Buying an ultrabook: fast, light and thin laptops

Whether as a slim gaming laptop with low weight, an extremely compact workstation, or an ultra-mobile home and office laptop for use on the go, ultrabooks are the ideal solution for anyone who needs high performance but is also seeking a highly portable device for their everyday mobile life.

Thanks to increasingly efficient notebook components, the best ultrabooks in 2024 are no longer simply limited to serving simply as lightweight laptops for travelling. They can now offer the performance of a modern desktop PC or gaming PC.

Ultrabook vs. laptop

The term laptop or notebook refers to a portable computer that integrates all the standard components of a conventional desktop PC into a portable chassis. In addition to the core components such as processor, graphics card, RAM, or SSD storage, this also includes a display, keyboard, and touchpad.

Ultrabooks are a specific sub-category of laptops. The term was originally coined by Intel and, then as now, referred to particularly light, thin, and high-performance laptops designed with a focus on high mobility and long battery life.

However, as components have become more efficient over time, the devices have also become increasingly thin. The characteristics of an ultrabook are not strictly defined. In the following, we would like to offer a few rough guidelines on what characterises the design of an ultrabook and the advantages it offers.

However, the components have become more and more efficient over time and the devices have also become increasingly thin. The characteristics of an ultrabook are not strictly defined. In the following, however, we would like to offer a few rough indications of what characterises the design of an ultrabook and what advantages it offers.

Features and benefits of ultrabooks

The following standards are only a rough guide to help you recognise an ultrabook and understand its key advantages:

• With a reduced thickness of often less than 20 mm, they are particularly slim and elegant.
• Thanks to their light weight, typically between approximately 1 kg and 1.5 kg, they are ideal for transport - perfect for commuters, travellers or gamers who often carry their notebook with them.
• Particularly efficient processors offer high performance and are energy-saving at the same time. The performance is not only sufficient for office, web, and multimedia tasks but also suitable for gaming.
• Typical processors include Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7, often from the particularly energy-efficient U or P series, as well as the new Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 5 CPUs.
• AMD also offers special energy-saving CPUs for ultrabooks. Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 are also available in particularly energy-efficient versions from the P and U series.
• Dedicated graphics cards in ultrabooks (dGPUs) are also often designed for lower energy requirements. Although they may be labelled as NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or RTX 4070, for example, the chips in thin laptops sometimes operate with lower power limits—achieving a balance between high performance and low power consumption.
• Graphics chips integrated into the processor (iGPUs) have also become a good option for ultrabooks. Solutions such as Intel Arc Graphics, Intel Iris Xe, or the AMD Radeon 780M today provide sufficient performance for multimedia tasks and entry-level gaming, offering significantly better energy efficiency than an NVIDIA dGPU, though without reaching its higher performance.
• In combination with a large battery, ultrabooks achieve long battery runtimes that enable all-day work (8 to 12 hours of battery life) without constant charging and can sometimes last even longer.
• Either SO-DIMM RAM or LPDDR RAM is used as memory. Modern LPDDR5X is somewhat faster and more efficient but is soldered into the notebook and therefore cannot be upgraded, limiting you to the initial GB of RAM when you purchase the device. SO-DIMM (DDR4), on the other hand, allows for upgrades at a later date.
• Fast SSDs are essential, enabling quick boot-up, short loading times, and high-speed data reading and writing.
• Chassis made partly or entirely from aluminium or magnesium often ensure a particularly high-quality finish for these premium laptops as well as an elegant design. Although ultrabooks are thin, they remain sturdy.
• Thanks to optimised cooling and efficient components, compact notebooks operate quietly and stay cool.
• Most ultrabooks are 14 inches, 15.3 inches, 15.6 inches, or 16 inches in size. However, in some cases, there are also smaller or larger models, offering just as much flexibility in choice as much heavier notebooks.

What you should look out for when buying an ultrabook

Thin and lightweight laptops, in particular, may have limited connectivity with some manufacturers. So, make sure you have all the ports you need before you buy. This saves you from needing to use cumbersome dongles for USB-A or USB-C ports when travelling. In addition to sufficient USB ports, DisplayPort or miniDisplayPort, an HDMI port, a LAN port, or a fast card reader can make all the difference. With ultrabooks from XMG and SCHENKER, you can be confident that the connectivity options are extensive.

Choosing between an Intel processor or an AMD CPU in your new notebook is largely a matter of personal preference. AMD-based devices generally offer a slightly better price-performance ratio for ultrabooks, but thin laptops with Intel have the added advantage of features such as Thunderbolt 4 or, in the future, Thunderbolt 5. AMD devices currently support USB4 (Type-C) at most, which, when fully implemented, offers almost identical features to Thunderbolt 4.

Guide: Who needs which type of ultrabook

The features and level of performance that lightweight laptops need to provide depend primarily on your intended use. Here are a few aspects to consider before buying:

• Affordable ultrabooks for students are available even as high-end models for under €1,000—such as the powerful XMG EVO 14. Ultrabooks with long battery life also help you to work throughout a full day at university.
• Ultrabooks for image editing or video editing should have a high resolution. A Full HD display is insufficient here—it is better to opt for a model with a resolution of at least 2560 x 1600 pixels or higher. High coverage of the relevant colour spaces (sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI-P3) is also important.
• Gaming ultrabooks prioritise a fast display and, of course, performance. While modern iGPUs are now sufficient for entry-level gaming, you should look for a dedicated NVIDIA graphics card, a fast processor, and at least 16 GB – preferably 32 GB – of RAM for the latest AAA and blockbuster games.
• Business ultrabooks are distinguished by advanced features. These include a TPM module, secure user authentication via Windows Hello, Secure Boot, a Kensington lock, and hardware encryption for SSDs.

Ultrabooks comparison: XMG and SCHENKER

You can find a detailed comparison of the best ultrabooks from XMG and SCHENKER in the article ‘Buying guide ultrabooks: XMG EVO, SCHENKER VIA 14 Pro, SCHENKER KEY 14’ on xmg.gg. Further information is available in ultrabook reviews from renowned online test magazines. Here, we summarise the most important points for you. All of the models listed below offer excellent connectivity, high-resolution displays, and powerful cooling systems.

XMG EVO series

The XMG EVO series (XMG EVO 14, XMG EVO 15) is characterised by very high CPU performance. You have the choice between an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H or an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS in combination with an efficient iGPU. These models achieve top CPU performance thanks to their generous cooling systems.

This makes them suitable not only as multimedia powerhouses or ultrabooks for entry-level gaming but, with high-resolution 16:10 displays and keyboards in ANSI or ISO layout, they are also ideal ultrabooks for programmers.

SCHENKER KEY 14

In addition to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, the SCHENKER KEY 14 includes a dedicated NVIDIA graphics card—either a GeForce RTX 4060 or a GeForce RTX 4070—making it a very powerful ultrabook suitable for AAA gaming or VR applications.

SCHENKER VIA 14 Pro

In contrast, the SCHENKER VIA 14 Pro focuses on maximum portability with high performance. Equipped with AMD’s Ryzen 7 8845HS and an integrated Radeon 780M graphics chip, this ultrabook is particularly lightweight at under 1.3 kg, making it the ideal laptop for digital nomads and anyone who wants to travel with their ultrabook.

Buying an ultrabook at bestware

At bestware, you can explore the latest 2024 ultrabook highlights from XMG and SCHENKER. Our laptop configurator allows you to customise these slim and lightweight devices to meet your specific needs. Additionally, you can choose from approximately 30 different country-specific keyboard layouts.

Our in-house support team is readily available to assist you and has been recognised multiple times as the best laptop support by Notebookcheck.