Top 7 battery-efficient business ultrabooks keep you productive
Ultrabooks have essentially supplanted the notebooks that we used to call “thin and light” back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In the business world, they potentially constitute a large portion of the laptop market, since they have the wherewithal to last the five years it takes to depreciate a PC. These business ultrabooks have the latest two generations of Intel Core processors, SSDs or HDD+SSD, and other advanced features wrapped up in commuter-friendly chassis, e.g.: battery-efficient.
Business ultrabooks range from small- to medium-business-oriented models that are only a few business features away from mainstream consumer laptops, up to enterprise-class ultrabooks that have Intel vPro certification and specialized features that make them more attractive to IT personnel. IT-friendly features include docking stations, disk image/driver stability, multi-year platform stability and other features that make these systems easier to work on for IT professionals. At the high end, we’re starting to see the first ultrabook-class mobile workstations. They resemble bulkier workstations in that they contain high-end Intel Core and Xeon processors along with ISV-certified graphics, but they meet ultrabook specs like speedy SSDs, power-sipping processors, and thin chassis sizes.
Windows 8/8.1 is a concern for IT pros. This OS has yet to be adopted by the majority of businesses using Windows PCs. Sure, Windows 8 makes touch screens more useful, but rest assured if you purchase a business ultrabook with a Windows 8 Pro license, you’ll be able to use Windows 7 Professional on the same ultrabook for free without having to worry about Microsoft licensing. This is good business sense if your company hasn’t qualified Windows 8 with its IT policies yet. That’s the IT manager’s call, since introducing an untested operating system into an IT environment can cause networking glitches, login problems, or issues with your company’s in-house programs or websites. All that IT-support person or SMB user has to do is choose Windows 7 as an option when setting up system, download Windows 7 from Microsoft, or restore the system from a recovery partition or DVDs.
Battery life is another consideration. A big battery can be your best friend on a lengthy flight or a long commute. Business ultrabooks sometimes come with multiple battery options. Some enterprise-class notebooks have two to three different kinds of laptop batteries (4-cell, 6-cell and a 9-cell Toshiba pa3534u-1brs battery). The more “battery cells” you buy, the longer the battery life. A high capacity extended life battery adds some heft, but being able to run the system unplugged from dawn ’til dusk is worth the weight gain. Many ultrabooks come with sealed batteries, which is fine for most users since they last up to a full nine-hour day. If you fly often or work untethered a lot, then consider buying an ultrabook with a removable battery, so you can swap in a freshly charged one when the battery indicator drops below five percent.
Best battery-efficient ultrabooks will keep you productive without breaking your back
1. HP ZBook 14
Power, battery life, a gobsmackingly nice screen, and a good price all combine to earn the HP ZBook 14 ultrabook our latest Editors’ Choice for mobile workstations.
2. Lenovo ThinkPad X240
The Lenovo ThinkPad X240 is a powerful business laptop sporting a Core i5 Haswell CPU, a speedy solid-state drive, and a 12.5-inch IPS touch-screen display. You’ll pay top dollar for this well-built ultrabook, but it’ll give you over 15 hours of battery life in return.
3. Lenovo ThinkPad Helix
One of the better detachable hybrid tablets on the market, the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix gives the corporate IT buyer a prime option for their highly mobile workforce. This could be the best choice if you need both laptop and tablet functionality.
4. Lenovo ThinkPad S1 Yoga
The Lenovo ThinkPad S1 Yoga hybrid ultrabook brings the Yoga multimode design to the business-focused ThinkPad lineup. Tablet fans will love it, but you may give up some performance in return for added versatility.
5. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch
Lenovo ThinkPad X Carbon Touch is the ultrabook your executive users will want. It oozes premium construction, in a subtle way.
6. Dell Latitude 6430u (HD+)
Dell Latitude 6430u adds a 1,600 by 900 display to a formidable business laptop, and packs some multimedia oomph as well.
7. Toshiba Satellite E45T-A4300
The Toshiba Satellite E45t-A4300 entry-level ultrabook provides all-day Toshiba pa3399u-2bas battery life, solid performance, and a luxurious design for an agreeable price.
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[…] Ultrabooks have essentially supplanted the notebooks that we used to call “thin and light” back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In the business world, they potentially constitute a large portion of the laptop market, since they have the wherewithal to last the five years it takes to depreciate a PC. These business ultrabooks … […]