The Lightest Laptops | Digital Trends

The lightest laptops you can buy

Manufacturers do everything they can to make laptops more portable. That often comes with its own set of compromises, however, whether it’s in the cooling system, the sturdiness of the build, or how much battery capacity is packed inside.

Still, a light laptop can be a useful tool for on-the-go computing, and some are feather-like in their ease of portability. We used our extensive review experience and isolated the Asus ExpertBook B9 as one of the lightest laptops you’ll find on the market today.

But it doesn’t stand alone. We added several other featherweight laptops that push the limit when it comes to shedding pounds.

Standard clamshell designs

Asus ExpertBook B9 — 1.92 pounds

Image used with permission by copyright holder

This 14-inch laptop beats out competitors like the Acer Swift 7 to become one of the very lightest in its class. It packs a 1080p display, a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, 8GB or 16GB of RAM, and up to two stick-shaped M.2 NVMe PCIe SSDs at 2TB each.

Other notable features include two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3, HDMI output, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and a battery promising up to 24 hours on a single charge. As shown above, the touchpad includes an integrated NumberPad that’s accessible by tapping the icon in the touchpad’s top right corner. A fingerprint scanner sits just below the Right Arrow key and is barely noticeable.

Like many on our list, it’s designed to be an ultra-portable business laptop for quick work.

Acer Swift 7 — 1.96 pounds

Acer Swift 7 review — Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The Acer Swift 7 isn’t the fastest laptop you can buy — it still uses an 8th-gen Y-series low-power CPU whose entire purpose is to reduce heat and save on battery life. The Swift 7 makes some compromises to be very thin and light too, like packing a 32WHr battery and using very lightweight materials that are a bit too flexible.

But what it does right is keep the weight down. Fully configured with a Core i7-8500Y, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB PCIe solid-state drive (SSD), and a 14-inch touch display, the Swift 7 only weighs 1.96 pounds. It’s just 0.39 inches thick too, making it the thinnest touchscreen laptop as well.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano — 1.99 pounds

The ThinkPad X1 Nano is Lenovo’s first ThinkPad based on Intel’s Evo Platform, which aims to provide better graphics, thinner bezels, fast wake times, and improved battery performance. In this case, it features up to Intel’s 11th-generation Core i7-1180G7 processor with vPro backed by up to 16GB of RAM and up to a 1TB SSD.

At the forefront is a 13-inch screen with a 2160 x 1350 resolution, which translates to a 16:10 aspect ratio. You’ll also see two USB-C ports with the latest USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4 technology, an audio jack, a fingerprint reader, and Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. It’s powered by a 48WHr battery boasting up to 13 hours on a single charge.

Samsung Galaxy Book S — 2.09 pounds

Samsung’s Galaxy Book S is based on Intel’s Core i5-L16G7, a hybrid five-core “stacked” chip with one big “Sunny Cove” performance core and four smaller “Tremont” power-efficient cores. The “L” in the name stands for Lakefield which features Intel’s Foveros 3D-stacking technology. However, if you need LTE connectivity, the laptop must be configured with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx processor instead, which changes its overall weight to 2.12 pounds.

Outside the CPU aspect, the Galaxy Book S comes standard with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, two USB-C ports, and a microSD card slot supporting up to 2TB. It’s based on a 42WHr battery promising up to 17 hours of playtime. The 13.3-inch screen packs a Full HD resolution and touch support.

It’s available in Earthy Gold or Mercury Gray.

LG Gram 14 — 2.2 pounds

LG Gram 15Z980 review — Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The LG Gram 14 is one of the newer configurations on our list. The 14-inch IPS screen has a 1920 x 1200 resolution to provide a 16:10 aspect ratio for better productivity. This screen is backed by a choice of three 11th-generation Intel processors ranging from the Core i3-1115G4 to the Core i7-1165G7. Configurations also offer up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.

It packs plenty of ports too. All configurations have two USB-C ports with USB 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A ports, a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, and HDMI output. Rounding out this lightweight laptop is Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, and a 72WHr battery boasting up to 25.5 hours on a single charge.

Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe — 2.4 pounds

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe is one of the lightest 14-inch laptops at just 2.4 pounds. However, it’s not the newest configuration on the block, still packing 8th-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. You’ll also find up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage on an M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD.

For connectivity, this laptop provides three USB-C ports, two of which include Thunderbolt 3. It packs a 14-inch display crammed into a 13-inch frame, which translates to an extremely thin chassis all-around although we’ve seen thinner bezels in other laptops. The 46WHr battery boasts up to 12 hours on a single charge.

This laptop ships with a multi-port adaptor to make it more compatible than some of its comparably-streamlined contemporaries.

2-in-1 PCs

HP Elite Dragonfly — 2.18 pounds

Like Lenovo’s laptop, HP jumped on the Intel Evo bandwagon with its latest Elite Dragonfly notebook. You’ll see configurations spanning five 11th-generation Intel processors from the i3-1115G4 to the i7-1185G7 along with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage.

This laptop is a convertible 2-in-1, which means the screen and keyboard deck are connected by a 360-degree hinge, enabling clamshell, tent, stand, and tablet modes. The 13.3-inch screen can be configured with a Full HD or 4K resolution.

Connectivity consists of two USB-C ports with USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4, one USB-A port, one HDMI port, and an audio jack. It’s powered by a 38WHr or 56WHr battery, depending on the configuration. Wireless options include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and cellular connectivity (LTE or 5G) depending on the configuration.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook — 2.29 pounds

Google’s Chrome OS may be lightweight and somewhat different than Windows or MacOS, but one thing is certain: The overall designs of Chromebooks have come a long way since the initial units. Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook is a great example with a super-slim design, a colorful splash across the keyboard deck, and a slot for storing the included pen.

This Chromebook is also a convertible 2-in-1, supporting clamshell, tent, stand, and tablet modes. The AMOLED screen itself measures 13.3 inches across and sports a 4K resolution.

Under the hood, you’ll find a 10th-generation Core i5-10210U processor, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD, the latter of which is ideal if you plan to install Linux software. Other features include two USB-C ports, a card reader, a fingerprint reader, and a 49.2WHr battery boasting up to eight hours.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 — 2.38 pounds

Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) — Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Just because this is described as a tablet doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider using it as a laptop. Combine the base unit with the Type Cover, and the overall weight of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 is 2.38 pounds — 2.42 pounds if you go with the Core i7 configuration.

Since the Surface Pro is classified as a detachable 2-in-1 PC, you can use the touchscreen on its own, but when you add the keyboard, you get the full benefit of using a laptop. The keyboard itself costs $129, while the tablet portion begins at $749 for the Core i3 processor. Even with the keyboard attached, this 2-in-1 PC still comes in at the lightest weight when compared with Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 3. We’ve found that it’s even lighter and more portable than the Surface Laptop Go.

This tablet is top-notch, with a 12.3-inch screen that has 2736 x 1824 resolution. You’ll experience quality graphics with no lag whether you choose the 10th-generation Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processor. It also boasts up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The ports include one USB-C, one USB-A, a microSDXC card reader, and an audio jack. Rounding it out is Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.