The best lightweight laptops are thin, light and super-portable, but still provide a lot of processing power. They also have decent battery life, making them perfect for commuting, travelling, working in a cafe, or anywhere where there isn't a readily available power socket.
To help you find the right one, we've gathered together the best lightweight laptops available today in the list below. They include ultrabooks, which are categorised as laptops with an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, an SSD, and a thickness of up to 1.5cm. Plus you'll also find some of the best lightweight laptops out there that aren't ultrabooks, but still offer lots of computing power for their size.
Beyond assessing their weight, specs and prices, we and our sister sites have tested all the laptops in this guide, to ensure you can choose the best lightweight laptop to meet your needs. If you want to know more about our review and selection process, read our guide to how we test laptops.
Whether you're a student heading back to school, a creative on the move, or a hybrid worker, we've included a range of laptops at different price points below. If you're looking for something more specific, though, you may want to read our roundsup of best laptops for gaming or the best business laptops. Or, if you're studying, check out our picks of the best laptops for students.
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The Dell XPS 13 is our top pick as the best lightweight laptop. With 11th-gen Intel chip and up to 16GB of RAM, this ultrabook offers an incredible amount of processing power for such a thin and light device. Higher configurations are even good enough for photo editing and 4K video editing on the move.
The Dell XPS 13 weighs just 1.27kg, and is complimented by a wonderfully designed keyboard, trackpad and fingerprint reader as well as a bright and beautiful touch screen, or you can opt for the more pricey OLED screen version. Either way, you'll be hard-pressed to find an all-rounder lightweight laptop quite as good elsewhere.
Note, though, that there's a trade-off to all this power. While battery life is decent, it wasn't the most impressive on our list. While Dell boasts a battery life of up to 8 hours and 12 minutes, our review copy of the XPS 13 only manahed 7 hours 41 minutes on our PCMark 10 Battery Life test. For more, read our Dell XPS 13 review.
One of the lightest laptops on this list, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is our choice for the best budget option, with even its highest configuration costing less than £800. In its 1.1kg frame is a machine built for speed, and in our tests, the Surface Laptop Go 2 was fairly capable and capable of handling basic tasks on creative software; which is about the level we'd expect from a lightweight laptop.
On the downside, though, it has a low res screen, which makes graphic design and detail-oriented video editing challenging compared with premium models. That said, if you can stretch the budget a little more, you have the option of getting the Microsoft Surface Dock (£189.99) which can support an additional two displays; either one 4K and one 1080p, or two 1080ps, both at 60Hz.
Realistically, this laptop is built for word processing, web browsing and other fairly simple tasks, which comes through even in the 3:2 aspect ratio choice. It's also worth noting that unlike its tablet siblings, the Surface Laptop Go 2 isn’t compatible with Surface Pens, so it's certainly not one of the best laptops for drawing. For more information, see our Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review.
The M2 MacBook Pro 13-inch is the most powerful lightweight laptop from Apple right now. Weighing 1.4kg, just a tiny bit more than the latest MacBook Air (below), it comes with Apple's brand-new M2 chip, which offers some seriously impressive performance.
In our tests, this laptop achieved better performance in both single and multi-core CPU tests than the M1 version, and that led to superb graphical design performance, even at very high resolutions. The battery life is also very impressive. In short, this is the best lightweight MacBook money can buy.
On the downside, it does cost quite a bit, and so if you're not using a laptop for very resource-intensive tasks such as video editing or 3D software, you'll probably find the MacBook Air does everything you need at a lower price. For more details, read our MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022) review.
If you're an Apple fan wanting a lightweight laptop with an M2 chip, but can't quite stretch the budget to the MacBook Pro 13-inch (above), the MacBook Air M2 2022 will tick all of your boxes.
Having ditched the iconic wedge-shaped design of previous MacBook Air models, the M2 model is just 11mm thick and weighs just 1.24kg, which is a phenomenal feat of design when you consider this is also one of the more powerful machines on our list, capable of editing 4K video and using Photoshop’s AI tools.
In fact, generally, the M2's Neural Engine worked wonders in our tests, and we found no performance loss versus previous models, despite the lighter, slimmer frame and larger screen.
As with most laptops on this list, the MacBook Air doesn't do so well under sustained high pressure, and without the MacBook Pro's fans it can get a bit hot under the hood. You can read our full Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review for a full rundown of the pros and cons.
This new Huawei Matebook X Pro is the real deal. Weighing just 1.26kg, it offers a brilliant processor for lightning quick speed, but the battery life is still ample for those all day sessions – the holy grail of laptops.
The 1TB of storage allows you plenty of space for weighty video or image files, with no worries about running out in the future. And the 16GB RAM is more than enough for your creative projects to grow into.
The display is excellent – bright and colourful, and is also touchscreen, which is a nice bonus. The connectivity is also brilliant. Our reviewer deemed it one of the best Windows laptops they'd ever seen, in fact. See our full Huawei Matebook X Pro (2022) review for more detail on what they liked.
The largest in the latest set of lightweight laptops from LG, the LG Gram 17 (2021) is the new and improved version of 2019's LG Gram 17, which we rated highly for its super-thin, super-lightweight design and impressive performance when handling creative software.
With its large 17-inch display and 16:9 aspect ratio, the LG Gram 17 is a great choice for creatives of all creeds, from music producers to writers and digital artists. While its larger screen makes it a little less easy to stash away and a tad heavier (1.34kg) than some of the other laptops on this list, it does make for a less frustrating experience when you don't need to scroll around so much.
Specs-wise, it's a pretty capable machine, too, which considering the fairly lofty price tag, makes sense. It's got an impressive battery life, too.
This Chromebook deserves a place on our lightweight laptop list because it offers a premium look and feel, but is totally affordable (if a little heavier than we'd like at 1.99kg). Like all Chromebooks, you won't be able to run either the Windows or macOS operating systems, but as long as that's not a problem, read on.
It's a 2-in-1 device, which means it is essentially an 11-inch tablet that attaches to a keyboard. But because it's at the higher-end, it would work as a laptop for many. Importantly, the price is lower than a similar Windows or Apple laotop, making this an attractive option. Specs-wise, it is somewhere behind the iPad Air, but that's the concession you make at this price point.
Our reviewer spent five weeks with the machine, and found the display vibrant and deep – perfect for watching content and creating digital art. It also has good connectivity but it isn't ideal for intensive gaming due to lag. Find out more by reading our full HP Chromebook x2 11 review.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is our choice for the best lightweight laptop for business on account of its fantastic battery life and its great performance. One of the lighter laptops on this list at just 1.12kg, it still has enough room for an 11th gen Intel Core CPU and Intel Iris Xe graphics, and can be fitted with up to 32GB of RAM.
It also houses some great built-in security features, making it a great choice for business users who like to move around. It's only comes with integrated graphics, though, so if you need to complete graphic intensive jobs like animation or 3D rendering, you'll perhaps be better off elsewhere.
The HP Elite Dragonfly G2 is the lightest laptop on our list, with some spectacular specs and features housed in its small 990g frame. This another laptop we like a lot as a business device. Although once again it lacks the dedicated graphics you'd need for creative work, it's incredibly versatile in other areas.
With its 2-in-1 form factor complete with a 4K touch display, powerful11th-gen Intel Core chips and Intel Iris Xe graphics, this is a laptop that can handle a lot but can also keep going for a while; our sister site Techradar got almost 11.5 hours battery life on test when using it for video playback.
The Acer Swift 3 is an affordable lightweight laptop that is excellent for multi-tasking and easy to use over long periods thanks to its great keyboard and trackpad, which is why we think it's the perfect lightweight laptop for students.
While budget-friendly may feel synonymous with low-quality, the Acer Swift 3 is left wanting in only a few areas, namely the webcam and speakers, which can be resolved by peripherals if they are really bothering you. Plus, the laptop has an excellent array of plugs and ports, so you'll have plenty of real estate for external mice, keyboards and webcams without needing a dongle.
This laptop also comes in multiple configurations, so if you do need something with a little more power behind it, you can tweak your selection before buying.
Okay, so we're kind of cheating by including the Asus ROG Flow Z13. Without its keyboard folio, it's just 1.2kg, but with it, the weight bumps up to 1.53kg. So it's not quite as light and portable as some of the others included in this list.
That said, it's an excellent piece of kit for gamers on-the-go. So much so that it even ranks among the best gaming laptops we've tested, despite its lightweight nature.
It does, however, suffer from slightly weaker performance than some of its competition. Still, with the ROG Flow Z13, Asus is taking the 2-in-1 form factor in gaming to new heights. It's superbly built, and on-test we were impressed by the quality, though we wished it was a little more ergonomic. Read our full Asus ROG Flow Z13 review for more details.
While the Asus Zenbook 13 is one of the heavier laptops on this list at 1.34kg, it deserves an honorable mention for its fantastic battery life and 13.3-inch OLED display. Both of which mean it's an ideal companion for long days on the move.
Backed by pretty powerful components and slick design, the Asus ZenBook 13 can easily compete with the MacBook, especially as it offers flexibility with its components, allowing you to choose between an AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor, or Intel 11th gen CPU.
You can also opt for up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage, making it fantastic both for multitasking and storage. We'd have liked to see better GPU performance, but the AMD Radeon integrated graphics just can't match the Intel Iris Xe's. Still, as it's our favourite mid-range lightweight laptop, we think it's great value for money nonetheless.
The best lightweight laptops: frequent questions
What's the best lightweight laptop?
The best lightweight laptop for you is going to depend on a variety of factors. If you're a student and are just looking for something cheap and easy to use that you can stash away between home, lectures and the library, you'll be perfectly happy with the Surface Laptop Go 2 or the Acer Swift 3, which are cost-effective and capable machines.
If you're looking for something powerful and highly capable, you're looking at the Dell XPS 13 or the MacBook Air (2022, M2), which come with much higher price tags to account for the greater capabilities.
Ultimately, your best bet is to identify what needs you have in a new laptop, whether it's value, performance and speed, storage, design or even software, and use resources like our buying guides to help you make the most informed decision you can.
Can lightweight laptops be powerful?
The short answer is yes, absolutely. However, it can sometimes come at a cost. Take, for example, the MacBook Air (2022, M2), which is one of our favourite laptops on this list. While the M2 chip makes for a powerful MacBook Air model and its tiny frame houses an incredibly impressive component set, it can't fit fans, so it can become very hot after sustained use.
Your experience with a powerful laptop is always going to be better with a larger, heavier machine, but if you need something more portable, we're confident some of our top picks can take you there.
What's the benefit of a lightweight laptop?
Lightweight laptops are supremely portable and great for running small to medium-sized tasks when you're away from your desk. If you frequently move between home and your office, school or local café, it's likely you'd be able to appreciate a smaller, easier to carry machine.
With technology advancements allowing for ever-smaller but still powerful machines, lightweight laptops have become an increasingly viable option for students, businesses and creatives alike to help support more flexible and varied work and life.
Read more:
- These are the best Chromebooks
- The best MacBook Air cases
- We've found the best laptops for writers
