Editorial: Ultrabooks Announced at CES 2012

CES 2012 strongly indicates that the year 2012 might well be the year of ultrabooks. Lets have a look at the ones, announced at CES 2012.

Take a look at some of the ultrabooks announced during CES 2012.

• Samsung Series 5 ultrabook

The new Series 5 14”  ultrabook will have a 1366 x 768 resolution display, Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB SSD option or standard 500GB HD with 16GB of express cache.  The weight will be 3.95 pounds.  Ports include Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.0, two USB 2.0 ports and an SD card reader.  Sounds more like a regular laptop than an ultrabook with that amount of ports and weight!

• Samsung Series 9 ultrabook

The Samsung Series 9 has been redesigned for 2012, the 13” model now weighs 2.5lbs and is a mere 0.5” thick, it comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.  Battery life is rated at six hours and the keyboard is backlit.

• Lenova Ideapad U310

13″ screen Ultrabook update to the IdeaPad U300s,1366 x 768 resolution, an eight-hour battery, Intel WiDi and a choice of Intel Core processors.  Includes an extra USB 3.0 port relative to U300s and also has an SD card slot. Option of 500GB HD or 64GB SSD.  Weight is 3.7lbs.  Pricing starts at $699.

• Lenova IdeaPad U410

14″ screen Ultrabook,1366 x 768 resolution, an eight-hour battery, Intel WiDi and a choice of Intel Core processors.  Includes an extra USB 3.0 port relative to U300s and also has an SD card slot. Option of 500GB HD or 64GB SSD.  Weight is 4.Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

The IdeaPad Yoga is a 13.3″ ultrabook to tablet convertible that will run Windows 8 and come equipped with an Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor.

• Acer S5 ultrabook

The world’s thinnest ultrabook (according to Acer) at 0.59″ thick and only 2.97lbs.  The Aspire S5 will have a 13.3″ screen, Intel Ivy Bridge processor and Intel HD4000 graphics.  It will have USB 3.0, ThunderBolt and HDMI ports for excellent I/O options.

• Acer Timeline Ultra

A thin and light 14 and 15-inch Ivy Bridge equipped ultrabook with optical drive.

• HP Envy 14 Spectre ultrabook

The Envy 14 Spectre is a 14-inch screen ultrabook that has a unique glass lid and Gorilla Glass screen to protect from scratches.  The Envy 14 Spectre uses an Intel Core i5 processor (Sandy Bridge), 128GB mSATA SSD, 4GB of RAM and will be available in February 2012 starting at a $1,399 price with those specs

• LG Z330 Super ultrabook

Slim 14″ screen ultrabook, SSD storage offering fast boot times of 12-seconds, Intel Sandy Bridge processor

• Dell XPS 13 ultrabook

The XPS 13 Ultrabook comes with an Intel Core i5 / i7 processor and is a mere 0.24-inches thick at the front and slopes to 0.71-inches at the back.  It weighs 2.9lbs and has a USB 3.0, USB 2.0, mini DisplayPort and headphone port.  The body is constructed of a tough carbon fiber material and lid is made of aluminum.  Pricing starts at $999 and availability is slated for February 2012.