5 Top Picks
4 Reviewers
30 Hours of Research
30 Options Considered
When you are in search of the best travel laptop, there are many elements to consider. Nowadays, brands keep launching a wide range of innovative products. They are diverse in designs, functions as well as price levels, which may drive you crazy. Nevertheless, a light and thin laptop would suit you perfectly.
3 Top Travel Laptops
1. [Best Travel Laptop Overall]
4.9/5
Best for 2-in-1 option
We love to start with an Acer Ultrabook named Acer Spin 3. The laptop features a Core i7 CPU along with a 16-GB RAM for robust performance. Also, it comes with a responsive touch screen that is regarded as an advantage over many higher-range competitors who don’t have that function.
2. [Best For The Money] Microsoft Surface Go
4.8/5
Best for strong graphics
At first glance, the design is what catches your attention most. The Microsoft Surface Go weighs only 1.15 pounds and gets about a 2-inch-smaller size than the Surface Pro. This easily portable laptop becomes an ideal choice for remote workers like a business traveler or a digital nomad.
3. [Best For Durability] Lenovo Flex 14
4.7/5
This Lenovo Flex 14 is an appropriate option for your next travel if you only have a tight budget.
Despite the low price, it does not look cheap thanks to the design of a 2-in-1 travel laptop. You can fold the screen to turn from laptop to a tablet, depending on your work requirements.
No doubt, we are here for you. You don’t need to spend too much time searching or worry about choosing the wrong products. For example, if you need your laptop strictly for work, look for laptops for business. Not listed in this article are also gaming laptops under $2000. We have already made a potential list of top-rated travel laptops in 2022 perfect for digital nomads. Let’s see which one will be your pick!
5 BEST TRAVEL LAPTOPS 2023 – DETAILED REVIEWS
If you are tired of finding the best travel laptops among the mass on the market, the following five options will give you a helping hand.
[Best Travel Laptop Overall]
1. Acer Spin 3
4.9/5
Best for 2-in-1 option
We love to start with an Acer Ultrabook named Acer Spin 3. The laptop features a Core i7 CPU along with a 16-GB RAM for robust performance. Also, it comes with a responsive touch screen that is regarded as an advantage over many higher-range competitors who don’t have that function.
It is a nice layer of gray plastic covering the laptop exterior. The unique feature of this Spin 3 lies in its revolutionary 360° hinge. You can rotate to use the laptop in the tablet-style with a pen.
In terms of data security, Spin 3 has a fingerprint reader. Acer designs it in the form of a small black square on the touchpad. Along with Windows Hello – Microsoft biometric security feature, this function can protect your data.
As for the keyboard, the Spin 3 gets an island-style backlit one. The responsiveness of keys is quite excellent, no matter whether you are typing or doing a single tap. It allows you to type more than 60 words/minute.
While heat is a drawback in a number of versions, the Spin 3 makes it an advantage. You can easily test this function by playing some videos simultaneously. The plastic cover still stays cool.
Despite the laptop’s highly appreciated features, there is only one shortcoming to complain. The below-average color range might be the only problem we may have. A range with basic colors might make the scenes a little boring sometimes. If you expect an excellent colorful display at most, this laptop may not be your first choice. On the upside, it does its jobs and is quite transportable and thin.
Thanks to the 2-in-1 design, the Acer Spin 3 gets a bonus point of evaluation. It's the best option if you want use on your travel thanks to its compact design and decent performance.
Acer Spin 3 Pros
Acer Spin 3 Cons
[Best for The Money]
4.8/5
Best for strong graphics
At first glance, the design is what catches your attention most. The Microsoft Surface Go weighs only 1.15 pounds and gets about a 2-inch-smaller size than the Surface Pro. This easily portable laptop becomes an ideal choice for remote workers like a business traveler or a digital nomad.
The signature Type Cover equips the laptop with a full-sized keyboard. Moreover, it has a larger glass trackpad compared with the Surface Pro. Both of these points create a fashionable style. Despite being smaller than the Surface Pro, the keyboard does not make the typing cramped for sure.
With the Surface Go, there are three modes for users to choose. They cover laptop, tablet and studio mode. You only need to adjust the kickstand to change.
Microsoft still keeps its top-notch display on the Surface Go. The screen is 1,800*1,200 pixels with high color accuracy to make everything on display fantastic.
Around the screens, large thick bezels combined with speakers give amazingly powerful sound. Both the display and the speakers make the Surface Go the best multimedia tablet.
Running on the Intel Pentium Gold processor helps this laptop handle well an essential amount of workloads. However, it will be even much better if the laptop comes with accessories such as mouse and protection case, which are quite pricey when bought separately.
The Surface Go comes with a modern design and essential functions. It seems to be a perfect match for users who do not require too much from their laptops.
Microsoft Surface Go Pros
Microsoft Surface Go Cons
[Best for The Durability]
4.7/5
This Lenovo Flex 14 is an appropriate option for your next travel if you only have a tight budget. Despite the low price, it does not look cheap thanks to the design of a 2-in-1 travel laptop. You can fold the screen to turn from laptop to a tablet, depending on your work requirements.
The laptop is equipped with 8GB of RAM and 256GB for storage. They are the good specifications that you will find with this expensive product range on the market.
Is the graphic design the thing you care at most? If YES, the Flex 14 runs with a configuration which is powerful enough to run many design tools. Moreover, its Active Pen will support well for your drawing, writing and video editing on the responsive touchscreen. The battery life is also good.
Undoubtedly, the Vega graphics card makes up ample storage space. However, the Flex 14 can still handle most of your tasks well.
This Lenovo laptop is not as thin as other competitors. But this thickness is also an advantage since it leaves more room for USB ports, such as a USB c port. However, you have to accept that it is quite heavy with the weight of 3.52 pounds, so it's not the best choice if you want a lightweight laptop.
As a good budget laptop, Lenovo Flex 14 can meet the demands of basic tasks such as working with Microsoft Office or Adobe. If you expect to do more demanding tasks, we suggest it should be your second best choice.
Lenovo Flex 14 Pros
Lenovo Flex 14 Cons
4.6/5
Best for design
Another Microsoft Surface in this list comes the model Surface Pro 7.
In general, the Surface Pro 7 might be considerably similar to the Surface Pro X. But its configuration is more powerful thanks to the new Intel Core I chip.
The 10th Gen Intel Core i5 allows you to do more things with this laptop. It is a relatively strong configuration in a compact 2-in-1 laptop. You can perform your day-to-day tasks with two modes including laptop mode and tablet mode.
Besides, an integrated graphics card becomes an indispensable part of the Pro 7. The Intel UHD Graphic is for the Core i3 version while the Intel Iris Plus is for Core i5 and i7 versions.
As for SSD storage space, Microsoft remains the same as the previous model including 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. However, the Matte Black version may have a few options. Core i3, Ram 4 GB, or 1TB SSD may be available on the Platinum version.
The battery is always the point that most users care about. For Surface Pro 7, we do not find any exception.
According to Microsoft, the battery life is 10.5 hours with a 45Wh battery. This may be the only minus point for the Pro 7 since the Surface Pro 6 gets the battery life to 13 hours of continuous use.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 comes with some advancements in comparison with previous models. It may be the second best product of the Surface Pro line. However, it will surely be in the list of considerations.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Pros
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Cons
5. MacBook Air
4.5/5
Best for display
For the 2022 version, Apple updated the MacBook Air line in comparison with the previous ones.
The main updated points include customizing the butterfly keyboard and the Intel chip. At first glance, the MacBook Air 2022 comes with the keyboard like the one of MacBook Pro. Furthermore, the manufacturer replaces the old chip model with a 10th generation Intel chip.
The MacBook Air 2022 weighing 1.29kg is similar in size to the 2019 version. However, it is slightly thicker (30.41 x 21.24 x 1.61cm). This parameter is nearly the same as the one of HP Envy, Lenovo Yoga C740, Dell XPS 13, and Microsoft Surface Pro 7.
The laptop features the Apple Retina screen of 13.3 inches size and 2560*1600-pixel resolution. It can produce a beautiful and sharp HD display. Also, the True Tone technology helps to adjust the color based on the light towards the screen.
According to Apple, the speakers on their new MacBook Air can provide the x2 bass along with 25% louder volume. This speaker system can fill the whole living room.
The Magic Keyboard that the MacBook Air possesses has a high typing bounce and brings a sense of enjoyment to users. On average, you can type more than 70 words/minute with this MacBook keyboard.
In terms of the graphics performance, the Intel Iris Plus GPU might be less suitable for playing games with high resolution. It will perform more efficiently when editing photos or videos with low resolution.
Undoubtedly, MacBook Air is one of the best laptops in the world. It is worth your money from a new Magic Keyboard, great Touch ID, great battery life and good configuration to performance. In addition, check out our 'What are the Best Monitors for MacBook Air?' post.
MacBook Air Pros
MacBook Air Cons
TIPS TO GET THE BEST TRAVEL LAPTOPS
When you know exactly your demand, seeking for the best travel laptop will get easier. Before starting the journey, some points below are quite necessary to consider.
Wifi
If you’re traveling you want a laptop that receives wi-fi well. Of course, having a great travel router will help, but it’s important to consider this point as well. All of the laptops we mentioned connect to wi-fi very so if you went with one of them you have nothing to worry about.
Price
The first important consideration is the price. Finding a good budge laptop shouldn't be hard. Unless you use the laptop for work during your travel, there is no need to choose an expensive product. On the market, many mid-range laptops can meet your basic demand for traveling.
Besides, the insurance fee for valuable items when traveling is high. Therefore, a very light laptop that has a reasonable price will definitely help you save a lot of money.
Portability
Another essential element is the portability. The more lightweight your backpack is, the more conveniently you can travel. The laptop size will help you pull the device in/out of the backpack quickly.
Battery Life
During travel, you may move continuously. So, waiting for the laptop to get fully charged sounds less likely. Imagine that you are in the mountains and use your computer to import photos and the computer may need to be charged. Therefore, the best laptops will have its battery life of at least 8 hours.
Storage
Storage capacity should be considered when choosing a travel laptop. A reliable battery life, along with portability, is not enough. When traveling, there is a high demand for storing photos and videos. Therefore, it is definitely a must to get an ample storage space.
Processing power
You should never forget this part if editing high-resolution pictures and video is your main purpose. The processing power or the CPU is like the computer brain. For the smooth performance, you can try the Intel Core i7. Plus, a separate graphics chip is also a must for games as well as 3D design.
Operating systems
Apple IOS, Microsoft Windows, and Chrome OS are three common operating systems for laptops.
Microsoft Windows: has a wide range of options for travel laptops. It offers impressive features, including touch screens, fingerprint readers, as well as dual graphics chips. Windows laptops are a good choice if you want a high quality laptop.
Apple IOS: is the most reliable operating system and is the most worth your pocket. An apple laptop is also a great choice.
Chrome OS: may be the simplest operating system. However, it might have a few functions.
FAQS
1. Are travel laptops suitable for handling the complicated task?
It is likely YES. A travel laptop is often a small one with configuration, which is only powerful enough for simple requirements. However, some high-end products of big brands can still meet all demands, no matter whether they are simple or complicated.
2. Can customers easily return laptops if there are problems after purchasing?
Different brands offer different policies. Let’s take Apple laptops for example. As for the MacBook, you can send it back to the provider for 30 days since the first purchase.
3. Is it reasonable to choose 2-in-1 laptops?
A 2-in-1 laptop means that it is available in both laptop and tablet mode. This style will be convenient for many purposes. When you type the document, you can choose the laptop mode. If your favorite thing is to watch movies, the tablet mode is more suggestive.
In a nutshell
Choosing a great travel laptop is different from finding the one for other purposes. These laptops not only ensure a compact design but also meet your demands for work or entertainment.
Each of the products mentioned above has its advantages and disadvantages. We are sure with the article you will have the best choice! We are eager to know about your personal experience with the best travel laptops. So, contact us immediately once you make a choice!
