Dell Inspiron 14z Ultrabook

It has been some time since Dell laptops have been considered the best in the business, but if the new releases are like the new Inspiron 14z Ultrabook, the Dell brand could again be the choice for many. Rather than follow the pack and try to make the laptop as thin as possible, Dell's Inspiron 14z Ultrabook just does minimum compliance with the Ultrabook standard. This 14-inch laptop is 0.83-inches thick and weighs in a 4.1 pounds, which is a bit thicker and heavier than your typical Ultrabook.

But Dell has achieved a bit of product differentiation with the with the Inspiron 14z Ultrabook. The Dell Inspiron 14z Ultrabook has a discrete video, card an AMD 7570M graphics chip, and DVD drive. These are two features which you do not see in an Ultrabook.

Priced at Php42,990, with Windows 8 pre-installed the other specifications are good for the asking price. An Intel Core i5-3317U processor and 4 GB of RAM power the Dell Inspiron 14z Ultrabook. Storage is via a 500 GB hard drive with a 32 GB SSD cache.

The direct competitors of the Dell Inspiron 14z are the Acer S3 and Samsung NP530U3C, both of which sell for a bit less than the Dell. The Acer and Samsung have a smaller 13.3-inch displays, and are thinner and lighter. But the Acer and Samsung Ultrabooks do not have discrete graphics or a optical drive. The Asus Zenbook UX32VD Ultrabook has discrete graphics, but cost much more at Php59,900.  HP's Envy Utrabook 4 is comparably priced, offers discrete graphics but has no optical drive.

The Dell Inspiron 14z does a good job of offering a set of features that its competitors do not have. This distinction will make Dell Inspiron 14z the choice for those looking for a powerful Ultrabook with an optical drive.