There’s power, and there’s portability, but whether you’re a globe-trotting executive or just a commuter there’s plenty more to consider as you shop for the perfect get-up-and-go laptop. Look beyond size and weight, because many of the usual comforts are often sacrificed in order to create an ultra-portable computer. Keyboards can be painfully shallow on thin computers, so spend some time typing; maybe even take an online test to see if you can keep up your normal pace. If possible, sit down and type with the notebook in your lap, checking if the palm rests are big enough to comfortably keep the notebook from tipping.

Perform a few pinch-to-zooms, two-finger scrolls, and swipes in from the side to test the trackpad’s comfort and accuracy for navigation and gestures — small computers like the Asus Taichi often mean small trackpads, and you don’t want that. Poke at the screen, too: thin and light notebooks will often forgo a touchscreen, and if you’re buying a Windows 8 laptop you probably want a touchscreen.

The Intel Atom line of processors are ultra-low voltage, which helps reduce power consumption and lengthen battery life on devices like the HP Envy X2. But even though they come from Intel, Atom chips are far less powerful than you’ll likely want – if you’re going to sacrifice all the power of a full Core processor, you might as well get a tablet.

In the more powerful Intel Core lineup, look for a Y or U at the end of the chip’s model number. Y-series chips are low-voltage and designed to support short bursts of high performance without giving off too much heat, which is perfect for notebooks that are too thin for an internal fan. Likewise, U-series processors were designed for ultra-portable notebooks, so they operate with very low voltage. These all come with power tradeoffs, but we might soon be able to have it all: the first Intel Haswell-powered laptops we’ve tested offer fantastic battery life.

Manufacturers will usually list a notebook’s expected battery life, but you should assume that a notebook will only last around 70 percent of the manufacturer’s claim. This isn’t always the case — the newest MacBook Air does even better than its advertised 12 hours — but it’s a good rule of thumb.

Many thin and light notebooks like the Toshiba Kirabook trade a traditional hard drive for a solid state drive (SSD), which is much faster and lighter, and has no moving parts. You’ll have to sacrifice some storage space, but you’ll see a dramatic improvement in the amount of time it takes for your notebook to boot and wake from sleep. Some notebooks will offer a combo drive — traditional hard drive for storage plus a small solid-state "cache" drive — but going full SSD makes your computer both better and more portable. If you know you’re going to need a lot of storage, it might be better to buy an external drive as a permanent home for your photos, music, and movie collection.

A backlit keyboard isn’t always a guarantee with new notebooks, but will come in handy when you’re working on a dimly lit plane or hammering away in a dark alley — world traveling is a dangerous game. And since you’re not likely to want to travel with a 17-inch laptop, some sort of standard video-out port will come in handy if you need a second monitor or bigger screen. HDMI is the video port of choice for Windows notebooks, while Apple notebooks generally include a Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt connection. Avoid any laptops that use a proprietary display port (or really any proprietary port in general), as the cables are often more expensive and much harder to replace.

If you can’t stand not being connected, some notebooks have embedded mobile broadband — but these are both rare and expensive, and tethering to your phone works just as well. LTE laptops are essentially million-miler purchases only.

At this point, you’re still just doing the basics — Word documents, Gmail, iPhoto, maybe a little Netflix. All that’s changed is how often you’re near an outlet. What happens next, when you need your laptop to become your stereo, your TV, and your cable box too?