← Back to Home
💼

Best Ultraportable Laptops (2026)

If portability is your priority, these are the laptops to consider. I've tested each one for battery life, weight, build quality, and real-world performance so you can find the perfect travel companion.

17 laptops reviewed|Updated April 2026|By Matthew Moniz
#1Apple MacBook Air M5 (2026)
4.8/5

Matthew's Take

The M5 MacBook Air is the best value Mac Apple has ever made. Apple kept the same prices as the M4 and doubled storage at every tier. You get 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, 18-hour battery, and a silent fanless design starting at $1,099. For the vast majority of users — students, remote workers, business travelers, light creatives — this is the right MacBook to buy.

Pros

  • Same price as M4 but double the base storage at every tier
  • Consistent 18-hour battery across the entire Air lineup
  • Completely silent fanless operation
  • Lightweight and supremely portable
  • 16GB RAM and 98% DCI-P3 display coverage

Cons

  • Throttles under sustained maximum load (no fans)
  • 24GB RAM ceiling
  • 60Hz display only — no ProMotion
  • No peak HDR brightness like the MacBook Pro
CPU
Apple M5
GPU
Apple M5 (10-core GPU)
Display
13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 500 nits, 60Hz
Battery
Up to 18 hours
#2Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (2026)
4.8/5

Matthew's Take

One of the nicest-looking Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops with a stunning 1100 nits OLED display. Battery life is phenomenal and the design is gorgeous.

Pros

  • 1100 nits OLED display is incredibly bright
  • Exceptional battery life
  • Snapdragon X2 Elite delivers great performance
  • Sleek premium design

Cons

  • Limited app compatibility on ARM
  • No discrete GPU option
  • Modest storage in base model
CPU
Snapdragon X2 Elite
GPU
Adreno GPU
Display
14.5" OLED 1100 nits
Battery
70Wh - Up to 18 hours
#3Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i (2025)
4.8/5

Matthew's Take

The Yoga Slim 9i is gorgeous! Beautiful design and premium build, but it might not be for everyone due to the price and lack of discrete GPU.

Pros

  • BEAUTIFUL design
  • Stunning OLED display
  • Premium materials
  • Excellent battery life

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Might not be for everyone
  • No discrete GPU
  • Limited ports
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7
GPU
Intel Arc Graphics
Display
14" OLED 2.8K
Battery
75Wh - Up to 14 hours
#4MacBook Air 13 M4 (2025)
4.8/5

Matthew's Take

The M4 MacBook Air 13 is the best overall daily driver for most people. Great performance, battery life, and portability.

Pros

  • Best overall daily driver
  • Excellent performance
  • Amazing battery life
  • Silent fanless design

Cons

  • Only 2 USB-C ports
  • Display not OLED
  • Limited to macOS
CPU
Apple M4
GPU
Integrated GPU (10-core)
Display
13.6" Liquid Retina
Battery
52.6Wh - Up to 18 hours
#5ASUS ExpertBook Ultra (2026)
4.7/5

Matthew's Take

This business laptop actually competes with the MacBook Pro. The OLED display is stunning, battery life is excellent, and it's incredibly light. This is the Windows business laptop to beat.

Pros

  • Beats MacBook Pro in many business tasks
  • Gorgeous OLED display
  • Ultra-lightweight design
  • Excellent battery life

Cons

  • Limited gaming performance
  • Premium pricing
  • Webcam placement could be better
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 3
GPU
Intel Arc B390
Display
3K Tandem OLED (2880x1800)
Battery
70Wh - Up to 13 hours
#6Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 (Intel, 2025)
4.7/5

Matthew's Take

The IdeaPad Pro 5 is the fastest laptop I've tested with Intel Core Ultra 9 285H CPU. It does a better job with thermals than other models.

Pros

  • Fastest laptop with Core Ultra 9 285H tested
  • Better thermal management
  • Gorgeous OLED display
  • Great value

Cons

  • Integrated graphics only
  • Heavier than competitors
  • No Thunderbolt 5
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
GPU
Intel Arc Graphics
Display
14" OLED 2.8K
Battery
84Wh - Up to 12 hours
#7LG Gram Pro AI 16 (2025)
4.6/5

Matthew's Take

The LG Gram Pro 16 is super light and thin with pretty good battery, a big screen, and a good amount of ports. Lighter than it should be!

Pros

  • Lighter than it should be
  • Excellent battery life
  • Big 16-inch screen
  • Good amount of ports

Cons

  • Build feels fragile
  • Integrated GPU only
  • Display not OLED
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7
GPU
Intel Arc Graphics
Display
16" IPS 2560x1600
Battery
80Wh - Up to 14 hours
#8HP OmniBook Ultra Flip (2024)
4.6/5

Matthew's Take

The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip is incredible! Great 2-in-1 design with an OLED display and solid performance.

Pros

  • Best 2-in-1 design
  • Incredible OLED display
  • Great battery life
  • Versatile form factor

Cons

  • Integrated GPU only
  • Premium pricing
  • Keyboard feels shallow
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7 258V
GPU
Intel Arc Graphics
Display
14" OLED 2.8K touch
Battery
68Wh - Up to 14 hours
#9Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra AE (2026)
4.5/5

Matthew's Take

The Yoga Slim 7i Ultra AE is the total package. 975 grams, all-day battery life from a 75Wh cell, a 1110-nit P-OLED display, and an Arc B390 that games like an RTX 4050 — in an integrated GPU. My only real complaints are the missing audio jack and no USB-A. I wouldn't be surprised to see this on my list for the best laptops of 2026.

Pros

  • Sub-1kg weight with a 14-inch 2.8K OLED at 1110 nits
  • Intel Arc B390 approaches RTX 4050 gaming performance — in an integrated GPU
  • Intel Core Ultra X9 388H delivers strong CPU headroom
  • 75Wh battery in a 13.9mm chassis
  • Wi-Fi 7, HDMI 2.1, and Thunderbolt 4 in an ultraportable

Cons

  • RAM is soldered — choose 32GB at purchase
  • No SD card reader
  • X9 388H runs warmer than prior Lunar Lake chips
CPU
Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (Panther Lake, 16 cores)
GPU
Intel Arc B390 (12 Xe cores, ~RTX 4050 performance)
Display
14-inch 2.8K P-OLED (2880×1800), 120Hz VRR, 1110 nits, 10-bit, Delta E <1
Battery
75Wh — all-day productivity
#10LG gram Pro AI (2026)
4.5/5

Matthew's Take

LG made the gram Pro AI lighter and stronger this year, and finally added a bronze color option. It's still incredibly light but feels more durable.

Pros

  • Lighter than it should be
  • Bronze color option looks premium
  • Excellent battery life
  • Stronger build quality than previous models

Cons

  • Display could be brighter
  • Integrated GPU limits graphics performance
  • Premium price
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7
GPU
Intel Arc Graphics
Display
16" IPS 2560x1600
Battery
80Wh - Up to 14 hours
#11Framework Laptop 13 (2025)
4.5/5

Matthew's Take

The Framework Laptop 13 is the most customizable and repairable laptop you can buy. Swappable ports, translucent panels, but is it overpriced?

Pros

  • Most repairable laptop
  • Fully customizable
  • Swappable ports
  • Upgradeable everything

Cons

  • Overpriced for specs
  • Display not OLED
  • Build feels less premium
  • No discrete GPU option
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7 or AMD Ryzen AI
GPU
Integrated Graphics
Display
13.5" IPS 2256x1504
Battery
61Wh - Up to 10 hours
#12Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2023)
4.5/5

Matthew's Take

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon remains the business standard with its legendary keyboard and ultralight design.

Pros

  • The business standard
  • Legendary keyboard
  • Ultra lightweight
  • Excellent build quality

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Display could be brighter
  • Limited gaming capability
CPU
Intel Core i7-1365U
GPU
Intel Iris Xe
Display
14" IPS 2.8K
Battery
57Wh - Up to 12 hours
#13Acer Swift Edge 14 (2024)
4.4/5

Matthew's Take

The Acer Swift Edge 14 is insanely lightweight with a beautiful design and OLED display at a competitive price.

Pros

  • Insanely lightweight
  • Beautiful OLED display
  • Great value
  • Premium design

Cons

  • Average battery life
  • Integrated GPU only
  • Limited ports
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7
GPU
AMD Radeon Graphics
Display
14" OLED 2.8K
Battery
54Wh - Up to 11 hours
#14Acer Swift 16 AI (2026)
4.2/5

Matthew's Take

The Acer Swift 16 AI is the most competitively priced Panther Lake X7 laptop I've reviewed so far. At $1,799 with 32GB RAM, 1TB storage, an Arc B390 that games like an RTX 4050, and 15+ hour battery life, it beats the $2,400 Galaxy Book 6 Ultra at its own game. The speakers are rough and the keyboard needs work, but for productivity, creative work, and casual gaming in one package, the value here is hard to argue with.

Pros

  • 32GB RAM and 1TB storage at $1,799 undercuts the $2,400 Galaxy Book 6 Ultra
  • Arc B390 nearly doubles AMD Radeon 890M — 3DMark Time Spy 7,050
  • 70Wh battery delivers 15h 21min real-world mixed productivity
  • Haptic touchpad doubles as a drawing surface
  • Full-size HDMI, two USB-A, micro SD, and audio jack all included

Cons

  • Two bottom-firing speakers — genuinely bad
  • Key spacing too wide; more typing mistakes than most laptops
  • Chassis flex in the middle when pressed
  • OLED display does not hit 1,000 nits — not tandem OLED
  • Heavy pre-installed bloatware and ads on a premium product
CPU
Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (Panther Lake, 16 cores)
GPU
Intel Arc B390 (~RTX 4050 performance)
Display
16-inch 2880×1800 OLED, 120Hz, 16:10, touch, True Black 500
Battery
70Wh — 15h 21min PCMark Modern Office
#15HP OmniBook 5 (2024)
4.2/5

Matthew's Take

The HP OmniBook 5 is budget friendly without sacrificing too much. Great for students and everyday use.

Pros

  • Budget friendly
  • Solid performance
  • Good build quality
  • Decent battery life

Cons

  • Display not high-res
  • Plastic chassis
  • Average keyboard
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5
GPU
AMD Radeon Graphics
Display
14" IPS 1920x1080
Battery
51Wh - Up to 10 hours
#16Acer Aspire 14 AI (2024)
4/5

Matthew's Take

The Acer Aspire offers the best value for students on a budget. Perfect for basic computing needs without breaking the bank.

Pros

  • Best value for students
  • Affordable pricing
  • Decent specs for the price
  • Good for basic tasks

Cons

  • Basic build quality
  • Average display
  • Limited performance
  • Short battery life
CPU
Intel Core i5
GPU
Intel UHD Graphics
Display
15.6" IPS 1920x1080
Battery
48Wh - Up to 8 hours
#17MSI Prestige 16 AI (2025)
3.8/5

Matthew's Take

Review of Intel's Arrow Lake in laptops featuring the MSI Prestige 16 AI. Unfortunately, it's a hot mess with thermal and software issues.

Pros

  • Intel Arrow Lake debut in laptops
  • Good productivity performance
  • Decent build quality
  • Affordable

Cons

  • It's a hot mess
  • Thermal issues
  • Software bugs
  • Disappointing Arrow Lake performance
CPU
Intel Arrow Lake (Core Ultra)
GPU
Intel Arc Graphics
Display
16" IPS 2560x1600
Battery
82Wh - Up to 10 hours