“The Sleekest and Lightest: The 5 Best Compact Laptops for On-the-Go Work and Play”
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It’s no secret that laptops have officially surpassed desktops in terms of convenience and consumer preference. They are technically wireless, easy to carry and usually less expensive. Despite being lighter than bulky desktop computers, not all laptops are created equal. In fact, there are countless customer-favorite options that are not portable at all.
For those looking for the best compact laptops that won’t pose a problem when traveling and are easy to grab and go with one hand, we’ve put together our top five picks.
To make shopping a lot easier, we’ve broken them each into a defining category so you know straight away which one is right for your needs:
If you are looking for the best of the best that will last you for years, we recommend the newly released Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 laptop. Both the design and the new Windows 11 interface are top notch.
For those on a tight budget, the sub-$200 ASUS L210 ultra-thin laptop is a solid choice. If you value weight and razor-thin design above everything else, the customer-favorite Apple 2022 MacBook Air laptop is a no-brainer.
Keep scrolling to see what we love about each one before you choose the right one for you.
1. Overall Winner: Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Laptop, $1,355.40
Credit: Lenovo
It’s rare that you find a PC that ticks all the boxes, and somehow the folks at Lenovo have hit the ball out of the park with their new ThinkPad Z13 laptop. With this new version, the brand has completely redefined how the world sees the ThinkPad brand.
This powerhouse laptop is both lightweight and incredibly durable in its design. It feels strong and premium, but is light enough to carry comfortably with just one hand. It features a unique processor specially optimized for seamless audio and video performance, making it great for streaming, video calling, or even filming fast videos. Also, the vibrant 13.3-inch display is one of the sharpest I’ve seen on a PC laptop.
It’s also one of the most responsive laptops I’ve used to date – and surprisingly even rivals my MacBook Air – and maintains impressive battery life while using draining apps like Zoom and Teams.
Aside from its strong and respectable performance, I was first struck by the absolutely stunning design of the new ThinkPad Z13. In my opinion, it’s the most aesthetically pleasing of all the laptops on this list. The model pictured above has a recycled black vegan leather and bronze aluminum case, giving it a luxurious and super premium feel from the moment you touch it.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 laptop ticks all the boxes and is undoubtedly the best compact laptop on the market right now.
2. Cheapest: ASUS L210 Ultra-Thin Laptop, $151.88 (orig. $239.99)
Credit: Asus
This ASUS pick is one of the most popular choices of the bunch. It is both affordable and elegantly designed while remaining practical for everyday use. This is the ideal choice for students, as its slim 11.6-inch HD display makes it incredibly affordable and compact enough to carry from class to class.
It’s packed with plenty of ports, including two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a micro SD card slot, and an HDMI output. What is arguably most impressive about this laptop is its 180-degree hinge design. This feature allows you to lay it flat on a table without moving the entire machine.
It’s not the most powerful of the bunch, but it’s one of the lightest, weighing just 2 pounds and perfectly capable of most essential tasks like writing, editing, and streaming.
Battery life is also pretty impressive, lasting around 10 hours on a single charge.
3. Best Base Pick: HP Stream 11.6-inch HD Laptop, $195 (orig. $219.99)
For those looking for a no-frills, no-frills laptop that is easy to use, the HP Stream 11.6-inch HD Laptop is your best bet. It’s a cut above a Chromebook, offers more than twice the space of the best-selling HP Chromebook 11a, and is probably the most size-conscious of the bunch with its 11.6-inch HD display.
Because it’s a basic laptop, it doesn’t come with powerful features – which is an attractive selling point for some. It doesn’t have a lot of space to store files, but it does have a microSD card slot so you can add extra storage at will.
It also gives you around nine hours of battery life on a single charge, and decent performance when streaming, editing photos, browsing the web, and more. Plus you can’t go wrong at the price.
4. Best 2-in-1 Pick: Microsoft Surface Go 3, $399.99
Finding a laptop that gives you the best of both worlds (both laptop and tablet functionality and design) is pretty hard to find at a price point under $1,000, but Microsoft has nailed it.
The Surface Go 3 is incredibly compact and light. Its 10.5-inch tablet screen is perfect for use on the go and, above all, it is compatible with Windows 11. However, keep in mind that this is the entry-level Surface Go with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. To give it full laptop functionality, simply store the trackpad and keyboard attachments separately.
Buyers say this model maintains a steady, uninterrupted flow, even when multiple apps and content files are open. While it doesn’t slow down easily, they recommend the Microsoft Surface Go 3 be used for casual and light productivity work, video chatting, and streaming.
5. Slimmest option: Apple 2022 MacBook Air Laptop, $1,349 (orig. $1,499)
Credit: Amazon
Last is the everyone’s favorite and recently released Apple 2022 MacBook Air laptop. It’s no secret that Apple has one of the most advanced graphics cards of any laptop out there, and its 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display is second to none.
While the Apple operating system and crisp image quality certainly make this laptop a head turner, its thoughtful design sets it apart from the rest. This is undoubtedly the slimmest compact laptop in the range. Its remarkably thin design is almost too good to be true. It measures a staggering 1.13 centimeters in thickness, making it one of the thinnest laptops ever designed.
It also only weighs 2.7 pounds, making it one of the lightest you can find. As with most of Apple’s recent tech releases, the Apple 2022 MacBook Air is available in four colors, with the deep midnight color being a clear fan favorite.
With two massive storage options available (256GB or 512GB), this is one of the best compact laptops for storing and viewing large files. Battery life is not an issue with this device, giving you up to 18 hours of use on a single charge.
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Source: www.intheknow.com
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