There’s nothing better than feeling organized. And nothing makes you feel more organized than having a compact powerful laptop you can carry around in a small bag.
Just because these laptops are lightweight and portable, it doesn’t mean they’re not excellent. On the contrary, these laptops are seriously impressive.
So whether you need it for work or for play, make the right decision with these tried and tested recommendations and get the laptop that’s perfect for you.
Best for performance: MacBook Air
The latest MacBook Air is thinner and lighter and has a gorgeous new design, plus an improved keyboard – the comfiest on test. It also brings back MagSafe, which ensures that if someone trips on your cable, it detaches so the Air doesn’t go flying.
Performance is very fast, thanks to Apple’s new M2 chip, which also delivers
18 hours of battery life. The screen is bigger (13.6in), although it has a notch for the webcam. It comes in four cool colors, especially a golden-silver one called Starlight.
Buy it from £1,249 at Apple.
Best for portability: Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360
The epitome of versatility: the 360 in the name means the display folds back on itself. You can stand it up like a trestle table or use it like a tablet. There’s a smart stylus so you can scribble on the screen.
Video playback looks great – this is the only laptop on test with an OLED display. It makes the laptop engrossing to use, however you’re using it, even though the bezel at the bottom of the display is bigger than we’d like.
Battery life is strong and this laptop beats the MacBook Air for lightness.
Buy it from £1,399 at Samsung.
Best for value: Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Microsoft makes a range of its own hardware to match Windows software. The Surface Laptop 4 looks different from rivals, thanks to a reflective Microsoft logo on the lid and a curious but highly comfortable Alcantara material keyboard surround on which to rest your wrists (on Platinum and Ice Blue color finishes only).
Solid build quality means that when you poke at the touchscreen, it doesn’t slip backwards. Battery life is decent but not exceptional. Performance is strong.
Buy it from £899 at Microsoft.
Best for display: Huawei MateBook 16s
If you want a larger display, but still need portability, the MateBook 16s with a 16-inch high-resolution touchscreen is a real performer. It’s not the lightest here (a whisker under 2kg) but it’s thin and looks great.
The 12th generation Intel processor means this is a laptop that’s fast, responsive and capable of running multiple programs at the same time. Even when pushed hard, the MateBook is very quiet in use. If you have a recent Huawei smartphone you can connect it wirelessly to the MateBook 16s and transfer files between the two.
Like the MacBook Air, there’s a fingerprint sensor in the power button. Battery life is not so much that you can leave the power brick behind, though. Great value.
Buy it from £1,299 at Huawei.
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