Note that this is an old post.
For updated information, look at this article on the best ultra-thin laptops.
Laptop industry is evolving swiftly these days; trending terms are changing every month. Now is finally the time for ultrabooks after notebooks, netbooks, touch screen laptops and hybrid laptops. Ultrabooks are usually very much thinner than our regular laptops and are especially designed to reduce weight without sacrificing the performance and other features. Intel invented this new technology of ultrabooks last year and since then every reputed laptop brand has started manufacturing best ultrabooks for their consumers. Since these kinds of devices are so thin, we have to sacrifice few features like DVD drive and unwanted ports such as LAN and HDMI.
Things you should expect from an ultrabook are: touch screen, good mobility, performance, ultra thinness, good battery life and swift response. Ultrabook is very suitable for people who keep travelling most of time for their work and I think performance, style and portability are very important for your business and lifestyle. Anyways, every ultrabook will have different specs and that totally depends on the manufacturing brand but what you should certainly expect from an ultrabook is: long battery life and casing thinner than 0.85 inch. Alright then, if you too are crazy like me about this new technology then you’re absolutely going to enjoy reading this article of 10 best ultrabooks of 2013.
10. Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A-AB71
The ASUS Zenbook Prime is one of the first Ultrabooks and that is why it can be little expensive, current price of this solid ultra-device is $1250 and you have option to configure specs before buying. This ultrabook has a new kind of display which can be easily compared with MacBook’s Retina display and unlike other laptops this one is extremely light. This 13.3-inch device includes: Core i7 Processor, 4GB RAM, 1920×1080 screen resolution and 256GB SSD. It is best known for its solid Aluminum body and light silver color which makes it look very much like MacBook Air, I’d say front panel is even better than MacBook and is designed nicely but that’s just my personal preference. Since it is an expensive ultrabook people are usually confused between MacBook Air and Asus Zenbook but I think choosing one of them is real simple, go for Zenbook if you prefer Windows or if you like Mac then go for Air(Newest Version).
9. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 3444F9U
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is an LED Ultrabook that is especially designed to deliver the performance. Currently this 14-inch Ultrabook costs around $1600 and is one of the latest ultra-device in the market which was first revealed in January, 2013. Unlike other Lenovo laptops the trackpad and keyboard of X1 Carbon is amazing. It is extremely light and thin, yet feels very solid. With full brightness battery can last for about 4-5 hours so even while travelling you can use it for a while. It features Intel Core i7 Processor, 8GB DDR3 RAM and 180 GB SSD. All in all, it is very fast, easy and efficient to handle everything you throw at it. The only thing I wished within it was DVD drive since not all of my software can be downloaded from the internet. Anyways, if performance is all you need then don’t think about its price, just go for it and you won’t be disappointed.
8. Acer Aspire S7-391-6468 Ultrabook
The Acer Aspire S7-391-6468 is a 13-inch touch screen Ultrabook which is currently priced at $999. According to many expert reviews, it is an amazing alternative to Apple MacBook Pro and can be ideal for Windows users. If you are looking for a laptop that you can carry around with you all the time then this new model from Acer Aspire series is going to be an ideal choice since it is extremely well-built, light and nicely optimized. Playing games on it can be real fun since it can handle HD games pretty easily without any hassle thanks to its Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 128 GB SSD and Intel 4000 graphics card. Overall, it is a nicely designed laptop and white color on it looks just awesome. The touch screen is quite responsive, and sound quality is pretty nice too. I’d highly recommend this to those who are looking for extremely thin yet powerful laptop.
7. Samsung Series 9 NP900X4C-A07US Ultrabook
This latest device from Samsung Series 9 is truly one of the top notch and solid Ultrabooks. Not just looks but also its performance is incomparable. It comes with an Intel Core i7 Processor of 1.9 GHz, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, 250 GB SSD and Original Windows 8. Right now it is only available in one color which is Mineral Ash Black but in future we’d definitely see it in more colors. Since it comes with pre-installed Windows 8, you’ll have to give it a little time to get used to it and if you are already familiar with it then it is truly a perfect ultrabook with super looks and solid body. It is mostly known for its fantastic looks, sleek design and dark silver metallic color. I’d say it would be a perfect device to show off, yet you’ll be surprised to see how much comfortable it is to work on it.
6. Lenovo IdeaPad U300s 10802BU
Another best ultrabook from Lenovo but this one is from IdeaPad series and not from ThinkPad series, there’s lot of difference between these two series’ of laptops. This 13-inch Lenovo laptop features 128 GB SSD, Core i5 processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM and best of all, 8 hours battery life. It truly is one of the best ultrabooks to show off thanks to its immaculate design and breathtaking performance. Design is what I like the most of this slim ultrabook and also the color, graphite gray which suits perfect with book-shaped frame. Overall, I’d rate it 8 out of 10 and that is only because I have been using MacBook for years now and this is a good device, but with all honesty, it can’t be compared with Apple’s Mac. There are few complaints about the screen of U300s on the internet but I didn’t see any problem with that so I guess they have fixed it.
5. Dell XPS 13 R2-1050sLV
This new series XPS 13 from Dell is getting lot of attention lately and don’t worry if you can’t afford R2-1050sLV because there are plenty of affordable ultrabooks in this series. This specific 13.3-inch laptop is currently priced at $1300 and includes all latest hardware including Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 250 GB SSD and Windows 8. It is also known to be an award-winning ultrabook for being extremely thin and powerful. Other than being super-fast in performance, looks are great too and silver color simply suits the Aluminum body. My sister recently bought this model and I have personally used it for about 10 days. It weighs almost nothing and start up is extremely fast thanks to its SSD. I’d rate it 9 out of 10 and it’s perfect even if you are looking for a mini laptop, it feels very light and small, and to be honest Windows 8 isn’t that bad after all.
4. ASUS VivoBook S400CA-DH51T
Asus has become one of the best laptop brands lately and has been delivering the best value laptops for a while now. This 14-inch ultrabook from ASUS Vivobook series features i5 Processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard drive plus 24 GB SSD and Windows 8. If you don’t feel like spending much on laptop then this device is the ultimate one you’ll ever find. Usually touch screen laptops are not this cheap but for some reason ASUS has always managed to deliver the best and latest technology devices for extremely affordable price. These days not many laptops have positive 5 star reviews but according to Amazon and other top online stores, this ultrabook is one of the best ones and has been rated 10 out of 10. This is another thin and lightweight laptop that comes with Windows 8 and touch screen display but only disappointment about this laptop was it does not have Bluetooth.
3. Apple Macbook Air
Even though Apple’s MacBook Air is not usually tagged in Ultrabooks lists, it is one of the lightest and slimmest ultrabooks out there. This new version of Apple Laptop packs Intel i5 processor, 128 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM and of course Mountain Lion Mac OS. Currently this notebook has no competition when it comes to performance, design, and solid hardware used for manufacturing. This 13-inch MacBook can be bought for around $1100 and there is no laptop in the world that I’d recommend to anyone over MacBook Air. It simply is the best for everyone including college students, designers and video editors. One thing for sure about Macs is that once you get used to it then you’ll never ever go back to Windows laptop unless you’ve got no choice. Anyways, I myself have been using it for about 2 years now and it would be a nightmare for me to go back and use Windows.
2. Toshiba Satellite U845-S406
The Toshiba Satellite U845-S406 is currently one of those ultrabooks that is powerful, stylish yet affordable. Not many laptops you can find these days for around $600 with high-end specifications like 6GB RAM. The reason I have added this device so high in my list is because of its thinness and lightness, but when we talk about performance it is the king thanks to its Intel Core i5 Processor, 6GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB hard drive and 32 GB Solid state drive. Other than being swift, it is extremely sleek and portable. Also it is known for delivering long battery life which is quite common in ultrabooks. My most favorite thing about this laptop would definitely be the backlit keyboard which is not mostly seen in notebooks these days, but this one is exception. Actually I’d call it as “Smart” backlit keyboard because after being idle for few minutes it automatically turns it off. I’d highly recommend this to those who love to work in dark rooms with lights off.
1. HP Envy 14 Spectre 14-3010NR
According to me, the best ultrabook in 2013 is none other than HP Envy Spectre 14 and that is not just because of its design but also its price and fast performance. It is best known for its unique design and ravishing colors, silver and black. It sports: 1.6 GHz Intel i5 processor, 4GB RAM and 128 GB SSD. Best thing about this ultrabook is definitely its battery which can last for about 10 hours which is truly extraordinary and this device doesn’t just falls in category of ultrabooks but Premium Ultrabooks. As stated in official HP’s description, you are sacrificing nothing with this high quality laptop. We all know that HP Envy laptops are very much alike MacBooks, but in this new model, they have few new things of their own.
Well, now you know what the best ultrabooks are in 2013 so I am sure you’ll choose the right one for yourself. These are all my personal favorite ones and of course I have done my research before writing this. All of these are available at online stores such as Amazon but in case you want to buy it from local store then you might have to pre-order it.
One Comment
Yami
You’ve listed some real nice ultrabooks here and I am glad I found this article before getting myself a new device.. Apple is always on top of my priority but right now I am not really sure if MacBook Air is considered as an ultrabook or notebook, I know it’s slim, lightweight and all but anyways, I have already decided what laptop I will getting for myself so it doesn’t matter anymore.. Going for HP Spectre 14, thanks for this detailed post..