To begin with, what are Ultrabooks?
Simply put, Ultrabooks are portable computers running on an Intel chipset, featuring the portability of a netbook or ultraportable, and the power under the hood of a desktop replacement, which can get some gaming, HD videos and multitasking done without any hassles.
Intel has set up simple criteria for any manufacturer who wants to qualify their laptops for Ultrabook status, back when it had established the category, in May last year. These are:
There are some drawbacks to the thin and light design however, and Ultrabooks suffer with the number of connectivity ports offered, and the lack of an optical drive.
So if you are in the market to buy an Ultrabook, here’s a list of the devices you can pick up off the shelves:
| Ultrabooks | HP Folio 13 | Acer Aspire S3 | Lenovo IdeaPad U300s | Asus ZenBook | Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook | MacBook Air |
| Processor | 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 | 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 | 1.6GHz Intel Core i5/1.8GHz Intel Core i7 | 1.6/1.7 GHz Intel Core i5/i7 | 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 | 1.6/1.7GHz Intel Core i5 |
| RAM | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 RAM | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 |
| Storage | 128 GB SSD | 20GB SSD along with a 320 GB HDD | 128GB/256 SSD | 256 SSD | 500GB Hard Drive Capacity with Express Cache 16GB | 64GB SSD/ 128GB SSD/ 256GB SSD |
| Display Size | 13.3-inch | 13.3-inch | 13.3-inch | 13.3-inch | 13 and 14-inch display variants | 11.6-inch/13.3-inch |
| Display Resolution | 1366×768 | 1366×768 | 1366×768 | 1600×900 | 1366×768 | 1366×768 and 1440×900 |
| Graphics | Intel integrated HD 3000 | Intel integrated HD 3000 | Intel integrated HD 3000 | Intel integrated HD 3000 | Intel integrated HD 3000 | Intel integrated HD 3000 |
| Weight | 1.45kgs | 1.38kgs | 1.34kgs | 1.3kgs | 1.8kgs | 1.8/1.35kgs |
| Price | Rs. 69,990 | Rs.49,990 | Rs. 67,990 | Rs. 89,900 | 13-inch: Rs.48,990. 14-inch: Rs. Rs. 54,390 | 11-inch: Rs. 56,900 &Rs. 67,900. 13-inch: Rs.73,900&Rs. 89,900 |
Please note: The MacBook Air isn’t classified as an Ultrabook, but its specifications fall on similar lines.