How Much Does a Laptop Weigh – Find Out

Whenever I travel, whether by plane or train, I always have my laptop with me. For fear of aggravating an existing shoulder and arm injury, I prioritized lightweight design in my quest for a replacement.
How Much Does a Laptop Weigh when it’s closed? The typical weight of a laptop computer ranges from 2 to 8 pounds. Most laptops fall into one of five weight categories: ultraportable (2 to 5 pounds), thin and light (3 to 6 pounds), desktop replacement (4 pounds), or luggable (8 lbs).
In order to accommodate their owners’ specific cooling needs, some laptops may be physically bigger than others. One likely cause is the laptop’s small size. Knowing what factors should be taken into account when making a purchase of a laptop is a big help.

Types of Laptops & Their Weight

Chromebook 

One may argue that ultrabooks and Chromebooks are more of a subcategory of laptops rather than a category that stands on its own as an independent entity.

Both the Ultrabook, which is Intel’s brand name for Windows laptops, and the Chromebook, which is Google’s brand name for Chrome OS laptops, were designed to be thin and light to appeal to consumers’ preferences for more portable computing devices. Ultrabooks are sold under the Intel brand, while Chromebooks are sold under the Google brand.

Portable laptops

Portable laptops are advantageous for traveling from one area to another as a result of their low weight. Laptops such as the HP EliteBook, Apple MacBook Air, Acer Swift 7, and HP Spectre Folio are examples of devices that meet the criteria for this category.

As the name suggests, laptops that fall into the Thin and Light category are intended to weigh just a wee bit more than their Ultraportable contemporaries, but not by much. The Apple MacBook Pro with a screen size of 13 inches, the Dell XPS with a screen size of 15 inches, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 with a screen size of 13.5 inches, the Google Pixelbook with a screen size of 13 inches, and the Lenovo Yoga 920 with a screen size of 15 inches are all examples of laptops that fall into this category.

A portable device that delivers performance on par with that of a desktop computer is known as a desktop replacement laptop. If you need a laptop with significantly more processing power than is typical, one of these options could be the ideal choice for you.

An example of a laptop that falls into this category would be an expensive gaming notebook that includes a bigger battery to compensate for its increased power requirements and an extra fan to boost the system’s ability to dissipate heat.

Examples of laptops that fulfill these requirements include the MSI GP73 Leopard-209, the Alienware 17 R5 17-inch Gaming Laptop, and the MSI GT75 Titan 17.3-inch 4K Laptop.

• Ultrabook/Chromebook tend to come in 9-13.5″ x 8-11″ x <1″
• Ultraportable laptops tend to come in 9-13″ x 8-9″ * .2-1.3″.
• Thin and Light laptops tend to come in 11-15″ x <11″ x .5-1.5″
• Desktop Replacement laptops tend to come in >15″ x >11″ x 1-2″
• Luggable laptops tend to come in >18″ x >13″ x >1″

What makes a laptop heavy?

Some laptops are equipped with several fans or fans that are bigger than average. This might cause the device to be significantly heavier than it would otherwise be.

Why? Because a more powerful central processing unit (CPU), chipset, and graphics may considerably boost the overall performance of a laptop. The fast speeds at which they operate are to blame for the increase in temperature. One category of laptop that would profit from having such processing power is one that’s designed for gaming.

Laptops that have a greater number of fans need to have bigger casings in order to adequately disperse heat. When the size of the case is increased, there is often a corresponding rise in the size of the heat sink, the vent size, the amount of internal space, and the airflow.

The addition of batteries causes the box to be heavier than it was before. Because the power of the CPU, the size of the fan, and other elements all rise with increased power consumption, a more powerful laptop will require a battery that is larger in order to maintain a sufficient amount of battery life.

A normal laptop will weigh less than one with additional ports, while one with several ports will be heavier. An HDMI connector, a mini DisplayPort port, a USB port, an SD card reader, and a USB port are a few examples of the kind of connections that may be found on this device (both Type A and Type C).

In order to maintain as little weight as possible, some more recent laptops, such as Apple’s 12-inch MacBook Air, only make use of a single USB Type-C port. The larger the screen on your laptop is, the greater the likelihood that it will be a heavier device. There is no standard size for displays; they can be as little as 9 inches or as large as 18 inches or even more.

Wrapping Up

Since you now have a good idea of how much laptops weigh, you may choose one that is most suitable for your routine based on the specifications of the device.

Users who are always on the move, whether for school, work, or pleasure, may find that the portability and low profile of a laptop that falls into one of these three categories—ultrabook/Chromebook, ultraportable, or thin and light—is beneficial to them.

These three categories of portable computers all feature screens that are no larger than 13 inches, weigh less than three pounds, and have dimensions and components that have been optimized for their lightweight and mobility. The technology within smaller laptops is often less durable, such as having a shorter battery life, less memory (RAM), and less storage space (HDD).

The second kind of person who uses a laptop is one who will often leave the device sitting on their desk for lengthy spans of time, but will nonetheless use it often during the course of the day. It would be fantastic to have a laptop that could take the place of a desktop computer. Although they are more difficult to transport, they often come outfitted with more sturdy equipment to make up for this drawback.

Luggable computers, often known as portable computers, are an older type of computing technology that are not very mobile. In the vast majority of instances, they won’t even turn on unless they are first connected to a power source via an electrical outlet.

This is an excellent alternative to consider taking if you do not anticipate engaging in a significant amount of travel. If this is the case, you could be better off upgrading to a standard desktop personal computer, which is considerably larger than a laptop and typically features hardware that is more powerful.