Lenovo Thinkpad X300 vs Apple MacBook Air vs Dell XPS1330

If your are shopping for a ultra-thin notebook, here’s three of them to consider. Read how the Dell’s XPS1330, Apple’s MacBook Air and Lenovo’s Thinkpad X300 compare in specifications and price.

I’ve tried to come as close as I can get to comparing orange to orange on the three ultra-thin notebooks. Doing so, I was able to get a better idea of what are being offered on the table in terms of the three notebooks. They are actually addressing different market niches so selecting on which notebook to buy will depend greatly on your needs or how you intend to use the notebook you will buy.

0.16-0.76 inch	0.87-1.33 inches	0.73-0.92 inches
12.8 inches	12.5 inches	12.5 inches
8.94 inches	9.4 inches	9.1 inches
3 lbs	3.97 lbs	3.17 lbs
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8Ghz	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0Ghz	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0Ghz
Intel GMA X3100	Nvidia 128MB Geforce 8400M GS	no info available
13.3in 1280×900	13.3in 1280 x 800	13.3in 1440×900
64GB Solid State Disc	64GB Solid State Disc	64GB Solid State Disc
2GB	2GB (up to 4GB)	up to 4 GB
External Superdrive	CD/DVD +/-RW drive built-in	CD/DVD +/-RW drive built-in
1 port	2 ports	3 ports
yes	yes	yes
none	8-in-1	4-in-1
802.11n	802.11n	802.11n
2.1 EDR	2.0 EDR	no version info
10/100 Ethernet	10/100 Ethernet built-in	10/100/1000 Ethernet built-in
yes	yes	yes
yes	yes	yes
yes	yes	yes
Mac OSX	MS Vista Home Premium	no info available
US $3,226.00	US$ 2,364.00	US $2,700.00 approx
available in market	available in market	not yet available

Apple’s MacBook Air seems to be the clear winner in terms of size/footprint and weight but Lenovo’s X300 is not far behind in terms of weight. And if you consider having to carry an external optical disc drive for the MacBook Air then the Thinkpad seems to have the edge

The Thinkpad X300 also has the upper hand in terms of Processing power and display resolution. Although I didn’t find any info on the Thinkpad’s graphics processor, there’s an indication that it might be one of the Nvidia chips considering the display resolution of the X300.

The Dell XPS1330 is the clear winner in terms for value for money at almost 1,000 less than the MacBook Air with even more hardware features if you don’t mind carrying something that is almost a pound heavier than the MacBook Air.

At the time of this writing, the Thinkpad X300 is not yet available but it maybe worth your while waiting for the Lenovo X300 considering the price and other unsure features that might be built-in including WiMax and HSDPA.

If you don’t always need an optical drive and don’t mind shelling out at least a grand more for having to carry something that’s a pound lighter that what’s available then the Apple MacBook Air is for you.

If you want value for money plus having a utralight notebook that can handle PC games at acceptable frame rates then you may want to get the Dell XPS1330 or wait for the Thinkpad X300’s final spec.