Other choices
Lightweight notebooks (screens over 10 inch)
Ultralight notebooks bring desktop-style CPU power to the 1KG class. Video editing becomes possible and day-to-day activities can be done without the memory or speed limitations of a netbook. Driven hard, ultraportable laptops can burn through batteries in no time so be aware that for the best battery life, care and control of the system is needed. Ultralight notebooks are in a completely different price category to netbooks as you’ll see…
Lenovo X201s. Taking it up a big notch is the X200/201. It weights only 1.1KG (4-cell battery, 3.5 hrs, unconfirmed weight) but comes with a Core i7 CPU at 2.13Ghz that will blow the pants of any Atom-based netbook. 4GB of RAM, non-glare 12.1 inch 1440×900 screen, 128GB SSD, HSDPA built-in and runs Windows 7 pro. [There are many build options, I’m looking at the NUVHCGE] This is a serious bit of kit if you need to do any video work on the go. Any downsides? Yes, battery life of under 4 hours with the 4-cell battery. 6 and 9-cell batteries are available. Prices start at around 2200 Euro/$ (SSD version.) Note: Some queries remain over the weight. Lenovo say 1.1KG, I’m also seeing 1.6KG mentioned. It’s likely to be 1.6KG with 9-cell battery.
Sony Vaio X13. Every time I look at the 760gm weight of the Sony Vaio X13 I wonder how the hell they did it. Running an Atom CPU up to 2Ghz with 2GB RAM, 128GB SSD and HSDPA this will rise very high on anyone’s wish list. The price of 1400 Euros is way higher than any netbook solution but a lot cheaper than the ultraportable laptops here. Note that with the lightweight battery, you’re looking at 3-4 hours. With an extended battery you’ll still be at 1KG though.
Toshiba Portege R600. Here’s a 12 inch laptop that is targeted exactly where we want it. SSD, 3G, high-brightness transflective screen, 3GB RAM option, Core Duo CPU (1.4Ghz) and a weight of 1.1KG with a 9-cell battery. It’s even got a built-in DVD multi drive. The price is a huge 2K Euro but this is an amazing bit of kit.
Dell Latitude E4200 Potentially taking it one step further than the R600 is the E4200. I say potentially because I’ve never tried Latitude ON. Its an ARM-based (TI OMAP3) low power Linux PC embedded into the PC which gives you an option of switching into this ‘instant on’ low-power but limited operating mode. It sounds like it could potentially give you an ‘always-on’ PC. Apart from that, the Latitude has high-end specs similar to the R600 with a Core 2 Duo at 1.6Ghz, 2GB RAM, 3G, and many other options. Weight with the 6-cell battery (for about 5 hrs) is just over 1KG (estimated 1.2KG) and as an option, you can get a backlit keyboard. Total price for that lot 2K Euros! (starts at about 1600 Euros)
Given a 2K Euro budget, we’d put the E4200 at the top of the list but we haven’t tested any of these solutions as they lie outside the range of devices we focus on at UMPCPortal. Reader thoughts very welcome!
Lightweight and Mobile-Focused 3G Netbooks (And Alternatives.): Long-gone are the days where netbooks were availab… http://bit.ly/b7Fs5f
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Great write-up Chippy! Typing this from my work Dell E4200 on the train – Win7 Pro/3GB/64GB SSD/3G and hardware LatitudeON. All is fantastic, apart from the LatitudeON – very flakey in my experience asif you leave it as an instant on option, a 4 cell battery will go flat over night. Best laptop I have ever used – the 45w travel adapter is small & light and IMO better that a 6 cell battery as long as a power outlet is near!
We also run 3G Viliv S7’s as on-call devices (5 deployed and another 5 to be purchased)
Yes these are good, but it if one could wait a year or so it would probably be best with ssd being so expensive. [but then if you only need aprox 30 gb of storage you’re probably fine]
Great timing with this article Chippy,
You published this on the very day I finalised the setup on my new 5102 3G. Got the HD screen, upgraded to 2GB and will install SSD on the weekend, even with the HDD its pretty responsive and the bettery life with the newer platform over the 5101 is impressive.
Writing this comment sitting out on my terrace after sunset using the same battery i started the day with, that was over 15 hrs ago and I stll have over 3 hrs battery remaining (on and off use through the day)
Many of your regular readers will remember the number of devices I have gone through to get here (too many to list) but, I think I have finally found my “perfect” (for now) device.
I still carry my N900 or Milestone for always on connection to the world, but for a pull it out and turn it on productivity device I’m currently a very happy 5102 user.
The rugged design of the HP 51 series has been one of its selling points for me, what use is a mobile device if you have to be careful when moving it around?
I just saw your tweet about the 5102 too!
If you ever get bored, i’m sure the readers would love a few paras from an owners perscpective! How much will the complete setup cost you?
The basic 5102 was 470€ ram from my big pile of RAM and the SSD is Kingston SSDNow V-series SNV425-S2BN/128GB was 277€ total cost just under 800€ best part of all is that the cost was covered by my employer :) only thing left to do is some benchmarking and battery testing with HDD and SSD
470€ for 3G and non-glare screenm win7 starter and 6-cell right? More than the other 3G netbooks but you get the rugged build which is worth having.
I’ve got a SATA SSD and 2GB RAM in my Touchnote – I’m tempted but for me, it’s not going to bring any performance improvements. Will bring batt life and 300gm weigh improvement tho!
HP 2540p, 12″, 1.53 kg w/6-cell battery, 8+ hours with low voltage CPU (7+ hours with standard voltage CPUs), available 9-cell battery for 12+ hours, Qualcomm Gobi for IS-2000 & UMTS, optical drive available with some 1.8″ hard drives.
According to ThinkPad X201/X201s Detailed Specifications, the X201s weights 1.31 kg with the 4-cell battery, 1.44 kg with 6-cell, and 1.60 kg with 9-cell. 1.1kg might be the weight with no battery.
too bad the ultralight notebooks cost a million dollars. makes the ipad 3g look like a deal
Great article, Chippy. I’d been searching around myself on this very topic but you’ve done a great job of gathering the info all in one location. I still don’t see a solution that’s calling my name, so for now I’ll hold tight with my Asus UL20A. I’d rather have an 11″ screen and under 2.5 pounds, but doesn’t seem like that’s happening right now.
Nice to see the EeePC 901 mentioned again, but a short look in your own database would have shown you, that it already had a weight of 1140gm. When i bought mine in early 2009 its weight was still a plus for me in comparison to most other available devices especially with its 6 cell 49 Wh battery.
I am still using the EeePC 901 Go, with a battery that has better cells, making its capacity 62 Wh (still 6 cells). The current sad state of 9″ netbooks means I will be staying with it indefinitely, even though this unit happens to have a pretty low-quality panel compared to others I have seen.
Via Nano E series, when a netbook/laptop with this processor gets produced, there will start a BIG change all over the UMPC sector, mark my word!
Great overview, thanks Chippy! A little bit to late for me:-) I did more or less the same comparison three weeks ago. The result, I bought the Sony Vaio P11 and 37Wh battery. Why the Sony P11, very easy to answer. All parts of my personal wish list ( weight and size, internal 3G, SSD, 2 GB RAM, at least WIN7 Home Premium, good keyboard and WLAN-n) are already integrated. Design, build quality and functionality are perfect and justify the price. I’m very happy with the replacement of my Eee-Pc 1003HAG, I used the last 15 months. it is unbelievable how small and light the Sony P11 is in comparison to a 10†Netbook.
How’s the weight with the 37WH batt?
And what CPU speed did you go for?
CPU: Z540 1,86 GHz
I have to check the weight, it seems double of the standard battery
sorry for the delay, now I’m back home.
original Battery is 150g, the 37Wh is 245g
yeah the P is my favourite device. sony knows how to kick out the rest. the deives are very good build quality without the sound. But i´m sure the most users aren´t in need of multimedia. the p is best for business and everywhere use. viliv builds good devices too but the tft res is a shame… much programs don´t work with the 600px res… so viliv is out for me til they get better screens. the p screen is so beautiful with it´s 1600x768px and works like a charm for the eyes…
I’m waiting for the Toshiba Libretto W105… ‘nuf said.
Well, maybe one or two words more:
Hope it’s performing well (64 bit processor and especially the screens viewing angle) and not too expensive.
but are you really going to be able to see the benefits of a 64 bit processor on a netbook? [I mean apart from being cool and such ;)]
Lightweight and Mobile-Focused 3G Netbooks (And Alternatives.) – http://bit.ly/dgaDuF (Db)
Acer 1810T with SU7300, 11.6″ HD, 4GB, 500GB disk, 6 cell battery, UMTS built in, for 619,- Euro (at cyberport.de). Fix glossy (but bright) screen with good matte screen protector (25,- Euro) and replace disk by 64GB SSD for (say) 150,- Euro. Then you have a 1.2 kg device which runs for about 9h (Windows 7). This is MUCH more capable and productive than any netbook. Total cost 785,-.
Well, the Sony has half the weight…
Hey Gammer
Thanks for that. I knew there would be a few other gems out there. 1.2KG sounds good. I’m interested!
…. and half of size :-)
Besides that a perfect lightweight Sub-Notebook.
You should look into the Acer 1830T, too. Looks a little nicer and has a Core i3 or Core i5 CPU.
How about this new one?
Samsung X125, AMD Athlon K125 1.7GHz, Windows 7 Home Premium, 11.6″ WSVGA Gloss LED (1366 x 768), ATI Radeon HD4200, 3GB RAM, 320GB HDD, No Optical Drive, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, Webcam, 4 in 1 Media Card Reader, 6 Cell Battery, White ,£440
Mmm. 1.5KG is 10-20% heavier than most netbooks….although about the same weight as my Gigabyte Touchnote netbook with its 6-cell battery.
1.5KG is really above the plimsoll line for me.
I’d love to see a notebook with a 10 inch screen or smaller that has a CULV Core i or Core 2 Duo CPU. If the Hanvon tablet can have a Core 2 Duo then a notebook with a 10 inch screen can have one too.
I know netbooks are supposed to be small and cheap but I’ll settle for just the small part if it’s significantly more powerful. Well, less than $1500 US since there are the Panasonic Let’s Note Light R8 and Toughbook devices but are very expensive.
You and me both. A 10″ productivity focused Core i ‘netbook’ at 10″ although the X201s and E4200 are very close. Its a $2K story!
The difference between 12″ and 10″ is so large, though, especially with the slim bezel on the R series. The E4200 and X201 are both over 25% wider than the R series. My R3 is getting long in the tooth (it’s much older than the original Eee, after all!), but I’m going to have a hard time replacing it with anything other than an R9. I just like the dimensions too much.
And hey, the R9 fits all your criteria. Dynamism even has ssd models! But they’re $3800. The $2k base model is still very expensive compared to other UMPCs, but it’s an i7 and 4gb ram in a 9″x7″ footprint, so what can you do? Here’s what I do: Hope that some day, Lenovo will hack two inches off the X100e, make the bezel smaller, and put an i5 in it. All the R series is missing is a trackpoint!
Thx for all the great, detailed comments. I’ve updated the article to reflect some of the feedback. (At the end of page 4 – http://www.umpcportal.com/2010/08/lightweight-and-mobile-focused-3g-netbooks-and-alternatives/4/)
New article: Lightweight and Mobile-Focused 3G Netbooks (And Alternatives.) http://bit.ly/bev9Qz
Fujitsu 10.1 inches convertible is an option with icore processors, hi res screen
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/03/fujitsu-announces-lifebook-t580-with-four-finger-multitouch/
1.4 kg though