Ultrabook/thin laptop wish list - Buying end of summer

[meathman 007]

I am looking to get a thin/light laptop sometime around the end of the summer for use in my masters course - I am guessing an Ultrabook would fit the bill, but I don't care if it doesn't comply to the 'ultrabook' tag as long as its very thin and light.

My question is whether my wish list below would be achievable for around the £800 - £850 mark?

• Intel Ivybridge processor, minimum i5
• Intel 4000 graphics minimum
• Windows 7 64 bit
• 8gb Ram
• Dual drive - Ideally ~ 60gb SSD (6 gbps) and 300+ GB hard drive
• 13 - 15 inch high res screen around the 1600 x 900 mark or higher... Ideally with a matte display
• Very good battery life
• User removable battery
• Backlit keyboard
• Very good keyboard for typing

Does anyone know if anything like the above is due to be released over the next few months and whether my wishlist is achievable or something close to it?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Disco Boy]

You should look at the end of the summer as the ultrabook market will likely be fairly different then. None of us have crystal balls.

 

[yer_averagejoe]

I'm looking for exactly the same with a 13.3" or 14" 1600 * 900 screen, though not bothered about a dual hard drive.

I'm also looking to buy around the start of July. At this point the dual core ivy bridge processors should be shipping and plenty of companies will have updated their product lines to suit.

The reason I'm waiting for Ivy bridge is the work I will be doing might involve 3d graphics and intel 3000 doesn't quite fit the bill. I've also read a lot about dedicated graphics cards heating up too much/eating battery power in small laptops so I'm not keen to go down the dedicated graphics route anymore.

Interestingly, you can get a sony viao Z for about £850, which seems to fit the bill. No idea when they'll be updating to Ivy Bridge though.

 

[meathman 007]

I'm looking for exactly the same with a 13.3" or 14" 1600 * 900 screen, though not bothered about a dual hard drive.

I'm also looking to buy around the start of July. At this point the dual core ivy bridge processors should be shipping and plenty of companies will have updated their product lines to suit.

The reason I'm waiting for Ivy bridge is the work I will be doing might involve 3d graphics and intel 3000 doesn't quite fit the bill. I've also read a lot about dedicated graphics cards heating up too much/eating battery power in small laptops so I'm not keen to go down the dedicated graphics route anymore.

Interestingly, you can get a sony viao Z for about £850, which seems to fit the bill. No idea when they'll be updating to Ivy Bridge though.

Yea, I think our timing could be just right.

I was ideally looking to get a quad core i5 chip in the laptop but I am not sure if that is the pipeline. I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for an i7 if it meant getting quad core.

I will do doing an IT post grad course, so I will most likely need a fairly powerful laptop at some stages during the year.

 

[meathman 007]

ASUS ZENBOOK PRIME UX31A PRE-ORDERS START IN EUROPE

The Asus UX31A 13.3″ ultrabook with a full HD IPS display and the 3rd Generation Intel Core ULV “Ivy Bridge” processor has been put on pre-order in Europe, in Czech Republic more precisely.

The first known model from the new Asus ultrabook line, dubbed Zenbook Prime, is the UX31A-R4003X which is selling for 31,000 CZK and up and that’s about 1,625 US dollars. This is obviously a higher-end configuration, since it features the Core i7-3517 1.9-3.0GHz ultra-low voltage processor and a 256GB solid state drive, besides the best specced screen in the ultrabook category to date. The screen is anti-glare.

The 13.3″ Zenbook Prime features 4GB of DDR3 system memory at 1,333MHz and the Intel HD 4000-series IGP embedded in the CPU die.

Alongside the added new screen option and new chips, the UX31A also features keyboard backlit, which lacks on the last year’s Zenbooks. Both USB ports on the ultrabook support 3.0 speeds, instead of one on the previous model. Other ports and slots include micro-HDMI and mini-VGA for video output, and an SD/MMC card reader. For connection to Internet, there is Wi-Fi and it’s accompanied by Bluetooth 4.0. The webcam is with VGA-quality.

The battery is a 50WHr unit, giving up to 10 hours of juice on a single charge, at least according to the product description. The system weighs 2.86 pounds. Its precursor has the same weight and the laptop’s brushed aluminum-topped design apparently remained unchanged.

According to the earlier reports, Asus will also release more UX31A configurations, as well as the 11.6″ UX21A version, which will also include a Full HD option despite the small screen size.

Intel said last month that the Ivy Bridge processors for ultrabooks will be released in June, so we wouldn’t expect the Zenbook Prime to arrive on the market earlier than that.

Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A Pre-Orders Start in Europe | Laptoping

Up that to 8gb of ram and I think I may have found a lead contender for my new laptop - Providing the reviews of the trackpad and keyboard are decent.

1080p res with a matte display

 

[Izi]

You won't be able to upgrade the ram, I don't think.

 

[deusexlumina]

indeed, ram is soldered onto a lot of these ultrabooks - which i personally dont like at all. Its not just a case of upgradablility, but if the ram konks out you need a new mobo too. Have you taken a look at the macbook air range? i know they are macs, but they fit your bill tbh, higher education discount will help and you could bootcamp win7 or use parallels.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

macbook air.

 

[Izi]

macbook air.

I am actually considering a MBA. Going to wait to see what they say next month first though.

The best thing about MacBooks:

1) The power connector is magnetic. I have broken three laptops by accidently kicking the cable and wrecking the power slot. This feature alone would have saved my thousands!
2) The track pad is the best in class, as is the keyboard.
3) Build quality and resell value.

 

[LePhuronn]

2) The track pad is the best in class

Apart from the fact that you have to physically click the whole thing down - why the hell the "innovator" that is Apple turning a multitouch trackpad into a massive physical button escapes me

 

[Izi]

Apart from the fact that you have to physically click the whole thing down - why the hell the "innovator" that is Apple turning a multitouch trackpad into a massive physical button escapes me

Many others are copying this, whats the problem with that?

Besides, when was the last time you actually clicked on something using that method rather than a light tap of the touch pad.

 

[LePhuronn]

Many others are copying this, whats the problem with that?

Every touchpad I've used in the past 15 years could just tap it to register clicks, so to now have to physically press down a touchpad to click seems ridiculously backward. And just because "everybody" is copying it doesn't make it right or a good idea.

Besides, when was the last time you actually clicked on something using that method rather than a light tap of the touch pad.

EVERY time I use a MacBook.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Apart from the fact that you have to physically click the whole thing down - why the hell the "innovator" that is Apple turning a multitouch trackpad into a massive physical button escapes me

No you don't there are options in the prefs to single tap to click. Infact I do think it's enabled by default on the MBA 2011 models. No clicking at all just a slight touchpad tap.

 

[LePhuronn]

No you don't there are options in the prefs to single tap to click. Infact I do think it's enabled by default on the MBA 2011 models. No clicking at all just a slight touchpad tap.

Noted for the future - drives me up the wall lol

 

[meathman 007]

MBA is far too expensive for what you get imo, especially when I would have to go and buy Windows 7 to go along with it.

Hopefully an Ultrabook appears in the next 3 months that ticks most of my boxes from above.

 

[LePhuronn]

Looking at your requirements again, I think you're asking too much if you're on the "ultrabook" or "very thin" train of thought. I've never seen anything short of a chunky desktop replacement have dual HDDs in it, and Ultrabooks don't have replaceable batteries, and always cap at 4GB RAM soldered directly to the board (which irks me).

Have you considered something like the Dell XPS 15z? Ticks pretty much every box you have. Not sure when they'll move to Ivy Bridge, but does that really matter with the 1GB GT 525M on board?

 

[Izi]

MBA is far too expensive for what you get imo, especially when I would have to go and buy Windows 7 to go along with it.

Hopefully an Ultrabook appears in the next 3 months that ticks most of my boxes from above.

How? No difference in price really. MBA = £1k, most ultrabooks = £1k.

Not to mention resell value is much better on the MBA range.

 

[LePhuronn]

The MBA only has an i5 option, whereas other Ultrabooks have an i7 option.

Example:
Asus Zenbook UX31, i7, 128GB SSD: about £1,000
Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook: i5, 256GB SSD: £1,149
Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook: i7, 256GB SSD: £1,299
13" MBA, i5, 128GB SSD: £1,099
13" MBA, i5, 256GB SSD: £1,399


Spec-for-spec Macs always more expensive, but you simply cannot argue with their build quality and resale value.

 

[Amp34]

No you don't there are options in the prefs to single tap to click. Infact I do think it's enabled by default on the MBA 2011 models. No clicking at all just a slight touchpad tap.

I don't think it is, I'm sure I had to enable it on mine. Why most macbook users insist on not using the touch rather than click I don't know!

MBA is far too expensive for what you get imo, especially when I would have to go and buy Windows 7 to go along with it.

Hopefully an Ultrabook appears in the next 3 months that ticks most of my boxes from above.

The MBA is little different in price to the other top end ultrabooks.

I think the biggest issue is going to be removable battery in that list.

The best options you have IMO are:

Sony Z series - Superb and hopefully upgraded to Ivybridge shortly as it's been out for about a year. It is stupidly expensive though and technically not an ultrabook, it was out before them and made of Carbon Fibre.

MBA - Nice build quality, but the aluminium isn't as strong as it looks...

Asus UX31A - Great as mentioned above.. there is also the UX32VD http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/...ps-screen-and-dedicated-nvidia-geforce-gt620m

Samsung Series 9 - both the 13 and 15" versions are very interesting, I don't think either will be upgraded to Ivy bridge in the near future though.

 

[Amp34]

The MBA only has an i5 option, whereas other Ultrabooks have an i7 option.

Example:
Asus Zenbook UX31, i7, 128GB SSD: about £1,000
Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook: i5, 256GB SSD: £1,149
Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook: i7, 256GB SSD: £1,299
13" MBA, i5, 128GB SSD: £1,099
13" MBA, i5, 256GB SSD: £1,399


Spec-for-spec Macs always more expensive, but you simply cannot argue with their build quality and resale value.

Actually... The MBA has an i7 option...