Looking for a ~$1000 ultrabook for college

[Nineshadow]

Hello guys.

I'm looking for an ultrabook in the $1000 range.

I currently have a Lenovo Y50 which has good performance, but it's too large and too heavy to carry around campus and the battery barely lasts 2 hours.

I'm looking for something portable and with good battery life. I'd also like a good keyboard, but I don't know how much of that I will get in a thin ultrabook. Also, I expect a decent screen at this price point.

What will I be using the laptop for? Other than basic use cases such as web browsing, I'll be doing programming-related tasks, but nothing too demanding. The most demanding thing I'll be doing on it will probably be to run a few VMs once in a while. Also, I'll mostly be using Linux for what it's worth.

I'm not sure about games though. I do occasionally play titles like Hollow Knight, at least that's what I would consider the "average" game for me in terms of graphical intensity. The most demanding game I would play might be Dark Souls, since I like to come back to it once in a while. I'm pretty sure Intel graphics and Dark Souls don't bode well together, so I might consider an ultrabook with an MX150. But I don't necessarily need it, I will keep my gaming laptop and I could game on if I wanted to or on my desktop. So I'd say a dedicated GPU would be cool to have, but not necessary.

 

I'm buying from Romania, prices differ here a little bit. I ruled out the XPS 13 because it's too expensive here. I considered the Thinkpad X1 Carbon, but again, it's out of my price range.

 

My best option would be, I think, the new Asus Zenbook UX433.

https://www.pcgarage.ro/ultrabook/asus/14-zenbook-ux433fa-fhd-procesor-intel-core-i5-8265u-6m-cache-up-to-390-ghz-8gb-256gb-ssd-gma-uhd-620-win-10-home-royal-blue/

It's really compact, has an appealing design (those thin bezels are really nice) and it looks to be pretty ok. I would have liked for it to have Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-C charging, but those features are hard to find at this price point. There will also be an MX150 model available for what it's worth.

 

Another interesting choice would be the HP Envy 13:

https://altex.ro/laptop-hp-envy-13-ah0011nn-intel-core-i5-8250u-pana-la-3-4ghz-13-3-full-hd-8gb-ssd-128gb-nvidiar-geforcer-mx150-2gb-windows-10-home/cpd/LAP4PK27EA/

It's definitely a good option, it's just that the Asus has a more interesting design and a slightly larger screen.

 

Any suggestions?

[AlexTheGreatish]

If you're able to get your hands on an LG Gram they are very compelling for the money, but can be difficult to find outside of the US or Korea

[AlexTheGreatish]

The Matebook X Pro could also be a good option.

[genexis_x]

4 hours ago, Nineshadow said:

$1000 range

Budget in your country's currency? Preferred max weight in kg/lbs and min battery life in hours? Any preference on display size and display quality (sRGB)? Any links of online stores?

[Nineshadow]

9 hours ago, AlexTheGreatish said:

If you're able to get your hands on an LG Gram they are very compelling for the money, but can be difficult to find outside of the US or Korea

Not available here. Same story for the Matebook. Thanks for your input.

[Nineshadow]

4 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

Budget in your country's currency? Preferred max weight in kg/lbs and min battery life in hours? Any preference on display size and display quality (sRGB)? Any links of online stores?

Around 4000 RON.

 

Max weight around 1.5 kg I think.

 

Battery life should be enough to last a day (~8 hours) of light use.

 

14/13" display, better display quality is always welcome but not necessary.

 

https://www.pcgarage.ro/ultrabook/

 

[genexis_x]

46 minutes ago, Nineshadow said:

Around 4000 RON

Asus UX433FA - soldered RAM, good sRGB IPS

Asus UX430UA - soldered RAM, good sRGB IPS

Lenovo Ideapad 520s 14

Lenovo Ideapad 530s 14 (WQHD model has better colours but less battery life)

Lenovo Yoga 530

 

Let me know if you have other options in mind

[PineyCreek]

I've been alright with my tiny Inspiron 7000 series.  I think the Inspiron 14 7000 has an MX150 option right at $1k in the US, not sure what it would be in Romania.  Can't speak much to the build quality since I haven't had it long.

[Nineshadow]

39 minutes ago, GeneXiS_X said:

Asus UX433FA - soldered RAM, good sRGB IPS

Asus UX430UA - soldered RAM, good sRGB IPS

Lenovo Ideapad 520s 14

Lenovo Ideapad 530s 14 (WQHD model has better colours but less battery life)

Lenovo Yoga 530

 

Let me know if you have other options in mind

I've considered those and the UX433 seems like the best for me.