First we ensured we had with us laptops that best represented the segment. As a result, our labs welcomed the ultra-stylish Apple MacBook, Samsung's new X360, Lenovo's Thinkpad X300- the business warhorse, Dell's Latitude E4200 and five more laptops.For the testing process, we decided to include a number of parameters. However, the most important of these was the portability factor itself, which we figured was directly affected by the weight of the laptop and how efficient its battery was. Further, we proceeded to test them on their features and specifications, design and ease of use and overall performance.
Samsung X360
Dubbed as a MacBook Air rival, the Samsung X360 is quite simply the best ultraportable notebook in this closely fought competition. It sets itself apart from the rest of the pack in various aspects. Despite having a 13.3-inch LED screen (1280x800 resolution), it weighs only 1.3 kg. It has the best screen quality, with a bright display, showcasing crisp images and sharp text. The screen also has exceptional viewing angles. Practicality apart, it's hard to ignore the X360's slim stylish design.
It has a two-toned brushed metallic red and glossy black lid, and with exception to the base, the whole thing is washed over with black gloss. Quite attractive. With respect to the Dell Latitude E4200, the X360's slightly larger form-factor enables it to pack in a bigger screen with an uncompressed chiclet-styled keyboard. The keys are evenly spaced, responsive, and have no flex to write about. The keyboard's layout doesn't require a learning curve, and typing on it is quite effort less. Same can be said of the X360's touchpad and mouse buttons, that are responsive and effortless to use.
The X360 scores high in terms of usability and its good build quality, despite being lightweight In terms of features, the X360 is based on the Intel Centrino 2 platform, with a Core 2 Duo ULV (ultra-low volt age) sU9300 1.2Ghz processor. ULVs operate on lower voltages, conserving battery life with slight compromise on performance. Our benchmarks agree: although it doesn't win any performance crowns with a WorldBench 6 score of 68, the X360's 6-cell battery beats all others in the comparison by lasting 313 minutes - very impressive. It has 2GB of Ram, Intel X4500 graphics chipset, and a 128GB SSD (solid state drive). Solid state drives are much faster than normal hard drives in terms of speed and access time. It decreases system bootup and application loading time dramatically. For example, the Samsung X360 has random read speeds of up to 140mB/s in comparison to the sluggish 45mB/s of the MSI PR201.
On top of the standard input-output ports (Draft-N Wi-Fi, Gigabit ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0), the Samsung has a nifty power indicator on its battery, a 1.3mP webcam, external DVD writer, docking port, and other goodies. It also deploys features like a TPM (encryption) chip and a fingerprint reader for additional security. Overall, we felt the Samsung X360 is a cool laptop which treads a fine line, offering lots of features in a compact design, and it does so excellently.
Dell Latitude E4200
Dell's slimmest and lightest ultraportable, sporting a 12.1-inch non-glossy screen and weighing all of 1.2 kg, is a no nonsense business laptop. It is encased in a magnesium alloy chassis, with a solid metal hinge that anchors the brushed metal lid on top. The whole unit is built like a tank. The nonglossy screen is pretty good. The Latitude E4200 also has some unique business features. It has a SIM card slot underneath the battery, Dell's Control- Point software (similar to Lenovo's ThinkVantage technology), and ON Reader - a rudimentary Linux-based instant-on feature that lets you access Microsoft Office and the Internet without booting into the main Os to prolong battery life. The e4200 is based on the Intel Centrino 2 platform, powered by a Core 2 Duo ULV sU9400, 1.4Ghz processor.
It has 2GB of Ram, and 64GB of SSD storage. An expansion slot is placed above a smartcard reader along the left edge of the chassis. Like the Samsung X360, the Latitude E4200 has a TPM module for added security, but no fingerprint reader. apart from the standard input-output ports, it has an esata, FireWire, and docking port for faster data transfer, but disappointingly only a single USB port -- the X360 has three. With respect to performance, it fared better than the X360 with a WorldBench score of 74, but the six-cell battery lasted for 283 minutes -- 30 minutes lesser than the Samsung X360. In case your laptop gets stolen, the Latitude E4200 has a remote security feature to safeguard your sensitive data. This feature is in the form of a BIOs module which can withstand hard drive re-formatting and OS re-installation. The stolen laptop reports its location whenever it connects online, and you can remotely delete data. Our verdict on the Dell Latitude E4200 is that it is the most ultraportable notebook of the bunch we compared, providing unmatched business and security features that come at a premium.
HP EliteBook 2530p
The latest in HP's series of business laptops, the HP EliteBook 2530p gets a lot of things right. It has a trackpad, not in the same class as the thinkpad X300, but sets it apart from the others with better navigation. Its 12.1-inch non-glossy screen is good (but not as good as the Dell Latitude E4200), the notebook is rugged, and HP manages to squeeze in a DVD writer despite its small form factor.
The EliteBook 2530p comes with a 1.86Ghz Core 2 Duo ULV sL9400 processor, 2GB of Ram and 120GB hard drive. It is based on the Intel Centrino 2 mobile Platform, with GMA X4500 for onboard graphics. The EliteBook also incorporates Intel's VPro technology, a unique feature in this comparison. It is especially useful for system administrators to deploy hardware-assisted security and remote system diagnostic tools. As far as performance benchmarks are concerned, the EliteBook 2530p scored 77 on WorldBench 6, our in-house realworld benchmarking suite, and the sixcell battery life was similar to the Dell Latitude E4200. It doesn't miss out on standard connectivity ports, and there's a nifty battery indicator to indicate how much charge is left.
However, there are a few niggling issues. The EliteBook 2530p is bulkier than the Latitude E4200, it weighs 500g more and feels too heavy. Where the Latitude E4200's keyboard is fine, the EliteBook's keyboard comes across as cramped and uneasy to work with. It doesn't have an external Bluetooth or Wi-Fi switch like the E4200. Despite having a larger screen bezel than the Latitude E4200, the elite- Book doesn't come with a webcam, which is disappointing. Instead, it has a fancy flashlight recessed where the webcam should have been. Why? Overall, we felt the EliteBook 2530p was as good as the Dell Latitude E4200 with respect to features and performance, but it scored poorly on portability and design, one of the most important considerations in this comparison.
LG XNOTE P300-S.AP66A2
LG's XNOTE series of notebooks is a good value for money 13.3-inch ultraportable notebook. The P300 has a stylish striped lid, with black screen bezel, and a silver chassis. Features to watch out for include a fast Core 2 Duo t8100, 2Ghz processor, 3GB of Ram, and a GeForce 8400m Gs graphics card. It also has HDMI and FireWire apart from the standard ports, an external DVD writer, locking port, and a handy external volume switch.
It ranked second on performance in our comparison, scoring a very good 88 on WorldBench. But battery life was average at 180 mins. Despite having the potential for casual gaming, this laptop has poor onboard sound. It has an average keyboard, but a good smooth touchpad. Also the LG P300 doesn't have any security features, not even a fingerprint reader. For a business notebook, it should have incorporated these features. The build quality was good, but not as great compared to Dell, Lenovo, or HP.
It doesn't come with any business software, which is again very strange for a business ultraportable of this class. The LG P300 isn't the lightest notebook at 1.7 kg. But coupled with its good performance, and a dedicated GPU, it fits the bill of a small, all-purpose notebook quite well.
Lenovo ThinkPad X300
The ThinkPad is a famous entity in the world of business notebooks. And it brought with itself a host of expectations. The X300 is a sturdy looking machine encased in black plastic and boasts of a solid build quality. It has a 13.3-inch display which was surprisingly dull, especially when compared with the other ultraportables in our comparison. For connectivity options, the ThinkPad does have a number of ports and it also manages a DVD combo writer in its slim chassis. Wi-Fi access is made easier thanks to a physical switch to turn it on or off. Of course, there is the ThinkPad's trademark red trackpad amidst the keys on the keyboard, which makes navigation using the mouse cursor a whole lot easier than just using a regular touchpad. Also, the Thinkpad's keyboard has the right tacticle feel and the keys are spaced well, making this the best keyboard among the others.
As a portable device, the X300 makes sense as it weighs just 1.6 kg and managed to stay alive on its battery for about 260 minutes during our tests. Plus, its wireless connection also supports draft-N, so browsing on a faster draft-N network is supported. The X300 comes with a 1.2Ghz Core 2 Duo L7100 processor, 2GB of Ram and a 64GB SSD. However, its performance was quite disappointing during our tests. For example, in World Bench 6, it only managed 53 points, the lowest in the comparison. Its Intel GMA X3100 onboard graphics was also not enough to give us good performance. Its speakers though were the best in the comparison and produced loud and clear music.
The low performance scores of the X300 can be blamed on the fact that it was released in the first quarter of last year. But it still carries a pretty high price tag of Rs. 1,27,000 (US$2,556). Overall, though the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is a very good portable companion if you can afford to overlook its below-par performance and price.
MSI PR201
The MSI PR201 is a well-built laptop with a solid feel. It has a plain black matte plastic exterior while the inside consists of a black keyboard and silver finishing. It has a 12.1-inch screen which disappointed us. Not only is the screen very dull, but the brightness is uneven leading to faint white splotches on the screen. It has a number of ports for connectivity including one for HDMI and three for USBs and it also sports a DVD combo drive. Among its other features are a fingerprint scanner, draft-N wireless support and a button for switching on Wi-Fi. a 2mP integrated webcam is located at the top of the screen. Its keyboard is nothing to write home about and we felt that the PR201's touchpad was a little too small for convenience at 2.1 kg, the PR201 packs a few extra pounds and is far too heavy for an ultraportable device.
However, its portability factor is increased thanks to a frugal appetite for power and a good battery which lasted for all of 306 minutes in our tests. Under its hood, the PR201 has a 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo P8400 processor coupled with 2GB of Ram and a 250GB hard disk. Thanks to these, the PR201 came up with a good performance in our benchmarking tests. In World Bench 6, the laptop scored 88 marks while in Cinebench's CPU test it scored 4674 points, lagging behind only the Asus U6s. It managed 18 fps in both our gaming benchmarks. Its speakers were of good quality and produced clear, albeit low, music. The MSI PR201 is priced at Rs. 52,000 which is a great price. However, the low price-tag is not enough to make this laptop truly shine and cover up some of its flaws including a poor display and not-so light build.
Apple MacBook
At first glance the Asus U6s looks like a proper business machine. With its silver keyboard and bezel and a glossy black exterior, the laptop comes across as a classy product. The U6s's touchpad is surrounded by brown faux leather which is a refreshing change from all the plastic but does not add that much to the overall look. even the touchpad is clunky, and requires too much force on the mouse buttons. The Asus' 12.1-inch screen is nothing special and in fact a little too dull. The Asus offers a lot of connectivity ports (including an HDMI port) but those on the left side of the chassis seem cramped. The laptop also sports a DVD combo drive and a 0.3 megapixel web camera. Asus' chances as the perfect ultraportable laptop are hurt by its weight (1.8 kg) and its very weak battery that just lasted 165 minutes in our tests.
The U6s is a great performer though, as is evinced by its World Bench 6 score of 93 and a Cinebench score of 4946, both of which were the highest in the comparison. This is due to the fact that it has the fastest processor among the ultraportables in the 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo t8300. The performance is also given a boost thanks to 2GB of Ram, 250GB hard drive, and a GeForce 9300m G dedicated graphics chipset. The Asus U6s is priced at Rs. 92,900 and at that price, the laptop should have offered more in a better fashion.
Asus U6S
At first glance the Asus U6S looks like a proper business machine. With its silver keyboard and bezel and a glossy black exterior, the laptop comes across as a classy product. However, what spoilt it for us some what was the brown faux leather that surrounds the touchpad. Some users may find it a refreshing break from plastic but we thought it was a little too reminiscent of the 80's. The Asus' 12.1 inch screen is nothing special and in fact a little too dull. The Asus offers a lot of connectivity ports (including an HDMI port) but those on the left side seem cramped. The laptop also sports a DVD combo drive and a 0.3 megapixel web camera.
Asus' chances as the perfect ultraportable laptop are hurt by its weight (1.8 kilograms) and its very weak battery that just lasted 165 minutes in our tests. The U6S is a great performer though, and as is evinced by its World Bench 6 score of 93 and a Cinebench score of 4946, both of which were the highest in the comparison.
The Asus U6S is priced at Rs. 92,900 and at that price, the laptop should have offered more in a better fashion.
Acer TravelMate 6292
Acer's Travelmate 6292 is the cheapest ultra-portable laptop in our comparison but in relation to the other laptops, it fell behind on a number of fronts. The Acer's design is nothing special and in fact it looks chunky for an ultraportable. It is also on the heavier side of the comparison table at 2.1 kilograms and its battery also lasted a mere 186 minutes during our tests. Its 12.1-inch screen is also nothing great and other laptops in the comparison have better screens.
The Acer has a decent number of connectivity ports but as we have seen in other Acer laptops, putting two USB ports on top of one another means only one large USB connector can be used at a time. Not very practical, as you can see. The Acer does offer an inbuilt DVD combo drive though. The Travelmate 6292 is powered by a 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo t7500 processor, 2GB of Ram and a 160GB hard disk. With scores of 84 in World Bench 6 and 3157 in PC mark Vantage, the Acer was not the weakest performer in our comparison but it certainly wasn't the strongest either. at the end of the day even a great price-tag of Rs. 45,000 is not enough to keep Acer from the bottom of our comparison table.