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Aspire Timeline Ultra M5-481TG

By Acer

ThinkPad X230

By Lenovo

MacBook Air (13-inch, mid 2012)

By Apple

Verge score: 8.0	Verge score: 7.5	Verge score: 8.8
Acer's 14- and 15-inch Timeline Ultra don't have the slimness of the Aspire S5, but feature more powerful specs and a DVD drive. This model has a 14-inch screen, .81-inch thickness, and Nvidia GeForce GT 640M LE graphics. Description	The ThinkPad X230 by Lenovo is an ultraportable notebook with a 12.5-inch IPS display, built-in LTE connectivity, and Intel's Ivy Bridge family of processors. It features Dolby Advanced Audio, two USB 3.0 ports, a built-in webcam with face tracking, and an optional backlit keyboard.	Even though it has the same .68-inch thin body as the previous two models, the mid-2012 MacBook Air adds in Intel's 3rd generation Ivy Bridge processors, two USB 3.0 ports, and the option to double its RAM to 8GB and up its SSD storage capacity to 512GB.
Status: Available Availability date: June 2012 Price at launch: $779.99 Availability	Status: Available Availability date: Jun. 5, 2012 Price at launch: $1,179.00	Status: Available Availability date: Jun. 11, 2012 Price at launch: $1,199.00
Laptop type: Ultraportable Width: 13.39 inches Depth: 9.65 inches Thickness: 0.81 inches Weight: 4.3 pounds Hardware	Laptop type: Ultraportable Width: 12.01 inches Depth: 8.13 inches Thickness: 0.75 inches Weight: 2.96 pounds Color: Black	Laptop type: Ultraportable Width: 12.8 inches Depth: 8.94 inches Thickness: .68 inches Weight: 2.96 pounds Color: Silver
Operating system: Windows 7 Software	Operating system: Windows 7	Operating system: Mac OS X
Screen size (diagonal): 14 inches Technology: LCD Backlight: LED Resolution (X): 1366 px Resolution (Y): 768 px PPI: 112 Display (base)	Screen size (diagonal): 12.5 inches Technology: IPS LCD Backlight: LED Resolution (X): 1366 px Resolution (Y): 768 px	Screen size (diagonal): 13.3 inches Display surface: Glossy Technology: LCD Backlight: LED Resolution (X): 1440 px Resolution (Y): 900 px
Type: Chiclet Backlit: Yes Number pad: No Keyboard	Type: Chiclet Backlit: Optional Number pad: No	Type: Chiclet Backlit: Yes Number pad: No
Type(s): Trackpad Mouse	Type(s): Trackpad, Pointing stick	Type(s): Trackpad Multitouch: Yes
CPU brand: Intel CPU family: Sandy Bridge Model: Core i3-2377M Cores: 2 Clockspeed: 1.5 GHz Processor (base)	CPU brand: Intel CPU family: Sandy Bridge Model: Core i3-2370M Cores: 2 Clockspeed: 2.4 GHz	CPU brand: Intel CPU family: Ivy Bridge Model: Core i5-3427U Cores: 2 Clockspeed: 1.8 GHz Turbo clockspeed: 2.8 GHz
Brand: Intel Family: Ivy Bridge Model: Core i5-3317U Cores: 2 Clockspeed: 1.7 GHz Turbo clockspeed: 2.6 GHz Processor (max)	Brand: Intel Family: Ivy Bridge Model: Core i7-3520M Cores: 2 Clockspeed: 2.6 GHz Turbo clockspeed: 3.3 GHz	Brand: Intel Family: Ivy Bridge Model: Core i7-3667U Cores: 2 Clockspeed: 2 GHz Turbo clockspeed: 3.2 GHz
Graphics type: Integrated Integrated GPU brand: Intel Integrated GPU model: HD Graphics 3000 GPU (base)	Graphics type: Integrated Integrated GPU brand: Intel Integrated GPU model: HD Graphics 3000	Graphics type: Integrated Integrated GPU brand: Intel Integrated GPU model: HD Graphics 4000
Discrete GPU brand: Nvidia Discrete GPU model: GeForce GT 640M LE Dedicated VRAM size: 1 GB GPU (max)	Integrated GPU brand: Intel Integrated GPU model: HD Graphics 4000
Base RAM size: 4 GB RAM type: DDR3 Base RAM speed: 1066 MHz Memory	Base RAM size: 4 GB Max. config RAM size: 16 GB RAM type: DDR3 Base RAM speed: 1600 MHz RAM slots: 2	Base RAM size: 4 GB Max. config RAM size: 8 GB RAM type: DDR3 Base RAM speed: 1600 MHz
Options: HDD (5400RPM), Flash Memory (SSD) Base drive type: HDD (5400RPM) Base drive capacity: 500 GB Max. config SSD: 20 GB Card reader: Yes Storage	Options: HDD (5400RPM), HDD (7200RPM), Flash Memory (SSD) Base drive type: HDD (7200RPM) Base drive capacity: 320 GB Max. config HDD: 500 GB Max. config SSD: 180 GB Card reader: Yes Card reader support: SD, MMC	Base drive type: Flash (SSD) Base drive capacity: 128 GB Max. config SSD: 512 GB Card reader: Yes Card reader support: SD
Optical drive type: Slot-loading Compatible media: CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD/CD-RW combo, DVD+R/W, DVD-R/RW, DVD±R/RW, Dual-layer DVD burner, DVD Super Multi Optical Drive
Speakers: 2 Audio	Audio brand: Dolby Advanced Audio v2	Speakers: 2
Effective pixels: 1.3 megapixels Webcam	Video resolution: 720p	Video resolution: 720p
Sensors	Biometric scanner: Optional	Ambient light: Yes
USB 3.0: 2 HDMI: 1 3.5mm mic / headphone combo: 1 Port options	USB: 2 USB 3.0: 2 Ethernet: 1 VGA: 1 Mini DisplayPort: 1	USB 3.0: 2 Thunderbolt: 1 3.5mm mic / headphone combo: 1
Wi-Fi: Yes Wi-Fi options: 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b Bluetooth: Yes Bluetooth version: 4.0 Connectivity	Wi-Fi: Yes Wi-Fi options: 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a Bluetooth: Optional Bluetooth version: 4.0 Other carrier options: Gobi 3000 3G: Yes 4G: Yes	Wi-Fi: Yes Wi-Fi options: 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a 802.11n frequencies: 5GHz, 2.4GHz Bluetooth: Yes Bluetooth version: 4.0
Size: 4850 mAh Chemistry: Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Quoted time: 8 hr Battery	Size: 63 Wh Chemistry: Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Removable: Yes	Size: 50 Wh Chemistry: Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) Removable: No Quoted time: 7 hr
Benchmarks	The Verge Battery Test: 7 hours and 10 minutes	GeekBench: 6736 The Verge Battery Test: 5 hours and 34 minutes