Specifications
Compare the technology on offer with our
summary of the contenders
|
Name
|
|
Model
|
Acer
|
Acer
|
Asus
|
Dell
|
|
Details
|
Aspire Timeline U M3
|
Aspire Timeline U M5
|
Zenbook Prime UX31A
|
Inspiron 14z
|
|
Details
|
|
Price
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ecode
|
NX.RY8EK.001
|
WW-415145
|
UX31A
|
N/A
|
|
Delivery
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
|
Supplier
|
www.acerdirect.co.uk
|
www.staples.co.uk
|
www.asus.com
|
www.dell.com/uk
|
|
Phone
|
0871 984 4414
|
0844 546 6666
|
0845 089 6479
|
0844 444 3930
|
|
Specifications
|
|
Processor
|
Intel Core i3-2367M 1.4GHz
|
Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz
|
Intel Core i7-3517U 1.9GHz
|
Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz
|
|
Memory
|
4GB
|
6GB
|
4GB
|
6GB
|
|
Storage
|
320GB
|
500GB
|
128GB SD
|
500GB / 32GB SSD
|
|
Speakers
|
Dolby Home Theatre
|
Dolby Home Theatre
|
Bang & Olufsen
|
Integrated
|
|
Screen size & type
|
15.6-inch Super TFT
|
15.6-inch Super TFT
|
13.3-inch Super TFT
|
14-inch matte
|
|
Native resolution (pixels)
|
1,366 x 768
|
1,366 x 768
|
1,920 x 1,080
|
1,366 x 768
|
|
Graphics adapter
|
Intel HD Graphics 3000
|
Nvidia Geforce GT 640M
|
Intel HD Graphics 4000
|
Intel HD Graphics 4000
|
|
Optical drive
|
DVD RW
|
DVD RW
|
None
|
DVD RW
|
|
Operating system
|
Windows 7 Home Premium
|
Windows 7 Home Premium
|
Windows 7 Home Premium
|
Windows 7 Home Premium
|
|
Basic warranty
|
1 Year C&R P&L
|
1 Year C&R P&L
|
1 Year C&R P&L
|
1 Year C&R P&L
|
|
Dimension (W x H x D)
|
376 x 254 x 20mm
|
353 x 256 x 20mm
|
320 x 224 x 14mm
|
346 x 240 x 20mm
|
|
Weight (Kg)
|
2.1kg
|
2.2kg
|
1.2kg
|
1.9kg
|
|
Ports
|
|
Media cards
|
2-in-1
|
2-in-1
|
2-in-1
|
4-in-1
|
|
Bluetooth
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
USB
|
3 (1 x 3.0)
|
3 (2 x 3.0)
|
2 (2 x 3.0)
|
2
|
|
Display
|
HDMI
|
HDMI
|
Micro HDMI, Mini DisplayPort
|
HDMI
|
|
Integrated camera
|
1.3MP
|
1.3MP
|
1.3MP
|
1.3MP
|
|
Additional extras
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
Test results
|
|
Value for money
|
4/5
|
3/5
|
3/5
|
3/5
|
|
Features & build
|
3/5
|
4/5
|
5/5
|
3/5
|
|
Performance
|
3/5
|
5/5
|
4/5
|
3/5
|
|
Overall
|
3/5
|
4/5
|
4/5
|
3/5
|
|
Comments
|
|
|
Good usability and the benefit of a DVD
drive, but poor performance specs
|
The first Ultrabook with discrete
graphics, this is a great choice for gamers
|
Keeps the Zenbook design, but there’s
more than meets the eye with this upgrade
|
A reasonably powered Ultrabook that fails
to match the style of its rivals
|
|
Name
|
|
Model
|
HP
|
HP
|
Asus
|
|
Details
|
Envy 4
|
Envy 6
|
IdeaPad U310
|
|
Details
|
|
Price
|
|
|
|
|
Ecode
|
B3Y11EA
|
B3Y15EA
|
MAG66UK
|
|
Delivery
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
|
Supplier
|
www.hp.com/uk
|
www.hp.com/uk
|
www..co.uk
|
|
Phone
|
0845 270 4142
|
0845 2704 142
|
N/A
|
|
Specifications
|
|
Processor
|
Intel Core i3-2367M 1.6GHz
|
Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz
|
Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz
|
|
Memory
|
6GB
|
4GB
|
4GB
|
|
Storage
|
500GB / 32GB SSD
|
500GB HDD / 32GB SSD
|
500GB HDD / 32GB SSD
|
|
Speakers
|
Bests Audio
|
Bests Audio
|
Integrated
|
|
Screen size & type
|
14-inch Super TFT
|
15.6-inch, HD Brightview LED
|
13.3-inch Super TFT
|
|
Native resolution (pixels)
|
1,366 x 768
|
1,366 x 768
|
1,366 x 768
|
|
Graphics adapter
|
Intel HD Graphics 3000
|
Intel HD Graphics 4000
|
Intel HD Graphics 4000
|
|
Optical drive
|
None
|
None
|
None
|
|
Operating system
|
Windows 7 Home Premium
|
Windows 7 Home Premium
|
Windows 7 Home Premium
|
|
Basic warranty
|
1 Year C&R P&L
|
1 Year C&R P&L
|
1 Year C&R P&L
|
|
Dimension (W x H x D)
|
340 x 235 x 18mm
|
374 x 253 x 20mm
|
323 x 225 x 16mm
|
|
Weight (Kg)
|
1.8kg
|
2.1kg
|
1.7kg
|
|
Ports
|
|
Media cards
|
2-in-1
|
2-in-1
|
2-in-1
|
|
Bluetooth
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
USB
|
3
|
3 (2 x 3.0)
|
3 (2 x 3.0)
|
|
Display
|
HDMI
|
HDMI
|
HDMI
|
|
Integrated camera
|
HP TrueVision HD
|
HP TrueVision HD
|
1.3MP
|
|
Additional extras
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
Test results
|
|
Value for money
|
3/5
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
|
Features & build
|
4/5
|
4/5
|
3/5
|
|
Performance
|
3/5
|
4/5
|
3/5
|
|
Overall
|
3/5
|
4/5
|
4/5
|
|
Comments
|
|
|
The smaller Envy looks great and is a
portable, value-for-money Ultrabook
|
A large screen and excellent audio
support make this a great multimedia option
|
Great looks and usability and
none-too-shabby performance either. Good value for money
|
The winner: Asus Zenbook UX31A
Find out the winners of our coveted
Editor’s Choice and Best Value awards
The
winner: Asus Zenbook UX31A
Asus continues to show its mastery of the
Ultrabook format by producing a machine that looks the part, is inordinately
powerful and yet doesn’t sacrifice on the quality of its screen, speakers or
battery life. Unfortunately, if you want this kind of computing on the move,
then you’re going to have to pay for it. We make no bones about the cost of the
machine, but given the number of features inside, it’s an inevitable
consequence.
Asus easily delivered the most complete
second-wave Ultrabook package with the Zenbook UX31a. It’s not only smooth,
light and stays cool to the touch, it’s also a well- designed machine with a
staggering amount of technology inside.
The Intel Ivy Bridge processor is lightning
fast and the benefits of having a 256GB SSD on board are huge.
Our one criticism is that following Apple’s
fantastic MacBook Pro with Retina Display, we would have expected this machine
to come with a Full HD resolution.
Lenovo U310
While Ultra book headlines are invariably
going to be about the machine with the highest spec, it should be acknowledged
that the price of this technology is dropping quickly. Many machines in this
group test are available at around the $1,500 price mark, which is reasonable
for a machine you expect to last three or four years.
It came down to a choice between the Lenovo
U310 and the HP Envy 4for our runner-up award, but the Lenovo edged it with the
colourful design, excellent keyboard and bright screen. Whether you’re looking
for work or entertainment, this is a machine that can handle both superbly.
At a glance
See how the machines on test
performed
|
Product name
|
Battery life
|
Performance
|
Gaming
|
|
Acer Aspire Timeline U M3
|
282
|
5,021
|
3,575
|
|
Acer Aspire Timeline U M5
|
285
|
8,892
|
11,792
|
|
Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A
|
166
|
10,755
|
5,424
|
|
Dell Inspiron 14z
|
172
|
8,407
|
5,626
|
|
HP Envy 4
|
214
|
4,928
|
3,585
|
|
HP Envy 6
|
251
|
9,155
|
4,577
|
|
Lenovo IdeaPad U310
|
199
|
9,057
|
3,737
|
