Ultrabooks are thin, ultra-portable, high-end PC laptops that deliver long battery life and top performance. How to go about choosing one? Let's start by looking at what makes a laptop an Ultrabook.

Five Characteristics of Ultrabooks

• Quick startup
• Long battery life
• Size: Ultrabooks are known for being very thin, less than 21mm (0.82 inches)
• Security: Ultrabooks support Intel's anti-theft and identity protection technology
• Powered by Intel

Size

One of the most lucrative features of Ultrabooks is their size. These laptops are thin and light (3 lb or less), with screen sizes that give you the view you need.

Common Features

Ultrabooks don't have some of what you might consider common, stock laptop features, such as optical drives or Ethernet ports. However, this is part of the "trade-off" for such a sleek design. When selecting a laptop, only you can rank the many features in terms of what’s most important to you.

Special Features

Many Ultrabooks are loaded with even more special features in addition to the standard ones. Some are designed as a 2-in-1 convertible laptop and others come with a touch-screen. Still other special features include 3G/4G modems and optical drives. There are even gaming Ultrabooks with dedicated graphics memory. Check out our wide selection to see which style best suits your needs.