Need to buy light weight tablet or laptop--suggestions?
 

Hi, I all of a sudden inherited a job where I need to be able to post to a platform even if I'm traveling. Tried it once with my 15" Dell laptop, but it was too heavy for me to carry thru the airport. Any suggestions for either a low cost tablet or laptop (preferrably with portable keyboard) that would do the job? Thanks, Paula

I have always used Samsung tablets. The Tab A series is low end. You can buy an 11-inch tablet for about $200. I wouldn't spend extra money for more internal memory because you can always store data on the cloud. The Tab A tablets are less expensive because the screen has a lower resolution, but you really won't notice much difference. You can buy a separate keyboard, but you really won't need it.

iPad 10” with removable keyboard. I am little surprised a device isn’t provided, if it’s a work requirement

Thanks!

I second an iPad with removable keyboard. I have the iPad Pro with 12.9” screen. Highly recommended if you can spend a few more bucks. :)

I love my iPad and it’s good for mobile field work and I have a Microsoft Surface for office. Might look at the Surface if you need a laptop compatible with most companies software platforms it’s very small compared to my old laptop and light.

This is the correct answer. While I’m a huge iPad fan, the reality is most of the world is software is built on / around Microsoft Windows so the iPad has limitations.

The Surface runs Windows, so there are no compatibility issues at all. I have the Surface Pro and it’s a great machine.

The OP is looking for something low cost. MS Surface laptops are nice, but definitely not low cost.

If you don’t have a need for a Microsoft Windows environment, take a look at Chromebooks. Typically low cost and lightweight.

Laptops
 

I have been using a Surface Pro since 2019. For travelling, it has a lightweight removable keyboard and small mouse. On my desk, it is also driving a pair of ViewSonic 27" screens (plus the Surface screen) and Logi full size keyboard and mouse.

Working perfectly!

Similar situation here. It works flawlessly.

The lightest laptops in 2024: The world’s featherweight notebook champions

The lightest laptops in 2024: The world’s featherweight notebook champions | TechRadar

Buy a basic Dell 3100 Chromebook refurbished. I paid $50 and use it every day. Search Google shopping. OS updates till 2029. 7hr ish battery. 3lbs.

You can buy an Apple laptop, an Apple MacBook Air for under $850 with 8 gig ram, 256k memory. Great graphics, Apple silicon, lightweight, fast, thin and it's a real computer and can run anything you would need. Built in software that can read/write any MS software or use Google Docs. And of course great Apple support online and in stores. And updated software is free.

Why buy a laptop, if all the OP needs is a tablet? The OP said that a low cost tablet will meet their requirements.

iPad Air or iPad Pro. MacBook Air. Don’t fall for the windows BS, you can run word and excel on any Apple product better than you can run Office on windows.
Heaven forbid if you need windows for something (haven’t needed to do windows in over 20 years), you can run windows on a Mac.
If you state what software you need to run, we can tell you what would be the best device to get.

Neither is an iPad Pro or just an iPad. Low cost look at a Chromebook.

Considering it's Windows based, I'd go with Microsoft Surface. I've run several surfaces over the years and they are the lighest you'll find. The also go 2 ways - laptop and tablet in 1 unit. Yes a bit more $$ but totally worth it. I'm still running my Surface Book 2 with zero issues. I love it. I also have 2 other surfaces that I use all of them are of varied age and all work and never had any issues.

Quality preowned iPads
 

Go to buy.gazelle.com where you can buy preowned tablets at reduced prices. I have bought both iphones and ipads there and have had no problems.

If you are only posting to a platform, in all likelihood today it is web-based. Your smart phone should handle that. Logitech makes great wireless keyboards and mice. I have not tried using a keyboard with a phone. A little research should answer whether it would work.

Windows vs iPad
 

If you are looking for a unit when you travel, I would suggest getting something with the same operating system you leave behind and return to. I have been using a Windows laptop since 1982. The last 18 years have been Lenovo units at home and traveling consisting of over 50 trips to the Middle East (before retiring). I have had multiple units but only one at a time for travel and at home.

I used to have an iPad for work and hated it. The Surface was much more intuitive and almost the same as working with a desktop. I understand that the IPADs are much easier now but probably still much more expensive.
Go to Chat GPT and enter: "Which is better an ipad or a surface"

You will be blown away with the answer that is several pages long. But has a summary:
Conclusion:
Choose an iPad if you prioritize a sleek, lightweight tablet experience with excellent touch-based apps, creative tools, and portability. It’s especially great for artists, casual users, and those embedded in the Apple ecosystem.
Choose a Surface if you need a more versatile, laptop-like experience with access to full desktop applications. It’s better suited for business professionals, students, or anyone needing advanced productivity tools and who prefers Windows.
It ultimately depends on whether you need a mobile, app-based experience (iPad) or a full PC-like desktop experience (Surface).

The iPad’s thinner design makes it more susceptible to damage from drops and impacts, while the Surface Pro’s thicker construction provides better protection.
The Surface Pro’s detachable keyboard and stylus can increase the risk of damage, whereas the iPad’s design is more integrated and less prone to disconnection-related issues.

There are laptops that focus on light weight, both Mac and PC. Check out Dell's offering online and stop by Best Buy.

BTW. Before you buy anything new, find out whether your business requires or uses a VPN or any hardware such as a USB device for authentication. You should use a VPN if you are working, banking, etc. from public wifi's especially hotels. Hotels are probably the least secure possible connection.

If they do require a VPN, d

My laptop is a 17" ASUS gamer. It is heavy, which is why I slip it into my little carry on with wheels when schlepping through airports. I don't see why the weight of a laptop matters, when you don't have to carry it.

There really isn't enough information here to make any recommendations. Are all the applications you work with accessible through a web browser? That's what it sounds like. There was also no mention of a VPN, which would be provided to you by your employer, so I would assume that you could get by with just an iPad or Chromebook. Do you need to be able to create and edit Microsoft Office documents? If so, you will either need a Microsoft surface which has MS Office installed or you need a subscription to Microsoft 0365 (the web enable version of MS office). Both cost money though. if you could provide more details about what you're going to be doing it would be helpful

I worked for 1 of the largest high tech companies in the world and I refused to use windows. I used a Mac with word, excel, outlook on my mac and iPad with never an issue. Most high tech engineers/technologists use Apple. Unless you have a specific application that ONLY needs windows, then you can use a Mac or even an iPad with no issues. If you absolutely need to run an app or 2 under windows, then you can run windows on a Mac using VMware, parallels, or dual boot, very easy.

The best laptops are from Apple. Check out pc magazine. The best tablets are from Apple.
If you want cheap, you can get a $400 iPad or a MacBook Air for $1000. You can get a MacBook Air that will run 2x faster than any surface laptop for $1000. Apple has the fastest CPU’s but the ryzen arm is catching up, Intel is light years behind everybody.

lightweight laptop
 

For over 20 years I keep buying a Lenovo Carbon 1 laptop. Super lightweight, take it everywhere! And I only get a 1 TB or 2TB SSD drive! No moving parts, and a service at home warrantee for 5 years. Love it.

Guys, thank you all so much. The info you provided was very valuable to me. Sorry, I mislead you. The work is for a volunteer org, so I'm paying for it. I ended up buying a new Amazon Fire 10. It comes with apps for Microsoft Office and a VPN. Cost? $75. It was delivered at 4 am the next day. LOL. If it's not powerful enough, I'll send it back and try something else.

I usually get whatever laptop is on sale on amazon that has at least 32MB of memory/RAM and over 500gigs of storage space. Those computers usually work great for my day to day.

Another vote for the iPad. I have a gen 10 that goes with me wherever, and I love it. The keyboard is the important thing though. iPads all have those on-screen keyboards but they are not great for doing things in a hurry. I have a Zagg keyboard (Best Buy carries them) that works flawlessly: I can type as fast and as accurately on that as I can on my office keyboard. Additional bonus is that the keyboard doubles as an iPad case, protecting it in case it gets dropped.