Ultra Light Laptops

What is an ultra light laptop?

While there is no universally accepted definition of what weight constitutes an ultra light laptop, some laptop models in this category come in at under 1kg although it has to be noted that these will have smaller 10” or 12” screens and the weight does not include the laptop’s power supply which can often add 0.5kg depending on their design.

Choosing an ultra light laptop

Picking the best ultra light laptop is ultimately about balancing size, performance and feature set. Let’s dive into these in a bit more detail starting with size. As obvious as it sounds, the biggest contributing factor to a laptop’s weight is its chassis. If you want a laptop with a big display and lots of ports you’re going to have to accept that it’s going to weigh more and generally be bulkier than a smaller model with reduced connectivity.

Screen size

The most popular laptop screen sizes are 13” and 14” which are fine for mainstream use but if you need to run design or video editing applications for example, you might want more screen real estate for bigger images and more menus visible on the screen. Note that the bigger the screen and the higher the screen resolution, the more battery power the laptop will typically consume. If you want a touchscreen laptop, that calls for an extra layer of glass and will bump the weight up. Don’t overlook the laptop’s bezel either (the laptop border around the screen); the thinner the bezel, the bigger the visible screen area and the lighter the laptop will be.

Components included

Beware of other spec compromises laptop manufacturers often make in order to keep the weight down. They often use components that are integrated to the laptop’s motherboard and can’t be swapped out or upgraded. These include the graphics card, RAM and sometimes the drive. Laptops with dedicated graphics cards will offer superior visuals to those with integrated chips which gamers and designers may value more than a few grams shaved off the laptop’s weight.

Connectivity & expansion options

Ultra light laptops often feature less options for connectivity and expansion. It’s not uncommon to find just a couple of USB ports, an HDMI port and an audio jack which is fine if you’re not planning to hook your laptop up to external devices but if you are, you’ll find the port count is restrictive. There are workarounds in the form of dongles and docks but the trade-off of course is a heavier and bulkier laptop.

Summary

So, to sum up, if you’re looking for a super lightweight laptop for easy portability there are plenty of ultra light models to choose from with svelte designs, superior craftsmanship and powerful specs but the very lightest laptops will typically require some form of compromise to the laptop’s size or specs to achieve the weight savings.