Best Ultrabooks and Premium Laptops 2020

[Admin]

Our picks for the best ultrabooks (super thin and light notebooks), along with other premium laptops now.

Best Ultrabooks and Premium Laptops 2020 : Read more

 

[mitch074]

...and not a single Renoir based machine.

 

[brakteat]

Indeed. Four years ago when I bought my current laptop, I would not consider buying one with a CPU from AMD because Intel had so much better performance per watt. Now the opposite is true.

This article actually highlights a true embarrassment for Dell, HP and Apple. They have known since long that AMD would offer Zen2-based mobile CPU with an expected much superior performance compared to Intel. Still all three missed the train by launching new high-end models with only Intel CPU.

 

[mariusmotea]

I avoid HP and HPE hardware as much as possible after very bad experience with lot of them. Only the laser printers and the L3 switches are quality products.

 

[jpeters44]

Seriously? How can you keep a straight face while recommending the N-th rehashing of the Skylake architecture, still on 14nm, or at best, 10nm? In isolation it's already a tough sell, but facing more power efficient, performant and featured CPU/APUs from AMD then one can only hope this is a Intel sponsored "round-up" since otherwise it would imply a complete loss of credibility from TH.
I'm typing this from a Dell XPS 15 2019 edition with i7 9750H, while my personal new laptop is a 4800U Asus TUF.

It's not even funny. The XPS 15 has a fantastic wide gamut screen, and performance is atrocious. Sure the boost is amazing on paper for the few seconds it can run until thermal limits are hit and the machine throttles down. After 1 year, the keyboard actually bent slightly near the trackpad with the heat and the battery inflated. A replacement was needed. It wasn't an isolated case either - a cursory search for such will reveal lots of angry Dell customers. Luckily the company contract covers it.
Intel just cannot compete, period. The 4800U performance, battery life, expandability, 2x NVME SSDs, 1x SATA SSD or HDD. Sure the screen gamut won't even cover 100% sRGB, but for that you can find better units from Lenovo, and the Asus G14 with the 4900U, just to name a few.
The offers displayed in the article are great if you can get them at 30-50% of their sale price.
In technical merit alone, well, it'll clearly take a bit of time for Intel to catch up. Let's hope they do though, lest AMD "pull an Intel", stop innovating and start charging an arm and a leg for Ryzen rehashes for 5 years.

 

[Deicidium369]

I avoid HP and HPE hardware as much as possible after very bad experience with lot of them. Only the laser printers and the L3 switches are quality products.

Good practice - For laptops, for the last 4 or 5 years it's been nothing but Dell.

 

[Deicidium369]

Indeed. Four years ago when I bought my current laptop, I would not consider buying one with a CPU from AMD because Intel had so much better performance per watt. Now the opposite is true.

This article actually highlights a true embarrassment for Dell, HP and Apple. They have known since long that AMD would offer Zen2-based mobile CPU with an expected much superior performance compared to Intel. Still all three missed the train by launching new high-end models with only Intel CPU.

AMD is not seen as a premium brand.

Intel - Premium, Ultrabook, High End
AMD - Another Marketing Deception - basement level, last years models, bargain bin

 

[Deicidium369]

...and not a single Renoir based machine.

Renoir is not in a single ultrabook or a single premium laptop.

 

[mitch074]

Renoir is not in a single ultrabook or a single premium laptop.

Which is... Interesting, because that means that current entry level laptops kick the pants off premium laptops when it comes to CPU power and battery efficiency.
Wonder why such performance isn't found neither on premium laptops nor ultrabooks. Premium means lousy now ?

 

[jeremyj_83]

AMD is not seen as a premium brand.

Intel - Premium, Ultrabook, High End
AMD - Another Marketing Deception - basement level, last years models, bargain bin

That is such utter BS it is sad to see such statements on Tomshardware forums. Those type of false and rabid fanboyism should be saved for places like wfctech.

It is quite sad that for their consumer products HP, Dell, etc... not putting AMD CPUs in their top of the line designs. However, for us consumers we end up getting superior performance for less cost, see the $649 Acer Swift 3. The biggest issue with that laptop is the screen isn't the best and it could use a better thermal solution, however, you get better CPU & iGPU performance than the i7-1065G7.

 

[Don Frenser]

That is such utter BS it is sad to see such statements on Tomshardware forums. Those type of false and rabid fanboyism should be saved for places like wfctech.

It is quite sad that for their consumer products HP, Dell, etc... not putting AMD CPUs in their top of the line designs. However, for us consumers we end up getting superior performance for less cost, see the $649 Acer Swift 3. The biggest issue with that laptop is the screen isn't the best and it could use a better thermal solution, however, you get better CPU & iGPU performance than the i7-1065G7.

He is not saying he sees it that way. The big spenders in corparation know nothing. They see Intel and they think is it what they want.

They are just stupid.

 

[jeremyj_83]

He is not saying he sees it that way. The big spenders in corparation know nothing. They see Intel and they think is it what they want.

They are just stupid.

You haven't been around long enough to see what Deicidium has posted, needless to say he has since been permanently banned. He posts at best 1/2 truths mixed with massive fanboyism, outright lies, and nothing that is relative.

 

[Umfriend]

I think AMD is also not supplying enough Renoir APUs. The Lenovo Flex 5 is a good example. Sold out quickly and out of stock for over a month now. Asus Vivobook announced but nowhere to be found. And they were often paired with, uhm, not the best of screens.

Get me a Lenovo Flex 5, 512GB SSD, 16GB ram, a 4500U or 4600U, a good screen and I''l buy two.

 

[jeremyj_83]

I think AMD is also not supplying enough Renoir APUs. The Lenovo Flex 5 is a good example. Sold out quickly and out of stock for over a month now. Asus Vivobook announced but nowhere to be found. And they were often paired with, uhm, not the best of screens.

Get me a Lenovo Flex 5, 512GB SSD, 16GB ram, a 4500U or 4600U, a good screen and I''l buy two.

You can find that in stock on newegg. https://www.newegg.com/grey-lenovo-flex-81x20005-creating-designing/p/1TS-000E-0JUF5

 

[Umfriend]

You can find that in stock on newegg. https://www.newegg.com/grey-lenovo-flex-81x20005-creating-designing/p/1TS-000E-0JUF5

Thanks! US though, I am in Europe though.... Still, if it is available there it may come soon again here.

 

[ThatMouse]

This is a terrible list.

 

[kep55]

Our picks for the best ultrabooks (super thin and light notebooks), along with other premium laptops now.

Best Ultrabooks and Premium Laptops 2020 : Read more

Isn't it interesting how the "experts" used to swoon over laptops getting bigger & bigger screens and now they swoon over laptops with postcard screens. Before you know it, the original Compaq screen size (9") will be all the rage. Magnifying glasses not included.

 

[musapablo]

Indeed. Four years ago when I bought my current laptop, I would not consider buying one with a CPU from AMD because Intel had so much better performance per watt. Now the opposite is true.

This article actually highlights a true embarrassment for Dell, HP and Apple. They have known since long that AMD would offer Zen2-based mobile CPU with an expected much superior performance compared to Intel. Still all three missed the train by launching new high-end models with only Intel CPU.

Is it possible that they are still under legally binding OEM agreements with Intel?

 

[Arbie]

No more Intel for me, in the foreseeable future. I got milked on two XPS-13's... nicely built machines but with CPUs that managed to be both underpowered and overheating at the same time. Clever engineering feat, that.

My next laptop will be AMD, as are all my several desktops now.

 

[kaalus]

Anyone buying an x86 laptop will face years of regret over owning a CPU which is 2x slower while using 3x as much power as Apple hardware. If only one could run Windows or even proper Linux on M1/M2, PC laptops market would be dead. PCs are at least 5 years behind hardware-wise.