The 6 Best Lightweight Laptops - Spring 2024 Reviews

The best lightweight laptop we've tested is the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022), a 13-inch premium ultraportable. At the time of writing, Apple has released a new MacBook Air with its M3 chip. The M3 model is a very minor upgrade; the changes include a marginally faster SoC, Wi-Fi 6E, and support for two external displays, although the latter only works when the lid is closed. Oh, and the Midnight model has a supposedly more smudge-resistant coating. If you don't need the upgrades on the new M3 model, Apple still sells the M2 version as a more budget-friendly option, cutting its price by $100 USD.

The external design is exactly like the M2 model. It's still thin and light and sports the same gorgeous IPS display, spacious keyboard, and gigantic haptic touchpad. Unfortunately, despite adding support for two external displays, the number of ports hasn't changed, so you only get two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3s and a MagSafe charging port. We expect the M3 SoC to perform similarly to its predecessor. This means it can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, video playback, and even some light video editing. We'll have a full review of the M3 model soon to check out all the differences.

For Windows users, we recommend the LG gram 14 (2023). LG's gram laptops are well-known for their lightweight design, and it's no different here. This model weighs only 2.1 lbs, which is even lighter than the MacBook Air. Its portability does come at a cost, though, as its magnesium alloy chassis doesn't feel as sturdy as the MacBook's all-aluminum build. Also, its display isn't as sharp or bright as the MacBook Air. Battery life is about the same at around 10 to 11 hours of light use, and instead of a fingerprint sensor, you get a facial recognition IR camera.

Our best mid-range pick is the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2022), one of the best portable laptops we've tested. This 14-inch model has a nice bright screen, and since it's a 2-in-1 convertible, you can flip the screen around and use it as a tablet. It also supports pen input and comes with a stylus that you can dock into the side of the laptop for transport. It has a comfortable keyboard, loud speakers, and a surprisingly good 1080p webcam.

Regarding specs, you can configure this Chromebook with an Intel 12th Gen U-series Core i3, i5, or i7 CPU; they're all powerful enough for anything you'd need to do on a Chromebook. However, availability is scarce because it's an older 2022 model, and Acer has released a 2023 version. While we haven't tested the newer model, it looks similar design-wise, as it's mainly a spec bump. Upgrades include a faster Intel 13th Gen CPU and a 1440p webcam. You can get the 2023 model on Amazon or at Best Buy.

For those on a tighter budget, we recommend the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020), a 14-inch Windows ultraportable. Acer's Swift models are typically more expensive, but since this is a 2020 version, you can get it much cheaper. It's available with an Intel 11th Gen Core i5 or i7 CPU and up to 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. The Intel 11th Gen CPUs are a few years old but can still easily handle general productivity tasks like web browsing and text processing. Plus, the battery lasts over 13 hours on a full charge.

It has a nice FHD IPS display, a decent keyboard, and a wide port selection, including two USB-As, one USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, a full-size HDMI, and a headphone jack. Unfortunately, it isn't the best for video calls, as the webcam's image is too dark, and the microphone sounds staticky.

The best lightweight 2-in-1 tablet we've tested is the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021). With this form factor, you can use the device as a tablet to draw, take handwritten notes, watch videos, or attach the keyboard when typing something out. Its 3:2 IPS display looks incredibly sharp, gets bright enough to combat glare, and has a 120Hz refresh rate to make pen input feel more responsive. The type cover keyboard feels good to type on, but you need to buy it separately, and the same goes for the stylus.

The drawback of such a compact device is that there isn't much space for a wide port selection. You get two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, a headphone jack, and a Surface Connect charging port. If you're considering buying a Surface Pro, know that Microsoft has released a newer version, the Surface Pro 9. It's essentially the same device but with faster Intel 12th Gen processors. It's always nice to have better performance, but the difference might not be noticeable if you only do light productivity tasks. Also, since the Surface Pro 8 is older, you can likely find it at a deeply discounted price.

Get the Microsoft Surface Go 3 (2021) if you want something compact for on-the-go use. It's essentially a miniature Surface Pro that weighs 1.7 lbs. This device is meant for light use, like web browsing, emails, and video playback, so don't expect to do anything intensive. If your budget allows, we recommend getting a model with 8GB of memory, as you'll get a much smoother experience when multitasking. You still get a nice display, an excellent webcam, and a facial recognition IR camera. You can use the USB-C port to charge the device instead of the Surface Connect port, but you'd lose the only USB port available, which means you'll likely need a dock.

For demanding tasks like video editing or 3D graphics, we recommend the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023), a premium mobile workstation. This laptop has a solid all-aluminum build but only weighs 3.5 lbs, making it one of the lightest mobile workstations on the market. It has a gorgeous Mini LED display with full DCI P3 coverage, a comfortable keyboard, and a gigantic, easy-to-use haptic touchpad. You get plenty of ports for peripherals and external displays, including three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, an HDMI, and a full-size SD card reader. The speakers are among the best on the market, and the same goes for its 1080p webcam.

You can configure this laptop with an M3 Pro or M3 Max SoC; both can easily handle intensive workloads. These chips are also incredibly power-efficient, resulting in all-day battery life. Thermal throttling is minimal, and the laptop doesn't get hot or loud under load. There's a base M3 model, too, similar to the discontinued 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which can be a great option if you don't need a lot of processing power but still want the 'Pro' features like the Mini LED display. The base M3 model only has two USB-C ports, though, and unlike the Pro/Max models, it can only support a single external monitor.

If you want a lightweight laptop for gaming on the go, get the Razer Blade 14 (2022), a compact 14-inch model that weighs only 3.9 lbs. You can choose between three preset configurations: a 144Hz FHD display with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, a 165Hz QHD display with an RTX 3070 Ti, or a 165Hz QHD display with an RTX 3080 Ti. All three configurations provide a smooth gaming experience in demanding AAA titles. The SSD is user-replaceable but not the RAM, as all models have 16GB of soldered memory. The keyboard has a good amount of travel and tactility, and there are plenty of ports to plug in a mouse dongle or other peripherals. Unfortunately, the laptop gets pretty hot under load, and the battery lasts only around an hour when gaming.

Before you make any purchasing decision, know that a newer model of the Blade 14 will be available soon. Its design remains largely the same, as the changes are mostly internal. The CPU gets upgraded to AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS, and GPU options now include NVIDIA's 40-series processors, up to an RTX 4070. These new GPUs are slightly faster than their predecessors, and they support Frame Generation, a feature that boosts performance by inserting AI-generated frames. While the number of games that support this feature is low for now, that number will likely grow quickly, as we've seen with DLSS. The older model is still a good option if you want to save money, but it's best to wait a bit if you want the latest and greatest. See here for more details about the new Razer Blade 14.