Search for a good biz grade ultra book under 2.5lbs

YeOldeStonecat

YeOldeStonecat

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Have a client with one employee who needs an ultra book....pretty much insisting on not over 2.5 lbs. (1.13 kg for those across the pond from me).

She currently has a Dell Latitude e4200 which spoiled her at 2.2 lbs.
Dell has retired that model...no replacement....seems they're staying out of the 12" laptop range for now....business grade anyways.

2.5 lbs really narrows down my list.
Wanting to stick to Windows 7 pro...but she'll have to deal with Win8 if that's all their is.

Need a docking station (that option probably kills 95% of options).

Hopefully bigger than a 128 gig SSD...a 256 would be fine.

Looked at that Sony Vaio Pro 13..not overly fond of Sonys cuz of difficult support.

I pitched Lenovos excellent Carbon X1 option..but at 2.9 lbs..she disqualified it. Grrrr.

Really no budget limit. They'd spend 2500 I'm sure...s'long as it's under 2.5 lbs. :rolleyes:

Toshi Portege Z930....starts at 2.47 lbs...but from what I can tell, you're stuck with a 1366x768 resolution.
 
I was going to suggest looking at the Samsung Series 9, the 13" is about 2.5lbs..... until I saw you say it needs a dock.
I'm lost on that one.
 
New latitude 7000 series. 2.9 lbs, so may not go over. It's so new, options on the site are non-existent. However, if you call your rep, you can get bigger ssd, 1080p screen, etc. Dock available for extra $125. Other than that, look at the xps Ultrabooks.
 
angry_geek said:
Other than that, look at the xps Ultrabooks.
Click to expand...

Have you actually handled one of those little XPS12 converties? That swivel/flip/rotating screen just looks as rugged as 6 toothpicks glued together end to end with Elmers....

The other models are all around 3 or above in weight. Including that 7k.
I'm up against a wall with this "2.5 lb max" thing.
You know the stuff I'm telling them...hardly any Biz grade in this class, you'll get odd brands that I can't easily support, non removable batteries, all that stuff. Ugh!
 
For what I can tell the Dynadock works pretty good. Recently did an X1 Carbon with a Dynadock. The drivers were a little annoying to install but once it was setup it has been working flawless. I was going to go with the Lenovo dock at first but read several bad reviews and a lot of people were saying to go with the Dynadock instead.
 
I don't think you're going to find ANY true ultrabook that will accommodate a traditional business docking station.

Dell created a WiGig docking station for use with one of their light/thin (not quite ultrabook) Latitudes. Doesn't work too well; requires perfect, unobstructed line-of-sight.

I've installed the Toshiba Dynadock for several clients & it works quite well.
 
An 11" Macbook Air might fit requirements. Just squeaks in at 2.4 pounds. Build quality is about equivalent to most business class machines. Comes with a 256GB or 512GB SSD. You'd have to go third-party for the docking station, but the Landing Zone Pro is supposed to be quite good.

Of course, if the client needs Windows, you'd need to purchase a separate license and run it via Parallels... or, horror of horrors to Apple lovers, wipe Mac OSX and install Windows. Also, while the docking station has an Ethernet port, the Air itself doesn't. You'd have to get a Thunderbolt to Gigabit Eithernet adapter for wired networking away from the docking station.
 
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The weight restriction really kills this. Surely she could live with just under 3 lbs.

Business Grade
Ultrabook
Under 2.5 lbs
Docking Station
High Resolution


Hmm found a Sony 13.3" 1080p display 2.34lbs but no docking station and you don't like their support.

I would sell her on a X series lenovo. Just under 3lbs but 1600x900 resolution.
 
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I would go with your gut on the Lenovo X1. Just set one of these up for a colleague/client of mine. He had an older Core2Duo Lenovo convertible. I cannot believe the kind of abuse that thing took, especially with that dinky little swivel hinge. Machine just kept on trucking!

The new X1 is great. 256G SSD, i7 (admittedly it is not all that powerful) and 8GB of RAM. Very snappy for desktop apps, and this one is running Solidworks pretty dang well.

No docking station but the USB 3.0 ones do fine. It's still 2 plugs but that really cuts down the cordage.

I think you should lean on them a little more about the extra .4lbs. The thing is really light. The screen is still big enough to see.

Really a great model.
 
I think Dell still sells the Latitude e6230. We have a few over here and it it about the same weight as the e4200. We buy remanufactured, but it should still be on Dell's site.
 
"I pitched Lenovos excellent Carbon X1 option..but at 2.9 lbs..she disqualified it. Grrrr."

2.9lbs. vs. 2.5 = 6.4 oz.

6.4 oz.........I would tell her this is her best option. I doubt she could tell the difference unless she weighed them. "Customize" some extra vent holes to lose 6.4 ozs. and charge more for the customizing.......LOL

Not many choices past that one.
 
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