THE THINNER TAKES IT ALL

Slim and light laptops look nicer, feel better and tend to last longer between charges than the rest. And no, you don't actually need workstation-grade power just to record those music tracks you like to fuss over at the weekends. Here, then, are 2025's top truly portable laptop contenders, ranging from affordable to ultra-premium...

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FRAMEWORK LAPTOP 13

You've probably heard of Build-A-Bear. Maybe you've made your own PC. But what about building a laptop? That's the Framework concept.

As well as being able to spec up your rig, you can get a DIY kit that lets you save a little bit of cash by putting the pieces together and installing the OS yourself. No soldering skills needed.

You just have to slot in the RAM and the SSD, attach the magnetic screen bezel, plug in the modular connectors you choose, then screw the casing back up. A screwdriver is included. It only takes about 10mins, and you feel pretty smart in the process.

This could come across as a bit of a gimmick, but it's all carefully considered and far from generic.

SLICKY SEATER

So how does it work? Little aluminium bricks that hold different modules – USB, HDMI, memory, Ethernet, storage expansion – simply slot into four spaces along the sides of the body.

We get a rapid, responsive keyboard, a quality glass touchpad and the option of a 60Hz matt screen or a snazzy gloss one. The matt screen still delivers great brightness, sharpness and colour reproduction.

The battery lasts just over 11hrs with light jobs – not class-leading, not too bad either. But to make it the best buy, you'd better care about the repairability angle: you can order everything from replacement displays to Wi-Fi cards, and the repair guides show how much easier these parts are to access than in other laptops.

The upgradability angle is less convincing. Being able to stick in more RAM or a larger SSD is great, but you're not going to be swapping the motherboard or CPU.

Other flaws? The speakers lack bass, and the fans are a little loud. But this is still one of the most interesting laptops around. Shopping on a budget ordinarily means you need to be prepared to put up with some slightly older tech. But the IdeaPad Slim 3X lets you ride the very latest wave: the 'made for Al' PC.