i have a thinkpad x270 which has a 12.5" screen. i admit it’s on the low end for power, but for around $300 an X260/270/280 is still a pretty good value.

if you want to be taken seriously on a subject, people will expect you to be familiar with at minimum the broad strokes of the major arguments in and around that subject and be able to productively engage with discourse about them. on a broad subject like “how to make socialist revolution” this familiarity will likely come from reading a few books. that is a long way from “the equivalent of a masters degree”.