Young entrepreneurs need a laptop that not only look sleek in a meeting, but also able to accommodate their creativity. We have scoured the latest lines of laptops available in the market and here are the best three:
LG Gram 14
Sleek laptop with high portability without compromise.
0.999 kg – 4 Cores 10th gen Intel CPU
Despite being very light at only 0.999 kg, LG Gram 14 is equipped with fast Intel CPU and wide assortments of ports (1 standard HDMI, 2 USB-A, 1 USB-C) allowing this super portable laptop to be used without the need of additional dongle.
In a class of its own, LG Gram 14 comes with a well-calibrated 14” screen that is good for design work, and also allows you to upgrade its memory and storage.
The magnesium alloy used for its body has matte gray finish that looks minimalist and professional. It does not grab unwanted attention, setting a quiet trend for its sleekness.
Dell New XPS 15
Balance between performance and portability
Starts from 1.83 kg – Up to 8 Core 10th gen Intel CPU
A workhorse that won’t break your back. Dell New XPS 15 can be configured with Intel Core i9-10885H and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, allowing it to handle almost anything you throw at it, including some R&R with video games, heavy visual effect work with After Effects, and even machine learning with neural network to do highly detailed simulations.
On its exterior, Dell New XPS 15 doesn’t look any different from any other laptop in its class, but once the flap is opened, you are greeted by a gorgeous screen with super thin bezel that’s soothing to the eye, perfect for spreadsheets due to its taller 16:10 aspect ratio. Dell also offers an option to configure the laptop with a 4K resolution, touch screen and bigger battery, albeit increasing its weight to above 2 kg.
Unfortunately, Dell New XPS 15 is not equipped with a standard HDMI port and USB-A. You may need to bring a dongle with you if your work includes much presentation and data transfer.
Lenovo Slim 7
Monster performance and good portability on a budget
Starts from 1.4 kg – Up to 8 Core Ryzen 4000 APU
Lenovo Slim 7 with Ryzen 7 4700U APU has similar CPU performance with Dell New XPS 15 at around half the price, and more than twice GPU performance of LG Gram 14. Lenovo is also able to fit most of the ports you’ll ever need snugly (standard HDMI, USB-A, USB-C) into this sleek 1.4 kg laptop.
Lenovo provides two colours to choose from: Slate Grey or Orchid. It uses the usual chunky Lenovo keyboard that Lenovo fans are familiar with, but new users may need some time to adjust to this if they are accustomed to a keyboard with square keys.
One surprising fact about Lenovo Slim 7 is that it supports FreeSync, allowing video games to look relatively smooth even when running at fewer than 60 frames per second. It might not be relevant for work, but certainly a great feature for video game sessions to applaud.
Special Shout-out: 2020 Apple Macbook Pro 13
If you are heavily vested in the Apple ecosystem, a 2020 Macbook Pro13 delivers a good balance between performance and portability due to its small size (13” screen) and relatively light weight (1.4 kg). However, if you often need to prepare presentations and transfer data through a usb flash drive, a dongle (for standard HDMI and USB Ports) is a must, as this laptop only carries USB-C ports.
The 2020 Macbook Pro 13 uses a novel Magic Keyboard that provides a much more familiar and conventional feel when typing. It is also more durable than the previous keyboard since it leverages on a more intuitive technology that assimilates the natural typing behaviour of the user. If you are already accustomed to the old keyboard, you may need some time to adapt to this intelligent one, albeit for a better experience.