Ultrabook
Encyclopedia
An Ultrabook is a computer
in a category of thin and lightweight ultraportable
laptop
s, defined by a specification from Intel. The name Ultrabook is an Intel trademark. By this marketing initiative and an associated $300M fund, Intel hopes to stimulate the market for Intel-based laptops similar to Apple's MacBook Air
, against rising competition from ARM
processor-based tablet computer
s.
Incorporating new CULV
Intel processors with integrated graphics
, and flash-based SSDs, Intel claims that Ultrabooks will have 5 hours of battery life, mainstream performance, and ultra-fast start up.
Announced at Computex 2011
, Intel estimates that by the end of 2012, 40% of the consumer laptop market segment will be Ultrabooks.
, Ivy Bridge, and Haswell processor models.
Notes:
1 Specs as claimed by the manufacturer. Only important specs are listed here, for the full spec please visit the manufacturer's website.
2 Pricing announced (in USD and on the US market, unless specified) by manufacturer or at time of product release.
3 Only base laptops are shown here.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
in a category of thin and lightweight ultraportable
Subnotebook
A subnotebook is a class of laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical laptop....
laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
s, defined by a specification from Intel. The name Ultrabook is an Intel trademark. By this marketing initiative and an associated $300M fund, Intel hopes to stimulate the market for Intel-based laptops similar to Apple's MacBook Air
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air family is a line of Apple ultraportable Macintosh notebook computers.The first-generation MacBook Air was a 13.3"-only model, previously promoted as the World's Thinnest Notebook, introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. It featured a custom Intel Merom CPU...
, against rising competition from ARM
ARM
An arm is an upper limb of the body.Arm may also refer to:-Geography:* Arm , a narrow stretch of a larger body of water** Canal arm, a subsidiary branch of a canal or inland waterway** Distributary or arm, a subsidiary branch of a river...
processor-based tablet computer
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
s.
Incorporating new CULV
Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage
Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage is a computing platform developed by Intel. It has been estimated that this market could reach 10 million CULV laptops shipped within 2009. Competing platforms are the VIA Nano, AMD Yukon, AMD Nile notebook platform, and graphic chips from the Nvidia GeForce line within...
Intel processors with integrated graphics
Intel HD Graphics
Intel HD Graphics is a series of Intel integrated graphics processors built into computer processors.-History:Previous to HD Graphics, Intel integrated graphics were built into the motherboard's northbridge. This included Intel Extreme Graphics and the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator...
, and flash-based SSDs, Intel claims that Ultrabooks will have 5 hours of battery life, mainstream performance, and ultra-fast start up.
Announced at Computex 2011
Computex Taipei
COMPUTEX Taipei, or Taipei International Information Technology Show , is a computer expo held annually in Taipei, Taiwan. Since the early 2000s, it has become one of the largest computer and technology fairs in the world.-Development:...
, Intel estimates that by the end of 2012, 40% of the consumer laptop market segment will be Ultrabooks.
Hardware requirements
Three phases of Ultrabooks are planned to align with the release of low voltage Sandy BridgeSandy Bridge
Sandy Bridge is the codename for a microarchitecture developed by Intel beginning in 2005 for central processing units in computers to replace the Nehalem microarchitecture...
, Ivy Bridge, and Haswell processor models.
First phase (Q4 2011)
- Thin – less than 20 mm (0.8 inch) thickness
- Lightweight – less than 1.4 kg (3.1 pounds)
- Long battery life – 5 to 8+ hours
- Mainstream pricing – around $1,000 USD
- No optical drive
- Use flash-based SSDsSolid-state driveA solid-state drive , sometimes called a solid-state disk or electronic disk, is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block i/o hard disk drive...
- Use CULV (17 W TDPThermal Design PowerThe thermal design power , sometimes called thermal design point, refers to the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate. For example, a laptop's CPU cooling system may be designed for a 20 watt TDP, which means that it can dissipate up to 20 watts of heat...
) Intel Sandy BridgeSandy BridgeSandy Bridge is the codename for a microarchitecture developed by Intel beginning in 2005 for central processing units in computers to replace the Nehalem microarchitecture...
mobile processors- Core i5-2467M (1.6 GHz)
- Core i5-2557M (1.7 GHz)
- Core i7-2637M (1.7 GHz)
- Core i7-2677M (1.8 GHz)
- Use Intel's graphics sub-system HD 3000 (12 EUs)
Second phase (2012)
- Use CULV Intel Ivy Bridge mobile processors
- Intel is targeting up to:
- 30% increase in integrated graphics performance over Sandy Bridge
- 20% increase in CPU performance over Sandy Bridge
- USB 3.0, PCI Express 3.0
Third phase (2013)
- Use CULV Intel Haswell mobile processors
- New advanced power saving system – power consumption half of early 2011 chips
- Use 15 W TDP processor (multi-chip package, like Westmere)
First phase (Q4 2011)
| Brand & Model3 | Price2 of Base Model |
Release date | Intel Processor of Base Model |
Base RAM capacity |
Base drive capacity |
Minimum thickness1 |
Maximum thickness1 |
Weight1 | Battery life1 | Display Size & Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acer Aspire 3951 | $899.99 | October 2011 | Core i5-2467M (1.6 GHz) | 4 GB | 20 GB SSD + 320 GB HDD |
13.10 mm (0.51 inches) | 17.50 mm (0.69 inches) | 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs) | ~6 hours | 13.1" 1366×768 |
| Acer Aspire 3951 | $1,199.00 | November 2011 | Core i5-2467M (1.6 GHz) | 4 GB | 256 GB SSD | 13.10 mm (0.51 inches) | 17.50 mm (0.69 inches) | 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs) | 13.1" 1366×768 | |
| Acer Aspire 3951 | $1,299.99 | November 2011 | Core i7-2637M (1.6 GHz) | 4 GB | 256 GB SSD | 13.10 mm (0.51 inches) | 17.50 mm (0.69 inches) | 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs) | 13.1" 1366×768 | |
| Asus Zenbook UX21 | $999.00 | October 2011 | Core i5-2467M (1.6 GHz) | 4 GB | 128 GB SSD | 16.76 mm (0.66 inches) | 1.10 kg (2.43 lbs) | 45 Wh, ~5 hours | 11.6" 1366×768 | |
| Asus Zenbook UX31 | $1,099.00 | October 2011 | Core i5-2557M (1.7 GHz) | 4 GB | 128 GB SSD | 17.00 mm (0.67 inches) | 1.30 kg (2.90 lbs) | 50 Wh, ~5 hours | 13.3" 1600×900 (Glossy) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad U300S | $1,023.00 | November 2011 | Core i5-2467M (1.6 GHz) | 4 GB | 128 GB SSD | 14.99 mm (0.59 inches) | 1.34 kg (2.95 lbs) | 30 Wh, ~8 hours | 13.3" 1366×768 (Glossy) | |
| Toshiba Portege Z830 | $899.00 | November 2011 | Core i3-2367M (1.4 GHz) (i5, i7 models exist) | 4 GB | 128 GB SSD | 16.00 mm (0.63 inches) | 1.11 kg (2.45 lbs) | 47 Wh, ~8 hours | 13.3" 1366×768 (Matte & Glossy models) | |
| Toshiba Portege Z835-P330 | $799.00 | November 2011 | Core i3-2367M (1.4 GHz) | 4 GB | 128 GB SSD | 16.00 mm (0.63 inches) | 1.11 kg (2.45 lbs) | 47 Wh, ~8 hours | 13.3" 1366×768 | |
| Samsung Series 9 | $1,199.00 | July 2011 Refresh | Core i5 | 4 GB | 128 GB SSD | 15.74 mm (0.62 inches) | 16.25 mm (0.64 inches) | 1.30 kg (2.88 lbs) | 47 Wh, ~7 hours | 13.3" (Matte) 400 nits |
| HP Folio 13 | $899.99 | December 2011 | Core i5 | 4 GB | 128 GB SSD | 18.00 mm (0.7 inches) | 1.49 kg (3.3 lbs) | ~9 hours | 13.3" | |
Notes:
1 Specs as claimed by the manufacturer. Only important specs are listed here, for the full spec please visit the manufacturer's website.
2 Pricing announced (in USD and on the US market, unless specified) by manufacturer or at time of product release.
3 Only base laptops are shown here.