CNET Asia's Top 10 notebooks
One of Singapore's biggest tech bazaars--the IT Show 2012--took place last month and we saw a number of attractive deals from laptop vendors. This is likely why our Top 10 chart is dominated by budget notebooks, as well as older, mainstream models that usually don't make the list. We did find a couple more recent models, such as two Ultrabooks from Acer and Samsung--the Samsung Series 5 Ultra especially, appears to be good value for money with a sleek chassis and discrete graphics. Finally, Apple's MacBook Air may have dropped off the list, but the MacBook Pro remains a bestseller.
Note: Results are based on readership as well as data collected from retail outlets including Courts, Newstead Technologies and P.A Mart. The models are sorted alphabetically and are not in any ranking order.
Outlook:
Inexpensive Core i3-powered laptops such as this Acer Aspire 4752G are
part of the reason why Netbooks have fallen out of favor. This laptop
doesn't cost much more but provides significantly better performance
due to its dual-core Intel processor and entry-level discrete graphics
from Nvidia.
Outlook:
With its Core-i processor and a discrete Nvidia graphics chip, the Acer
Aspire 4755 series is a competent notebook that's priced aggressively
for the budget segment. It won't win any awards for its basic design,
but as a workhorse laptop, it's hard to beat.
Outlook:
The Acer Aspire One 722 belongs to a new breed of laptops with an
11.6-inch form factor. These notebooks have a larger and more
comfortable keyboard while remaining ultra portable at less than 1.5kg.
The 722 is also powered by an AMD Fusion processor that promises better
performance than a typical Intel Atom Netbook.
CNET Asia rating: 7.2 stars
The good: SSD cache allows for instant resume; affordable for an Ultrabook.
The bad: Battery life not as good as other Ultrabooks; lack of ports; tiny arrow keys.
The bottom line: With its hybrid drive, you pay less and get more storage capacity on the Aspire S3 than the typical Ultrabook. Performance and battery life, however, are not as good.
CNET Asia rating: 8.4 stars
The good: CPU updates offer big leaps in performance; phenomenal battery life; excellent ergonomics and keyboard; large, smooth, multitouch clickpad; 720p HD Webcam.
The bad: Graphics performance is slightly worse than 2010's 13-inch Pro; 13-inch screen resolution still low compared with the MacBook Air; Thunderbolt port still an unknown until accessories become available; limited upgrade options; expensive; no HDMI or Blu-ray.
The bottom line: Despite retaining the same price and look as the 2010 model, the 13-inch MacBook Pro's significant CPU updates and fantastic battery life make it one of the top laptops we've reviewed, provided you can live with passable integrated graphics.
Outlook:
The HP Pavilion g4 has a somewhat bland design, but given its very
affordable price, consumers have shown that they are more than willing
to overlook this minor flaw. The company has just launched
updated models with better hardware, but remain just as
affordable at US$499.
CNET Asia rating: 7.4 stars
The good: Affordable price; above average speakers; Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0 enables faster startup; OneKey Rescue for easy backup.
The bad: Plastic exterior easily smudged.
The bottom line: A versatile mainstream notebook for those looking to get their next movie fix while on-the-go.
Outlook:
A portable 11.6-inch model that weighs just 1.2kg, the stylish-looking
Series 3 is powered by an AMD Fusion processor. Its Duracase chassis is
designed and built to be more resistant to scratches and
dents.
CNET Asia rating: 7.7 stars
The good: Bright, matte display; discrete graphics; comfortable keyboard; good two-finger scrolling on touchpad.
The bad: Size and weight is similar to mainstream non-Ultrabook laptops; more costly than its competitors; off-axis viewing could be better; some bloatware.
The bottom line: With more features than the typical Ultrabook, the Samsung Series 5 Ultra is a versatile and attractive 14-inch laptop that justifies its higher price tag.
Outlook:
This 14-inch Toshiba laptop comes with a Core i3 processor and discrete
Nvidia graphics. With 2GB of installed RAM, it is barely adequate for
Windows 7 and the design isn't much to look at. However, its affordable
S$799 (US$639) price should be very suitable for those on a budget--at
least it's more powerful than a Netbook.
About the author
After years of reviewing the innards of PCs in his previous job, Senior Writer Vincent Chang has moved on to covering notebooks and PC systems at CNET Asia. A big reader of sci-fi and fantasy, he has accepted the inevitable and gone down the e-book route, though he's still resisting the siren call of the Kindle.
Latest comments
where is Dell xps 17 3d and xps 15 z....??? didnt u noticed those??!!!!
As stated in the paragraph in italics, the top 10 results are based on readership figures as well as a sampling of the most popular laptops being sold in Sim Lim Square. Neither the company nor I were involved in the selection of these notebooks, nor in any way endorse these results. So in effect, the top 10 actually reflects what our readers have been reading and buying. I most certainly agree that there are much better laptops in the market, but that is not the purpose of this article. I hope this explains our stand on this matter. Thanks again for your valuable feedback.
Macbook air 11? Come on Cnet, its a different class altogether and apple never portrayed it as a notebook.. But I strongly suggest you include Macbook pro 2.2ghz i7 with AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. It is a master piece and unfortunately Darius Chang missed it out.. or is it not available in Hong Kong? ??
Hi vvmenon, The 11.6-inch MacBook Air is a notebook, and Apple has put it as such. What Apple denied it to be is a Netbook, as the Air is offers a more powerful computing platform compared with Atom competitors. The MacBook Pro was not included as readership numbers and sales performance in stores did not put it in the top 10 this month. FYI, the MacBook Air 11.6-inch is available in Hong Kong.
6 out of 10?? I saw only two, namely the 3820TG and 4741G. Where are the other 4??
So Mr. smy67 i would like to say that I personally own an ASUS notebook since the past one and a half year but I did not have a single problem.As far as your matter is concerned I would like you to know that such mishaps happen.I have even seen brand new Sony,HP Laptops Having weird problems.So it doesn't mean that their products are of bad quality , it is just that some times things go wrong and one in every 100 or 1000 products come with a fault from the very beginning.You can blame it on ones bad luck.And as far as I know ACER's products are always cheaper than the rest but they offer great configurations compared to price but again they compromise on quality and durability.So the truth is that you get what you pay for.
Acer? Something's not right.
Seriously, this top list is a bit pro acer.
Dont buy asus my netbook 1000h had a dead motherboard in like 2 years and they want 400sgd plus to replace it!!
Hi Ashivy, Thanks for taking the time to explain your gripe. As stated in the paragraph in italics, the top 10 results are based on readership figures as well as a sampling of the most popular laptops being sold in Sim Lim Square. Neither the company nor I were involved in the selection of these notebooks, nor in any way endorse these results. So in effect, the top 10 actually reflects what our readers have been reading and buying. I most certainly agree that there are much better laptops in the market, but that is not the purpose of this article. I hope this explains our stand on this matter. Thanks again for your valuable feedback.
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