The 6 Best Ultra-Thin Laptops Available This Fall

Is there any better computing device than a laptop? We don't think so. Perfect for working, traveling, typing in bed or at a coffee shop, the core concept of the notebook computer hasn't gotten any less appealing even three decades after it was introduced. What it has gotten is leagues thinner, lighter and faster than ever before.

With Apple's double revamp of the MacBook Air this year and last, and a recent push by Intel on the PC side for an all new category called "Ultrabooks," the latest laptops are reinvesting in the device's greatest attraction (portability) while holding on to the bleeding edge performance consumers demand. Pretend the netbook craze never happened: These six laptops, most a scant 0.7 inches or less in thickness with an optimal 13 inch screen and superfast start-up times, represent the pinacle of the laptop ideal. All are either available now or dropping this fall.

Is there any better computing device than a laptop? We don’t think so. Perfect for working, traveling, typing in bed or at a coffee shop, the core concept of the notebook computer hasn’t gotten any less appealing even three decades after it was introduced. What laptops have gotten is thinner, lighter and faster than ever before.

With the double revamp of the MacBook Air this year and last, and a recent push by Intel on the PC side for an all new category called “ultrabooks,” the latest generation of laptops are reinvesting in the device’s main attraction (portability) while still holding on to the bleeding-edge performance that consumers demand.

Forget the netbook ever happened: These six laptops, all less than .7 inches thick with optimal 13 inch screens, powerful processors, and superfast start-up times, represent the pinnacle of the laptop ideal. All are available now.

Starting Price: $1,199

The U300S is one of three just-announced laptops on this list that beautifully exemplify Intel's new "ultrabook" subcategory. It's incredibly thin at just .6 inches, ships with a state-of-the-art Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, and has a 256 GB Solid State Drive with quick-start technology for near-instant boot times and access to files. Unlike some of the other super slim laptops, the U300S doesn't have a design that makes it look prone to falling through cracks in the sidewalk. Instead, Lenovo gave it a sturdy, book-like design that's more MacBook Pro than MacBook Air. Like a MacBook, it also has a glass, oversized clickable trackpad.

Starting Price: $1,999

The Vaio Z is a premium product: you can tell by the sky-high sticker price. For the money, what you get is not only a slim, high-performance laptop with handsome carbon exterior, but a "Power Media Dock" that enables additional functionality.

By itself, the Z has up to 8 GB of RAM, a Core i5 or i7 processor at upwards of 2 gHZ, and a 13 inch display wrapped in an exterior that's just .66 inches thick. With the Power Media Dock, it also adds a BluRay player, dedicated Radeon graphics card and HDMI and VGA outputs for linking it to your TV.

Starting Price: $1,134

The Aspire S3 is the thinnest in a field of very thin computers: It's just .5 inches thick at the widest point. But inside it's got a hefty amount of memory with a 240 GB SSD standard, and up to 500 GB HDD optional. The S3 reportedly wakes up from sleep in less than two seconds and has a seven-hour battery life.

Starting Price: $999 for 11"; $1,299

What can we say about the Air that hasn't already been said? The computer's impeccable design started the revolution, and now that Apple's recent upgrades have made it faster than last year's MacBook Pro, people who own one say it's the only computer they ever want to use.

Starting Price: $1,649

The Series 9 was one of the first challengers to the MacBook Air and still holds up as a machine worth lusting after. It's made of light and sturdy duralumin in a brushed and polished black and comes in at just .64 inches thick and less than three pounds. Like the 13" Air, it's got a 128 GB SSD, 4GB of RAM and an Intel Core i5 processor standard. Samsung says it gets up to seven hours of battery life.

Starting Price: “Under $1000”

The Portege z830 is a slick, katana-like machine coming in at a few millimeters thinner than the MacBook Air. Inside it can hold an impressive 6GB of RAM, has a 128 GB Solid State Drive, and is feather-light at less than 2.5 pounds. Toshiba says it will hit stores in November.