For ultralight laptops, there are plenty of choices. You’ll be amazed at the variety and quality. These choices range from Asus’ ZenBook 13 OLED to Acer’s Swift 7 and Huawei’s MateBook 13.
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED
If you’re looking for a lightweight ultrabook, the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED has what you need. It’s lightweight, slim, and it’s built to last. Plus, it features a beautiful OLED display.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional, an aspiring creator, or just love to watch movies, the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED is a great choice. This thin and light laptop can perform like no other thanks to its AMD Ryzen 6000-Series processors.
The ZenBook 13 OLED is made from a magnesium-aluminum alloy, which means it’s lightweight. The chassis has a sturdier design than previous generations of ZenBooks.
The lid is Ponder Blue, which is a dark blue color that looks black in certain lighting. It also sports a stylized Asus logo.
It is also equipped with a 720p webcam that offers good overall picture quality. The screen is a 10-bit OLED panel with HDR 500 support and a 60 Hz refresh rate.
The ZenBook 13 OLED’s touchpad is a good size, and its inputs are uncompromised. Its speakers are Dolby Atmos-equipped, and they sound full. You can listen to music while watching online lectures or taking notes on Microsoft Word.
Asus has also added a new chrome bar to the rear of the ZenBook, which connects to the chrome hinges. It features a 180-degree rotation capability.
The ZenBook S 13 OLED is available in four new colors. The color scheme carries throughout the entire laptop. There is a new Asus logo on the lid, and the chassis has a thin line of bezels on the sides.
The Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED isn’t cheap, however. Depending on the configuration, it costs around $1,300. That’s more than a MacBook Air, but the ZenBook’s performance is top-notch and it’s an excellent value.
Acer Swift 7
If you want the ultimate Ultrabook, you may be interested in the Acer Swift 7. It is a beautiful 14-inch device, and it is light and thin, too. But it is also not a cheap laptop. The price for the Swift 7 SF714-52T is over 2,000 Euros, and it is not an option for everyone.
To begin with, the Swift 7’s display is impressive. It uses Corning Gorilla Glass 6, and the screen has a resolution of 1,920 x 1080. This is more than enough for a 14-inch device, and it’s certainly not a bad display.
The Swift 7 also has a nice trackpad. It’s not the most luxurious trackpad on the planet, but it is functional.
The Swift 7 also has a great battery life. While it can’t quite rival Apple’s MacBook Air, it lasts about nine hours when writing documents, browsing simple websites, and streaming YouTube videos at 50% brightness.
As you might expect, the Acer Swift has plenty of ports. There’s one HDMI port, two Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C ports, and an audio jack. Of course, if you’re not using a USB Type-C adapter, you won’t be able to charge it.
Interestingly, the Swift 7 doesn’t have a fan. Instead, it uses all-passive cooling, so it can get quite warm on sunny days.
There aren’t many maintenance options, either. You have to remove rubber feet and lift the bottom case with a prying tool. Also, the keyboard is not the biggest on the market.
Despite being the most lauded laptop of all time, the Swift 7 has a number of minor drawbacks. For instance, the webcam is a bit flimsy. Likewise, the touchscreen isn’t quite as impressive as the ones on the MacBook.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
If you’re looking for an ultralight laptop with a 14-inch display, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i may be your best bet. The slim and lightweight design features a modern look, and it’s packed with built-in graphics and a quad-core processor.
It also has a physical privacy shutter for the webcam. And if you’re a Windows user, you can download apps from the Microsoft Store. However, you’ll find that the keyboard and trackpad aren’t reliable, and you’ll have to deal with limited battery life.
While it’s a decent budget laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i isn’t a good choice for resource-intensive tasks. The Intel Core i3-1115G4 quad-core processor isn’t as fast as other laptops, and it doesn’t perform well in gaming. You’ll also notice that the screen isn’t quite as bright as it could be.
There’s an anti-glare coating on the screen, but it’s still very dim. The two speakers are decently tinny, but they don’t offer much in the way of bass.
Lenovo also sells a 12-inch laptop. This one’s slightly bigger, but its thin profile and small size make it ideal for portability.
Lenovo has also introduced a Chromebook. It’s tiny and lightweight, but its keyboard isn’t great.
If you’re looking for a laptop that’s more affordable, the HP Pavilion 15-bs513 is a decent option. Its screen isn’t great, but it’s still usable for spreadsheets and photo editing.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is an excellent value, and is a solid option for anyone who needs a new laptop. But you may want to consider a different model if you’re looking for a high-end machine.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i is another 2-in-1 Chromebook, but it has a bit more to offer. Its 12-inch display isn’t as bright as the screen on the IdeaPad 3i, but it’s better for photo editing. Plus, it has more configuration options, including an Intel Processor N200 and 4GB or 8GB of RAM.
Huawei MateBook 13
Huawei MateBook 13 is one of the most powerful 13-inch laptops available. It’s also one of the best laptops for a price. With the entry level model starting at just $999, it’s a great value. The more expensive version of the MateBook 13 costs $1,299.
The MateBook 13 is built from a sandwich design, incorporating a metal frame and plastic surface. There’s a shiny Huawei logo on top and an attractive Space Gray color.
The screen on the MateBook 13 is 2160×1440 and has a 3:2 aspect ratio. While most other laptops are 16:9 or 16:10, the 3:2 shape of the screen provides more room for the keyboard. This is a very handy feature for a laptop.
Its screen is excellent for photo editing, watching videos and writing documents. However, you can’t use it for widescreen viewing. In fact, there is a noticeable light band around the edges of the display.
The MateBook 13 is a solid device that runs Windows 10 very well. Its fast keyboard makes typing quick and easy. If you don’t need to use a mouse, it’s a better choice than the MacBook Air.
Although it’s powerful, the battery life on the MateBook 13 isn’t great. You should keep a charger on hand at all times.
There are two USB-C ports on the MateBook 13, but they aren’t Thunderbolt 3. These aren’t fast enough to charge or connect to external displays.
In addition to its Intel UHD 620 graphics, the MateBook 13 has NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics. The MX150 offers up to four times the performance of integrated graphics. That’s more than you get with the KBL-R processor.
Despite its limited IO, the Huawei MateBook is a good buy. At just over half the price of the MacBook Air, it’s a great alternative.
Elite Dragonfly G2
If you’re looking for an Ultrabook that’s powerful, portable, and looks great, the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 could be your ideal laptop. It’s a 2-in-1 convertible with a versatile design that’s perfect for business people.
The laptop weighs less than a pound and measures under 20mm when closed, making it easy to carry in any bag. The chassis is made of CNC machined magnesium and is oleophobic coated. In addition to the main body, the device features a hinge on the screen, allowing it to flip from landscape to portrait mode.
Although it’s not as feature-rich as the HP Elite G3, the Dragonfly G2 has the same 8th-generation Core processors as the original, as well as DDR5 RAM, PCIe 4.0 SSD, and advanced Bluetooth 5.2. And the new design includes improved connectivity options, a brighter display, and stronger cameras.
The laptop has a 13.3-inch touchscreen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. This is a decent amount of screen space for a laptop, but the resolution is only 95% of the sRGB color standard. For basic web browsing and presentations, it’s fine. But it lacks the high-end graphics and contrast that would be expected from a premium business laptop.
The keyboard is spill-resistant and has a sanitization mode. There’s also an IR camera, which works well for Windows Hello. You can also get a physical shutter to protect your privacy.
However, the Dragonfly’s webcam suffers from a bit of a problem. While the IR portion is useful for Windows logins, the lights are blown out. Thankfully, you can still use the webcam for Skype calls.
While the Elite Dragonfly is a great choice for business people, it doesn’t offer the same versatility as a laptop designed for general productivity. Those who want a convertible with convertible options might be better off with the HP Spectre x360.