Porsche Design Ultra One laptop short review: Noisy SSD antagonizes the expensive laptop
At the time, our review of the Porsche Design Book One not only criticized the high price but also the rather modest performance, as well as the unwieldy overall concept of the convertible. With the Porsche Design Ultra One that we have now, the manufacturer has abandoned the tablet concept and manufactured an equally expensive but rather classic laptop with a 15.6-inch touchscreen. An Intel Core i7-8500Y with an integrated UHD Graphics 615 graphics unit, 16 GB of memory, and a 1 TB SSD make for a smooth operation.
The built-in CPU can also be found in fanless convertibles of the competition; we've included these in the comparison of this review for the purpose of evaluating processor performance. In addition, there are laptops from a similar price range and a significantly cheaper device, which is primarily intended to show how much more power you can get for less money. Other laptops from our database can also be added for comparison under each table.
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.1 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2019 | Porsche Design Ultra One i7-8500Y, UHD Graphics 615 | 1.5 kg | 15 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
v (old) | 01 / 2019 | HP Spectre Folio 13-ak0020ng i7-8500Y, UHD Graphics 615 | 1.5 kg | 15.4 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84 % v6 (old) | 05 / 2019 | VAIO A12-92993 i7-8500Y, UHD Graphics 615 | 1.1 kg | 24 mm | 12.50" | 1920x1080 | |
| 83.2 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2019 | Lenovo ThinkPad L590-20Q70019GE i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620 | 2 kg | 23 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 80.8 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2019 | HP ZBook 15u G6 6TP54EA i7-8565U, Radeon Pro WX 3200 | 1.6 kg | 19 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 | |
| 82.9 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2019 | Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U R5 3580U, Vega 9 | 1.5 kg | 14.7 mm | 15.00" | 2496x1664 |
Case and connectivity - High-quality processing and solid connectivity
Porsche Design manufactures the Ultra One from aluminum. Therefore, the laptop looks very stable, and the processing is of high quality. We can't detect uneven edges or similar in our test model. With its narrow dimensions, it's very manageable despite the 15.6-inch screen, and the weight is also at the level of comparable devices at 1.5 kg. The Ultra One doesn't have maintenance options, and Porsche Design specifically points out in its warranty conditions that it is voided as soon as users make changes to the hardware.
When it comes to the positioning of ports, Porsche Design goes its own way and doesn't meet everyone's taste. Most of the ports are located on the back, so that USB sticks, for example, need a little effort to be plugged in. On the sides there's only one USB Type-C port and a 3.5 mm audio jack. In return, users can decide for themselves whether they want to use the side or the rear USB Type-C port for charging the Porsche Design laptop.
The memory card reader is also placed on the back and delivers very good write and read speeds in our test. Since many competitors are now completely forgoing a card reader, we don't want to criticize the limitation to microSD cards at this point.
Users can use Wi-Fi with the fast 802.11ac standard and 2x2 MIMO antenna technology to connect to wireless networks. With an average of 447 Mb/s for receiving and 570 Mb/s for sending data, the speeds achieved in our Wi-Fi test aren't optimal but can still be described as fast.
Port configuration
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L590-20Q70019GE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Average of class Office (22.7 - 198.5, n=31, last 2 years) | |
| VAIO A12-92993 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L590-20Q70019GE (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
| Average of class Office (25 - 249, n=27, last 2 years) | |
| VAIO A12-92993 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 13 2019 i5 4TB3 | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 13 2019 i5 4TB3 | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One | |
Input devices - Porsche Design keyboard is slightly blinding
The keyboard of the Porsche Design Ultra One offers a noticeable pressure point and only produces a dull noise when typing. All the keys are easy to reach, which makes even longer writing sessions easy. A three-stage keyboard backlight can be switched on for working in the dark. However, it illuminates the keyboard somewhat unevenly and shines considerably under the edges of the F keys.
A very large ClickPad is available to users as a mouse replacement. Its surface is pleasantly smooth, but the navigation of the mouse pointer feels quite slightly delayed. The pad responds well to touch and click input so that no external mouse will be necessary after a short adjustment period.
Display - Very reflective screen in the Ultra One
The Porsche Design Ultra One screen consists of a glossy 15.6-inch IPS panel with touch functionality. The brightness is quite low at an average of 221 cd/m²; the combination of this and the highly reflective display surface results in the eyes permanently having to fight against reflections, even in enclosed spaces and without artificial lighting. At 74%, the brightness distribution is below average.
At least the manufacturer doesn't use PWM for brightness control, which means that users with sensitive eyes don't have to expect any difficulties, at least on this point.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 74 %
Center on Battery: 232 cd/m²
Contrast: 1354:1 (Black: 0.175 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.87
ΔE Greyscale 4.9 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
86% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
56% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
62.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
86% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.17
| Porsche Design Ultra One BOE06FB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | VAIO A12-92993 InfoVision IVO04E6, IPS, 1920x1080, 12.5" | Lenovo ThinkPad L590-20Q70019GE N156HCE-EAA, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | HP ZBook 15u G6 6TP54EA AU Optronics AUO30EB, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.6" | Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U Sharp LQ150P1JX51, IPS, 2496x1664, 15" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -25% | -30% | 9% | 5% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 66.8 | 46 -31% | 43.3 -35% | 69.2 4% | 66.9 0% |
| sRGB Coverage | 86 | 69.3 -19% | 64.4 -25% | 97.1 13% | 99.3 15% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 62.8 | 47.52 -24% | 44.81 -29% | 69.7 11% | 63.7 1% |
| Response Times | -12% | -1% | -30% | -16% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 42 ? | 52.8 ? -26% | 42.8 ? -2% | 68.8 ? -64% | 47.2 ? -12% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 31 ? | 30.4 ? 2% | 30.8 ? 1% | 29.6 5% | 36.8 ? -19% |
| PWM Frequency | 990 ? | 24510 ? | 21370 ? | ||
| Screen | 7% | -20% | 26% | 18% | |
| Brightness middle | 237 | 315 33% | 247 4% | 451 90% | 416.9 76% |
| Brightness | 221 | 294 33% | 228 3% | 434 96% | 389 76% |
| Brightness Distribution | 74 | 89 20% | 81 9% | 89 20% | 86 16% |
| Black Level * | 0.175 | 0.21 -20% | 0.18 -3% | 0.25 -43% | 0.4 -129% |
| Contrast | 1354 | 1500 11% | 1372 1% | 1804 33% | 1042 -23% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.7 | 4.4 6% | 5.9 -26% | 4.4 6% | 2.75 41% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 9.7 | 7.1 27% | 22.9 -136% | 6.7 31% | 6.64 32% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.9 | 4.8 2% | 5.1 -4% | 5 -2% | 1.8 63% |
| Gamma | 2.17 101% | 2.02 109% | 2.21 100% | 2.31 95% | 2.09 105% |
| CCT | 6688 97% | 7307 89% | 6398 102% | 7717 84% | 6646 98% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 56 | 44 -21% | 41.2 -26% | 63 13% | 63.4 13% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 86 | 69.5 -19% | 64.1 -25% | 97 13% | 99.4 16% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.9 | 4.7 | 1.8 | 0.71 | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -10% /
-2% | -17% /
-20% | 2% /
15% | 2% /
11% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 31 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 83 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 42 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 22 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 20 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 65 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.5 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8492 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Our measurements demonstrate that the Ultra One has a good contrast ratio of 1354:1 and a very good black value of 0.17 cd/m². As a result, colors appear well separated from each other and black image content looks deep and rich. The color-space coverage is also good at 86% (sRGB) and 56% (AdobeRGB). In addition, colors are reproduced in a relatively balanced way and only with a slight deviation.
Thanks to the viewing-angle-stable IPS panel, image content can be read from almost any angle without becoming distorted or showing wrong colors. However, this only applies to dark environments since strong reflections appear immediately in brighter settings. These intensify so much outdoors that users should only use the Porsche Design Ultra One in shady places, if at all outdoors.
Performance - Porsche laptop for office work
The Porsche Design Ultra One is available with an Intel Core i5-8200Y, 8 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD, as well as with Intel's Core i7-8500Y, 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD. The latter is the configuration of our test model, making it mainly suitable for office applications. Although very simple or old games can be run smoothly, a drop in performance can be expected after a short time under higher load.
Processor
The Intel Core i7-8500Y used here is a 2018 dual-core processor. The clock speeds range from 1.5 to 4.2 GHz, with the possibility of up to four threads being processed simultaneously. The CPU was designed to be used in fanless laptops and tablets, which means that the energy consumption, and also the available performance, is comparatively low.
In our Cinebench R15 endurance test, the Core i7-8500Y can maintain its performance for an extended period of time under normal conditions.
In the Cinebench R15 individual tests, the Ultra One can almost match the Surface Laptop 3 15 in single-core performance. On the other hand, the multi-core performance is, as expected, significantly lower but it can surpass the VAIO A12 with the same CPU, for example.
System performance
The Porsche Design Ultra One can hold its own relatively well in the PCMark benchmarks for system performance. In the overall score of the PCMark 10 test, the result is even enough to surpass the HP ZBook 15u G6. In everyday use, the Ultra One has a smooth system operation and only shows small delays like when opening the Windows Start menu, for example.
The performance reached by other laptops in our tests can be found in our CPU Benchmarks article.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 2758 points | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 3122 points | |
Help | ||
Storage
Porsche Design has installed a 1 TB SSD from FORESEE in the Ultra One. It is very fast, as is typical for SSDs, but it performs significantly worse in the storage benchmarks than most competing devices in our test field.
The permanent and really unpleasant noise that the SSD in our test model makes when doing write and read operations is one of the biggest weaknesses of the Porsche laptop.
The results obtained in our benchmarks by other storage devices can be found in our SSD/HDD Benchmarks article.
| Porsche Design Ultra One FORESEE P902F001TB | VAIO A12-92993 Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Lenovo ThinkPad L590-20Q70019GE Toshiba XG6 KXG6AZNV512G | HP ZBook 15u G6 6TP54EA Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG | Average FORESEE P902F001TB | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 74% | 36% | 61% | 2% | 0% | 174% | |
| Write 4K | 109.3 | 113.9 4% | 115.3 5% | 156 43% | 99 -9% | 109.3 ? 0% | 156.3 ? 43% |
| Read 4K | 43.56 | 46.8 7% | 43.34 -1% | 45.73 5% | 35.63 -18% | 43.6 ? 0% | 69.1 ? 59% |
| Write Seq | 518 | 1868 261% | 1014 96% | 1158 124% | 706 36% | 518 ? 0% | 2900 ? 460% |
| Read Seq | 1118 | 2226 99% | 1481 32% | 1132 1% | 1044 -7% | 1118 ? 0% | 3164 ? 183% |
| Write 4K Q32T1 | 310.4 | 313.4 1% | 495.4 60% | 369.2 19% | 326.6 5% | 310 ? 0% | 408 ? 31% |
| Read 4K Q32T1 | 345.6 | 284.6 -18% | 332.6 -4% | 573 66% | 270 -22% | 346 ? 0% | 525 ? 52% |
| Write Seq Q32T1 | 926 | 1881 103% | 1654 79% | 1969 113% | 820 -11% | 926 ? 0% | 3777 ? 308% |
| Read Seq Q32T1 | 1431 | 3402 138% | 1746 22% | 3138 119% | 2028 42% | 1431 ? 0% | 5122 ? 258% |
| Write 4K Q8T8 | 410.2 | 1033 | 823 ? | ||||
| Read 4K Q8T8 | 527 | 892 | 1223 ? | ||||
| AS SSD | 156% | 144% | 203% | 29% | 0% | 246% | |
| Seq Read | 1285 | 2650 106% | 1383 8% | 2083 62% | 1122 -13% | 1285 ? 0% | 3815 ? 197% |
| Seq Write | 754 | 1328 76% | 852 13% | 1715 127% | 514 -32% | 754 ? 0% | 2582 ? 242% |
| 4K Read | 40.63 | 56.8 40% | 45.72 13% | 55.3 36% | 34.98 -14% | 40.6 ? 0% | 57.4 ? 41% |
| 4K Write | 100.2 | 142.5 42% | 120.2 20% | 137.6 37% | 96.8 -3% | 100.2 ? 0% | 169 ? 69% |
| 4K-64 Read | 304.2 | 1316 333% | 1344 342% | 1211 298% | 492 62% | 304 ? 0% | 1048 ? 245% |
| 4K-64 Write | 196.2 | 767 291% | 926 372% | 1446 637% | 339.9 73% | 196.2 ? 0% | 1697 ? 765% |
| Access Time Read * | 0.453 | 0.04 91% | 0.063 86% | 0.039 91% | 0.056 88% | 0.453 ? -0% | 0.0771 ? 83% |
| Access Time Write * | 0.263 | 0.029 89% | 0.036 86% | 0.026 90% | 0.11 58% | 0.263 ? -0% | 0.06589 ? 75% |
| Score Read | 473 | 1638 246% | 1528 223% | 1474 212% | 639 35% | 473 ? 0% | 1487 ? 214% |
| Score Write | 372 | 1042 180% | 1132 204% | 1755 372% | 488 31% | 372 ? 0% | 2124 ? 471% |
| Score Total | 1076 | 3462 222% | 3420 218% | 3976 270% | 1434 33% | 1076 ? 0% | 4321 ? 302% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 115% /
122% | 90% /
99% | 132% /
143% | 16% /
18% | 0% /
0% | 210% /
216% |
* ... smaller is better
Graphics card
In the Ultra One, an Intel UHD Graphics 615 takes care of the reproduction of image content. The integrated graphics unit uses the available RAM and benefits from a dual-channel configuration, which is also used in Porsche Design's laptop. In the 3DMark benchmarks, performance is up to 13% higher than the values of other laptops that we've tested with this graphics card. In everyday use, however, performance is only sufficient for applications with a low demand on graphics performance.
The expected performance for other graphics cards compared to the UHD Graphics 615 can be found in our GPU Benchmarks article.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 1503 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 5528 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 881 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming performance
The Porsche Design Ultra One is only suitable for older or very simple games. Users will have to resort to lower graphics settings for smooth frame rates.
Our GPU Games article shows the expected performance for the Intel UHD Graphics 615 in various titles.
| Anno 1800 | |
| 1280x720 Low Graphics Quality (DX11) | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One | |
| Average Intel UHD Graphics 615 (9.7 - 15.1, n=2) | |
| 1920x1080 Medium Graphics Quality (DX11) | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One | |
| Average Intel UHD Graphics 615 (n=1) | |
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 50.2 | 28.6 | 20.28 | 7.56 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 60.1 | 29.3 | 15.2 | 13.7 |
| Anno 1800 (2019) | 15.09 | 5.22 |
Emissions and energy - Fanless but with a loud SSD
Noise emissions
The Ultra One is designed for operation without active cooling and therefore doesn't emit any fan noise. In day-to-day use, however, there is a very ugly noise, especially when accessing files, which is triggered by the SSD. This electronic creaking is very high-frequency and clearly audible, which makes working with the Porsche laptop very unpleasant.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 30.4 / 30.4 / 30.4 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 30.8 / 30.4 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 30.4 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
Our measurements show that the Porsche Design Ultra One reaches surface temperatures of up to 27.9 °C (~82 °F) when idle and up to 47.8 °C (~118 °F) under load. The laptop feels warm at the left rear corner but never gets too hot to hold in your hand or to be used on the lap.
During our one-hour-long stress test, temperatures inside remain below the 80 °C (~176 °F) mark and clock speeds drop to about 1.1 GHz. This means that the base clock speed is slightly undercut, but users don't have to fear restrictions due to temperatures being too high.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 47.8 °C / 118 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 42 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.4 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.2 °C / 81 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (+0.4 °C / 0.7 F).
Speakers
The speakers of the Porsche Design Ultra One are branded by harman/kardon. They offer low volume and a relatively wide sound spectrum, which also covers the lower tones weakly. This makes the speakers suitable for playback of media content, but the use should be limited to very quiet environments.
Porsche Design Ultra One audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (66.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 9.8% lower than median
(-) | bass is not linear (15.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.6% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 91% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 12% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 84% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 6% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 91% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 4% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 95% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Energy consumption
According to our measurements, the Ultra One has an energy requirement of at least 4.6 watts when idle and up to 28.7 watts under load. This makes it an energy-efficient device, and it can be operated without any problems with the included 60-watt power adapter.
| Off / Standby | 0.32 / 0.38 Watt |
| Idle | 4.6 / 7.6 / 9.7 Watt |
| Load |
22 / 28.7 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
Battery life
In our practical Wi-Fi test, the Porsche Design Ultra One reaches a runtime of just under seven hours. This puts it in the middle of our chosen comparison devices, but it can't use its 45 Wh battery as well as Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 15, for example.
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Strong weaknesses mar the Porsche Design Ultra One
The Porsche Design Ultra One is very expensive. For the high price, the fanless laptop offers a very stable case, a touchscreen and a full 16 GB of memory as well as a 1 TB SSD. Performance is enough for everyday office use and meets our expectations for the hardware. Devices such as the VAIO A12-92993 or the HP Spectre Folio 13-ak0020ng have already taken a similar path, and they've been thoroughly accepted by buyers.
Porsche Design should have installed an anti-glare display and a high-quality SSD in the Ultra One to make the price actually bearable.
The design and silent operation are probably the biggest selling points of the Ultra One. The laptop clearly fails in regard to the latter point, however. As already mentioned in the review, the built-in SSD makes such an unpleasant noise that working with the device is unpleasant even for users with less sensitive ears. In addition, there's the highly reflective display, which is unpleasant for the eyes. Therefore, two important points make the use of the Porsche Design Ultra One so difficult that the price is no longer justified in any way.
Porsche Design Ultra One
- 11/12/2019 v7 (old)
Mike Wobker
Price comparison
