Ultrathin laptops 2025 – review of the best

Competition in the ultra-thin laptop segment has reached a new level – manufacturers are vying not only for performance but also for the perfect combination of mobility, battery life, and smart features. In our opinion, the most notable representatives of this class are the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4, Dell XPS 13 9345, and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12.

Each of these models, in its own way, demonstrates its vision of the modern laptop: Apple is emphasizing the energy efficiency of its own M4 chip, Dell is promoting Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite ARM solutions, and Lenovo is developing a classic business model. Below is a comparison of their key features, strengths, and weaknesses.

MacBook Air 13 M4 (A3240)

It’s considered one of Apple’s top laptop choices thanks to its thinness, power, and long battery life. The ultra-thin aluminum case is traditionally crafted at just 11.3 mm thick and weighs just 1.24 kg. Dimensions are 304.1 x 215 mm.

The 13.6-inch display features a Liquid Retina panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1664 pixels. Computing performance is provided by the new Apple M4 chip with a 10-core processor and 8-core Apple M4 GPU. RAM is soldered to a non-expandable 16 GB of LPDDR5, and a fast 256 GB SSD handles storage. The model is equipped with a standard set of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless modules and two Thunderbolt ports.

The keyboard is backlit, supports Touch ID, and the large Force Touch trackpad is pressure-sensitive. Battery life is provided by a 53.8 Wh battery, which, combined with the energy-efficient M4 chip, ensures long battery life—approximately 15–18 hours in mixed use. View MacBook on Rozetka in a wide variety of configurations, including Pro versions for those who need significantly more performance.

+ Long battery life

+ High-quality display

+ Case materials

- Limited upgrade options

- Minimal ports

Dell XPS 13 9345

The ultra-thin Dell XPS 13 9345 laptop is well suited for work on the go, office tasks, watching multimedia, making presentations, creating documents and working with Internet resources. Yogi weighs less than 1.24 kg, dimensions – 295.3 × 199.1 × 15.2 mm.

The display has a diagonal of 13.4 inches, a separate structure of 2880 × 1800 pixels and is based on an OLED panel with a frequency of 60 Hz. It uses 100% DCI-P3, has a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. Thanks to these parameters, the screen transmits deep colors and ensures good readability of the daytime light. Low Blue Light technology changes the importance of attention to the eyes during the time of daily wear.

The model featured a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor with 12 cores and a maximum frequency of up to 4 GHz. The Adreno GPU graphics system is integrated. The configuration includes 16 GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 512 GB of a flexible SSD PCIe 4.0.

Connection is implemented via two USB Type-C ports supported by DisplayPort and Power Delivery. Droneless interfaces include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. The battery capacity of 55 W per year will provide several years of active work without recharging.

+ OLED display

+ High energy efficiency of the processor

- ARM platform combines the complexity of software

- Limiting the possibility of upgrading

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 laptop is positioned as an ultra-light and ultra-thin (14.96 mm thick) premium business solution in the ThinkPad lineup. The manufacturer notes that the chassis is made of magnesium and carbon fiber alloy using recycled materials. The chassis is MIL-STD-810H-rated. Weight starts at approximately 1.24 kg.

The series uses Intel Core Ultra processors (e.g., Ultra 7 155U / Ultra 7 165H) with an integrated NPU (~11 TOPS) for AI support.

The display measures 14 inches diagonally (16:10 aspect ratio), with options ranging from WUXGA (1920×1200) IPS panels to OLED versions with resolutions up to 2880×. The OLED versions boast a claimed brightness of ~400 nits, and a color gamut of nearly 100% DCI-P3. Connectivity is available in ports: two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1, USB-A (which can also be found on a power outlet in some configurations), and a combo audio jack.

The keyboard, traditionally found in the ThinkPad series, features key travel and the signature TrackPoint red dot. Gen 12 models feature an updated trackpad (with an optional haptic TouchPad from Sensel).

+ Powerful Intel Core Ultra hardware platform

+ Choice of display type

+ ThinkPad keyboard and TrackPoint

- High configuration costs

- Battery life is sometimes lower than ARM-based solutions

Comparison chart of the ultra-thin MacBook Air 13 M4, Dell XPS 13 9345, and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 laptops

Michel Chernovoj
Editor

     

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