TLBHD - Thinner Lighter Better

The lightest mini laptops and netbooks you can buy right now

By Andrei Girbea , updated on July 16, 2014

One of the main reasons people are choosing a netbooks over a standard sized laptop is its reduced weight. While a regular notebook usually hangs for at least 4 pounds, netbooks are lighter than 3 pounds. In fact, the lightest can go near the 2 lbs margin and even below that.

Having such a light mini laptop will be a delight when carrying the device around, but comes with a couple of inconveniences. Light devices might lack some of the features other netbooks offer, usually boosting a smaller battery, smaller screen, less ports, etc. Or, if not, they’ll come with some hefty price tags that can really make your credit card cry.

Still, if weight is the main criterion in choosing your best netbook, in the rows below I’m going to tell you a couple of things about the best available options on the lightest netbooks and mini notebooks on the market right now.

I have to add that only x86 computers capable of running a full operating systems like Microsoft’s Windows or Linux were included in this list, with displays and physical keyboards. And like most similar posts on this site, this is not a top, just a list of good devices for the cause. How do I know they are good? Well, based on my previous experience with them and opinions/reviews from regular users who already bought them and shared their views online, on various websites. Choosing between each of them is just up to you.

Important: a more recent and more detailed version of this post is available over here.

Sony Vaio P – 1.4 pounds

Perhaps the lightest mini computer available right now is the Sony Vaio P. It’s also one of the most compact, measuring 9.65(w)x0.78(h)x4.72(d) inches and weighing just around 1.4 pounds (1.5 for some versions). In fact, you can get a better understanding of how small this device is by checking the pictures below.

More amazing is how Sony managed to squeeze inside this gadget hardware you usually find on bigger 10 inch netbooks. In fact, the Vaio P is built on Intel’s the Moorestown platform, the top versions boosting a 1.6 GHz Z530 processor, GMA 500 graphics, 2 GB of memory and SSD storage up to 256 GB. All these powered by a Windows 7 Home OS, allowing you to access all your daily applications on the run.

In fact, that’s the whole purpose of the Vaio P: a device you can easily carry around, while providing most benefits of your standard laptop at home. Of course, with a small 8 inch display, this won’t be the most productive computer. But for checking out emails, getting online, viewing and editing important documents, will be just perfect.

Sony Vaio P - the lightest of them all

Sony Vaio P – the lightest of them all

There are lots of other things you should know about the Vaio P, with details on how good that screen is, how comfortable the chiclet keyboard is (although keys are kind of small) or how the included battery can offer up to 3.5 Hours of life, but you can get an extra one for up to 7 hours of mobile autonomy.

Of course, all these goodies had to come with a price. Being the lightest netbooks of the moment and offering performance, looks and autonomy in a compact and portable body, the Vaio P starts from $999 in the US (with 64 GB storage). This might seem a lot, but considering what the P offers… And it might not be the mini laptop for regular foes like us, but if you’re a business man always on the run and in need of a high-tech companion, the Vaio P should be in top of your lists.

Sony Vaio X – 1.7 pounds

I had the chance to play with the Vaio X some time ago and I can say I was more than impressed by what the fellows at Sony managed to achieve with it. Weighing only 1.7 pounds, the Vaio X is in fact a full-size 11 inch notebook, with a proper keyboard and a proper display you can easily use for your daily activities. And it’s incredibly slim, with only 0.55 inches in height.

Outside, the X is a piece of jewelry, with the classic and astonishing Vaio X looks, a high quality 11.1 inch LED 1366 x 768 px display and ergonomic keyboard. In fact, the kind of cramped touch-pad is the only thing I would change on this device; everything else is just perfect.

Inside you get the same Intel Moorestown platform, with the Z550 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, 128 GB SSD storage and Windows 7 Home Premium as the OS. So enough for your everyday applications.

Vaio X - slim, light and powerful

Vaio X – slim, light and powerful

But like the P above, the Vaio X is not meant for us regular guys. Starting at $1299, the price is prohibitive at least. But if you consider buying the extra-battery pack (that easily attaches on the back and takes the cost of the package to $1499), you will get up to 14 hours of life. Thus, the Vaio X transforms itself in the ultimate device you can pick when looking for a light, easy to carry and yet powerful netbook. At least for the time being.

LG X300 – 2.1 pounds

Another stylish netbook, the LG X300 is not yet available on the market, nor in Europe or the States. It is expected to be a fancy and light mini laptop with an 11.6 inch display, chiclet keyboard and a slim body with an metallic finish. still, it won’t be as compact as the Vaio X, but neither will it be as expensive, as it will probably land in the US with tags around 500-600 bucks. More to be added on this later, as the LG X300 becomes available in the states.

LG X300 - slim and portable, for a more decent price

LG X300 – slim and portable, for a more decent price

Asus T91MT – 2.1 pounds

When you first lay your eyes on the the Asus T91MT you’ll wonder what’s so special about this device that managed to get in this list. It looks like an ordinary 8.9 inch computer, with nothing too fancy about its looks like the devices above. But in fact, it has something different: a touch-display.

The Asus T91MT is a convertible netbook with a multi-touch resistive screen that can be easily folded to transform the device into a tablet. Thus, you get all the benefits of having such a display, with easy finger-browsing, hand-writing for taking notes, etc.

Inside you get the same Moorestown hardware as found on most devices above, so this netbook should be able to run your daily applications and even HD content if needed.

The best part is that the T91MT comes for a good price. In the US you can have the top version for $499 $479 now and that’s fair for what it can do.

Asus T91MT - the light convertible netbook with touch-display

Asus T91MT – the light convertible netbook with touch-display

And the others

The first standard and affordable netbooks only make it to the list around the 2.4 pounds mark. You’ll find here the 10 inch MSI Wind L1300 (updated version of the U130) and the older generation Acer Aspire One AO250 .

Then, at 2.5 pounds, there’s the Asus 1008P Karim Rashid special edition and its predecessor, the older Asus 1008HA.

And so the list continues, with the most popular devices of the moment entering the charts sooner or later:

  • 2.6 pounds: Toshiba Mini NB305, HP Mini 5102, Sony Vaio W, MSI Wind U123 ;
  • 2.7 pounds: HP Mini 210, Samsung N150, Nokia Booklet 3G ;
  • 2.8 pounds: Asus EEE PC 1005PE and EEE PC 1001P, Acer Aspire One 532h, Lenovo Ideapad 10-3s, Gateway LT21 .

Of course, for all the above, weight will vary according to the size of the included battery (mainly 3, 6 or 8 Cell) included.

All in one, the conclusions are pretty simple:

  • you can go for one of the lightest devices, with prices around $1000 or more
  • you can choose a semi-light netbook around 2 – 2.2 pounds, with a more decent price tag (around $500)
  • or just settle for one of the regular devices, knowing you get the best for the buck you’ll spend. The best netbooks of the moment all come in the 2.5 – 2.8 pounds segment. The difference in weight is in fact minor between them and other criteria should matter more at this point.

That’s about it. Hopefully I helped you get an idea on what are the lightest mini laptops available at the moment.

I for one really crave for the Vaio X. It’s an amazing piece of technology, but its hefty price is too much for me, especially since one mainly pays for the body and construction, as the performances it offers are the same as on a netbook three times cheaper, if not worse…

PS: I haven’t included the older 7 – 8.9 inch devices in this list as those are no longer produced and I only tried to stick with new gadgets.

Disclaimer: Our content is reader-supported. If you buy through the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Andrei Girbea, Editor-in-Chief at TLBHD.com. This project was born as part of my search for capable mini-laptops that I could easily lug around to work, and still provide the performance that I'd need on a daily basis. I'm primarily using such ultracompact devices and have been testing them since 2006.

5 Comments

  1. Chris

    April 12, 2010 at 4:41 pm

    Samsung x360 beats them all.
    13.3 but 2.8 pounds, 1.2 core duo, 9 hour battery life! Not sold anymore but you can get one off ebay for under 1000.00

  2. nargle spencer

    March 17, 2014 at 6:48 pm

    You should have mentioned the NEC LAVIE Z which weighs 795g (1.75 lbs) with a 13″ screen and good specs.

  3. Sally Wolfe

    July 16, 2014 at 2:47 am

    Hi Andrei,
    Any chance you’ll be updating this info soon for 2014? Let me know when you do. Thanks!

  4. Venumadhav Kandur

    December 21, 2014 at 9:08 pm

    Where can I get sony vaio p?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *