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Some of our favorite 13-inch laptops (photos)

Many of our reader questions have been about 13-inch laptops, which is notable as a 13-inch laptop is the largest size we'd consider carrying around several days per week, and also the smallest size we'd be able to use for a full day of desktop computing.

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Dan Ackerman
1 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Apple MacBook Spring 2010

Apple slightly revamps its basic MacBook with improvements under the hood, but keeps the design and price the same, which makes the latest MacBook tough to beat.

Read the full review here.

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2 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Asus U36JC A1

The thin, powerful Asus U36JC-A1 packs a lot of computer under its slim 13-inch hood, but some might want to wait for next-gen Intel processors to sweeten the deal.

Read the full review here.

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3 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Sony Vaio VPCZ128GX

Sony's super-high-end Vaio Z is an enviable status symbol, but probably out of your price range, especially with its optional 512GB SSD.

Read the full review here.

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4 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Acer Aspire TimelineX AS3820T-5246

Acer's TimelineX is still a slim-profile, long-lasting 13-inch laptop, but it's no longer the only contender in that category.

Read the full review here.

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5 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Toshiba Satellite T235D-S1345

The Toshiba Satellite T235D-S1345 is a solid, slim, and affordable 13-inch tweener laptop for ultraportable computing.

Read the full review here.

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6 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Toshiba Portege R705-P35

The Toshiba Portege R705 is as close to a perfect balance of design, price, and performance as you'll find in a Windows laptop.

Read the full review here.

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7 of 8 Sarah Tew/CNET

Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010

Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro looks the same as the old MacBook Pro and still has a Core 2 Duo processor, but its graphics and battery life receive an appreciable boost.

Read the full review here.

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8 of 8 Apple

Apple MacBook Air Fall 2010

We haven't formally reviewed the latest 13-inch version of the MacBook Air, but our impressions of it are similar to what we thought about the 11-inch version: it's a highly portable system with just enough power for everyday use, but a high price that might put off some.

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