Laptops are getting thinner and lighter with each generation these days. The hardware is getting faster and smaller in size, to the point where the actual processor, memory, and all the other components only occupy a small fraction of a modern computer, leading to more compact form-factors and leaving extra room inside for larger batteries.
All these lead to a new trend in the world of mobile computing: fanless laptops and ultrabooks, or in other words laptops with a passive cooling solution that does not require a spinning fan.
You’ll find quite a few different models available in stores already, and this post lists all of them based on screen size, weight, the hardware inside, and how much they cost.
Now, there’s one major reason why you’ll want a fanless laptop: it’s going to be noiseless, perfectly quiet, as the passively cooled hardware is paired with SSD storage in most units. Older fanless machines, especially among the more affordable options, may still come with spinning HDDs, but even those can be upgraded in order to deliver what the fanless consumer desires: a quiet laptop experience, similar to what tablets or phones have been offering for years.
At the same time, it’s imperative to understand that fanless laptops are mostly built on low-power hardware platforms and while most can handle everyday tasks just fine, they’re not meant for serious multitasking or the more demanding chores you might want to perform on a modern laptop (editing videos and photos, running programming software or modern PC games, among others). At least for the time being, although, that’s slowly changing with the newer hardware platforms.
We’ll talk a bit more about the fanless platforms available at this very moment towards the end of the post, so you’ll understand exactly what to expect from each of them.
In few words though, if you’re reading this article in 2020/2021, Amber Lake-Y builds are still the ones to check out, although there are also a handful of faster Intel Core Ice Lake, Lake Field, or Tiger Lake implementations to consider, and especially a handful of ARM-based products, either Chromebooks or full-grown laptops running MacOS/Windows.
No fans + no spinning HDD = no noise
For now, these are the available fanless laptops and ultra-portables. Click the links on each product’s name for more details and reviews, as well as the links in the Prices column for the latest offers and discounts on the ones that you’re interested in.
Premium fanless laptops
Going with a fanless laptop normally translates into a compromise in performance, thermals, or both. These options here are, however, pretty much the best money can get you in a fanless and completely silent product.
They’re very different, though, and I’d suggest further research to make sure which one of these is the right choice for you. You’ll find a couple of Amber Lake Y devices running either Windows or ChromeOS, a couple of premium ARM-based devices running the ARM-version of Windows and compatible apps, as well as a couple of fully-capable laptops such as the Huawei Matebook X built on Core U hardware, or the Apple MacBook Air built on the Apple M1 silicon.
| Model | Type | Screen | Hardware | Weight | Start Price |
| Acer Swift 7 | Windows, clamshell | 14.0″ IPS FHD touch | Amber Lake Core Y, 32 Wh | .9 kg / 2 lbs | $1599 |
| Apple MacBook Air | MacOS, clamshell | 13.3″ IPS retina glossy | Apple M1, 49.9 Wh | 1.3 kg / 2.8 lbs | $999 |
| Asus Chromebook Flip C434 | Chromebook, convertible | 14″ IPS FHD touch | Amber Lake Core Y, 48 Wh | 1.45 kg / 3.2 lbs | $479 |
| Asus NovaGo | Windows on ARM, clamshell | 13.3″ IPS FHD touch | Qualcomm 845, 52 Wh | 1.4 kg / 3.1 lbs | $999 |
| Dell XPS 13 9365 | Windows, convertible | 13.3″ IPS FHD/QHD+ touch | up to Amber Lake Core Y | 1.24 kg / 2.7 lbs | $999 |
| Google Pixelbook | Chromebook, convertible | 12.3″ IPS 3:2 3K touch | Amber Lake Core Y, 48 Wh | 1.13 kg / 2.5 lbs | $799 |
| Google Pixelbook Go | Chromebook, clamshell | 13.3″ IPS 16:10 FHD touch | Amber Lake Core Y, 48 Wh | 1.1 kg / 2.4 lbs | $649 |
| HP Spectre Folio | Windows, tablet w/ folio | 13.3″ IPS FHD touch | Amber Lake Core Y, 55 Wh | 3.3 lbs / 1.5 kg | $1199 |
| Huawei MateBook X | Windows on ARM, clamshell | 13″ IPS 3:2 3K touch | Comet Lake Core U, 42 Wh | 2.2 lbs / 1 kg | $999 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro X | Windows, tablet | 13″ IPS 3:2 3K touch | Qualcomm QX, 34 Wh | .78 lbs / 1.7 kg | $1499 |
| Porsche Design Ultra One | Windows, clamshell | 15.6″ IPS FHD touch | Amber Lake Core Y, 45 Wh | 3.3 lbs / 1.5 kg | $1399 |
| Samsung Galaxy Pro S | Windows, clamshell | 13.3″ IPS FHD touch | Lakefield Core, 42 Wh | .95 lbs / 2.1 kg | $999 |
| Samsung Galaxy Pro S ARM | Windows on ARM, clamshell | 13.3″ IPS FHD touch | Qualcomm 8cx, 42 Wh | .95 lbs / 2.1 kg | $999 |
| Venom BlackBook Zero 14 | clamshell, clamshell | 14″ IPS FHD matte | Amber Lake Core Y, 36 Wh | 3.3 lbs / 1.45 kg | $999 |
Full-size fanless laptops
This section is reserved for full-size everyday machines with 14+ inch screens. Most of these are Chromebooks, and I’ve only listed the most interesting picks here, as we do cover Chromebooks in general in a separate detailed article.
There aren’t many Windows options, though, simply because you’d normally expect more competent hardware in a larger laptop, the kind that requires a fan. I’d also recommend checking out our detailed guide on the best 14 and 15-inch ultrabooks you can find right now, in case you’re interested.
| Model | Type | Screen | Hardware | Weight | Start Price |
| Acer Chromebook 514 | Chromebook, clamshell | 14.0″ IPS FHD | Amber Lake Core Y, 56 Wh | 3.3 lbs / 1.5 kg | $349 |
| Acer Chromebook 15 | Chromebook, clamshell | 15.6″ IPS FHD | Apollo Lake Celeron/Pentium | 3.95 lbs / 1.8 kg | $299 |
| Acer Swift 1 | Windows, clamshell | 14.0″ IPS FHD | Apollo/Gemini Lake Pentium | 1.4 kg / 3.1 lbs | $349 |
| Asus Chromebook C425 | Chromebook, clamshell | 14.0″ IPS FHD | Amber Lake Core Y, 56 Wh | 1.3 kg / 2.8 lbs | $349 |
| Asus VivoBook Flip 14 | Windows, convertible | 14″ TN HD or IPS FHD touch | Apollo Lake Celeron/Pentium | 3.3 lbs / 1.5 kg | $399 |
| HP Chromebook 14 | Chromebook, clamshell | 14″ IPS FHD | Gemini Lake Pentium, 47 Wh | 1.45 kg / 3.4 lbs | $399 |
| HP Chromebook 15 | Chromebook, clamshell | 15.6″ IPS FHD | Gemini Lake Pentium, 60 Wh | 1.85 kg / 4 lbs | $499 |
| HP Stream 14 | Windows,clamshell | 14.0″ TN HD | BayTrail Celeron | 1.54 kg / 3.4 lbs | $199 |
| HP 17 Laptop | Windows,clamshell | 17.3″ TN HD+ | Gemini Lake Pentium, 41 Wh | 2.4 kg / 5.3 lbs | $399 |
| Samsung Chromebook 4+ | Chromebook, clamshell | 15.6″ TN FHD | Gemini Lake Pentium, 39 Wh | 1.8 kg / 3.8 lbs | $399 |
Fanless ultrabooks and ultra-portables
This section is reserved for the portables ultrabooks and thin-and-light laptops with screen sizes between 12 and 14-inches.
That includes the popular 12.5 and 13.3-inch categories, where you’ll mostly find the best-balanced mix between an ergonomically sized workspace, a comfortable keyboard, a fair selection of ports and a fair-sized battery. Here’s where you’ll also find most of the premium fanless offers.
| Model | Type | Screen | Hardware | Weight | Start Price |
| Acer Swift 1 | clamshell | 13.3″ IPS FHD | Apollo/Gemini Lake Pentium | 1.3 kg / 2.9 lbs | $349 |
| Acer Switch 7 Black Edition | detachable | 13.5″ IPS touch | Kaby Lake-R Core U | 1.13 kg / 2.5 lbs | $1699 |
| Acer Aspire Switch 12S | detachable | 12.5″ IPS touch FHD | Skylake Core M | 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs (w/ dock) | $1199 |
| Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 | detachable | 12.5″ IPS touch | Skylake Core U | 1.3 kg / 2.85 lbs (w/ folio) | $599 |
| Acer Chromebook R13 | Convertible | 13.3″ IPS FHD | Mediatek | 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs | $329 |
| Apple MacBook 12 | clamshell | 12.0″ IPS retina | Skylake Core M | 0.90 kg / 2.0 lbs | $1199 |
| Asus Chromebook Flip | Convertible | 13.3″ IPS FHD | Kaby Lake Core Y | 1.2 kg / 2.65 lbs | $399 |
| Asus Transformer Book Chi T300 |
detachable | 12.5″ IPS touch QHD | Broadwell Core M | 1.40 kg / 3.1 lbs (w/dock) | $699 |
| Asus Transformer 3 T305CA | detachable | 12.5″ IPS touch | Kaby Lake Core M | 1.14 kg / 2.5 lbs (w/dock) | $699 |
| Asus Zenbook UX305 | clamshell | 13.3″ IPS FHD and QHD+ | Skylake Core M | 1.27 kg / 2.8 lbs | $699 |
| Asus Zenbook UX330CA | clamshell | 13.3″ IPS FHD and QHD+ | Kaby Lake Core M | 1.2 kg / 2.65 lbs | $799 |
| Asus Zenbook Flip UX360CA | convertible | 13.3″ IPS touch FHD and QHD+ | Skylake Core Y | 1.3 kg / 2.86 lbs | $699 |
| Dell Latitude 12 7000 | detachable | 12.5″ IPS touch FHD or UHD | Kaby Lake Core Y | 1.66 kg / 3.7 lbs (w/ dock) | $1199 |
| Dell XPS 12 9250 | detachable | 12.5″ IPS touch FHD or UHD | Skylake Core Y | 1.27 kg / 2.8 lbs (w/ dock) | $999 |
| Dell XPS 13 9365 | convertible | 13.3″ IPS FHD/QHD+ touch | up to Amber Lake Core Y | 1.24 kg / 2.7 lbs | $999 |
| Eve V | tablet | 12.3″ IPS 2k | Kaby Lake Core Y | 1.33 kg / 3 lbs (w/ keyboard) | $799 |
| HP EliteBook Folio 1020 | clamshell | 12.5″ IPS FHD or touch QHD | Skylake Core Y | 0.97 kg / 2.13 lbs | $1099 |
| HP Spectre X2 12 | detachable | 12″ IPS touch FHD | Kaby Lake Core Y | 1.22 kg / 2.68 lbs (w/ dock) | $899 |
| HP Elite x2 | detachable | 13″ IPS touch 2K | Kaby Lake Core U | 1.16 kg / 2.56 lbs (w/ dock) | $1599 |
| Lenovo Miix 710 | tablet | 12″ IPS FHD+ | Kaby Lake Core M | 0.77 kg / 1.7 lbs | $749 |
| Lenovo Yoga 900S | convertible | 12.5″ IPS FHD+ | Skylake Core Y | 0.99 kg / 2.2 lbs | $1099 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet | tablet | 12.0″ IPS touch | Kaby Lake Core Y | 0.77 kg / 1.7 lbs | $949 |
| Huawei Matebook | tablet | 12.0″ IPS FHD+ | Kaby Lake Core Y | 0.64 kg / 1.41 lbs | $899 |
| Huawei Matebook X | clamshell | 13.3″ IPS retina | KabyLake Core U | 1.05 kg / 2.31 lbs | $899 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro | tablet | 12.3″ IPS FHD+ | up to Ice Lake Core U | 0.77 kg / 1.7 lbs (without keyboard) | $799 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro X | tablet | 13″ IPS FHD+ | Qualcomm Snapdragon | 0.77 kg / 1.7 lbs (without keyboard) | $999 |
| Samsung ATIV Book 9 | clamshell | 12.2″ IPS touch WQXGA | Broadwell Core M | 0.95 kg / 2.1 lbs | $1199 |
| Samsung Chromebook 2 13 | clamshell | 13.3″ IPS FHD | Samsung Exynos 5 Octa | 1.38 kg / 3.06 lbs | $399 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S | tablet | 12.1″ IPS FHD+ | Skylake Core Y | 0.69 kg / 1.53 lbs | $999 |
| Toshiba Chromebook 13 CB35 | clamshell | 13.3″ TN HD | Celeron BayTrail | 1.33 kg / 2.95 lbs | $249 |
| Toshiba Portégé Z20t | convertible | 12.5″ IPS touch FHD | Broadwell Core M | 1.59 kg / 3.5 lbs (w/ dock) | $1299 |
| Xiaomi Mi Notebook 12 | clamshell | 12.5″ IPS FHD | Skylake Core U | 1.1 kg / 2.4 lbs | $899 |
Fanless Mini laptops
Finally, we list here the smallest options, usually built on very low power hardware and thus only meant for basic daily tasks.
They are specially designed with either budget or long battery life in mind (most of them check both these boxes), but if you’re a demanding user or type for a living you might find them either too small or too slow for your needs.
| Model | Type | Screen | Hardware | Weight | Start Price |
| Acer Aspire ES11 | clamshell | 11.6″ TN HD | Celeron Braswell | 1.27 kg / 2.8 lbs | $229 |
| Acer Aspire R 11 | convertible | 11.6″ TN touch HD | Celeron / Pentium Braswell | 1.58 kg / 3.50 lbs | $249 |
| Acer Aspire Switch 10 2015 | detachable | 10.1″ IPS FHD | Atom BayTrail | 1.2 kg / 2.64 lbs (w/dock) | $399 |
| Acer Aspire Switch 10 E | detachable | 10.1″ TN HD | Atom BayTrail | 1.28 kg / 2.82 lbs (w/ dock) | $279 |
| Acer Aspire Switch 11 V | detachable | 11.6″ IPS touch FHD | Skylake Core M | 1.55 kg / 3.5 lbs | $499 |
| Acer Spin 1 | clamshell | 11.6″ IPS FHD | Pentium Apollo Lake | 1.50 kg / 3.31 lbs | $249 |
| Asus EeeBook X205 | clamshell | 11.6″ TN HD | Atom BayTrail | 0.95 kg / 2.10 lbs (w/ dock) | $199 |
| Asus Transformer Book Chi T100 | detachable | 10.1″ IPS WUXGA | Atom BayTrail | 1.08 kg / 2.38 lbs (w/ dock) | $399 |
| Asus Transformer Book T100HA | detachable | 10.1″ IPS HD | Atom CherryTrail | 1.14 kg / 2.52 lbs (w/ dock) | $299 |
| Asus Transformer Book T101HA | detachable | 10.1″ IPS HD | Atom CherryTrail | 1.08 kg / 2.38 lbs (w/ dock) | $299 |
| Asus Transformer Book T102HA | detachable | 10.1″ IPS HD | Atom CherryTrail | 0.79 kg / 1.74 lbs (w/ dock) | $349 |
| Asus Transformer Book Flip TP200SA | convertible | 11.6″ TN touch HD | Celeron / Pentium Braswell | 1.20 kg / 2.65 lbs | $349 |
| HP Pavilion 360 11 | convertible | 11.6″ touch HD | Skylake Core Y | 1.4 kg / 3.1 lbs | $399 |
| Dell Venue 11 Pro 5000 |
detachable | 10.8″ IPS touch HD or FHD | Atom BayTrail | 0.71 kg / 1.57 lbs (without dock) | $699 |
| Dell Venue 11 Pro 7140 |
detachable | 10.8″ IPS touch FHD | Broadwell Core M | 0.72 kg / 1.59 lbs (without dock) | $699 |
| Dell Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1 | convertbile | 11.6″ IPS touch FHD | Kaby Lake Core Y | 1.39 kg / 3.1 lbs | $399 |
| HP Stream 11 | clamshell | 11.6″ TN HD | Celeron BayTrail | 1.27 kg / 2.8 lbs (w/ dock) | $199 |
| Lenovo Yoga 710 11 | convertible | 11.6″ IPS touch FHD | Kaby Lake Core M | 1.03 kg / 2.3 lbs | $599 |
| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10 |
tablet | 10.1″ IPS touch FHD | Atom BayTrail | 0.63 kg / 1.38lbs | $699 |
| Lenovo Miix 3 10 | tablet | 10.1″ IPS touch WUXGA | Atom BayTrail | 0.55 kg / 1.21 lbs | $399 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 2 |
detachable | 11.6″ IPS touch FHD | Skylake Core Y | 1.36 kg / 3 lbs (w/ dock) | $999 |
| Microsoft Surface Go | tablet | 10″ IPS | Gemini Pentium Gold | 0.52 kg / 1.15 lbs (without keyboard) | $399 |
| Panasonic Let’s Note RZ4 | convertible | 10.1″ IPS touch FHD | Skylake Core Y | 1.83 kg / 4.05 lbs (w/ dock) | $1499 |
| Panasonic Let’s Note Z6 | clamshell | 10.1″ IPS FHD | Kaby Lake Core Y | 0.72 kg / 1.6 lbs (w/ dock) | $1199 |
There are a couple of other small-factor fanless tablets and mini-laptops out there, but it would be a huge chore to include them all in here. I do talk about them in my list of 10.1 inch hybrids, this selection of 11.6 inch Mini-laptops or ultrabooks, as well as this list of all the best Chromebooks available these days.
As a side note, you should know that the Price column contains the starting MSRPs for each of the products above. That means that the higher configurations are going to be more expensive, but at the same time there’s a very good chance you can find pretty much all these products discounted by the time you’re reading this post. Click on the links on each price for details and up-to-date numbers.
Also, here’s a short glossary of the terms mentioned above:
- Types:
- tablet: a standard Windows running slate;
- clamshell: classic shaped computer whose screen closes on top of the keyboard and does not flip into any sort of tablet mode;
- convertible: 2-in-1 laptop whose screen rotates and converts to a tablet mode (or similar), but cannot be detached from the base;
- detachable: 2-in-1 laptop whose screen detaches from the base. These are mostly stand-alone tablets bundled with matching docking stations that most often include docking keyboards, ports, batteries and other features;
- slider: 2-in-1 laptop whose screen slides up and down on top of the body and usually reveals a keyboard hidden underneath.
- Resolutions: HD ( 1366 x 768 px), HD+ ( 1600 x 900 px), FHD (1920 x 1080 px), WUXGA (1920 x 1200 px) retina (2304 x 1440 px), QHD (2560 x 1440 px), WQXGA (2560 x 1600 px), QHD+ (3200 x 1800 px), UHD (3840 x 2160 px) – also see this post;
- Hardware:
- Intel Atom BayTrail – 22 nm platform (Silvermont) launched in 2013. There are different lines available for tablets (BayTrail-T), laptops (BayTrail-M) and desktops (BayTrail-D);
- Intel Atom CherryTrail – 14 nm platform (Airmont) launched in 2015;
- Intel Atom Apollo/Gemini Lake – 2nd generation 14 nm platform launched in 2017.
- Intel Celeron/Pentium Haswell – 22 nm platform based on Haswell hardware;
- Intel Celeron/Pentium Haswell – 14 nm platform based on Skylake hardware. Both can be found in low-power/affordable laptops;
- Intel Celeron/Pentium Apollo/Gemini Lake – 2nd generation 14 nm platform launched in 2017. Can be found in low-power/affordable laptops and replaces the Haswell/Braswell Pentium/Celeron lines;
- Broadwell Core M – launched in 2014 as the low-power version in Intel’s Broadwell family. Offers great balance between performance and battery life, part of the more premium fanless notebooks;
- Skylake Core M – 6th gen update, low power platform launched in 2015;
- Kaby Lake Core Y – 7th gen update, low-power platform launched in 2017;
- Amber Lake Core Y – the late-2018 8th gen update of the Core Y platform, motorizes premium devices.
OK. That’s about it for this post. I do hope you find it useful and if you’re looking for an ultrabook or any other ultraportable laptop, you should also check out the other lists on the site and my reviews.
I’m constantly working at keeping these selections and lists up-to-date, but if you spot anything that should be in here and it’s not, please leave a reply and tell me about it. In fact, feel free to get in touch in the comments sections if you have anything to add, anything to ask or need help choosing your next fanless mini-laptop, I’m around to reply and help.
Ron999
March 17, 2018 at 10:20 am
Acer Switch 7 Black Edition is coffee lake, not kaby lake.
Ann
March 29, 2018 at 9:47 pm
What about this one?Acer Aspire 5, 15.6" Full HD, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 8GB DDR4 Memory, 256GB SSD, A515-51G-515J
It’s ssd, but I can’t tell if it’s completely fanless. I’m ready to throw my Lenovo against the wall. Can’t stand the noise, the keyboard or the poor volume. This Acer looks promising but am I missing a red flag?
jason
March 23, 2020 at 7:23 am
I doubt it, typically an intel U series processor is going to need a fan, but I've just brought a Lenovo 330-151GM, otherwise known as a 81D1, and its completely fanless, it has a 15.6" 1366×768 display (not the best but its ok) intel pentium N5000, 4G of DDR4 ram, and a sata HDD, but I've changed the HDD to a SSD, and upgrade the ram to 8GB, it cost about $550 NZ dollars (probably around the $260 US dollars mark)
Its not the fastest laptop in the world, and I wouldn't want to run windows on it, but I've installed manjaro linux on it with the LXQT desktop environment and it runs pretty fast indeed, about 33 to 35 seconds to boot to the desktop, applications like the file manager open instantly because the software is so light, that's one of best things about linux, you can buy a cheap under powered laptop, install linux on it and have it run faster than a much more powerful windows machine
Dominic
April 6, 2018 at 6:02 pm
Hello Andrei,
Thank you for this very comprehensive list, most appreciated! I tried to find the Asus UX330 and 305, but they don't seem to be sold anymore where I reside, and am looking for a French keyboard, which complicates things a bit.
My main criteria are : quiet (not necessarily fanless, but as long is the fan only runs occasionnally), light (1,35 kg or less), and with very good battery life. I find all these features in the MacBook Air, but looks dated with this huge bezels. I would certainly wait for the replacement of the MBA that would be coming up by this fall, according to 'rumors', but can't anymore, as my present old laptop is dying! Also, what I appreciate in the Mac is that the Safari browser blocks all those awful ads!
Shoudl I simply get a MBA, at the lowest possible price, or are there any equivalent options on the market now?
Thank you in advance!
Dominic
Jeff Mcneill
June 5, 2018 at 7:26 am
Pretty sure there will be no update on the MacBook Air. Certainly the current MacBook Air looks identical to the 2011 version. Why would they update this? Likely there will be perhaps another rev of the processor and ram options, but they will keep the form factor.
Niki
May 18, 2018 at 11:10 am
Hello,
I'm looking to buy a laptop and I will need your advice.
It has to be 100% fanless, illuminated keyboard, 15 inch minimum, matte type of display the most powerfull cpu as possible, no Apple.
What will be your recommendation.
Thanks in advance.
Michael Beijer
July 22, 2018 at 7:59 pm
OK, so I finally managed to find one:
100% fanless, 14" screen, amazing keyboard (with standard layout), backlit, strong enough for work purposes, USB ports, etc. The Venom BlackBook Zero 14. I reviewed it over at proz.com/forum/hardware/325813-okay_finally_bought_myself_a_fanless_100_silent_laptop_4_work_venom_blackbook_zero_14_review.html
I use it daily for my work as a translator and everything else.
There was also a good Dell I almost bought (can't remember which one) when researching this topic recently, which had almost all of the same specs/features, and was also fanless.
Michael
Mario
July 25, 2018 at 12:24 pm
I'm wondering if there are any 17.3" fanless laptops on the market. I can't find any…
Andrei Girbea
July 26, 2018 at 5:17 pm
Not that i know of
Istvan Nagy
February 10, 2019 at 11:12 pm
Fanless 17.3" laptops?
These may or may not be fanless, but they all have 6 Watt processors that should not require a fan. They could work with a passive heatsink or aluminum plate. The question is whether the designers appreciated this opportunity or not.
Limitations for these models below is screen resolution to 1600×900 and the CPU cannot take more than 8GB RAM.
– HP 17-ak022cy (with AMD A6-9220C)
– HP 17-by0010nr (with Intel N5000)
– ASUS VivoBook F705MA (with Intel N5000)
Istvan Nagy
February 11, 2019 at 10:53 pm
sorry, the HP 17-ak022cy is with AMD A6-9220 not A6-9220C, so its 10-15W, probbaly not fanless.
But hte N5000-based laptops are possibly fanless.
I could not find any picture or video of the inside of these.
Andrei Girbea
February 12, 2019 at 11:49 am
Me neither, but given they also have Core processor on most of these laptops, I don't think they have a different internal design for the Pentium based variants. Can't confirm that though.
Istvan Nagy
February 12, 2019 at 12:09 pm
I have seen videos of N3x and N4x based smaller laptops, where they take it apart and the big circular hole made for the fan is still on the motherboard, but covered over by a large aluminum plate as passive heatsink. So a BOM-variant with atom cpu has a passive hsk workaround, for some models, while keeping the same plastic housing and PCB fab base board (soldered different component BOM).
These have 6Watt processors, while the core i3/5/7 are 15W and higher. The threshold for passive cooling for laptops is somewhere below 8-10W.
My lenovo ideapad 11" has a 6W celeron/atom CPU, I took it apart and it has the big aluminum plate, about 4×5".
I think the N5000 based ones are probably fanless, but not 100% sure. Maybe 80%.
Andrei Girbea
February 12, 2019 at 12:26 pm
The question is whether those laptops also available with fan-cooled 15W processors. The IdeaPad 11 was designed for Core Y processors, so has passive cooling by design. Something like the Asus FX705 is however primarily designed for Core U hardware, so I don't know if they actually made a different cooling for the Pentium versions
Istvan Nagy
February 13, 2019 at 10:04 pm
These 17" laptops have 15" versions, that have youtube videos showing disassembly.
It can be seen that the HP one has the passive heatsink (as the service manual also confirmed), and the Asus one has a fan. Asus decided to use a fan even for a 6W CPU, but a cheaper one than the core-i7 version has, with no heat pipe. They were not concerned with fanless feature, only with cost saving. That might change for newer models, if they come to their senses.
HP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcjVwAq0liA
Asus: (X540MA similar to X705MA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI_-jGlvF04
Note that a laptop family cannot be declared fanless, only a specific part number like "17-by0010nr" that specifies the CPU and the GPU.
Max
August 16, 2020 at 9:47 am
HP 17 @ Intel Pentium Class N5000 and N3710 are definitively fanless, I have both of them.
Michael
August 20, 2018 at 8:02 pm
Are there 15 inch fanless convertibles (2in1) avaiable with new intel 8th gen cpu?
Andrei Girbea
August 21, 2018 at 11:44 am
No, there are no fanless 8th gen laptops as far as I know. Core U implementations use a fan in pretty much all cases.
Amedeo Borghi
September 16, 2018 at 9:46 am
These hardwares could support linux manjaro too?…
Andrei Girbea
September 17, 2018 at 12:22 pm
I don't know, I'm not familiar with Linux
Amedeo
September 16, 2018 at 10:25 pm
dell inspiron 15 3000 has fan! what do inspiron notice?????
Joseph
September 20, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Hi Andrei,
Does your last update mean there are finally 17 inch fanless laptops? Because I do not remember seeing Asus VivoBook Max 17″ on your list before.
But I also cannot find it on Amazon even though I followed the link. But maybe I am just bad at finding it. Could someone link the Asus VivoBook Max 17″ please?
Andrei Girbea
September 20, 2018 at 5:19 pm
Hi, no, there are no 17-inch fanless laptops that I'm aware of. OEMs don't put Pentium/Celeron low-power CPUs in 17-inchers, while the existing Core Y don't make sense either, as they're expensive. I've corrected the listings and removed the 17-inch variants, sry for the confusion.
Istvan Nagy
February 10, 2019 at 11:15 pm
Can someone verify whether these are fanless or not? They all have 6 Watt CPUs and 17.3" displays:
– HP 17-ak022cy (with AMD A6-9220C)
– HP 17-by0010nr (with Intel N5000)
– ASUS VivoBook F705MA (with Intel N5000)
geza
November 6, 2018 at 8:37 pm
Hi Andrei,
alcor snugbook Q1421 notebook
as far as i know funless
Thx Geza
Karen
November 9, 2018 at 9:13 am
Hi Andrei,I found a Dell Latitude E6430 dual core i5 3210M up to 3.1 GHz Processor, 8GB RAM,180GB, SSD, DVD, HD, Win10, Solid State hardware, 4 months old. I didn't see it on the list but he says it's fanless. Is 180GB enough with that SSD for a college student not doing much video editing etc.? Asking $240. What additional do you recommend if doing heavier use? Thank you! KM
Andrei Girbea
November 9, 2018 at 7:34 pm
It's definitely not fanless. Just google for "Dell Latitude E6430 interior" and you'll see the fan.
Otherwise, it's a basic laptop and I'd reckon it should do fine for everyday use. Battery life is probably limited, and I doubt that laptop is only 4 months old, the E6430 series was launched many months ago.
Keith White
November 22, 2018 at 6:47 am
I'm looking for a fanless 15 inch Windows with number pad and ssd. I see Dell Inspiron 3000, Asus Vivobook Max and Lenovo Ideapad 330. Those have a bunch of variations and THE MAKERS DON'T SAY WHICH ONES ARE FANLESS!!! Are they all or can someone give me a model number? Thanks.
Andrei Girbea
November 22, 2018 at 1:37 pm
The Pentium/Celeron configurations should be fanless, while Core models should be fan cooled. Hard to be 100% sure though. Should also consider the fact that Pentium/Celeron models are rather slow by today's standards, and usually paired with low amounts of RAM. I'd personally go with a Core i3/i5 build and read reviews in order to find which device keeps the fan inactive with daily use. There are also ways to force the fan off with software like Throttlestop, but ti's experimental and should only be used if you know what you're doing.
lucext
January 22, 2019 at 10:30 pm
Lenovo emag.ro/laptop-lenovo-ideapad-330-15igm-cu-procesor-intelr-pentiumr-silver-n5000-pana-la-2-70-ghz-15-6-4gb-128gb-ssd-intelr-uhd-graphics-605-free-dos-blizzard-white-81d100ffrm/pd/DNRH7SBBM/
absolutely fanless, good for office, not so great viewing angle.
Amphin
November 26, 2018 at 12:16 am
Hello,
Thanks for this liste.
But I search only fanless laptop.
How can i know if ultrabooks are fanless, in this list :"Fanless Ultrabooks and ultra-portables"
Thanks, very good job :-)
Warrick
November 12, 2019 at 9:12 pm
passive 14" laptop, i5-8200Y, with linux
https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Linux-Hardware/Linux-Notebooks/10-14-inch/TUXEDO-InfinityBook-14-v2-passive-/-fanless.tuxedo
Editta
December 20, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Asus E406 series also don't have a fan, they are fanless 14 inch machines as far as I know. There are two types, equiped with N5000 quad core or N4000 dual core processors, both consumes about 6W.
Among HP laptops there are many fanless machines, for example on the support forum I was conformed, that model "HP Pavilion x360 14-dh0001nc " has no fan:
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/HP-Pavilion-x360-14-dh0001nc-does-have-a-fan-or-passive/m-p/7141823#M516988
models "HP 240 G7" and "HP-15dw0001nh" also contains no fan, according to this support forum message (however I can't confirm this personally, as I am not an owner any of these machines, because finally I bought an Acer Swift 1):
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/I-would-like-to-know-models-HP-240-G7-and-HP-15dw0001nh-do/m-p/7257743#M533624
Fredrik
January 10, 2020 at 11:27 pm
Two models missing on the list, The previously mentioned 14-inch Tuxedo InfinityBook 14 V2 and the 15.6-inch Porsche Design Ultra One.
I'm seriously considering one if these two, since they fulfill all my three criteria(backlit keyboard, Fanless/SSD and dedicated keyboard keys for Home/End/Ins/Del/PgUp/PgDn), although neither one is perfect. The Tuxedo comes in a barebone chassis which makes it rather heavy and big(and not that good looking) for a 14-inch, 1.5kg compared to 1kg for the slimmest prettiest luxury models on the market, but it's up to 24h battery life and Linux are big a plus.
The Porsche's 1.5kg is "heavy" compared to the lightest 15.6-inch models on the market(but at the same time light) like Swift 5, and the price is ridicoulus, but it does tick all the criteria, and i like that the power port is on the backside. One of two problems is that the one review of the Ultra One mentioned noise from the SSD? Have emailed Porsche about this, if that has been fixed(because i assume it must have been something wrong with the test model), the only remaining "problem" is that it isn't availabe with Scandinavian keyboard. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS something. ='(
It's becoming ridicoulus, why can't just all manufacturers start releasing at least one passively cooled low TDP model of everything they release, i would have had dozens and dozens of backlit silent slimline 15.6-inch luxury models to chose from.
I haven't been able to buy a new laptop since 2014 and my 14-inch Slatebook 14, because of them not understanding that silence is comfort. Have they never been in a Rolls Royce? Idiots.
Andrei Girbea
January 11, 2020 at 11:24 am
Thanks, I've updated the post. From where I'm standing, the niche is probably too small for OEMs to consider it. A premium Core Y based product will cost as much as a Core U or even Core H, but perform poorer and even throttle in demanding loads.
However, OEMs should make sure to create proper fan profiles that would keep the fans quiet with daily use on Core U laptops, and only spin them when needed. I think this happens more and more with premium options these days.
Fredrik
January 28, 2020 at 5:56 pm
The laptop market is shrinking every year from what i've read, so they are doing something wrong, and not offering more luxurious fanless models is in my view one of the biggest.
And no, i will not buy something with a fan and a fan profile, i want a closed chassi that doesn't let in dust, and that never makes any noise regardless of load. A five year old Celeron/Atom is fine enough for my home use, as long as it is combined with at least 8GB of memory, a back-lit keyboard and six dedicated keys for Home/End/Ins/Del/PgUp/PgDn. A modern 5W TDP processor from 2019/2020 is in no way unresonable.
Sadly the number of models have gone from few to fewer. Tuxedo just removed the InfinityBook 14 V2 from their line-up, and their upcoming 14-inch "XPS killer" will drop the fanless design, so Tuxedo is now dead to me.
The Porsche Ultra One, which i was about ready to settle for with a German keyboard layout, if it would have been silent, but according to the Notebookcheck review it makes loud noises like no other SSD laptop i have evr heard of. I have mailed Porsche about it three times but they refuse to acknowledge the question, if the test model was faulty, of if all buyers are to expect a noisy SSD from FORESEE. I could have lived with the 2 year old processor and the low battery life.
I really don't want a black computer, but the Venom Blackbook 14 is the only remaining choice right now with proper back-lit manouevre keys, i can't find any current Spin or Swift or Vivobook Flip 2019/2020 models, that even seems to be fanless, little less backlit or with proper keyboards keys?
Regarding the recently mentioned suggestion about more columns, yes, i would like two more columns for back-lit keyboard and how many keys available for Home/End/Ins/Del/PgUp/PgDn, 6, which is how many there should be, or fewer, whish to me is unacceptable.
Istvan Nagy
February 1, 2020 at 8:23 pm
The HP 17" fanless laptop is no longer sold by HP, but on Amazon it is still available. The problems with it, really ugly cheap black casing, low-res LCD, low amount of memory and SSD. Those all need to be replaced. Intel claims the N5000 processor only supports 8GB, or maybe they want you to buy core i7 if you can afford more memory. Some people use the N5000 with 16GB dimm, the new 32GB dimm might also work if someone tried.
I hope HP will come out with a 17" version with the N5030 processor, but I have not seen any laptops with that CPU yet. This summer the Intel hybrid Lakefield CPU would allow more fanless designs.
jean
May 24, 2020 at 10:22 pm
Thanks for updating the list !
John Harris
January 21, 2020 at 4:58 pm
Hi Andrei, thank you for all the work, the site is consistently trustworthy. Your lists could have a column or two more perhaps. I bet there's a spreadsheet download here with everything I need and I've just not found it yet.
I'm looking for an upgrade and I know what I want, but finding the choices is tough. I currently use a Lenovo S130 because it's fanless, that's why I chose it. The N4000 processor is fine because I ditched Windows for linux. I'm starting to notice it's only 4GB though. A column with max memory would be so useful. I'd probably then sort on price and exclude less-than-N4000 performance, but finding the extra memory is the hard part.
And adding a 2TB M.2 storage made the S130 a wolf in sheep's clothes, and far better than a micro-SD card.
Andrei Girbea
January 27, 2020 at 11:54 am
I don't have a more detailed spreadsheet download, but I will consider your feedback for the next major update. thanks.
anon
March 3, 2020 at 12:58 am
Quick heads up:
The Macbook Air is not fanless. It has a Y-class Intel processor, but Apple slapped a fan on top of it so it can do sustained boost clocks. Crazy if you ask me, but there you have it.
Andrei Girbea
March 3, 2020 at 3:44 pm
Yes, sry for the error, updated.
Thomas Martin
May 18, 2020 at 9:43 pm
If you're happy with the old Intel M3 chips (as I am), the Chuwi Aerobook is a huge bargain at under $500. The only quibble I have is the glossy screen (great for night use but not in sunny rooms or outside). I have a feeling it's going to be a while before another low or moderately priced fanless clamshell PC is available.
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the old chips can be seen when streaming encrypted (DRM) video. It will stutter if you run something intensive at the same time (like Google Earth). But that's not such a big deal since you probably won't be doing that except during commercials.
Warrick
September 14, 2020 at 9:07 pm
Yet another fanless laptop:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-Galaxy-Book-S-Laptop-Review-Lakefield-with-initial-problems.480990.0.html
Alex
November 24, 2020 at 3:31 pm
That's an amazing list, please keep it updated. I'm writing content up to 16 hours a day on my laptop and buying a Dell Venue 11 without a fan was the best decision ever.
But it's about to die, so I will need a replacement soon and this list is just perfect!
Thanks.
leroy
November 25, 2020 at 5:47 pm
HP Spectre Folio 13 (Amber Lake Y)
Samsung Galaxy Pro S Intel (Lakefield)
Samsung Galaxy Pro S ARM (Qualcomm SnapDragon)
Asus NovaGo TP370QL (Qualcomm SnapDragon)
Andrei Girbea
November 25, 2020 at 5:51 pm
thanks, I'm working on updating this list as of right now.
Keith W
December 1, 2020 at 10:24 am
Can we remove "HP 17 laptop" or at the very least give it a more specific model. I'm guessing this is old data that's out of date.
vinnie
February 4, 2021 at 7:02 am
i have a hp 15 inch that i swear doesnt have a fan or at least not one i hear
tyrone
February 14, 2021 at 6:26 pm
Some additions:
Surface Pro 7 is fanless in the i3 and i5 models. (Ice Lake CPUs) i7 model has a fan.
Surface Go 2 is Amber Lake Y
HP Elitebook 1030G1 is Kaby Lake Y 13" clamshell
Also a slight error – original Surface Go is *not* Gemini Lake – that would be Pentium Silver, Gold is Kaby Lake.
Andrei Girbea
February 15, 2021 at 11:36 am
Thanks, updated. Much appreciated!
Istvan Nagy
March 24, 2021 at 1:44 pm
My research shows these now now in March 2021.
In order to be fanless, the processor has to be 6-7W TDP. Most laptops come with 15W processors that require a fan.
These CPUs meet the fanless power range requirement: core m3, core i7-****Y, Pentium Silver N6000(max 16gb) N6415(max 32gb ram) n5030(max 8gb ram), N5000 (8GB), Pentium gold 6500Y, Celeron N4500 N5100 N6211 N4020, N6210, AMD A6-9220e (max 2x8gb) 6W cpu, 3015e, AMD 3020e (ryzen 2000 apu).
Most don't support memory larger than 8GB, but for a decent laptop 16GB is needed, even 32GB, and SSD 256-1000GB.
These days a 6W processor has better performance than my old laptop's Pentium P6100, which I use for video conversion, 3D editing and so on.
I also noticed that laptops that come with 6W processors, are fitted with low-res display, small memory and very small SSD. At least here in the US. In eastern European countries they sell laptops with 6W CPU and high-res display, more RAM/SSD, they even have more laptop models. Marketing gurus decided that in the US where the living standards are higher they don't allow this package deal of low power CPU with decent laptop. Laptop configurations have long coded numbers, some are only sold in certain countries, like the lenovo 82C7008EHV or the HP 17-BY2010CA.
Another disturbing trend is (mostly here in the US), laptop makers prefer to only sell 6W CPUs in 11-13" laptops, not in normal size 15.6" or 17.3". Or they sell it with soldered RAM so upgrade is not possible.
Laptop makers are not interested or oblivious to the "fanless" feature, they keep pushing the 15W CPUs.
Last month the Intel PEntium N6415 came out, with good performance for a general laptop and 32GB RAM support. I think all those core i7's became obsolete, but the laptop makers don't think so.
Here is a 15.6" laptop with 6W processor:
https://www.amazon.com/Notebook-Intel-Pentium-2-7GHz-Windows/dp/B087VSSKXZ/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=n5000+15.6&qid=1616586204&sr=8-5
Andrei Girbea
March 24, 2021 at 2:15 pm
Thank you for your feedback.
Just a heads'up, ARM seems to be the future of fanless products and I'd expect to see more of those in the near future, following in the footsteps of the M1 MacBooks. Most likely not cheap though.
Istvan Nagy
March 24, 2021 at 2:26 pm
The issue with ARM is that you cannot install your favorite video editor, EM simulator or engineering design CAD programs on it. Or any other useful programs, except mass-user-base appstore programs.
ARM might take over the macbook and the Chromebook market, not the laptop market. There will be "laptops" with ARM and arm-windows OS, but it will be like a Chromebook in usefulness and functionality. Not for professional use.
Andrei Girbea
March 24, 2021 at 2:32 pm
Yes, that's been the case so far. Might change if Microsoft further gets involved into AMR laptops (besides the Surface X) and the segment grows, potentially forcing 3rd party developers to work on ARM optimize versions of their software. Might be wishful thinking, though
Istvan Nagy
March 25, 2021 at 5:55 am
Is this fanless?
I cannot figure it out.
15.6" pentium n5030 with 16gb ram.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-LED-Backlit-Display-Processor/dp/B08X21XWT4?th=1
Andrei Girbea
March 25, 2021 at 6:30 pm
not sure, but it might not be. Dell usually have the same design for different CPUs, so this might be shared with the Core i3+ models that would be fan cooled.