This crazy light 1.8-pound laptop just blew my mind at CES 2020

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The Lavie Pro Mobile is so light you won't believe it, but you'll pay a pretty penny

Lavie Pro Mobile in hand
(Image credit: Future)

Lenovo doesn’t want to call the Lavie Pro Mobile the world’s lightest 13-inch laptop — probably for legal reasons. But it’s the lightest 13-inch laptop I’ve ever seen at 1.85 pounds.

More important is how light this thing feels in your hands. I wondered whether I was holding a dummy unit when I picked up the Lavie Pro Mobile at CES 2020. 

Lavie Pro Mobile price and availability

The Lavie Pro Mobile will be available in March for $1,599. That makes this ultraportable among the most expensive options around, though the HP Elite Dragonfly starts at an even higher $1,629.

Lavie Mobile Pro design

Lavie Pro Mobile Weight

(Image credit: Future)

You're probably wondering why the Lavie Mobile Pro is so light. It's all about the materials. The bottom case is made of a magnesium lithium array that was initially used the aerospace industry. Meanwhile, the top cover of this laptop is made of durable "racing car grade" carbon. Last but not least is the magnesium array keyboard case that was designed by top Japanese craftsmen.

The whole package weighs just 1.85 pounds and measures 12.1 x 8.5 x 0.62 inches, making the Dell XPS 13 (2.7 pounds, 11.9 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches) and HP Elite Dragonfly (2.5 pounds, 11.9 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches) look heavy by comparison. Lenovo even brought along a scale just to prove how light this laptop is.

Lavie Mobile Pro specs and display

Lavie Pro Mobile display

(Image credit: Future)

The Lavie Pro Mobile is powered by an older 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8565U processor and it's paired with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD. So you're getting a good amount of storage for the money. The Intel UHD 620 GPU provides the graphics punch.

The Lavie Pro Mobile sports a 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 display, which Lenovo claims averages 300 nits. That's not bad, but the best ultraportables approach 500 nits.

Lavie Mobile Pro keyboard

Lavie Pro Mobile keyboard

(Image credit: Future)

Here's where things get a little funky. Likely owing to its Japanese design, the keyboard layout on the Lavie Mobile Pro has a few quirks. First, the space bar is smaller than we'd like and left of center of the touchpad. Second, the right Shift key is small. Strangely, the Enter key is oversized.

One plus: there's a fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button. 

Lavie Mobile Pro ports

Lavie Pro Mobile ports

(Image credit: Future)

The Lavie Mobile Pro has a decent array of ports given its size. It features a USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 2 port, a USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 1 port, a USB 3.1 Type-A Gen. 2 port, an HDMI 1.4 and a microSD slot.

Lavie Mobile Pro battery life

Lavie Pro Mobile right side

(Image credit: Future)

The Lavie Mobile Pro houses a 49 watt-hour battery. Lenovo and NEC say that this laptop can last up to 15 hours on a charge, but that's likely using the not-very-demanding MobileMark test. We look forward to running our web surfing test to see how long this system endures.

Outlook

The Lavie Mobile Pro is an exotic laptop that will make you stand out in the crowd, and it's so light you will not feel it in your bag. Despite being so portable, the design feels pretty solid, and you get a solid array of ports. However, the $1,599 price is quite high for a laptop with an older 8th gen CPU, and the keyboard layout is a bit awkward.

Overall, though, it's hard not to be impressed with this ultraportable. Stay tuned for our full rated review the Lavie Mobile Pro when it arrives in March.

Our CES 2020 hub has all the latest news, hands-on impressions and more from the world's biggest tech show in Las Vegas. Check it out now.

Mark Spoonauer
Mark Spoonauer

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.