The best MacBook Air alternatives provide you with some of the finest substitutes for the Apple offering. While the notebook fashioned by the Cupertino based company boasts of various noteworthy specs, there are other formidable choices out there in the tech market that may just make potential MacBook buyers think twice before purchasing the same. And for your convenience, we have laid out a few names that might just appeal to you a tad bit more. So sit back and scan through our roster which should cater to all your queries.
1 – Samsung Series 9:
If the makers are to be believed, ‘Deadly performance, killer design,’ is what you can expect once you’ve got your hands on the Samsung Series 9. This entrant comes in two formats, namely 11- and 13-inch variants. The latter measures 12.9 x 8.9 x 0.62 – 0.64 inches and tips the scales at just 2.88lbs. The innards feature an Intel Core i5-2467M processor which clocks in at 1.60GHz, Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 6-cell lithium-ion battery and a 1.3MP HD camera.
Other attributes include USB 3.0 ports, a Bluetooth connectivity option and a backlit keyboard as well as 4GB DDR3 memory and 128GB SSD storage. The 11-inch and 13-inch laptops are both drenched in black and attached with price tags that start from $1,199 and $1,399, respectively.
2 – Toshiba Portege Z835-P330:
Up next in our array of MacBook Air alternatives is the Toshiba Portege Z835-P330. Incorporating a 13.3″ widescreen display, it weighs only 2.47lbs and is splashed with an ultimate silver hue which would surely interest style conscious individuals. Fitted with an Intel Core i3-2367M processor, Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium OS and Mobile Intel HD graphics, the laptop further includes 4GB DDR3 1333MHz memory and 128GB SSD storage capacity. Unlike the Samsung Series 9 device, this particular Toshiba notebook doesn’t extend support for Bluetooth connectivity. The 8-cell li-ion battery claims to provide juice for up to 8.28 hours. When pitted against the $1,299 tag attached to the 13-inch MacBook Air, the Portege Z835-P330 comes in as a slightly cheaper offer with its $899.99 price.
3 – Asus Zenbook UX21E:
The Asus Zenbook UX21E packs in the Asus Super Hybrid engine II which proffers 2-second resume, automatic data backup and recovery, 25% longer battery life and up to 2 weeks standby time, as revealed by the company. Exploiting the ‘slim factor’ to the hilt, it measures 3mm and 9mm at the front and rear, respectively. It sports an 11.6-inch 16:9 HD 1366 x 768p resolutions LED backlight screen and comes to the forefront armed with the Intel Core i7 2677M processor, Genuine Windows 7 Professional OS and integrated Bluetooth V4.0.
This laptop further includes 64GB, 128GB, 256GB SSD options as well as an Intel QS67 Express chipset. Beauty, responsiveness, and eco-friendly are just some of the attributes that define the Zenbook. Those who prefer to stay away from dull shades can now purchase the gadget in hot pink and rose gold colors besides a silver aluminum shade. It is available in the market for a price of $1,150.
4 – Sony Vaio Z Series:
The Sony Vaio Z Series drops into our MacBook Air alternatives porting along the tagline, ‘Feather light, fully loaded.’ At a glance, it measures only 0.66-inches thin and tips the scales at 2.57lbs. There is a bright LED-backlit 13.1-inch widescreen display which is perfect for sitting back and relaxing with a good movie, anytime, anywhere. You can look forward to the notebook hoarding features like the 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processor, Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate and Power Media dock. It offers up to 14 hours of battery life complete with an optional sheet battery. A backlit QWERTY keyboard, integrated HD camera powered by Exmor sensor and a biometric fingerprint sensor as well as 8GB DDR3 memory and 512GB SSD with RAID are also among the specs. The Vaio Z series price starts from $1,699.99 and it can be picked up in various color options like premium carbon fiber black and carbon fiber black, gold and silver shades.
5 – Lenovo ThinkPad X1:
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 which is powered by the 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processor, ‘puts more time on your side.’ Mobility at its best, the device incorporates a sleek frame and measures just 16.5mm thin while porting around lightweight attributes that start from 3.7 pounds. It is infused with the company’s RapidCharge technology which has the ability to charge 80% of the battery in jsut under 30 minutes, further exploiting its portability attribute.
You can seamlessly browse through the web and perceive all images and text with utmost clarity via the 13.3-inch superbright infinity LCD display that’s graced with Corning Gorilla glass. According to Lenovo, it even boasts of delivering business-class security with inclusions like secure data-loss prevention technology, fingerprint reader, encrypting hard drives and pre-loaded Norton Internet Security 2011. If you like what you read, then arm yourself with $1,299 and go acquire this puppy.
6 – Dell XPS 15z:
Touted to be amongst the thinnest 15-inch PCs available on planet earth, the Dell XPS 15z is another formidable entry into our MacBook Air alternatives range. This claim is backed by the fact that it sports dimensions that read 0.97 x 15.15 x 10.25 inches. When compared to the aforementioned notebooks present in this lineup, the XPS 15z is slightly on the heavier side as it weighs 2.51kgs.
The laptop comes integrated with a 2nd generation Intel Core processor, Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium OS, 8GB dual channel DDR3 memory and Intel HM67 chipset. It is further blessed with a 15.6-inch HD WLED display and 1.3MP webcam. The Dell XPS 15z dressed in elemental silver anodized aluminum, bears a starting price of $999.99.
Although the ultra slim Apple laptop has much to offer, it still can be substituted with any one of our picks strewn across the best MacBook Air alternatives list. So when you swerve away from the Apple isle, whose alley would you go down to? Would you prefer a Sony, Samsung or Toshiba notebook or maybe even lean towards a product from the house of Asus, MSI, Dell or Lenovo for your portable computing needs? If you have a favorite of your own, keep us in the loop by dropping in a comment.