What is an ultrabook?
What is an ultrabook and how is it different from a regular laptop? Such a question can confuse many people, and some of them do not share these concepts at all. In our article, we will find out how the devices differ and whether it is worth distinguishing between these concepts.
Appearance
The predecessor of modern ultrabooks was the Apple MacBook Air released in 2008. Thin and light, but very productive Apple laptop turned out to be a unique development that immediately attracted a lot of attention. But in those days, this device was called a subnotebook.
In 2011, the term was introduced by Intel, which owns the rights to the Ultrabook brand. Therefore, if we approach the topic from a formal point of view, only compact devices based on Intel platforms can be called ultrabooks.
What is the difference between laptop, ultrabook and netbook
We found that the main feature of ultrabooks is their thinness and light weight, which distinguishes them from traditional laptops. But modern netbooks have the same characteristics, often surpassing ultrabooks in these parameters.
Price
Not only its external, but also internal characteristics made it possible to distinguish the ultrabook into a separate class of devices. The thing is that ultrabooks are traditionally equipped with powerful hardware and are not so inferior in performance to their full-size counterparts. However, they cannot be called accessible. A good ultrabook will always be more expensive than a comparable laptop.
Updating Difficulty
So, ultrabook and laptop, what's the difference? We understand more. The limited space inside an ultrabook case inadvertently forces manufacturers to shrink to a minimum. Most of their system components are soldered to the motherboard, making it virtually impossible to upgrade the system. Most ultrabooks won't let you install new RAM, upgrade storage, or replace the battery. Although, by contacting specialized service centers, some of these problems can be eliminated.
See also: Why the laptop does not charge when charging is turned on
You also won't be able to upgrade the graphics card because there isn't one - almost all ultrabooks use integrated graphics. Actually, that's why they are unlikely to replace a full-fledged gaming PC or laptop.
Dimensions and weight
As we already wrote, the main difference between an ultrabook and a laptop is their more compact size. But this concerns not so much the overall dimensions of the device as its thickness. Ultrabooks cannot be thicker than 18 millimeters, which is in line with other sizes, so there are no special requirements for them. Also, modern ultrabooks can be equipped with quite impressive 17-inch screens. However, this generally applies only to the most powerful and expensive systems, while the vast majority of ultrabooks fit into a 15-inch diagonal.
Performance
The small thickness and light weight of an ultrabook are often successfully combined with its very good characteristics. This is a great workhorse for people whose activities are directly related to mobility, but even a fairly expensive ultrabook can never replace a full-fledged gaming system.
Ultrabooks are simply not designed for long and serious workloads. And the point here is only in its small dimensions. Yes, a full-fledged ultrabook almost always uses a powerful processor along with a fast solid state drive. But try to cool the system in such a compact case. This cannot be done effectively, and with a long load we will get throttling and a strong decrease in the performance of the entire system.
To combat this, manufacturers often use low-power hardware in ultrabooks, so these devices almost always outperform full-fledged laptops in battery life, but lose in performance.
Conclusion
Without going into details, the ultrabook can be called a more compact and light laptop. But smaller thicknesses and weights are forcing manufacturers to make concessions that are not the most suitable for many. In an ultrabook, you rarely see discrete graphics, and the widest range of interfaces will not satisfy you.
Also, although the Ultrabook is equipped with very fast hardware, it still cannot match the performance of full-fledged gaming systems and is unlikely to be useful for rendering and other heavy graphics work. Do not forget about the significantly higher price of an ultrabook compared to a laptop with comparable capabilities.
But an ultrabook is a great addition if you're a frequent traveler or worker in the field, and with the recent surge in remote work, it's an indispensable work tool that takes you away from home, allowing you to work anywhere. This is facilitated by the traditionally large autonomy of ultrabooks compared to conventional laptops.