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If you study or work every day and need to do a lot of traveling between different places in your city, you will most likely need a laptop to get by. There are many budget-friendly options on the market, but you will need to invest in more premium laptops if you want superb performance without any inconveniences. An ultrabook is another name for more high-end laptops that are slim and easy to carry around. Intel originally created the term “ultrabook,” but people later began using the word for laptops whether they were Intel-approved or not. Since you’re investing in a top-notch device, you can expect excellent specs and a quality build. Technology is constantly evolving, and you’ll be surprised by how advanced most ultrabooks are these days. Before purchasing one, you should find out more specific details like what type of processor it uses or if its battery will last you throughout an entire day without having to plug it in. Let’s check out the best ultrabooks you can find on the market in 2022.
The Dell XPS 13 (9310) is among the well-known ultrabooks many people purchase because of its lightweight and portable design. It might look like a basic laptop, but it’s powerful enough for a heavy workload or long hours of video streaming. It features a full HD InfinityEdge anti-reflective 500-Nit touchscreen display, and you’ll love how beautiful images and videos come to life when you’re staring at the screen. The display also has an Eyesafe feature which helps you stay protected from harmful blue light. It promises fantastic speed thanks to its 11th generation Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor, and it features Intel Iris Xe Graphics with shared graphics memory. You get a 512 GB SSD for storage and 16 GB LPDDR4x RAM. Despite how slim the XPS 13 is, you can still expect excellent heat management thanks to its dual fans and heat pipes. This ultrabook also doesn’t completely sacrifice its ports to achieve its thin design because it comes with a MicroSD slot and headphone jack. Other fantastic features are its lid sensor and fingerprint reader. The XPS 13 is also better for the environment than its competitors because 75% of its matter is made from recycled plastics, while the remaining 25% is made from ocean plastics from coastal areas. The laptop doesn’t have any harmful materials like mercury, lead, cadmium, or other phthalates. It even comes in a packaging tray made from white bamboo.
Modern and slim designFantastic performanceMade from eco-friendly materials
Only has a few ports
The HP Spectre x360 not only wins people over with modern and premium design, but it also comes packed with incredible specs. You get a terrific 13.5-inch WUXGA touchscreen display with a 3:2 aspect ratio. Upon purchase, you will receive a free HP Zenvo Tilt pen you can easily attach to the laptop through its magnetic attachment. You get the most dynamic display thanks to the adaptive color feature. It also has a Smart Sense feature that adjusts the ultrabook to your work habits, so you get the most efficient experience possible. The laptop will let you know when it needs a break because it has in-bad detection to avoid battery drain and overheating. The x360 has an Intel Core i7- Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor you can boost until 4.7 GHz. It features Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 16 GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. You might not even need earphones or Bluetooth speakers when using the x360 because of the fantastic sound you get from its built-in Bang & Olufsen speakers. In terms of connectivity, this ultrabook has USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 4. It even comes with a MicroSD card reader. The keyboard of the x360 is clicky and responsive, so you have a similar feel to the mechanical keyboards used for desktops. The laptop has a 4-cell 66 Wh Li-ion prismatic battery that will give you a 10-hour battery life per charge. The x360 is also great for your Zoom meetings because it has an HP Wide Vision HD Webcam and a dual digital mic. HP includes a freebie with their x360, a 64 GB Ultra Slim Tech Warehouse LLC USB flash drive.
Modern designTerrific 3:2 WUXGA touchscreen displayUSB Type-C and Thunderbolt 4 portsClicky keyboard
Battery only lasts around 10 hours per chargeNot that easy to upgrade its SSD in the future
Apple has always been a reliable brand when it comes to gadgets, and their laptops have gotten a lot faster ever since they added their M1 chip. Their 2020 MacBook Pro 13-inch is undoubtedly a fantastic choice if you plan to invest in an ultrabook. Its M1 chip and 8-core GPU guarantee high-speed performance, and you can use any heavy programs without encountering any issues. Apple says their 2020 13-inch Pro’s CPU performance is 2.8x faster, its graphics speed is 5x faster, and its machine learning capability is 11x quicker thanks to the 16-core Neural Engine. The laptop’s screen is a Retina display, so you get all the correct details and dynamic colors you need. Unlike the Macbook Air, the Pro models come with a fan, so you get better heat management while still having a quiet laptop. You can bring your Macbook with you for an entire day because it has 20-hour battery life. Navigating it has gotten easier with macOS Big Sur, and using it alongside other Apple devices is a breeze. The Macbook has 16 GB of memory, and you can pick between a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. It has a Facetime HD camera, but it still doesn’t promise the best quality in low-light environments. Apple laptops have advanced privacy and security features, so it would be rare to experience any data breach issues. The 2020 13-inch Pro still has its Touch Bar (Apple removed it for their latest models) and its Touch ID for easy login and verification. The laptop comes with a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port, two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, a DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 port. You will receive the Macbook, a USB-C charging cable, and a 61W USB-C power adapter inside the box.
Speedy performance thanks to Apple's M1 chip20-hour battery lifeFantastic OSTouch Bar and Touch ID
Webcam has disappointing qualityLack of portsLimited choices for RAM
If price isn’t a problem for you, you can buy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9. It has a 14-inch Full HD IPS 400 nits anti-glare non-touch display with integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. The display is pretty flexible, and you can push it flat on your table. Thanks to its Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor and 16 GB soldered memory, this ultrabook is packed with power. Its 512 GB SSD gives you enough storage for large files and major programs. The laptop has a wide range of ports: an HDMI port, two USB Type-A ports, and two USB 4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4 ports. It also has Bluetooth 5.1 and Wifi-6 connectivity. The ThinkPad X1 also has a fingerprint reader, backlit keyboard, a microphone, and an Intel UHD Graphics webcam. The laptop also excels in terms of battery life because it can last up to 12.5 hours on a single charge. You get a decent interface with this ultrabook because it runs on Windows Pro. Many see the ThinkPad X1 as a great business laptop, but some might not be a fan of its more old-school design.
Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, and HDMI portsImpressive battery lifeFantastic keyboard
Old-school design
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (AMD Ryzen 7 Surface Edition) hits just the right spot because it features a modern design, powerful performance, and impressive battery life. Its AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition processor is responsible for its fantastic speed and efficient multitasking capabilities. It has a 512. GB SSD and 8 GB RAM. This laptop comes in models with higher specs like 32 GB RAM and 1 TB storage for those who want more. The 15-inch version is what caught our attention, but you also have the option to go for a smaller 13.5-inch variant. The display is a touchscreen with stylus support. This laptop has terrific built-in Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Atmos 6, so you can expect theater-like sound quality whenever you watch a video or listen to music on your ultrabook. It would also be a helpful tool for your online video calls because it has a 720p HD webcam and dual far-field studio mics. The Surface Laptop 4 has an average battery life of 11.5 hours, but some have reported that they got over 12 hours on a single charge. One extra thing people like about this ultrabook is its clicky and comfortable keyboard.
15-inch touchscreen displayFantastic battery life
SSD speed isn't consistentNeeds more ports
Another superb option from Lenovo is their Ideapad 3I. It’s an ideal choice for people who prefer to have bigger screens on their laptops. It features a 17.3-inch HD+ 250 nits anti-glare 60% NTSC display. You are guaranteed lifelike and vibrant colors on the screen thanks to the Intel UHD Graphics, and wide viewing angles are excellent because of the IPS technology. The laptop has an 11th Gen Intel Dual-Core i3-1115G4 processor with 12 GB DDR4 memory. It will be a reliable ultrabook for those constantly multitasking and those who have a heavy workload. The Ideapad 3I has a 512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD that promises optimum performance, high-speed data access, and fast boot-up rates. This laptop is also easy on the eyes because it has a slim and durable build that looks luxurious. It comes with a Dolby Audio system and HD Webcam, perfect for online meetings or classes. The Ideapad 3I is preloaded with Windows 10 Pro, but you can get a free Windows 11 upgrade. The only dealbreaker this ultrabook has is its poor battery life because you only get up to 5 hours per charge.
Afforable and valuable17.3-inch HD+ display
Not the fastest specsPoor battery life
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