Laptop Recommendations for, loosely, "Thin and Light" or "Ultrabook" space

[Heroic Burrito]

Howdy everyone,

I am searching for a laptop that prioritizes "thin and light" for excellent portability, although sometimes thin and light is seemingly meaningless with marketing speak. My current laptop is a Dell XPS 9500 (i7, 16gb RAM, 1tb SSD) it currently is, and has been excellent, but the chassis is slightly too big and the system slightly too heavy for my new job/traveling. I'm looking to shave off weight and thickness primarily whilst a nice little upgrade in CPU.

 

Budget: <$1500

Preferences:

14-15.9" screen

Long battery life

Integrated graphics is fine, discrete would simply be a bonus

Quality chassis that does not feel or look "cheap" 

 

Any questions please let me know, I have never browsed with "thin and light" in mind before and really looking for some help.

 

Thank you!

-HB

 

[Crunchy Dragon]

What kind of work do you need your laptop for?

 

Unless you need Windows, you can get an M1 or M2 MacBook Air for around that price and have basically everything you listed.

[Heroic Burrito]

10 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

What kind of work do you need your laptop for?

 

Unless you need Windows, you can get an M1 or M2 MacBook Air for around that price and have basically everything you listed.

I'm (freshly minted) psychiatric intern. So mostly research, noting, quite a bit of word processing and browsing. Nothing incredibly demanding. It would be a bonus to be able to play some simple steam games when I travel for pleasure (i.e. overcooked 2, vampire survivors, ori and the blind forest, rainword, etc). Thanks for the response!

[docaero]

I picked up a LG Gram 16" (i7 Evo) a couple months ago. It is definitely lightweight and thin. I think the chassis feels sturdy enough given the weight. I think it would check all your boxes.

 

A quick Amazon search shows a few in the $1.2-1.5k range. I think a newer version just got released recently which is a bit more expensive around $1.7-1.8k.

 

Edit: I have the 16z90q series which has 12th gen intel processors - they don't do a great job distinguishing the models/years

[Heroic Burrito]

2 minutes ago, docaero said:

I picked up a LG Gram 16" (i7 Evo) a couple months ago. It is definitely lightweight and thin. I think the chassis feels sturdy enough given the weight. I think it would check all your boxes.

 

A quick Amazon search shows a few in the $1.2-1.5k range. I think a newer version just got released recently which is a bit more expensive around $1.7-1.8k.

I had forgotten the gram! Thank you so much, I'll look into that

[ryanwilc]

Im looking for a very similar laptop at the Moment

 

check out some of these links:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-galaxy-book3-pro-360-2-in-1-16-3k-amoled-touch-screen-laptop-intel-13th-gen-evo-core-i7-1360p-16gb-memory-1tb-ssd-beige/6531068.p?skuId=6531068

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1742709-REG/samsung_np960xfg_ka1us_16_galaxy_book3_pro.html/overview

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1699725-REG/hp_6g954ut_aba_15_6_zbook_power_g9.html/qa

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1668198-REG/apple_mkgq3ll_a_14_2_macbook_pro_with.html

 

(note these all have 1tb ssd, might find a cheaper version with 512GB version

Keep us updated if you decided on something

 

I am also looking for something with a bright screen with 400 nits or more. While working in an airport or at a restaurant you can't control what windows are open. 

 

 

I keep going back and forth between getting a MacBook vs a Windows computer. The Macbook pro M1 or M2 14in seems like an absolutely great computer. Great build quality, a great track, great battery life, and a great screen. I have some applications that are only available on Mac and some only on Windows (none of them are mission-critical. Windows Modern standby is definitely a reason I am considering opting for a Macbook. 

 

 

[Heroic Burrito]

11 hours ago, ryanwilc said:

Im looking for a very similar laptop at the Moment

 

check out some of these links:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-galaxy-book3-pro-360-2-in-1-16-3k-amoled-touch-screen-laptop-intel-13th-gen-evo-core-i7-1360p-16gb-memory-1tb-ssd-beige/6531068.p?skuId=6531068

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1742709-REG/samsung_np960xfg_ka1us_16_galaxy_book3_pro.html/overview

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1699725-REG/hp_6g954ut_aba_15_6_zbook_power_g9.html/qa

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1668198-REG/apple_mkgq3ll_a_14_2_macbook_pro_with.html

 

(note these all have 1tb ssd, might find a cheaper version with 512GB version

Keep us updated if you decided on something

 

I am also looking for something with a bright screen with 400 nits or more. While working in an airport or at a restaurant you can't control what windows are open. 

 

 

I keep going back and forth between getting a MacBook vs a Windows computer. The Macbook pro M1 or M2 14in seems like an absolutely great computer. Great build quality, a great track, great battery life, and a great screen. I have some applications that are only available on Mac and some only on Windows (none of them are mission-critical. Windows Modern standby is definitely a reason I am considering opting for a Macbook. 

 

 

That galaxy book 3 pro is incredibly compelling. Thank you!