This is not really a recommendation, more like curious...
Will something like the Asus Vivobook S14 z403 work?
Lightweight approx 1.35 kg... 8gb ram, 512 ssd, intel i7 u series... approx $1.5k - $1.6k range..., battery life up to 24 hour claimed...
No idea how good asus laptops are at the moment... so take it for what it's worth..