Ultraportable laptop for £8-900ish

[yasockie]

I just ordered one of these

Intel® Core™ i7-2617M 1.5GHz (2.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 4MB Cache)
2nd Gen (Sandy Bridge) CPU
8Gb RAM
11.6" screen
NVidia Gaphics
750Gb Hard Drive
Battery life up to 13 hours(!)
2Kg
(1x) IEEE 1304a (4-pin) Firewire Port
(1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet
(2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports
(1x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Port with PowerShare technology
(1x) Display Port
(1x) HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output
(1x) 3-in-1 Media Card Reader
(2x) Audio Out 1/8" Ports
(1x) Audio In / Microphone 1/8" Port (retaskable for 5.1 audio)
(1x) Security Lock port

Not sure about cost from the UK but with a 12% coupon (not sure if it works in the UK) and 3 years warranty I got it for $1799 AUD (net cost will about half that over here after I expense it).

Here's an extract from a review about battery life:

"Especially impressive is the battery life when subjected to a low load, minimal brightness, and maximum power saving; the Readers Test from Battery Eater ran for just under 13 hours. If the brightness is increased to its maximum and the power saving options are scaled back a little bit, the M11x R3 still manages to stay on its feet for a long time without needing mains power. When browsing the web with WLAN the subnotebook lasted 7.5 hours."

Full review is here.

Cheaper/lower spec models are available.

No dis, but are you actually planning on showing up at the client's site with this?
It's basically saying, hi guys let's get over with this boring "business" stuff, I'm due for my session of Call of Duty/Wow/Farmville later today. At least to me that's what the design is saying with all the flashy backlit keys etc..

I'm still curious about the next gen Macbook Air, but got 2011 MBP 2011 + Vertex3 (550MB/s read) and 8GB of RAM. Basically what I've found is that anywhere the 13" air fits, the 13" MBP fits as well (backpack, messenger bag etc) and if you whine about the weight difference, of course get the MBP or stop complaining as other have to carry much heavier items like bricks or postal mail for a living and not just from the tube to the office.

[JamJarST]

I just ordered one of these

Intel® Core™ i7-2617M 1.5GHz (2.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 4MB Cache)
2nd Gen (Sandy Bridge) CPU
8Gb RAM
11.6" screen
NVidia Gaphics
750Gb Hard Drive
Battery life up to 13 hours(!)
2Kg
(1x) IEEE 1304a (4-pin) Firewire Port
(1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet
(2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports
(1x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Port with PowerShare technology
(1x) Display Port
(1x) HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output
(1x) 3-in-1 Media Card Reader
(2x) Audio Out 1/8" Ports
(1x) Audio In / Microphone 1/8" Port (retaskable for 5.1 audio)
(1x) Security Lock port

Not sure about cost from the UK but with a 12% coupon (not sure if it works in the UK) and 3 years warranty I got it for $1799 AUD (net cost will about half that over here after I expense it).

Here's an extract from a review about battery life:

"Especially impressive is the battery life when subjected to a low load, minimal brightness, and maximum power saving; the Readers Test from Battery Eater ran for just under 13 hours. If the brightness is increased to its maximum and the power saving options are scaled back a little bit, the M11x R3 still manages to stay on its feet for a long time without needing mains power. When browsing the web with WLAN the subnotebook lasted 7.5 hours."

Full review is here.

Cheaper/lower spec models are available.

That spec would cost £1404 from Dell UK, the lower spec i5 with 2GB RAM and 250GB HD is £899. The older Core 2 Duo model starts at £449 and is an attractive deal.

[gadgetman]

I just ordered one of these

Intel® Core™ i7-2617M 1.5GHz (2.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 4MB Cache)
2nd Gen (Sandy Bridge) CPU
8Gb RAM
11.6" screen
NVidia Gaphics
750Gb Hard Drive
Battery life up to 13 hours(!)
2Kg
(1x) IEEE 1304a (4-pin) Firewire Port
(1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet
(2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports
(1x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Port with PowerShare technology
(1x) Display Port
(1x) HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output
(1x) 3-in-1 Media Card Reader
(2x) Audio Out 1/8" Ports
(1x) Audio In / Microphone 1/8" Port (retaskable for 5.1 audio)
(1x) Security Lock port

Not sure about cost from the UK but with a 12% coupon (not sure if it works in the UK) and 3 years warranty I got it for $1799 AUD (net cost will about half that over here after I expense it).

Here's an extract from a review about battery life:

"Especially impressive is the battery life when subjected to a low load, minimal brightness, and maximum power saving; the Readers Test from Battery Eater ran for just under 13 hours. If the brightness is increased to its maximum and the power saving options are scaled back a little bit, the M11x R3 still manages to stay on its feet for a long time without needing mains power. When browsing the web with WLAN the subnotebook lasted 7.5 hours."

Full review is here.

Cheaper/lower spec models are available.

[oversteer]

I think 13" for that budget would struggle to get Ultra Portable

An X220 with an i5 is doable for that especially without the VAT

Is 1366x768 particularly unusable? A laptop here has that on a 15" and it's not so bad, although Photoshop et al complained when being installed.

The new Vaio Z with an i5, SSD and 1080p screen is "only" £1250+VAT .. will it have the durability of something like the X220 or MBP ?

[JamJarST]

I think 13" for that budget would struggle to get Ultra Portable

Not true, I have an HP DM1-1020. It is an 11" screen and has a dual core celeron processor, 3GB ram and 256GB HD. It only cost me in the region of £450 about a year ago and I love it. The screen is LED and better than any mid priced screen I have seen and it even has HDMI out.

The latest equivalent I found on the PC world webiste is this:
HP Pavilion dm1-3101ea 11.6" Laptop - Silver at cheap prices | PC World
It has a dual core AMD processor and 3GB ram and 320GB HD and is only £350! Definitely worth it at that price.

[eek]

I haven't found it too bad

I've had 10 years of high resolution screens and Visual Studio does like its screen space. It may just be me but while I really want a mac I think I need the screen resolution more.

[SimonMac]

I wouldn't call the MBP ultraportable. Get an Air, or the Lenovo, they've brought out a new ultra-portable version in the X-series IIRC..

I think 13" for that budget would struggle to get Ultra Portable

[SimonMac]

I know. They are seriously tempting just can't stand low screen resolutions.

I haven't found it too bad

[realityhack]

I wouldn't call the MBP ultraportable. Get an Air, or the Lenovo, they've brought out a new ultra-portable version in the X-series IIRC..

[eek]

I got a 2011 MBP Pro (Intel Core i5 Dual Core 2.3GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, Up to 7 hrs battery life) and wouldn't look back, its an amazing bit of kit and Amazon are doing it for just over £900 at the moment.

I know. They are seriously tempting just can't stand low screen resolutions.

[SimonMac]

Want something light I can cart about during the day

13" screen or thereabouts - the occasional bit of Eclipse work, local web dev, RDP to my home PC, no games, 3-4hrs a day on battery

Lenovo X220
Sony Vaio SB
Samsung QX310
..
or, MacBook Pro

Not specifically tied to PC so the MBP is an option I suppose
Anyone got a X220 ?

I got a 2011 MBP Pro (Intel Core i5 Dual Core 2.3GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, Up to 7 hrs battery life) and wouldn't look back, its an amazing bit of kit and Amazon are doing it for just over £900 at the moment.

[Netraider]

I've just taken delivery of a new Mac Book Air. Fantastic piece of kit. Unfortunately it isn't in your budget, unless you go for the basic 11".

[JamJarST]

The new (not yet launched) Macbook air should meet your criteria if you can wait. Supposedly it will have i5 / i7 core processors.

Apple To Ship Mac OS X Lion And New MacBook Airs On July 19th | iPhone App/Game Reviews, iPad App/Game Reviews, Apple and App News At AppleNApps


Personally I'm getting one of the new Sony Z Series but that is out of your price range. The 1920x1080 screen is the reason why.

I keep trying to persuade myself that I don't need a Macbook Air when the i7 version comes out but by God I WANT one!!! That Sony is gorgeous but it is bloody pricey

[eek]

Want something light I can cart about during the day

13" screen or thereabouts - the occasional bit of Eclipse work, local web dev, RDP to my home PC, no games, 3-4hrs a day on battery

Lenovo X220
Sony Vaio SB
Samsung QX310
..
or, MacBook Pro

Not specifically tied to PC so the MBP is an option I suppose
Anyone got a X220 ?

The new (not yet launched) Macbook air should meet your criteria if you can wait. Supposedly it will have i5 / i7 core processors.

Apple To Ship Mac OS X Lion And New MacBook Airs On July 19th | iPhone App/Game Reviews, iPad App/Game Reviews, Apple and App News At AppleNApps


Personally I'm getting one of the new Sony Z Series but that is out of your price range. The 1920x1080 screen is the reason why.

[oversteer]

Want something light I can cart about during the day

13" screen or thereabouts - the occasional bit of Eclipse work, local web dev, RDP to my home PC, no games, 3-4hrs a day on battery

Lenovo X220
Sony Vaio SB
Samsung QX310
..
or, MacBook Pro

Not specifically tied to PC so the MBP is an option I suppose
Anyone got a X220 ?