Top 5 Slim and Powerful Laptops
Ranked #1,599 in Computers & Electronics, #26,382 overall
You should consider for your next work machine
The laptop market is quite overcrowded at the moment, and while just a few years ago you had to choose between portability and performance, today you can have both in the same package, with ultraportable laptops and Ultrabooks becoming a common sight, and their price dropping to an acceptable level.
Here are just a few of the best slim and powerful laptops you should consider if you're shopping for your next portable work machine.
Asus Zenbook UX31
The ZenBook UX31 is one of the most attractive Ultrabooks out there, both on the outside and inside. The laptop has a unibody construction that makes it very sturdy despite its 0.7 inch thickness. The performance is assured to be high thanks to the Core i7-2677M processor, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM and a 256 GB mSata SSD drive in the top configuration, which will run you a nice $1449 (still cheaper than a similar MacBook Air!). The best thing about the UX31 is the display - the 1600x900 pixels marvel comes standard on all configurations, and it's much better than the 1366x768 units on competing models. Buy here Asus Zenbook UX31
ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH72 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Ultrabook (Silver Aluminum)
Amazon Price: $1,346.99 (as of 05/25/2012)
Lenovo IdeaPad U400.
The IdeaPad U400 looks like a miniaturized version of the MacBook Pro, and that may be a bad thing for some, but for most people it means that the laptop will be very sturdy thanks to the all metal build, and while it's not the thinnest or lightest Ultrabook (it's not even considered an Ultrabook, actually), at 0.89 inches and 4.37 lbs, it's more than good enough. The internal hardware makes up for that with a Core i5-2430M 2.4 GHz (not the ULV version!) or Core i7-2620M 2.7 GHz (which is just as fast as a Core 2 Quad QX9300), 6 or 8 GB of RAM, and SSD or HDD of your choice and a dedicated Radeon HD 6470M graphics card. A big surprise - you also get an inbuilt slot loading DVD-RW unit! And the price is pretty low for such a configuration: the top model will cost you only $1299 - compare that with the UX31 above and you'll see the difference. Check more details here
Lenovo U400 099329U 14.0-Inch Laptop (Graphite Grey)
Amazon Price: $608.13 (as of 05/25/2012)
Toshiba Portege Z830
The Portege Z830 is known as the cheapest Ultrabook, and seeing as its Best Buy configuration (known as the Z835) is only $899, it's hard to disagree. For that price, you get a Core i3-2367M processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD. If you can pay more, you can get a Core i5-2557M or a Core i7-2667M, up to 6 GB of RAM (although in theory it's upgradeable to 10 GB!) and a 256 GB SSD. The laptop is ultrathin at only 0.33 inches not counting the rubber feet, and it weighs only 2.47 lbs. Despite that, it's very sturdy thanks to the all metal housing with a honeycomb internal frame - a Toshiba exclusive. Buy it here
Toshiba Portege R830-S8310 13.3" Notebook PC
Amazon Price: $999.89 (as of 05/25/2012)
HP Folio 13
The Folio 13 is not the thinnest or lightest on this list, but its price and port selection makes it worthy of attention. For only $700, you can get a 3.3 lbs light, 0.7 inch thin, 13.3 inch laptop with a Core i5-2467M processor, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, a big six cell battery, 128 GB of SSD space and a backlit keyboard. There's also 2 USB ports, Ethernet, HDMI out and an SD card slot, and if you need the most affordable slim and light laptop for work, this could be it. Check here latest offer
HP ENVY 13-1030NR 13.3-Inch Magnesium Alloy Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium)
Usually ships in 3-4 business days
Apple MacBook Air
The MacBook Air seems to have fallen out of favor with the reviewers as of late, but it's still a great choice for a portable work machine. The Core i7 processor in the top configuration is pretty powerful and can easily run several virtual machines, and with 4GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD, it will be fast no matter what you need to run, and the 13.3 inch display is still the best in class with its beautiful colors and 1440x900 pixels resolution. Check it here
Apple MacBook Air MC965LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION)
Amazon Price: $1,248.99 (as of 05/25/2012)
Sure, there are many other models on the market, some of them cheaper, some more expensive and quite a lot more powerful, but the above laptops seem to have the best ratio when it comes to price/performance/portability, and it's doubtful that you'd need something more powerful than a Sandy Bridge Core i7 for everyday work and even intensive apps like After Effects and Photoshop, so any of them would be a perfect choice.
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Whats your favorite laptop brand
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What you plan to buy or already have ...write here
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JeanJohnson
Jan 14, 2012 @ 11:20 am | delete
- Enjoyed this lens. Asus is my favorite Pc brand. I think I'm going for an apple macbook next, though.
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karmicchristian
Jan 13, 2012 @ 11:15 am | delete
- Nice reviews! Currently with a Compaq that really bugs the *sheet* out of me! Will take your pointers and suggestions before shopping again!
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OutbackJack
Jan 9, 2012 @ 4:48 am | delete
- I went with the macbook pro but the macbook air was a closer runner up. i do a lot of web editing and photography etc so it was recommended to me to go the pro
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niceman91
Jan 8, 2012 @ 6:30 pm | delete
- Congratulation on your performance.you manage to get ranked 2827 really fast although you just join squidoo late december :)
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flicker
Jan 7, 2012 @ 4:24 pm | delete
- Just had to buy a new desktop computer, so a laptop probably isn't in the near future for me. But your lens give some good info!
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