Computers
01 APPLE MACBOOK A IR 1 1-INCH
FROM $1,099, APPLE.COM/AU, TESTED AUGUST 2013
LOVE Same slimline, aluminium looks, plus improved battery life, faster Wi-Fi and a price drop
HATE No Retina Display T3 SAYS The world’s most stylish ultra-portable laptop just got even better, and cheaper SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN 11.6-inch, 1366x768 PROCESSOR/RAM Core i3 1.3GHz/4GB STORAGE 128GB SSD QUOTED BATTERY 9hrs
02 ASUS ZENBOOK UX31
$1,399, ASUS.COM.AU, TESTED APRIL 2012
LOVE Elegant design conceals a throbbing, 1.8GHz Core i7 processor and 256GB solid state drive. Quick boot-up to boot
HATE Slimline build means no optical drive T3 SAYS The king of the ultrabooks to date combines plenty of power with spunky aesthetics SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN 13.3-inch, 1600x900 PROCESSOR/RAM Core i7 1.8GHz/4GB STORAGE 256GB SSD QUOTED BATTERY 5hrs
03 APPLE MACBOOK PRO WITH RETINA DISPLAY 1 3-INCH
$1,849, APPLE.COM/AU, TESTED DECEMBER 2014 LOVE Thinner, lighter, with more storage space packed inside HATE Prone to overheating. Battery life’s not brilliant T3 SAYS The new MacBook Pro is better and cheaper SPECIFICATIONS SCREEN 13-inch, 2560x1600 PROCESSOR/RAM Core i5 2.4GHz/8GB STORAGE 256GB SSD QUOTED BATTERY 9hrs
04 DELL INSPIRON 15
$799, DELL.COM/AU, TESTED SEPTEMBER 2013
LOVE Workmanlike spec and a solid build. Responsive touchscreen for Windows 8. Decent keyboard. Cheap as…
HATE It’s neither light nor pretty T3 SAYS Dell’s budget laptop is great for everyone from skint students to silver surfers SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN 15.6-inch, 1366x768 PROCESSOR/RAM Pentium 1.8GHz/4GB STORAGE 500GB QUOTED BATTERY 6hrs
05 HP SPECTRE XT PRO
$1,499, HP.COM/AU, TESTED MARCH 2013
LOVE Attractive and sturdy all-metal design. Seriously thin and portable. Great battery life. Beats Audio. Reasonably priced
HATE Tricky touchpad. Screen could be better T3 SAYS The smartest ultrabook. What it lacks in power it makes up for with style and portability SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN 13.3-inch, 1366x768 PROCESSOR/RAM Core i5 1.7GHz/4GB STORAGE 128GB SSD QUOTED BATTERY 7.5hrs
06 APPLE iMAC
$1,429, APPLE.COM/AU, TESTED JULY 2013
LOVE Mountain Lion OS X. Slimline look – as thin as an iPhone 5 at the edge. The 27-inch model comes with a Retina Display
HATE The DVD drive has been dropped T3 SAYS Optimum combination of style and specifications, now slimmer. Still got it! SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN 21.5-inch, 1920x1080 PROCESSOR/RAM Core i5 2.7GHz/8GB STORAGE 1TB HDD
07 SONY VAIO TAP 2 0
$1,499, SONY.COM/AU, TESTED JULY 2013
LOVE Twenty-inch touchscreen desktop with adjustable viewing angles. Unplug it and it’ll run on its three-hour battery
HATE Tacky, plastic build T3 SAYS Feature-packed all-in-one with tablet pretensions and full-fat Windows 8 OS SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN 20-inch, 1600x900 PROCESSOR/RAM Core i5 1.9GHz/8GB STORAGE 500GB HDD
08 ASUS ZENBOOK UX32A
$899, ASUS.COM.AU, TESTED NOVEMBER 2012
LOVE Slimline design matches the Zenbook UX31 at #2. Solid spec, although admittedly not outstanding HATE Relatively poor battery life T3 SAYS Attractive and powerful, this Zenbook is a very solid, good-VFM option that also has a touch of style SPECIFICATIONS SCREEN 13.3-inch, 1600x900 PROCESSOR/RAM Core i5 1.4GHz/4GB STORAGE 500GB HDD QUOTED BATTERY 7hrs
09 ACER C7 CHROMEBOOK
$297, HARVEYNORMAN.COM.AU, TESTED MARCH 2013
LOVE Incredible price tag. Decent screen and acceptable processor. 100GB of cloud storage
HATE Chrome OS lacks support. Requires web connection T3 SAYS Incredible cheapness makes this a good second machine, or one for undemanding users SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN 11.6-inch, 1366x768 PROCESSOR/RAM 1.1GHz dualcore/2GB STORAGE 320GB HDD QUOTED BATTERY 3hrs
10 SONY VAIO D UO 1 3
$1,899, SONY.COM.AU, TESTED DECEMBER 2013
LOVE Slimline Windows 8 hybrid. Fantastic touchscreen and enough battery to make it through the day
HATE Lack of storage for that crazy price tag T3 SAYS Got money to burn on an overpriced Windows 8 hybrid? This is the swankiest one around SPECIFICATIONS SCREEN 13.3-inch, 1920x1080 PROCESSOR/RAM 1.6GHz
i5/4GB STORAGE 128GB SSD QUOTED BATTERY 10hrs