1080p Ultrabooks? For $1300 or less?

D

David_CAN

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 15, 2011
Messages
186
I'm having a really hard time finding ultrabooks with a 1080p display. A few are 1600x900 but most are the worthless 1280x768 "HD" screens. It won't be used as a primary device but it will run Visual Studio, Office, Visio and a few other tools.

I guess what I want to know is if there are any competitors to the 128GB Surface Pro ($999) with Type Cover ($129). More storage, a lower price, a keyboard that lets you set the function keys as primary (instead of holding FN) and a better charger design would all improve on the Surface Pro
 
in that price range I would recommend a used Samsung Series 9 of some kind. either the older one or the newer ones.

if you're looking for BNIB with these requirements, that's a lot to ask in that price range. options will be limited.
 
At the Price point you are looking at, the Surface Pro may yet still be your best bet. The limitations you mention, some can be worked around as follows:

1) Function Keys - The Pro does Bluetooth. Instead of the MS supplied touch or type covers, just get a separate small BT keyboard that has the key arrangement you like. It will also likely be much cheaper than the MS covers. You can even use the Apple BT keyboard if you prefer it. You can also get a BT mouse and have a very portable workstation.

2) More Storage - The Pro has a MicroSD slot and you can backup the recovery partition to a USB drive (8G minimum) and reclaim its space on the SSD. I have a 32M MicroSD card in mine that I picked up for ~$19 from Amazon. I have Windows set to store all of it's library folders there, so I can pull the card to get to my documents on another computer if necessary, and they do not take up my program space on the SSD. I have seen Class 10 SDXC 64G cards, but they run ~$50 though. The spec supports up to 2 TB, so these will get bigger over time.

3) I picked up a good Samsonite carrying case from Best Buy for $30 - The case is very small but still way bigger than the Surface Pro itself. I keep the charger, pen and my BT mouse in the case for use when needed. If I need an accessory it is near at hand. Shoulder weight is almost non-existent when carrying the whole thing around.

4) * BONUS * The Surface Pro can be readily used as a tablet for your light consumption needs :)
 
Also forgot to mention - I have found the pen and digitizer functions to be surprisingly useful despite initially figuring them to be superfluous. If you find yourself where you are in a position of having to manipulate objects on the screen spatially, the pen is fantastic for example. And if you have to do any Photoshop work, it is a god send.

If you are in doubt as to how well the Surface Pro will fit with your work flow - I encourage you to visit a Best Buy or Staples and try one out for yourself. Pushed me from 'meh' to 'Sold!'
 
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