Top 10 Laptops of 2012

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.

10. Acer Aspire S7

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