Comparing Ultrabooks: Asus Zenbook, Toshiba Portege, Lenovo Ideapad and Acer Aspire

So, let's discuss the other 'Ultrabooks': The 'Toshiba Portege Z830 / Z835' and 'Lenovo Ideapad U300S'.

Parameter ---------- Toshiba Portege Z830 / Z835 ------------Lenovo Ideapad U300S

Thickness                          0.31 - 0.6 inches                                     0.6 inches

Weight                                     1.12 Kg                                             1.315 Kg

Battery Life                              6 - 7 Hrs                                              6 - 7 Hrs

Storage                                128 GB SSD                                       256 GB SSD

Processor                          Core i7 / i5 / i3                                       Core i7 / i5

Pricing                            Starting From 929$                            Starting From 1095$

Display Panel                        13.3 inches                                          13.3 inches

Resolution                         1366 * 768                                            1366 * 768

Sound                        Waves MaxxAudio 3                     SRS Premium Surround Sound

Connectivity    1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA           1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, HDMI

The battery-life times that have been quoted here are based on real-time testing done by many enthusiastic tech specialists and not the actual manufacturer quoted battery-life times (which are obviously higher). So, some of the categories in which the ultrabooks slugged it out: 

Best Audio: Asus Zenbook

Bang & Olufsen ICEpower is a Danish research and development company specializing in audio applications. They have worked closely with Asus and have integrated fantastic sound performance inside the Zenbook. Previously, audio performance in one of the Acer's other laptops, the NX90JQ, was also highly appreciated. So, it is a no-brainer that the best performance in the audio category had to go to Asus Zenbook. The audio performance in the other ultrabooks is certainly good for everyday listening, but as I said earlier, the standout performer is the Asus Zenbook.

Best Connectivity: Toshiba Portege Z830

The Portege Z830 just manages to steal the crown in this category from the Asus Zenbook. Both of them come with a similar set of connectivity options. But, the Asus has a mini HDMI and mini VGA connectors (adapters are supplied in the box) and a single USB 3.0 and another single USB 2.0 connectors where-as the Toshiba Portege Z830 has a single USB 3.0, Two USB 2.0, a HDMI and a VGA connectors. So, with an extra USB 2.0 connector and a regular sized HDMI, VGA connectors, which do not require any other adapter to be plugged-in, the Toshiba Portege Z830 out-does the rest of the competition.

Best Price: Acer Aspire S3

The 'Acer Aspire S3' is priced the least among ultrabooks. Although, you get less features when compared to the other ultrabooks, it certainly satisfies all the mandatory eligibility criteria for being an ultrabook. That is enough for the Acer to walk away with the prize in this category.

Best Battery-Life: Toshiba Portege Z830

In real world testing, the 'Portege Z830' has managed to beat the other ultrabooks in battery-life, although not by a huge margin. It has sacrificied performance, which is lower than that of the Ideapad U300S or Asus Zenbook, for achieving this feat. 

Best Display: Asus Zenbook

While all the displays contain the latest technology (being LED back-lit LCDs), the 'Asus Zenbook' offers a better resolution. In fact, it offers 1600 * 900 along with 1366 * 768 resolution. The 1366 * 768 resolution is offered in the 11.6 inch zenbook while the 1600 * 900 resolution is offered in the 13.3 inch zenbook. So, the best-display crown goes to the Zenbook.

Best Touchpad & Keyboard: Lenovo Ideapad U300S

Step aside from the specifications, and you have consider this factor, as there are people who type lengthy reports and spend considerable amount of time resting their palms, typing away to glory. The device has to make sure that the user doesn't feel uncomfortable while spending much time and that the touchpad is neither under-responsive nor over-responsive and this is where the Ideapad U300S scores. 

Best Performance: Asus Zenbook

Yes. The Asus Zenbook offers the best performance of all the ultrabooks with the Ideapad U300S coming in at the second position. The reason for this is that the Zebook contains a high performing SATA III disk that not only makes the laptop boot-up in a very short time but also allows it to transfer data in and out of the device at lightning speeds.

So, there you have it. All the 4 ultrabooks currently in the market compared. If you still think that you don't have enough options, wait for the 'Consumer Electronics Show' in January, 2012. A barrage of new ultrabooks are expected to be showcased there and they will soon make their way into the market.

Comparing Ultrabooks: Acer Aspire S3 and Asus Zenbook

It is an open secret that the success of 'Macbook Air' had prompted Intel to explore the area further which has led to Intel convincing its business partners to explore the category further. Acer and Asus take the opportunity of being the first entrants to this market. Acer came out with its 'Aspire S3' model and Asus has made its launch with the 'Zenbook'. This is how they compare with each other as far as technical specifications are concerned

Parameter -------------------------- Acer Aspire S3 -----------------------------------Asus Zenbook

Thickness                             0.51 - 0.6 inches                               0.1 - 0.7 inches

Weight                                     1.406 Kg                                             1.4 Kg

Battery Life                               4 - 5 Hrs                                            5 - 6 Hrs

Storage                      20 GB SSD + 320 GB HDD                      128 / 256 GB SSD 

Processor                                 Core i5                                           Core i7 / i5 / i3

Pricing                             Starting From 899$                              Starting From 999$

Display Panel                         13.3 inches                                11.6 inches / 13.3 inches

Resolution                            1366 * 768                               1366 * 768 / 1600 * 900

Sound                          Dolby Home Theatre                         Bang & Olufsen ICEpower

Connectivity          Two USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA      1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, mini HDMI, mini VGA

So, as you can see 'Ultrabooks' have some very good specifications and also offer mostly comparable performance. The specifications list is just to show you the kind of power contained in something so slender and light. There are 2 other ultrabooks that are currently available in the market: Toshiba Portege Z835 and Lenovo Ideapad U 300S. We'll discuss the same parameters for these ultrabooks and then study their reviews to find out which one is the best among them.

Stay Tuned..!!

Ultrabooks: Features & Specifications

Let's learn about a new category of devices making their way into the market. They are called 'Ultrabooks'. 'Ultrabooks' are primarily a product of the initiative being undertaken by Intel. Intel has put down the specifications that these new devices have to adhere to:

1. Thickness
• Less than 20 mm (0.8 inches)
2. Weight
• Less than 1.4 Kg
3. Battery Life
• Should be at least 5 hours
4. Storage
• Use flash-based SSDs (Solid State Drives) instead of HDDs (Hard Disk Drives).
5. Processor
• First Phase: CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) Intel Sandy Bridge
• Second Phase: CULV Intel Ivy Bridge
• Third Phase: CULV Intel Haswell
6. Pricing
• Around 1000$ US (50,000 INR)

The above parameters 1,2,3,6 are obvious and self-explanatory. Let's explore the parameters 4 and 5.

Parameter - 4 (Storage)

For the past many years, all Personal Computers have come with Hard-Drives (Hard Disks). The technical definition of a Hard-Disk or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is as follows:

"HDD is a Non-Volatile Random Access Data Storage Device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle with a protective enclosure"

Basically what the definition tries to tell you is that there are flat circular disks mounted on top of one another. These are called platters. They store the actual data. The spindle (in the middle of these disks) rotates the platters and the data is read and written with the help of read/write heads. So, when you want to access data, these heads help you. So, the important things to take away is that

1. The HDDs have moving parts (Platters, Read/Write Heads)
2. In HDDs, the speed of read/write access is limited by the speed of read/write heads and also the speed at which the platters are rotated
3. The HDDs are noisy (due to the moving parts)

The Solid State Drives (SSDs) overcome the limitations and problems that are traditionally faced with the HDDs.

1. SSDs do not have any moving parts. Hence they generate no noise at all.
2. The read/write performance is dramatically enhanced. For example, 'Ultrabooks' having SSDs can boot up an operating system within seconds and transfer data between them and other devices at very fast speeds as compared to the HDDs.
3. They produce very little heat and consume very little power as compared to the HDDs.

Parameter - 5 (Processor)

As you all might be knowing, Intel's latest processors are 2nd Generation (Sandy Bridge) Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 processors. These processors are built for normal laptops whose performance and power requirements are entirely different from that of the 'Ultrabooks'. 'Ultrabooks', being very thin and very light, needed a separate computing platform which can make them deliver a better battery life while not overly compromising on performance. To meet such requirements, Intel has developed the CULV platform which uses less power and gives similar or better performance as compared to the traditional processors.

Many manufacturers including Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba and Acer have dived into this category. Expect a slew of 'Ultrabooks' to be announced by other leading manufacturers at next year's 'Consumer Electronics Show (CES)' scheduled to take place in January. We'll discuss more about the 'Ultrabooks' already released into the market in future posts.

Stay Tuned..!!