid model, with good stylus and pen-to-screen. Many of these have legitimate Wacom digitizer and stylus technology. Traveling Professional – This could go either way, depending on how much you value the ability to write on a screen. Most business professionals will prefer a standard, average-powered laptop, though. Who handwrites anymore? It’s not 1901 anymore.

– This could go either way, depending on how much you value the ability to write on a screen. Most business professionals will prefer a standard, average-powered laptop, though. Who handwrites anymore? It’s not 1901 anymore. Students – Students could go either way too, but since they have more of a budget, the higher end of mid-range standard laptops tend to work well.

– Students could go either way too, but since they have more of a budget, the higher end of mid-range standard laptops tend to work well. Casual Users – Casual users will also want a mid-range standard laptop, though one with decent RAM, good Wi-Fi, and a sharp screen.

My Personal Experience with a 13-Inch Laptop

I’ve had lots of laptops over the decades. I had one of those early models that barely displayed more than a speak and spell. I had one of the early 90s models with the little nub for a mouse (those were so much better than the touchpads) and blurry LCD screen.

I currently have a now starting to age, high-end laptop. It wasn’t marketed as a gaming laptop, but it played the games of the time. I don’t travel at all and keep my local running about to only when I need things. I’m a real homebody by choice. So, that aging laptop is really just there for when I need badly to dump the contents of a CD or DVD to an external hard drive because some idiot somewhere decided modern PCs don’t need optical drives (and yet they give you the drivers and OS on DVDs …).

I want to talk about my experience with early hybrid laptops. I had a Gateway that had an early touch screen that could swivel horizontally, to close, screen up, over the keyboard area. It wasn’t good as a touch device, but the stylus to the screen was like having an expensive Wacom Cintiq now (those blasted things are far more expensive than they have any rational right to be). However, at some point, out of nowhere, the latch became damaged, and I could no longer use the touch screen because, in laptop mode, the screen wouldn’t prop up. Then, one day, it just decided it couldn’t turn on anymore.

TOP-7 Best 13-Inch Laptops

Below, you will find a review of 7 best devices within the price range from $700 to $1700 that are available on the market. While some models are preferable for traveling professional, others are best for artists or gamers. Each model has different functionality and design. In this review, you will learn which device is the most powerful and which one is the world’s thinnest laptop.

1. Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5" | Best Laptop for Hardcore Business Work

I have tested Microsoft Surface Book 2 and can say with certainty that it is the best option for hardcore work. Not only is it a great space-saving solution, but it is also a versatile device that will cope with most tasks. With Microsoft Surface Book 2, you can safely run professional-grade software. The device is very fast and runs Adobe Photoshop and other heavy applications very well. The laptop comes with the latest NVIDIA GeForce GPUs and quad-core Intel processors. To sum up, this is perhaps the world’s most powerful laptop-tablet hybrid.

Features

Operating System: Windows 10 Pro.

RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

Memory: 256GB SSD.

Chipset: Intel Core i5 APU.

USB Ports: USB-C port and 2 full-size USB-A ports.

Bluetooth: Yes.

Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

Touch Screen Type: Touchscreen with Stylus Support

Performance

This product offers 4 different modes of use. As a laptop, it boasts a sleek design and portability. You can disconnect the screen from the keyboard and use it as a high-performance tablet with a stunning display. In the studio mode, it allows you to comfortably hand-draw images and graphics using the pen (sold separately). Or you can simply detach the screen to watch movies and play games. You will certainly like that the device has the maximum display resolution of 3000x2000 pixels. On top of that, this is an excellent choice for traveling. Not only is it amazingly lightweight, but it also comes with a durable battery that lasts for about 17 hours on a charge.

Pros Cons High-performance laptop-tablet hybrid.

Runs professional-grade software smoothly

Windows instead of a mobile OS.

An x64 tablet.

Great for traveling Too pricey for those on a budget

Not the best option for playing games at high resolution.

Conclusion

This is an ideal device for people who need both a tablet and a laptop for their business tasks. More importantly, it is great for those who want to take the best of both types of device. This hybrid is still expensive but that price is worth it.

To find out what business capabilities Surface Book has, check out my recent Microsoft Surface Book 2 Review

Microsoft Surface Book 2: Check the current price

2. 2019 Flagship Lenovo Yoga 730 13.3" | Best Budget Art Laptop

Artists and designers are really the ones I see getting the most use out of these hybrid laptops. It’s easy to think that business professionals will value the tablet functionality, but honestly, nobody outside of artists wants to use a pen in 2019. They will value the keyboard much more.

That said, this Lenovo Yoga isn’t the beefiest laptop out there, but it has a crisp screen for the size, and Windows Ink digitization. That’s not as good as Wacom digitization, but it’s still pretty good.

Features

Operating System: Windows 10.

RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

Memory: 1TB SSD.

Chipset: Intel Core i5 APU.

USB Ports: 2.

Bluetooth: Yes.

HDMI Out: Yes.

Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

Touch Screen Type: Capacitive with an active stylus.

Performance

You can’t get many peripherals plugged into this one, because it has one Type-C USB (which nothing uses right now), and one 3.0 standard USB port. So, you can maybe plug in your mouse, but are stuck using either a USB hub, a Bluetooth keyboard if you want one while this thing is in “tablet mode”.

For artists, which is really what these hybrids are for mostly, it will run Photoshop well, and Sai well, but may lag with Clip Studio or Krita. Expect Illustrator or Animate to be very sluggish when they first launch. The pressure isn’t quite as crisp or precise as Wacom digitization either, so if you’re used to a Wacom drawing tablet or are one of the few lucky independently wealthy people who’s used a Cintiq, this may feel a little less able to you at first.

Pros Cons Affordable, relatively speaking.

Durable.

Good enough for artists on a budget.

Runs Windows 64-bit, sparing you from horrible Android or iOS art programs.

The stylus is nice.

The sound is decent. Can’t game worth a damn, thanks to using an APU.

Not as precise as it could be.

Not enough USB ports.

Battery life isn’t amazing.

Conclusion

If you’re an artist or a business person who really values handwritten notes (all three of you on this planet), this will be a laptop you’ll enjoy, for the price. There are better hybrid laptops out there, and we’re going to look at at least one of them shortly, but for the price, I am okay with recommending this one.

Lenovo Yoga 730: Check the current price

3. ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH5Q 13.3-inch QHD+ Ultra-Slim Laptop | Best for Traveling Professionals

This standard laptop by Asus actually could game pretty decently, though we’re going to look at a real gaming laptop soon. This one is great for business professionals, with its sharp screen and strong CPU configuration for multitasking, as well as its solid Wi-Fi.

Features

Operating System: Windows 10.

RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

Memory: 1TB SSD.

Chipset: Intel Core i5 and Intel GPU.

USB Ports: 2.

Bluetooth: Yes.

HDMI Out: Yes.

Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

Touch Screen Type: N/A

Performance

First of all, come on, it’s Asus, and that should still mean something even in this new world of weird product standards. This is a good laptop for traveling professionals, and it can work as a casual personal computer during downtime. It’ll game alright, though don’t expect the latest and greatest games to work on it, at least not at not-low settings.

It’ll do fine for HD video, and could even be passable for video production. The lack of USB ports makes this horrible for artists or designers though.

Pros Cons Affordable, relatively speaking.

Solid for business.

Decent screen.

Balanced machine.

Not an APU. Worthless to artists.

Not enough USB ports.

Battery life isn’t amazing.

Conclusion

Business professionals who want some actually decent power and durability will enjoy this laptop, so I am very comfortable recommending it to those demographics. I hate how few USB ports these things have lately, and wasting one of them on Type C which I really don’t see as catching on at this point, hurts it for anyone else.

ASUS ZenBook: Check the current price

4. Dell XPS 13 9360 13.3" Full HD Anti-Glare InfinityEdge Touchscreen Laptop | Best for Students and Casual Use

This Dell is probably the most balanced machine overall, with the only ones left out being artists, due to the standard type of laptop. This laptop offers a Kaby Lake, which is a weaker cousin of my massive desktop’s Skylake CPU. This is a beefy laptop, but the graphics chipset is APU-based, making this not that great for gamers that need the real oomph.

This is a good general use laptop, viable for people who don’t specialize in one or another use of computers. It has some problems that’re becoming familiar at this point, though.

Features

Operating System: Windows 10.

RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

Memory: 1TB SSD.

Chipset: Intel Core i5 Kaby Lake APU.

USB Ports: 2.

Bluetooth: Yes.

HDMI Out: Yes.

Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

Touch Screen Type: N/A

Performance

This is a balanced machine, but it has an ongoing problem we’re seeing with a lot of these laptops. I don’t understand this persistence to leave out commonly-used technologies as if limitations are a feature. Once more, two USB ports, one of which is practically useless due to being a Type-C. Given there are a handful of Type-C devices, but countless standard 3.0 devices, I just don’t understand this.

My laptop has four USB ports, and it’s just as compact as this one. Why oh why are they doing this? By the time you plug in a real mouse, you’re out of places to plug anything else in, unless you use a hub.

Pros Cons Affordable, relatively speaking.

Solid for business.

Decent screen.

Balanced machine. Worthless to artists.

Not enough USB ports.

Battery life isn’t amazing.

Is an APU.

Conclusion

I’m comfortable recommending this to students or people who just want a balanced laptop experience. It’ll game alright (though not amazingly), it’ll handle business and internet tasks with ease, and it’s got a good, quality build with solid, powerful hardware.

However, as I said, this lack of USB ports irritates the heck out of me.

Dell XPS: Check the current price

5. Apple MacBook Air (13-inch Retina display, 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, 128GB) | Best Air Laptop

Alright, I wasn’t looking forward to this one, because I try to look for the best applications for given laptops and other devices. But honestly, this is something I can only recommend to the limited demographics for an Apple laptop.

Hardware-wise, it’s fine, though it shouldn’t cost any more than the Dell we just looked at, because it’s not much different. It does have a separate graphics chipset, not that that matters much since Apple isn’t supported by any game developers (they don’t want to have to buy an expensive Apple computer and a ridiculous four thousand dollar license to compile Mac OS programs).

Features

Operating System: Mac OS X.

RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

Memory: 256GB SSD.

Chipset: Intel Core i5 and UHD Graphics 617.

USB Ports: 2 (Apple proprietary).

Bluetooth: Yes.

HDMI Out: Yes.

Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

Touch Screen Type: N/A

Performance

Okay. There’s nothing wrong with the hardware in this machine, it’s your bog standard high-end casual-use laptop hardware profile. It’s an Intel-based design. However, it’s vastly overpriced for what it is because that’s how Apple does.

OS X is pretty useless, too, and only Mac “fans” would argue otherwise. The closed environment, the lack of games, the slow support for art and professional programs, the complete removal of system-level control … this OS is an evolutionary dead end, and it will be extinct within the next ten years, as younger adopters of computers don’t pick Apple up unless maybe it’s an iPhone (and that’s on borrowed time too).

If you’re some brand-conscious hipster, this is the laptop for you. If you’re a long-time OS X user who is content with the limited abilities of it, and don’t want to change platforms (and I am not judging you if this is the case), this is the laptop for you. If you’re a new computer user who thinks OS X will make things easier for you than windows, stop right here, and go buy that Dell.

Pros Cons Decent build quality.

Isn’t proprietary hardware.

Slim. OS X is worthless and has a poor software catalog.

This thing is criminally overpriced.

It has to be jailbroken, just like iPhones, to get out of Apple’s draconian control of everything.

Conclusion

I’m really only comfortable recommending anything by Apple to those brand-obsessed people (begrudgingly), or to long-time Apple users who simply don’t want to change platforms, and don’t need the extended use real operating systems to provide. Sorry, Apple lovers, but this is definitely the black sheep on this list.

Apple MacBook: Check the current price

However, if you want the most lightweight laptop in the world, opt for a 12-Inch MacBook that weighs just 2 lbs. And not only is it the thinnest one, it is powerful enough, with 8GB of memory and up to 10 hours of battery life. The 7th-generation Intel Core m3 makes the device work faster while its SSD storage is 50% faster.

6. HP Spectre x360-13t Quad Core(8th Gen Intel i7-8550U, 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD | Best Laptop for Artists

This is a powerful machine, but I recommend it really, only to artists. The stylus is fantastic, with great pressure, and a Wacom driver can be added to make the Ink platform even better.

Features

Operating System: Windows 10.

RAM: 16GB shared RAM.

Memory: 512GB SSD.

Chipset: Intel Core i7 APU.

USB Ports: 2.

Bluetooth: Yes.

HDMI Out: Yes.

Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

Touch Screen Type: Multi-touch with an active stylus.

Performance

If the price of this didn’t make me want to cry, I’d have one of these for my artistic pursuits. It’s a hell of a lot cheaper than a Cintiq, but not cheap enough for me. However, artists with money to spend, this is definitely a device worth getting. Don’t spend almost six figures on a Cintiq, when this works just as good.

Pros Cons Great Cintiq alternative. No good for gaming.

Expensive.

Conclusion

I recommend this one to artists not on a budget. Don’t spend the money on a Cintiq, get one of these.

HP Spectre: Check the current price

7. Alienware AW13R3-7420SLV-PUS 13.3" Gaming Laptop | Best High-End Laptop for Gamers

If you want a laptop capable of high-end modern gaming, then this is about the best you can do. No laptop currently on the market can size up to a 1080i gaming rig, because that technology just isn’t properly miniaturized yet.

Alienware has been a renowned brand in gaming laptops and gaming towers for some time, providing both AMD and Nvidia-bases chipsets, depending on your preference. This is a standard-form laptop, meaning it has no touch screen technology, no stylus, etc. However, if you’re wanting to do video editing, the gaming hardware in it can do that, but it’s wasted on business or art endeavors mostly.

Features

Chipset: Gen 7 Core i7 and Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU.

RAM: 16GB.

Memory: 512 GB SSD.

Bluetooth: Yes.

USB Ports: 4.

HDMI Out: Yes.

HD Audio: Yes.

Mouse: Multi-touch capacitive touchpad.

Touchscreen: N/A.

Performance

As I said, this doesn’t quite qualify as a modern, UHD gaming rig – you can’t miniaturize current-generation stuff into a laptop. They tend to be at least a generation behind contemporary desktops. It’s just unavoidable honestly. However, this machine will run modern AAA games at almost the highest settings. The GTX 1060 is a beastly GPU, an ancestor of the 1080i dual setup I have in my new machine.

However, there are some downsides to a design like this. For one, 13” isn’t the best screen size for gaming, though it does make it more portable. For another, this thing runs hot. That isn’t to say it runs dangerously hot, but it will cook your lap if you’re not careful. It has very solid ventilation and fan systems, but heat can’t all be conducted out of these vents. That said, you’ll want an extra fan deck between yourself and this laptop if you’re running really intense games.

Another thing to bear in mind is that this GPU eats a lot of power, meaning that you’ll drain your battery very quickly while running extreme modern games. These are just trade offs you make with powerful laptops in general, though. This is a very solid, powerful laptop for gamers on the go, and the high-quality Wi-Fi transponder means you’ll enjoy very reliable, responsive online gaming through this machine as well.

An interesting side note: This laptop is featured in the hit sitcom series “Big Bang Theory”, commonly used by the popular character, Sheldon.

Pros Cons Powerful GPU.

Lots of RAM.

Excellent connectivity.

Sharp display.

Solid build.

Reputable manufacturer.

Surprisingly light weight for its design. 512GB is awful small to install games to.

No optical drive makes the above an even bigger problem.

It gets very hot.

13” is a small screen for gaming.

Conclusion

I’m not a big laptop gamer, but if you want real mobile gaming, not the cookie clicker substitutes for mobile devices, this Alienware will definitely fit the bill. It’s definitely not cheap, though!

Alienware: Check the current price

Comparative Chart of 13-Inch Laptop Effectiveness

Product Features Flaghsip Lenovo • Operating System: Windows 10.

• RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

• Memory: 1TB SSD.

• Chipset: Intel Core i5 APU.

• USB Ports: 2.

• Bluetooth: Yes.

• HDMI Out: Yes.

• Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

• Touch Screen Type: Capacitive with an active stylus. Effectiveness: 8 ASUS ZenBook • Operating System: Windows 10.

• RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

• Memory: 1TB SSD.

• Chipset: Intel Core i5 and Intel GPU.

• USB Ports: 2.

• Bluetooth: Yes.

• HDMI Out: Yes.

• Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

• Touch Screen Type: N/A Effectiveness: 9 Dell XPS • Operating System: Windows 10.

• RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

• Memory: 1TB SSD.

• Chipset: Intel Core i5 Kaby Lake APU.

• USB Ports: 2.

• Bluetooth: Yes.

• HDMI Out: Yes.

• Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

• Touch Screen Type: N/A Effectiveness: 10 Apple MacBook • Operating System: Mac OS X.

• RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

• Memory: 256GB SSD.

• Chipset: Intel Core i5 and UHD Graphics 617.

• USB Ports: 2 (Apple proprietary).

• Bluetooth: Yes.

• HDMI Out: Yes.

• Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

• Touch Screen Type: N/A Effectiveness: 9 Microsoft Surface Book 2 • Operating System: Windows 10.

• RAM: 8GB shared RAM.

• Memory: 256GB SSD.

• Chipset: Intel Core i5 APU.

• USB Ports: 2.

• Bluetooth: Yes.

• HDMI Out: Yes.

• Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

• Touch Screen Type: N/A Effectiveness: 9 HP Spectre • Operating System: Windows 10.

• RAM: 16GB shared RAM.

• Memory: 512GB SSD.

• Chipset: Intel Core i7 APU.

• USB Ports: 2.

• Bluetooth: Yes.

• HDMI Out: Yes.

• Mouse Type: Multi-Touchpad.

• Touch Screen Type: Multi-touch with an active stylus. Effectiveness: 10 Alienware • Chipset: Gen 7 Core i7 and Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU.

• RAM: 16GB.

• Memory: 512 GB SSD.

• Bluetooth: Yes.

• USB Ports: 4.

• HDMI Out: Yes.

• HD Audio: Yes.

• Mouse: Multi-touch capacitive touchpad.

• Touchscreen: N/A. Effectiveness: 10

Laptops' History

Laptops aren’t a brand new technology, not by a long shot. Since the dawn of the PC itself, efforts were made to create a truly portable, fully-functional computer comparable to the desktops of the day. To some extent, this was achieved by those early devices, though by no means in display technology.

The problem was, back then, there were no viable color LCD display systems. CRTs were the only way to get anything of resolution or color (when computers even supported many colors). CRTs are not very portable if they’re going to have much in the way of screen size. Thus, most of these early portable machines used grayscale LCD panels similar to the pocket organizers of the 1990s, which made for very limited display capabilities. Gaming on these things was not really an option.

Vacuum fluorescent displays, albeit monochrome orange, did help – most people were used to their computers not doing much color at the time anyhow, but these were battery drains of epic proportions.

By the dawn of the 1990s, color, backlit LCD became a reality, though it had a problem with “ghosting” where a motion of any real frame rate caused significant blurring. This was abated by the time Windows 95 came out, in most decent laptops.

Today, despite the advent of tablets and smartphones, laptops are not going away any sooner than desktop PCs. Even as these smaller devices continue to advance to a point where they can rival laptops and PCs, they simply won’t be replacing them, and that’s for one reason alone: keyboards.

Even two hundred years from now, with touchscreens that have realistic tactile feedback, real keyboards aren’t going to disappear. On a touch screen, they occupy real estate, and for larger displays than a tablet or phone, things just become awkward. So, laptops and desktop PCS aren’t going anywhere.

Now, modern laptops have absorbed some of the tablet concepts such as multi-touch screens and active stylus interfaces, but a real keyboard (and this additional space for hardware) remain. These devices simply have the ability to fold back the other direction to become “tablet mode” devices, with the keyboard out of the way if desired.

FAQ

That depends on what you want to use it for. I think by this point, I’ve answered this one pretty clearly in TOP-7 Best 13-Inch Laptops. Here are best laptops for hardcore business work and for traveling professionals, for artists and gamers. Which 13-inch laptop to buy?

Technically no, but I would say “yes”. But there is a solid, powerful laptop for gamers on the go. It has a solid ventilation and fan system, a high-quality Wi-Fi transponder to play very comfortably. Is a 13-inch laptop too small for gaming?

Yes, in my TOP-7 Best 13-inch laptops you will find the most powerful laptop-tablet hybrid which runs professional-grade software smoothly and is good for programming. Is it good for programming?

What is a good screen resolution for a 13-inch laptop?

1080p, possibly 2K.

How do you measure a laptop for a sleeve?

Just the width, height, and depth. If it’s based on screen size, diagonal from the upper left of the actual screen, to lower right.

Pros & Cons of Using These Products

Pros

Portable.

Productized enough to make choices easy.

Some really good stuff for art.

A good compromise between the bulkiness of a powerful computer, and the light-weight uselessness of mobile devices.

Cons

Hard to repair.

Impossible to custom design.

Impossible to upgrade.

Tends to lack much in the way of USB ports.

Runs hot.

Needs to be recharged.

Keyboards are cramped.

Touchpads are evil.

Conclusion

Laptops have a lot of usefulness. They provide portability while allowing for actual intuitive input. I am confident that one of these laptops will provide you with the quality experience you desire. Be it for art, for business, for casual use, or for gaming, there’s a laptop out there for everyone!

Read also our articles about a laptops:

Best 17-inch laptops

Best laptops for music production

Best Laptop Stands

Best Laptop Stands for Bed

Best Laptop Cooling Pads