In the previous eight articles we have reviewed the best in class Ultra Portable Notebooks on the market today. Now we will grade each of the Notebooks for Design, Price, Performance, Storage, Connectivity, Battery, Screen and Portability.
Design
5 - Toshiba Portege R500
5 - Apple Macbook Air
5 - Samsung Q45
5 - Asus U2E
4 - Dell XPS 1330
4 - Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
4 - Lenovo ThinkPad
3 - HP Compaq 2510P
Price
5 - Samsung Q45
5 - Dell XPS 1330
4 - Toshiba Portege R500
4 - Asus U2E
4 - Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
3 - Lenovo ThinkPad
3 - HP Compaq 2510P
2 - Apple Macbook Air
Performance
5 - Samsung Q45
5 - Dell XPS 1330
4 - Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
3 - Lenovo ThinkPad
3 - HP Compaq 2510P
3 - Apple Macbook Air
3 - Toshiba Portege R500
2 - Asus U2E
Portability
5 - Apple Macbook Air
5 - Toshiba Portege R500
4 - Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
4 - Lenovo ThinkPad
4 - HP Compaq 2510P
4 - Asus U2E
4 - Samsung Q45
4 - Dell XPS 1330
Screen
5 - Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
5 - HP Compaq 2510P
5 - Toshiba Portege R500
5 - Asus U2E
4 - Lenovo ThinkPad
4- Samsung Q45
4 - Apple Macbook Air
4 - Dell XPS 1330
Storage
5 - Toshiba Portege R500
4 - Apple Macbook Air
4 - Dell XPS 1330
3 - Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
3 - Lenovo ThinkPad
3 - Samsung Q45
2 - Asus U2E
2 - HP Compaq 2510P
Connectivity
5 - Dell XPS 1330
4 - Samsung Q45
4 - Asus U2E
4 - HP Compaq 2510P
4 - Lenovo ThinkPad
4 - Toshiba Portege R500
3 - Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
2 - Apple Macbook Air
Battery
5 - Dell XPS 1330
5 - Samsung Q45
5 - HP Compaq 2510P
4 - Lenovo ThinkPad
4 - Toshiba Portege R500
4 - Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
3 - Apple Macbook Air
2 - Asus U2E
Totals
36 points = Dell XPS 1330
35 points = Samsung Q45, Toshiba Portege R500
31 points = Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook
29 points = Lenovo ThinkPad, HP Compaq 2510P
28 points = Apple Macbook Air Asus U2E
Best Ultra Portable Notebook - The Dell XPS 1330
Although much of what has been discussed in these reviews is personal preference and objectionable, what has stood out when assessing all of these Ultra Portable Notebooks, across multiple settings and during use over several months, is that all offer a solid business or home notebook user experience. Where some fall over because of 'knit-picky' issues, what separates them is that some perform better in the key contributing factors of price, performance, storage and communications. These after all are the factors which will determine what mobile technologies you buy, and the ones that stand up to all kinds of rigorous use are the Dell XPS 1330, Samsung Q45 and the Toshiba Portege R500. These are outstanding notebooks which really do stand head and shoulders above the rest, for price and performance in particular.If it were not for the Apple Macbooks inability to interchange battery packs and integrate more 3rd party hardware and communications devices then Apple would have a viable alternative to the portable PC. So too would Lenovo with the ThinkPad and Fujitsu with the Lifebook.
In conclusion, you would not go far wrong purchasing any of these ultra thin notebooks, they truly are excellent devices for the mobile user, and as technology improves, processor power advances and solid state hard drives become the norm, the real winner in this battle to become the market leader in ultra-portable notebook computing will be you, the end users.