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Ultrabooks. If you love this crazy and exciting tech world, you may be mindful of Intel’s new concept, unveiled the very first time at Computex. Intel announced long ago its first ultra portable, thin, light and performant machine, Asus UX21, called later the Zenbook. This new category of laptops promise an extended battery life in comparison with the classic notebooks, being very light and thin.
Moreover, treadmills seek to employ a cheaper price as well as a super thin and lightweight design versus the environment, that is the first choice regarding ultraportable laptops. Since announcement of ultrabooks before time of writing this article, many manufacturers have released their powerful machines plus much more are to come in 2012. More common characteristics for these ultrabooks are: they'll use SSD memory, resume from sleep automatically, come with an ultra-low power version of Intel’s processors, non-removable battery and about 4GB of RAM. Top rated specs and normally a price under $1000. Would you if you buy one of such machines because this holiday? Look at our top of the best ultrabooks.
1. MacBook Air 13”
Overview. It is Apple’s refreshed machine from 2010 with a new processor, a backlit keyboard plus a Thunderbolt port. It’s the device that inspired Intel to push out its new category of ultrabooks. Still, the Air is also using Intel’s ultra-low voltage i5 and i7. It has an impressive design made out of metal with super slim and light form factor. The price point starts at $1300 and goes up to $1 600, depending on what model you choose.
Specs. Powered by a 1.7 GHz Core i5-2557M processor upgradable to 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i7, 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, MacBook Air 13-inch comes also equipped with a 1440 by 900 display resolution, Thunderbolt port, Bluetooth 4.0 and is rated at up to 7 hours of battery life. Software wise, it runs X Lion plaftform. MacBook Air 13” notebook weights only 1.35 kg and was released in July 2011.
Why buying? Apple’s MacBook Air has one of the best touchpad around, very fast and responsive. Add also over six hours of battery life plus great performance with its processor. Another advantage of the Air is its super stylish and eye-catching design. Basically, on the paper, the new MacBook Air is the same machine as the previous one with a new processor and a Thunderbolt port. Plus the addition of the backlit keyboard and Apple’s brand new Mac OS X Lion (10.7).
Cons. Camera isn’t HD and a USB 3.0 should have been useful.
Overview. The Portege Z835 is the best affordable ultrabook available on the market. Best Buy, a well known American retailer announced its price at $699, being the best you can get. Toshiba has made a smart move, knowing that it’s winter holidays and most consumers will invest in a device like this. The Portege Z835 is the lightest ultrabook up to date, even lighter than MacBook Air. Although it doesn’t have an impressive or ultra-attractive look, it comes with a variety of ports.
Specs. In terms of internal specs, the Portege Z835 comes with a 13.3-inch display and a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, Intel’s i3 or i5 processor options, 4GB of RAM up to 6GB and a 128GB solid state drive. It comes also with Intel HD graphics 3000, a 1.3 MP webcam and many ports: 2 USB 2.0 ports, an USB 3.0, an HDMI, VGA plus Ethernet port. Software wise, the Portege Z835 uses Windows 7 operating system.
Why buying? From all current ultrabooks available on the market, the Portege Z835 is the only one with an affordable price point who reaches Intel’s vision of under $ 1000 cost. This is its best advantage. Furthermore, it is the lightest machine released with a competitive pricing and a big plus regarding battery life, overcoming the other ultrabooks in tests. Despite its not so stylish design, it remains the best choice in this new crowded market.
Cons. Its design is a little bit outdated in comparison with other ultrabooks, or it’s probably a matter of taste. Display’s viewing angles doesn’t offer great satisfaction, though looking straight, you’ll be fascinated by the crisp shapes and beautiful light colors.
Overview. Asus Zenbook UX31 is the company’s first ultrabook with a very slim and light design, which resemble pretty much MacBook Air. The machine is pretty solid, being made out of aluminium construction with concentric circle pattern on the top, which makes it a nice and good looking ultrabook. Overall, for $1.100, Asus has done a nice job with the Zenbook UX31; it has a beautiful design, it performs great and the battery life is good.
Specs. In terms of exact specs, the Zenbook UX31 includes a 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 1600×900 pixels, Bang & Olufsen ICE sound system, 128GB of storage for the base model up to 256GB, with the system booting in 20 seconds, Intel 1.7GHz Core i5-2557M CPU or the 1.80GHz Intel Core i7 2677M processor, 4GB of RAM, around 6 hours of battery life, a VGA webcam plus essential ports: USB v.20, USB 3.0, miniHDMI, headphone jack or miniDisplay Port and Bluetooth 4.0.
Why buying? The Zenbook UX31 has a beautiful design with a slim and light body and the highest resolution available on an ultrabook, providing bright and clear images. Moreover, it has great integrated speakers with an excellent sound system plus a good number of ports.
Cons. The touchpad can be a little annoying, but overall it’s a solid and powerful machine.
4. Lenovo IdeaPad U300S
Overview. The IdeaPad U300S is Lenovo’s first ultrabook that came out in a fashionable and catching clementine orange color, but it’s got also a gray color available, being light and good looking. With a different design from the Air or Zenbook UX31, the IdeaPad U300S is also using an aluminium construction, which makes the system feel very rigid. It is thinner than the Air and weights 1.3kg. The machine was released in November 2011 for a retail price of $1.200.
Specs. Just like most of ultrabooks, the IdeaPad U300S is packing a 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 display, Core i5-2457M processor or a higher dual-core 1.8GHz Core i7-2677M, 4GB of RAM, with 20-second boot and 15-second resume times. Software wise, the IdeaPad U300S comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, 256SSD storage space, ports: USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI and headphone jack, Bluetooth 3.0, a 1.3MP webcam, with no optical drive included.
Why buying? Unlike other ultrabooks, the IdeaPad U300S has a very unique and rigid design, being thin and light. Moreover, it comes with the most comfortable keyboard around and a great touchpad.
Cons. It doesn’t have a backlit keyboard or an SD card slot included. The IdeaPad U300S has only two USB ports and the screen resolution could have been higher.
5. Sony Vaio Z
Overview. The Vaio Z is a refresh model of the 2010 laptop. An amazing and powerful machine with excellent internal specifications inside. It is thinner and lighter than the last model and packs high internal specs with an expensive price tag. Sony has priced the Vaio Z 2011 at $ 2.000. Featuring a smooth carbon fiber, it comes with a simple yet minimalistic aesthetic. Is this the lightest and performant ultrabook ever?
Specs. Sony Vaio Z has one of the best displays with its 13.1-inch and 1920 x 1080-resolution screen, with excellent horizontal and vertical viewing angles, but there is also a base model with a 1600 x 900-resolution, Intel’s processors i5 or i7, 4GB of RAM, discrete graphics, 256GB SSD, USB 2.0, headphone jack, Ethernet jack, HDMI, VGA, extra USB 2.0 and 3.0 on Power Media Dock, an external GPU plus an optical drive, microSD card slot, webcam, Windows 7 OS plus Sony’s own VAIO tools — including VAIO Control Center, Care, Media Gallery.
Why buying? Sony Vaio Z 2011 model is one of the most powerful notebook available with good specifications inside that comes with an external GPU along with a metal and stable Power Media Dock. Every part of this machine has the newest and greatest components around with an incredible speed. It comes in a nice purple color or a classic black one. Great display with high resolution, extremely light and performant. Let’s mention here the battery life, Vaio Z reaching almost 15 hours on the Power Dock, at least on paper, which is a big advantage for our energy consuming activities.
Cons. Probably its biggest disadvantage is the price tag, being rated at $ 2000. A powerful machine for those who need the best in technology or wanna do some serious stuff with it.
6. HP Folio 13
Overview. At first glance, HP’s first ultrabook isn’t quite impressive. It doesn’t have an ultra slim and light form factor as the Zenbook, for instance, being rather a more classy and normal laptop. Like Toshiba’s machine, HP is also focused on delivering a functional and performant piece of laptop, instead of a more eye-catching and stylish design. Great product with a variety of ports available and a price point under $ 1.000. HP Folio 13 has been released on the market in early December for $900, in time for Christmas. A great built machine with good specs inside.
Specs. As its name indcates, the Folio 13 comes with a 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, a Core i5-2467M processor that can go up to dual-core i7 version, a 128GB SSD, and 4GB of DDR3 memory. Ports are also included: USB 2.0, USB 3.0 jack, as well as Ethernet and HDMI sockets. Software wise, it will run Windows 7 Professional operating system and is rated up to nine hours of battery life.
Why buying? It comes with a good price tag and a large variety of ports. Plus, it offers the best battery life available on an ultrabook and comes with a solid construction, simple and classic. There is also a backlit keyboard included.
Cons. It’s not as thin and light as other ultrabooks and the screen is rather glossy.
7. Acer Aspire S3
Overview. Acer’s ultrabook is one of the first machines from Intel’s new concept that has been released. Constructed from a solid and durable aluminium material on the outside, it feels pretty plasticky on the inside. It is a thin and light system that weights 1.4kg and came out on the market in October 2011 for a $900 price tag. A great machine with a nice form factor that reminds of Apple’s MacBook Air.
Specs. Like most of ultrabooks, Acer Aspire S3 comes also with a 13.3-inch display and a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, it is powered by a 1.6GHz Core i5-2467M processor and 4GB of RAM, 20GB SSD and 320GB plus 2xUSB 2.0 ports, HDMI out and headphone jack. Regarding the battery life, the company said that it lasts up to eight hours of juice. According to some tests, it was able to hold around 4 hours of usage. Software wise, the Aspire S3 runs Windows 7 Home Premium with a number of preinstalled programs from Acer.
Why buying? Not too many reasons, now that it has some serious competition… From all ultrabooks, the Aspire S3 is the only one to include HDD option with 320GB storage space. It’s thin and light, with a nice appearance, resuming fast from the sleep mode. A significant price drop should be a good move, but we are still waiting for that.
Cons. Unfortunately, it has the worst battery life among current ultrabooks, a shallow keyboard with plastic construction on the inside and no USB 3.0 included. The sound is not reaching our expectations, even with the Dolby Home Theater activated the quality and volume are low.
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