High-End 13" laptops comparo: Apple, Lenovo, Dell

Design
Aesthetically, it's hard to declare a winner amongst this trio of notebooks. The Lenovo ThinkPad X301 is the lightest model coming in at 3.2 lbs., but despite its fragile appearance it can withstand a hard fall thanks to Lenovo's roll cage technology, which like a Formula One race car, is designed to protect inner components during impact. Still, Lenovo is known for its corporate products and the X301 sticks with tradition dressed in a business-like suit of black. Dell on the other hand breaks from tradition giving its Adamo (pictured) a brushed aluminum chassis and a slender 0.65" profile. Like the 13" MacBook Pro, it's hacked from a single block of aluminum. However, unlike Apple and Lenovo, Dell lets its users choose between an etched (Pearl) or brushed (Onyx) finish.

Apple, which is know for its svelte designs, doesn't disappoint with the 13" MacBook Pro either. It features a comfortable, over-sized trackpad, backlit keyboard, edge-to-edge glass display, and a built-in dual layer DVD burner. Unfortunately, the latter puts it 0.5 lbs over the ultraportable weight limit. Nevertheless, the MacBook Pro's classic design allows it to go from the boardroom to a dorm room with ease. But based on weight and profile alone, Lenovo and Dell have an edge over Apple.
Winner: Dell & Lenovo

Features & Connectivity
Connectivity-wise, all three laptops sport the basic essentials including multiple USB ports, Ethernet, 802.11n, and built-in webcams. However, Apple distinguishes itself from the pack with the addition of FireWire (at the cost of one USB port), an SD card slot, and a (rated) 7-hour battery. As we stated earlier, it's also the only notebook with a dual layer DVD drive, although Lenovo includes a DVD burner with its model.

If security is a concern, the ThinkPad X301 offers a built-in fingerprint reader adjacent to the touchpad. The bundled security suite also helps protect your system from prying eyes by locking down its I/O ports. The X301 also packs the sharpest screen of the bunch, with a native resolution of 1440x900. The Dell Adamo, unfortunately, lacks a strong feature set, although like the MacBook Pro, it features a backlit keyboard.
Winner: Apple & Lenovo

Power
With regards to power, Apple once again trounces its competition sporting a robust 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 1066MHz front side bus and 2GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM. By comparison, Lenovo and Dell only hit the 1.4GHz and 1.2GHz mark respectively and pack a slower 800MHz FSB. On the graphics front, all three laptops come with integrated video, but only the MacBook Pro features the more powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9400M chipset.
Winner: Apple

Software
On the software front, both Dell and Lenovo disappoint. Dell includes 30-day antivirus trials and various freeware apps, whereas Lenovo (aside from its security suite) doesn't include any productivity apps at all. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro includes iLife '09, which features iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iDVD, and iWeb.
Winner: Apple

Battery Life
With its new battery, the 13" MacBook Pro claims it can last for up to 7 hours (30 minutes more than the X301). Unlike Lenovo, Apple's battery isn't user replaceable, which is a hindrance for some users. However, Apple claims it will last 5 years or 1,000 charge cycles. The Adamo's built-in battery is not user replaceable and is only rated at 5 hours.
Winner: Apple

Value
Although most people would associate Dell with value-based notebooks, in this instance it's Apple who earns the title. At $1,144, it's several hundred dollars under the price of both the Adamo and ThinkPad X301. Sure, Dell features a SSD drive instead of a traditional hard drive, but the extra expense is wasted, with no edge gained in speed or battery life. The MacBook Pro also offers more features and better hardware than its two competitors. Of course, you can find well-crafted 13" laptops under the $1,000 mark (the MSI X-Slim 320 comes to mind), but for a system with these specs, the 13" MacBook Pro is unbeatable.
Winner: Apple

Verdict
Apple's MacBook Pro line is known for its premium pricing, but the new 13" model makes a huge departure from its costlier cousins. In doing so, Apple has out-priced its competition and built one of the best 13" notebooks you can find with little to no compromises.

Louis Ramirez is dealnews' Features editor.