When it come to travel these days, a laptop is an essential addition to your carry-on. But the best travel laptop isn’t always the same device you'd use while at the office. And sure, many laptops might tout that they’re great for taking on the go, but we've learned that not every option is created equal.
To identify the best travel laptop on the market, we spent the past few months working, watching movies, editing photos, and gaming on several different models before narrowing down to our six favorites. In choosing our favorites, we took a few key factors into account:
Weight: When you’re carrying a laptop around with you all day, be it to a coffee shop or in transit to your destination, an extra pound can make a dramatic difference. Almost all of the options on our list weigh in at less than two and a half pounds; some are even lighter.
Battery life: You want a laptop that’s going to be able to make it from point A to point B on a single charge, not one that’s going to run out of battery power halfway through your cross-country flight.
Performance: A light laptop won’t do you any good if you can’t get all your work done on it. We looked for laptops that packed a punch in a tiny package.
Below, the six best travel laptops to buy now, whether you're looking for something that can double as a tablet for easy vacation reading, the lightest option out there, or a laptop that functions just as well as a WFH back-up for when you're stuck at home.
All products featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
The MacBook Air has been the gold standard for travelers for a while now, due to its ability to handle complex tasks without added bulk. This year’s Air replaces Apple’s problematic butterfly keyboard with a new Magic Keyboard, and offers faster graphics and double the storage capacity of previous versions. You can purchase models with up to 2TB of internal SD storage, enough to hold over 70 hours of 1080p video. You can also watch up to 12 hours of video on the device on a single charge.
Touch ID makes unlocking the laptop a snap, and the edge-to-edge Retina display offers a resolution of 2560 x 1600, making everything from web pages to videos crisp and easy to read or see. The computer weighs in at 2.8 pounds, which, while once considered light for Macs, is a bit heavier than some of the other options out there. That said, if you use a Mac already, transitioning to the Air will be a relatively seamless experience and that extra pound will likely only come into play if you have to carry the laptop around for long periods of time.
Pros: This full-powered computer with a great keyboard is easy for Mac users to transition to.
Cons: While great for web-based work, the computer gets overloaded if you need to have multiple software programs or a large volume of browser tabs open at once.
Buy now: $900, bestbuy.com | Buy now: N670,000 jumia.com.ng
Lenovo’s Yoga C940 is our favorite for both work and play, thanks to its 4K display and powerful Intel Core i9 that can handle heavy photo and video editing software, on top of basics like word processing.
The keyboard side easily folds back to put the device in tablet mode, perfect for watching a movie on your tray table, and the C940 is available with storage up to 2TB, so you can queue up viewing materials for your entire trip without running out of space. The Yoga’s Dolby Atmos speaker system also makes it a solid choice for watching movies; however, the laptop weighs in at 4.41 pounds, which is almost double the weight of other options on our list.
Pros: The device's pen fits into its side, making it easy to carry around without losing it.
Cons: Travelers having to carry their gear for extended periods of time will notice the laptop’s 4.41-pound weight.
Buy now: From $1,050, lenovo.com
LG’s 2-in-1 does double duty as both a laptop and a tablet. The 2.3-pound device folds easily in half, turning the keyboard into a stand for when you want to binge watch or video chat. It's battery life was also among the best we’ve seen, with the computer able to last up to 21 hours on a single charge.
Like some of the other Windows options we tested, the Gram 2-in-1 offers smart pen support. The laptop ships with a AAA-powered LG Stylus Pen that you can use to take handwritten notes on the screen, or mark up drawings and documents. Fingerprint recognition makes signing in as easy as touching the computer’s power button, and the laptop comes with two USB slots, in addition to the USB-C port used for power, so you can connect a few devices to it without using dongles.
Pros: The ability to fold it in half, and multiple USB ports, make this ultraportable device especially convenient.
Cons: The included pen doesn’t have a way to attach to the laptop, so you have to carry it separately. (We recommend a tech organizer like Bellroy's so you don't lose it.)
Buy now: $1,597, amazon.com
Samsung’s Galaxy Book S is both thin and lightweight, at just .46 inches thick and 2.12 heavy, making it a great choice for travelers whose carry-on space is at a premium.
The laptop has a built-in SIM card slot, so you can also use it to connect to mobile networks through your phone plan. With the fingerprint sensor built into the power button, signing in is a breeze (and you can feel good about the added security). Since the device is so thin, it doesn’t offer any full-sized USB ports, just two USB-C ports, which means you’ll need to pack a dongle to attach any additional devices like keyboards or cameras.
The laptop isn’t as high-powered as some of the other options, so it's not the best choice for running a lot of programs at once—but those who mainly work with documents and spreadsheets on the go will have all the power they need.
Pros: The built-in SIM slot allowing access mobile networks on-the-go, and the laptop’s thin design, make it easy to use on the move.
Cons: No built-in traditional USB ports means that using the laptop with other devices is challenging, and while great for things like web browsing and word processing, the laptop lags when trying to handle more complex tasks.
Buy now: From $1,000, samsung.com
Technically, this is actually a tablet that works like a laptop—but if you’re looking for something ultra-light, you’re not going to find anything as compact as Microsoft’s 1.7-pound Surface Pro X.
The tablet is 7.33mm thick (just over a quarter of an inch), making it thinner than many cell phones, even with the removable keyboard attached. (Bonus: There's a stylus tucked inside the keyboard.)
The device’s battery lasts up to 13 hours, ensuring you’ll have enough juice to make it through the day. If that battery does wane on long journeys, you can get it back to 80 percent in just an hour thanks to a quick charging feature. LTE support also allows you to stay connected even when WiFi isn’t available, helpful for road trips where you need to stay connected from the passenger seat. One downside: While it’s able to handle things like word processing, email, and spreadsheets with ease, it is a tablet after all. If you need to run more complex software, like for video editing, you might need to opt for a more high-powered machine.
Pros: Fast charging means you’ll always have power when you need it, and the ultra thin profile makes it easy to carry around. (Plus, we love a stylus that stores inside the keyboard like this one.)
Cons: The Surface Pro X tablet can’t run many applications you might use on your regular computer.
Buy now: From $1,000, microsoft.com
While most people think of the tablet version when they hear “Surface,” Microsoft also makes a pretty solid laptop by the same name. The touchscreen laptop comes in both 13.5” and 15” varieties, the larger being the best for those who need a little extra screen to work with. The laptop’s battery can last up to 11.5 hours on a single charge, and, like the Surface Pro X, it can charge to roughly 80 percent after just an hour of being plugged in, so you could potentially get enough juice to make it through your long-haul flight just by charging up at the gate.
The Smart Pen support allows you to precisely draw on the screen or mark up documents. However, that extra screen space is reflected in the device’s weight: The 13.5” version of the laptop weighs in at 2.84 pounds, while the larger 15” is 3.40 pounds. (Both, it's worth noting, weigh less than the Lenovo Yoga, the heaviest on our list.)
Pros: The 15” version is a powerful machine with a ton of screen in a small package; and while that brilliant screen drains the battery, fast charging ensures you’ll have power when you need it.
Cons: The larger version can be heavy to carry around for longer periods of time, and the laptop is overall bulkier than other options on our list.
Buy now: From $1,000, microsoft.com
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