Many years of successful experience in using desktop PCs gave impetus to the development and promotion of extremely thin and light devices on the world market, into which it was possible to put the most efficient processor and video card. Corporate innovative style, minimal thickness, light weight have become the main distinguishing features of ultrabooks.
MacBook Air - the concept of modern ultrabook
What is an ultrabook
The first laptop, which conceptually looked like what would later be called an ultrabook, was introduced by Apple in 2008. The announcement of the MacBook Air made a splash. The idea came to taste the main players in the global IT pool. Engineers and designers of the American Intel Corporation were the first to bring the concept to life, and brought out the basic principles of building an ultrabook:
- The thickness of the hardware (bottom) panel is a little more than 10 millimeters, the screen (top) is even less.
- Weight - no more than 3 kg.
- The capacity of a non-removable battery is at least 40 Wh * h.
The creators set themselves the task of making the ultrabook design stylish and memorable. The authors of the idea abandoned the use of hard drives. Instead, solid-state or hybrid drives began to be installed on ultra-thin laptops. This allowed an order of magnitude to accelerate the process of turning on and off the hibernation mode.
Intel Corporation has patented the name "ultrabook". Naturally, such a name do not have the right to use other firms - manufacturers of laptops.
Using the trackpad, you can draw on an ultrabook screen
The creators gave the ultrabook a number of distinctive features:
- Refusal to use an optical drive.
- Fixed RAM capacity (at least 4 GB). Due to the wiring with the processor on the board, it is not possible to replace it.
- The accumulation of air for ventilation through the keyboard, and its output through the side openings.
- Using gesture technology (trackpad) instead of a classic optical mouse.
The future of ultrabooks
Ultrabooks as a class can be considered one of the most underestimated lines of modern gadgets. Thanks to their collaboration with tablets, the expansion of a decade ago almost completely disappeared from the IT-market netbooks. One of the main tasks of developers is to radically reduce the price of thin productive devices.
The closer the ultrabook is to the tablet, the more uncomfortable the developers feel
Among vendors in the ultrabook market, there is practically no competition. Most new hardware designs come out under the Intel brand name. Progressive technologies that are similar in meaning are also available from other laptop manufacturers with a minimalist design. But Southeast Asian corporations prefer not to rush. They act cautiously, giving Intel the right to pay for the implementation of unsuccessful technologies.
However, everyone knows the indisputable truth: if developers succeed in adapting tablets for long-term office work, ultrabooks very quickly cease to exist as a class. Most users between high performance and absolute mobility will, of course, choose the latter. To break this trend, to bring the ultrabook closer to the stationary PC in terms of performance and other basic parameters - this is the main task of the developers.
Intel ultrabook concept in real life
Eight years ago, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the ultrabook boss at Intel, Greg Welch, suggested that it was his brainchild that was ideal for users who weren’t eager to get started with OS X. But the mercantile spirit in such a thought is much more than anything else. After all, Windows can be installed on a macbook much easier than on any other device. The argument that it is necessary to reduce the size and weight of ultrabooks is perhaps accepted by all players in the IT market.
The first to agree to develop ultra-thin portable gadgets with Intel hardware were six corporations:
- Lenovo
- Toshiba
- Samsung Electronics.
- Acer.
- ASUSTec Computer.
- Hewlett-Packard.
Some of the above companies, for example, Samsung, are only limited to unconditional support for the concept. And promote their own development. It took the American electronics giant Dell a few years to release a truly top-end ultrabook. MSI electronics geniuses are not in a hurry to plunge into unsafe "swimming".
Ultrabook concept of the future
I must say that even within the lineup the battle for the buyer is in full swing. Manufacturers quite sharply expressed their claims to different categories of buyers. For example, Acer and ASUS are trying to minimize the price tag for their models. On the contrary, DELL and Samsung devices are not far behind the MacBook. Thus, the main players in the market have not yet found a reasonable compromise between the price and performance of ultrabooks. Mainly, because the borders of this very market have not yet been outlined. For example, there are very big doubts that the inhabitants of Russia will rush to scatter sophisticated analogs of ordinary high-performance laptops from store shelves at a price twice, or even three times as expensive.
Review of the best ultrabooks
The top ten ultrabooks of 2018 include models of different manufacturers worthy of attention. All of them have a common drawback - high "price tags". The rest is a complete set of modern technologies. In any case, the decision on whether to spend quite substantial money is a “headache” for both buyers and manufacturers, whose main goal is to realize personal ambitions.
10th place - Dell XPS 13
Frameless 13.3-inch ultrabook has one nuance, which is not quite familiar to regulars on social networks. Due to the almost complete lack of space on the edges of the screen, engineers placed a webcam under it. The touch screen has excellent resolution characteristics (QHD, 3200x1800 pixels, graphics chip - Intel UHD Graphics 620). Measurements of light intensity on the colorimeter showed a good setting. The gamma indicator is slightly lower than the norm, so colors nearby in the spectrum can merge.
The perfect machine for handsome men
The ultrabook is filled with impressive "insides":
- processor - Intel Core i7-6500U;
- RAM capacity - 8 GB;
- battery capacity - 57 W * h.
Of the useful additions, we can note the presence of a USB 3.1 connector, a battery charge indicator and a keyboard backlight. The main drawback of this super-lightweight (1.2 kg) device is the noticeable overheating of the processor during prolonged operation. Price - 101 thousand rubles.
9th place - Asus Zenbook UX310
After receiving a lot of enthusiastic reviews on the Zenbook UX305FA, the developers brought to the market a new, 310th model on the Windows OS. The flagship ultrabook in the lineup has a 13.3-inch QHD screen with a viewing angle of 178about. It does not glare at all, it gives a bright and juicy picture. The body of the gadget is made entirely of polished aluminum.
ASUS Zenbook 310 - nowhere thinner
Under the cover of an ultrabook is an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, hybrid local storage (1 TB HDD + 1 TB SSD) and a very successful Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics chip. This magnificent gadget costs 76 thousand rubles.
8th place - Razer Blade Stealth
An inveterate gamer who has “extra” 86 thousand rubles in his pocket will not regret that he has acquired this unique gadget. The gaming ultrabook is equipped with a rare USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3, which is the rarest for this type of device. With its help, the gamer can connect an external video card.Thanks to the LED backlight system, the user can give the trackpad keyboard a completely unimaginable color, highlighting each key with a separate part of the spectrum.
Great "toy" for gamers
The basic version of the laptop is equipped with a 12.5-inch screen with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. Standard for most ultrabooks, the Intel Core i7-6500U processor (2.5 GHz) allows you to run "heavy" toys only in medium modes. At half the brightness setting, the battery "holds" 4 hours in game mode, 7 hours - when watching a video. The device is very roomy: 256 GB HHD + 1TB SSD, RAM - 16 GB.
7th place - Acer Swift 3
Acer engineers with their new development affirmatively answered the question of whether an ultrabook can cost less than a thousand dollars. Naturally, the buyer of the top version is placed in a tight marketing framework:
- processor - Intel Core i3;
- RAM - 8 GB;
- drive - 256 GB;
Installing a discrete graphics card MX 150 - good news for fans of video games.
Acer Swift 3 - cheap and convenient
Full HD IPS-matrix on a 14-inch screen has one serious drawback. Before. How to work with graphic editors, it should be calibrated due to the fairly average color rendering. In addition, the developers installed on an ultrabook budget cooling system. So, when working with discrete graphics cards, the gadget behaves excessively noisy. The standard battery capacity (48 W * h) is enough for 6 hours of continuous viewing of video files. Such a “budgetary” pleasure costs 40 thousand rubles.
6th place - ASUS Chromebook Flip
Apologists for Chrome OS have long been haunted by the idea of creating something similar to an ultrabook. One of the first such gadgets was Flip from ASUS. It does a great job in tablet mode. At the same time, the user can quickly switch to Android. The device’s standard parameters are at an average level:
- processor - Rockchip RK3288;
- graphics adapter - Mali T764MP8;
- screen resolution - 1280x800 pixels.
- RAM - 16 GB, local storage - 100 GB.
Successful ten-inch transformer from ASUS
Quite average characteristics for an ultrabook are concealed by a rich set of additional accessories. The gadget received two USB ports, Bluetooth 4.1 mode and a webcam with HD resolution. Confirming its reputation as the best ultrabook transformer, Flip is equipped with a special stand for watching movies. The price of the device is 60 thousand rubles.
5th place - HP Specter x360
Another transformer, describing which, experts unanimously indicate its perfect match with the characteristics of the tablet. Except for one - it is too bulky. Otherwise, the HP Specter x360 is an ideal business class ultrabook. Judge for yourself:
- screen - IPS-matrix (size - 13.3 inches, resolution - Full HD);
- processor - Intel Core i7 7500U (frequency - 3.5 GHz);
- graphics chip - Intel HD 620;
- battery capacity - 56 W * h.
HP Specter x360
This "baby" weighs only 1.2 kg. Users noted the almost absolute noiselessness of the gadget and the presence of a stylus for working on the touch screen. But they did not forget to say about the shortcomings. They mainly relate to optics. The keyboard backlight is very weak compared to the Razer. Very simple brightness adjustment mode. With its help, in good light it is impossible to get rid of glare. For such a large number of issues, the price of the device is just space - 106 thousand rubles.
4th place - Samsung Notebook 9
The Korean electronics giant would not have been itself if it had not submitted its vision of the ultrabook concept to strict users. To believe that this "work of art" costs only 60 thousand rubles., It is difficult:
- processor - Intel Core i5 7200U (frequency 2.3 GHz);
- graphics chip - Intel HD Graphics 620;
- RAM - 8 GB;
- local storage - 256 GB SSD;
- screen - 13.3 inches, IPS Full HD.
- battery capacity - 55 W * h.
Samsung Notebook 9
Also included is a stylus, a fingerprint scanner, fast battery charging, three USB-C, HDMI ports. Like all products of the Korean electronic giant, the ultrabook of the 9th series has a gorgeous screen. But this gadget is clearly not for gamers.Stylish design and excellent equipment are more suitable for those for whom their own successful business means a lot.
3rd place - Apple MacBook 13
The rating of ultrabooks without a gadget developed by Apple would have been incomplete. MacBook 13 is a great machine. It deserves to be included in the list of the best thin laptops.
Solid, as for an ultrabook, weight (1.58 kg) - completely excellent hardware filling:
- screen - glossy, 13.3 inches, resolution 2560x1600 pixels;
- processor - Intel Core i5 5257U (2.7 GHz);
- graphics chip - Intel Iris Graphics;
- RAM - 8 GB;
- solid state drive - 128 GB.
MacBook 13 is not the thinnest, but one of the best
The ultrabook keyboard is perfectly protected from sticking and dust and dirt. The battery capacity allows you to work continuously for 7-8 hours, at half brightness - over 10 hours. The main "trick" of the new MacBook is the unique Thunderbolt 2 port, whose throughput is 20 Gb / s. This is four times more than USB 3.0. Ultrabook price - 77 thousand rubles.
2nd place - Huawei MateBook X Pro
The latest gadget of the Chinese electronics manufacturer, Huawei, quickly burst into the line of top-end ultrabooks. The Core i7 6600U processor in the premium version, 8 GB of RAM and a 256 + 512 GB hybrid drive are the usual Intel kit. But its 3K display (13.3 inches) just kills with a riot of colors. It works on the basis of the Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics chip, is equipped with a discrete graphics card NVidia GeForce MX150. Ultrabook can easily be used to work in open space on a bright sunny day.
The first result of the expansion of Huawei in the ultrabook market
The case of the gadget is so elegant and comfortable that it looks better than the MacBook Pro. Battery capacity (58 W * h) is more than enough for 8 hours of continuous operation in video viewing mode. Those who want to "delve" into the shortcomings, of course, will find them for themselves, though quite a bit:
- one USB port;
- weak webcam suitable only for communication on Skype.
The price of an ultrabook is quite high - 110 thousand rubles. However, these expenses are clearly not one year in advance.
1st place - Microsoft
It is strange that the absolute leader among manufacturers of premium laptops in 2018 was not a core concern, but a company - a software manufacturer. This indicates an extremely competent Microsoft marketing strategy. After all, the Surface Ultrabook turned out to be just excellent. Firstly, it is very quickly transformed from a laptop to a tablet by separating the keyboard. The 15-inch IPS display has an outstanding resolution of 3000x2000 pixels.
Separating the display from the keyboard is easy
In terms of hardware, everything corresponds to the “spirit of the times” - the Intel Core i7-6600U processor, Intel HD 620 graphics, 16 GB of RAM and a 1-terabyte solid-state drive. This is in the tablet part. The docking station is a discrete GTX 1060 graphics card and an additional battery (23 Wh). For communication with the "outside world" - two USB ports (type A and C) and a card reader. The capacity of the main battery in this "work of art" is simply phenomenal - 86 Wh * or for 16-17 hours of continuous video viewing. Ultrabook price - 115 thousand rubles.
Video: the most unusual ultrabook
The debate about which ultrabook looks the most unusual, ASUS engineers stopped six years ago. In 2012, the company introduced the Taichi line of gadgets equipped with a second touch screen on the outside of the lid. Ultrabook can work in the form factor of the tablet, both screens are independent of each other. How applicable and convenient this configuration is during normal work with the gadget, buyers themselves expressed their opinion. In any case, ASUS has few followers today.
See how it looks in practice here:
