Fanless laptops or laptops with passive cooling, have always had one advantage over other models: they’re quiet. No spinning parts or whining cooling equipment means the laptop’s hardware makes as little noise as possible– if at all.
Because for a lot of laptop users, a loud and wheezing laptop in a quiet area like a dimly-lit bedroom or a jazz cafe is terribly conspicuous– distracting, even.
If you value solitude and tranquility above all when it comes to your productivity, then a fanless laptop is leaps and bounds better than those thick, noisy gaming or performance machines. Although, fanless laptops are not without their glaring limitation.
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Don’t Expect Much from Fanless Laptops
If you want something that’s quieter than the dead of the night for a productivity device, then you need to set your expectations for fanless laptops. The most glaring drawback of such a quiet device is that its performance is mild.
Do not expect to use most fanless laptops for anything other than typing, browsing, video playback, or research. Anything more than that and the fanless laptop might struggle either with the heat or with sluggishness.
You can’t expect performance with inadequate cooling, after all; the same holds true for everything in this world, even for humans.
But if your mind is already set on the quietest laptop available, then these lightweight punchers will knock it out of the park with their low-decibel operation.
Apple MacBook Air 2022
PROS
- Sleek, minimalist design
- Thin and light
- Beautiful Retina display
- Excellent battery life
- Easy and simple to use
- Comes in other colors
- FHD webcam
CONS
- Expensive
- Runs hot
- RAM could be better for the base variant
- Storage could be better for the base variant
- CPU/Processor: Apple M2 chip
- GPU/Graphics Card: Integrated
- RAM/Memory: 8 GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Display: 13-inch Retina Display
When it comes to fanless laptop design, it’s only natural for an Apple device to claim the throne. It’s not great for gaming but all the other hardware features you get more than make up for that, especially if you’re just after productivity.
Some models you can even use for some light video editing while keeping somewhat manageable chassis temperatures (usually below 100 degrees Celsius).
The bottom plate is integrated into the cooling mechanism, meaning it gets hot– sometimes too hot for a bare lap. But that’s part of the package since you’re going for a fanless design. There’s also the MacBook Pro variant if you’re looking for something more robust and capable of heavier tasks.
Apple MacBook Air 2022
Asus VivoBook 17 K712EA
PROS
- Decent storage
- Decent RAM
- 17.3-inch screen
- Full-sized keyboard
- Fingerprint sensor on the touchpad
- Thin and light
- Hinge design provides additional elevation for the chassis
CONS
- This Core i7 variant only has four cores
- Outdated processor
- CPU/Processor: Intel Core i7-1165G7
- GPU/Graphics Card: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- RAM/Memory: 16 GB
- Storage: 1 TB
- Display: 17.3 inches FHD
Of course, if you want Windows, then you’ll be pleased to know that your options are more varied and more affordable. For that matter, the Asus Vivobook 17 (not to be confused with the 17X which has a fan), offers more powerful hardware and a larger screen at a more affordable price compared to the smallest current MacBook.
It doesn’t have the same impressive battery life due to the much bigger screen, as expected. But it’s hard to find 17-inch laptops with a fanless hardware design, so consider this one a catch.
Storage is more generous here and so is the RAM. Asus definitely took some pages from the Apple design philosophy book here but you can’t really complain since it’s sleek while also offering lots of screen real estate.
Asus VivoBook 17 K712EA
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Gen1
PROS
- Headturner
- Screen can be bigger than advertised
- Touchscreen display
- Light
- Can be folded for added portability
- OLED screen
CONS
- Expensive
- Poor battery life
- RAM could be better
- Storage could be better
- This technology is still in its early stages
- Non-upgradeable
- CPU/Processor: Intel Core Core i5-L16G7
- GPU/Graphics Card: Integrated
- RAM/Memory: 8 GB
- Storage: 256/512 GB
- Display: 13 inches 1536 X 2048 Touch
It’s a little hard to call this marvel a laptop anymore as it’s approaching folding smartphone and tablet territory, but Lenovo still classifies it as a laptop. This 2-in-1 device is one of its earliest designs and if you love the privilege of being an early adopter of new technology, then this folding laptop is a good starting point.
Well, all laptops fold anyway, but this one does it across the screen. That means the 13-inch display is actually deceptive here since it easily doubles in size once you’ve unfolded the laptop.
RAM is lacking and so is the storage, sadly, but the display is touchscreen and there are lots of nifty applications and modes you can perform on this laptop/tablet.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Gen1
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
PROS
- Thin and light
- Lots of other variants and spec options
- Flexible 360-degree hinge
CONS
- RAM could be better
- Outdated CPU
- Storage could be better
- CPU/Processor: Intel Core i7-1065G7
- GPU/Graphics Card: Intel Iris Plus Graphics
- RAM/Memory: 8 GB
- Storage: 256 GB
- Display: 13 inches FHD+ Touch
A quick disclaimer is in order here, there are more updated options from Lenovo but they all have fans since they come equipped with hotter CPUs. That makes the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 laptop’s existence an engineering wonder.
Lenovo was able to make a fanless 2-in-1 laptop with a full-sized keyboard and a decently powerful CPU.
It’s quite pricey, of course, but as far as 2-in-1 fanless laptops go, this one is reasonably priced. There are upgraded options too in case you want to go above your budget range. Beyond that, it’s a pretty standard Lenovo device that comes with a flexible hinge and the usual bells and whistles you can expect in a thin laptop.
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K
PROS
- Thin and light
- 15.6-inch IPS screen at this price range
- Fingerprint sensor on the touchpad
- Integrated with Amazon Alexa
- Full-sized, backlit keyboard
- Cheap price
- Minimalist
CONS
- The 4gb RAM is soldered, thus max RAM is only 8GB
- RAM is lacking
- Storage is lacking
- CPU is outdated
- CPU/Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3350U
- GPU/Graphics Card: Intel Iris Plus Graphics
- RAM/Memory: 4GB DDR4
- Storage: 128GB NVMe SSD
- Display: 15.6″ Full HD
If budget is really your primary concern, then fanless laptops also have that category. They’re typically called netbooks or notebooks and they cost about as much as a mid-range or budget Android smartphone. Still, devices like the Acer Aspire 5 are great for people with light computer jobs such as writing or social media management.
For this price range (sub-$400), you can expect some drastic cost-cutting though there are versions that come with beefier specs if you want to go higher. Or you can upgrade the RAM and storage. After all, the main draw here is that it’s a budget fanless laptop.
They’re great for students or if you don’t want to carry something that you’ll regret losing too much. They still do the basic functions of a computer, and they’re still somewhat snappy due to the NVMe SSD installed.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K
To Whom are Fanless Laptops for?
With how neutered they are in the performance and cooling department, you might be wondering for whom these laptops are made. Fanless laptops are typically great for professionals who don’t need gaming or intense productivity hardware on their devices.
Anyone who will just be using Google Chrome or Microsoft Office applications will get a lot from fanless laptops without having to deal with the noise or spending too much. Certain outliers like the MacBook Air or Pro might be viable for photo or video editing, for you’d generally want something beefier if that’s what you’ll be doing, something with fans and an actual cooling system.
But at the end of the day, some people likely just want silent or light and thin laptops, and fanless laptops are the best options for such a preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are fanless laptops better than laptops with fans?
Generally, no. They have weaker performance due to a lack of ample cooling. But when it comes to silence, they're better. -
Can you play video games on a gaming laptop?
Yes. Old ones such as League of Legends or CS:GO. Anything beyond 2010, however, and the laptop might struggle.