Best lightweight laptops 2024: the top 10 ultrabook options for you

Got questions about the best lightweight laptops that stand out from the crowd? We've got great suggestions...

Best Lightweight Laptops 2024: Jump Menu

Dell XPS 13 2021

(Image credit: Dell)

00. The list in brief ↴
01.
Best ultra-premium: Apple MacBook Air 15-inch
02. Best overall: Dell XPS 13
03. Best affordable: Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
04. Best big screen: LG Gram 16
05. Best premium: Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022)
06. Best for business: HP Elite Dragonfly G3
07. Best affordable 4K: Acer Swift Edge
08. Best for students: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon
09. Best hybrid design: HP Spectre X360 14
10. Best Chrome OS: Google Pixelbook Go
11. How to choose
12. How we test

In the olden days laptops were heavy, chunky machines that almost looked like they were made out of Lego. These days, the best lightweight laptops are all about portability, so you can take these devices wherever you go without feeling weighed down. Perfect for the commute or life as a digital nomad.  

All of the entries on this list boast powerful performance, just like the best laptops, but they manage to pack all that hardware into a body that weighs 1.5kg or less. Here, in this carefully curated guide, we've picked out some of the best ultrabooks and ultraportables that offer the utmost quality and value to those looking for the best lightweight laptop. Your back will thank you for it.

From Lenovo to Apple to Dell, you're going to find a variety of makes and models covered here, and all the top brands you need to know about. We've also done our best to cover as many different price points as possible to ensure the right laptop option for all budgets. You can jump between the options in the Quick List section above.

Andy Sansom Portrait
Andy Sansom

I'm T3's resident laptop guru. I've been playing around on both gaming laptops and regular machines since I was in school. I also handle most of T3's laptop reviews so I promise to do you right with this guide! 

T3's Top 3

The best lightweight laptops in 2024

Why you can trust T3 Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Best ultra premium

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M2 2023 reviewT3 Best Buy badge

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
The best premium lightweight laptop

Specifications

Screen size: 15.3 inches, 2880 x 1864 pixels
Processor: M2 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU
RAM: 8GB / 16GB / 24GB
Storage: 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB
Colours: Space Grey, Silver, Starlight, Midnight

Reasons to buy

+
Thin, light and portable for the 15in size
+
Super and silent performance
+
15.3-in is a big-screen dream

Reasons to avoid

-
Notched display
-
Might be too big for some

It's rare that you'll find a 15-inch laptop in this best-of list, because such display sizes typically mean much more weight. This MacBook? It's a lightweight 1.51kgs (okay, forgive us on the 10 grammes going over the threshold) and an absolutely stellar performer with little compromise. 

Not convinced about the 15.3-inch display and fancy a 13.6-inch option instead? Then the 2022 MacBook Air, further down this page, will be your perfect partner instead. It's a little cheaper, too, which is a bonus. But when it comes to big-screen dreams, this 15-inch MacBook Air is just perfect. 

As said in our review: "The 15-inch MacBook Air's sell is simple: it's a MacBook Air, embodying everything typically slim, light and portable about that, only it's got a bigger screen (and bigger sound as an added bonus). There are no significant compromises in opting for the 15.3-inch screen, except it'll inevitably cost you a little more and add some additional mass. For many that'll make it the big-screen MacBook of your dreams... except now it's a reality."

Best Overall

Dell XPS 13 2021T3 Approved badge


(Image credit: Dell)
The best lightweight laptop for most people

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1185G7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: Up to 16GB
Screen: 13.4-inch Full HD+ LCD (1920 x 1200)
Storage: 512GB
Weight: 1.17kg

Reasons to buy

+
Robust design and great build quality
+
Powerhouse performance
+
Excellent battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Only two Thunderbolt 4 ports and no headphone jack
-
Higher specs raise price

The Dell XPS 13 series has long been a favourite here at T3, and the latest version of the laptop continues that trend – it's powerful, supremely well-built, and compact, so just about everything you could possibly want in your search for the best lightweight laptop. This will in no way weigh you down.

With 11th-gen Intel processors installed and up to 16GB of RAM on board, this is a portable computer that's going to be able to handle everything that you want to throw at it. From late-night Netflix to early-morning report writing, you'll find the Dell XPS 13 a capable and competent laptop.

Of course the display is the main eye-catcher for any laptop and the XPS 13 doesn't disappoint. There are options all the way up to a 4K resolution, but the 1,920 x 1,080 resolution models still look fantastic (4K doesn't make a huge amount of difference on a laptop display this size).

The battery life is a very respectable 10 hours as well, meaning that you can legitimately use it all day for study as well, even if there isn't a power socket nearby. To see how the Dell XPS 13 stacks up against another strong laptop choice, be sure to take a look at our Asus VivoBook S15 vs Dell XPS 13 comparison feature.

Best affordable

Lenovo Ideapad 3iT3 Approved badge


(Image credit: Future)
The best affordable lightweight laptop

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i3-1005G1
RAM: 4GB
Screen: 14-inch, 1920 x 1080p
Storage: 128 GB SSD
Battery: 7.5 hours
OS: Windows 10 S

Reasons to buy

+
All the features and ports you need
+
Built to go the distance
+
Super-low price

Reasons to avoid

-
Specs aren't the fastest
-
Low screen brightness
-
Poor audio qualiy

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i isn't going to win any benchmarking races and shouldn't be used for intensive tasks like video editing or gaming, but as light computing Windows laptops go, it is a great all-round choice if you're on a budget. That's its winning feature: the low price. 

T3's Lenovo IdeaPad 3i review says that "despite its low price, it's happy to handle day-to-day tasks such as email, web surfing, YouTube videos, Zoom calls, spreadsheets and word processing."

The screen is a strong medium-size 14-inch panel, which means this system is a portable lightweight laptop that you can take pretty much anywhere – and it's designed to be bumped around a bit, too, with solid build quality. 

Best big screen

LG Gram 16 (2022)T3 Approved badge


(Image credit: Future)
The best lightweight laptop with a big screen

Specifications

CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB
Screen: 16-inch IPS LCD, 2560 x 1600 resolution
Storage: 1TB (varies)
Weight: 1.16kg

Reasons to buy

+
Attractive, lightweight design
+
Decent battery life
+
Powerful spec

Reasons to avoid

-
No touchscreen display
-
Occasionally gets warm 

The LG Gram 16 is one of the best combinations of a large screen and a lightweight chassis – it's almost perfect if that's what you're looking for in a Windows laptop, especially if the MacBook Air M2 doesn't appeal to your operating system wants. 

At close to the four-figure mark it's relatively good value for the specification on offer, too, especially with this much screen real-estate to really help sell this laptop. It's certainly going to be of interest to anyone in the market for a sleek, professional Windows 11 laptop, and it ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to performance, battery life and build quality. 

Best premium laptop

Apple MacBook Air M2 2022 reviewT3 Awards 2023 Logo

The best laptop for most people is the Apple MacBook Air M2

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
The best premium laptop

Specifications

CPU: Apple M2
Graphics: Apple M2
RAM: 16-32GB (unified memory)
Screen: 13.6-inch 2,560 x 1,664 resolution
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB
Weight: 1.24kg

Reasons to buy

+
Superb battery life
+
Silent operation thanks to no fans
+
Apple M2 is a real powerhouse when needed

Reasons to avoid

-
The screen has a notch
-
Pricier than previous Air models

Think thin and light laptops have to sacrifice power? Not anymore. Or that big performance means smaller battery life? Nope. Or that getting all of these things in one machine would be expensive? Wrong again. This is the best of all worlds.

It's all thanks to the M2 processor – the second-gen Apple-made silicon for Macs – which is effortlessly powerful. Combined with the speediest storage in the business, this laptop is fast. But it also runs cool enough that it doesn't need any fans at all, so it's silent.

As we said in our review: "The MacBook Air M2 is super powerful, has excellent battery life, and aside from some heat due to no fan cooling and the inclusion of a notch on that new 13.6-inch screen, it's a laptop that's truly hard to fault." A great option if the 15-inch model isn't for you – and a little cheaper too.

Best for business

HP Elite Dragonfly G3T3 Approved badge


(Image credit: Future)
The best lightweight laptop for business users

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i5 or i7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 16GB
Screen: 13.3-inch
Storage: 512GB
Weight: 0.99 kg / 2.18 pounds

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent screen 
+
Powerful performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Webcam could be better
-
No SD card slot 

While the HP Elite Dragonfly G3 is targeted at business users, it really is one of the best lightweight laptops around no matter who you are – it looks fantastic, it has a gorgeous screen, and it's a productivity powerhouse... it's just a joy to use all around. Okay, it's a little on the pricey side, but it's definitely worth it. 

Tipping the scales at precisely a kilogram, the laptop is versatile too. The 13.3-inch display even folds right over, so you can use it in tent or tablet mode as well if you like, and it comes with a stylus if you want something more precise than your finger. 

A choice of configuration options is available, and you can pack the HP Elite Dragonfly G3 with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 chip. That's a lot of flexibility both in the level of performance that you can expect and in the amount of money you'll have to part with. 

Very similar to its predecessor, the HP Elite Dragonfly G2, the third generation has kept everything that made the previous so great - and has made it even better. This series of laptops has consistently been in consideration for T3 awards and it's not difficult to see why.

Best affordable 4K

Acer Swift Edge laptop on deskT3 Approved badge


(Image credit: Tom May)
The best affordable 4K lightweight laptop

Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics
RAM: 16GB
Screen: 16-inch 4K
Storage: Up to 1TB
Weight: 1.18 kg (2.6 pounds)

Reasons to buy

+
Lovely 4K display
+
Lots of ports
+
Fast and responsive

Reasons to avoid

-
Doesn't support Thunderbolt 4
-
Average battery life

Weighing just 1.2kg. the Swift Edge feels nothing short of futuristic. The large 16-inch 4K display provides great colour density, with a bezel that is almost non-existent. In fact, when the screen is showing off its excellent true blacks, it’s difficult to tell where the display ends and the bezel begins. 

Inside, there's an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor with integrated graphics and 16GB of RAM. It’s a relatively modest laptop performance-wise, not best suited for demanding tasks such as video editing, but for day-to-day office work on a big screen, there’s scarcely anything better. 

In addition to the stylish design, this laptop comes packing a power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner for secure booting, although you won't get some other common security features like a webcam privacy shutter or facial recognition. Overall, it's not cheap, but there are few ultralight laptops as elegant as this.

If you need something that's going to attract a lot of envious glances whenever you pull it out, this is definitely worthy of consideration. For more, take a look at the Acer Swift Edge review.

Best for students

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon reviewT3 Approved badge


(Image credit: Future)
The best lightweight laptop for students

Specifications

CPU: 11th Generation Intel Core processors
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 8GB / 16GB
Screen: 13.3inch QHD (2560 x 1600)
Storage: 256GB / 512GB SSD
Weight: 0.98kgs

Reasons to buy

+
13.3inch QHD screen 
+
Under a kilo!
+
Decent performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Average battery life
-
No fingerprint sensor 

If you're a student or a business user on a budget, then one of the best lightweight laptops you can buy will be the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon. That said though, it's the sort of laptop that's going to appeal to everyone.

As the name suggests, its chassis is made from high-strength carbon fibre which is durable and light, this laptop weighs less than a kilogram and is about the size of a notepad. It'll be able to withstand knocks and bumps in your bag which is sure to give you peace of mind if you plan to take it out with you a lot. 

Sporting a choice of 11th-gen Intel Core processors and a crisp QHD 13.3inch screen, it'll be great for getting work done wherever you are – be that at home, on the train or in a cafe. The keyboard's low-profile keys are large and firm which make it satisfying to type on as well. 

There is one downside: the battery life. It's not the best you'll get, in fact, it's pretty average but luckily it barely takes anytime at all to recharge. If that's something you can live with, then this ultraportable laptop will be an excellent choice. 

Best hybrid

HP Spectre x360 14T3 Approved badge


(Image credit: HP)
The best hybrid design lightweight laptop

Specifications

Screen: 13.5-inch OLED
CPU: 11th Gen Intel Core i7
Graphics : Intel Iris Xe
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
OS: Windows 10

Reasons to buy

+
360-degree screen rotation
+
Rapid performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited connectivity

As we note in our HP Spectre x360 14 review, this is a super-slim, high-end laptop that can be used in laptop tent and tablet orientation, making it a great choice for those who want a slate as well as a lightweight laptop. This kind of versatility and flexibility isn't all that common in laptops.

The screen isn't the only thing that makes this ultraportable laptop a good choice, though, as it also comes with an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 Tiger Lake CPU, Intel Iris XE GPU and, if specced for it, a 3,000 x 2,000 resolution OLED screen.

This light laptop's audio system is also top draw (for the product category), thanks to a collaboration with audio maestros Bang & Olufsen. From deep and enveloping bass to the crisp clarity of percussive sounds it impresses across the soundscape.

Battery life isn't shabby at all either, coming in at 10 hours and 30 minutes on a single charge, and the system comes running a full fat version of Windows in terms of operating system. The design, with its mixture of sharp angles and clean, straight lines is also very modern.

Best Chrome OS

Pixelbook GoT3 Approved badge

Google's Pixelbook Go is an elite Chromebook.

(Image credit: Future)
One of the best laptops around for Chrome OS fans

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core m3, i5, i7
Graphics: Integrated graphics
RAM: 8GB – 16GB
Screen: 13.3-inch up to 4K resolution
Storage: 64GB, 128GB or 256GB SSD
Weight: 1.06 kg (2.34 pounds)

Reasons to buy

+
Chrome OS now a great system
+
Support for Android apps

Reasons to avoid

-
16:9 display aspect feels 'squashed'
-
No integrated stylus

When it comes to Chromebooks and Chrome OS, you've got a huge number of models to choose from – and the Google Pixelbook Go is one of the best and the most lightweight. It's stylish, it's capable, and you can customise the specs of the device to meet your exact requirements.

Every Pixelbook Go comes with a 13.3-inch screen: it runs at a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution on the cheaper models but does go up to 4K if you're willing to pay for it. The other internal components can be specced out as required, so it's really up to you how much you spend.

We like the black and pink colour options, we like the grippy rubber on the bottom to keep the laptop in place, and we like the smooth and subtle lines of the design as well. Some people are going to be looking for a larger screen of course, but for portable computing this is more than fine.

You're not going to be embarrassed to pull this Chromebook out at a coffee shop or your next meeting at work. As for Chrome OS, it continues to get better and better. It doesn't slow down, it's easy to use, and the addition of Android apps means that it's now more versatile than ever before.


How to choose

It's easy to see the appeal of the best lightweight laptops: you don't want something that's too heavy or too big to carry around comfortably, and yet you don't want to be tapping out emails and browsing the web on a tiny device that strains your eyes and your posture. A super-thin, feather-light ultraportable is the perfect tool for the job.

The emergence of Chromebooks at the budget end of the market means that the world's best thin and ultraportable laptops are being pushed down in price, sometimes to very appealing prices – keep your eyes on the sales that are regularly appearing for the best chance of bagging a bargain. Remember of course that Chromebooks run on Chrome OS and not Windows, so bear that in mind.

And while you're doing your shopping, bear in mind that it's not just the weight and specs of these laptops that are important – these super-portables have to look good as well, while you're doing your computing on the move.

With that in mind, all ultraportables listed here in our curated best lightweight laptop guide deliver on the specs front, and score highly in the appearance department too. All-metal constructions, wafer-thin form factors and internals that can rapidly handle demanding tasks are the order of the day.

As you may have noticed, we're not fans of slow, poorly made technology here at T3, so you can be confident that these really are the best lightweight laptops and best compact laptops for speed, style and quality you can get right now in 2024.

How we test

Obviously, testing lightweight laptops is very similar to most other forms of laptops, however due to their slant toward portability, T3 ensures that travelling with and using a system while on the go is central to each review. If it's not light, it's not right for this list.

This let's us ascertain key things such as how good is a lightweight laptop's battery, how robust is its chassis and keyboard, and how easy it is to slip into a bag. These are real-world important things that no amount of wizzy specs can compensate for if lacking, as they are fundamental to the lightweight laptop experience.

Those considerations aside, T3 first evaluates lightweight laptops in terms of their overall package, design and build quality. We want to know what the system comes with out of the box, and just how ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing it is. If a system has a poor trackpad or cheap-feeling chassis, we'll find out here.

Next we consider the system in terms of specs and hardware, before proceeding to the benchmark of the laptop to see what that translates as in terms of performance. We then actually use the lightweight laptop to see how that benchmark performance translates into real-world usage.

Finally, we then consider the system's operating system, software and any extra unique features, such as biometric sign-in tech, touchscreen stylus support or built-in webcams and mics. Here we want to ascertain just how easy to use the system is, as well as if anything has been cheaped out on to save money.

The lightweight laptop is then assigned a score, with five stars the best a system can receive and one star the worst. If an ultraportable scores highly it is then considered for inclusion in T3's best lightweight laptops guide, an exclusive honour

Andy Sansom Portrait
Andy Sansom

I'm T3's resident laptop guru. Recently I've been diving into the world of the best gaming laptops but I'm always keen to get hands-on with super sleek lightweight machines. If you value performance and portability, this guide will help you know exactly what is the right low-weight laptop for you.

Robert Jones

Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites. 

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