Reviews

It runs games, it runs quietly, it runs cheap. With the TS11SB-250GE Packard Bell offers a well-furnished multimedia notebook for under 500 Euros (~$654). For the price you'll get a quad-core processor, an AMD dual graphics solution, 8 GB RAM and a software packet, containing programs like Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 and Adobe Premiere Elements 9. But our review reveals whether the notebook has what it takes to make a lasting impression.

The alternative? If you are looking for a business notebook, Samsung is not the first name you would think of. This should change with the 400B5C. Is this 15-inch model, with its built-in UMTS, precise workmanship and various safety features, the new ThinkPad killer?

DTR Powerhouse. Introduced late last year, the Valkyrie series is the premier lineup from iBuyPower aimed at hardcore gamers on-the-go and high-performance hunters. Essentially an MSI gamer in disguise, does this $1900 17.3-inch DTR hold up well against the competition?

Ultra-touch. Touchscreens are trendy. Following smartphones, tablets and convertibles, the first touch-sensitive screens are now moving into the conventional laptop and ultrabook category. Is it an unnecessary gimmick or a practical feature? Read in the following review whether the combination of potent ultrabook and touchscreen can convince us.

Old-school business laptop. You are looking for a first-class office notebook? If attributes like stable, premium, typing-friendly, matte, cool, silent and money-saving are important to you, then you should keep on reading. But the main surprise of the HP ProBook 6475b lies with its display: Its color fidelity is excellent, despite a low-contrast screen. You shouldn't be too fond of stylish ultrabooks though, because the HP is far from cutting edge when it comes to weight and height.

Mom, Dad and I. Sony's Vaio Tap 20 not only strikes with its exceptionally large tablet size but, unlike the rule, also sees the whole family as its target group. In order to fulfill the wishes of all family members, young and old, Sony installs strong hardware and the finger supportive Windows 8 in the 20-inch tablet. We exhaustively checked just how family-friendly this concept really is.

Aluminum rocket. The HTC One is the latest high-end smartphone from the Taiwanese manufacturer. A swift Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Quad-Core-SoC, stereo speakers, a 4.7-inch display with 1080x1920 pixels and the latest software packed in a high-quality aluminum unibody. The new king of smartphones for 680 Euros (~$878)?

Clever and smart? Asus equips its new 10.1-inch tablet with a quad-core processor and special speakers. The tablet is available in three different colors and retails for an affordable 299 Euros (~$380). Is the "Smart" in the name really appropriate?

Affordable 17.3-inch laptop. With the F75A, Asus offers a simple office notebook for around $480. Its 17.3-inch screen, Pentium processor, 500 GB HDD and Windows 8 are supposed to be sufficient for most users. Our review will show whether this claim is met.

Magic number seven. An Intel i7 processor, a 7670 AMD graphics card and a 750 GB hard drive all packed into a 17.3-inch notebook. It's easy to see Samsung is hot on the number seven. But are we hot on the notebook too?

Here come the budget Windows Phone 8 smartphones. The Lumia series of smartphones are a combined effort of Nokia and Microsoft to bring Windows Phone 8 to the masses. The Lumia 620 is one of the first budget smartphones that tries to appeal to cost-conscious buyer. We will see if the hardware is able to squeeze out enough performance to keep the user happy.

Low-Budget Mini? The Archos 80 Titanium - another device from the Titanium series - recently became more widely available. With an 8-inch display and an aluminum chassis the Frenchman shows similarities to the iPad Mini. We have a closer look at the performance of the stylish device.

The big brother. We already reviewed the smaller siblings P243 and P253 from the Acer TravelMate P series. This review will show whether the 17.3-inch device can beat them or if the low price is an indicator for questionable quality and bad workmanship.

A versatile performer. Samsung has extended its popular 5 Series with a new well-rounded notebook. The 15-inch 510R5E aims to appeal to customers with a slim case and up-to-date mid-range hardware components. AMD's freshly released Radeon HD 8750M promises a high level of performance, while at the same time using a moderate amount of power. The question is whether the two kilogram lightweight is able to live up to expectations.

Understatement. Samsung restyles its midrange dubbed Series 5 with plain, high-end looks and fresh components. Onboard we find a matte 14-inch screen, a dual-core processor from Intel and a dedicated graphics from AMD. This configuration is currently priced at about 800 Euros (~$1034).

A heavenly delight. BioShock is definitely a top-class shooter. No matter if the topic is the game world, handling, sound or story: This action hit leaves most of its competitors behind. We examine among other things the hardware requirements of this exceptional title. Find out if a weaker graphics card may suffice.

Diet plan. Thin is in: Asus shrinks a classic multimedia laptop to ultrabook dimensions in the A56CB. Nvidia's new GeForce GT 740M, which can render even demanding 3D games smoothly, is installed for the first time. But the affordable 15-incher has quite a bit to offer beyond that as well.

The return of the BlackBerry. After two years of development behind the scenes, the Canadian firm BlackBerry comes back on the market with their brand new BlackBerry 10 OS and their new Z10 model. Outfitted with a high-resolution 4.2-inch display, a powerful Qualcomm S4 SoC and useful extras, the smartphone finally steps onto the stage. Is that enough for it to hold its own amidst the long-established competition?

Smartphone confusion. Visually, Huawei's Ascend G615 appears to be a twin of the G600 - but its hardware is similar to the D1 Quad XL. The question to be answered is whether the new smartphone a successful amalgamation of the two phones or just another model in Huawei's increasingly confusing portfolio.

Affordable Touchscreen. Throwing in a touch-enabled display on an otherwise standard notebook is becoming common due in part to the touch-focused nature of Windows 8. Is this inexpensive 14-inch touchscreen Satellite a blast to use?

Refresh. Acer updates the Aspire One 725, fitting it with the new AMC C-70 APU and packing it all in a small case with a matte 11.6-inch display. But is the new version of the Aspire One 725 really capable of winning us over?

Outsider with potential. Asus' Pro B53V is the current top model from the Taiwanese business range and lures with abundant equipment. Besides typical business features, the professional Nvidia NVS 5200 graphics is particularly striking. We exhaustively tested whether Asus' Pro B53V principally has what it takes to be a threat for the established competition.

Elite versus low-cost. 4K workstation, 1.3K gamer and 375 Euros (~$5195, $1688 and $487 respectively) typewriter. With Dreamcolor display, HP set a high standard. Samsung favor AMD and use a Radeon HD 8870M in their new Chronos. Lenovo aim to sell masses and cut the price with a cheap AMD APU. These were the best laptops in February.

An add-on for the queen. Fans have had to wait a whole three years for the expansion of the real-time strategy hit StarCraft 2. Heart of the Swarm tells the sci-fi story from the point of view of the Zerg aliens. Find out here whether the game meets the towering expectations and how high its (mobile) hardware requirements are.

Silent. Dell's Precision M6700 could already convince us with its high performance and agreeable noise development in a first review. Now Nvidia's highest performance, professional Quadro K5000M graphics is installed and has to prove for whom this configuration upgrade is really worthwhile. We also closely examined whether the other qualities are not neglected.

Lost in the crowd? Tablets with Windows 8 and Intel Atom Z2760 chips are trickling into the market at the moment. The specialty of the ThinkPad Tablet 2is the suite of security features for business customers. Is the ThinkPad Tablet also an alternative for consumers though?

17.3-inch all-rounder. Samsung wakes curiosity for its new 17.3-incher by combining a Radeon dual-graphics solution with a matte screen. This is accompanied by an 8 GB working memory and a capacious hard drive. Our review reveals whether the laptop is overall convincing.

Executive Toy. The perfect plaything for the CEO? Light and slim, equipped with excellent ThinkPad input devices and a high-contrast HD+ screen. We looked closer at the touch version. Does Lenovo use IPS this time?

Big business. The Fujitsu Lifebook N532 is supposed to replace desktop computers. With a 17.3-inch display, numerous ports as well as mainstream processor and graphics it meets the requirements. This review shows if the notebook convinces us in every detail.

Large display, low price. The Ascend G600 is a lower-end version of the D1 Quad XL. Both smartphones from Huawei feature a 4.5-inch IPS display - but while the D1 Quad XL caters to the high-end market, the Ascent G600 is a mid-level phone. Does the difference in hardware translate into a vastly different user experience?

A bit of this and a bit of that. Samsung's 355E5C brings along an APU and a Radeon HD 7470M GPU from AMD alongside a matte screen. Sounds like the perfect office laptop. Our review reveals whether that is true.

High performer. Schenker's XIRIOS W712 workstation features superlative performance components. Intel's Xeon desktop CPU, Nvidia's Quadro K5000M pro-graphics, 2 terabytes of storage and a wealth of other equipment clearly show the high-end laptop's direction: The peak of performance. We exhaustively tested whether this goal is achieved.

The return of a classic. Look out virtual city planners: With SimCity, EA and Maxis bring one of the most successful economic simulation games in PC history back to life. Even newcomers will be drawn to the cute animations and well-designed gameplay. As usual, our benchmark article will focus on game quality and system requirements.

Business compact. 14 inches are ideal for businessmen: easy to transport and at the office you just connect a larger display. The Asus Pro B43V-CU024X also offers numerous security features and ports. We review the notebook and tell you if it convinces us.

Stylish marathon runner. Acer has an ultra-thin 14-inch notebook with a Core i5 ULV chip on offer with the M3-481. The Computer is available from just 480 Euros (~$622) without operating system, and also looks nice. Our review reveals whether or not Acer has built a recommendable notebook with this model.

The best value for money? A quad-core processor, hybrid-crossfire graphics, 8 GB RAM, 1000 GB hard drive for just 550 Euros (~$715)? HP promises a lot of performance for very little money with the Pavilion g6-2253sg, and we reveal the weak points of this bargain notebook.

14-inch with long battery life. Sony has recently started offering models of the SV-E14 series with a touchscreen. Our E14A3M2ES is such a notebook. Our review reveals whether the touchscreen provides added value or if it just raises the price unnecessarily.

Reboot. Crystal Dynamics breathes new life into the time-honored action-adventure series. With their renovated new piece, Tomb Raider, the developers hope to attract not only veterans of the series, but also newbies from the Uncharted Generation. This article mainly examines the single-player mode and the game's hardware hunger.

Razor-sharp. The new Sony Xperia Z features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and a corresponding pixel density of 443 ppi. In addition to the high-resolution display, the phone offers plenty of performance. The fairly substantial price of 650 Euros (~$850) raises expectations.

Overshadowed by the MWC. The Mobile World Congress is looming on the horizon and will take place in Barcelona at the end of February. However, we have already reviewed a few interesting devices. Samsung and HTC have refreshed their successful handsets and two Chinese manufacturers have delivered their journeyman’s piece. February carried the slogan “bargain” for tablets.

New screen for a familiar system. Dell updates its strong XPS 13 lineup once again, this time with an IPS 1080p option as seen on a number of other high-end Ultrabooks. The improvements have bumped the launch MSRP to $1400, but is this new price point justified?

Affordable brand name - continued. Acer successfully got the ball for low-budget brand name tablets rolling. Now Asus takes up the chase with its 150 Euros (~$195) Memo Pad tablet. Can it catch up?

Avant-garde After gamers had a somewhat disappointing experience with Crysis 2, Crytek pulled out all the stops for their new FPS. The third title in the series is supposed to present a perfect mix of the first two parts, offering a full Crysis experience. Find out here if Crysis 3 is more than just a graphical showpiece and how much the game will demand from a notebook's hardware.

Mini-size, maxi-performance? Samsung introduces a new compact version of its successful flagship model Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S3 mini GT-I8190 includes Android 4.1.1 and a super AMOLED touchscreen with a 4-inch diagonal screen measurement and is meant to round off the Galaxy Series in the lower end. Can you be convinced by the performance and the 8 GB internal memory at a low price of around 285 Euros (~$373)?

Evolutionary. Acer takes a new approach to the familiar Ultrabook: a laptop with a touchscreen, optical drive and gaming-ready GPU. How will their "all-around device" fare in our tests?

Record-breaking battery life. The 60 Wh battery the Dell Latitude 10 ships with is presumably one of the largest ones ever used to power a tablet. According to Dell, the result is a battery life of up to 30 hours. The business tablet is not without compromises, however.

Beacon of hope. The Series 7 Chronos 770Z7E definitely belongs to the most exciting and most awaited multimedia laptops of 2013. The main attraction is - depending on the view - either the slim metal chassis or the integrated 28 nm GPU. AMD's Radeon HD 8870M competes with Nvidia's powerful Kepler architecture. We took a detailed look at the 17-incher.

On our own behalf. The reason why Notebookcheck has ads and the alternatives the media industry is currently considering.

Efficient Office Laptop. Lenovo combines an energy-efficient AMD APU with a matte 15.6-inch display and offers the model for 300 to 400 Euros (~$390 to $520). The end result should be a conservative, well-priced office laptop. Our review will show if this is indeed the case.

Old made new. Samsung launches a refresh of its successful Galaxy S2 called Galaxy S2 Plus on the market. The 4.3-inch smartphone powered by a swift 1.2 GHz dual-core, updated Android version and NFC support competes against midrange contenders.

Against the flow. Sony equips its first 15-inch ultrabook with a Full HD resolution and touchscreen right away. Less than 900 Euros (~$1171) also appears very low compared with The Spectre XT Touchsmart 15 and ZenBook UX51VZ. Where's the catch?

Touch on a budget. Acer's touchscreen-equipped Aspire V5-571P-6499 is a slim and affordable, yet stylish 15.6-inch notebook featuring a low-voltage Intel Core i5 processor, a 500GB conventional hard drive, and 4GB RAM. Is the touchscreen enough to differentiate this otherwise mainstream notebook from its competition?

Bargain tablet? At an RRP of 280 Euros (~$365), the Prestigio MultiPad 10.1 Ultimate 3G causes panic amongst the 10.1-inch competition, because no other tablet of this screen size is that affordable. In addition, the Prestigio MultiPad includes a 3G/HSDPA modem as a professional feature. Our review will reveal whether the performance is adequate despite the budget price.

Ultra-affordable, semi-ultraportable. Hewlett-Packard’s latest 15-inch budget notebook is a slim one indeed—and it’s hard to find fault in its price. But is the increased portability worth the sacrifice elsewhere?

Good and cheap? Entry-level laptops for around 500 Euros (~$651) can be found for a dime a dozen. Acer has an interesting offer that features a Core i3 and dedicated graphics card. Read whether the Acer Aspire E1-571G is just as compelling in our tests.

IPS for everyone. It is like witchcraft: Reviewers and readers have complained about poor TN panels in Acer's multimedia notebooks for years. Now we review a 650 Euros (~$848) model with a downright fantastic Full HD IPS display, which is even matte. Should you buy before it's gone?

Cost-efficient workstation. MSI turns its 15.6-inch gamer from yesteryear into a full-fledged workstation with an Nvidia K2000M discrete GPU and higher quality matte display. Should workstation users finally take notice?

Over the top? The Fujitsu Stylistic Q702 wants to be the multi-talent in the office. The concept is versatile in every way: it can be used as a tablet or a notebook, features touch operation with fingers or a pen and has a keyboard dock. Our review reveals whether this design proves useful in daily tasks.

Mobile office. The Lenovo ThinkPad X230i presents a cheap entry into Lenovo's popular 12.5-inch class. Despite the weak hardware, this light business notebook has a lot to offer. In the following review, we explore in-depth what this business notebook brings to the table and whether it is worth the investment.

Outdoor multimedia sport device. The Acro S bridges the gap between multimedia smartphones with a large screen and outdoor suitable sport devices. We scrutinized how well these two very different application fields can be merged and whether there really is a gap.

Unique selling point. Acer seems to have understood the times and went for a matte Full HD IPS panel for the new variant of their Aspire V3-571G. Add the brand new Nvidia GeForce GT 730M, a potent dual-core processor and 8 GB of RAM to that, and you've got a good line of components to pique a buyer's interest. Wondering how this update of the Aspire V3 turned out? You'll find out in this review.

Low-voltage gaming machine?. A 17-inch ultrabook? No, a thick 17-inch device with an ultrabook processor and mainstream graphics. Why does Dell not integrate a standard voltage CPU? Does the gaming performance suffer? Our review with an extensive gaming check gives the answers.

Plastic office laptop. The B590 from Lenovo is a budget office laptop. We check how well this notebook equipped with a Core i3 processor performs. Is the system balanced, or did Lenovo cut down too much?

A new star in the Windows sky. Samsung offers a direct competitor to the HTC 8X and the Nokia Lumia 920 with the ATIV S; all three devices run Windows Phone 8. Where are the small but subtle differences and can it ascend to the Windows Phone 8 throne?

Affordable DTR laptop with gaming power. Toshiba now offers a 17.3-inch device based on AMD's Trinity platform dubbed Satellite L875D-10E. Featuring a dual graphics solution, capacious hard drive and 8 GB of working memory, the device is well-equipped. The laptop becomes particularly interesting in view of the three year warranty. Our review reveals whether the Satellite L875D features any other highlights besides the warranty.

Dual-SIM beginner. One does not need two separate smartphones for private and business use. Sony is offering a cheap dual-SIM smartphone with the Xperia E dual that comes with the Android operation system, a single core chip, a 3.5-inch display and a micro card reader. Are 170 Euros (~$225) worth spending on this?

Unbalanced. Use real Windows 8 in a tablet or notebook. There seem to be no boundaries for the productivity: the familiar Office-package works, frequent writers will love the keyboard and the battery runtime is gigantic. So why this title?

On the safe side. A notebook without a backup is like a car without seat belts. When unexpected problems arise there can be devastating damage. For that reason data backup should be as natural to us as fastening our seat belts. This article describes the various data backup alternatives, so you can know how to keep yourself out of harm's way.

A Blaze of Colors. This 17-inch HP workstation has some interesting components: the DreamColor display being the most interesting of all. First-class values paired with great color space coverage - a rare combination. We extensively tested the laptop to see if the other hardware components met high standards set by the display.

Facelift. HTC re-engineered their One X, packing their current top model, the One X+, with a few more horsepower and a bigger tank under the hood. But those aren't the only renovations. A run on our rugged test track shows what else is inside and how the revisions have altered the device.

High-priced Ultrabook. HP integrates Thunderbolt technology, a FullHD touchscreen, and a fast solid state disk into a premium Ultrabook made from aluminum, magnesium, and glass. The latest in technology doesn't come cheap though: the Spectre XT TouchSmart retails for 1600 Euros (~$2150). Is the high price really justified?

Head-to-head. Being more expensive is not always better, and successors are sometimes worse. HP and Asus confirm this truism with the EliteBook Folio 9470m and the Touch-Zenbook UX31A. Who offers the best laptop for the lowest price? This question arose in the Office and Multimedia category.

Dithering escort. In December Archos announced the market launch of the Archos 97 Titanium HD tablet. Now the latest scion of Archos' Element Series is available and promises pictures in razor-sharp HD quality. But can the smart "Frenchman" really compete with the equally sized, 9.7-inch Apple iPad 4 Retina powerhouse? Or will the tablet escort get cold feet after all?

Marathon Tablet. After Asus, Microsoft and Samsung, the spotlight now shines on Dell's Windows RT tablet PC. The XPS 10 proves to be a long-lasting performer which makes traditional notebooks look outdated, especially in terms of battery life. However, the offered performance comes at a high price.

Endurance machine. An Intel ULV processor fused with a solid state drive and a high-capacity battery adds up to a swift, enduring ultrabook on paper. Our review reveals whether this is true and shows the Xirios S402's strengths and weaknesses.

Horror cubed? Almost two years after the last installment, EA releases the third game of the Dead Space series to horror fans. The nightmarish third-person title will attract players with a well thought out co-op mode and a diverse crafting system. We tested the single-player mode for several hours and have determined the hardware requirements.

Business premium. The Dell Latitude belongs to the high-end business class and must meet the especially high standards of quality, functionality and expandability. Most professional users expect a good display, an adequate performance and solid mobility. Our detailed review will show whether the current Dell Latitude E6530 is up to the task at hand.

The golden mean. With its Inspiron 15R-5521, Dell shows a rather unusual combination of energy-saving ULV processor and dedicated middle class GPU. The efficient components do not only indicate a moderate energy demand, but also a long battery life. We have tested the top-class model with AMD's brand new Radeon HD 8730M.

The compatible one. No matter whether iOS, Android or Windows RT, all operating systems have their quirks when it comes to the compatibility with the standard Windows 7 or Windows 8 versions. Asus' VivoTab Smart might eliminate these restrictions owing to Intel's Atom CPU and Windows 8. We exhaustively tested how well this works.

LTE for 430 Euro (~$590). The One SV is the newest member in HTC's portfolio and it's designed to shake up the hotly contested mid-range smartphone market. We look at how well the new 4.3-inch smartphone with its updated hardware, LTE support, and integrated card reader handle our battery of tests.

Cool and quiet. A Pentium processor, a 320 GB hard drive and a DOS operating system make for an inexpensive office notebook priced at around 330 Euros (~$441). Our review shows whether Asus produced a good notebook at a low price or tried to pinch pennies in the wrong places.

Ultra-Hybrid. Toshiba presents quite a few interesting Ultrabooks to the world. Our latest test model is a fusion of a tablet and Ultrabook. It employs a 12.5-inch touchscreen and a power-saving Intel Core i5-3317U processor with integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 IGP. The Hybrid model looks great but what does it have to offer on the hardware side?

Expensive office notebook. A Core i5-processor, a matte display and Windows 7 Pro should result in a simple working device with proper performance. However, Asus wants 650 to 700 Euros (~$870 to $937) for the notebook. Our review shows if it is worth the price or if Asus has an expensive shelf warmer in its product range.

All in white and ready to entertain. A pretty design, a bit of gaming, and a bargain price - that's a quick summary of the Packard Bell Easynote LV44HC-137GE. How the white multimedia notebook stacks up is the subject of this review.

Slow start. December 2012 was led by the search engine giant Google. The beginning of the New Year was however a bit quieter. Tablets from some low-cost suppliers found their way to our test lab and presented very mixed results. January was themed "midrange" for smartphones.

Portfolio expansion. Sony is currently launching a torrent of new Xperia models on the market in order to satisfy all conceivable target groups. How will the 4-inch midrange model, featuring a clock rate of 1 GHz and a 512 MB working memory, fare in our tests and is the RRP of 239 Euros (~$323) reasonable?

Ultra-Touchbook. Few laptops of 2012 impressed us as much as the premium Ultrabook from Asus. The model achieved a rare 90%. Everything was perfect - even the display maintained a high standard. Will the touch panel make this great model even better?

Runtime miracle. HP launches a slim Windows 8 tablet on the market, which mutates to a full-blown laptop via the keyboard dock, dubbed Envy x2 11. An energy-efficient Atom SoC from Intel not only ensures exceptional battery runtimes, but also modest computing power.

Company data is especially sensitive. Business people are eager to find effective security solutions. Simple password protection is often not enough. Perhaps you've heard of some of the technologies offered as solutions, like TPM, Smartcards or Anti-Theft. But what exactly is behind them? This article explains.

Inexpensive Portégé. HP has the EliteBook, Dell the Latitude, Lenovo the ThinkPad T-Series and Toshiba has the Portégé. After the ultrabook companion Z930 we review the thicker R930 with the same form factor. A bargain for 777 Euros (~$1051)?

Rematch. More than half a year ago, Nvidia and AMD introduced their mobile 28 nm GPUs. The battle of the two top models was especially interesting. We recheck the performance with up-to-date drivers. Is the GeForce GTX 680M still marginally faster? Or does the HD 7970M perform better this time?

Cool worker. Matte display, Core i3 processor, ExpressCard slot, two operating systems - the Fujitsu LifeBook A512 is a work notebook that should please both home and business users. Our review reveals its strengths and weaknesses.

Slimmed down business. As the only Ultrabook thus far to satisfy a multitude of standardized military reliability tests, the build quality of the 6430u is sure to meet the needs of practically every business user out there. Though powerful on the outside, is its internal performance up to par?

A real bargain. Acer launched a real bargain at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. The manufacturer promised the visitors a 7-inch tablet featuring decent performance and a high-quality build. And this for a mere 120 Euros (~$160). Acer is trying to steal the march on the first wave of cheap tablets coming to the market.

Flat beauty. The VivoBook U38DT is a 13-inch subnotebook that is powered by a Trinity processor and the brand new Radeon HD 8550M from AMD. The ultra-thin construction and the precious metal ensure a very nice look. Is it worth the 800 Euros (~$1092)?

Light and cheap, but gaming capable? Acer combine a frugal ULV processor and a GeForce GPU in a slim case. This could result in a mobile, light, gaming capable notebook. Our review reveals to what extent this is true.

Business man with AMD furnishings. For those who prefer AMD processors and are looking for a reserved yet elegantly designed device for the workplace, HP has something to offer - namely the ProBook 4545s. HP wants the 15.6-inch device with an integrated Radeon graphics card, Windows 8 Pro and good speakers to gain points for home use as well.

Inspiring. Ultrabooks have found their way into Dell's Inspiron family. The all-rounders of the past now benefit from lower weight and longer battery life, in addition to the good performance. We examine whether the ultrabook measures up to the broad multimedia class.

Compact business. Full connectivity, almost 8 hours of battery runtime, perfect input feedback and a noble aluminum-magnesium chassis. A challenge for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the gathered premium ultrabooks?

Surprise candidate. Lenovo again ventures into the highly competitive gaming sector with the IdeaPad Y500. The UltraBay technology enables the 15-incher to be equipped with an optical drive, a second GPU, an auxiliary fan or another hard disk. A thrilling concept that lets the laptop stand out from the competition. We exhaustively tested the SLI alternative.