Laptops and Personal Computers, Technology

Ultrabook Guide – Getting The Right One

Written by Dennis on

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27 June 2012, Singapore – With the release of Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processors, Ultrabooks are ready for the mainstream market and soon you will see these thin and sleek laptops flooding the cafe table tops in town.

What is an Ultrabook? 

Ultrabooks are laptops designed to be slim, lightweight and come with extended battery life without compromising performance and starts up in matter of seconds.

Ultrabook Baseline Requirements:

  • Sleek Design
  • Fast Resume in less than 7 seconds
  • More than 5 hours of battery life
  • Fast File Transfers with USB 3 or TBT
  • Responsive when active

 

 

 

Here are the some of Ultrabooks that comes with the new Intel Ivy Bridge processors:

 

The Ultra Affordable Ultrabooks

 

Sony VAIO T Series Ultrabook

It’s Sony’s first Ultrabook, and a beautiful, aluminum chassis VAIO laptop with a an affordable price tag of S$1,299 for either the 11″ or 13″ display.

  • Intel Core i5 Processor 1.7GHz
  • Display: 11.6″ or 13.3″ TFT colour display
  • Disk Capacity: Hybrid disk drive with a 500GB capacity with 32GB SSD module
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
  • Sound: Sony’s xLOUD and Clear Phase Technology
  • Ports: VGA, HDMI, Ethernet LAN, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and a Memory Stick & SD Card Slot
  • Weight: 1.42kg for 11″ and 1.6kg for 13″

 

 

HP ENVY 4 Ultrabook

The HP ENVY 4 is a powerful Ultrabook built to impress with both looks and responsiveness, the HP ENVY 4 is an Ultrabook for made for gamers on-the-go with  a price tag of S$1,299 only.

  • Intel Core i5 Processor 1.7GHz
  • Display: 14″ HD BrightView LED backlit display
  • Disk Capacity: Hybrid disk drive with a 500GB capacity with 32GB SSD module
  • RAM: 8GB
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7670M with 2GB DDR3 VRAM
  • Sound: Beats Audio with HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Ports: VGA, HDMI, Ethernet LAN, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and Multi-Format digital card reader
  • Weight: 1.75kg

 

Ultrabooks That Shine With Colours

 

Lenovo u310 Ultrabook

Like a little colour on your laptop to stand out from the crowd? The Lenovo U310 Ultrabook comes in Graphite Gray, Aqua Blue and Cherry Blossom match with a White aluminum body chassis. It’s simply a street smart look with a touch of class at S$1,499.

  • Intel Core i5 Processor 1.7GHz
  • Display: 13.3″ HD display
  • Disk Capacity: Hybrid disk drive with a 500GB capacity with 32GB SSD module
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Graphics: Intel 3000 HD Graphics
  • Sound: Stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theatre V4 audio enhancement
  • Ports: HDMI, Ethernet LAN, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and 2-in-1 digital card reader
  • Weight: 1.7kg

 

Fujitsu U772 Ultrabook

The sexy red Fujitsu U772 Ultrabook is a definitely a head turner when you put it on the conference table. Built based on Fujitsu’s Takumi design philosophy and being the World’s thinnest 14 inch Ultrabook, the Fujitsu U772 Ultrabook comes with a hefty price tag of S$2,888.

  • Intel Core i5 Processor 1.8GHz
  • Display: 14″ Superfine HD LED Backlit display
  • Disk Capacity: 128GB SSD
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
  • Sound: Realtek ALC269 HD audio codec with DTS Boost Enhancement
  • Ports: HDMI, Ethernet LAN, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and 2-in-1 digital card reader
  • Weight: 1.43kg

 

Corporate Executive Ultrabook

 

Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook
Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook

Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook

The Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook comes in different sets of configurations to meet the demands of individual or even corporate users with Dell’s Enterprise-Friendly portfolio. Weighing at 2.1kg, it’s a heavy contender in the Ultrabook category but if you are looking for a laptop then it’s fine. The Dell XPS 14 is available on dell.com.sg, with price starting from S$1,399.

  • Intel Core i5 or i7 Processor
  • Display: 14″ HD display
  • Disk Capacity: Hybrid disk drive with a 500GB capacity with 32GB SSD module or 512GB SSD
  • RAM: 4GB or 8GB
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 or NVIDI GeForce 630M 1GB graphics
  • Sound: High Definition Audio with Waves MaxxAudio 4
  • Ports: HDMI, Ethernet LAN, USB 3.0 and 3-in-1 digital card reader
  • Weight: 2.1kg

 

 

Lenovo U410 Ultrabook

The Lenovo U410 Ultrabook is the corporate version of the U310, with a bigger 14″ display, an upgrade on graphics card and more hard disk space at S$1,599.

  • Intel Core i5 Processor 1.7GHz
  • Display: 14″ HD display
  • Disk Capacity: Hybrid disk drive with a 750GB capacity with 32GB SSD module
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Graphics: NVIDI GeForce 610M 1GB graphics
  • Sound: Stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theatre V4 audio enhancement
  • Ports: HDMI, Ethernet LAN, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and 2-in-1 digital card reader
  • Weight: 1.8kg

 

 

 

Fashionably Slim Ultrabooks

 

HP Spectre XT Ultrabook

HP’s answer to the MacBook Air will be the HP Spectre XT Ultrabook. At only 14.5 mm in thickness and weighing 1.39kg, the all-metal design 13″ Ultrabook is definitely worth every penny of it, starting from S$1,499.

  • Intel Core i5 Processor 1.7GHz or Intel Core i7 Processor 1.9GHz
  • Display: 13.3″ HD BrightView LED backlit display
  • Disk Capacity: 128GB SSD (up to 256GB)
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
  • Sound: Beats Audio with HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Ports: HDMI, Ethernet LAN, USB 3.0 and Multi-Format digital card reader
  • Weight: 1.39kg

 

 

Samsung 2nd Generation Series 9 Premium Notebook

Although the Samsung 2nd Generation Series 9 Premium Notebook is not an Ultrabook (according to Samsung),  it does have the qualities of an Ultrabook. Due to it’s good looks and portability, this notebook is worth considering if you are getting an Ultrabook. With a few variants for this series, the prices starts from S$1,788 for the 15″ Magnesium chassis notebook.

  • Intel Core i5 Processor 1.7GHz or Intel Core i7 Processor 1.9GHz
  • Display: 13.3″ or 15.0″ SuperBright 400nit HD+ LED Display
  • Disk Capacity: 128GB SSD (up to 256GB)
  • RAM: 4GB (up to 8GB)
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
  • Sound: Beats Stereo Speakers with HD Audio and Sound Alive
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Ports: micro HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and Multi-Format digital card reader
  • Weight: starts at 1.16kg for 13.3″

 

With so many brands producing quite a plethora of Ultrabooks, you’ll be spoilt for choice.  We hope this guide helped you in your decision process and do share with us which Ultrabook you purchased and how it worked out for you.

 

 

 

 

 

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