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This could be the world's lightest 11.6-inch laptop

Weighing in at just over two pounds, the new X11 notebook from Gigabyte reportedly takes the title as the world's lightest 11.6 incher.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read
The X11 from Gigabyte.
The X11 from Gigabyte. Gigabyte

Consumers looking for the latest in lightweight laptops will have a new option come July.

The folks at Gigabyte have just announced the X11, a carbon fiber notebook that weighs only 975 grams, or around 2.1 pounds.

The company is touting the X11 as the lightest 11.6-inch notebook on Earth. That's a tough claim to confirm, though the laptop is certain lighter than other 11.6-inchers, including Apple's MacBook Air, Dell's Inspiron 11z, Lenovo's IdeaPad S200, and even Samsung's Series 9.

The carbon fiber gives the computer its light weight but also provides a certain durability, making it six times stronger than an aluminum laptop, according to Gigabyte.

What about the X11's other specs? The computer is driven by a third-generation Intel Core processor (aka Ivy Bridge) with 4 gigabytes of RAM and a 128GB solid-state hard drive. The 11.6-inch LED-backlit 16:9 screen offers a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. The integrated graphics come courtesy of Intel's HD Graphics 4000.

The X11 also sports a 1.3-megapixel webcam and an array of ports, including USB 3.0 and 2.0, a microSD card slot, and a mini DisplayPort. The usual connections are part of the package -- Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Prospective customers also have their choice of Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional.

What's the cost? Gigabyte is pricing the X11 from $999 to $1,299, depending on the configuration. The notebook is expected to hit the market in July.

Gigabyte as a company isn't exactly a household name, like Apple or Dell. So, what is Gigabyte?

Launched in 1986, the Taiwan-based company may be familiar to PC hobbyists for its line of motherboards. But Gigabyte has since branched out to offer other products, including desktops, laptops, and tablets.