1. Overview
Before we begin, remember one key thing about lightweight laptops. The weight may be light, but the machine should not compromise on processing power. That's an important point to remember - I've seen my fair share of laptops which are sleek and godd looking, but unfortunately do not meet the computing requirements of various applications. With that in mind, let's turn back to our best lightweight laptop discussion ...
2. The Apple MacBook Air
The first lightweight laptop I should mention is definitely the much hyped
Apple MacBook Air. Historically I do not really like Macs, but the Apple MacBook Air has received so much attention I think it is fair to have it reviewed here.
The uber cool Apple MacBook Air
The MacBook Air offers good performance with its Intel Core 2 Duo processor and its 80GB hard drive. It is indeed of one of the thinnest and lightest laptops I've ever seen. If you want to go around toting a uber
cool laptop, the Apple MacBook Air is hard to beat. Remember, however, the MacBook Air's features are a little lacking (e.g. it only has 1 USB port).
3. The Lenovo ThinkPad X300
Ok, next up, we talk about the
Lenovo ThinkPad X300. This unit is definitely one of the best lightweight
laptops in the market. It's screen size measures 13.3 inches (quite large), but
yet the designers have managed to squeeze the machine into a small, compact
design.
The keyboard on the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 laptop
Couple this with the powerful Intel Core 2 Duo SL7100 processor it contains,
plus its above average battery life, and you can see that we have a definite
winner here. Incidentally, the ThinkPad X300 has a 'business' cousin called the
ThinkPad X61 - which is another solid lightweight laptop.
4. The Toshiba Portege R500-S5001X
The
Toshiba Portege R500-S5001X is a lightweight laptop that is also much hyped. I think the best thing about the R500 is the fact that it is extremely thin and yet include a powerful processor, an integrated DVD burner, plus all the solid features you'd expect to find in a modern laptop.
The Toshiba Portege R500-S5001X laptop
5. Lightweight Laptops versus Ultraportables
If you've explored my site, you'll find that I've also reviewed another class of laptops called 'ultraportables'. I think the difference between a 'lightweight' laptop and an 'ultraportable' laptop is blurring. Both these categories are talking about laptops which have super powerful features like a top-notch CPU and huge RAM sizes, all squeezed into a sleek and sexy design.
Lightweight and ultraportable laptops tend to command a premium in prices though, so you have to be prepared to pay a little more. I think it's worth it though - I think paying a bit extra for increased portability is always good in a laptop.
Conclusion
This article has shown you some of the best lightweight laptops money can buy. If you're in the market out a solid, lightweight laptop, be sure to check one of the models above. Remember, the most important thing is to assess your needs for a lightweight laptop, before going out to the store and choosing a model. So until next time, here's wishing you happy shopping!
If you'd like to find out more about how to buy a laptop computer, be sure to
check out this guide which I've written.
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