Imagine lugging a heavy laptop in your backpack while commuting someplace far or just to do some work in a cafe. It can be torturing, with all the eventual back pain and such. This is why portability matters, particularly for digital nomads and freelancers. So, if you’re planning to get a new one, here are 7 Lightweight Laptops To Buy For Mobile Working.
1) Apple MacBook Air (M1)
Words like “slimmer” and “lighter” are best described for the Apple MacBook Air (M1) model, which weighs only 1.29 kg. The design, of course, is what you would expect from a MacBook — sleek and looking all premium no matter which you go for: the Space Gray, Silver or Gold colour. The biggest highlight? Apple’s M1 chip, where according to most user reviews, they love how speedy and quiet the laptop runs smoothly even when multitasking. The MacBook Air (M1) is also praised for its durable battery life, lasting around 11-14 hours, depending on usage. The downside, however, is the rather dated 720p FaceTime webcam instead of a better-deserved 1080p version.
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2) Dell XPS (9310)
The reviews for Dell XPS (9310) model from both users and professional critics are generally positive. And frankly, it’s easy to see why. It’s light and portable enough at just 1.2 kg while the ultra-slim bezels certainly maximise its 13.4-inch display. It also offers excellent processing power, a well-spaced keyboard and superb battery life of approximately 12 to 15 hours. If there are any flaws about this laptop, you have to make do with its limited ports and its Intel Iris Xe GPU isn’t exactly designed for heavy gaming.
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3) Asus ZenBook 13 UX325E
1.07 kg. That’s exactly how light this beautiful Asus ZenBook 13 UX325E model turns out to be. And speaking of beautiful, this laptop boasts a sleek-looking, aluminium alloy design and has reasonably slim bezels too. The 13.3″ display is rather a mixed bag, particularly in terms of its brightness level. Both keyboard and touchpad deserve equal mention here, where the former offers both comfort and a satisfying typing experience. The latter’s larger-size touchpad is responsive and best of all, you can even use it as an LED calculator, thanks to its NumberPad 2.0 technology. This laptop is also praised for its efficient performance and it works well if you constantly multitask. Battery life, in the meantime, scores around 13 hours.
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4) Acer Swift 3 (SF314)
The 2021 edition of Acer Swift 3 weighs only 1.2 kg and its overall slim design certainly ticks all the right boxes in terms of portability. The laptop garnered mostly positive responses for its sturdy all-aluminium build quality. Under the hood, we have the latest 11th-gen Intel i5 processor with 512GB SSD but too bad Acer still gives us an onboard memory (8GB). In other words, you can forget about upgrading your existing RAM. The 14-inch FHD IPS display is adequate in its brightness level and the thin bezels offer more viewing space. Both chiclet-style keyboard and battery life are worth mentioning here, with the former delivering a nice, clicky feel. As for the latter, expect this laptop to last around 14 hours or so.
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5) HP Pavilion Aero 13
This well-reviewed, mid-range laptop from HP Pavilion is notable for its lightweight design. As in around 1kg light, thanks to its magnesium-alloy construction. The 13.3-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS display offers great colours and contrast and even scores in its brightness level. The ultra-slim bezels, coupled with the display’s 16:10 aspect ratio means you get more vertical space to say, scrolling down web pages on Google Chrome. The HP Pavilion Aero 13’s keyboard feels comfortable to type on, given its well-sized keys. This laptop comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U with 512GB SSD, which performs well for those who regularly multitask. It’s just that the 8GB onboard RAM is a turn-off since you can’t upgrade it in the future. Finally, the battery life can last around 9-10 hours, depending on usage.
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6) Lenovo Yoga 9i
True to its name, the Lenovo Yoga 9i offers flexibility that allows you to use it as a traditional laptop or as a tablet. For the latter, you can do so by just flipping the lid all the way to the back since the laptop boasts a 360° hinge. The Lenovo Yoga 9i features a 14-inch FHD IPS display, where most reviews praised its overall colours, sharpness and brightness level. It performs well with its speedy 11th-gen Intel i7 processor with a whopping 16GB (though soldered) of RAM and 1TB SSD storage. Reviews show that Lenovo Yoga 9i runs smoothly even when the user opened multiple Google Chrome tabs and play HD videos. Battery life produces mixed results, according to various reviews, where some recorded it approximately 7 hours while some others manage to get by around 10-15 hours.
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7) Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
This sleek-looking Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 boasts a slim and lightweight design (approximately 1.3 kg) while its 13.5-inch 2256 x 1504 display looks gorgeous. If you can get over the thick bezels, the 3:2 aspect ratio allows more vertical viewing space for say, reading documents online and typing on Microsoft Word. Other highlights include a comfortable keyboard, reasonably fast performance and a solid battery life lasting around 11-13 hours.
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