What's the best barebones laptop for writing?
October 16, 2017 9:43 AM Subscribe
What is the cheapest, thinnest, lightest laptop with the best keyboard and the longest battery life? Open to new or used options. Processor speed and other specs don't matter much. Apple is a no-go. I currently have a Lenovo X201, which I like for the build quality and upgrade-ability, but it feels heavy in my bag.
I'd look at chromebooks! You can get them around ~$300 and they have super long battery lives, like 8 hours+! https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-chromebook/#the-cheapest-good-chromebook-dell-chromebook-13-3380-education
posted by bbqturtle at 10:06 AM on October 16, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by bbqturtle at 10:06 AM on October 16, 2017 [5 favorites]
If you're open to ChromeOS, the Asus C200MA has a fantastic (for the price and size) keyboard, is light and portable, and gets ~10 hours of battery life.
posted by Candleman at 10:08 AM on October 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Candleman at 10:08 AM on October 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
A used Freewrite can be had for about $275 on Ebay. It has a mechanical keyboard and weeks of battery life. It will automatically upload your documents and email them to you. The advantage is you can't waste time on Metafilter.
A review by Ian Bogost
posted by mecran01 at 10:34 AM on October 16, 2017 [3 favorites]
A review by Ian Bogost
posted by mecran01 at 10:34 AM on October 16, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure what an X201 weighs so I don't have specific suggestions. Here are some lists of good laptops that might work:
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/how-to-buy-a-budget-laptop/
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-laptops-for-college-students/
Have you considered getting an ultraportable from a couple years ago? Laptops that were $$$$ 2 years ago are under $500 now on eBay. Check out sturdy Thinkpad or Dell models from 2015.
posted by Ahniya at 11:53 AM on October 16, 2017
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/how-to-buy-a-budget-laptop/
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-laptops-for-college-students/
Have you considered getting an ultraportable from a couple years ago? Laptops that were $$$$ 2 years ago are under $500 now on eBay. Check out sturdy Thinkpad or Dell models from 2015.
posted by Ahniya at 11:53 AM on October 16, 2017
Something outside the usual: Alphasmart Neo
Gosh darn it, WCityMike! I came in here to pitch the AlphaSmart!
I have a 3000 myself, and I love it to Reese's Pieces, especially for first draft work. The screen is so dang tiny, it makes it almost impossible to go back and edit while writing. That, and the fact that they're about $30 on ebay, have ridiculously long battery (AAA) life, and would probably take a bullet to kill one, make the AlphaSmart one of my favorite old school writing tools.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 1:22 PM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
Gosh darn it, WCityMike! I came in here to pitch the AlphaSmart!
I have a 3000 myself, and I love it to Reese's Pieces, especially for first draft work. The screen is so dang tiny, it makes it almost impossible to go back and edit while writing. That, and the fact that they're about $30 on ebay, have ridiculously long battery (AAA) life, and would probably take a bullet to kill one, make the AlphaSmart one of my favorite old school writing tools.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 1:22 PM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
In here to second chromebooks. Hard to beat the battery life and price.
posted by gregr at 2:18 PM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by gregr at 2:18 PM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]
thirding alphasmart if it works for you, it's upload to an actual computer is a bit fiddly but a great keyboard and entry device. Fourthing chromebooks, but touch before buying, they are differing degrees of robustness, and key feel.
And always consider a hefty old used thinkpad, (typing on a T410 running linux) good keyboard, as solid as they come and batteries are available and not too pricey.
posted by sammyo at 2:34 PM on October 16, 2017
And always consider a hefty old used thinkpad, (typing on a T410 running linux) good keyboard, as solid as they come and batteries are available and not too pricey.
posted by sammyo at 2:34 PM on October 16, 2017
ok, sorry about poor reading comprehension, scratch the old thinkpad tank;-)
posted by sammyo at 2:35 PM on October 16, 2017
posted by sammyo at 2:35 PM on October 16, 2017
Alphasmart for sure. Uploading to a PC is opening a word processor or text editor, connecting a USB cable and hitting the upload button. With proper software and fiddling you copy text back to the Alphasmart, making it more than a first draft device. The keyboard is great and it doesn’t require the Internet to work properly.
posted by lhauser at 9:59 PM on October 16, 2017
posted by lhauser at 9:59 PM on October 16, 2017
Now that the X1s have been out a while you might be able to find a 2ish year old one for a decent price that is still eligible for warranty coverage.
The X1's keyboard is different from older ThinkPads, but it's still quite nice to type on, they are very light (and fairly thin, also), and will do 8+ hours on battery. It's a bit larger than I find ideal, but that's universal with a 13"+ 16:9 or 16:10 screen. 4:3 was so much better for small laptops.
posted by wierdo at 10:12 AM on October 17, 2017
The X1's keyboard is different from older ThinkPads, but it's still quite nice to type on, they are very light (and fairly thin, also), and will do 8+ hours on battery. It's a bit larger than I find ideal, but that's universal with a 13"+ 16:9 or 16:10 screen. 4:3 was so much better for small laptops.
posted by wierdo at 10:12 AM on October 17, 2017
Whoops, hit post too soon. If a used smaller X series isn't for you, the only things new, cheap, small, and that also have long battery life are Chromebooks.
posted by wierdo at 10:14 AM on October 17, 2017
posted by wierdo at 10:14 AM on October 17, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
I watched deal sites and got into a core m3 model for $400 or something but you can get the Pentium one for that every day. They're in Best Buys if you want to try out the keyboard.
posted by ftm at 9:53 AM on October 16, 2017