To use a laptop while traveling, a thin and light laptop designed for portable usage is highly recommended. But since you would also want a great computing experience from your thin and light laptop, there are a lot of things to consider for the same. Hence, the best travel laptops with a buying guide have been stated down below. Alongside these laptops and their buying guide, you will find all the important details about their CPUs, memory, storage, display, and more, allowing you to pick the best travel laptop by the end of this listicle.
List of Best Travel Laptops with Key Features
1. Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga 2-in-1 (Gen3)
The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga travel laptop comes at the 1st position on this list since it can be a highly versatile option for many. As for its performance, you can expect a great computing experience from its 12th generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD storage.
One of the best things about it is its 13.3 FHD touchscreen display which features a 2-in-1 design. Despite its thin body, you get all kinds of ports like USB type A, USB type C, HDMI, Ethernet, micro SD card reader, and more with it. Apart from having an excellent keyboard and touchpad, you also get a fingerprint reader for security.
Technical Details
Processor: 12th-gen Intel i5 | CPU Speed: 4.4 GHz | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 256 GB SSD | GPU: Iris-Xe(integrated) | Screen Size: 13.3″ | Resolution: FHD 1920 x 1080 | Weight: 4.44 Pounds | OS: Windows 11 Pro
| PROS | CONS |
| + Versatile design | – RAM not upgradeable |
| + Spill-resistant keyboard | |
| + Security Features |
Our Take: Highly versatile travel laptop with 2 in 1 design and excellent connectivity options
2. Apple MacBook Air 13.3″
Apple’s MacBook Air travel laptop comes at the 2nd position of this listicle as it is a great option if you want MacOS on a budget. With its latest Apple M1 chip, 8 GB RAM, and 512GB storage, you can expect decent performance in macOS.
Being an Apple laptop, it comes with a 13.3-inch Retina display of superb quality. While it only has a headphone jack and 2 USB type C ports, both of them support Thunderbolt 3 along with charging support.
Technical Details
Processor: 8-core M1 | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 512 GB SSD | GPU: M1 7-core | Screen Size: 13″ | Resolution: FHD 2560×1600 | Weight: 5.1 Pounds | OS: MacOS
| PROS | CONS |
| + Superb Retina Display | – Limited upgradation |
| + Great Performance | |
| + Up to 18 hours of battery life |
Our Take: Affordable MacOS laptop with a thin and light design and an excellent display
3. Lenovo Ideapad 3
This Lenovo Ideapad 3 laptop comes in the 3rd position in this article because of the slightly lower price tag of this Lenovo model. It comes with Intel Core i7 1165G7, 12 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD.
Thankfully, you still get a decent 14-inch FHD display which is perfect for traveling. Similar to the previous Lenovo laptop, this one also comes with USB type A, USB type C, SD card reader, and headphone jack ports. You also get high-quality Dolby Audio speakers.
Technical Details
Processor: 11th Gen i7 | CPU Speed: 2.8GHz | RAM: 12 GB | Storage: 256 GB SSD | GPU: Intel Iris Xe | Screen Size: 14″ | Resolution: FHD 1920×1080 | Weight: 4.6 Pounds | OS: Windows 11 Home
| PROS | CONS |
| + Attractive Design | + Plastic body |
| + Affordable Price | |
| + Good Audio output |
4. Dell XPS 13 Travel Laptop
The Dell XPS 13 7390 travel laptop is one of the best premium options for those who do not have budget restrictions. At its given price, you get the Intel Core i7 10710U, 16 GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD resulting in an excellent performance.
You also get a high-end 13.3-inch FHD touchscreen display with very thin bezels. Apart from having a thin yet highly premium construction, you get connectivity options like USB type C, Thunderbolt 3, a micro SD card reader, and a headphone jack on the side. It even features a fingerprint reader, backlit display, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and much more.
Technical Details
Processor: 10th Gen i7 | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB SSD | GPU: Intel Iris Xe | Screen Size: 13.3″ | Resolution: FHD 1920×1080 | Weight: 2.7 Pounds | OS: Windows 11 Home
| PROS | CONS |
| + Premium and sturdy construction | – Higher Price Range |
| + Excellent performance with handy features | |
| + Great looking thin bezel display |
Our Take: Premium thin and light laptop with excellent performance numbers
5. Acer Spin 5 Convertible Laptop
Acer’s Spin 5 travel laptop is the best value-for-money pick stated here thanks to its superb features at a comparatively lower price. For starters, its Intel Core i5 1035G4 CPU, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB NVMe SSD offer pretty great performance.
But the best thing about it is that you get a high-end 13.5-inch 2256 x 1504 touchscreen display with a 2-in-1 design for the included active stylus. You will also find handy connectivity options like WiFi 6, fingerprint reader, USB type A, USB type C, HDMI, micro SD card reader, audio jack, and much more with it.
Technical Details
Processor: 10th Gen i5 | CPU Speed: 2.8GHz | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB SSD | GPU: Intel Iris Plus | Screen Size: 13.3″ | Resolution: 2k 2256 x 1504 | Weight: 2.64 Pounds | OS: Windows 10 Home
| PROS | CONS |
| + 15 hours of battery backup | – RAM is not upgradable |
| + High-resolution touchscreen | |
| + Color Accuracy in display |
Our Take: Great value for money and highly versatile travel laptop
6. Dell Latitude 7420 Laptop
This Dell Latitude 7420 travel laptop is the perfect option for those looking for a business laptop. Other than having business-related features, you get decent performance from its Intel Core i5 1145G7 CPU, 16 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD.
For versatility, Dell has included a 14-inch FHD non-touch 2 in 1 display with this laptop. But the key feature of this laptop is its Smart Card reader port for business users, which is paired along with USB type A, USB type C, HDMI, micro SD card reader, and audio ports.
Technical Details
Processor: 11th Gen i5 | CPU Speed: 2.6 GHz | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 256 GB SSD | GPU: Intel Iris Xe | Screen Size: 14″ | Resolution: FHD 1920 x 1080 | Weight: 3.0 Pounds | OS: Windows 10 Pro
| PROS | CONS |
| + Smart card reader for business users | – Limited upgradability |
| + Decent performance | |
| + Great 2 in 1 display for versatility |
Our Take: Perfect travel laptop for business users
7. Lenovo 14″ FHD Business Laptop
The Lenovo business laptop is one of the cheapest options available out there for travel. Even at its budget price, you get decent performance from its Intel Core i3 1215U CPU, 20 GB RAM, and a fast 1 TB SSD.
To keep its price low, it comes with a standard 14-inch FHD display. Although, you still get an excellent keyboard, fingerprint reader, and more which is expected from a ThinkPad laptop. You will also find connectivity options like USB type A, USB type C, HDMI, Ethernet, and an audio port on the side.
Technical Details
Processor: 12th Gen i3 | CPU Speed: 3.3 GHz | RAM: 20 GB | Storage: 1 TB SSD | GPU: Intel UHD | Screen Size: 14″ | Resolution: HD 1366 x 768 | Weight: 3.0 Pounds | OS: Windows 11 Home
| PROS | CONS |
| +10 hours backup | – Display is not Full HD |
| + Antiglare screen | |
| + Large memory size of 20 GB | |
| + Budget Friendly |
Our Take: Affordable travel laptop with decent performance and features
8. HP Business FolioG1 12.5 Laptop
HP’s Business FolioG1 travel laptop is one of the thinnest options available out there despite being such an old model. Although an older variant, it comes with the Intel Core m5 6Y54 CPU, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD storage.
To keep this laptop highly portable, it features a compact 12.5-inch FHD display. Because of the extremely thin construction, it features 2 USB type C ports along with a headphone jack on the side.
Technical Details
Processor: M5 | CPU Speed: 1.1 GHz | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 256 GB SSD | GPU: Intel HD Graphics 515 | Screen Size: 12.5″ | Resolution: FHD 1920×1080 | Weight: 4.5 Pounds | OS: Windows 10 Pro
| PROS | CONS |
| + Extremely thin and light construction | – Delicate Body Construction |
| + Decent compact display | |
| + Best Laptop for travel |
Our Take: Quite a portable and slim laptop made for travel usage
Buying Guide to Pick the Best Travel Laptop
Similar to any other laptop, you have to check a lot of important things while getting a travel laptop. And even though most of these details have been mentioned along the 8 best travel laptops stated above, you might want to know more. In that case, consider the following detailed buying guide regarding travel laptops:
CPU
Whenever you are getting any kind of PC, it is quite important to ensure that it has a powerful CPU for a smooth computing experience. And if you are getting a travel laptop, then you can find Intel Core i7 and Core i5 CPUs, which are generally U series and G series chips made for thin and light laptops. Out of these two, a Core i7 processor will offer better performance. You should also check the generation of CPUs since a 10th gen Core i5 CPU will be better than an 8th gen Core i7 chip.
RAM and Storage
The RAM and storage of your laptop can also affect your overall computing experience. If you want a laptop capable of heavy multitasking, you should go with 8 GB RAM or higher. As for storage, any laptop that offers a 512 GB SSD or larger will offer a lot of storage space along with high storage access speeds.
Display
Your laptop’s display not only affects your viewing experience but also the form factor of your laptop, which is quite important to check in a travel laptop. Hence you will primarily find 13 and 14-inch display sizes while getting travel laptops. Their resolutions generally vary between 1080p FHD or 2K, where a higher resolution offers better detail. You can also find a few travel laptops with touch screen displays which can be handy in 2-in-1 design laptops.
Battery
If you are going to use your laptop while traveling, you would want it to offer a long battery life. Thus, it is advised to go with a laptop that offers a battery life rating of 8 hours or above. Some laptops may also mention their battery size in Whr, where a higher rating is better.
Connectivity Options
There are a lot of devices like mice, keyboards, monitors, storage devices, and more that you might want to connect to your laptop. For the same, it is quite important to check the connectivity options offered by it. You can find connectivity options like USB type A, USB type C, Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, Ethernet, SD card reader, audio ports, WiFi, Bluetooth, and more. Any laptop that offers multiple of these ports with newer port versions is going to be highly versatile.
Buy the Best Travel Laptop for Yourself
A thin and light laptop can be a great way to get your work done even when you are traveling. Despite their compact form factor, they offer all the functionality of a standard laptop. Therefore, the 8 best travel laptops along with a buying guide and all their details have been stated above. Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments section. You can also post any questions down there if you have any!
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