This article is not a comparison, rather we are going to tell you what points you have to pay attention to when buying an ultra-thin laptop that is not designed for gaming. That is to say, you need something with which to work with ease, that weighs little and whose battery lasts several hours without problems. In the latter case, e3+ ultra-thin laptops have the “advantage” that many of them lack a graphics card external to the processor that consumes several tens of watts. However, many times and for certain tasks that is counterproductive.
What differentiates them from a traditional laptop?
The first thing we have to learn is to differentiate from a true ultra-thin laptop from the latest invention of the manufacturers, the so-called gaming ultra-thin, which are more like gaming laptops but with reduced power.
The difference between these laptops and the rest, we must start from the fact that the maximum of these computers is mobility. By this we not only mean that we can take them anywhere without breaking our backs, but they are designed to work with the maximum possible battery using all the available power for as long as possible.
- Unlike the traditional laptop that is used for gaming today, we do not have a mode with reduced speeds so that the battery lasts as long as possible.
- Nor is it a high performance mode in which it is almost impossible to use it with a portable system.
- Although it is true that your gaming laptop disconnects the dedicated graphics when doing certain jobs, its processor, by itself, will already consume more than an ultra-thin laptop, it will require a more complex cooling system and we will also have a much heavier laptop.
The other point that sets them apart is the hardware they use, specifically due to the fact that they usually use a different type of laptop CPU than the rest.
They use a special type of processor
One of the most fashionable performance concepts in recent years is performance per watt, that is, how many instructions a processor resolves at a specific power. This is deceptive since each voltage that a CPU supports has its own consumption curve and that is where the secret of a processor for an ultra-thin laptop lies. And it is that we have to start from the fact that consumption derives from a formula in which a part of it multiplies the frequency squared. In other words, if we have a chip at 0.65 V at a certain speed and then the same chip at the same speed at 1.3 V, then the second one will consume 4 times the power.
In these types of computers, the maximum possible performance is not sought, since this would mean going for much higher voltages. It may be that a CPU to reach 3 GHz requires a voltage of 1.2 V, but to go to 3.2 GHz we need a higher voltage. The result? A much higher consumption for a little more performance. In the end, what is sought is a processor that uses less power and thus releases less heat.
Normally, these processors are defined with a U at the end of their name and their TDP is usually between 9 W and 15 W. They have their own motherboards differentiated from other laptops by the fact that they have their capacity for peripherals trimmed, with in order to get a smaller chip. All this allows mounting a more compact type of computer than the traditional laptop.
Tips for buying an ultra-slim laptop
Below we leave you a series of tips that will be useful when choosing an ultra-thin laptop for your personal use.
Choose the processor well
When we talk about ultra-thin laptops, we are not referring to Chromebooks, which are nothing more than toy computers. If not to laptops that use the low-power variants of the latest Intel processors with their Core 12 and AMD with their Ryzen 5000 and the most recent Ryzen 6000. That is, systems designed so that programs run smoothly. You don’t have to have to put up with a PC that works with pedals at any time, especially if you work on it. So the first tip is: run away from Chromebooks and similar setups.
The battery is important in an ultra-thin laptop
The second point is the battery, the reason why you buy an ultra-thin laptop is to be able to work with it for hours without having to plug it into a power source. Their consumption also allows them to use the standard of USB-C fast charging no problem and they should have the ability to last more than 8 hours with 100% battery performance. Keep these two features in mind.
The choice of screen is also important
Ultra-thin laptops use screens smaller than 15 inches, in order to make them as compact as possible and with quite high resolutions compared to gaming ones. Since they don’t have to move games and are more focused on mainstream apps. This makes document reading much better, as well as the sharpness of your screen.
Choose a keyboard that is comfortable for you to work on
Many manufacturers of ultra-thin notebooks make the mistake of creating membrane keyboards that are very uncomfortable to work with, with keys so thin that they hardly feel like they are being pressed. That is why you will have to look for one with which you can write comfortably.
Which ultra-thin laptop to buy?
We have decided to choose a small list of three models as an example, which at the time of writing this we consider to be the best on the market within this category. We have obviously decided to rule out those with gaming capabilities, since it is not the laptop profile we are looking for.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro Gen 7
Our first pick is Lenovo’s ultra-slim laptop with the following technical specifications:
- Processor Intel Core i7-1260p
- 4 P-Cores capable of 8 threads of execution
- 8 E-Cores capable of 8 threads of execution
- 8GB of RAM
- 512GB SSD storage type NVMe in M.2 form
- 14 inch screen
- 2240 x 1400 pixel resolution
- 100% sRGB support
- Dolby Vision
- anti-glare
- Its weight is only 1.37 Kg,
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2022
The mobile maker also makes ultra-thin laptops and as the saying goes, you shouldn’t rate anything by its packaging and yel Matebook Pro X is an example of this. Its specifications are very similar to those of the Lenovo computer, since they use the same processor, the i7-1260pand the same amount of RAM, 16GB totalhe. However, they differ in some points, such as having a storage of 1TB on your NVMe SSD and the fact that its 14-inch screen has a resolution of 3120 x 2080 pixels with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, all in a weight of 1.31 Kg.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
On this Samsung model, the i7-1260p is once again the central processor of a system with 1.4 kg weight, but it is due to the fact that your screen Super AMOLED is 15 inches with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Like the rest of the models, it has 16 GB of RAM memory and storage in 1TB NVMe SSD.
