Buying a travel laptop isn’t the same as buying any other laptop. If your main goal is to travel the world taking pictures and capturing videos, you need plenty of disk space given that videos take up a lot of space. Even 1TB is sometimes not enough to capture all those moments as you crisscross the globe.
Additionally, you need a powerful processor that can support picture editing. Great Graphics to support the high definition pictures you’ll be taking. Also, you may want a 2-in-1 machine that you can fold at night to catch a movie before you go to bed.
Ideally, you should be able to get a laptop with all these features, price notwithstanding. But we all know that’s never possible, right? You’ll most likely be working within a defined budget.
With this in mind, we have searched every corner of Internet and identified five excellent travel laptops, powerful enough to handle the rigors of travel without leaving a hole in your pocket. In addition to processing power and memory capacity, we also considered portability, battery storage, and connectivity because we believe that the best travel laptop should be:
- lightweight
- Have a long lasting battery
- Be able to connect to local networks without a problem.
The five are:
- The Acer Aspire Chromebook (Price range; From $230)
Known as one of the best chromebooks under $300, this 11.6 inch Chromebook will satisfy your needs so long as you’re prepared to live within its limits. Weighing just 1.1kg, the Acer Aspire Chromebook doesn’t run a full Operating System like Windows but has a special lightweight OS designed to support only the basic functions.
Beware though that Chromebooks don’t run Microsoft Office. They also don’t support Adobe Photoshop. But they have a special spreadsheet and word processing programs. However, you may need to bring additional storage as the 32GB drive may not be enough.
2.Asus Zenbook UX305CA (price range; From $656.96)
This Asus ultrabook is another very handy option with plenty of memory and storage. It has 8GB of memory, a 256GB solid state drive and the battery can last up to 10 hours. Yet, it’s still ultra slim, being just half an inch thick and weighing no more than three pounds.
It has a 13-inch screen, capable speakers, and enough processing power to tackle everyday tasks. There is even a touch-screen version of the laptop available but again we recommend the non-touch version as it consumes less power and you won’t have to deal with fingerprints engulfing the screen.
3.Dell XPS 13 (Price range; From $880)
The price here is a bit steep, but you probably need to see the machine before you comment. The Dell XPS 13 is by far the most gorgeous laptop on this list. Incredibly, it’s also one of the most powerful travel laptops under $1,000. It’s 8GB of RAM, 256 GB drive and up to 15 hours of battery life is just the beginning.
The XPS 13 also boasts two display options: anon-touch FHD version and a more expensive QHD + touch screen model. But for traveling, we recommend the non-touch version. It’s also extremely slim but the aluminum and carbon fiber body means it’s quite durable.
4.The Lenovo Yoga 900 (Price range; From $939.94)
Completing the list are two convertible laptops or what some people prefer to call “multipurpose” because they can be used both as laptops and as tablets. Starting with the Lenovo Yoga 900, this is a 1.29kg machine fitted with the latest Skylake Intel Core i7 processor and comes with either 8GB or 16GB of memory and 256GB or 512GB of storage.
The battery lasts about 9 hours under use and the Gorilla glass used to manufacture the screen means you can fold the machine into almost any configuration. “You can lower the price even further by utilizing Lenovo discount codes offered by Groupon.”
5.The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (Price range; From $804.21)
Currently the lightest hybrid in the market, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops out there. The cover doubles as the keyboard and stand but only adds about 292 grams/0.64lb to the 786 gram/1.71lb machine.
The Surface Pro 4 also has the latest skylake core i5 CPU and is fitted with a 12.3 inch 2736 x 1824-pixel screen. It has 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage.
Summary
There are a few good shouts such as the HP Spectre x360 and the Apple Macbook Pro that didn’t make the list. But it’s only because the five laptops discussed here are at the top of the pack.
