Best ultrabooks: what’s an ultrabook and which one you should buy
Remember the first MacBook Air, the one Steve Jobs took out from a Manilla envelope? That was a few years ago and up until mid 2011 no other manufacturer has even come close to Apple in terms of thinness and lightness for a laptop. That’s about to change as Intel has defined a few months ago the term “ultrabook” which is meant to clarify consumers about a new laptop subcategory, very similar to the MacBook Air, the world’s first and probably the best ultrabook.
While you’ll read the ultrabook definition below I have to warn you that ultrabooks are nothing else than thinner and lighter CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) laptops, available for some time now. So let’s jump in and define the term.
Ultrabook definition
According to Intel’s blog there are a few features a laptop must have in order to be considered an ultrabook:
- thickness less than 21mm (0.83 inch) – no mysteries here
- fast boot time – must use Intel Rapid Start Technology or similar technology for fast boot, resume operations and usually involves a fast and small SSD drive tied directly to the motherboard
- 5 hours minimum battery life – unfortunately there’s no mention on what kind of operations we’re dealing with here, as no laptop will last you 5 hours under full load for example
- embedded security – you need at least Intel Anti-Theft Technology and Intel Identity Protection Technology or similar technologies enabled in the ultrabook’s BIOS
- touchscreen enabled – that’s meant for 2012, after the release of Windows 8, and won’t probably be a mandatory feature
As you can see ultrabooks are really thin and light notebooks that can last you through a full day of work if you carefully select the apps you run. [Read more about the new kid in town on UltrabookReview.com] There’s also a mention of a maximum $1000 starting price, but in time I expect those values to go down a bit. So what Intel did was to push the market towards cheaper thing and light laptops, as consumers want those products, but not all afford to pay at least $1500 to get an Apple product, plus the option to get Windows 7 is something to be desired in the business sector for example.
Best ultrabooks – models you should look for
Now that we’ve defined what an ultrabook laptop is let’s see which are the best ultrabooks announced at this point. Some are already available, some are still waiting in line to get in stores, but they’re all be here until the end of the year.
Acer Aspire S3
Quick specs:
- Thinness: 13 mm (0.5 inch)
- Display: 13.3 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.3 kg (2.88 lbs)
- Battery life: 7 hours
- Price: 899 USD - i5 + HDD, i5 + SSD, i7 + SSD
It’s amazing how Acer managed to get a 0.5 inch chassis for Aspire S3 and fill it with components that weight under 3 pounds. Inside there’s an Intel Core i3/i5/i7 CPU, 4GB RAM, 320 GB HDD/500 GB HDD and with an optional 240 GB SSD, all models with embedded SSDs for fast boot and resume (1.5 seconds resume time was mentioned). Battery life is excellent at 7 hours. We would have liked to see a higher resolution screen, but we’ll take the HD Ready display anyway. Other features include Dolby Home Theater v4, HDMI out, 2-in-1 card reader, Acer Crystal Eye 1.3 megapixel camera with microphone, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. It’s a nice package all around. [read full preview]
Acer Aspire S3
Asus UX21 and UX31 Zenbooks
Quick specs UX21:
- Thinness: 16.7 mm (0.66 inch)
- Display: 11.6 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.13 kg (2.4 lbs)
- Buy From Here: i5 + 128 GB SSD, i7 + 128 GB SSD
The UX21 ultrabook (called a Zenbook) was announced by ASUS at Computex, and we know the least about it in terms of battery life (sealed battery) and pricing but we do know it will come in a brushed aluminium body, is lighter than the Acer S3, but thicker and will come with an Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, a SATA III SSD (64 or 128 GB), two USB 3.0 ports, miniHDMI and an SD card reader. And the piece of resistance is a large glass trackpad, just like the one found on Apple’s MacBook Pro/Air line. [read full review]
Quick specs UX31:
- Thinness: 18 mm (0.71 inch)
- Display: 13.3 inch (1600 x 900 pixels)
- Weight: 1.30 kg (2.87 lbs)
- Buy from here: i5 + 128 GB SSD, i5 + 256 GB SSD, i7 + 256 GB SSD
The UX31 Zenbook is similar to the UX21, but ups screen resolution to 1600 x 900 px, making it a perfectly suitable workhorse, but with a great design. The body is also a little bit bigger, of course [read full post]
ASUS UX21
Samsung Series 5
Quick specs:
- Thinness: 17.5 mm (0.69 inch)
- Display: 13.3 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.46 kg (3.24 lbs)
- Battery life: 6.5 hours
- Price: $1199 - i5-2467@1.6GHz, 128 GB SSD
This is one of the newest ultrabooks, announced by Samsung at CES 2012 and features a very clean and simple design we like. Unfortunately the Samsung Series 5 ultrabook is not the lightest and slimmest of the ultrabooks on market today. Battery life is also pretty ‘basic’, at just 6.5 hours, when other models can reach 8 hours between charges. On the other side, the array of ports is pretty good: USB 3.0 (w sleep and charge), 2 x USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA (via dongle), Gigabit LAN, card reader and the usual headset and microphone jacks. The display is low res, like most ultrabooks, but at least it’s very bright, at 300 nits. This is actually an interesting choice, if you’re hunting for an ultrabook.
Samsung Series 5
Lenovo Ideapad U300s
Quick specs:
- Thinness: 14.9 mm (0.58 inch)
- Display: 13.3 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.31 kg (2.91 lbs)
- Battery life: 8 hours
- Price: $1195 – i7 + 128 GB SSD, i7 + 256 GB SSD
This is one of the nicest looking ultrabooks. I especially like the hard cut lines and the orange exterior panel colour (there are also other options). Lenovo has thrown in an Intel Core i7 CPU, up to a 256 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM and some proprietary technologies: Breathable Keyboard that takes cool air through the keys and expels it out through the side and rear vents and Rapid Charge that gets the battery from empty to 50% in just 30 minutes. Add to that the 8 hours battery life and you have a really powerful ultrabook here, hard to ignore [read our presentation here].
Lenovo Ideapad U300s
Toshiba Portege Z830/Z835
Quick specs:
- Thinness: 15.9 mm (0.63inch)
- Display: 13.3 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.13 kg (2.5 lbs)
- Battery life: 8 hours
- Price: $799 - Buy from here 1, Buy from here 2
The industrial looks of the Toshiba Portege Z830 are simply amazing. You do get a powerful ultrabook in there with options ranging from Intel Core i3 to i5 and i7 processors, 128 GB SSD, 6 GB RAM, all encased in a magnesium chassis. The ”Hi-Speed Start Technology” allows the Toshiba Z830 to boot Windows in a matter of seconds (but no actual figures were said). USB Sleep & Charge allows you to charge devices like smartphones and MP3 players via USB while the computer is turned off. The up to 8-hours battery life should be an incentive too. [read own test here]
Toshiba Portege Z830
HP Folio 13
Quick specs:
- Thinness: 17.78 mm (0.7inch)
- Display: 13.3 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.49 kg (3.3 lbs)
- Battery life: 9 hours
- Price: $899 - Buy from here
HP Folio 13
HP Envy 14 Spectre
Quick specs:
- Thinness: 20 mm (0.79inch)
- Display: 14 inch (1600 x 900 pixels)
- Weight: 1.71 kg (3.79 lbs)
- Battery life: 9 hours
- Price: Starts at $1399 - Configure here
This is probably the ultrabook that’s less ultrabooky than most competitors: it’s 20 mm thick and weights 3.79 pounds, placing it more into the light laptops category. Even if it’s a 14 inch screen, a small bezel was used to cram everything into a 13.3 inch chassis. The premium feel (the back and wrist pad are made from glass just like the iPhone 4s) is ‘accompanied’ by a premium price: the Core i5 with 4GB RAM and 128 GB SSD starts at 1399$, making it more expensive than the 13 inch MacBook Air (see below).
But you do get a lovely 1600 x 900 px Radiance Display (high contrast and color accuracy), Beat Audio, HP CoolSense, HP Wireless Audio, Intel WiFi (Wireless Display), NFC chip (wow!) and full copies of Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements. This is one cool ultrabook, but we just wished it was a little bit lighter and thinner.
HP Envy 14 Spectre
LG Z330
Quick specs:
- Thinness: 14.7mm (0.58-inches)
- Display: 13.3 inch
- Weight: 1.21kg (2.67 lbs)
- Battery life: 6 hours
- Price: $1500 – $2300
LG X-Note Z330
Samsung Series 9
Quick specs 11.6 inch model:
- Thinness: 16.51 mm (0.65 inch)
- Display: 11.6 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.04 kg (2.31 lbs)
- Battery life: 7 hours
- Price: $999 - buy from here
Quick specs 13.3 inch model:
- Thinness: 16.25 mm (0.64 inch)
- Display: 13.3 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.30 kg (2.88 lbs)
- Battery life: 7 hours
- Price: $1299 – buy from here
Samsung was really the first manufacturer to offer an ultrabook (besides Apple) called Series 9 which features two models, just like the MacBook Air, with 11.6 inch and a 13.3 inch screens, both HD Ready, with high brightness (340 and 400 nits respectively). The finish is amazing featuring black brushed aluminium case and covers for ports so that visually there’s nothing ruining the fantastic looks. Both models enjoy up to 7 hours battery life, fast Intel ULV processors, SSD drives, two USB ports (one 3.0 compatible), HDMI, SD card readers and a touchpad underneath the chiclet keyboard. [read our test here]
Samsung Series 9
Apple MacBook Air
Quick specs 11.6 inch model:
- Thinness: 17 mm (0.68 inch)
- Display: 11.6 inch (1366 x 768 pixels)
- Weight: 1.08 kg (2.38 lbs)
- Battery life: 5 hours
- Price: $999, $1,199
Quick specs 13.3 inch model:
- Thinness: 17 mm (0.68 inch)
- Display: 13.3 inch (1440 x 900 pixels)
- Weight: 1.35 kg (2.96 lbs)
- Battery life: 7 hours
- Price: $1,299, $1,599
I couldn’t write the article about best ultrabook laptops without mentioning the latest MacBook Air models, two amazing 11.6 and 13.3 inch laptops with processors ranging from Intel Core i5 to i7, SSDs from 64GB to 256GB, gorgeous screens (the 13.3 inch model features an amazing 1440 x 900 pixels resolution), large glass touchpads, backlit keyboards and Thunderbolt ports. You can’t go wrong buying the original, right? [read our full article here]
Apple MacBook Air
I’ll update the best ultrabooks list once new models are announced. I’ll also link to shops where you’ll be able to buy them, so bookmark this post and check back from time to time if you’re interested in buying an ultrabook any time soon. This is the future, and it’s here now.
Ionut is Chief Editor. He has a degree in Computer Science BA and worked in IT since 2002. Ionut is now managing several tech sites, including GadgetRoad. My Google+ Profile, Twitter
I was really surprised to see the specs and prices of the ultrabooks are very similar to the MacBook Air. Nevertheless, these are all great designs. I’m glad to see so much competition in this area. Heavy competition usually results in better and more affordable products and the end users are the ones who end up benefiting the most.
Wow this is quite a good review of the ultrabooks. Once more I am partial to the apple product, but it’s nice to see that the competitive models are really coming along, both in design and in price. It does prove that free market is alive and can work.
Its about time – Macs have had this space pretty much to themselves for a very long time. The thing is though would you spend that much just because its cool? I think the thicker but much cheaper netbooks are a better options for most consumers
I never heard of the term ultrabooks. I love them because their light and easy to carry. I didn’t realize so many companies were making them. As always, great reviews!!!
We are in the market for new laptops. The lighter ultrabook would be so much easier to travel. However the cost to buy two ultrabooks makes me wonder if the advantages to the ultrabooks are really worth it.
You know, I’m not a fan of Apple computers, but I had to admit that the whole taking the computer out of the envelope bit was impressive! I’d have a hard time justifying the cost, though.
Definitely can’t go wrong buying the original…I’ve been trying to decide between a MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. I really prefer how light weight they are vs the Pro. I had a netbook but I sold it on Craigslist because the screen wasn’t big enough for what I wanted to accomplish but thanks for sharing this review, didn’t realize there was new competition!