Upgraded Professionalism. The 2012 refresh of the X220 may look the same on the outside, but the X230 is the first in the 12.5-inch lineup to introduce both the an Ivy Bridge CPU and the new "Precision" Chiclet keyboard in place of the traditional beveled design. Has Lenovo hit a home run? Or is the backlash against the new keyboard design really warranted?

The Second Ivy Bridge. After the quad core models were successfully launched in April, the dual core Ivy Bridge processors are following now. We checked how the new notebook and ultrabook processors perform and whether Sandy Bridge owners should upgrade.

Noisy and Fast. Classic gaming laptops too boring for you? The Alienware M14x could be an interesting alternative then: With current hardware from Intel and Nvidia, packaged in a unique case design, Alienware tries to woo customers. Is this enough to justify price and emissions?

17 inch netbook? A 17 incher in a wooden case that only costs just under EUR 500? Something is wrong here. The wooden texture is actually plastic and AMD's E-450 netbook processor is inside.

It's partytime! While Nvidia's Kepler flagship still keeps us waiting, AMD's new Radeon HD 7970M is seriously mixing up the gaming notebook segment. In combination with Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors, Alienware had enough reasons to refresh its Luxury gamer M17x. Will the 17" notebook be able to score our "Gaming Reference" title again?

Dirtier than ever. With Dirt Showdown the race game expert Codemasters follows in the footsteps of the action-packed Flatout series. Traditional rallies are passé for now. The developer focuses on flashy demolition derbies. Find out if the track also pushes mobile graphics cards to their limits.

Hardware-Update. Hardly any other notebook was followed with such a great interest than the Clevo W150ER in 2011. Powerful components and a decent non-reflective display: the 15-inch all-rounder features a successful and rather unique blend. In 2012 Schenker release an update. The XMG A502 focuses more on inner components than on chassis.

Beautiful gap filler. A tablet fills the gap between Notebook and smart phone. Is there still room for a small tablet? The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus N, revised for Germany - with regards from Apple's lawyers - looks good at any rate and has its Raison d'être. And there's more than just good looks.

Hybrid book. Sony sends an ultrabook into the ring called SVT1311M1ES. An aluminum case and Intel Core i3 processor are to lure customers. A special highlight is the hybrid hard disk. It fuses the size of a conventional HDD with the speed of an SSD. Will Sony's Vaio ultrabook also be convincing in our tests?

Goodbye Ethos. Acer uses the change to the new Intel Ivy Bridge processors as an opportunity for completely renaming single ranges. For example, the prior Ethos range will now be called Aspire V3. However, the alignment remains unchanged: we are dealing with the premium multimedia sector.