Many people desire a quiet workplace to help them concentrate better on what they are doing. But sometimes, the distracting noise would come from the laptop itself as cooling fans that keep the device from overheating can be loud. The solution to that would be fanless laptops, which are devices that implement passive cooling solutions so fans are no longer needed. But finding the best fanless laptop won’t be an easy task.
This is because being quiet is just one requirement, as you’ll also want a laptop that can perform well. But doing this is not going to be easy, considering fanless laptops are not known for their power and performance. That’s actually one of the major trade-offs when you want a quiet laptop, it won’t have the best power available.
Fortunately, there are still good laptops out there that are not only fanless but also have good power, provide superb performance, and have solid features. We’re here to help you pick which laptops are best.
Recommendations for June 2023
- ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 – An affordable and silent work laptop with decent power and solid features.
- Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – A thin and lightweight tablet-laptop hybrid with great functionality, ideal for people who are always on the move.
- Acer Spin 7 – Well-designed and durable laptop that’s comfortable to use.
- HP Elite x2 – Feature-rich and flexible laptop with a removable base for replacing certain components.
- Dell XPS 13 9365 – Silent but powerful 2-in-1 laptop for more intensive tasks.
- ASUS Chromebook Flip C302 – A premium-looking Chromebook but with an affordable price tag.
- ASUS Laptop E14 – Thin and lightweight budget laptop with Full HD matted display and decent specs.
- Samsung Galaxy Book S – A thin and sturdy laptop with a bright screen and long-lasting battery life, great for outdoor use.
- Acer Chromebook 314 – A quiet Chromebook with solid features, ideal for those with a tight budget.
- Apple MacBook Air 2018 – A thin and light MacBook with good specs for all-around performance.
Best Fanless Laptops in 2023
ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 – Affordable Fanless Laptop
Though fanless laptops are not known for their strong performance, there are laptops available that feature powerful CPU and GPU to provide great performance and be able to do almost any task. But these models are more on the high-end price range.
But if you don’t plan on doing intensive tasks or activities on your laptop and will only use it for simple work, then you might want to consider the ASUS VivoBook Flip 14. It’s the best fanless laptop that you can get at an affordable price.
It features an Intel Quad-Core Pentium N5000 processor with 4GB RAM and 128GB eMMC storage, which offers solid power and can easily perform basic work tasks such as editing documents or spreadsheets, browsing the net, and doing minor multitasking work.
It also features an Intel UHD 605 graphics and 14-inch HD display to provide a bit of entertainment and its 360-degree hinges give it flexible configurations. It’s a great option for students or workers that need a laptop to perform basic tasks and also be used for entertainment.
Recommended Configuration for ASUS VivoBook Flip 14
CPU: Intel Quad-Core Pentium N5000 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 605 | RAM: 4 GB DDR4 RAM | Screen: 14”Nano Edge Touch Display (1366 x 768) pixels | Storage: 128GB eMMC | Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life: 6.5 hours | Weight: 3.3 lbs
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – Light And Functional
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 was a good tablet-laptop hybrid that doesn’t have a lot of major flaws. This is why the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 pretty much adopted most of its predecessor’s features, even the thick bezels, and added some improvements.
Most notable of the improvements, though, is a USB Type-C port alongside the USB Type-A, providing more connectivity for this device. This laptop also sports a better processor, the 10th Gen Intel Core i3, providing a better overall performance along with its 4GB RAM and 128GB hard drive (there’s also a fanless Intel Core i5 model).
But what makes this laptop a great fanless laptop is how light it is. Similar to the Surface Pro 6, it only weighs at 1.7 lbs, which is the lightest laptop on this list. It’s also the thinnest, at only 0.33 inches, even with a keyboard cover, making it easy and comfortable to carry around
With its solid power, good features, and amazing portability the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is one of the best fanless laptops you can get.
Recommended Configuration for Microsoft Surface Pro 7
CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics Series | RAM: 4 GB RAM | Screen: 12.3” PixelSense Touch Display (2736 x 1824) pixel | Storage: 128GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life: 10.5 hours | Weight: 1.7 lbs
Acer Spin 7 – Well Designed And Durable Model
Being a quiet operator is the main selling point of fanless laptops. But sometimes, you will need a laptop that’s not only quiet but also has the power to deliver a good performance.
This is what the Acer Spin 7 brings to the table with its Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage space. It’s even equipped with a standard graphics card and with these specs, this laptop can deliver stronger performance and allow you to do more tasks.
But this laptop is not only about performance as it is also a well-designed and well-built laptop. It’s a thin and light laptop with 0.43-inches thickness and 2.65 lbs that features a keyboard that is very comfortable to use and provides great feedback.
The touchpad and touch display are also very responsive and it also has loudspeakers that produce good quality sounds. The 360-degree hinges are durable, keeping the laptop in place whether you’re using it in laptop, tent, or tablet mode.
The 14-inch 1920 x 1080 display also provides sharp images and good color contrast, making it a joy to watch movies and videos with, or even just use for browsing. Overall the Spin 7 is a well-built laptop that is fun to use and provides great performance.
Recommended Configuration for Acer Spin 7
CPU: Intel Core i7-7Y75 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 610 | RAM: 8 GB RAM LPDDR3 | Screen: 14” IPS Multi-touch Display (1920 x 1080) pixel | Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 2.65 lbs
HP Elite x2 – Feature-Rich
What can make a tablet-laptop more attractive? By giving it lots of great features, functionality, and making it affordable.
This is what the HP Elite x2 offers, which makes it one of the best fanless laptops available. Not only does it come with a digital pen and the keyboard base, but it also features a fingerprint reader as well as a micro-SIM slot, USB Type-A, and Type-C ports.
Its USB-C charger can even be used to charge other devices. But what really makes this a great tablet-laptop hybrid is that you can open the case and replace some of its components like battery, the storage module, and more.
This is a great feature to have as this will allow you to put in better components to improve the laptop’s performance. But performance is not really something you will have issues with the Elite x2.
It features an m7-6Y75 with 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage space. It might not be the most powerful processor, but it’s solid enough to provide you with good performance.
All in all, the HP Elite x2 is a solid tablet-laptop hybrid that can have great features, flexibility, and can provide good performance.
Recommended Configuration for HP Elite x2
CPU: Intel m7-6Y75 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 515 | RAM: 8 GB RAM LPDDR3 | Screen: 12” IPS Touch Display (1920 x 1080) pixel | Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 Pro | Battery Life: 7 hours | Weight: 1.8 lbs
Dell XPS 13 9365 – Quiet But Powerful Performer
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If you need a powerful laptop that is also quiet, then the Dell XPS 13 9365 is the ideal model for you.
It comes with an Intel Core i7-7Y75, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD storage space. It also features an Intel UHD Graphics 620. These are powerful specs that will allow you to breeze through almost any tasks without any issues, including a bit of multitasking.
It can even handle light photo editing without any issues. Dell paired the laptop with long-lasting battery life, as the device lasted close to 12 hours on a single charge.
But aside from a powerful processor, this model also features a sleek but sturdy design, which will allow it to withstand daily bumps and bruises. As a 2-in-1 device, it’s also capable of being used in various configurations like laptop mode, tent mode, and tablet mode.
It also features a comfortable keyboard and a 13.3-inch full HD display that produces sharp image and color, making it a joy to watch videos and movies. Overall the Dell XPS 13 9365 is a quiet but powerful performer that has exceptional battery life and solid features.
Recommended Configuration for Dell XPS 13 9365
CPU: Intel Core i7-7Y75 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 8 GB RAM DDR3 | Screen: 13.3” InfinityEdge Touch Display (1920 x 1080) pixel | Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life: 11.5 hours | Weight: 2.7 lbs
Chromebooks are also good models to look at if you want a fanless laptop since many of them don’t use one. If you’re worried that Chromebooks look clunky and outdated, well you need to check out the Acer Chromebook C302.
It’s a device that has a sleek all-aluminum chassis with an anodized finish to make this Chromebook look more stylish. The device is also thin and lightweight, at only 2.6 lbs and 0.9-inches thick.
This also is an easy device to carry and use in various configurations. It’s magnetic clasp also allows the device to stay firm in tablet mode. But the C302 is not only a good-looking Chromebook, it can also provide solid performance.
It features an Intel Core m7 processor, 8GB Ram, and 64GB Flash storage. It’s not the most powerful specs available on this list, but it’s powerful enough for basic tasks.
It also features a 12.5-inch full HD screen and more than 10 hours of battery life. It’s a premium-looking Chromebook that can also provide solid performance for work and entertainment.
Recommended Configuration for ASUS Chromebook C302
CPU: Intel Core m7 processor | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 515 | RAM: 8 GB RAM DDR3 | Screen: 12.5” Touch Display (1920 x 1080) pixel | Storage: 64GB Flash | Operating System: Chrome OS | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 2.65 lbs
ASUS Laptop E14 – Thin And Light With Good Display
Budget laptops are not really known for providing good display but the ASUS Laptop E14 provides just that.
This affordable fanless laptop offers a 14-inch Full HD display that is actually and can be viewed from different angles, similar to screens with IPS technology. Brightness and colors are not as vivid as more expensive models, but it’s more than good enough considering its price range.
Aside from the good display, this device is also powered by an Intel Pentium Silver N5000 with 4GB of RAM and 128GB eMMC Flash storage. It’s decent specs that surprisingly performed better than we expected.
It didn’t deliver a powerful performance, but it performed better than what we expected, easily handling many of the basic tasks and even allowing for a bit of multitasking. The device also lasted for quite a while, providing us with 12 hours of use before it required charging.
And with its 2.87 lbs weight and 0.7-inch thickness, it’s a great device to carry around that can provide good performance and even be used for some entertainment with its good display.
Recommended Configuration for ASUS Laptop E14
CPU: Intel Pentium Silver N5000 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 605 | RAM: 4 GB RAM DDR4 | Screen: 14” Matte Display (1920 x 1080) pixel | Storage: 128GB eMMC Flash | Operating System: Windows 10 S | Battery Life: 12 hours | Weight: 2.87 lbs
Samsung Galaxy Book S – Quiet And Highly Portable
The real purpose of laptops is to provide you with a portable device that you can use for work or school where you go. Well, one of the better laptops on this list for on-the-go people is the Samsung Galaxy Book S.
Not only is it a fanless device, making it quiet while you work, it also features the Outdoor+ mode, which adjusts the 13.3-inch display’s brightness to make it viewable while working outdoors.
Aside from a great display, the Galaxy Book S also features a thin and featherweight design. It weighs at only 2.09 lbs and a thickness of only 0.46-inches, making it easy and comfortable to carry around. It also features a 10-hour battery life (drops to over 5 hours if used with the Outdoor+ activated), allowing for a full day of work.
The device also comes with an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD storage space, providing decent power for basic tasks. It’s one of the best laptops to have if you’re always on the move.
Recommended Configuration for Samsung Galaxy Book S
CPU: Intel Core i5 processor | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: 8 GB RAM DDR4 | Screen: 13.3” Touch Display (1920 x 1080) pixel | Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 2.09 lbs
Acer Chromebook 314 – Quiet With Solid Features
This is another Chromebook on the list and there’s a good reason why it’s included. The Acer Chromebook 314 is not as stylish as the other model, but it’s no slouch in that regard either.
It features a simple, yet elegant looking metallic silver casing with a similar finish inside and black keys. The 14-inch display is surrounded by thin bezels on the side, a medium bezel at the top, and thick bezel at the bottom.
But what’s really great about the Chromebook 314 are its features. It’s powered by an Intel Celeron N4000 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB eMMC storage, and a decent graphics card. The CPU is powerful enough to handle most tasks, and can even do a bit of light multitasking.
The 14-inch full HD display is also bright and provides sharp images with good color contrast. It even has decent ports with two USB Type-A, two USB Type-C, a microSD card reader, and an audio jack.
All of this is combined with a battery life that can last for up to 12 hours. It’s a great fanless Chromebook that is not only quiet but can also perform decently and has a sleek design.
Recommended Configuration for Acer Chromebook 314
CPU: Intel Core Celeron N4000 processor | Graphics: Intel UHD 600 | RAM: 4 GB RAM LPDDR4 | Screen: 14” Full HD Display (1920 x 1080) pixel | Storage: 64GB eMMC | Operating System: Chrome OS | Battery Life: 12 hours | Weight: 3.75 lbs
Apple MacBook Air – All-Around Fanless Device
When it comes to finding a fanless MacBook, you only have two options available, the discontinued MacBook with a 12-inch display and the MacBook Air that was released in late 2018.
With that option, the MacBook Air would have to be the best choice available. It’s actually a great choice, considering the great features it offers. Dubbed as the first Ultrabook, this laptop model is equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD storage space, and a decent graphics card. It’s decent enough specs for everyday basic tasks.
As the laptop that introduced the Ultrabooks, this device didn’t disappoint on that front as it maintained its thin and light build. It weighs only 2.75 pounds and is 0.61 inches thick. This makes the MacBook Air a good device to bring along anywhere because of how lightweight and slim it is. It also features a 13.3-inch Retina display.
This gives this laptop a great display that provides sharp and crisp images, as well as vivid colors. Apple paired this device with exceptional battery life, lasting at an average of 12 hours. If you want a quiet MacBook that can also perform, then the MacBook Air is your device.
Recommended Configuration for Apple MacBook Air 2018
CPU: 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 617 | RAM: 8 GB RAM LPDDR3 | Screen: 13.3” Retina Display (2560 x 1600) pixels | Storage: 128GB SSD | Operating System: OS X 10.10 Yosemite | Battery Life: 12 hours | Weight: 2.75 lbs
Picking The Best Fanless Laptop 2023
CPU
When deciding on the best fanless laptops available, the CPU or the processor would have to be the first thing you need to look at. The CPU is the component that handles how fast and how well the laptop can run programs. As already mentioned earlier, laptops that don’t use fans are not known to have good power.
This means that their CPU or processors would mostly be on the low-end spectrum like an Intel Celeron or a Core m processor. There are models, though, that can provide more power and these are the laptops that use the Intel Core Y series processors.
They’re usually available in either Core i3, i5, or i7. They’re basically more powerful than the Celeron and Core m processor and they’re the CPU that you need to look for if you’re looking for more powerful fanless laptops, with i7 being the most powerful CPU available.
If you’re only doing basic work tasks and won’t be running demanding programs, an Intel Celeron, Core m, or Core i3 would be enough. But if you really need more power, then you should look at the Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs.
These processors can handle some of the more demanding programs, allowing you to do more work or tasks with your laptop.
RAM
If a better performance from a fanless laptop is what you need, then you should also look at the device’s RAM. Random-access memory or RAM is the computer’s memory that will temporarily store all information that a device will need right now or imminently.
This component can determine whether your laptop can handle multitasking or not. The higher the RAM is the better it is able to handle more programs and tasks being run at once. So, if you feel you will do a lot of multitasking work on your laptop, then you better seek a model with at least 8GB of RAM.
That figure will allow you to easily have multiple browsers open while also doing some work on your laptop without experiencing any issues or slowdown. It’s important to remember, though, that models with higher RAM will cost more.
If you’re on a tight budget then you will have to settle for models with 4GB of RAM. That’s still a decent figure and will allow you to do light multitasking. Just don’t try to push it further as this could cause your device to lag.
Storage Device
Another thing that you need to look at when you’re deciding the best fanless laptops available that doesn’t use fans is the storage device used. This is because you want a fanless device for its discreteness, this would mean you will need a device that uses a Solid State Drive (SSD) storage device and not the Hard Disk Drives (HDD).
The reason is that HDD storage devices use spinning platters, which can cause some noise. They are not usually loud, but you can hear them, especially if the environment you’re working in is really quiet.
SDDs don’t use any moving parts inside them, which means they are static and wouldn’t make as much noise as HDDs. There will still be faint electric sounds since there are still physical components inside, but you don’t normally hear them.
This is why you need to look at fanless laptops that use SSD storage devices if you really want a quiet laptop. This won’t be much of an issue since most Ultrabooks use SSD. However, there will be some budget fanless laptops that will still use the HDD storage device, so be aware of them.
As for how much storage space you will need, it won’t really matter much. Higher storage space would be good, especially if you’ll use the laptop for work/school and entertainment at the same time as you will likely save a lot of files there.
Battery Life
Battery life is another thing that you will need to look at when buying the best fanless laptops because these devices are known for having long battery life. One of the reasons is because there is one less component inside that requires power.
Another reason is that fanless laptops usually use components that are not that demanding in terms of power like the low-end processors or CPU. So they don’t consume too much battery life as well.
Laptop models in this category will usually have an average battery life of at least 5 hours from a single charge. This is even on the low-end side of battery life and only a few models average this low.
Many of the better fanless laptops would last up to 8 hours, with some even reaching as high as 12 hours on a single charge. Of course, these long battery life was achieved while performing basic tasks and activities on the laptop.
Expect to average lower battery life if you’re going to push it further and do more tasks that consume more power like watching movies, streaming videos, using demanding programs, and so on.
Weight And Dimensions
Last, but certainly not the least, is the laptop’s weight and dimensions. Laptops without fans are usually lightweight and thin, making them easy to carry around whenever you’re on the go. This is because there will be fewer components inside, so that’s less weight on the device and more space to spread out other components and make the laptop thinner.
Model’s in this category would usually have a thickness of less than an inch. Some models would even be less than half an inch thick, making them a very thin device. In terms of weight, most models would be below 3 lbs.
There will be a few that will go above that but never above 4 lbs. There will also be models that will weigh less than 2 lbs, making them very portable and easy to carry around, even for longer periods because of how light they are.
Despite being lightweight and thin, most fanless laptops are made durable and sturdy. So you don’t have to worry too much about the device breaking easily with just a few bumps and bruises.
If you’re someone who’s always on the move, a model that weighs less than 3 lbs is what you need to make it easier to carry around the device. If you prefer a device that’s more of a tablet but can be used as a laptop when needed, then the models that weigh less than 2 lbs are your options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Fanless Laptops Overheat?
Despite the absence of a cooling fan, fanless laptops don’t overheat unless it is broken. This is possible by using weaker CPUs so it doesn’t generate as much heat as the more powerful processors. It can get a bit hot, especially during hot weather, but the heat is bearable. When the weather is cold, you won’t really notice the heat so you won’t face any issues.
To keep its temperature stable and prevent heating, laptops without fans would usually rely on the CPUs clock management to manage the device’s temperature. The CPUs are also placed in contact with a heat sink, which will allow heat created by the component to flow through it and release in the surrounding air to keep temperatures stable inside the device.
What Is The Quietest Laptop?
Most, if not all of the quiet laptops would fall under the fanless category. This is because cooling fans get a bit noisy when they start kicking in to keep a device from overheating. There are some laptops with silent fans, but you can still hear a faint sound once the fan starts rotating. Laptop models without any cooling fans are usually the quietest since there won’t be any spinning or moving components inside them.
How Do I Cool Down A Fanless Laptop?
To help keep your fanless laptop from getting too hot while working, try using them while in an air-conditioned room to provide a cooler room temperature. You can also use a cooling pad if you’re not in an airconditioned room to keep the device cool while you work.
It’s important to remember that trying to cool down a laptop without fans from the outside will have minimal effects on its temperature inside It will probably drop it down a couple of degrees Celsius, which will have minimal effect on its performance.
Conclusion
To conclude, fanless laptops don’t have to be just a quiet device with mediocre power and performance. There are good options out there that are not only silent but can also have good specs and features to provide great performance, regardless if it’s for work or play.
We hope that you will be able to choose the best fanless laptop for you by reading our list and buying guide. Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions or if you have things to share. We would love to hear your thoughts about this article.
Fun Fact, I don’t want a fanless Laptop because it is quieter. I want it so I can actually use it on my lap.
As you should know, all laptops need to be used on a hard breathable surface so they can breath and maintain the adequate cooling it was designed to do. As some one who owns a MSI Stealth series laptop with RTX 2080. It sucks air in from the bottom and blows it out the side. So the only safe place to maintain the health of the laptop is at a desk or on a little sheet of 18mm plywood I keep in my car for just the purpose.
So I find myself limited to where I can use it. Which lead me to search Google for fanless laptops. I am a professional software engineer with a work laptop. Which isnt fanless, I use that on my lap all the time. Not my job/expense to replace it though and it is admin restricted, doesnt do anything unless it is connected to a vpn.
So now I want one to program my own ideas, where ever I might be.