Ultrabooks are a laptops that meets Intel’s requirements of a thin and light laptop. These specificatins include a 18mm height for 13.3″ and smaller displays, 21mm height for 14.0″ and larger displays and 23mm for convertible tablets. Processors has to make use of Ivy Bridge microarchitecture with CULV models that has a 17W TDP. Battery life is stated to be of at least 5 hours and 7 seconds from S4 hibernation within a minimum of 80MB/s hard disk transfer rate. This ensures that the machines are thin and light, but yet powerful at the same time. We’ve seen great ultrabook designs from various vendors. At IT SHOW 2013, we take a second look at them and determine which is the best choice for your purchase and the different promotions available.
ACER
Many has sad that the Acer S7 is probably the best designed notebook from Acer up to date. Making use of popular white to attract consumers of both genders, the S7 is a top of the line ultrabook. S7 comes in 2 sizes, a 11.6″ and a 13.3″.
This is the 11.6″ model with Intel Core i5 3337U processor. In case you don’t know the S7 are all touch enabled ultrabooks and it also supports 10 point multi touch. That also explains the price tag of this device at $1698 at IT SHOW 2013, down from actual $1898 SRP. It’s just a bit heavier than 1kg at 1.04kg.
The 13.3″ on the other hand is a much more practical ultrabook. It comes with either a Core i5 processor or a Core i7 processor which costs $1798 and $2198 respectively. Both weighs a decent 1.3kg and has 4GB of RAM.
ASUS
Unlike Acer, ASUS has got a wider variety of ultrabooks sold at different price range, targeting different consumers.
With the launch of Windows 8 in Singapore, ASUS also announced the availability of touch enabled Vivobook. They are part of the S series ultrabook and targets budget oriented consumers. These touch enabled machines comes with an extremely budget friendly price tag, especially for an ultrabook specifications, possibly unmatched by competitors.
The Vivobook S400CA is a 14 inch ultrabook with a touch enabled panel screen. It comes with a Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM. I’ve talked so much about the pricing of the Vivobook, but how much does it really cost? Don’t be too shocked. This ultrabook is only $1098. Also, do take note that this model has a additional 24GB of SSD to cache its 500GB Hard drive to ensure even faster computational operations.
Of course, the more popular ASUS Zenbook is also available at IT SHOW 2013, starting at $1198.
All the Zenbooks have similar design and aesthetics, but some are a bit thicker than others because of the inclusion of a dedicated GeForce graphics processing unit. The cheapest Zenbook you can find is the UX31E which is an first Zenbook model, with a Sandy Bridge Core i5 processor. This is not found under official ASUS Zenbook pricelist and could be a clearance model from the reseller. Therefore, one should try to bargain to get a even better deal from what’s listed. The UX31A has a Full-HD 1920 x 1080 resolution screen. Great for those who wants to have a large working space on the computer without a larger screen.
Looking for a 15″ ultrabook? The ASUS S56CM is a ultrabook that does not compromise performance. It has a dedicated GeForce GT635M Dedicated Graphics Processor, so it also allows some games to be played on it. Backed by a Intel Core i7 processor, there is nothing more you can ask for its computational capabilities. It comes with 4GB RAM and a 750GB Hard drive with 24GB SSD used for caching. However, this ultrabook weighs slightly heavier than most ultrabooks at 2KG. The ASUS S56CM only costs $1298 and an alternative 14″ Series named S46CM is also available.
DELL
Dell XPS ultrabooks adopted a different design as compared their competitors, making it stand out quite promisingly. The XPS13 has black as its base colour, and has a great chromium feel to it. It costs $1399 and has a 128GB SSD instead of a standard Hard Disk Drive. Performance on this ultrabook will be better than most ultrabooks because of this configuration.
FUJITSU
Fujitsu too has the UH572 Lifebook to show as their main ultrabook. This model has a Core i7 processor at a great price of only $1348. It also has a 8GB Ultrabook as compared to a usual 4GB. Other than that, its design is one of a kind, with a black finish and sharper edges to show its sleekness in design. Not to compromise the needs of huge storage space to storage performance, Fujitsu also used a 32GB SSD to cache its 500GB Hard drive.
HP
All of HP’s Envy ultrabooks are on display at their booth at Level 1. It’s simply just exciting to see them placed in this way, enabling you to see the extremely thin profiles of these ultrabooks regardless of its size and dimension of the screens.
The Envy 4 is a 14 incher and comes with a Intel Core i5 Processor. It also has 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive with a 32GB SSD Caching drive similar to the Fujitsu ultrabook, but this model is fully touch enabled. At a friendly price of $1299, it could be one of your choices if you are looking for something to touch.
The Envy ultrabook series also comes in a 15.6 incher, called the Envy 6. A Core i7 version costs $1299 as well, with all the same other specifications found on the Envy 4, but this model actually comes with a dedicated AMD Radeon HD7670M Graphics Processing Unit. However, it does not have a touch screen like the Envy 4.
LENOVO
Lenovo’s top of the line Ultrabook is named the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. It is popular with the business class due to its sturdy design, and of course this model does not come cheap. It starts with $2599 for a Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and a full 256GB SSD configuration. It also comes in a Core i7 variant at $2999 and a 3G enabled Core i7 variant at $3149. If you have excess money to throw at the company, this is probably your best bet. Of course, we are also not neglecting the great features found on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, especially its weight and business features. The purchase of the X1 also comes with a free USB Ethernet Adapter, Mini-Display to VGA Converter, In-ear Headset and a laser wireless mouse.
SAMSUNG
Samsung has a huge lineup of ultrabook at IT SHOW 2013. In fact, they sell nothing other than ultrabooks for consumer laptops. We aren’t seeing any standard laptops from them at a friendlier price, but let’s take a look at the best recommended ultrabook from them.
As seen from the image above, the Samsung NP900X4C has a wedged design which makes is looks so sleek that you may go crazy because of it. Its chassis is made out of magnesium and this high end premium ultrabook model comes with Windows 8 Pro is powered by a Intel Core i5 processor and prices starts at $1799. Higher specifications are also available at a higher price.
TOSHIBA
The Toshiba Satellite U840 Ultrabook is one of its kinds. It has a cinematic display of a 21:9 aspect ratio and is great for movies other entertainment. Its resolution is at a non-conventional 1,792 x 768. U840 also has a backlit keyboard, which improves its overall design with its dark based colour. As it is also made out of aluminium, it’s definitely one reliable ultrabook that lives up to Toshiba’s name for its highly reliable and durable machine. With only $1699, you can bring this entertainment device home for your own pleasure.
The Toshiba Protégé Z930 is another top of the line Ultrabook at IT SHOW 2013, and we have Mr Muhammad Abdillah from Toshiba to introduce the Ultrabook to us.
