Bigger doesn’t mean better (unless you’re thinking about performance). Just like hot hatch car lovers, there’ll always be a group of people who will appreciate the beauties of mini laptops.
Despite its fun-size, it doesn’t mean mini laptops will come with flimsy quality and minimal hardware specs. A good mini laptop can perform on par. If not, even better than an average sized laptop, besides having quite a few advantages from its unique features.
Read also: Best Laptops in Malaysia 2024
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Jennifer chevron_right
Table of Contents
10 Best Mini Laptops in Malaysia 2024 - Brand Reviews
Why It’s Our Top Pick:
Tiny but mighty, the Dell XPS 13 is one of the best, if not the best, value on the market among the best mini laptops. With 1.5x higher performance than the previous generation, the latest XPS 13 is faster and better.
Overview:
Built for a lifestyle on the move, the super-slim and thin Dell XPS 13 is the ultimate on-the-go laptop. You can expect excellent battery life when multitasking and binge-watching Netflix shows despite the size.
Unlock unrivalled performance with the XPS 13 (9315), equipped with the recent 12th generation Intel Alder Lake processor. The built-in Dell Performance application allows you to customize your laptop’s performance to suit your workload. However, the only minor drawback is the limited number of interface ports.
Dell XPS 13 Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i7-1250U
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Display: 13" 3:2 3K (2880x1920) Touch; AR+AS, GorillaGlass7, active pen support, 500-Nit Display
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™) with DisplayPort and Power Delivery
- Dimensions: 295.4 (W) x 199.4 (D) x 13.99 (H) mm
Who is this for?
The ultra-lightweight and compact Dell XPS 13 makes it easier to be productive even when on the move. It is undoubtedly the best overall mini laptop with first-class specs and features, including a 3K touchscreen, large RAM and storage, bigger internal speakers, improved security, and more sustainability than ever. The machined (CNC) aluminium chassis also gives a timeless look and feel.
Overview:
The DERE Laptop T30 Pro is built for versatility. It supports flexible transition from a tablet to a laptop so you can always find the best way that works for you. Featuring standalone Bluetooth antennas, you can quickly pair the smart magnetic keyboard and pencil in seconds.
The 13-inch 2K high-resolution screen is an excellent eye candy. It is bright and comfortable, creating colourful and crystal-clear visuals. On the other side, the T30 Pro is average in terms of power consumption. Its 38000mAh battery can last up to 6 hours on a single charge.
DERE T30 Pro Specifications
- CPU: Intel Celeron N5095
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 600
- Display: 13" inch, 2K (2160*1440), IPS Screen
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512B SSD
- Ports: 2x USB Type-C, 1x TF card, 2x USB3.0, 1x audio jack
- Dimensions: -
Who is this for?
Want a budget laptop but with premium specs? Look no further than the DERE Laptop T30 Pro. It has a slim stature, packing mighty abilities under the hood. You will have no issue multitasking with the 11th generation Intel Celeron N5095 processor together with a generous 16GB RAM. Not to forget, there’s also the collection of I/O ports included for high-speed data transfer and peripheral connection.
Overview:
Get productive with the sleek and super-lightweight Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 featuring a 12th-generation Intel Core processor built on the Intel Evo platform. The 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen variant brings you ultra-portable productivity with up to 2256x1504 image quality and Dolby Vision IQ support.
Typing feels good on the Surface laptop. The remarkable keyboard offers the perfect balance of key travel and responsiveness, giving you tactile feedback on every keystroke. Meanwhile, the extra-large trackpad allows easy navigation across the screen.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1235U
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Display: 13.5” PixelSense™ Display, 2256x1504 (201 PPI), Aspect ratio: 3:2, Contrast ratio 1300:1, Color profile: sRGB, and Vivid, Individually color-calibrated display, Dolby Vision IQ™ support, Touch: 10-point multi-touch
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Ports: 1 x USB-C® with USB 4.0/Thunderbolt™ 4, 1x USB-A 3.1, 1x 3.5 mm headphone jack, 1x Surface Connect port
- Dimensions: 308.0 (W) x 223.0 (D) x 14.5 (H) mm
Who is this for?
A responsive keyboard with exceptional typing comfort plus a day-to-night battery life is essential for a laptop for writers and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 offers both of them. It comes in a sleek and beautiful design. Despite the mini size, you get snappy multitasking across multiple tabs and app credits to the powerful processor and Intel Evo platform.
Overview:
Heavyweight performance within a lightweight shell, the Acer Swift 3 OLED packs a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and an enduring battery life. The laptop is claimed to suffice your hectic work life with a maximum of 8 hours.
The brilliant OLED with a narrow bezel display provides a 14.0-inch expansive view at a 16:10 aspect ratio. You will also get a fingerprint reader and a Kensington Lock slot to keep your device safe when leaving it unattended.
Acer Swift 3 OLED Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Display: 14.0" display with OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) technology, WQXGA+ 2880 x 1800, Acer CineCrystal™ 16:10 aspect ratio, colour gamut DCI-P3 100%, certified by True Black HDR500 (@HDR 500, brightness reach 500 nits)
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Ports: 2 x USB Type-C™ ports (USB4® 40Gbps, Thunderbolt™ 4, USB charging 5 V; 3 A, DC-in port 20V; 100W), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port with one featuring power-off USB charging, 1x HDMI® 2.1 port with HDCP support, 1x 3.5 mm headphone/speaker jack, supporting headsets with built-in microphone
- Dimensions: 312.9 (W) x 214.0 (D) x 17.9 (H) mm
Who is this for?
At a budget-friendly price of below RM3000, the Acer Swift 3 OLED is ideal for your day-in and day-out work. The Dodeca-core Intel processor can handle most office tasks without a hitch. Other than that, its DTS Audio and Full HD MIPI webcam allow you to always look smart and express confidently in conference calls.
Overview:
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 Laptop is an ultra-lightweight, portable laptop that also comes with an incredible battery life. The optimized metal design is less than 1kg but still provides robust durability for daily bumps and scratches.
With DC dimming technology, the 14.40inxh WUXGA display eliminates screen flickering for more comfortable viewing over extended sessions. Furthermore, the Pavilion Aero 13 also delivers exceptional multi-threaded processing and adequate multimedia power.
HP Pavilion Aero Laptop Specifications
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5625U
- GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics
- Display: 33.8 cm (13.3") diagonal, WUXGA (1920 x 1200), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits, 100% sRGB
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Ports: 1x USB Type-C® 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort™ 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge); 1x USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate, 1x AC smart pin; 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x headphone/microphone combo
- Dimensions: 297.6 (W) x 209.0 (D) x 16.9 (H) mm
Who is this for?
Despite the incredibly lightweight profile, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 Laptop packs a punch to the most demanding tasks at hand. The AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor with Radeon Graphics is the perfect combo for optimum power efficiency, giving you the confidence to unplug and go further. The 43 Wh battery can achieve up to 12 hours and 45 minutes of video playback on a full run.
More: Best Budget Gaming Laptops
The Apple MacBook Pro 13” is an ideal mini laptop for office work with obvious reasons. It has a small, lightweight design, solid performance, and superior battery life. With those in mind, it’ll be your best working companion no matter if you are working in an office or attending meetings.
Feature:
Apple does a great job in the display to provide the best visual experience to their users. The MacBook Pro comes with a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology, delivering vivid images in high colour accuracy. It can support up to 2560x1600 native resolutions at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colours.
Another highlight is the backlit Magic keyboard offered in the MacBook Pro 13”. The 4 arrow keys are in an inverted-T arrangement, allowing you to locate them easily without accidentally pressing other keys. Each keystroke on the Magic keyboard is responsive for a tactile feedback, improving your typing experience.
Performance:
Tailored for Apple’s M1 chip, the MacBook Pro13” runs on macOS Big Sur out of the box. Suffice to say that it is one of the snappier updates so far, with the boot-up time almost instantaneous.
You’ll get a superior battery life on the MacBook Pro 13” too, recording up to 17 hours of wireless web or 20 hours of Apple TV app movie playback. However, we feel that the two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports are lacking and will be a more evident inconvenience when you’ll need to your laptop with multiple devices connected.
Specs:
- Year: 2021
- CPU: Apple M1 Chip with 8-core CPU
- GPU: Apple M1 Chip with 8-core GPU
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Display: 13.3-inch, 2560x1600 pixels, IPS, Retina display with True Tone
- Weight: 1.40kg
- Ports: 2x Thunderbolt/ USB 4, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
- Dimensions: 304.1 (W) x 212.4 (D) x 15.6 (H) mm
Overview
With a heavy focus on its ‘business’ aesthetic, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Nano Gen 2 is a function over form machine that prioritises productivity. Whether it’s in its performance, battery life, or even just utilitarian look, the Thinkpad X1 Nano is a great laptop for professionals.
Details
- Powered by up to 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 vPro® processors and up to 32GB of memory
- Two USB-C Thunderbolt™ 4 ports
- 13" Dolby Vision™ 2K display with 100% sRGB, the 2160 x 1350 resolution
- ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2 weighs from just 0.97kg
- Privacy shutter to physically close the webcam
- ThinkPad laptops are tested against 12 military-grade standards and more than 200 quality checks to ensure they run in extreme conditions
Who is this for?
With a powerful Intel 12th gen core processor and weighing less than a kilogram, the Thinkpad X1 Gen 2 would be a great business laptop for professionals on the go. Additionally, the two Thunderbolt 4 ports allow you to connect a variety of hardware to the device, further upping its performance.
Its one glaring weakness comes down to its exorbitant price, but you’d be hard pressed to find anything like this one on the market for cheaper.
Overview
The ROG Flow X13 is one of the thinnest and smallest gaming laptops we’ve ever seen, making it perfect for travelling gamers who like to pack light. Even so, there are some drawbacks to the device, mainly its rather short battery life, though this is offset by its USB-C capability as well as the fast charging feature.
Details
- 13” display with a 360-degree hinge
- AMD Ryzen 9 processor with an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card
- Up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage
- XG Mobile compatible, an external graphics card with an RTX 3080 GPU inside
- Fine-tuned cooling system with redesigned thermal module and thermal grizzly liquid metal
- 100W USB-C charging port, fast charging capabilities with 50% in 30 minutes
Who is this for?
Gamers who often travel but still want a capable gaming companion should definitely consider the Asus ROG Flow X13 for its discreet yet capable graphics card, its powerful Ryzen 9 processor, as well as its ability to connect to the XG Mobile, Asus’ external graphics card module.
We can fully understand why some of you might want a mini laptop that is portable for working purposes while also capable of handling your favourite games during your free time. In case you need a recommendation, the small but powerful Razer Blade Stealth 13 is a beast for gaming.
Feature:
Designed primarily for gaming, the Razer Blade Stealth 13 comes with a 1.3-inch Full HD Matte Display with a 4.9 mm slim side bezel design. You can enjoy every detail in your gameplay on the high refresh rate screen which supports up to 120Hz. It’s also packed with a single-zone RGB backlit keyboard, illuminating in dim conditions to ease your typing experience.
Performance:
As a gaming laptop, the Razer Blade Stealth 13 equips the latest 11th-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q. With this powerful configuration, you won’t have any sluggish moments even when running heavier games and video rendering tasks.
After some minor tweaks to the graphic settings, you can enjoy the most popular AAA games at playable FPS. Not to forget; the 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD make multitasking and loading apps so much faster and smoother.
The 10-hour battery life is quite impressive given that this is a gaming laptop. Whenever the battery level is low, you can quickly charge it with a compact 100W USB-C power adapter. We are also glad that the Razer Blade Stealth 13 comes with ample USB ports.
Specs:
- Year: 2020
- CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 13.3-inch, FHD Matte 120Hz
- Weight: 1.41kg
- Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports, 2x USB-A 3.1, 1x 3.5mm combo jack
- Dimensions: 304.6 (W) x 210.0 (D) x 15.3 (H) mm
Overview:
The MSI Prestige 13 Evo comes in a compact design with high portability and extraordinary performance. Designed for non-stop, on-the-go occasions, this mini laptop offers a long-lasting battery with fast-charging technology that allows you to work from anywhere, anytime.
The 13.3-inch Prestige laptop is crafted in a lightweight magnesium-aluminium alloy chassis at only 990g. Moreover, it maintains an ultra-thin and light profile without sacrificing the high-speed interface ports. The 16:10 golden ratio IPS display also provides a comfortable visual experience, especially during long-term use.
MSI Prestige 13 Evo Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1340P
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Display: 13.3” FHD+ (1920x1200), 16:10, 100% sRGB(Typical), IPS-Level panel
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Ports: 2x Type-C (USB / DP / Thunderbolt™ 4) with PD charging, 1x Type-A USB3.2 Gen1, 1x Micro SD Card Reader, 1x HDMI™ 2.1 (4K @ 60Hz), 1x Mic-in/Headphone-out Combo Jack
- Dimensions: 319.0 (W) x 219.0 (D) x 15.9 (H) mm
Who is this for?
Built with maximum portability and productivity in mind, the MSI Prestige 13 Evo is perfect for those who are constantly on the move especially students and young entrepreneurs. The Intel Evo Platform laptop is powered by the latest 13th-generation Intel Core i5 processor. It’s always ready with the speed and performance you need to accomplish your school work at breathtaking speeds.
FAQ
- How Many Inches is a Small Laptop?
Well, there is no exact definition for what is a mini laptop. But if you ask us, a mini laptop must have a compact design with a screen size under 14.0-inch. They don’t have to have the most high-performing processors that ultrabooks have, so our list will contain budget options too.
- The touch screen feature is not a must but a great bonus to have.
- Portability on a laptop matters, so its weight should be under 1.5kg. But under 2.0kg is acceptable as well.
- Similar to a normal laptop, a mini laptop must have a traditional clamshell design that can be closed fully for protection and not an open tablet design by default.
- Under the hood, a fully functioning processor, graphics card, and memory are the basic requirements.
- We also expect a mini laptop to have a standard keyboard and trackpad, plus wireless internet connectivity.
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