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Thin and Light Laptops

Premium laptops built to be carried every day. Weight and battery matter most here, so both are in every row.

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Choosing a thin and light laptop

Thin and light laptops (once called ultrabooks) are premium laptops designed to be carried every day: slim metal bodies, sharp screens, good keyboards and long battery life. Think MacBook Air, Dell XPS, Lenovo Yoga and ASUS Zenbook.

What you’re paying for is the whole package, so compare the screen (resolution, brightness, OLED or not) and battery first, then weight. Performance is rarely a problem for everyday work, but most have built-in graphics only, so they aren’t made for serious gaming.

Most thin laptops have soldered memory and fewer ports. Buy 16 GB of memory, and check the USB-C and Thunderbolt ports if you’ll use a monitor or dock.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ultrabook?

An ultrabook is Intel's old name for a premium thin and light Windows laptop. Today the term covers any slim, light laptop with long battery life.

Is a MacBook Air or a Windows ultrabook better?

A MacBook Air has excellent battery life and suits iPhone owners. A Windows ultrabook runs Windows software and games, and often has more ports and touchscreen options.

Can you upgrade a thin and light laptop?

Usually not the memory, which is soldered. Some let you replace the storage. Check the Memory upgrades and Storage slots rows before you buy.

Are thin laptops good for gaming?

For light and older games only, unless they have a dedicated graphics card. Most rely on built-in graphics to stay slim and cool.