Though computers are a part of our everyday lives, most of us don't actually need the amount of processing power available to us in large, hefty desktops or laptops.
The idea of the Ultrabook is to make laptops a bit more convenient, but powerful enough for most tasks.
The term Ultrabook is actually pure marketing, dreamt up by Intel for a new generation of portable PCs featuring its technology.
The best way to think of an Ultrabook is a MacBook Air that isn't made by Apple, a netbook that isn't underpowered or a laptop that's been on a crash diet.
The term Ultrabook was coined by Intel, and it specifies laptops with particular specifications, separating them from other ultraportable laptops. They'll all have Intel Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processors, fast SSD storage to some degree, and now USB 3.0 connectivity, for speedy file transfers.
The idea is to offer something with the long battery life and and instant-on convenience of a tablet, without having to sacrifice a real, good-sized keyboard or the desktop software you rely on. That said, with Windows 8 touchscreen capabilities, we're already starting to see the lines blur between Ultrabook and tablet.
Ultrabooks tend to be made with design in mind, so come in more expensive than most mid-range home laptops.
They tend to start from around £699 in the lower end, going to nearly £2,000 at the very high end. For the most part, you're likely to spend between £800 and £1,000 for a newer model, though you can get some older models for good prices.
So which of the many Ultrabooks should you consider? These are the best ones we've reviewed, along with some other great ones we've gone hands-on with.
1. Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga
The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga isn't just a great device in itself, but also a superb flagship for Windows 8. This convertible touchscreen laptop has a 13-inch screen, making for rather a large tablet, but a great-sized Ultrabook. It's a brilliantly flexible machine all around, and offers good battery life in general use. It's not particularly powerful, but it's certainly fast enough for most people, and it looks great, too.
Read our full Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga review
2. Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A
When you look at the Asus Zenbook Prime's specs, it's no surprise that it comes at a premium price. You get the latest Intel processor and graphics, a good amount of solid-state storage, great build quality and, most impressively of all, a 1080p screen that blow nearly all other Ultrabooks out of the water. Adding those up equals a price of around £1500, so the Zenbook Prime UX31A is firmly for those looking for something in the high end…
Read our Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A review
3. Samsung Series 5 Ultra
Packing an Intel Core i5 processor, the Samsung Series 5 Ultra is small but perfectly formed. Available in 14-inch or 13-inch models, the 13 incher is 17.6mm at its fattest point, narrowing to 14mm.
It comes with a 128GB/256GB SSD or a 500GB hard drive (alongside a small 16GB flash drive) and incorporates an LED SuperBright screen. The only worry? Battery life is low at around three hours in our tests. Not to be confused with the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. Which is definitely not an Ultrabook.
Read our Samsung Series 5 Ultra review
4. Asus Taichi
It's fair to say that the Asus Taichi is one of the more unusual Windows 8 devices so far. This 11.6-inch laptop has two screens – one on the front, to use like normal computer, and one on the back of the display, so you can use it as a tablet when it's closed. Both are crisp 1080p screens, with Core i7 processor to power them. Yet there's no major hit on the design – the Taichi weighs just 1.1kg.
Read our hands-on Asus Taichi review
5. Samsung Series 9
While the original Series 9 was one of the world's thinnest laptops, the new Samsung 9 Series Ultrabook is even thinner.
The design team has shaved off another 4mm, giving this 13-inch (1600 x 1200) laptop a waistline of only 12.9mm. Inside, a 1.7GHz Core i7 chip does all the hard work, ably assisted by up to 8GB of memory and SSD storage.
Read our Samsung 9 Series review
6. Gigabyte U2442
Gigabyte's first dip in the Ultrabook waters hits an excellent balance between power and affordability. The inclusion of discrete graphics and a load of RAM means performance is exceptional, while clever additions to the OS make day-to-day performance easy – even if you're new to computing. The screen is a strong point too, but all this mean you'll end up paying over £1000 for the Gigabyte U2442. It's not an unreasonable price, but it may be too high for many.
Read our Gigabyte U2442 review
7. Acer Aspire S7
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Coming in both 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch versions, the Aspire S7 is one of the hottest Ultrabooks yet to be released. Designed with Windows 8 in mind, the S7's screen can fold all the way back so it's flat in line with the keyboard, and offers a 10-point touch display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 to protect it. It's even a 1080p screen, as if it wasn't impressive enough already, and is one of the lightest Ultraportables we've seen yet.
Read our Acer Aspire S7 review
8. Lenovo IdeaPad U510
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Though it pushes the idea of the Ultrabook to its limit, the Lenovo IdeaPad U510 is all about retaining some of the traditional features of the laptop, but still getting the advantages of Ultrabooks. So, it's thicker and heavier that most of the Ultrabooks here, and can even pack in a DVD or Blu-ray drive, but still resumes in around a second.
Read our: Lenovo IdeaPad U510 review
9. Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS 13 might be a little late to the Ultrabook party, but it's one of the prettiest portables we've seen.
Amazingly, Dell has squeezed an Intel Core i5 or i7 inside the trim chassis, along with 4GB of memory and a 128/256GB SSD. How thin is it? 6mm at its slimmest point.
Read our Dell XPS 13 review
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