Products at a Glance
How we pick
We’ve taken a close look at what’s available on the market today and selected laptops based on how closely we think their features and specs align with your needs – in this case, we’ve looked closely at laptops that have SIM card slots, but also come highly-rated, and provide other features like great battery life, lightweight builds, and even versatile 2-in-1 options also. We’re constantly on the lookout for the latest products so we can keep our list as up-to-date as possible, so be sure to check back in with us again soon.
Product Reviews
- 13-inch touch-enabled display
- 5G connectivity
- Good battery life
- Keyboard & stylus sold separately
If you’re looking for a reliable 2-in-1 laptop to carry around, then the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 might be a good fit.
The laptop comes in two variants – the WiFi Only model and the WiFi & 5G option. Since we are looking at laptops that come with a SIM slot, we would be looking at the latter model. Now, the SIM slot option is only available on the Surface Pro with Microsoft’s custom-built SQ3 processor. If you pick this, you will have to forego the Intel processor. But the plus point here is that the SIM slot offers 5G connectivity, which should give faster uploads and downloads.
As far as RAM and storage are concerned, you get 16GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD, which should be sufficient for most people, but this configuration can be upgraded at an additional cost. If you don’t need much RAM or storage space, you can also look at the variants that offer 8GB RAM with 128GB SSD and 8GB RAM with 256GB SSD.
For viewing, the laptop sports a 13-inch screen with a 1920p resolution, which should deliver clear picture quality. This screen is touch-enabled – so you can use your fingers or the Surface pen for easier controls. To turn this device into a laptop, you can attach a kickstand and a keyboard. A small drawback to note here is that the pen and the keyboard are sold separately. Further, there aren’t too many ports, but the two Thunderbolt ports mean a dongle can be attached for HDMI and USB A connectivity.
- 10.5-inch HD display
- Lightweight
- 10-hour battery life
- Keyboard & stylus sold separately
If you’re looking for a SIM-enabled laptop within a budget, then Microsoft’s Surface Go 2 may appeal to you for several reasons – especially if you want to carry the device around.
To start with, the 2-in-1 laptop features WiFi as well as LTE connectivity, so you can switch between the connections whenever you want. The Surface Go 2 device is quite portable as it weighs only 1.2 pounds. Plus, you get up to 10 hours of battery life, which should give you plenty of juice to last the whole day.
Coming to the performance, you get an Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4425Y 8th Gen, which is sufficient for day-to-day activities as well as light photo and video editing. To make multitasking easier, you get 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD, which should be enough to give you a smooth experience.
As far as your viewing experience is concerned, you get a 10.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1280 pixels, which should deliver good picture quality. To switch this device to a laptop, you will have to pop out the kickstand and then plug in the keyboard and the mouse. However, it should be noted that the stylus, keyboard, and mouse are sold separately, so will have to fish out extra cash for that.
Since this is a small laptop, there are not many ports. You get a USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack, which should be enough if you’re not planning to plug this device around.
- Lightweight
- 25-hour battery life
- Expandable storage
- No WiFi connectivity
If you’re looking for a mid-range laptop with SIM card slot, then you should check out the Samsung Galaxy Book S.
You will get two options here – one is WiFi only, and the other is LTE-only. Since we’re talking about laptops with SIM cards, we will look at the LTE variant here. It should be noted that the WiFi variant comes with an i5-L16G7 processor, and the LTE one has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx processor.
With that being said, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx processor is quite powerful, which should be able to handle your everyday tasks like presentations and sheets with ease. Plus, the base model comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, which should be sufficient for most people. The good thing here is that it can be expanded up to 1TB with an SD card.
The laptop comes with a 13.3-inch FHD display, which should deliver clear visuals. Plus, this is a touchscreen, so you can touch and control it with ease. On the outside, the laptop has an aluminum chassis, which looks premium.
As far as portability is concerned, the laptop weighs a little over 2 pounds, which is quite lightweight. Plus, the battery life is around 25 hours, which, even with intense use, should deliver a day’s worth of usage.
Coming to connectivity, the Samsung Galaxy Book S has two USB C ports, a 3-in-1 USB C dongle with a type A, type C, and HDMI port, and also a 3.5mm audio jack.
How to pick the best laptop with SIM card slots
While shopping for a laptop with SIM card slots, here’s what you can take into consideration. If having a SIM card slot isn’t the number one priority, and you’re looking for something else that you can use for gaming, work, or even looking for something for a specific budget, we’d recommend checking out our top picks for the best gaming laptop, best laptops under $600, and best laptops for travel for more ideas.
Display Size
The right display size for your laptop would depend on your usage. The most common size is 15.6 inches, so you will find a laptop that meets your demands within your budget easily.
Then, you have 13-inch and 14-inch laptops, which are great for carrying around. In this size range, you can also go for 2-in-1 laptops that double up as a tablet. Several hybrid laptops offer a SIM card slot, so you are very likely to find the right product in this range.
If you want a larger screen for reading, editing, or other purpose, you can go for 17-inch displays. As these laptops are bigger compared to the options above, they are not very portable.
Internet Connectivity
Many laptops with SIM card slots also offer WiFi connectivity, so you can switch between the two. However, some laptops offer support for only one of the two. For convenience, it would be good to have both 5G (or LTE) as well as WiFi.
Battery Life
If you’re looking to carry the laptop around throughout the day, it would make sense to get a laptop with longer battery life. You should look for at least 7 to 8 hours of battery life so that it lasts you for at least a day.
In addition to this, you can look for a lightweight laptop if you’re planning to lug it around. Most laptops with smaller displays, like 13-inch, should not weigh much – you can expect their weight to be around 2 pounds.
Our Verdict
If you want to buy a laptop with SIM card slot right away, then we’d recommend getting the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G. This device offers 5G connectivity, which should give you faster uploads and downloads. Plus, you also get support for WiFi, so you can switch between WiFi and 5G networks as per your convenience. You get a 13-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1920p, which should deliver clear, high-quality visuals. You can also make use of accessories like a keyboard, mouse, and stylus for easier control. Plus, the laptop has a decent battery life and weighs only 2 pounds, which should make it portable. Overall, the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G offers good versatility and portability, along with a SIM card slot, which should tick quite a few boxes for you.