With CES ending in two days, more horsepower gets cramped into smaller and smaller devices. Such is the case for 2018, but let’s go back just a few weeks and see what 2017 had to offer in the way of ultraportable gaming laptops or gaming ultrabooks.
Back in mid-2017, NVIDIA’s MX150 was released and was meant to be the mobile counterpart of the desktop GT 1030. Succeeding the older, Maxwell-based 940MX, it was built for portable laptops that can output and boost graphical tasks when needed.
For the gamer on the go who doesn’t like a bulky companion, MX150-powered ultrabooks can run eSports titles at 1080p in 60FPS and AAA games at 30FPS.
First off the list is the HP Envy 13, which was the first laptop to be outfitted with the MX150. Being 14mm thin, this is one of the most compact laptops with the MX150. Imagine gaming-on-the-go with something this light for say, business travels and holiday outings. With this GPU, the starting price ramps up to around $1400 or 1199 Euros, which is definitely not cheap. However, with the Envy 13, performance isn’t everything. It is beautiful in its own right, HP-style.
| Display | 13.3″ 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 166 PPI, BOE070E, IPS LED |
| Dimensions |
(H x W x D) 14 x 305 x 216mm, 1.3kgs |
| Design | Metal unibody frame |
| Colors |
N/A
|
| Chipset | LGA 1151 |
| Processor |
Intel® Core™ i7-7500U processor 2.7GHz dual-core with Turbo Boost (up to 3.5GHz) and 4MB cache
|
| Graphics | Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 + Nvidia GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory | 8GB DDR3L-1866MHz; soldered on |
| Storage | Toshiba NVMe THNSN5256GPUK, 256 GB; PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 SSD |
| Interface |
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1,
2 DisplayPort,
Audio Connections: 3.5mm Audio-Kombo-Port,
Card Reader: micro SD
|
| Keyboard and Touchpad |
Keyboard 6-row chiclet, TKL (tenkeyless) Touchpad Glass clickpad |
| Audio |
Stereo speakers;
Bang & Olufsen-tuned
|
| OS | Windows 10 Home 64-bit |
| Connectivity |
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Battery |
51 Wh Lithium-Polymer 65W power adapter |
| Official Price | 1199 Euro / US$1400 |
Next is the ASUS Zenbook UX430UN. With a dedicated SD card reader thanks to its 14-inch form factor, this will probably be a content creator’s top choice out of this list. Not only that, but the 1080p 100%sRGB color gamut of the LED-backlit NanoEdge display is nothing short of amazing for something meant for long hours of productivity. While we have had only had the UA variant, the experience with using the laptop is simply amazing as seen in our review here.
| Display |
14″ NanoEdge anti-glare LED-backlit with 178˚ wide-view technology; 1920 x 1080 with wide 100% sRGB color gamut 7.18mm-thin bezel with 80% screen-to-body ratio for larger visible screen area |
| Dimensions |
(H x W x D) 15.9 x 324 x 225mm, 1.25kgs |
| Design | Metal unibody frame |
| Colors |
Royal Blue, Rose Gold (with NIL* finish), Quartz Grey, Shimmer Gold (standard finish) * Crystal-like coating via nanoimprint lithography |
| Chipset | LGA 1151 |
| Processor |
Intel® Core™ i5-7200U processor 2.5GHz dual-core with Turbo Boost (up to 3.1GHz) and 3MB cache |
| Graphics | Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 + Nvidia GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory | 8GB 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard |
| Storage | 512GB SATA3 M.2 SSD |
| Interface |
1 x Type-C™ USB 3.1 Gen 1 with support for external display 1 x Type-A USB 3.1 Gen 1 1 x USB 2.0 1 x Micro HDMI 1 x Combo audio jack 1 x SD Card reader |
| Keyboard and Touchpad |
Keyboard Full-size backlit, with 1.4mm key travel Touchpad Glass-covered with optional integrated fingerprint sensor supporting Windows Hello; intelligent palm-rejection and handwriting input support Precision touchpad (PTP) technology supports up to four-finger smart gestures |
| Audio |
Dual 1.5W speakers 3.5mm headphone jack Certified by Harman Kardon |
| OS | Windows 10 Home/Pro |
| Connectivity |
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Battery |
Up to 9 hours of battery life 50Wh 3-cell lithium-polymer battery 65W power adapter |
| Official Price | Starts at US$1199 for i5/8GB variant |
Number three would be the Acer Switch 7 Black Edition. While not exactly an ultrabook, being a 2-in-1 holds its place in portability. While you do lose mainstream ports, you get a rather powerful Coffee Lake-equipped 2-in-1 that can game, do work, and work on Photoshop and such. Equipped with a 2256×1504 display, it would even be great for watching videos. Also, it comes with a stylus embedded with Wacom EMR technology with 4096 pressure levels for detailed computer graphics work.
| Display | 13.5″ QHD (2256 x 1504) 3:2 IPS
10-point multi-touch |
| Dimensions |
(H x W x D) 9.9 x 329.44 x 229.6mm, 1.6kgs (with dock) |
| Design | Unibody frame |
| Colors |
Black
|
| Chipset | LGA 1151 (Coffee Lake) |
| Processor |
Intel® Core™ i7-8550U 1.8 GHz (TurboBoost up to 4.0GHz); Quad-core, octa-threads
|
| Graphics | Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 + Nvidia GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory | 16GB LPDDR3 |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Interface |
1x USB 3.0
Audio Connections: 3.5mm Audio-Combo-Port,
Card Reader: micro SDXC
|
| Keyboard and Touchpad |
Keyboard On-keyboard dock Touchpad Plastic |
| Audio |
One mic + two speakers
|
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
| Connectivity |
802.11ac wireless LAN Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Battery |
Rated 10 hours during regular use 2-cell 4870 mAh Li-ion 65W power adapter |
| Official Price | US$1699 |
Coming in second is the Lenovo IdeaPad 720s. It’s far from how premium the others are in terms of material and build quality, but it did not compromise on being thin and light despite being heavier than most. Starting at $899 with an i5 Kaby Lake and MX150, it is the cheapest of the bunch that we have discussed so far. It even comes with a 2-lane PCIe Thunderbolt port at its price. For creatives, there is an SD Card with decent speeds for same-day edits.
| Display | 14.0″, 1920 x 1080 px, IPS, non-touch, glossy |
| Dimensions |
(H x W x D) 15.9 x 321 x 223mm, 1.48kg (laptop) + .155kg (charger) |
| Chipset | LGA 1151 (Kaby Lake) |
| Processor |
Intel Kaby Lake Core i7-7500U 2.7GHz dual-core with Turbo Boost (up to 3.5GHz) and 4MB cache
|
| Graphics | Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 + Nvidia GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory | 16GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD |
| Interface |
2x USB-A 3.0
1x USB-C with Thunderbolt 3 (2 PCIe lanes)
1x HDMI-out
1x SD Card-reader
1 x 3.5mm Audio-Combo port
|
| Keyboard and Touchpad |
Keyboard On-keyboard dock Touchpad Plastic |
| Audio |
Stereo Harman Kardon speakers
|
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Connectivity |
Wireless AC (Intel AC 3165), Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Battery |
56 Wh, 45W charger |
| Official Price | Starts at US$899 |
And in our first place would be the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro. While having essential improvements over its smaller brother, it still is the one and same. Great performance, above average battery life, and Chinese-only Windows 10 out-of-the-box, if you’re into that kind of thing. For around $1140, you’ll be getting the latest i5 Coffee Lake CPU for ultrabooks paired with an MX150, making for a great entertainment and workhorse machine that weighs under 2kgs.
| Display | 15.6″, 1920 x 1080 |
| Dimensions |
(H x W x D) 15 x 360 x 244mm, 1.99kg |
| Chipset | LGA 1151 (Kaby Lake) |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5-8250U 1.6GHz quad-core with Turbo Boost (up to 3.4GHz) and 6MB cache
|
| Graphics | Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 + Nvidia GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory | 8GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 256GB Samsung PM961 SSD |
| Interface |
2 x USB Type-A
2 x USB Type-C
1 x HDMI
1 x 3.5mm audio jack
1 x microSD
|
| Keyboard and Touchpad |
Keyboard Chiclet-styled tenkeyless Touchpad Buttonless with fingerprint scanner |
| Audio |
Stereo Harman Kardon Infinity speakers
|
| OS | Windows 10 (Chinese) |
| Connectivity |
802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Battery |
61Wh 45W charger |
| Official Price | Starts at US$1140 |
So, what is your favorite out of the five ultrabooks that we’ve mentioned? While 2018 may not be the year for surprises and innovations, tech has improved a lot over the course of time, to the point that 1080p gaming is made possible in 14mm-thin powerhouses.
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