Which laptops are known for combination of lightweight+battery life?

ibex333

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2005
4,086
119
106
My b-day is coming up and I want to make myself a present for college. (I'm about a semester into my Masters in Web Application Development)
Money is not an issue as long as price is around $1000. Off course I would prefer to spend less than more.

I usually spend about 3 hours a day on the train(and I try to make the most of that time), so I need something that is easy/light to handle and lasts 5-7 hours on battery. I found that a netbook's screen is just too damn small for programming, at least for me. but I also know that laptops with big screens cant last too long on battery. I guess I want to try something around 13-14".

I've been looking at Lenovo Thinkpad Series, particularly the X230, but I am wondering if there is any other options out there that offer similar reliability, sturdiness, light weight, and battery life.

Thanks.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,229
9,990
126
My Acer Aspire One 722 is lightweight, and has around 5-6 hours of battery life (as long as you're not doing something too CPU-intensive).

It has an 11.6" 1366x768 screen though, which might be too cramped for you.

I purchased it for $202+tax at Target some month ago.

It has a C-60 CPU in it, which is a 1.0/1.33Ghz Brazos chip.
 

crab0

Member
Jun 7, 2012
116
0
0
I know this isn't exactly what your looking for but I'll throw in the W700 i3 model just for something different. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834215612

Otherwise until I got to that paragraph I was going to say X220/X230 but as an alternative I'll throw out the Vaio S series
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/st...52921666495151&categoryId=8198552921644768015

The 13 inch has 1600 x 900 TN and is 3.8lbs while the 15 inch has 1080p IPS and is 4.42lbs though both weights are without the sheet battery which you would need to get to get to that 5-7 hour range. You do however get higher spec options like a dGPU, higher res screens and an optical drive that the X230 lacks.
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
238
106
Generally speaking, what your stated requirement points to are the Ultrabooks. In that vein, you might also consider a tablet. These days, just about all of these come with Win 8.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,794
266
116
I've been looking at Lenovo Thinkpad Series, particularly the X230, but I am wondering if there is any other options out there that offer similar reliability, sturdiness, light weight, and battery life.

This or the Lenovo X1 Carbon and check out this hot deal to save some $$$.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,736
447
126
What is your priority? Many lightweight notebooks cut down battery size for weight savings, so are you looking for the best battery life from the lightweight notebooks, or are you looking for the lightest of the "larger battery" notebooks?