Want a powerful laptop that’s
barely-there, without being a MacBook Air? Try an Ultrabook
What’s new?
Thin, light laptops used to be overpriced
and underpowered. Not any more. Meet the new breed of instant-on Ultrabooks
that have potent innards to match Apple’s Air and a design flair all of their
own.
What we tested...
Toshiba Portege Z830
To stand out for being lightweight even in
this field takes some doing, and Tosh’s latest manages just that. But its price
tag is anything but insubstantial...
Dell XPS 13
The XPS 13’s blend of carbon fiber and
matte metal makes it sound more like a steering wheel than a PC - but will it
drive us to distraction?
Samsung Series 5 NP530U3B
Samsung has previously impressed us with
its premium Series 9 Ultrabook, but its Series 5 is more of a budget offering.
Will the low price win us over?
Lenovo IdeaPad U300s
MacBook Air a bit porky for you? This
Lenovo is a full 2mm thinner, has a premium all-metal build and won’t break the
bank. Sounds like a contender.
HP Envy 14 Spectre
If a premium laptop made of glass sounds
intriguing, just wait until you see it. Only problem is, there’s plenty of it
to see compared to its rivals.
What to look
Size
All Ultrabooks are relatively small, but
there’s a big difference between an 11in and 15in model. If a larger display is
important to you, you’ll have to accept a heftier frame.
Battery life
Even the lightest laptop is of no use if
the battery needs charging every half an hour. But again, more juice means more
weight.
Screen
Cheap displays might keep the price down,
but picture quality can make the difference between a fashion statement and a
genuinely useful machine.
Storage
Most Ultrabooks have solid state drives
(SSDs) for near-instant start-up and low power consumption - but they cost more
and won’t satisfy media junkies.
Jargon buster
SSD
Solid State Storage. A hard drive that uses
flash rather than a magnetic platter to store data. Robust, fast, expensive.
Cache drive
A small SSD that holds only the most
regularly accessed files. Can speed up performance.
Intel Core i5/i7
The two varieties of processor used in
these Ultrabooks. Unlike on a desktop PC, there is little difference in
performance between them.
Intel Graphics HD 3000
All the Ultrabooks here use a graphics
processor built into the CPU. It's good for watching video, but not so hot for
gaming.
Toshiba Portege Z830
Price: $1,770
Website: www.toshiba-india.com
Toshiba
Portege Z830
If all you want from an Ultrabook is a
barely-there weight, look no further than the Z830. This 13-incher
weighs just 40g more than an 11in MacBook Air, and is lighter than any other
machine on these pages by at least a quarter-pounder with cheese.
Of course, most people want a little more
from their laptop than that. To keep the weight down, Toshiba has gone with a
thin plastic design that - unsurprisingly - feels more fragile than its rivals.
There’s a bit of flex in the keyboard, and the screen has a tendency to flap around
if you’re a heavy-fingered typist. The design is also a bit lackluster, with
its squared-off corners and business-like looks.
It’s pricey, too, but you do at least get a
lot for your money. There’s an astonishing array of ports included around the
ultra-thin edges - USB3.0, Ethernet, SD card slot, HDMI and even space for a 3G
SIM card. How Toshiba found room for them all is a mystery.
As with so many Ultrabooks, though, what
puts us off is the screen. With low resolution, poor viewing angles and pale colors,
it’s hard to imagine staring at this all day without wanting to tear it from
its hinges, and given the Tosh’s high price, that’s just not good enough.
Throughout our test the Tosh ran almost
silently, and the fan only really kicked in when the automated virus scan
began. One more reason to hate malware writers...
Although this one's pricier than most
Ultrabooks here, cheaper, lower-spec versions of the Z830 without the model's
security features are available.
The Z830 has small, well- spread-out keys,
rather than the bunched-up tiles most Ultrabooks have. With decent resistance
and a fair amount of travel in them, it's a joy to type on.
Metal mouse
Metal
mouse
The trackpad is a big disappointment: it
feels too cramped, while separate right and left click buttons, a fingerprint
reader and bezel feel like a major waste of space.
Narrow boat
Narrow
boat
Despite the Z830's slim frame, there's
still room for USB3.0, an SD card reader and separate headphone and mic
connections, plus a battery that yields six hours of use.
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Tech specs
·
Display: 13.3in; 1366x768
·
CPU: Core i5 2557M @ 1.7GHz
·
Graphics: Intel HD 3000
·
RAM: 6GB
·
Storage: 128GB SSD
·
Connectivity: USB 3.0 (x1); USB 2.0 (x2);
Wi-Fi; Ethernet; 3G; SD; VGA; HDMI; 3.5mm socket; Mic
·
Dimension (W x H x D): 316 x 15.9 x 227 mm
·
Weight: 1.12 kg
Pros
·
Lightest on test
·
Connections
Cons
·
Flimsy build
·
Cramped trackpad
·
Average design
·
Poor screen
·
Price
Verdict
·
Ratings: 3/5
·
It's light and stuffed with ports, but at this
price we'd expect classier looks and a better screen
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