What exactly is an "Ultrabook"? Find out below
What exactly is an “Ultrabook”? You have probably seen the term kicked around a lot recently but you may be interested to know that there is a lot more to the new category than just being ultra-slim.
Ultrabooks are a cutting-edge new class of PC that combine the portability of Tablets with the usability and performance of Laptops. So while one of the key requirements to be classified as an Ultrabook is extreme slimness, what makes this new category exciting is that Ultrabooks are also some of the fastest PCs around.
Ultrabooks must resume from sleep in less than 7 seconds and get 5 or more hours of battery
Among the requirements for a new PC to get the Ultrabook “seal of approval” are two key performance features: the ability to wake up from sleep in less than 7 seconds and the ability to get at least 5 hours of battery life on a charge.
What this means for you is that your computer is always ready to go the moment you open it up – and it should last most of the (if not the entire) day on a single charge. Many Ultrabooks, like the ASUS Zenbook UX31 even go beyond these requirements and offer near instant 2-second wake times.
On top of this, all Ultrabooks must feature the latest Intel Core CPU technology and faster than average storage solutions that meet set performance guidelines – in many cases this means a solid state drive which will lead to far snappier performance and way faster start-up times.
Ultrabooks must be less than 18mm (0.71") thick for models under 14" thick
Key requirements for Ultrabooks:
- Must be less than 18mm (0.71″) thick for < 14″ models
- Must be less than 21mm (0.83″) thick for ≥ 14″ models
- Must get at least 5 hours of battery life (8+ hours recommended)
- Must resume from sleep in less than 7 seconds
- Must have a high performance hard drive or solid state drive
- Must use an Intel Core processor
Of course, the most noticeable difference between Ultrabooks and your average Laptop is the design profile. One of the key requirements that Intel has set out for the Ultrabook category is that every Ultrabook under 14″ in size must be less than just 0.71″ thick.
For PCs that have 14″, 15″, or 17″ screens the requirement is an only slightly less stringent 0.83″ and below.
The ASUS Zenbook UX31 Ultrabook is just 0.67" slim and weights only 2.90lbs
Although there is no set limit on maximum weight, this tight thickness (or maybe we should say “thinness”) requirement makes for much more portable PCs than we have seen in the past. The ASUS Zenbook UX31 for example comes in at just 0.67″ slim and weighs only 2.90lbs.
There are some things to consider if you are looking at an Ultrabook. Because of their slim profile many ports simply won’t fit on slimmer models – chief among these are some of the larger ports like HDMI-out, VGA-out, or Ethernet.
The good news is that manufacturers often step in with accessories like USB to Ethernet cables or add mini-HDMI ports instead and include adapters so that you will still be able to easily connect your devices.
What do you think about the Ultrabook revolution – are you considering one for your next PC?
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[...] of the Ultrabook Temptations campaign to answer the question: How daring would someone be for an Ultrabook?.In the video above, Intel puts the 0.67-inch slim ASUS Zenbook UX31 into safety glass cases in [...]