Did you know that ever since the global pandemic began, over 71% of Americans switched to working from home?
Working away from the office shouldn’t slow you down. It’s a new type of environment but with the right tools, you can improve work efficiencies. One such tool is the new kind of laptop: an Ultrabook.
What is an Ultrabook and how does it help? Discover the answers below with our in-depth dive into the technology behind Ultrabooks and what they offer to improve your work:
Premium Hardware
One of the biggest benefits of owning an Ultrabook is the hardware. Unlike other types of laptops, you get premium hardware right from the get-go. That’s the whole point of an Ultrabook.
Take a look at the Intel EVO platform for a good example, which you can find at www.lenovo.com. A laptop can’t carry the Intel EVO label if it doesn’t come with powerful hardware. This means even the weakest Ultrabook from Lenovo will carry these parts, ensuring both efficiency and power even without having to look under the hood.
What kind of hardware will an Ultrabook carry? Expect the highest quality screens, the latest motherboard, high-grade speakers, and durable metal and plastic casing. This means you’ll get a durable and beautiful Ultrabook that lives up to its price tag.
Guaranteed Power
Speaking of guarantees, every Ultrabook has to follow a few Key Experience Indicators or KEI. Otherwise, they won’t earn the Ultrabook or Intel EVO platform label.
What indicators do these Ultrabooks need to follow? The device needs to feature:
- 11th-generation Intel i5 or i7
- At least 256 GB SSD storage
- 8 GB RAM
- Instant wake up
- 9 hours of real-world battery life
- Modern connectivity capabilities
- Biometrics
- Precision features such as a high-end touchscreen and keyboard
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, not all Ultrabooks or Intel EVO laptops need to feature a touchscreen or 2-in-1 design. Most Ultrabooks feature a 13 or 14-inch screen but it won’t take long for some to utilize a bigger screen.
Looking at these minimum requirements, an Ultrabook is more than enough for extensive work or school needs. However, you won’t have enough power for heavy-duty gaming or video editing.
Optimized for Portability
An Ultrabook should be two things: thinner and lighter than normal laptops. It has to be the ultimate choice when it comes to portable work essentials. When it comes to choosing between an Ultrabook and a modern gaming laptop, the former has to be the better option for quick travel purposes.
Gaming laptops can offer more graphical fidelity but this added power comes at a cost. They often weigh too much to make them practical for travel. They also consume a lot of battery power, which means you’ll only be able to use them for an hour or so when you’re out.
This isn’t an issue with Ultrabooks, which feature a design intended for extensive use on the go.
Longer Lasting Battery
As mentioned, one of the KEIs that make Ultrabooks ideal for travel is their great battery life.
The standard for an Intel EVO is at least 9 or more hours of battery life. This is already with consistent use of numerous apps and Internet browsing. The Ultrabook should also maintain at least 4 hours of battery life on a 30-minute quick charge.
Another important feature is the ability to charge quickly via USB-C. This makes Ultrabooks far more efficient for mobile use since you can charge them using a power bank.
Taking good care of your battery will prevent it from overheating and losing efficiency. You don’t want a battery that drains quicker than it should. You also want to avoid a battery that gets too hot since that poses a fire hazard and could break your Ultrabook.
Fastest Internet Connection
Manufacturers designed Ultrabooks as the ultimate tool for mobile work. This means you’re more likely going to connect to the Internet using WiFi and other wireless methods instead of a LAN cable. To optimize this, Ultrabooks now feature WiFi 6, LTE, and Thunderbolt technology.
All of these ensure you can get online wirelessly and without a hitch. You can easily get online even if you only connect to a smartphone’s hotspot.
Upgrading from WiFi 5 to WiFi 6, which is a big feature for Ultrabooks, isn’t solely about the boosted connection speed. It’s also about how a router can now handle connecting more devices simultaneously to the Internet. With WiFi 6, your device won’t choke a router’s bandwidth limit too much and you’ll still get a faster-than-normal Internet connection.
High-End Biometric Security
Biometric security is now becoming a necessity. A lot of people still use common passwords, making it easy for people to break into their devices. However, switching from passwords to biometrics makes it much more difficult for hackers or thieves to break in.
Ultrabooks have to feature several biometric systems to satisfy the KEI requirements. Most Ultrabooks use an IR scanner and finger scanner. You might even find an Ultrabook that relies on facial recognition to unlock it from Sleep mode.
Biometrics aren’t solely for security purposes.
They also make it easier and faster for the user to log in. All it takes is a quick fingerprint scan to wake up the Ultrabook. You no longer have to remember a long, complicated password.
Built for Tomorrow
Never buy a laptop with specs meant for today. It will become outdated in weeks. It could already feel outdated the moment you bring it home and try to run modern apps for work or gaming.
Ultrabooks are future-proof. They feature specs that will keep them relevant for a few years forward. You won’t need to upgrade your Ultrabook for the next three to five years.
This is important for work efficiency because you don’t want to keep replacing your laptop. Buy one Ultrabook and use it for years, whether at the office or home. This reduces business expenses too since you won’t need to keep buying a new laptop.
However, keep in mind that Ultrabooks aren’t optimal gaming machines. These won’t last long for that intention. If you use them solely for efficient work and school tasks, these will last for years and rarely give up on you.
Convertible Design
Most Ultrabooks feature a clamshell design. This is the traditional laptop design of a folding unit. However, there are some Ultrabooks, including a few in the Intel EVO line, that offer 2-in-1 designs.
What’s a 2-in-1 device? These are units that not only serve as laptops but can also work as traditional tablets. This means they have a touchscreen and can work with a stylus pen, making them ideal for taking notes, art, or other graphical needs.
Some Ultrabooks only feature a touchscreen. You can find some that go one step beyond and allow you to detach the screen. This turns it into a traditional tablet but you will need to charge that screen separately from the laptop’s base.
Always Ready for Work
Have you ever tried turning on a traditional premium laptop? They normally take at least half a minute to turn on. This can take even longer depending on the different startup tasks and apps enabled by the user.
Unfortunately, this is not an efficient way to get work done.
If you want to take down notes, record a lecture, or share important work files on the go, you need a unit that can instantly wake from sleep. Ultrabooks offer this technology. As listed above, one major KEI is the ability to wake up from sleep in 1 second.
That might sound too fast for some but it’s not unheard of. Phones and tablets have been doing this for about a decade now. Gaming devices like the Nintendo Switch can wake up from sleep in a second as well.
NFC Technology
Boost work efficiencies by using a device that can handle all transactions at once. Some Ultrabooks now feature NFC technology, which means you can accept credit card payments and other forms of NFC transactions without third-party hardware.
Gone are the days when you need a bulky card reader to accept credit transactions!
This is an optimal design choice for people who bring their laptops for business. Being away from the office or home no longer means you have to shut down your deals with clients and consumers.
Boost Work Efficiencies With the Best Ultrabook Today
Now you know why Ultrabooks are the optimal choice if you want to improve work efficiencies. These are lighter, faster, and more efficient laptops that come with all of the required modern features for better business. Get your work done, whether for business or school, without ever needing to pull up another device.
Of course, an Ultrabook is only one type of new device you should invest in. If you want to read up about other innovations in technology, we invite you to read our other posts today. We offer a plethora of guides for you to discover!