Windows 8 is all about touch; it’s the next big thing in technology (if you care to ignore the incredibly awesome retina displays and the super-fast processors that Apple brings to its line of products) and many users have taken to the new way of working on computers. The keyboard remains but the screens are now touch-enabled.
Depending on what you are doing on the computer, you now have more options than ever. There are many users who swear by the responsive touch-screens that somehow found their way from smartphones to tablets and now straight to laptop screens.
While we wonder what else would get a touch screen, here are some of the best touch-enabled Windows 8-loaded laptops available today.
1. Asus and its family of Vivo Books
Asus isn’t as much a firebrand as Apple is or even as much as Lenovo or Dell is. Yet, it’s an amazing brand to slap as much computing value into a laptop and package it for the budget conscious, money-hugging laptop enthusiast. Their Q 200, S400, and S500 Ultrabooks are clearly affordable laptops with touch screens ranging at 11.6, 14.1, and 15.6 inches.
The laptops come with an i3 processor (upgradable to the in-demand i5 and i7 processors, if you’d like to). The Vivobooks – as Asus calls them – come loaded with the made-for-touch Windows 8 OS. Intuitive touch input, a choice of processors, HD web camera, and a reasonable amount of memory to jog, it’s a good buy. They are best for a first time buy, a budget conscious buy, or for a spare laptop at home.
2. Sony’s T13 Ultrabook
A long time brand with a network of support centers all over the world. Sony bags the award for it, all right. Notwithstanding the reputation, however, its solid new Vaio T13 Ultrabook gives you the convenience of a full-sized keyboard along with a responsive touch-screen. It doesn’t veer away too much from Sony’s line of Vaio Z laptops. Sporting a brushed-aluminum chassis, these laptops have good battery life, they look slim and flat, and it has a built-in web cam. If you’ve been a Sony fan, these laptops are a good upgrade and they won’t disappoint.
3. HP Spectre XT TouchSmart
The HP Spectre XT TouchSmart is a slim, good-looking metal body along with a Full HD display along with responsive touch-enabled screen. The 15-inch display is a looker while the windows 8 ensures you have a great touch screen experience.
It comes at a steep 1000 GBP, which could be a little too steep considering that it’s not a retina display and that it has no optical drive. It also comes with an i5 processor and 4 GB RAM. We think that the HP Spectre XT TouchSmart is a wee bit pricey for what’s on offer but since it’s touch-screen options for laptops that we are discussing, this might just be what you are looking for.
4. Dell XPS 12
It’s a convertible; it’s a dell; and it comes loaded with a responsive touch screen with Windows 8. The swivel-screen XPS is clever design but it comes short on battery expectations. It features a tactile keyboard, a high-quality 12.5 inches screen, and it tries to please most people.
It can function as an office notebook and it can then convert into a tablet style device running on the windows metro Interface. The battery shrinks even more – in terms of usage – when in the tablet mode though. It also has no Ethernet connectivity, and it probably just makes for a tough lug at about 1.54 kg.
For performance, you are to depend on its 4 GB ram and 128 GB SSD, and a 1.9 GHz core i7 processor. It’s an efficient and good-looking machine but it’s still not something that performance users will make a beeline for. For an everyday, utility laptop, it’s got everything you need. The question is, will you go for it?
5. Toshiba Satellite U920T – 108
Toshiba did a great job with its new Toshiba Satellite U920T-108, and it does boast of a fair performance with a decent build quality. The only thing to crib about this machine is the way it unfolds and converts. Sometimes, fancy just won’t work out for laptops.
Further, the low-resolution display is something you’d often wonder about. It comes with a high price tag but offers only i3 processor, a 1.7 GHz 4 GB RAM. It also comes with a 12.5-inch screen with a 1,366 x 768 resolution. Apart from those few quibbles, it’s another laptop worth looking at. Who knows, you might just like the way the convertible Ultra book works.
What is your favorite responsive touch-screen enabled, intuitive touch enabled, Windows 8 loaded laptop? Are there any noteworthy ones we missed? Please do let us know in the comments below.