Recommendation for Ultrabook

[mambo123]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy a new Ultrabook and would like to have some recommendations.

My requirements:

1. Win8.1 or Win8.1 Pro
2. Light weight and <= 1.5kg
3. i7 (Haswell is nice to have but not a must)
4. convertible or 2-in-1 or detachable screen which functions as a tablet (nice to have but not a must)
5. 8GB ram (this is a must)
6. SSD (at least 128GB)
7. Display not too fussy (min. 1366x768). 11" - 13" (13" ideal)

Have looked at the following candidates' specs
1. Toshiba Portege Z10t (cannot bcos 4GB max and the hinge cannot be more than 90 deg)
2. Toshiba Portege Z30 (not bad, can meet my requirements)
3. Toshiba Portege Z930 (not bad, can meet my requirements)
4. Asus Zenbook Haswell (can meet my requirements but not out yet)
5. Asus Transformer Book TX300 (cannot bcos 4GB max and quite heavy)
6. Dell XPS 11 2-in-1 (cannot bcos 4GB max)
7. Dell XPS 12 2-in-1 (can meet my requirements but find the design a bit weird)
8. Lenovo X1 (too ex)

 

[xtramadness]

Zenbook
Asus Zenbook Haswell??? - Page 9 - www.hardwarezone.com.sg

There's also the aser s7 (I think is s7), but knowing acer's track record...

 

[mambo123]

I just looked at the Lenovo Yoga Pro 2 and it's a strong contender also. Now I have shortlisted the following for final consideration:

1. Toshiba Portege Z30
2. Toshiba Portege Z930
3. Asus Zenbook Haswell
4. Lenovo Yoga Pro 2

 

[alyssax]

I have nearly identical requirements as you, but with some caveats:
1) I'm happy with i5
2) haswell is a must to have

I have taken a look at your list, and shortlisted the following
1) retina MBP
2) the toshibas you listed seems okay..?
3) asus zenbook ux301
4) Dell XPS 13
5) yoga pro 2 - i dont have a need for the flipping mechanism - preferred convertible style is a docking one

Price wise I would think that the retina MBP is the cheapest lol

 

[mambo123]

Yup, the Toshiba models I listed are quite good. I've used Toshiba, Lenovo and Asus before and they are good brands. Don't like Dell but their XPS seems not too bad

 

[alyssax]

I don't like Dell or Acer (S 7 seems decent though) because they seem to have poor build quality. But I like the small form factor of XPS 13 and it looks well-built.

Okay I took a secondlook at the toshiba z30. It's too expensive for me at $2.3k (because I believe in changing laptops more often) and also I'm not a fan of the accupoint in the keyboard.

Let me know how you decide eventually!