Small but mighty
March 13, 2024 1:54 PM Subscribe
Do any computer companies still make ultracompact (sub-13 inch), high-performance/high-end laptops? Something like the old 11-12" Macbook (/Air) or the Thinkpad x280. All I see in this space are Chromebooks and 2-in-1s that lean more on the "tablet" side of things. (I would get an iPad Pro with the keyboard in a heartbeat, if only it ran an actual proper OS.) Is there any sort of activity in this space, or is it just completely dead?
What's your budget? A friend has a tiny jewel of a laptop that has some absurdly powerful processor and all of the storage in an exquisite machined-from-solid unibody case. It was about the price of four nice laptops.
posted by scruss at 2:14 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by scruss at 2:14 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
This market has been consumed by the Surface on the windows side and iPad Pro on the Mac side. There is methods to essentially turn these into a laptop like device.
posted by zenon at 2:17 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by zenon at 2:17 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
For whatever it's worth, a MacBook Air today is marginally bigger than an old 11" model, but is vastly more capable. It weighs about half a pound more, which is the most significant way it's bigger.
posted by adamrice at 2:22 PM on March 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by adamrice at 2:22 PM on March 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
The 13" Macbook Air is almost the same dimensions as the 11". It's .1" wider.
posted by dobbs at 2:23 PM on March 13, 2024 [6 favorites]
posted by dobbs at 2:23 PM on March 13, 2024 [6 favorites]
If you go to Amazon and search for laptop you can apply filters that select for new (vs used) with a screen size of 11" and under and get results.
I can't vouch for the products or makers (a lot of random sounding ones) but there are results in the 8" - 11" range.
posted by zippy at 2:26 PM on March 13, 2024
I can't vouch for the products or makers (a lot of random sounding ones) but there are results in the 8" - 11" range.
posted by zippy at 2:26 PM on March 13, 2024
The 13" Macbook Air is almost the same dimensions as the 11". It's .1" wider.
Also this. I had the 11" Air and it had a pretty large bezel around the screen. The 13" has a larger screen but without the large bezel.
posted by zippy at 2:30 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
Also this. I had the 11" Air and it had a pretty large bezel around the screen. The 13" has a larger screen but without the large bezel.
posted by zippy at 2:30 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
A friend lost her Lenovo X1 Carbon in my car. That thing is tiny and plenty powerful.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 2:32 PM on March 13, 2024
posted by I claim sanctuary at 2:32 PM on March 13, 2024
Response by poster: I am in fact typing this on a brand-new M3 MacBook Air 13 :( I guess I am actually pining for the form factor of the 12" Retina MacBook (all its glaring flaws notwithstanding). I used a Surface Pro 2 as my main "laptop" for a few years too.
posted by btfreek at 2:33 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by btfreek at 2:33 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Digging a bit, there's an open Indiegogo project for a 7" Windows laptop called the GPD Win Mini 2024 that you might like. Here's GPD's main page where they list other machines.
There are also a few projects where people have made tiny laptops using Raspberry Pis, eg:
posted by zippy at 2:48 PM on March 13, 2024
There are also a few projects where people have made tiny laptops using Raspberry Pis, eg:
posted by zippy at 2:48 PM on March 13, 2024
How high-performance do you need/are you opposed to an x280 with maxed-out RAM and an SSD?
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:12 PM on March 13, 2024
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:12 PM on March 13, 2024
I retract my previous comment - on looking more closely I see that the x280 has soldered RAM. The T480 was the last of its line not to have soldered RAM, and I mistakenly thought its smaller sibling would be the same.
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:16 PM on March 13, 2024
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:16 PM on March 13, 2024
Best answer: This seems relevant.
posted by kickingtheground at 4:56 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by kickingtheground at 4:56 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Panasonic Let's Note options are still around and the QR/SR product lines (12.4" displays) offer Intel Core i7-1370P and 32 GB RAM with a footprint of 208.9 mm x 273.2 mm.
posted by UrbietOrbi at 6:57 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by UrbietOrbi at 6:57 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
The Framework 13 is very close in size (narrower) than a 13" MacBook Air.
posted by xedrik at 9:01 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by xedrik at 9:01 PM on March 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
The Asus ROG Flow X-13 is at the current limit of how-low-can-you-go in the gaming laptop world. It comes in a smidge large than the examples you mention, but can be had in some silly specs (Core i9-13900h + RTX 4070 at the top end).
posted by protorp at 1:52 AM on March 14, 2024
posted by protorp at 1:52 AM on March 14, 2024
Could you outline what the surface pro 9 and Macbook air 13 don't do well? Are they simply too big?
posted by chasles at 5:40 AM on March 14, 2024
posted by chasles at 5:40 AM on March 14, 2024
Response by poster: Thanks all for the responses - I marked a few as best just because they showed me neat new stuff I haven't seen before! If I had infinite money I would totally buy a couple of those Chinese mini-laptops featured on the Liliputing (omg great name) blog that kickingtheground linked just for fun.
Realistically, I'm going to keep my MBA 13 and continue to be absolutely delighted with it in many ways; this question was really more to indulge my curiosity about what happened to my favourite laptop market segment and to whine about how laptop manufacturers aren't personally catering to my very specific niche aesthetic preferences.
posted by btfreek at 9:03 AM on March 14, 2024 [4 favorites]
Realistically, I'm going to keep my MBA 13 and continue to be absolutely delighted with it in many ways; this question was really more to indulge my curiosity about what happened to my favourite laptop market segment and to whine about how laptop manufacturers aren't personally catering to my very specific niche aesthetic preferences.
posted by btfreek at 9:03 AM on March 14, 2024 [4 favorites]
« Older It's kind of like the Oscars, but not really | Turbotax and private Canadian pension Newer »
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by advicepig at 2:13 PM on March 13, 2024