Since they first came on the scene, laptops have been the lightweight counterpart to desktops. And they continue getting lighter and lighter every year. These days, most laptops marketed as “featherweight laptops” come in at barely 4 lbs. The lightest laptops can even be under 3 lbs., making them real ultraportable machines. They are slim and sleek, making them a favorite gadget for on the move. Keep reading to see the important things to consider when looking for a lightweight laptop.
Variety of Models to Choose From
Be that as it may, if the weight is the most important thing to you, there are plenty of thin and light laptops available. The best lightweight laptops, such as ultrabooks, can weight less than 2 lbs. You can find ultrabooks running low end processors that you can afford on a budget, or ultrabooks that offer real power with their Intel core processor.
You can find some of the best mini laptops and 2-in-1 convertibles reviewed previously on our site. As for Mac users, the MacBook Air provides lightweight, if budget is not an issue. Finally, Chromebooks are also an available option. Then again, only the ones from our best laptops 2016 list or any released in the most recent 12 months or made it to this list.
Keyboard Size
Generally, lightweight means small size. This means it’s easy to carry around and can fit in your bag. But it also means it might not have a full size keyboard. This isn’t a problem for most people. Most are able to adjust to the different sized keyboard in a short while. However, it could present a problem if you write a great deal or simply have large hands.
How Will You Use Your Laptop?
If you plan to travel a lot with your laptop, you may want to avoid one of the more expensive options. Regular travel means regular movement of the laptop. Each movement carries a risk of dropping it, losing it, or otherwise having some sort of trouble. Avoid future irritation by selecting a affordable laptops.
Operating Systems
It’s important to look at the operating system requirements for any applications you want to use before choosing a laptop. If there are some major applications, like Adobe Photoshop , you need to get an operating system like Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Otherwise, an RT, Android, or Chrome might be a great choice. Mac machines are never cheap, but they have a pleasant experience and offer great editing tools.
Lightweight Equals Portability
The advantage of laptops is obviously that you can move with them. But if you move away from a power outlet, you’re going to need good battery life. The battery life can vary hugely from different brands and across different platforms. If you intend to be away from power outlets, you’d also better intend on buying a laptop with quality battery life.
Alternatively, there are also some lightweight laptops which can charge via USB. This is handy because you can simply carry an extra USB battery pack and use your laptop all day if you’d like. There are two or three different laptops that use USB charging, like HP’s Chromebook 11.
Storage
Finally, be sure to check the amount of storage available on your laptop’s hard drive. If you intend to work mostly with text documents, you can forego a large storage and use your budget on other aspects of the laptop. However, if you intend to work with lots of media, like music and videos, you need to find a lightweight laptop which also has a decent amount of storage. Aim for 128 GB of storage as an absolute minimum if you’re going to be working with media.
With no further ado, here is our list of Top 8 Lightweight Laptops for 2016.
Apple MacBook Pro MLL42LL/A 13 inch Lightweight Laptop
You can’t make a list of lightweight laptops without a MacBook. Lightweight and thin seems to be the top priority for Apple these days, and this 13.3″ MacBook Pro is among the lightest and thinnest out there while still having some of the most impressive hardware.
At only 3 pounds and 0.6″ thick, this laptop includes 8GB of RAM, 256GB flash based storage, and an impressive 2.0GHz dual core i5 processor. Look around this list and you won’t see a processor that comes close to challenging it.
This hardware comes at a cost, of course. As usual, this Apple product is the most expensive on the list. But I’m not even an Apple fan and I think you get your money’s worth with this laptop. It still won’t get you into modern games because it only runs Intel Iris Graphics 540 integrated graphics, but this is a lightweight laptop that has some serious power.
On top of that, you’ll get 10 hours of battery life. You’ll also be running Mac OS, which ensures you won’t have to worry about viruses or many bugs. This computer is an investment, but it’s an investment that will pay off for years.
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ASUS Best Lightweight Laptop ZenBook UX305UA
ASUS is a very popular brand, and the ASUS ZenBook UX305UA is an impressive lightweight laptop. This 13.3 inch laptop comes with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and an impressive 6th generation 2.3GHz core i5 skylake processor. All of this fits into a package that comes in at just under 3 pounds.
The screen, unfortunately, is not a touch screen. However, the touchpad has multi touch support which does a great job of simulating most functions you would use a touch screen for. Speaking of features on the outside, this is an absolutely beautiful machine. I’m currently writing on an ASUS laptop with very similar design. It feels solid and looks gorgeous. Not only that, but it’s super thin. It’s easy to pack into a bag and take to work.
Without a dedicated graphics card, this won’t be a laptop that gets you into modern games. However, this laptop will never slow you down with any sort of computing task even if you’re multitasking it all at the same time. And despite its strong processor, this laptop still gets up to 10 hours of battery life. This is a lightweight laptop that does heavyweight work.
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Dell Lightweight Laptop XPS9350-4007SLV
The Dell XPS9350-4007SLV 13.3-inch touchscreen laptop is a lightweight laptop that oozes with style. On top of a beautiful, borderless QHD+ display with 3200×1800 resolution screen, it also supports 10-finger multi-touch which features Corning Gorilla Glass NBT QHD+ that can resist any scratch as you swipe the screen Minority Report style.
Dell Inspiron i7359-8404SLV Core i7 Laptop
The Dell Inspiron i7359-8404SLV is proof that a great lightweight laptop doesn’t need to lack functionality. It comes with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 2.5GHz core i7 processor. It has a 13.3″ full HD touch screen with 10 finger touch support. And all this comes in a package that weighs 3.4 pounds.
On top of that hardware, it comes with a full set of connectivity options which are rare to see in lightweight computers. It has 3 USB 3.0 slots, an HDMI slot, and even an endangered SD card reader. The Dell Inspiron 7000 even has convertible functionality, meaning you can flip the screen around to function like a tablet.
The Dell Inspiron i7359-8404SLV is more expensive than most other lightweight laptops on this list, but it also comes with more powerful hardware and more connectivity options. It’s an impressive loadout packed into a small package.
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Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Lightweight Laptop
In the Ultrabook world, Lenovo’s Thinkpad has always been among the most favored models due to its simple, modern design, its powerful engine, and it’s sleek design. But the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon also features the revolutionary Adaptive Keyboard, which is not found in other laptops. Thanks to this intuitive feature, the function keys of its keyboard will change according to the type of application you are running. The future is now.
Apple Macbook 12 Inch 5K4M2LL/A Retina Display Laptop
This 12″ MacBook is one of the two MacBooks we’ve included on this list of best lightweight laptops. This is the cheaper, less powerful version for the more budget minded customer. However, the two MacBooks have more than just the price and size difference.
This MacBook comes with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB of flash based storage, and a 1.1GHz dual core Intel processor. It comes with integrated Intel graphics, however it is a Retina display with a 2304 x 1440 resolution.
At only 2.03 pounds, this is one of the lightest laptops on the list. However, it’s important to note that it only comes with USB-C ports, so it’ll be important to pack plenty of dongles in order to support the transition of connectivity as most of your devices-along with most of the world-still uses traditional USB connections.
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Toshiba Satellite P55W-B5318 Convertible Laptop
Not all slim and lightweight laptops with a powerful Intel Core i7 processor have to be expensive. The Toshiba 2-in-1 laptop is great not only because it is a slim and lightweight with a Intel Core i7 processor all coming in below $900, but also because it is a touchscreen laptop with convertible design. It has most of the features found in its expensive counterparts, but comes at a bargain price.
Budget Lightweight Lenovo IdeaPad 100s
The important things to consider for a ligthtweight laptop are the weight, the price, and the style. All those aspects rolled into one, the Lenovo IdeaPad 100s Laptop stands out. This laptop weighs in at the featherweight of just 2.2 pounds. You can’t go wrong by choosing this Lenovo laptop.
Featured img: laptophub.net
Dell XPS13-9343 is my dream! I want to buy it! It has a great Li-ion battery, 13.3-inch WLED-backlit display and design. It good for playing games