HERE ARE THE 5 BEST ULTRABOOKS ON THE MARKET

After a few years of stagnation, Windows laptops are currently experiencing something of a renaissance. With improvements to the software itself in Windows 10 and Intel’s semi-branded push for thin-and-light designs under the “Ultrabook” label, there’s never been a better time to upgrade — and you’ve never had so many excellent choices.

So which of the latest crop of Ultrabooks deserves your hard-earned dollars? That depends on exactly what you want out of your machine. Here are five picks with five very different approaches. For the purposes of this breakdown, we’re defining “ultrabook” as a thin-and-light laptop with no disc drive. Combination tablet-keyboard devices like the Microsoft Surface aren’t part of this comparison. 

Best all-round Ultrabook: Dell XPS 13 

Dell wowed the technology press with the redesigned XPS 13 back at CES, and it’s still the top choice in the Windows world. The tiny laptop continues the trend that switches the focus of the XPS line from gaming power to ultra-premium feel, thanks in no small part to a stylish body that’s made of carbon fiber packed in between two slices of aluminum. Even with its tiny footprint, the laptop scores over nine hours of battery life.

Greg Mombert/Digital Trends

The looks of the XPS 13 are impressive, with the “Infinity” screen and its tiny bezels taking center stage. But it also includes some class-leading options like QHD+ resolution, a touchscreen, Core i3, i5, and i7 processor choices, up to 512GB of SSD storage, and 16GB of RAM. The refreshed model for late 2015 includes 6th-generation Intel Core processors and USB Type-C/Thunderbolt ports, but it still starts at just $799. 

Related: Dell XPS 13 (2015) review

Best business Ultrabook: Lenovo T450s

Lenovo’s ultra-thin X1 Carbon series tends to turn heads, but if you need a thin and light notebook with unmatched versatility, the more conventional T series is a better choice. The T450s includes a thin design wrapped in a magnesium shell, Lenovo’s legendary keyboard design, and a revised Trackpoint navigator that brings back physical mouse buttons. Screen options top out at 1080p, but you can get a touch panel if you prefer.

The utilitarian look of the T450s isn’t anything to write home about, but the real strength of the design is its adaptability. It’s one of the only ultrabooks on the market that gives end-users relatively easy access to a single RAM DIMM slot (for a maximum of 12GB of memory) and easy hard drive or SSD replacements.

It also features hot-swappable batteries thanks to a dual internal-external design, and the large battery will have you working until the cows come home. Premium upgrades include a backlit keyboard (sorry, ThinkPad purists, there’s no integrated light) and a fingerprint scanner.

Related: Lenovo ThinkPad T450s review

Best budget Ultrabook: Asus Zenbook UX305

With a starting price of just $699 (and even that is frequently discounted), the Zenbook UX305 is the penny-pincher’s ultrabook of choice. This thin-and-light design eschews premium options like a touchscreen or a backlit keyboard, but you still get Asus’ all-metal case design and and a body that’s among the thinnest on the market. That base price gets you 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD drive, which are usually pricey upgrades.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

If the UX305 has a weakness, it’s the Core M processor, which is considerably less powerful than Intel’s standard Core series without granting a noticeable boost in battery life. The fanless design also means that the all-metal laptop runs a bit hot, even with its reduced power. But with that low starting price and stylish looks, bargain hunters will find this Zenbook hard to beat. 

Review: Asus Zenbook UX305 review

Best gaming Ultrabook: Razer Blade

There are dozens of boutique gaming-focused laptop manufacturers, and these days most of them offer at least one thin-and-light option. But for engineering and finish that’s at least as good as any mainstream manufacturer, there’s simply no better choice than the Razer Blade. After several generational revisions it’s still not the thinnest or longest-lasting laptop on the market, but it’s the thinnest and lightest to include a discrete NVIDIA GTX 970M graphics card to handle the latest and greatest PC games you can throw at it. Most other ultrabooks have to make do with integrated Intel graphics.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The Blade’s 14-inch base model comes in at a cringe-inducing $2000 with a 1080p screen, 256GB of SSD storage, 8GB of RAM, and a 4th-gen Core i7 processor. Upgrades to a 3,200 x 1,800 screen and 16GB of RAM will quickly push the price towards the $2500 mark. At least you get a nice-looking laptop for your money The Blade looks like the rebel child of a Macbook and a stealth fighter, complete with Razer’s signature neon green lighting accents on the lid and keyboard.

Related: Razer Blade (2015) review

Best touchscreen Ultrabook: Lenovo Yoga 900

Lenovo practically invented the fold-back design that’s become a staple of laptops as of late, and thanks to a series of improvements, it’s still the best around. The Yoga 900 improves on previous versions with a thinner and more stylish design and a unique “watch band” hinge that gives it stability in laptop, tablet, and tent modes.

Lenovo

The new 900 model expands on the Yoga 3 Pro with Core i-series processors (the previous flagship came with a disappointing Core M chip), and the 3,200 x 1,800 screen and backlit keyboard come standard. With the improvements in touchscreen UI made with Windows 10, the Yoga 900 is worth considering for anyone who wants to break from the conventional clamshell design without abandoning it for a tablet + keyboard combo.