Top-Rated Ultraportable Notebooks : In-Depth Analysis by Tech Experts

With advances in technology this year, ultraportable laptops are getting lighter than ever. Just a few years ago, it may have seemed impossible to cram the computing power we have today into a laptop that’s less than three pounds. Today, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Also: The best laptops you can buy: Expert tested

We’ve gone hands-on with dozens of ultraportable PCs and laptops this year, and it’s one of our favorite categories to review. The innovation here is nothing short of exciting. These laptops are lightweight enough to go with you to the end of the earth, while being powerful enough to not have any trade offs in performance.

All of the ultraportable laptops on this list sport cutting-edge form factors, and none of them weigh more than 3.3 pounds. At the same time, these are all performant machines, with processing power that can handle strenuous workloads. We’ve broken them down into a few useful categories to help you make sense of their strengths. Let’s take a look.

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links

If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

What’s the best lightweight laptop right now?

Our overall top pick for the best lightweight laptop has to go to the Apple MacBook Air M3 . In terms of portability, sleek form factor, solid battery life, and AI-capabilities, the MacBook Air M3 reigns supreme among the lightest of the light. It might not be the best pick for you, however, so we included other options that round out the spectrum of common use cases.

The best ultraportable laptops of 2024

Show less

View now at Amazon View now at B&H Photo-Video View now at Best Buy

Pros

• Powerful and portable
• High-end form factor and design
• Upgraded neural engine
• Support for two external monitors

Cons

• The LCD display isn’t as impressive as OLED competitors
• 8GB of RAM on base model is limiting
• Built-in speakers could be stronger

Apple MacBook Air M3

Best lightweight laptop overall

The resounding success of Apple’s M2 MacBook Air was only improved upon with its successor, the M3 MacBook Air, and is our pick for best overall lightweight laptop. Available in a 13-inch and 15-inch display size, the MacBook Air is thin, light, and incredibly compact for the amount of power it has. At just barely over three pounds, the MacBook Air can be slipped into virtually any bag and go with you wherever you go.

The M3 MacBook Air is also as versatile as it is portable, with the ability to support two additional monitors with the lid closed (using an Apple Studio Display lets you connect directly with a Thunderbolt port), and act like a desktop.

It’s also no secret that the M3 lineup was designed to handle AI workloads, and the MacBook Air is no exception. With a 16-core Neural Engine (along with accelerators in the GPU/CPU for improved on-device machine learning) the M2 MacBook Air can run various AI models and is future-proofed for the inevitable deluge of AI applications coming.

Review: M3 MacBook Air review: Apple’s AI computer for the masses has arrived

Apple MacBook Air M3 t ech specs: 8-core CPU with 16-core Neural Engine | 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB of unified memory with 10-core GPU | 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage | LCD, 60Hz refresh rate, 500 nits max | Up to 18 hours of battery life | 13-inch: 2.7 points; 15-inch: 3.3 pounds

Show Expert Take Show less

Show less

View now at Amazon

Pros

• Ready for AI
• Impressive performance
• QHD webcam
• Solid battery life

Cons

• Generic design
• Loud fans

Acer Swift Go 14

Best lightweight laptop for AI

The Acer Swift Go 14 is one of the first portable laptops to come with Intel’s new “Meteor Lake” processor, which has a dual-core neural processing unit (NPU) designed to take on AI workloads. This makes the Acer Swift Go 14 well-positioned to handle AI technology as it becomes increasingly more ubiquitous, giving it an edge that makes it our pick for best lightweight AI laptop.

AI is here, it’s only a matter of time before the platforms and operating systems we’re using now are powered by AI functionality, and for users that want to be ahead of the curve, the Acer Swift Go 14 provides portability and forward-thinking in a future-proof design.

Review: I tested Acer’s $799 AI laptop for a week and there’s one feature I can’t give up

Acer Swift Go 14 t ech specs: Intel Core Ultra 155H, two-core NPU | Intel Arc GPU | 16GB memory, 1TB SSD | 14-inch touch display; 400-nit brightness | Up to 19 hours of battery life | 2.87 lbs

Show Expert Take Show less

Show less

View now at Amazon

Pros

• Sleek form factor
• Powerful hardware
• Gorgeous OLED display
• Adaptable and office-ready

Cons

• Compact size means it can run hot
• Comes pre-loaded with bloatware

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Best lightweight laptop for gaming

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a solid gaming machine in its own right, but it’s the combination of power and portability together that make it our pick for best lightweight gaming laptop.

The hardware in this laptop is no slouch; its AMD Ryzen 9 8000-series processor delivers a powerful baseline of performance, while the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU completes the package as a graphics card that can gaming with ease. This isn’t necessarily the best gaming laptop on the market, but it is perhaps the most portable, particularly when it comes to this amount of power in a compact, clean form factor.

The Zephyrus G14 isn’t necessarily pigeonholed into being a gaming laptop, either. This is a machine that will do just as well in the office as it will handling heavy workflows with creative software such as video editing or animation. If you do take it to the office, you’ll notice it comes stacked with practical ports: you have two each of USB-A and -C, HDMI, headphone jack, and a microSD slot.

In addition, the battery lasts surprisingly long for a machine with this level of hardware and an OLED display. Most people will be able to get an entire workday plus a little more out of just one charge, even while performing demanding tasks.

Review: Asus’ new laptop is a solid MacBook alternative that’s better in several ways

Asus ROG Zep hyrus G14 tech specs: AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 8GB | 32GB memory, 1TB SSD | 14-inch OLED display | Up to 12 hours of battery life | 3.3 lbs

Show Expert Take Show less

Show less

View now at LG

Pros

• Incredibly light form factor
• Powerful hardware
• Impressive battery life

Cons

• Design tradeoffs for ultra portability
• Expensive

LG Gram Pro 17

Best lightweight laptop with a 17” display

The LG Gram Pro 17 takes portability to the extreme. At just half an inch thick and weighing barely over three pounds, the Gram Pro 17 not only holds a Guinness record, but achieved something that at one time was thought to be impossible for a 17” laptop.

Its portability is matched by a suite of powerful hardware, including an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB hard drive with 2TB of storage, and even a solid video card. This is a machine designed with work in mind, but it could handle some light gaming with this configuration.

Review: I tested LG’s 17-inch Gram Pro and it’s the big-screen, lightweight laptop to beat

Speaking of work, the LG Gram Pro 17 is light enough to go wherever you go, and brings a powerful enough battery to back it up. Battery life times depend on how hard you’re pushing the machine, but expect to get well over a day’s work on one charge, even taking into account strenuous workloads such as video editing or image rendering.

The LG Gram Pro 17 is the definition of portability, so this is the laptop for someone who is committed to that idea, as there is a cost associated with this level of innovation.

LG Gram Pro 17 tech specs: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU | up to 32GB memory, up to 2TB SSD | 17-inch high-res WQXGA display | Up to 18 hours of battery life | 3.04 lbs

Show Expert Take Show less

Show less

View now at Lenovo View now at Amazon

Pros

• Durable, well-designed, and user-friendly
• Stunning display
• High-end webcam

Cons

• Battery life is not the best
• Expensive

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Best lightweight laptop for work

Lenovo’s ThinkPad laptop series has been popular with professionals seeking durable Windows machines for years now, and the X1 Carbon is no exception. This is an elegant, lightweight workhorse of a laptop designed with the working professional in mind, and comes with a host of powerful hardware to back it up.

The 12th-Gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon offers some small improvements on the eleventh-generation laptop from the same series, which was actually ZDNET’s pick for the best Lenovo laptop . One of those improvements is the display, which is equipped with a 14-inch 2.8K resolution OLED that delivers bright, vivid color as well as an anti-glare coating.

It also comes with an 8MP webcam that can shoot in 4K, perfect for presenting a high-quality image on videoconferencing. The spacious trackpad features the ThinkPad’s signature three-button design, and a functional keyboard is comfortable enough to support extended typing and work sessions. The X1 Carbon’s elegance is ultimately expressed in its functionality, as this is not the flashiest laptop, but it is one of the most well-designed.

Review: Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad has new features that will make professionals jump for joy

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon t ech specs: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor | Integrated Intel graphics card | 16GB memory, 1TB SSD | 14-inch OLED display | Up to 8 hours of battery life | 2.47 lbs

Show Expert Take Show less

What is the best lightweight laptop?

The best lightweight laptop in 2024 is the Apple MacBook Air M3 . Portable, powerful, and with a long-lasting battery, the MacBook Air M3 is a versatile workhorse that you can throw in a bag and take with you anywhere you go. The M3’s 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU is armed to take on almost anything you throw at it, and the entire package weighs just 2.7 pounds.

Which is the right lightweight laptop for you?

The best lightweight laptop for you depends on what you want to get out of it. Laptops packed with powerful gaming hardware like the Asus Zephyrus G14 are going to weigh a little more, while extreme lightweight machines like the LG Gram Pro 17 will have some design tradeoffs that go along with their compact size.

How we test lightweight laptops

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

We use a combination of methods to test laptops here at ZDNET. First, we acquire data from benchmarking software to analyze a system’s metrics under the hood, and compare those to advertised numbers. Then, we spend an extended amount of time with the laptop (usually a week or two) using it the same way a normal consumer would, in order to analyze its portability, form factor, and how well the battery actually holds up, among others. For an extensive breakdown, check out our comprehensive laptop testing methodology .

• Benchmarking: First, we run a series of tests to put the computer’s hardware through the wringer in order to see what it’s capable of. Cinebench is one of the most commonly-used hardware testing suites, which tests the laptop’s rendering performance on single and multiple CPU cores. PCMark 10 is another powerful program that covers a wide variety of tasks performed in the workplace, and there are many others that we use in tandem to gather as much data as we can. Some components we run tests on include:
• Processor: The “brain” of the laptop, and one of the most important factors that determines performance. The four biggest manufacturers that make most of the CPUs found in laptops today are Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Apple (in their own machines only). This is tested in benchmarking software.
• The display: The size of the display (measured diagonally from corner to corner) is also what dictates the laptop’s overall size, and play a big role in the laptop’s cost. Brightness is measured in “nits”, and color spectrums are tested in benchmarking software.
• The graphics processor (GPU): Whether it’s integrated into the CPU or a dedicated graphics card, how well the machine handles graphics is a key factor when it comes to demanding visual tasks like video editing, rendering, and of course, gaming. We test the GPU with a combination of benchmarking software, gaming, and media playback.
• Physical form factor: Finally, the laptop’s overall appearance and physical form factor encompasses its weight, thickness, how the keyboard and trackpad feel, and whether or not it has a display that can be folded back to form a tablet. We carry the laptop around for at least a week and note how well it commutes.
• Battery testing: We test a unit’s battery in a few ways. A handful of benchmarking programs have their own battery testing components, but we also will just let the laptop run for as long as it can under a medium load. We ensure screensavers and hibernation mode are turned off, set the display’s brightness and audio at 50%, load up a livestream on YouTube in Chrome, and wait ‘til the end.
• The human element: As we mentioned earlier, metrics and system data is important, but numbers alone don’t give you the full picture. This is where we weave in our personal experience with the device and tap into the practical use cases that consumers actually care about.

Ultimately, our goal is to break down the capabilities of each and every laptop we test into digestible terms that real people can find useful. There is a lot of noise and confusion when it comes to navigating the laptop and computer consumer market, so we hope to bring an intuitive element to the whole process by leveraging our team’s decades of experience.

Factors to consider when choosing a lightweight laptop

These laptops all offer solid performance in their own right, but paired with their lightweight design, bring a new level of convenience with their portability. Keep in mind that the differences in their weight here are broken down to tenths of a pound, while most people won’t even notice much of a difference between two and three pounds. These other factors went into the decision making process:

• Display: All of the laptops evaluated here are the 14” versions, except the Gram Pro 17 of course, which is 17-inches and still one of the lightest.
• Battery life: In order to be considered for this list, I considered machines with better-than-average battery life. This is one metric that will vary significantly based on use case, but all of these laptops will easily last an entire workday (eight hours) on one charge, even while undergoing demanding workloads
• Price: Cost is an important factor and will make or break many consumers’ choices. The reality is that ultraportability does come at a cost, as none of these laptops would be considered “budget” by any rate. The Acer Swift Go 14, however, is still quite affordable, starting at $800, though upgrades will move that number more in line with the others on this list.

Why does having a lightweight laptop matter?

The answer to this question is simple: laptops are made to be carried around, and no one wants to carry a heavy computer. Having a thin, lightweight machine opens up its usability and lets you take it places you normally wouldn’t consider possible.

Ultraportability does come with tradeoffs, however, both in terms of design and cost. When talking about design, the constraints on manufacturers to squeeze value out of every square inch of space in the laptop means that certain elements may be smaller, lighter, or in non-conventional locations. This especially refers to the laptop’s battery, its display, or the laptop’s keyboard.

In terms of cost, ultraportable laptops are often made with high-end, special lightweight materials that are going to cost more to produce and manufacture than simple plastic or aluminum. All of the laptops on this list were chosen for their well-designed, functional form factors and use of lightweight materials.

How much does a typical laptop weigh?

Laptops are incredibly thin and light these days, with cutting-edge technology pushing the limit even further each year. Just ten years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for laptops to weigh six or seven pounds; today, that seems absurd.

Most laptops today weigh between two and a half and five pounds, with a five-pound laptop being considered on the heavy side. Different configurations change the weight of laptops, as well. More memory and storage will increase the weight – something to keep in mind when buying.

The heaviest laptops on this list are the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and the 15-inch MacBook Air M3, each weighing just 3.3 pounds. In the laptop world, that’s light.

What slim laptop backpack do we recommend?

We love lightweight laptops because they’re easy to carry around. But the backpack you carry it in is just as important. There are many great backpacks out there for transporting your laptop, but here are a few we recommend.

Also: From everyday use to travel, these are the best backpacks

ZDNET RECOMMENDS Matein Travel Laptop Backpack Packed with travel-friendly features like a luggage strap and an anti-theft back pocket that protects your valuables, the Matein travel laptop is an inexpensive and solid travel backpack for your laptop. A bonus feature is an external USB charging port for easy charging on the go. View at Amazon ZDNET RECOMMENDS Herschel Little America Backpack Herschel backpacks have a timeless design that’s comfortable to wear thanks to the contoured padded back straps. It comes in two sizes which can hold up to a 13-inch laptop or a 15-inch laptop. Its drawstring closure expands to create extra storage space while the magnetic front straps secure what’s inside. View at Amazon

Which operating system should you choose: Windows, MacOS, Chrome OS, or Linux?

While every computing platform has its loyal supporters, most people end up using a particular operating system because of key applications running on it, employer preferences, or budgetary constraints. Windows, which ranges from budget to premium, and Apple’s MacOS, which is exclusive to premium devices, cover a broad spectrum. Chrome OS is mostly limited to mid-range devices.

Also: Comparing the best Macs: Is a MacBook or Mac Studio right for you?

All Windows devices listed here meet the requirements for Windows 11. If you purchase a device with Windows 10 installed, you will be able to upgrade to Windows 11 if you choose to do so. Note that after October 14, 2025, Windows 10 support will end, and there will be no further security patches or feature updates.

Are there alternative lightweight laptops worth considering?

Laptop technology is getting better all the time, and manufacturers are pushing the limits to what is not only possible, but accessible and affordable. As such, there are quite a few alternative options out there for lightweight laptops that weren’t included on this list, but need to be mentioned.

Best alternative lightweight laptop for AI MSI Prestige 13 AI Evo MSI’s Prestige 13 AI Evo offers great performance thanks to its Intel Core Ultra processor and supporting AI tech with the “Meteor Lake” technology. This results in a lightweight laptop with powerful performance in a future-proofed package ready to take on AI. View at Newegg Best alternative lightweight laptop for creatives Asus 2024 Vivobook Pro 15 Asus’ 2024 Vivobook Pro 15 is a solid option for creatives that work with digital photography, design, or video editing. Its brilliant display includes Pantone-verified color accuracy, and its trackpad has a quick menu designed to work with the tools menu in Adobe software. View at Best Buy Best alternative lightweight laptop for work Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 comes equipped with a powerful AMD Ryzen processor and a great-looking, 2.8K resolution screen in an ultraportable package, but is a bit less costly than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon included on the list. View at Lenovo

Newsletters

ZDNET Recommends

ZDNET saves you time and money by delivering the best products and tech deals to your inbox every week.

Subscribe

See all

ZDNET Recommends

The best smartwatches you can buy: Apple, Samsung, Google, and more compared

The 5 best VPN services (and tips to choose the right one for you)

The best Android phones you can buy (including a surprise pick)

The best robot vacuum and mop combos (and if they’re worth the money)

• The best smartwatches you can buy: Apple, Samsung, Google, and more compared
• The 5 best VPN services (and tips to choose the right one for you)
• The best Android phones you can buy (including a surprise pick)
• The best robot vacuum and mop combos (and if they’re worth the money)

Also read: