Laptops are pretty much a must have these days due to the tremendous work loads that needs to be completed. Whether it is a school assignment or corporate related. There are many types of laptops ranging from Gaming Laptops to Chromebooks, but for the sake of this article, we are going to focus on Ultra books.
But what exactly is an Ultra book? Well, it can best be described as a thin, light and powerful laptop with a small foot print preferably 14 inches and below. These kinds of laptops have grown in popularity over the past few years due to the high demand that they attract from consumers. To demonstrate this better, not everyone requires a beefy RTX 3060 in their laptops. Most people are better off with Intel’s Xe graphics cards which are surprisingly very capable.
Here are factors to consider when buying a Ultra book
Thin and light
A good and desirable Ultra book has to be thin, light and portable. This is very convenient to students and most business professions since they are always on the go. Portability is also a crucial factor to consider when deciding on a laptop to buy. The most portable laptops are 13 and 14-inch laptops. This is because they contain a smaller foot print hence, they also manage to be lighter as compared to their 15-inch, 16-inch and 17-inch counterparts.
Good battery life
Since Ultra books are mainly used by business people and students who are always on the go, they ought to have good battery life. Anywhere from six hours onwards is desirable. It is worth noting that in most laptops, if want to get the most out of your battery, you have to configure your power options in control panel as well as the power management app that comes with your laptop.
Let me explain. For example, in a Dell laptop, just head to Dell Power Manager App and switch to Quiet mode which utilizes less system resources and maximizes on battery life. In addition to this, you can head over to Power plans in Control Panel and switch to Low performance if your machine was pre-configured with this mode.
Performance
This is one of the most important factors to consider when getting any laptop. Most Ultra books are able to handle from the most basic tasks like emailing and video conferencing to more complex ones like light video editing and photo editing. This is because some people buy Ultra books to supplement their beefier machines. Having the convenience to handle such tasks is really handy to this group of people. It is wise to choose the one that will satisfy your needs.
Top 5 Ultra books 2023
5. HP Spectre X360 13 – Best looking Ultra book
Pros
- Comes with a 4K OLED display option
- It is a 2-in-1 device
- Comes with a stylus
- Fair amount of ports. (one USB-A, Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro SD card slot)
- Comfortable keyboard which is backlit.
- Up to 10 Hours of battery life but this will vary depending on whether it is the 4K model or the 1080p one.
- Has a Fingerprint sensor and an IR camera for facial recognition.
Cons
- Maxes out at 16GB RAM.
- 720P webcam
HP Spectre X360 13 verdict
The design aspect of this laptop is unlike anything in the market. From the diamond shaped edges to the contrast color scheme depending on the variant that you choose. In addition to that, the 4K OLED panel adds a touch of magic to this machine. Unfortunately, the RAM maxes out at 16GB. It would be better to see a 32GB variant.
It has a well above average battery life of about 10 Hours. It is worth noting that the battery life depends on the variant that you choose. The 4K OLED model draws out more power as compared to the 1080p model. The keyboard is backlit and comfortable to use. Since it is a 2-in-1 device, it comes with a HP stylus for drawing, writing, signing PDFs, etc. It is a good-looking machine with the power to undertake most tasks thrown at it.
4. Razer Book 13- Best Ultra book for enthusiasts.
Pros
- Premium Build Quality
- RGB Keyboard
- Lots of ports. (USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4, a micro SD card slot, a HDMI port and a 3.5mm Headphone jack)
- Has a 4k optional display.
- Windows Hello (Facial recognition)
- About 9 hours of battery life
- Good Keyboard
Cons
- Average Speakers for the price
- Has a max storage option of 512GB and only comes with the 4K model.
Razer Book 13 verdict
The Razer Book 13 is a well-crafted machine with a full aluminum chassis. It comes in mercury white which in itself screams premium. The keyboard is one of the best in any windows laptop and the RGB lighting just adds cherry on top.
The battery life can last for about 8 hours which is well above average. One of the key selling points that this machine offers in contrast to the competition is a lot of ports. It comes with one USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4, a micro-SD card slot, a HDMI port and a 3.5mm Headphone jack. The RAM maxes out at 16GB and the storage at 512GB. All in all, it is a well packaged machine packing lots of power.
3. M2 Macbook Air- Best Apple Ecosystem Ultra book
Pros
- Fastest ARM chip in any laptop.
- Premium build quality
- Comfortable to use Magic keyboard
- Excellent trackpad
- Has a fingerprint sensor
- Premium Audio Quality
- No fans hence it is silent
- It is quite affordable
- Up to 14 hours of battery life.
Cons
- Not all apps are optimized for the M2
- While having no fans can be an advantage since it is quiet, it can thermal throttle at times.
M2 Macbook Air verdict
There is no doubt that the transition from intel to M1 has significantly improved this device in almost every aspect. The battery life can reach an astounding 14 hours which is insane. The performance is on another level beating out $10,000 dollar rigs in certain tasks.
The lack of fans makes it quiet but it tends to thermal throttle under full load. The design is just as good as ever and of course it is limited to two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports. It is a great machine for anyone starting out in the Apple ecosystem.
2. Asus ZenBook 13 (UX325) – Best Value Ultra book
Pros
- Striking design
- Good selection of ports. (2 thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 1.4 port, micro-SD card slot and a USB-A port)
- IR Camera Windows Hello
- Asus claims up to 12 hours of battery life.
- Has a gimmicky glass touch pad with an illuminated calculator which can be toggled on or off.
- Has an Intel and AMD variant
- Very Affordable
Cons
- The AMD variant does not support Thunderbolt.
- A bit thicker than most of the competition
Asus ZenBook 13 (UX325) verdict
This Asus machine has a striking design as with most of their ZenBook lineup. It is in fact one of the best Ultra books due to the value that it provides. It is priced under $1000 while still providing you with good performance. The advantage with this machine is that it comes with two CPU options, either an AMD option or an Intel option.
The AMD version offers slightly better performance but you will have to compromise on Thunderbolt. It is generally a good package which offers the most value for your money as compared to the competition.
1. Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) – The Gold Standard for all Ultra books
Pros
- Premium build quality.
- Sleek design.
- Comes with an OLED 3.5K variant or a 4K non OLED variant.
- RAM can be optioned up to 32GB
- Has both IR camera and a fingerprint scanner
- Comes with a 2-in-1 variant
- Excellent quality keyboard and track pad.
- Good quality speakers
- Comes with touch options for the FHD, OLED and UHD version
- Up to 2TB Storage
Cons
- Poor port selection. (Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports)
- RAM is soldered to the PCB
Dell XPS 13 Plus (2023) verdict
The Dell XPS 13 has held the spot for the best Ultra book for quite some time now. From the premium materials used to the performance that it offers, the Dell XPS 13 deserves the number 1 spot. If you decide to max out the specs, this machine would be the perfect Ultra book but at a very hefty price.
It is able to handle heavy tasks like video editing using the most demanding apps like Adobe Premiere Pro. It is the pinnacle of Ultra books and time will tell whether it will be able to retain that title.
Well detailed
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