Over the last few months, we have reviewed and featured laptops of all shapes and sizes. Mostly our emphasis in our features has been on performance and desktop replacements. This time around, we decided to take a different path. We went through our comprehensive list of reviewed products, and picked out the three best ultra-portables that are available right now.


Asus being in our lineup should be no surprise. They have worked on improving their product range in India. The Asus U5F is built on the dual-core platform and features a range of processors to choose from, the Core Duo T2300 which is clocked at 1.66 GHz to the T7600 Core2Duo processors which are clocked at 2.33 GHz. The LCD panel on the U5F is a 12.1 XGA which is built on the 'Splendid Color Enhancement Engine' technology that Asus is promoting in all its notebooks. This gives the screen increased brightness with vivid color output and depth which is similar to their premium desktop LCD Panel the ASUS PW201. The system offers 512 MB of DDR 2 Ram for system memory (upgradable to 1.5 GB) and an 80 GB HDD for storage space.

In terms of peripheral connectivity, this laptop is not lacking for anything with its inclusion of 3 USB 2.0 slots, 1 Express card slot, a Firewire Slot and an 8-in-1 media card reader. Data connectivity is provided by the Gigabit Ethernet slot, a modem slot and wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. One area where this laptop really shines is its battery life. A standard 6 cell battery is easily able to give around 315 mins (5 hours 15 mins) of battery life which is outstanding. If you want more battery life a 3 cell battery is also offered that will add around 2 to 2 ½ hrs more of battery life for a total of over 7 hours on a single charge.

Weighing in at 1.4 Kg this notebook priced at Rs. 79,000 is one of the best options available in the ultra-portable market and was our pick for the best ultra-portable laptop for 2006.


Samsung is one of the leaders in computing products. Therefore it should come as no surprise that one of their products finds a mention here. The Samsung Q40 is an ultra-portable with an Intel U1400 1.2GHz dual-core processor and sports 1 GB of DDR2 system memory. In terms of storage and optical media support the laptop has a 60 GB HDD and an external dual-layer super DVD drive which is thankfully bundled with the laptop.

Its LCD panel is a 12.1 inch affair, capable of outputting a native 1280x800 widescreen resolution. In terms of feature this notebook offers everything that you can expect from a notebook i.e. 2 USB Slots, a VGA port, a fire wire slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an included memory 4-in-1 memory card reader Owing to its very efficient core-duo processor this Samsung is no slouch in the battery life department. On a single charge it is able to reach 5 hours. Samsung also offers the ability to include an extra 3 cell battery that promises 1.5 hours more bringing the total amount of battery life to a very credible 6 ½ hours. Weighing in at an incredible 1.2 Kg in this laptop priced at Rs. 89,000 is a strong performer with good specifications and great battery life.