Best Products of 2012: Ultra-books

Asus Zenbook UX31

Equipped with 1.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor and 4GB of RAM, the device, like MacBook Air 13, has 256GB SSD. It runs Windows 7 and in the PC mark test it scored an average at 4077, while in 3D mark it mustered a passable 3696. The battery is a real stunner as it lasted an impressive 6 hours in battery mark test. Overall, it is a stunning ultra-book with brilliant sound quality, display and build. But, ports have been generously endowed in it. Not only, it includes the regularly used USB 2.0 port, headphone, microphone jack, built-in card reader, mini VGA, micro HDMI port, USB 3.0 but also includes an Ethernet port, a rarity in many ultra-books including Macbook Airs.

Bottom-line: Zenbook is the one of the slimmest ultra-books after Macbook Air, making it an ultimate traveller's choice. It has more ports than Macbook but comes at a similar price.

Acer Aspire S3

This is an ideal ultra-book with a blend of both SSD and HDD experience. Powered by Intel Core-i7 processor and 4GB RAM, the latest Aspire S3 has been upgraded with the latest Ivybridge processor. It is ultra slim and despite the metallic build, it is an ultra-light device weighing just 1.3kg. It boasts of USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI connector along with an audio jack and multi card slot. Battery life is not the best but almost touches 5 hours. In the performance tests it is an impressive performer with scores of 9473 in PCMark and 3029 in 3D Mark. It boasts of 500GB HDD and 20GB SSD, which brings solidity in terms of storage and performance.

Bottom-line: It is a powerful device and cannot be classified in any one category. However, the build, compactness and long battery life makes it more at home with travellers.

Lenovo IdeaPad U300S

Lenevo U300s is an ultra-slim notebook with an attractive metal design. The 13.3 inch screen has a native resolution of 1366x768p, which is lower than some of its close competitors, such as Asus Zenbook and Macbook air. It has sturdy, well-spaced keys that respond to slightest touches and is assisted by a cool palm rest. The notebook has undersized keys and a few dislocated keys. Talking about the connectivity, the device has HDMI and USB3.0 port, unlike Macbook Air, and has mic, headphone and USB2.0 port. It shows great performance with 3 hours 30 min of battery backup. The sound quality is also good for an ultra-book.

Bottom-line: U300S is a stylish ultra-book with long battery life and a powerful performance at an attractive price, a perfect recipe for entrepreneurs and professionals.

Sony Viao VPSZ227

The new Sony Viao ultra-book is priced on the higher side, Rs. 1.59 Lakhs, but the stunning performance it gives, it is just worth every penny. It is a lightweight powerhouse when it comes to performance. In the PC mark Vantage benchmark, it scored a whopping 14766 and 4898 in 3D Mark. The battery is also very solid with 4hr 50min according to Battery mark benchmark. Looks have been well taken care-off with numerous ports getting full priority, particularly the Ethernet port which is generally not found on laptops. It is extremely lightweight with well laid-out keyboard. It is basically a business laptop for those who like to travel light and require heavy tasks and apps to run.

Bottom-line: This powerful ultra-book with good connectivity and impressive performance is a must have device, if you don't mind paying 1.5lakhs.

Samsung Series 5

Samsung's latest Series 5 is not as slim as Zenbook or Macbook Air, but at 0.82 inches and 1.79kg, it is undoubtedly slim and light for a 14 inch ultra-book. Inside the slim form, it has plenty to offer, such as an optical drive, 1TB storage in your notebook with i5 processor, 6 GB RAM, a comfortable touchpad and keyboard. It also boasts of two USB 3.0 ports, 4-in-1 card reader, an optical drive, a VGA port and an excellent 14 inch display with Samsung's super-bright screen. It showed a promising battery backup of up to 5 hours and an impressive performance. For 54k, you can't get a better deal.

Bottom-line: It's a stunning notebook chiselled as an ultra-book with features that many ultra-books have said goodbye to, and at 54k, it is very much desirable.

Sony Vaio SVT11113 (T Series)

Sony Vaio Tseries is powered by Intel's 3rd gen processor. It features an 11.6-inch screen and a MacBook style keyboard with black chicklet keys. It is handsomely braced with several ports, and unlike many other ultra-books has both VGA and HDMI ports. It also features 2 USB ports, one of which is a USB 3.0 port, besides having a multi 3-in-1 card reader and a LAN port. It isn't as thin as Aspire S3 or the Samsung Series 5 ultra-books, but with a 17.88 mm width it's more like HP's Folio 13 (18 mm width). In benchmarks it performed very well but in battery tests it only managed 2 hour 30 min.

Bottom-line: A good performer but loses out on features to the Samsung Series 5 ultra-book.