Which Laptop is Best for Traveling?

Is a Laptop Necessary for Traveling?

Choosing Your Travel Laptop in 8 Criteria

• Weight About 6-7 years ago, Netbooks emerged: small, lightweight computers (between 2.2 lbs and 3.3 lbs) with a small screen (generally less than 10 inches) and very narrow keyboard keys, making typing rather acrobatic. However, there's another range of laptops that weigh the same as Netbooks, but have a larger screen and a decent keyboard: Ultrabooks. The most famous of them? Apple's MacBook Air with 11 and 13-inch models (weighing 2.2 and 2.9 lbs, respectively). The only real downside to Ultrabooks is the price: while Netbooks are priced from $300, you will pay at least $800 for an Ultrabook. Also, be sure to consider the weight of your laptop's protective case (sleeve, shell, etc.). For that, I refer you to my article on the subject: How to Protect Your Technology While Traveling?
• Screen Size The size of the screen is an important criterion. A larger screen means a larger laptop, and thus a heavier weight. A screen that's too small will drive you crazy if you need to edit videos or retouch photos. If you plan to do this type of work, aim for a screen size between 13 and 15 inches. However, if you only want to write text or browse the Internet, I recommend a size of 11 to 13 inches.
• Battery Life It isn't always easy to find a way to recharge your laptop, especially when going on a 6-day trek in the mountains with a tent! Depending on your travel style, battery life can be a crucial criterion. Today, most batteries last about 5-6 hours. Some, like the 13-inch MacBook Air, can last up to 12 hours!
• Storage There are 2 types of hard drives in our current laptops: traditional hard drives and SSDs. The traditional hard drive is cheaper, mechanical, with a needle that reads data from a stack of disks. It's essentially a vinyl record of digital data! The big advantage of traditional hard drives is their data-to-price ratio, which is very affordable. SSD, on the other hand, although referred to as a disk, has no mechanical parts. It's a memory very similar to a USB flash drive. The main advantage of SSDs is their incredibly high data transfer rate and lower power consumption (no moving parts). If you often work in a mobile environment (boat, bus, plane, etc.), I recommend avoiding mechanical artifacts such as traditional hard drives and optical drives (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.). Their lifespan is significantly affected.
• RAM, Processor, Graphics Card I've grouped the choice of RAM, processor, and graphics card together because their selection heavily depends on your personal usage. If you are doing video editing or playing the latest-generation games, don't go for the entry-level options. However, if you play casual games or just want to view your photos at the end of the day, don't spend your money on those 3 components.
• Operating System One of the most important criteria is the operating system of the laptop you are carrying: Windows? (Mac) OS X? A Linux distribution?... For me, OS X perfectly meets my need for multimedia file editing. However, Linux would also work for me. Windows seems more problematic for me. Why? Because I can't count the number of times my USB flash drive was infected after plugging it into a third-party Windows computer while traveling. Far from sterile debates around Mac vs. PC, this simple question of virus infections led me to avoid Windows entirely. Of course, viruses exist on Linux and OS X as well, but the probability of getting infected by a USB on a third-party computer (which is almost always running Windows) is significantly lower.
• Real Usage Is this laptop dedicated to travel? And what type of travel? Will it be mostly at home? Will you use it daily on the train for your commute? There's no point in having the perfect travel laptop if it doesn't meet your needs outside of your adventures!

Which Laptop is Best for Traveling and Where is the 8th Criterion?