Category 2: $700 - $899
We kick off this band with the two Sony
VAIO notebooks – the E-series. The plastic used is fairly solid and of good
quality, and there’s absolutely no flex anywhere on the chassis. Slightly
thicker than its more expensive S-series and T-series siblings. A unique design
element can be seen in the lid that sits slightly shorter than the keyboard
deck, when closed. It has a well-spaced keyboard, but could have done with a
little more key travel.
The Acer Aspire V5-571- 53334 is possibly
the best looking of all the notebooks in this category. The Aspire V5 is slim,
like its less expensive sibling and the brushed metal look with light grey
color is a refreshing change. It’s marvelous how Acer makes these V5 series so
slim while managing to pack in fairly powerful specs. Both the Acer Aspire V3
notebooks are the exact opposite of the V5 series – thick, heavy and a maintenance
hungry glossy black finish. While the V3s have been put together very nicely,
the glossy finish will attract and highlight fingerprints, dust and even the
lightest of scratches very easily. They have excellent keyboard quality though,
doing away with niggles such as the soft key response of the V5, for a more
precise and crisper response. If you can handle the glossy finish, these
notebooks are worth considering.
The
Acer Aspire V5-571- 53334 is possibly the best looking of all the notebooks in
this category
Category 3: $900 - $1,099
The Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 is an update to the
slightly older IdeaPad Z580. The exterior, however, bears literally no family
resemblance. We had said when talking about the Z580 that it is built
agreeably, but lacks in attract ability. The Z500 has a design very similar to
the IdeaPad U series of ultrabooks, albeit in a slightly larger form factor due
to its bigger display size. The lid and the keyboard deck have the rubberized
finish, and globally Lenovo offers multiple color options. The extremely slim
form factor is another aspect that will grab your attention, particularly after
you’ve scanned the spec sheet in detail! The keyboard could have been a bit
better; we didn’t like the idea of each key having a bit of a curve at the
bottom. The tweaked design of the Enter and Shift keys also has an impact on
how quickly you can familiarize yourself to it. No taking away from the fact
that the Z500 is very well built, and it ties with the much more expensive Sony
VAIO T in the build quality ratings.
The
Z500 has a design very similar to the IdeaPad U series of ultrabooks, albeit in
a slightly larger form factor due to its bigger display size
HP, for all the amazing work it has done
with the Envy dv6 range (formerly known as the Pavilion dv6), has left out the
same oomph from the Envy m6. While it’s built very well, instead of the classy
brushed metal look of the dv6, the m6 has a shiny look.
The HP G6-2236TX and the Dell Inspiron 15R
in this price bracket manages to score a satisfactory enough number in the
build quality ratings to be in consideration. But, we must say that both sets
of designers have possibly taken inspiration from the coffins at Porsche! These
laptops would be appreciated in the lower price bands, but at this point, the
exact same looks and thickness is less appreciated.
The
HP G6-2236TX in this price bracket manages to score a satisfactory enough
number in the build quality ratings to be in consideration
Category 4: $1,100 - $1,299
Both Sony VAIO notebooks, the S-series and
the T-series, score very well when it comes to build quality. The VAIO S, at
first glance, doesn’t betray anything new or special. Sony has reinforced the
lid with carbon fiber, keeping it as slim as possible, but making it strong enough
to prevent damage. The VAIO T has a similar design to the T-11 ultrabook, and
the grey and chrome look good. Both VAIO machines have a matte finish, in
different colors. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 looks a bit like a gaming laptop, but
that doesn’t take away from the fact that it has been put together very nicely.
The rubberized finish (also seen on the Z500) with the black color seems to be
becoming a norm with Lenovo and its high-end machines. The keys have the
Alienware-ish backlighting, making it stand out in a crowd. The keys have a
little too much travel for our liking.
The
VAIO T has a similar design to the T-11 ultrabook, and the grey and chrome look
good
The HP Envy DV6 would have had the best
usability ratings among all, but loses out for not having keyboard
backlighting. Even more so because the rivals are offering at least row
backlighting, if not individual key illumination. But there’s no denying that
the HP Envy has the best keyboard among all the laptops we’ve tested here.
There are quite a few good options, but this is just the best one to type on –
the spacing, travel and response seem the closest to a MacBook Pro keyboard,
and that’s a huge achievement. Also, you can’t miss the Beats Audio branding
and the down firing subwoofer that sits on the underside of the machine, while
the speakers sit between the display hinges and the keyboard.
