The introduction of the Ultrabook in 2011 effectively ended Apple’s reign as the only game in town when it came to ultra-thin, ultra-light laptops. Granted, those first iterations of the Ultrabook had to rely on relatively low-power processors and often lacked the build quality of the popular MacBook range, but times have changed.

Fast-forward four years and there’s now more choice in the category than ever and, thanks to the use of materials like aluminum, carbon fiber and magnesium alloys, build quality has improved significantly.

Combine that with some interesting new form factors, and you have quite a few ultra-light, ultra-thin, high-performance laptops (or hybrids, or 2-in-1’s) that not only look better than the MacBook but also outperforms it in many regards.

If you are set on not buying a 13-inch MacBook Pro, here are five 13-inch alternatives worth considering:

New Dell XPS 13

Dell XPS 13 via Dell

Dell Inc. this week updated its XPS 13 laptop, still touting it as the “smallest 13-inch laptop on the planet” with a footprint of just 11-inches. The overall design remains largely unchanged from the previous generation with a carbon fiber and aluminum chassis and Dell’s InfinityEdge display that reduces the bezel around the touchscreens to almost invisible slivers.

The XPS 13 measures in at 0.33 – 0.6 x 11.98 x 7.88 inches and weighs 2.7 pounds (non-touch).

Under the hood, the XPS 13 has received a significant makeover. It’s now powered by Intel’s new sixth-generation Skylake processors and is available in Core i3, i5, and i7 versions with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of PCle SSD storage. The lineup includes two 13.3-inch full HD non-touch and two 13.3-inch quad HD touch display models.

Thanks to Thunderbolt 3, which uses the same Type-C connectors as USB 3.1, the XPS 13’s ports support both Thunderbolt and full 10Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2 speeds.

Battery life has also been improved, with Dell claiming 18 hours on a single charge – the longest battery life on a 13-inch laptop, claims Dell.

The base model XPS 13 starts at $799.

Microsoft Surface Book

Surface Book via Microsoft

Microsoft surprised everyone earlier this week when it unveiled the Surface Book, the company’s first foray into the laptop market. But the Surface Book is no ordinary laptop. It’s a 2-in-1 device with a laptop-first approach rather than a tablet-first approach, taken by the Surface Pro 4 and others.

The detachable screen can be used like a clipboard (tablet-style) or the screen can be rotated and reattached to the rear of the keyboard via Microsoft’s unique fulcrum hinge to make use of the (optional) dedicated graphics chip – housed in the keyboard, the optional graphics chip is the only piece of hardware not contained within the Surface Book’s screen.

The Surface Book features a detachable 13.5-inch PixelSense high-contrast display at 2567 dpi, and is powered by Intel’s new sixth-generation Skylake Core i5 and i7 processors, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 512GB of SSD storage, and integrated Intel HD graphics (i5 only) or optional NVIDIA GeForce graphics.

The entire package measures in at 9.14 x 12.30 x 0.51- 0.90 inches and weighs 3.48 pounds. Microsoft estimates up to 12 hours of battery life.

The Surface Book starts at $1499 and ships October 26^th.

Lenovo LaVie Z

Lenovo LaVie Z via Lenovo

Lenovo Group Ltd. claims the LaVie Z is the “world’s lightest 13.3-inch” laptop. Accurate or not, the LaVie Z is the lightest laptop on our list, at a mere 1.87 pounds and measures in at 12.56 x 0.67 x 8.35 inches.

In addition to its weight advantage, the LaVie Z packs a 13.3-inch WQDD LED anti-glare screen with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, a 2.4GHz fifth-generation Intel Core i7-5500U dual-core processor with up to 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of SD storage and up to 9 hours of battery life.

Design-wise, the Lenovo LaVie Z is perhaps a little average – especially when compared to the Dell XPS 13, Surface Book and HP Spectre 13 – but the specs are solid enough and it’s ultra-light to boot.

The Lenovo LaVie Z starts at $1399.

Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro

Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro via Lenovo

The Yoga 3 Pro measures in at 13 x 9 x 0.5 inches and weighs just 2.6 pounds, making it the thinnest and lightest 2-in-1 laptop on the market, claims Lenovo.

The Yoga 3 Pro can be used in four different ways: as a laptop, a stand, a tent, or as a tablet. The watchband-style hinge allows the screen to rotate a full 360 degrees.

The display is a 13.3-inch quad HD and IPS Multi-Touch job with a 3200 x 1800 resolution and a low-glare finish.

Under the hood the Yoga 3 Pro sports Intel’s Core M-5Y70 or M5Y71 CPU (clocked at 1.1GHz and 1.2 GHz respectively), 8GB of RAM, up to 512GB SD storage and up to nine-hour battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro starts at $949.99.

HP Spectre 13 x360 Convertible and new Limited Edition Spectre x360

HP Spectre x360 via HP

On the design front, not much has changed – the x360, with its CNC-machined aluminum chassis, still weighs 3.2 pounds and the 360-degree hinge allows the 13.3-inch touchscreen to fold back into tablet/slate mode.

The biggest upgrade comes by way of the processor. The x360 now packs Intel’s new sixth-generation Skylake Core i5 or Core i7 CPUs, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SD storage and a choice between a full HD or a quad HD display. HP claims between 13 and 15 hours of battery life, depending on whether you opt for the i7 CPU with QHD display or the i5 with FHD display.

There’s also a limited edition Bang & Olufsen version, available in an “Ash Silver and Copper” color option.

The base model x360 starts at $899.99 and the Ash Silver and Copper version starts at $1299.99

Main image credit: Alexas_Fotos via Pixabay