Consumer Reports looks at back-to-school laptops

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's almost back to school time again and for those heading to college, laptops are a must. Lucky for students, laptops are getting lighter and lighter, and Consumer Reports recommends a few of the lightest they've ever seen.

An ultra lightweight laptop may be the lightest thing in your backpack this fall. Definitely lighter than a textbook - and lighter than this water bottle.

At around two pounds, the latest Apple MacBook weighs less than the MacBook Air. Consumer Reports says it or the Lenovo LaVie Z or Samsung ATIV could really lighten the load for students.

"These ultra lightweights did really well in our performance tests, and they also did really well in our portability tests," Consumer Reports' Richard Fisco said. "And if you take your laptop with you frequently in a backpack or some kind of carrying case, you'll notice the difference, even if it's only a few ounces."

But you will pay a premium for shedding those ounces. The Samsung goes for $1,100, the Apple $1,300 and the Lenovo $1,500.

Aside from weight, battery life is also important if you're on the go. To test, Consumer Reports continuously cycled through a series of Web pages until the battery died.

The MacBook had a battery life of more than 16 hours, while the Samsung delivered 10 hours and the Lenovo seven.

"Lightweight laptops are great if you're carrying them around with you, but if it's just sitting on a desk, it's not going to matter" Fisco said.

If price is more important than portability, Consumer Reports named two Best Buys - the 14-inch Lenovo Flex 3 at $650 d the 15-inch Acer Aspire at $500.

The Lenovo Flex 3 has an eight-hour battery life and the Acer Aspire 12.5. Consumer Reports says both are fast at general office tasks and photo editing. They're also powerful enough for video editing and mid-range gaming.