Mid-Price Device: Notebooks
Notebooks are, in many ways, the forgotten
middle-child of the laptop form. If they suffer from anything, it's being too
familiar. They were edged out at the bottom by netbooks and tablets, and now
they're facing competition at the top from Ultrabooks. Even if they're not the
trendiest
PCs on the block, they are still the ones
to go for, offering a value-focused balance between price and performance
that's hard to beat.
Samsung Series 3 300E-5A - $638.4
Budget laptops are generally better than
they're given credit for, especially when you compare them to netbooks. This 1
5.6-inch Samsung contains an Intel Core i3-2330 CPU, and that alone makes it
more than capable of running Windows at a decent pelt. 4GB of RAM and a 500GB
hard drive are plenty adequate for working. Admittedly it's not going to be
much use for gaming, but on the other hand, hi-definition video runs fine, so
it's not completely useless as an entertainment machine. It's still far from
perfect, though.
The keyboard is basic and not exactly pleasing
to type on, but at least it's full-size and has a numeric keypad. The screen
(1366 x 768) could be better, but the matte finish reduces glare and although
it doesn't exactly pop when playing video, neither is it particularly bad. You
should be able to squeeze four hours of use out of it away from any mains
sockets, which is a fair time for a notebook even if it doesn't break records.
Ultimately, the Series 3 proves itself an
acceptable performer for the money you pay. If you stack it up against the equally
expensive Dell Latitude 2120, it's a far superior experience and a good
all-rounder. If you can spare the $320, we'd recommend it to budget buyers over
a netbook any day.
Acer Aspire V3 - $880
The Acer Aspire line of laptops excels
itself in the middle of the field, and no more so than with the Acer Aspire V3
models, which combine performance and quality with a good screen and fantastic
value for money.
Another 1 5.6-inch notebook with a 1366 x
768 resolution screen, the V3 runs faster than most at its price point, the
Intel Core i5-2450 2.5GHz CPU giving it excellent performance in the face of
Core i3-based rivals. When multi-tasking or performing CPU-heavy tasks like
photo editing or watching HD video, it's lightning fast.
It's a shame, then, to see such a poor
graphics chip running alongside it (Intel HD integrated graphics only), because
if paired with a decent dedicated graphics chipset, we could have had an
outright winner on our hands. As it is, it's easy to see which corner was cut
to keep the price low, and despite the presence of a Core i5 you won't be doing
much gaming on this laptop.
The presence of 6GB of RAM is a nod towards
being better than average, but if you can afford to make it up to 8GB we'd
recommend it. As usual, the 500GB hard drive should suffice for all except the
most media-heavy data hoarder.
The battery life is a reasonable four
hours. Between an overly-reflective screen and noisy keyboard, it's not
perfect, but it is undeniably good for the money.
Toshiba
Satellite P850-138 - $958
At first glance, the Toshiba Satellite
looks overpriced - at $958 you might expect a Core i5 instead of a Core i3 (an
i3-2350M, to be precise) but there's more going on here than just a low-powered
CPU.
8GB of RAM means it punches well above its weight
in the memory department, a 640GB hard drive is substantial (if not the best)
and the inclusion of a GeForce GT630M graphics chipset means - shock of shocks
- you might actually get some decent gaming performance out of it.
The battery life is a bit of a sticking
point. It clocks in at just under three hours at normal use, probably because
of the graphics card, and keyboard feels very weak, bending noticeable under
pressure. There are four USB 3.0 ports which have 'sleep and charge'
technology, meaning you can plug devices in to charge even when the PC is
powered down (as long as it's plugged into the mains, obviously). You also get
VGA and HDMI-out ports, which make sense - this is a laptop with the graphical
clout to make full use of a larger external for gaming and video.
While it's starting to creep out of true
budget territory, there's a lot to like in the Satellite P850-138. Features
which make it actually worth paying a little extra for, even though it doesn't
actually excel in any area. It's fairly priced, reasonably capable, and only
the battery life lets it down in any real sense. Definitely worth considering,
then.
High-End Device: Ultrabooks
Although 'Ultrabooks' refers specifically
to a selection of high-end Intel devices which meet specific criteria, it can
also be used generically to describe a class of high-performance laptops (as
long as Intel's brand-enforcement team doesn't catch up with you). They're
expensive, powerful, and advanced - but are they worth the money?
Sony
Vaio T13 - $1368
Sony's belated arrival to the Ultrabook
market hasn't dented their reputation for top-quality laptops, and the Sony
Vaio T13 may be one of the most exciting Ultrabooks on shelves at the moment.
As usual, the design and build-quality are high - it's thin, light, and its
appearance truly stands out.
But who's buying a PC for how it looks? The
specs are what really sell this. A 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 screen coupled with a
Core i5, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage are largely as good as or better
than the MacBook Air, although it's a Sandy Bridge i5 with Intel HD Graphics
3000, as opposed to the Befruited One's Ivy Bridge/Intel HD 4000 combo. Even
so, you can get an Ivy Bridge version by paying a little extra, so it's a
decision you can make. Either way, you won't be doing any high-performance
gaming anyway, so don't worry too much.
The main benefits of the Vaio T13 include
the battery life - a whopping seven hours - and a fantastic 1.3MP webcam.
Connectivity is strong, with both USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 4.0. HD video is, of
course, fine, and in general use you shouldn't notice any performance issues.
Disadvantages include Sony's trademark
over-glossed screen (it's irritatingly reflective) and parade of proprietary
software, including a bizarre gesture-control system that has you waving at
your PC to perform simple tasks. Futuristic, yes, but for it to work properly
you have to be within reach of the keyboard anyway...
A strong entry from Sony, then, and one you
could be pleased to own - assuming you have the budget to buy an UltraBook at
all.
MacBook
Air - $1486.4
The popularity of the MacBook Air is, more
or less, the reason the Ultrabook class of laptop exists at all. The ultra-thin
chassis remains the same as when it was initially unveiled, but the interior
has been refreshed with modern components for Summer 2012. Case in point:
faster 1600MHz RAM, USB 3.0 support, 720p webcam, a rapid-start feature and
instant-on wake are all present on this latest model.
The upgrades are iterative rather than
revolutionary, which is always a disappointment from a company as willing to
try new things as Apple is, but when the hardware is already excellent it's
tough to complain. The difference between the MacBook Air's debut and now is
that there are a lot of people competing for the same slice of the pie, and
many of them are doing just as well as Apple is.
The actual specs are competitive, but as
you'd expect from Apple they aren't fantastic - you pay as much for 'privilege'
of Apple engineering and software as for the raw specs. An 11.6-inch 1,366 x
768 screen, Ivy Bridge Intel Core i5-331 7U, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of SSD storage
means you get a device that's
quiet, fast, very light and reasonably
powerful, but it's hard not to look at the likes of the Acer Aspire V3 and ask
whether it's worth paying $640 more. Graphics are Intel HD 4000, courtesy of
Ivy Bridge - twice as good as the earlier version of the Air, but still not up
to any serious gaming.
The lack of storage is the only major flaw,
and while you can add more, it's a costly upgrade to go through with. Battery
life is around five hours, thanks to its low-power components. In many ways,
it's actually perfect for academic use - it's just a shame that it isn't priced
to match that.
