Are you looking for the perfect travel laptop for your next trip? Whether you need a laptop to browse the web and watch TV while you’re away, you’re homeschooling your kids or you’re working remotely, we’ve put together a guide on the best laptops for travel UK to help you make a perfect choice.
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Things to Look for When Buying a Travel Laptop
If you’re looking for top travel laptops, you must take some important factors into account to choose the right laptop for you:
Size and Weight
Your laptop’s portability is mostly due to size and weight. The bigger and heavier the laptop is, the more difficult it will be to carry around. A heavy and extra-large laptop would be a big inconvenience while travelling.
Standard Clamshell vs 2-in-1 Laptops
For the most part, your choices in terms of laptop type are between the traditional clamshell and convertible laptops. The latter is a mix of laptop and tablet with touchscreen. Popular models include Microsoft Surface laptops, but other brands also have similar series.
If you use your laptop for entertainment often and, especially if you have kids travelling with you, a convertible might just be a good choice. If you just want a laptop for working while travelling, the clamshell is a better option.
Battery Life
Using a laptop while travelling may mean using the laptop on the go on buses, trains and planes. You might not have a charging outlet available everywhere. So you want to get a battery-efficient laptop that lasts long on a single charge. Some hotels don’t have plugs in the right places which can be a pain!
RAM and Storage
RAM and storage are important considerations when buying a laptop for any purpose. It’s also linked with the price, as higher RAM and storage will usually cost more. An 8 GB RAM is ideal, but you can make do with 4 GB, too, if you’re just a casual user.
As for storage, try getting a laptop with SSD storage as that’s faster. It should have at least a 128GB hard disk.
Ports
Laptop manufacturers seem to be cutting down on ports every year, but those ports are lifesavers when travelling. You can charge your phone with a USB connection or transfer photos from your camera through an SD card slot. Also, make sure it has an audio jack so you can take calls and listen to music without disturbing others.
Best Travel Laptops Comparison
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Best Travel Laptops of 2022
Here’s a complete guide to the very best travel laptops in the UK in 2022:
#1 Dell XPS 13 (9310) – Best Travel Laptop 2022 OVERALL
The Dell XPS 13 is hands down the best computer for travel, given its sleek design and powerful performance. It’s from Dell’s high-end laptop series and comes with Windows 10 Pro. Even though it’s pretty thin, you have all the necessary ports like Thunderbolt, audio jack, and micro SD card slot.
The display is simply incredible with InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflective technology that packs in 500 nits. Made from aluminium, it’s durable, which you would want in the best travel laptops.
Key Features
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- 13.4-inch touchscreen
- Backlit keyboard
- Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1
- SSD storage
Pros
- Highly portable
- Long battery life
- Touchscreen convenience
- High-quality webcam
Cons
- More expensive than other options.
- Fan slightly noisier.
#2 Lenovo Ideapad Flex 3 2-in-2 Chromebook
The Lenovo Ideapad Flex 3 is one of the best small laptops that’s also a convertible. The screen is just 11.6 inches, so it will conveniently fit in any backpack or even a big tote.
Powered by Chrome OS, it’s a good option for those who use Google Drive and Workspace. Also, it’s one of the good laptops for travelling with kids as it can be used to watch TV on the go.
Key Features
- Beautiful almond colour
- Intel Celeron processor
- 4 GB RAM
- 64 GB eMMC storage
- HD touch display
Pros
- Incredibly lightweight
- Good for entertainment
- Cloud storage
- Charges quickly
Cons
- Not very versatile
- Not ideal for heavy software
#3 Apple MacBook Air 2020 – Best MacBook for Travel
If you’re specifically looking for an Apple device, there’s no better travelling laptop than the MacBook Air (2020). Now, the MacBooks have Apple’s very own proprietary M1 chip processors, which are incredibly fast.
Of course, the highlight is the crystal clear Retina display, paired with a feather-light streamlined body. It’s the best laptop for backpacking as it delivers reliable performance without taking much space in the backpack.
Key Features
- 13-inch Retina Display
- Three stylish colour options
- HD camera
- Touch ID
- iCloud storage
Pros
- Very portable
- Long battery life
- 3.5 times faster than previous models
- Syncs seamlessly with iPhone and iPad
Cons
- Pricey
- Delicate construction
#4 Microsoft Surface Go 3 Tablet PC – Best Microsoft Surface Laptop for Travel
The best laptop for travel vlogging and blogging is easily the Microsoft Surface Go 3, the latest in the series. It’s powered by an Intel Pentium Gold or Core i3, as per your choice. As this is Surface Go, it’s a convertible laptop that’s easy to use and carry anywhere.
You can connect it with a wireless mouse and edit videos seamlessly. Although it has only 128 GB of storage, you can leverage OneDrive to save all your blog posts and videos. You can also use the Surface Pen with it.
Key Features
- LTE Advanced option
- 10.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen
- Front and rear cameras
- OneDrive cloud storage
- Compatible with type cover
Pros
- Easy to use on the go
- Comes with Windows 11
- Quality speakers
- Long battery life
Cons
- Limited ports
- Pricey
#5 ASUS VivoBook X413JA Laptop – Best Notebook for Travel
The ASUS VivoBook X413JA is the best travel business laptop. It has a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, paired with 8 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage. These resources are more than enough for work tools. And it doesn’t hurt that it has an FHD anti-glare display, so you can even use it outdoors.
The laptop is quite thin with a contemporary design. It also runs smoothly for long hours thanks to the ASUS Intelligence Performance Technology.
Key Features
- Extremely thin bezels
- LED-backlit keys
- Upgrade to Windows 11 (free)
- ASUS Number Pad 2.0
Pros
- Lightweight and portable
- Can support heavy software
- Extremely thin
- Stylish look
Cons
- Not very durable
- Screen only 1080 px
#6 HP Spectre x360 13.3” 2-in-1 Laptop – Best Travel Laptop for a Travelling Photographer
One of the best travel laptops for photography is the HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 laptop. Whilst it comes in bigger sizes as well, the 13.3-inch screen is perfect for travelling. This is a powerful machine with 16 GB RAM, so it can easily support photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop.
Its touchscreen makes the workflow smooth and is great for watching movies and shows as well.
Key Features
- 360 degrees hinge
- Intel Core i7 process
- Webcam with LED
- FHD touchscreen
- Intel Iris Xe graphics
Pros
- Very long battery life
- Ease of use
- Anti-reflection screen
- Supports photo editors
Cons
- Very expensive
- Touch pen sold separately
#7 ASUS ZenBook 14 Touchscreen Laptop – Best Travel Laptop for Work and Play
The ASUS ZenBook 14 Touchscreen laptop is the best laptop for travel if you want one with a dedicated graphics card, so you also do some gaming alongside work. It features the NVIDIA MX450 graphics card.
It’s a touchscreen laptop, supplemented with a futuristic ScreenPad 2.0, which is a touch keypad. With a thin, streamlined design, the laptop also offers a USB-C port and can charge even with a power bank.
Key Features
- Intel Optane Memory
- Backlit FHD IPS-technology display
- Intel Core i7 processor
- Dedicated graphics
- Carry sleeve
Pros
- Versatile device
- Slim shape with durable construction
- Upgradeable to Windows 11
- Generous RAM
Cons
- Speakers very small
#8 Dell Inspiron 5410 2-in-1 Laptop – Best Family Laptop for Travel
Of course, if you’re travelling with family, especially kids, a 2-in-1 laptop like the Dell Inspiron 5410 is highly recommended. With this tablet/laptop, kids can watch TV on the tablet, and you can turn it into a laptop to send work emails if you’re working remotely.
If you’re looking for more things to keep your kids entertained on long trips, look at our guide to the best tablets for toddlers or the best toddler toys for plane travel.
In terms of specs, it packs enough power and memory to meet basic work and entertainment needs. Plus, it has a beautiful HD display.
Key Features
- Intel Core i5 processor
- 360 degrees hinge
- Higher screen to body ratio
- Solid-state drive
- Intel Iris Xe graphics
Pros
- Multi-purpose portable PC
- Borderless screen
- Lightweight
- Good speakers
Cons
- Relatively heavier
- Fans make noise
#9 Acer Swift 1 Laptop – Best Budget Travel Laptop
Acer Swift 1 is a light affordable laptop, powered by Intel Pentium N6000. It comes with Microsoft 365 Suite. Acer is a brand known for the best cheap laptops, so this one had to make the list. It only offers 4 GB RAM; however, that should be more than enough for casual browsing use while travelling. If you’re looking for the best travel laptop for budgets that also has optimum capabilities, the Acer Swift is perfect.
Key Features
- 12-month Microsoft 365
- HD IPS screen
- SSD storage
- Fingerprint reader
- Multiple ports
Pros
- Durable built
- Quality display
- Good value for money
- Long battery
Cons
- Processor not very powerful
- Not ideal for heavy software
#10 Microsoft Surface Go Ultra-Thin 12.4” Laptop – Best Lightweight Travel Laptop
This Microsoft Surface Go Ultra-thin laptop just weighs 1.1 kg, thanks to its incredibly slim design. It’s a touchscreen laptop, as is the case with the Surface series. With decent resources, it packs enough power to serve most typical computer needs.
The best part is that this best mini laptop with a screen of just 12.4 inches charges up to 80% in just an hour. You get up to 13 hours on a single charge.
Key Features
- Intel Core i5 processor
- Touchscreen with PixelSense display
- Fingerprint reader
- Omnisonic speakers
- Intel UHD graphics
Pros
- Extremely lightweight
- Beautiful display
- Advanced security features
- Long battery life
Cons
- Fan runs frequently
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