Slim Laptops – A Comparison of the Top Three

What is the best slim laptop on the market today? These days notebook computers are getting smaller and slimmer. A netbook is an ideal alternative if you really want something small and light but sometimes it is better to have something a little larger – in particular the keyboard often becomes difficult when size is shrunk down too far. So if you are after something thin, slim and lightweight, what are the best choices?

Several years ago Apple rewrote the rulebook with the introduction of the MacBook Air. As with many of the designs from Apple, the MacBook Air very quickly became more than just a notebook – it was a design classic, it had style and it was immensely desirable. So is there anything better available today, two years later?

There are two serious contenders for the crown of the best slim laptop – the Adamo XPS by Dell and the Sony Vaio X series. How do they match up to MacBook Air?

In terms of style it must be said that the Dell Adamo probably has the edge on the MacBook – it is slimmer still at 10mm compared to the Apple’s 23mm. The Sony Vaio is 16mm deep but does look a bit dull in comparison.

The Apple comes out ahead with overall build quality though. It just feels sturdier than the Adamo. That is the price you pay if you try and go too thin. The Sony has a carbon fibre lid and compared to the unibody aluminium MacBook it does not get a look in.

The Apple also comes out ahead in the processor battle. Both the Adamo and the MacBook have an Intel Core Duo but the MacBook sports 2.13 GHz against the Adamo’s 1.4 GHz. The Adamo has 4 GB ram and the MacBook only 2 GB, but the MacBook has a great graphics card which pushes it ahead. The Sony is running on an upmarket netbook specification with an Intel Atom processor and 2 GB ram.

The Sony does however win with a decent eight hour battery life – the Adamo is surprisingly poor here for a modern notebook with only around two and a half hours. The MacBook has a reasonable five hours. Battery life estimation is always approximate as so much depends on what software and devices are running, but at least it gives us some grounds for comparison.

The Sony possibly offers the best connectivity with the MacBook showing its age a little here. Both the Adamo and Sony have two USB ports and ethernet against the MacBook’s single USB port and no ethernet – not too much of a problem though if you are going totally wireless.

This notebook comparison gives some idea of what each of these machines has going for them. In conclusion, the Adamo is undoubtedly very stylish, but does feel a little flimsy and the battery life is poor. The Sony is a very small machine with good battery life so is ideal as a travelling companion, but it looks dull and lacks the power of the others. The MacBook, perhaps not surprisingly, is still probably the best slim laptop you can buy.

By: Robert J Conley

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