Laptops have become so small over the years that even cheap entry-level laptopsyou can expect to find plenty of lightweight (in the 2-4 pound range) options. Today’s laptops are designed to fit comfortably in a backpack, a far cry from many of the bulkier laptops of the best. The inspiration all comes from the success of the Apple MacBook Air, which was released in 2008 and changed the game for how light a good laptop could be. More specifically, that means 2.7 pounds for the flagship 13-inch model and 3.3 pounds for the newer 15-inch SKU. As for the MacBook Pro upgrade, it’s lighter than many older laptops but still noticeably heavier than the Air: 3.4 to 3.6 pounds (depending on configuration) and 4.7 to 4.8 pounds for the 14-inch version . 16 inch variation.

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In 2011, Intel announced the Ultrabook standard, a set of guidelines that Windows PC manufacturers must follow when making their own MacBook Air-style laptops. Since then, both official “Ultrabooks” and similar PCs from OEMs without the Intel seal of approval have taken over the market. This means there are plenty of options, both good and bad, for those in the market for a lightweight laptop. We looked at a half-dozen examples to help narrow down the list. Lightweight laptops running Windows that fare particularly well in professional reviews.

One option that has been praised for its value for a lightweight laptop is the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, which comes in several variants, including AMD and Intel variants. Walmart An AMD version with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is available for $799, while Best Buy stocks Intel SKUs: 8GB RAM/512GB SSD/Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU $799.9916GB RAM/1TB SSD/Intel Core Ultra 7 Evo Edition CPU $1299.99and 32 GB RAM/1 TB SSD/Intel Core Ultra 9 Evo Edition CPU $1,399.999. With its 14-inch OLED display, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED weighs just 2.82 pounds, slightly heavier than the 2.7-pound 13-inch M3 MacBook Air.

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on our own Asus Zenbook 14 OLED reviewThe laptop was awarded a score of nine out of 10 and an Editors’ Choice recommendation badge, citing its “beautiful and vibrant display.” High performance including gaming capability, battery life and solid build quality. On: Wire CutterAfter in-depth testing of various contenders, they named the Zenbook 14 OLED the best Windows Ultrabook of 2024, citing its screen, responsive keyboard and trackpad, overall good value, 14.5-hour battery life, and lightweight. weight. Build quality stood out to the Zenbook 14 OLED’s expectations for an Ultrabook at its price point. PCMag AMD gave the model four out of five stars and an Editors’ Choice recommendation, complimenting its I/O port selection, including three USB ports of varying sizes and speeds.

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Another option worth checking out is the 2.42-pound Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, a business-class laptop that sells for $1,407 in a 16GB RAM/512GB SSD/Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU configuration. Lenovo website. That 2.42-pound weight makes it a high-performance Ultrabook with a 14-inch display, and it actually weighs noticeably less than the 13-inch version’s 2.7 pounds. M3 MacBook Air weighs. It’s definitely pricier than many alternatives, but if scratching and clawing for every bit of extra portability is your priority, then it’s worth investigating.

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Professional reviews were generally very positiveAlthough some may scoff at the price. Even when complaining about the price, PCMag gave the ThinkPad These I/O ports are two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 portsTwo USB Type-A ports at USB 3.2 speeds, an HDMI output for TVs and monitors, and a headphone jack.

Wire Cutter He called the Gen 12 the “Upgrade Pick” among Ultrabooks, calling it “a nearly perfect laptop” with not only their favorite laptop keyboard on the market, but also the best laptop keyboard they’ve ever used. Activate the gadget Citing many of the same key points as the above-mentioned reviews, Gen 12 was awarded a score of 87 out of 100 and a 2024 Engadget Recommended badge.

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If you’re in the market for a lightweight, gaming-focused laptop, you could certainly do a lot worse than the 3.3-pound Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, which Best Buy offers in two different SKUs. Both configurations come with a 120 Hz 14-inch OLED display, 1 TB SSD and AMD Ryzen 9 CPU; the differences are as follows: SKU $1,599.99 While it has 16GB RAM, 2560×1440 screen and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, $1,999 SKU It has 32GB RAM, 2880×1800 display and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. In terms of connectivity, the usual HDMI port and headphone jack are joined by a total of three USB ports and a Thunderbolt 4 port. ‘Two each of USB Type-C and USB Type-A connectors, all operating at USB 3.2 speeds.’

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SlashGear Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review gave it a score of eight out of 10 and the SlashGear Select 2024 badge. gaming power, excellent keyboard and above-average speakers. PCMag It reviewed the more expensive SKU with an RTX 4070 GPU and gave it a score of 4.5 out of five and the Editors’ Choice badge. Reviewer Matthew Buzzi gave it high marks for the design, gaming performance, “excellent” display, large port selection, and 12-hour battery life. Activate the gadget also reviewed the $1,999.99 SKU and gave it a score of 91 out of 100 with the 2024 Engadget Editors’ Choice badge, backing up the praise from PC Mag and SlashGear, specifically praising the speakers for being noticeably superior to the usual laptop offerings.

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If you’re a creative type looking for a lightweight, powerful 2-in-1 laptop, it seems pretty widely accepted that the 3.04-pound Asus ProArt PX13 is an excellent choice. It retails for $1,699.99, but you should be able to find it for a few hundred dollars less at retailers like these. Best Buy. For this price, you get an AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU with 6GB of RAM, 32GB of system RAM, a 13.3-inch OLED display with 2880×1800 resolution, and a 1TB SSD running at PCIe 4.0. As I/O ports go, the HDMI output and headphone jack are joined by a pair of USB Type-C ports at USB 4.0 speeds and a single USB Type-A port at USB 3.2.

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Tom’s Guide Dave Meikleham called the ProArt PX13 “the coolest 2-in-1 laptop I’ve ever seen” and a “creator’s dream machine” in the title of the review, which gave the laptop 4.5 out of five stars and an Editors’ Choice recommendation. Badge. PC Worldmeanwhile, it gave the PX13 the same score and its own Editors’ Choice badge. Review was particularly high for: OLED touch screen and artificial intelligence featuresWhile we’re not crazy about the refresh rate being only 60Hz, it does tout multi-threaded CPU performance and discrete GPU, which excels in creative environments like graphics rendering. IT Specialist awarded a perfect five stars and the Recommended badge; This mirrored other reviews while also highlighting the laptop’s battery life.

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One of the premium lightweight models that hits the price and size footprint of the MacBook Pro more than the MacBook Air is the Dell XPS 14 9440. Best Buy is available in two different configurations that are identical except for the GPU: $2,099.99You get integrated Intel Arc graphics. $2,499.99You get a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050. Everything else is the same: Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 1 GPU clocked at 1.4GHz (4.8GHz on Turbo Boost), 14.5-inch OLED display, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and three USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4-speeds C ports. In terms of weight, it’s heavier than many ultraportable competitors but still lightweight at 3.8 pounds.

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Professional reviews of the 9440 were excellent. MakeUseOf gave it a score of nine out of 10 and an Editors’ Choice 2024 recommendation badge. design, OLED display, “excellent” speakers, computing power and high-speed USB Type-C ports. TechRadar Awarded 4.5 out of five stars, the TechRadar Recommends badge points out the powerful new CPU, “stunning” display, and how well it compares to the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Windows Center He gave it the same score as well as a Best recommendation badge, praising the horsepower of all the processors, the “class-leading” display, quality speakers, and a good webcam. Digital Trendsalthough it only awarded the 9440 3.5 out of five stars, it still gave it a Recommended Product badge; This pointed to the XPS 14’s ability to run cool and quiet while delivering a powerful performance.

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If you’re keen to try an ARM-based Windows tablet (keyboard sold separately), the Microsoft Surface Pro Copilot + PC is worth looking at. All variants weigh 1.97 pounds and have 16GB of RAM plus a 13-inch 2880×1920 display; The differentiators are storage and which version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X system on chip each SKU has. Best Buy has four SKUs available: 256 GB SSD and Snapdragon X Plus For $999.99, 512GB SSD and Snapdragon For $1199.99, 512GB SSD and Snapdragon X Elite for $1499.99 and finally 1TB SSD and Snapdragon X Elite For $1699.99. Depending on which version you want, adding an official Surface keyboard will increase the price by about $140 to $450.

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Reviews of the Surface Pro Copilot + PC are very positive. Activate the gadget gave it a score of 87 out of 100 and an Engadget Recommended badge. performance, battery life, display and artificial intelligence features While complaining that all keyboard options are sold separately. Technical Guide It received broadly similar praise for the tablet in its review at four out of five stars, while taking into account its cost, limitations in available software due to being an ARM device, and again the separate purchase of keyboards. Tom’s Hardware He gave the same score while praising battery life, design and screen quality, and pointed out that the ARM-compatible application ecosystem has become much more robust. If the separate keyboard doesn’t scare you, it’s worth a look.

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