by Nick
The end of 2012, and maybe the end of life as we know it, is
coming up in less than a month; so this is the perfect time to look back at the
year and reflect on the best it had to offer. Now, it certainly hasn’t been a
huge year for laptops as tablets continue to take market share and become more
of the solution for mobile computing for the average user, but there are still
those who need laptops for school, work, or personal reasons, and the
introduction of Windows 8 is starting to blur the lines between PCs and
tablets. So, let’s see what laptops introduced in 2012 have claimed a spot in
this top ten list.
The Aspire S7 is one of Acer’s premiere Windows 8 laptops,
and as with most new Windows 8 machines, is has a touchscreen display for those
very touch-friendly icons and gestures. It comes in a 11.-inch and 13.3-inch
models with a thickness of only 12.2-mm and 11.9-mm, respectively. Both models
use Gorilla Glass 2 for the touchscreen to make it scratch-resistant, strong,
and easy to clean. A neat feature for this particular ultrabook is its ability
to open 180 degrees, laying flat on whatever workspace you are using, which
makes it great for collaborating or demoing something on the crisp, 1080p
display. It comes packing an Intel dual-core i5 processor for 1.7 GHz speeds, 4
GB of RAM, and up to 128 GB SSD storage; all this gives it a total weight of
2.69 lbs.
Availability:
Get a nice little discount from Amazon
Price:
Normally $1,199.99 but Amazon is offering it right now for
$1,169.97.
9. Samsung Series 9
The Samsung Series 9 is the next line of ultrabooks from the
South Korean company to compliment Windows 8. You choose between the 13.3-inch
or 15-inch models, with varying options for each as well. For the smaller
option, you can load up to 4 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD storage, and an Intel
dual-core i7 for 1.9 GHz speeds. For the latter, you can deck this laptop out
with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD, and an Intel dual-core i7 for 1.9 GHz speeds; so
there is not too much different between the two, even the screen resolution of
1600×900 stays the same. The 13.3-inch machine will weigh about 2.5 lbs and the
15-inch model being over a pound heavier.
Availability:
Here is what Amazon is offering for the base 13.3-inch
model.
Price:
13.3-inch: $1,299.99 – $1,699.99, 15-inch: $1,399.99 –
$1,799.99
8. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
To start off, this ultrabook has a unique screen size of
14-inches so you don’t have to make up your mind between the perhaps-too-small
13-inch option or the slightly-chunky 15-inch option. The resolution will be
1600×900 with an anti-glare option, and the entire thing will weight just under
3 lbs. You can boost this laptop to 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD storage, Intel
dual-core i7, and even 3G data connectivity. It even claims to hold up to 8.2
hours of battery life along with being another ultrabook with the ability to
open 180 degrees flat.
Availability:
Amazon claims the best deal for this ultrabook.
Price:
Starting at, $1,249.00
7. Alienware M17x
This is one of the few laptops on the list that will not be
running Windows 8 upon arrival, and that is because it is a classic gaming
laptop, where Windows 8 is lacking in support at the moment. It may not be the
lightest or most portable laptop on the list either but this machine can surely
pack a punch when fully loaded. If you’re a hardcore PC gamer and wanted to
load this laptop up, you could choose to have up to 32 GB of RAM, an Intel
quad-core i7 processor for 3.8GHz speeds, a 1TB of SSD storage, 17.3-inch
1920x1080p screen, Blu-Ray enabled optical drive, and a 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA®
GeForce® GTX 680M for peak graphics performance. All of that will only set you
back about $4,500 so starting saving that birthday money now.
Availability:
You can customize your own at Dell’s website.
Price:
$1,699 base price.
6. Lenovo Yoga
This laptop is actually one of the unique new concepts
inspired by Microsoft’s new touch-friendly OS, Windows 8. While some new
ultrabooks can lay flat after opening 180 degrees, the Yoga can double that feat
and, essentially, flip inside out and making it a Windows 8 tablet. It comes in
the 13.3-inch variety with a 1600×900 resolution IPS screen, up to 8 GB of RAM,
128 GB of SSD storage, and dual-core Intel i7 processor. It is quite a heavy
ultrabook starting at 3.4 lbs, and a little chunky as a tablet but a unique
design nonetheless.
Availability:
Best Buy has the best price
Price:
$999 starting price
5. Toshiba U925t Satellite
This is yet another convertible Windows 8 laptop/tablet
hybrid; it actually slides up into the laptop position from the tablet state.
It’s a bit heavier than most standard tablets at 3.35 lbs but it’s a bit more ergonomic
than the other hybrid ultrabooks. For your money, you’ll get 4 GB of RAM, 128
GB of SSD storage, and an Intel dual-core i5 processor. The screen size is
12.5-inches with a 1366×768 resolution and also uses Gorilla Glass like the
Acer Aspire A7.
Availability:
You can get this hybrid machine from Toshiba’s own online
store
Price:
$1,149.99
4. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X230
This is a standard laptop from Lenovo for their Windows 8
line-up. It comes in the common fashion of 8 GB of RAM, Intel dual-core i7
processor, and a 256 GB of SSD storage. Even at 3 lbs, the Thinkpad boasts 8
hours of battery life. It’s a typical laptop with no frills but it is also a
great budget computer for those looking for one.
Availability:
Grab it from Levono’s website
Price:
$695.20
3. Asus Zenbook Prime (UX32VD)
This fancy ultrabook has the title of the first to have a discrete
graphics card in its tiny chassis. Weighing only 3.3 lbs, it’s amazing that
Asus managed to fit it all in one place. It sports a 1920x1080p resolution,
Intel dual-core i7 processor, and a combo of 256GB HHD & 256 GB of SSD
storage for bulk storage with quick speeds.
Availability:
Detail
Price:
$1,165.17 starting price
2. Apple Macbook Air
The original ultrabook and reigning king of the new genre of
laptop computers. There is the 11-inch and 13-inch models, weighing 2.38 lbs
and 2.96 lbs respectively. You can boost both models with up to 8 GB of RAM, a
512 GB of SSD storage, and Intel dual-core i7 processor for 2.0 GHz speeds. You
will get an HD Facetime camera with the latest 3rd-gen model and a spectacular
1440×900 resolution screen. It may not have a discrete graphic card but it is
one of the longest lasting and durable ultrabook computers on the market.
Availability:
Apple has all the info on their online store
Price:
11-inch: $999 – $2,149. 13-inch: $1,199 – $2,199
1. Apple Macbook Pro with Retina Display
Finally, the ultimate piece of laptop innovation on the
market today is the 13 and 15-inch Macbook Pro with Retina Display. It made
Gizmocrazed’s list of top innovative gadgets of 2012, so it’s really no
surprise to see it as the top laptop of 2012. They may be a bit on the pricey
side, but if you’re looking for an amazing screen, power, and potability, you
won’t need to look any further. the 13-inch model is configurable to have a
2.9GHz dual-core Intel i7 processor, 768GB of flash storage, and 8GB of RAM,
and with a display of 2560×1600 resolution, it weighs just 3.5lbs and less than
an inch thick. The 15-inch model is certainly the best portable workstation
around, especially when it’s upgraded to the 2.7Ghz quad-core Intel i7, 16GB of
RAM, and 768GB of flash storage. It has a whopping resolution of 2880×1800 and
a discrete graphics card, all weighing 4.46lbs and still less than an inch
thick.
Availability:
Apple is the best place to get your laptop all decked out
for the holiday
Price:
13-inch: $1,699 – $3,199. 15-inch: $2,199 – $3,749
Source : http://www.gizmocrazed.com
Nice post with awesome points! Can’t wait for the next one.
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Toshiba - Satellite 15.6" Laptop - 6GB Memory - 750GB Hard Drive
Thank you... I'm just sharing the article with others
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