The best part of being a freelancer is having the freedom to work from anywhere. However, having a laptop that fits this on-the-move lifestyle is important. While many modern laptops are sleek and lightweight, not all of them are ideal for freelancers.
Before diving into specific models that suit a freelancer’s lifestyle, here are a few key factors to consider when narrowing down your options.
Go for a thin and light option
Not all freelancers are backpackers, but if you are one, you might benefit from a thin and lightweight laptop that’s easy to carry around. Ideally, it should be between 13 and 14 inches—not smaller, to ensure a comfortable screen size, and not larger, to maintain portability. This is especially important if you travel frequently by air, as a compact laptop helps you travel light.
Galaxy Book, running on Windows 11. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
There are multiple options to choose from. If you prefer a Mac, you might have to settle for the MacBook Air.
Choose one with the latest chip, possibly with an NPU and at least 16 GB of RAM
Another important factor to consider while buying a freelancer-friendly laptop is the chip that powers it. You can choose an ultrabook powered by Intel, AMD, or even Qualcomm, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Similarly, try to get one with a neural processing unit (NPU) to ensure that the machine can handle on-device AI workloads.
While we don’t recommend getting a laptop with a dedicated GPU, as it could impact battery life, we suggest considering a laptop with powerful integrated graphics (iGPU). The latest solutions from Intel and AMD can handle modern AAA gaming with ease, albeit at a lower resolution and medium graphics settings.
The M1 MacBook Air is faster than competitive laptops at this price point. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
Last but not least, do not consider a laptop with less than 16 GB of RAM. If possible, opt for a 32 GB variant. Most laptops these days come with an SSD, and we suggest choosing one with at least 512 GB of storage.
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Based on these specifications, here are five laptops that are freelancer-worthy in 2025:
MacBook Air M4
Price: Rs 99,900
Easily one of the best laptops under Rs 1,00,000, this sleek, premium-looking, thin, and light notebook comes with all the benefits of a Mac. This time around, it also gets an updated 12 MP webcam, ensuring that you look sharp during video calls. The 13-inch MacBook Air is powered by the M4 chip with at least 16 GB of unified memory, making it plenty powerful. Apple claims that this Mac can offer up to 18 hours of battery life.
Asus Zenbook A14
Price: Rs 99,990
Just like the MacBook Air M4, the Zenbook A14 (review) is also an ARM-powered laptop, based on the latest India-exclusive Snapdragon X chip, which offers the performance of a laptop with the efficiency of a smartphone. As the name suggests, this is a 14-inch OLED display notebook with Copilot+ certification and the ability to locally run AI models like DeepSeek. It also supports several AI experiences by Microsoft, with a battery life of up to 36 hours for local video playback per charge.
Lenovo Yoga 7i Aura Edition Gen 10
Price: Rs 1,00,400
An excellent Windows PC for freelancers, this one is a 2-in-1. Powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra 5 226V Processor, it is powerful and power-efficient. It is also one of the few laptops with a dedicated Copilot key. Unlike the other two options, the Yoga 7i Aura Edition Gen 10 has touch support and offers up to 31 hours of video playback time.
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Acer Swift Go 14
Price: Rs 79,990
This laptop, quite similar to the Yoga 7i Aura Edition, costs Rs 20,000 less but lacks touch input support. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor, it offers 16 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, and comes with Copilot+ certification. Weighing just 1.28 kg, the laptop has a 14-inch 2K resolution OLED screen. Despite being a thin machine, it includes all the essential ports.
MacBook Air M2
Price: Rs 69,990
If the new MacBook Air M4 is too expensive, consider the M2-powered MacBook Air, which looks just like the M4 version but is almost Rs 30,000 cheaper. Despite being two years old, its software capabilities are nearly identical. However, the main drawback of the base variant is that it comes with only 8 GB of RAM.
Source: 5 feather-light laptops freelancers can choose for under one lakh
