Portability is the key selling point of the best lightweight laptops, therefore manufacturers focus on making those as portable as possible. These are the kinds of devices that you can take with you wherever you go without feeling like you’re carrying extra weight since they pack a powerful computing punch in a form factor that’s both slim and sleek.
Because it is almost time to go back to school, there is going to be some duplication between this section and the one that discusses the best laptops for students. The ability to easily transport one’s laptop to classes, seminars, and study sessions held in the library is one of the qualities that distinguishes a good student laptop from a great one; therefore, portability is something that you should definitely take into consideration before going back to school.
In this guide that has been carefully curated and researched in depth, we have selected some of the best ultrabooks and ultraportables that offer the highest quality and the best value to individuals who are looking for the most effective lightweight laptop.
You are going to learn about a wide range of makes and models, including Apple, Dell, and Lenovo, as well as all the most well-known brands that are important for you to be aware of. In addition to that, we have done everything in our power to cater to a wide range of price points here.
Table of Contents
Some of Best Lightweight Laptops
1. DELL XPS 13 (9310)
The Dell XPS 13 series has never failed to impress us here at T3, and the most recent edition of the laptop follows that pattern. It is powerful, extremely well made, and compact, which means that it has just about everything you could want in your hunt for the finest lightweight laptop. This will in no way slow you down or make you feel burdened.
This is a portable computer that is going to be able to handle everything that you want to throw at it because it has processors that are of the 11th generation from Intel installed and up to 16 gigabytes of RAM on board. You’ll find that the Dell XPS 13 is a robust and competent laptop for anything from watching Netflix late at night to creating reports early in the morning.
However, it is the 13.4-inch display that really sets the XPS 13 apart from other laptops. If you want to, you can go all the way up to a 4K resolution, but the models that have a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 still look fantastic (4K doesn’t make a huge amount of difference on a laptop display this size).
Because the battery life is a very reasonable 10 hours as well, this means that you can legitimately use it all day long for studying, even if there isn’t a power socket nearby. In other words, you can use it without restriction. Be sure to have a look at our comparison feature comparing the Asus VivoBook S15 with the Dell XPS 13 to get an idea of how the Dell XPS 13 fares in contrast to another excellent option for a laptop.
SPECIFICATIONS
- CPU: Intel Core i7-1185G7
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
- RAM: Up to 16GB
- Screen: 13.4-inch Full HD+ LCD (1920 x 1200)
- Storage: 512GB
- OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- Dimensions: 198.70 x 295.70 x 14.80 mm
- Weight: 1.2 kg
2. APPLE MACBOOK AIR (M1, 2020)
The only reason the M1 MacBook Air isn’t at the top of our list is because it costs a little more than its Windows counterparts. The new M1 processor from Apple, on the other hand, makes it a great deal and a better buy than the Intel-powered MacBook Air it replaces. If you have the money, you won’t be sorry.
Even though the new MacBook Air looks the same as the old one, there is a revolution going on inside. Apple now makes its own processors, which combine system memory and graphics memory. In other laptops, system memory and graphics memory are kept separate. That gives very big speed boosts, and it also means that you don’t have to choose between portability and power with the MacBook Air. It gives you both.
The new M1-powered Macs are incredibly fast, and in benchmark tests, the new MacBook Air blew away laptops that cost tens of thousands of dollars more. That solves the only big problem we’ve ever had with the MacBook Air: the ones powered by Intel weren’t always great, but this one powered by Apple really is. In fact, it’s the best laptop we recommend in our guide.
Mind you, there is still one small problem, and that is the webcam. When you think about all the camera tech Apple puts in every iPhone, putting a 720p FaceTime camera in seems like an odd way to save money. A new image processor makes the camera better than the last one in terms of dynamic range, noise reduction, and recognising faces. However, it’s still an annoying flaw in what is otherwise a nearly perfect lightweight laptop package.
SPECIFICATIONS
- CPU: Apple M1
- Graphics: Apple M1
- RAM: 8GB unified memory
- Screen: 13.3-inch 2,560 x 1,600 pixel-resolution Retina display
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Connectivity: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C
- Camera: 720p FaceTime camera
- Weight: 1.29 kg (2.8 pounds)
- Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.63 inches (30.41 x 21.24 x 1.61cm; W x D x H)
3. Asus Q535 2-in-1
If you need a strong but portable laptop for mobile work or gaming on the go, the ASUS – 2-in-1 15.6′′ 4K Ultra HD Touch-Screen Laptop with Intel Core i7 and 16GB Memory is the only option. It has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card, a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD), and a 2TB hard disc (HDD).
This laptop is a must-have if you enjoy playing video games. Simply said, this is a fantastic offer. This convertible laptop from Asus has the processing speed, RAM, and storage space needed to handle any task you throw at it. It has a 16GB RAM, Intel Core i7-8550U CPU, and 1TB HDD/SSD storage capacity.
The suggestion is that turning your laptop into a tablet is simple. It has 16 gigabytes of random access memory and a 1 terabyte solid-state drive. Also included for your enjoyment is an Nvidia GeForce MX150 video card. Few 2-in-1 laptops are available, much less ones with a 4K Ultra HD touch screen and an Intel Core i7 processor, like the ASUS VivoBook Pro 15. You can also get full reviews of asus q535 online from different websites.
Thanks to its 16 GB of RAM and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics capabilities, this convertible performs better than laptops with comparable prices. Due to its 360-degree rotating hinge, this laptop may also be set up as a tent or tablet. Wireless COM (Bluetooth 4.2) and wireless LAN are also included (802.11ac).
SPECIFICATIONS
- CPU: Intel Core i7
- Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1050
- RAM: 16GB
- Screen: 15.6” 4K Ultra HD Touch Screen
- Storage: 2TB HDD
