Asus ZenBook UX21E
Asus 11in ZenBook certainly beats Apple on value for money. The UX21E has the same price, the same Core i5 processor and virtually the same weight as the 11in MacBook Air, but while Apple skimps on the RAM and SSD, Asus provides the UX21E with a more respectable 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD.
The UX21E also has the same set of ports and connectors as the larger UX31E and – unfortunately – the same limited viewing angle for a pretty much faultless machine, as our in-depth review revealed. If Asus could sort those screens out the ZenBooks would be hard to beat.
Reg Rating 85%
Price £850
PCMark 7 score 3408
More info Asus
Dell XPS 13
Dell was a bit tardy leaping onto the Ultrabook bandwagon, but the XPS 13 was definitely worth waiting for. The build quality is excellent, using a mixture of carbon fibre and aluminium that feels both lightweight and sturdy. Judicious use of Gorilla Glass has also allowed Dell to minimise the border around the edge of the 13.3in screen, shaving its width down to a mere 31.6cm – noticeably narrower than the current 13in MacBook Air.
Reg Hardware reviewed the top-of-the-range model, which costs a hefty £1299 but turns in strong performance thanks to a Core i7 processor running at 1.7GHz, along with 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD. However, the less expensive Core i5 model is quite tempting though and seems like better value at £949.
Reg Rating 80%
Price £1299
PCMark 7 score 3715
More info Dell
Next page: HP Envy 14 Spectre
COMMENTS
Please mention a basic set of specs
If you're going to list a number of devices, it would be great if the same set of features were mentioned, like screen res, cpu, memory, disk, viewing angle,... On some models you mention one, for others you mention another.
So I guess these are all 1366x768?
So no one here will be buying them.
That was a waste of time reviewing them then.
Getting the message?
Overpriced
The prices on most of these ultrabooks are ridiculous.
I'll take a notebook 5mm thicker and £700 cheaper thanks.
No mention of Ivy Bridge?
There is no point buying an ultrabook at the moment - Ivy Bridge processors are just around the corner.
Rather mis-timed article in my opinion. Also agree with the above about stats - screen res, boot time, and battery life are key factors for me.
Re: Why would you carry around a one grand laptop?
Whenever I travel I often see with Thinkpads (X200 seems popular) and MacBook Pro/Airs. These are nearly all priced around the £1000. People carry them because they are thin, light, provide good battery life and powerful performance.
On to netbooks:
No one wants to use desktop Linux on a tiny screen with a cramped keyboard and even worse trackpad. They just provide and poor overall experience. They're not "good old" anything. They are and always were a bad idea. Just a way for OEMs to keep volume up during a recession.
You are completely out of touch with the market. Not everyone else. The key to the ultra book is that the screen is usable, the keyboards are comfortable and the performance good.
PS: No one buys netbooks anymore.
