The base unit is made up of one top part. Sony VGP-BPS22 battery The interfaces stick out on the right and left. The bottom is a homogeneous surface curved to the sides that doesn't have any air outlets or even maintenance covers. The plate can be taken off by removing Torx screws. But that is not very useful because the WLAN module and RAM are soldered onto the mainboard. The "hard disk", an ADATA XM11 (128GB SSD), isn't installed in a 2.5 or 1.8 inch form factor (typical for notebooks, subnotebooks, and netbooks) and plugged into the standard SATA connector, but is rather set as mSATA.VGP-BPS22A

The spatial conditions of the not more than 17 millimeter high chassis (thickest point incl. feet) don't support a generous configuration of ports. Moreover, there is the claim of perfection and cleanliness. A row of plugs wouldn't look right here. The UX21E's connectivity is therefore conservatively limited to two USB (1 x 3.0), micro HDMI, mini VGA (for dongles) and headphones.VGP-BPS13AS

The manufacturer solves the problem of the too large VGA D-Sub plug and the too high RJ45 port via an adapter, respectively via a USB Ethernet card (ASIX AX88772B). So users who have to use a projector (typically: VGA) for a presentation can use the included adapter. Adapters for micro HDMI type D (M) to HDMI type A, 19 pin (W) are available for little money in retail. VGP-BPS13S

Although an Ethernet adapter hasn't been installed, there naturally is a WLAN adapter that supports the latest draft-n standard (Atheros AR9485WB-EG). Unexpectedly, a Bluetooth 4.0 +HS unit is also installed (Atheros AR3012). BT 4.0 is the low energy version that is also used in devices with a button cell battery. BT 4.0 is not yet used standardly in notebooks.VGP-BPS13/S

Beside the dongles and the usual quick start manuals, more accessories are found in the box. It is a high quality slim case made of faux leather. There are no recovery DVDs for Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit included.VGP-BPS13B/S

Asus grants a manufacturer warranty of 24 months on its UltraBooks (including pick-up & return). Users can also attain a warranty extension for a period of three years for about 90€.VGP-BPS21A/B

The keyboards are submerged into a matt plastic plate. Pressed keys are on a level with this grid and even deeper under high pressure. The wrist rest is generously sized and even large hands have room. Positive: the small but separated arrow keys can be found without looking. Asus hasn't built in a key light. The power on button is part of the keyboard and is found in the right corner beside "delete". Thus, a typo can quickly lead to an unintentional shutdown or standby. Sony VGP-BPS21 battery

The keys are absolutely level, i.e. they do not have conical inside curve (for accuracy). We notice the clear pressure point and firm stop (not hard) positively. The design-related, low key drop of only two millimeters causes a somewhat short and unsatisfactory typing feel, though. The keys have a smooth surface that can get a greasy feel depending on the fingers' moisture. The marks for touch-typists are very clearly palpable. Sony VGP-BPS21A battery

The multi-touchpad, model Elan SmartPad, is very big and matt (no fingerprints, good gliding traits). The "click pads" specialty is a "left mouse key" beneath the entire area of the sensitive surface. Alike the Apple MacBooks or the Samsung Serie 9 900X3A, the pad surface sinks by a millimeter and thus triggers a left mouse click (or double click).Sony VGP-BPS21/S battery

The pad also has a right mouse key that usually opens context menus. The right and left key are in the front area. The surface above it isn't touch-sensitive. That is very good because it prevents an irritating cursor movement when only a click is to be implemented. The Samsung Serie 9 900X3A has such a drawback. The mouse keys' drop is good (two millimeters), but could be a bit clearer (for speed). The pressure point is sufficient, the stop is soft and the click is quiet.Sony VGP-BPS21/B battery

The 11.6 inch screen has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels, so typical for the small form factor. Users who want a more clearly arranged desktop will have to buy the 13.3 inch UX31E, which is equipped with a HD+ resolution (1600x900) in every configuration version. The reflective screen shows its qualities in brightness. Colors and contrasts couldn't convince us. XPS 14  Battery

We calculate a contrast of 144:1 due to an extremely weak black value of 3.31 cd/m2. A high contrast generates bright and vivid colors. The glare type can make them look a bit better, but on total they look rather pale. The Adobe RGB (t) and sRGB (t) color gamut are failed by far (pictures 1 & 2). We place the "VAIO Premium display" of a Vaio SE1Z9EB (FHD) next to it for comparison (AdobeRGB coverage).DELL XPS 15  Battery

XPS L401x  Battery To live up to its claim of being a synonym for mobility, the Zenbook supplies an tremendous luminance. The screen reaches a gigantic 478 cd/m2 selectively (nearly the top rate in the laptop database!). Averagely, it is still an extremely good 441 cd/m2 (top rate). The previous brightness leader, Samsung Serie 9 900X3A (matt, max. 482, average 413 cd/m2), is thus ousted. The brightness distribution of 87% is relatively good despite the high luminosity.DELL XPS 17  Battery

Regrettably,DELL XPS L501x  Battery the splendid brightness isn't attached to a matt, but rather a glare type. Thus, the usual annoying reflections develop when sunlight hits the screen at an unfavorable angle. The brightness helps to reduce this effect. Brightness settings on high in battery mode have the disadvantage of a shorter runtime. The despite it all rather poor battery life was determined with a setting of 100 cd/m2 (WLAN test, movie) in this review. It could get problematic should these times turn out to be even shorter. The brightness is decreased to 395 cd/m2 in battery mode (center).DELL XPS L701x  Battery

Lateral view: Dell Inspiron 500m  Battery sun from the backThe horizontal viewing angles are only stable up to about 45 degrees. Beyond that, the contrast fades and the colors invert. When our view sways downwards (vertically), the displayed script stays well legible up to about 35 degrees. However, colors already start to clearly invert at 10 degrees. Consequently, it is a viewing angle weak TN screen. That's too bad because such TFTs are installed into every low cost laptop. Many users would likely be willing to pay a bit more for a higher quality IPS screen.Dell Inspiron 600m  Battery

Latitude D500  Battery The Intel Core i7-2677M (standard: 1.80 GHz, Turbo: 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz) is a brand new dual core processor of the second Intel Core generation from 2011 (Sandy Bridge). The TDP is 17 watts (laptops otherwise 35 and 45 watts). In contrast to the Intel Core i7-2620M (dual core, 35 watts) frequently used in subnotebooks lately, the TDP is significantly lower. However, this only applies to the standard clock. A Core i5-2467M (1.60 GHz, Turbo up to 2.00 GHz) is available for the UX21E-KX004V as a less expensive version.Latitude D505  Battery

HP EV088AA , HP EV089AA , HP EX940AA , HP EX941AA , HP HSTNN-C17C , HP HSTNN-DB31 , HP HSTNN-DB32 , HP HSTNN-IB31 , HP HSTNN-IB32 , HP HSTNN-IB42 , HP HSTNN-LB31 , HP HSTNN-LB42 , HP HSTNN-OB31 , HP HSTNN-OB42 , HP NBP6A48A1