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Apple’s MacBook Air is being constantly challenged by the Ultrabook standard with Windows, with various manufacturers coming up with new products that are lighter and thinner.
Gigabyte recently took the crown for the world’s lightest Ultrabook with its X11 model, which was manufactured from carbon fibre to keep the weight down to an impressive 975g. Bragging rights have been taken away in a flash however, as NEC has revealed the LaVie Z Ultrabook which weighs a full 100g less at 875g.
NEC might not be one of the companies that springs to mind when you think about buying a new laptop – heck, Gigabyte won’t be either – but their new Ultrabook is an impressive gadget. It’s not only light but thin as well, with a svelte profile of just 14.9mm at its thickest point.
The LaVie Z has been crafted from a Lithium-Magnesium alloy to help keep it as light as possible, while still being pretty tough. As with the Gigabyte X11 and MacBook Air, the screen used is 13.3-inches in size, with a webcam integrated centrally in the top of the bezel.
Complying with the Ultrabook standard set by Intel, NEC’s new kid on the block will boast one of two Intel Core processors and Windows 7 as standard. One variant will feature an Intel Core i5-3317U processor with 128GB of SSD storage, while the more powerful option boasts an Intel Core i7-3517U processor with double the storage thanks to a 256GB SSD. Both models have the same 4GB of RAM as standard, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
NEC doesn’t often launch gadgets in the UK and Europe unfortunately, and for the time being it looks as though the world’s lightest Ultrabook will be available in Japan only. Pricing is currently unknown.
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