The ultrabooks of CES 2012

You’ve been dying for an Asus Eee Pad Slider running Windows 7, right? Hiding amongst the hoards of ultrabooks on display at the Microsoft booth at CES 2012, is your answer: the Toshiba Portege M930. Oddly, Toshiba hasn’t announced this tablet / laptop hybrid and doesn’t even have it on display at its booth, but the rotating tablet seems pretty far along, considering it has a real name and the unit on display was working quite well.

You’ll want to check the video below for how the screen mechanism works, but it’s one of the more well-designed hinges I’ve seen. You don’t have to slide the screen over the keyboard which has been a worrisome feature of the Eee Pad Slider and even the Samsung Series 7 Slider (which actually never came out). In laptop mode the screen flips backwards and then folds over the keyboard. The biggest problem is how thick and heavy the 4.2-pound / 1.1-inch laptop is. The wider 13.3-inch, 1280 x 800 display is partially to blame, but Toshiba has also wrapped the machine with a number of ports.

By my count, there have been more than 20 ultrabooks announced here at CES 2012. That’s a lot of laptops, especially when you consider that most of them have the same attributes: thin cases, Core i5 processors, solid-state drives, chiclet keyboards and single-button touchpads. But one has to be the best right? One would think, but choosing just one ultrabook amongst all of them isn’t really fair. Some are cheaper than others, some aren’t coming until the end of the year, and some have put a strong focus on higher end features. Picking four of the best, on the other hand, is the way to go, and that’s exactly what you will find below. Without further ado, the best ultrabooks of CES 2012:

The new 13-inch Series 9 might have the same name as the original Series 9, but this is a totally different machine. Not only does it look different, but it now has a higher resolution, 1600 x 900 display and an SD card slot. I’m a big fan of the black aluminum design — it’s a nice change from the rest of the ultra thin laptops trying to mimic the MacBook Air design. It’s pricey, but it’s also a higher-end machine than the new crop of sub-$999 ultrabooks.

The Z330 has a single USB 3.0 port on the left edge (alongside the power plug), and a USB 2.0 port, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, and MicroSD card slot on the right edge. We weren’t crazy about the particular aluminum finish on this ultrabook — it has a texture that makes it feel a bit like plastic and it makes the touchpad too “sticky.” The Z430 felt significantly heavier in hand (about 0.6 pounds more according to the specs), and adds an additional USB 2.0 port and a pull-down Ethernet connection. Unlike its 13.3-inch brother, there’s a full-sized SD card slot on the back. There’s still no pricing information yet: all we know is that they’ll come sometime in the first quarter of this year. Check our product database entries for each ultrabook to get a full rundown of specs.

Dell told us “thin and powerful is where it’s at” when it threw its netbooks in the grave, and it’s living up to its word here at CES. It’s no Adamo XPS in terms of design or thinness, but the XPS 13 ultrabook is definitely looking to fill that void in the company’s line up. It might live along the other XPS models, but it’s a much thinner and lighter option; similar to the XPS 14z, Dell’s using a thin-bezeled display that allows the 13-inch display to fit in more of a typical 12-inch laptop case. At 2.9 pounds, the laptop is .71 inches at its thickest point and .24 inches at its thinnest, making room for USB 3.0, USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone, and MiniDisplay ports. The biggest oversight of this system may be the missing SD card slot.

However, some may just be willing to look the other way on that point since the 13 seems to have a solid array of specs for the price. The $999 starting configuration has a Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD. That package also includes the standard backlit keyboard and the 1366 x 768-resolution 13.3-inch display, which has been covered in Gorilla Glass. Sadly, there isn’t a higher resolution display option. Dell’s also bragging about its implementation of Intel’s Smart Connect technology, which automatically joins a network and updates your email or calendar.

Sony doesn’t technically have an ultrabook — the VAIO Z or VAIO SB doesn’t really count — but it seems Sony’s planning to look at the category sometime in the future. Labeled as a “future ultrabook concept,” Sony’s displaying a laptop that looks a lot like its current VAIO Z. Unfortunately, it’s behind glass, but from what I can tell it has a different touchpad than the current VAIO Z and is a bit thicker. That’s all I could really glean from the chassis trapped behind glass, but it seems very likely that Sony will join the race at some point this year. Now, let’s just hope that external GPU and docking station comes along for the ride.

HP let our imaginations run wild with its Spectre teaser video last week, but it’s time to put all those dreams of it being a flying, self-opening laptop to rest. The company is officially releasing its Envy 14 Spectre today, and while it may not be what you imagined, it’s one heck of a machine. Termed a “premium ultrabook” the laptop takes everything we’ve liked about the Envy line and brought it to a .78-inch / 3.9 pound laptop. There’s a lot to talk about inside and out of the Spectre — a scratch-proof glass lid and palmrest, a bright and high resolution display, and NFC integration. Below is a breakdown of everything you need to know about HP’s new ultrabook.

No, it’s not as thin and light as others like the new Samsung’s Series 9, but that’s because the entire lid is layered with a piece of Gorilla Glass. That same glass covers the beautiful screen (more on that below) and the palmrest. It’s a bit odd that the palmrest is elevated, but it seemed pretty comfortable when I set my wrists on it to type. Unfortunately, the glossy black glass lid attracts a ton of fingerprints.

Lenovo has indeed saved the best for last here at CES 2012. After days of interminable laptop announcements, the company has one more to share: the 13.3-inch IdeaPad Yoga, which opens like a normal laptop but can then flip backwards to become a tablet. Yes, it’s as crazy as it sounds, and even better it’s running Windows 8. This is the sort of thing that is really best seen in video, so I suggest you scroll on down as soon as possible, but what I can tell you is that the .6-inch thick laptop looks and feels a lot like the IdeaPad U300s (or the new U310 / U410) until you realize you can push the screen back completely and morph it into a Windows 8 tablet.

While the Yoga isn’t going to be coming out until Windows 8 is release — likely in the Fall of this year — the version that Lenovo brought to Vegas was actually quite far along, at least on the hardware front. The hinge felt really sturdy when flipping the screen on the back of the keyboard, though the entire process of actually morphing it into a tablet is rather awkward, especially given the 13.3-inch screen size. I actually mistakenly hit the power button on the left edge when trying to get it into tablet mode. It’s easier to flip it into an upside-down V-shape stand (tent mode, as Lenovo calls it) or use the keyboard as a stand for the screen. Even though the .67-inch thick / 3.1-pound Yoga is relatively thin and light for a laptop, it’s thick and heavy for a tablet. Given that and the sheer size, I’d really envision this as more of a couch-centric device.

J&R let Samsung’s Series 5 Ultra out a bit early last week, but today Samsung’s officially confirming that its 13.3- and 14-inch ultrabooks are headed to the US on January 30th. Just like the overseas model, the 14-inch Series 5 has an onboard optical drive, yet still only weighs 3.9 pounds and measures .82 inches thick. The .58-inch thick 13.3-inch version has a similar design, but weighs just 3.24 pounds since it drops the disc drive. Although, both make room for an SD card reader, Ethernet, full size HDMI, and two USB ports each.

The entry level 14-inch ($949.99) and 13.3-inch ($899.99) versions of the systems have 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-2467 processors, 4GB of RAM, integrated graphics, and a 16GB SSD and 500GB hard drive combo, which Samsung says still allows for fast resume and boot times. They also have eight-cell batteries, 1366 x 768-resolution, 300nit displays, and integrated graphics in common. Sadly, the 14-inch model doesn’t get an SSD-only variant, but the there will be a $1,099 version of the 13-inch Series 5 Ultra with 128GB SSD.

At last year’s CES, a time before every single laptop manufacturer was releasing ultrabooks, Samsung unveiled its extremely thin Series 9 laptop. So how is the company planning to maintain its lead this year? With two brand new Series 9s. While Samsung’s not calling the 13.3- or 15-inch laptops “ultrabooks,” the laptops are astoundingly thin and weigh just 2.5 and 3.5 pounds, respectively.

However, Samsung hasn’t just refreshed the line with new processors, though it’s done that too. The duralumin material that wrapped the previous Series 9 has been replaced with a dark aluminum, and Samsung’s using the new all-popular thin bezel trick, allowing it to fit a 15-inch display in a 14-inch chassis and a 13.3-inch display in more of a 12-inch case. Even better, the screens have also been enhanced: both versions have 1600 x 900-resolution, 400nit, matte displays.

Sure, Intel revealed a lot about its future ultrabook platforms at its press conference a few minutes ago, but its prototype Nikiski laptop was the star of the show. The laptop has a transparent touchpad that spans the length of the palmrest. It’s a clear piece of glass that does double duty as a touchpad for the Windows 7 laptop, but also transformers into a exterior touchscreen when the laptop is closed.

The exterior touchscreen is a pretty interesting trick. It reminds me a lot of what Microsoft tried to do with SideShow a couple of years back, except this runs on top of Windows 7. When you close the laptop, a strip of tiles pops up on the actual laptop’s display; the glass simply functions as a touchscreen overlay. The software looks very, very reminiscent of Windows 8, but it is not Windows 8. Intel was very clear about that; this is software they developed, and according to a rep on hand, even before Microsoft showed Windows 8 or tiles. Regardless, it seemed to work pretty well, you can bring up your calender, email and even a web browser without opening the laptop.

Don’t call them “ultrabooks” — Vizio says they’re thin-and-lights that meet or exceed Intel’s ultrabook specs, but the company isn’t using the name. Whatever they are, they’re certainly thin, and that keyboard is something else. Vizio CTO Matt McRae told us the company is doing extensive testing on it to make sure it’s comfortable, and we found it easy enough to type on, although the individual keys felt sort of huge. The build itself is nice and sturdy, with unibody construction, but Vizio won’t tell us what processors or chipsets it’s using inside — we’re guessing it’s Intel’s Ivy Bridge. The 13-inch thin-and-light has a 1600 x 900 display, while the 15-inch has a 1920 x 1080 display — they’re definitely nice and bright, and there’s a neat display-off button on the keyboard so you can use shut it down while watching TV.

There’s also a “full-size” laptop with discrete NVIDIA graphics — once again, the specific chip hasn’t been announced so Vizio wasn’t saying what it was, but they were quick to point out that even the full laptop is thinner than the MacBook Pro. Hitting that goal was undoubtedly easier since it doesn’t have an optical drive — Vizio’s selling a separate slot-loading Blu-ray drive.

Samsung already kicked off the trend of 14-inch ultrabooks, and now Toshiba’s joining in. Or it will, when it brings its 14-inch Satellite ultrabook to the US this May with Intel’s third generation Core processors (or Ivy Bridge). The .78-inch thick Satellite laptop is different than Toshiba’s existing Portege ultrabook in two important ways — it’s a bit thicker and it’s more affordable. The $799 laptop is the cheapest ultrabook to date, and while Toshiba didn’t detail the exact starting configuration for us, it does plan to use a hard drive and SSD combo to keep the cost down.

I got a quick look at the ultrabook a few weeks ago, and it’s definitely an option for those looking for a more mainstream laptop (read: budget). It doesn’t have an optical drive like Samsung’s Series 5, but it does have an SD card slot, three USB ports, Ethernet and HDMI jacks, and a mic and headphones sockets. The 14-inch 1366 x 766 screen is surrounded by a rather large bezel and the two mouse buttons from the Portege Z835 have been replaced with a ClickPad. Check out the pictures below and look forward to hearing more about this one come the spring.

Lenovo just hasn’t been able to stop announcing laptops here at CES 2012, but amongst them all, the ThinkPad T430u ultrabook and ThinkPad Edge S430 have stuck out. Both laptops won’t be available until the spring when Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors are available, but Lenovo did bring two early prototypes to the show.

The T430u is really liked a slimmed down X1. It’s got a very classic ThinkPad look, with the same comfortable chiclet keyboard that’s on the X1. The early samples Lenovo was showing weren’t working very well — we had to plug in an external mouse to navigate the desktop — but they did seem fairly well-built. The screen resolution (1366 x 768), the wide upper screen bezel, and lack of a keyboard backlight were quite a let down, though Lenovo says they will be adding a Thinklight to the top of the bezel.

And you thought it wasn’t possible for Lenovo to announce another ultrabook. While the more business minded got the ThinkPad T430u last week, Lenovo’s also announcing plans at CES 2012 for its updated U Series ultrabook — the 13.3-inch U310 and 14-inch U410. An update to the IdeaPad U300s, the U310 and U410 have similar all-aluminum book-cover styling, chiclet keyboards (still with no backlight), and thin bodies (.7 and .83, respectively). Beyond the new colored lids and the addition of an SD card reader, it doesn’t sound like much of an update aesthetically, but internally they will have Intel’s next generation of processors. Expected to hit in May, Lenovo’s not detailing the exact processors specs, but we do know that on a whole Ivy Bridge will provide faster graphics performance. If that’s not enough, the U410 will be available with Nvidia GeForce 610M graphics. Lenovo tells us it is too early to know what the starting configuration will consist of, but it says the new U series will start at $699.

We got a quick look at the new laptops today, and by and large, they look and feel a lot like the U300s out right now. The SD card slot addition sure does make us happy, but we really would have like to see a better quality touchpad and display here. You can check out the full specs of the models here.

Thanks, Babyfacemagee!

Ahead of its press conference at CES, Acer has just announced the new Aspire S5 ultrabook, which the company says is the world’s thinnest — it’s only 15mm at its thickest point. It’s a black, magnesium-alloy and brushed-metal 13.3-inch laptop, weighing 1.35kg (2.97 pounds) and featuring Acer’s Instant On technology that brings the computer back from sleep in 1.5 seconds. It also uses Acer Always Connect, which lets users manage data on their computers even when the machine is asleep — the S5 can be woken up from a smartphone, and will immediately log into email and social network accounts. There’s a Thunderbolt port inside, capable of 20Gbps speeds, along with USB 3.0 and HDMI ports — all are hidden below the S5’s hinge, and can be accessed by pressing Acer’s new MagicFlip key. The computer is powered by an Intel Core processor (though Acer didn’t reveal which one), has SSD storage, uses Dolby Home Theater audio, and has a PowerSmart battery pack that Acer says will have a life cycle three times longer than normal batteries.

The S5 will start shipping in the second quarter of this year, though pricing was not announced. Its Thunderbolt support means this must be an Ivy Bridge machine, meaning we won’t be seeing it until at least May or June.

Last night, a little bird told us that Vizio’s Rose Bowl ad wasn’t for a TV: it was actually the company’s first all-in-one PC. We didn’t believe it at first, but that’s exactly what Vizio is about to do: enter the Windows PC business. The company has a slew of machines in its arsenal, including a 24- and 27-inch all-in-ones and 14-inch and 15.6-inch ULV-powered ultrabooks, and Vizio told the Financial Times that they will “exceed ultrabook specifications.” (In fact, Vizio tells us it won’t officially use the “ultrabook” term to differentiate its machines — it’s going with “thin and lite” instead.) On top of that, it will have a regular 15.6-inch laptop for “extreme portable performance.”

We don’t have any real details on the specs — all we know is that they will have DLNA for streaming to Vizio TVs, naturally — but Vizio is saying these will be out in May, which leads us to think they will be powered by Intel’s forthcoming Ivy Bridge processors. We’re digging up more details as we type, but in the meantime check out the photos and renders below. As you can see, the all-in-ones will be accompanied by matching keyboards, mice, external optical drives, and what looks like a Magic Touchpad too.

Toshiba Japan has given us a little teaser of what it’s going to be showing off at CES 2012 in a few days. The press release says it’ll have both the world’s thinnest and lightest 10.1-inch tablet and the thinnest and lightest 13.3-inch ultrabook at the show. Of course, Toshiba has already made similar claims in regards to its Excite tablet and Portege Z830 ultrabook, so perhaps we’ll just be getting another look at those. Toshiba also says it’ll be bringing a prototype waterproof tablet with an OLED display and wireless charging capabilities. Lastly, alongside its lineup of LED televisions for 2012, the company says it will bring a 55-inch TV with a QFHD resolution (that’s nearly 4K), glasses-free 3D display to the event, but we think that’s probably the Regza 55X3, which has already been announced. We’ll let you know what Toshiba actually delivers come CES — let’s just hope it isn’t a bunch of stuff we’ve already seen.