These days, the majority of people tend to rely on tablets or smartphones to check the incoming emails, deadline schedules, and so on while traveling. However, there are some people who still carry their laptops around to finish some tasks they supposed to do.
Even though were are now living in the era of tablet and smartphone, laptop stills become the most favorite device to work. There are some functionalities of a laptop that can’t be fulfilled by both tablets and smartphones. If you want to travel somewhere, whether it’s a holiday or business trip, you need a lightweight, thin laptop that won’t throng your case.
Basically, all current laptops have a thin design compared to laptops released a few years ago. A thin laptop also means lightweight — which is very ideal for travel. But, it’s not the only problem. Being far away from home/office you might also be far away from the AC power plug. So, apart from dimension and weight, you will also need a laptop that lasts longer. Here are the top 5 laptops that fulfill those criteria.
5 of the best laptops for travel
1. Microsoft Surface Book

If you are a Microsoft fan, then you must consider this one. Surface Book is a part of Microsoft’s Surface line, a series of touchscreen Windows laptops, and interactive whiteboards designed by the software giant. Surface Book is a combination between a tablet and laptop since it comes with a detachable keyboard. When you want to use it as a tablet, just detach the keyboard. Conversely, just put the keyboard back if you need your Surface Book as a laptop.
Microsoft Surface Book is powered by the Intel Core processor, from i3 to i7. RAM also varies from 8 to 16GB while in the storage side, Surface Book uses SSD which is faster than HDD. The dimensions of Surface Book is also case friendly. Here are the key features of Microsoft’s detachable laptop.
- Dimensions: 16.46 x 10.95 x 1.93 in
- Weight: 1.51kg
- Battery life: ± 16 hours
- Display: 13.5-inch, 3000×2000 pixels
- CPU: Intel Core i5 – i7
- RAM: 8GB – 16GB
- GPU: Intel HD 520 – Nvidia GeForce
- Storage: 128GB – 256GB SSD
2. ASUS ZenBook UX330UA

ZenBook is a series of thin laptops from Asus. UX330UA — which has 0.5 inches of thickness — is a family of Asus’s ZenBook. With its thin design, ZenBook UX330UA won’t bother you when you need to carry it to the coffee shop to finish some tasks. It’s only 1.2 kg in weight. ZenBook UX330UA also powered by Windows 10 running on the Intel Core i5 processor. One of the interesting features of this laptop is a built-in fingerprint reader with one-touch login via Windows Hello feature. Long battery life is another feature you can get from this laptop.
- Dimensions: 12.7 x 8.7 x 0.5 in,
- Weight: 1.1 kg
- Battery life: ± 12 hours
- Display: 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 pixels
- CPU: 2.5 GHz Core i5 7200U
- RAM: 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM
- GPU: Intel HD Graphics 520 Integrated
- Storage: 256GB SSD
3. HP Spectre X2

HP fan? If so, Spectre X2 is a good stop if you are looking for a laptop for your travel. Similar to Surface Book, Spectre X2 also comes with a detachable design. You can turn the laptop into a tablet anytime you want. Spectre X2 is very thin with only 0.52 inches of thickness. If you separate the keyboard you will even get a thinner tablet with a thickness of 0.31 inches.
HP Spectre X2 is a great choice if you prefer a middle-class travel laptop. Its price is not too expensive but the features are very decent. Spectre X2 is powered by Intel Core M5, an ultra-low-voltage microprocessor designed specifically for an ultra-thin laptop like Spectre X2.
- Dimensions: 11.81 x 8.23 x 0.52 inches.
- Weight: 1.2 kg.
- Battery life: ± 10 hours.
- Display: 12.0-inch, 1920 x 1280.
- CPU: 1.1 GHz Intel Core M5-6Y54.
- RAM: 4 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM.
- GPU: Intel HD Graphics 515.
- Storage: 128GB SSD.
4. Dell XPS 9350

Dell also has some collections of thin, lightweight laptop that you can bring while on the go. XPS 9350 is one of the laptop series from Dell that you can consider. Not as thin as HP’s Spectre X2 but XPS 9350 is also thin enough with 0.6 inches of thickness. Its weight is only 1.2 kg. Dell XPS 9350 available in two options of processor, Intel Core i5 and i7 while in the RAM side you can choose whether want to use a 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB. XPS 9350 tend to ideal for tasks like editing image or video.
If you have a movie-related job and frequently go to a new place for taking new pictures/videos, XPS 9350 is a nice option to edit your shots immediately.
- Dimensions: 7.88 x 11.98 x 0.6 in inches.
- Weight: 1.2 kg.
- Battery life: ± 11 hours.
- Display: 13.3-inch QHD+, 3200 x 1800.
- CPU: Intel Core i5 – i7.
- RAM: 4GB – 16GB.
- GPU: Intel Iris Graphics 540.
- Storage: 128GB – 1TB SSD.
5. MacBook Air MMGG2LL

Our last suggestion for a travel laptop is Apple’s MacBook Air MMGG2LL. When talking about Apple’s products, you must have known the main point. Apple’s products are known for their beautiful designs. MacBook is no exception. MMGG2LL is a series of MacBook that is powered by OS X El Capitan. Just like other MacBook series, MMGG2LL also comes with a thin design and long battery life. MMGG2LL comes with Intel Core i5 and 8GB of RAM, making it powerful enough for image and video-related tasks. Also a great choice if you are a filmmaker or photographer who loves to going somewhere new to work.
- Dimensions: 8.94 x 12.8 x 0.68 inches.
- Weight: 1.3 kg.
- Battery life: ± 12 hours.
- Display: 13.3-Inch-inch, 1440 x 900.
- CPU: 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5.
- RAM: 8GB.
- GPU: Intel HD Graphics 6000.
- Storage: 256 GB PCIe-based flash storage..