Side-by-side comparison based on expert reviews and community consensus.
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4, 2025)
Best OverallAsus Zenbook 14 OLED Touch
Best Windows UltrabookPrice
$1,099-$1,299
$799-$1,099
Summary
The unanimous community and expert pick for best ultrabook. Unmatched battery life, fanless silent operation, and M4 performance in a sub-3-pound chassis.
PCMag's top Windows ultraportable pick, praised for its brilliant OLED display, powerful AMD processor, and long battery life at a competitive price point.
Pros
- M4 chip delivers class-leading performance for productivity and creative tasks
- All-day and beyond battery life — consistently praised across all sources
- Fanless design means completely silent operation under most workloads
- More starting memory at a lower price than previous generations
- Exceptionally sturdy and sleek build quality
- Brilliant 2.8K OLED touchscreen with vivid colors and deep blacks
- Powerful AMD Ryzen AI processor handles productivity and light creative work
- Long battery life for a Windows ultrabook
- Lightweight and portable build
- Competitive pricing for the feature set offered
Cons
- macOS ecosystem lock-in — not suitable for Windows-only software users
- No touchscreen
- Limited to two Thunderbolt ports on base model
- No significant design redesign from previous Air generations
- OLED panels can have burn-in risk with static content over time
- AMD integrated graphics limits gaming and GPU-heavy tasks
- Fan noise can increase under sustained loads
- Webcam quality is average
Our take
If you don't need Windows, this is the no-brainer answer. Reddit threads consistently call it foolish to overlook, and rtings.com backs that up with a top testing score.
For Windows users who want the best all-around package, the Zenbook 14 OLED Touch is the answer — it punches above its price class with a display that embarrasses laptops costing twice as much.
Buy
