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A laptop is a portable computer that combines the functionality of a desktop computer into a single, compact, battery-powered device. It features an all-in-one design that includes a built-in screen, keyboard, touchpad, and speakers, and can be folded shut for easy storage and transportation. A laptop can be turned into a desktop computer with a docking station, which is a hardware frame that supplies connections for peripheral input/output devices such as a monitor, keyboard and printer.

Laptops usually have a clamshell design, in which the screen is located on the interior of the upper lid and the keyboard is located on the interior of the lower lid. Laptop screens are protected when users close their lids. Batteries power the machines during mobile use and are recharged via alternating current (AC) power chargers. Like desktop computers, modern laptops possess such input/output (I/O) components as keyboards, point devices (e.g., touch pads), and speakers. Data storage amount, memory capacity, and processor speed depend on the model and user configuration.

Since the 1970s introduction of portable computers, their forms have changed significantly, resulting in a variety of visually and technologically differing subclasses. Excepting distinct legal trademark around terms (notably Ultrabook), hard distinctions between these classes were rare, and their usage has varied over time and between sources. Since the late 2010s, more specific terms have become less commonly used, with sizes distinguished largely by the size of the screen.