Dell Inspiron 6400 like a great tablet when closed. High even at the top of its 12.5-inch 16/9 format. But appearances are deceptive. In addition to its touch capabilities, the U920T is indeed a full-fledged ultrabook. Small clarification before moving on to serious matters, the U920T that we received was an advanced prototype. We therefore expect to receive a commercial version for a test and a more complete view.

Flattening

After the shelves dock and back screens that we attack a new hybrid format Windows 8. If the concept of sliding screen is not new (remember, it was quite popular on high-end phones in the pre-iPhone / post Matrix), it is very common in the PC world. Remains to be seen whether it is effective in practice.

Externally, the U920T is pretty nice but it is a break with the Z830 ultrabook which was previously the flagship of the manufacturer. Forgotten all magnesium, one passes to a mixture of metal and plastic significantly more common. The finish is pretty good but we must admit that the look of this U920T us not only packed more than that. It may be superficial, but it is undeniable that the design is THE spot differentiating ultrabooks, touchscreen or not. And in this game, the dell latitude d630 is clearly not one of our favorites, with a relatively high weight (1.5 kg) given its screen size of 12.5 inches.

The connection is good however with two USB 3, HDMI and SD card reader. Necessarily the buttons on the edge are not very easy to operate but we appreciate that to disable the automatic switching of the display.

Transformation laptop / tablet is easy to make, simply drag the screen back flat until you reach a stop and then raise it. The mechanism is as impressive as complex. There are two metal rails on each side of the screen and in the center a connecting web which follows the movement.

It is very well done and a good demonstration of micromechanics. Hopefully longevity either appointment. One can not help but wonder how many movements survive the mechanism ...

We will also pay attention to the water between screen and keyboard is visible (and vulnerable) when the screen is deployed. The latter can then tilt its way between flat and in the upright position but if you want to enjoy the keyboard should be opened up. It is therefore in the presence of a computer all that is more standard.

However, as we lose the space at the rear, the keyboard is a bit packed but otherwise comfortable. The touchpad is really small which in turn is not as annoying as most of the action takes place on the touch screen. For consultation in tablet mode, the dell latitude d830 screen size is very nice. It will not take very long in the U920T hand but if we can rely on the knees, use tablet is nice.

Lack of energy resolution

The screen adopts an unusual size of 12.5 inches. Unfortunately the resolution is limited since there is here a simple 1366 x 780 pixels. This is a disappointing choice on many levels. Windows 8 really earns using a high resolution and performance that enables a processor Intel Core i, Full-HD could be done without resource problems. Resolution aside, the IPS screen is of good quality, with good viewing angles and a bright and nice colors.

The tactile part is also very good, Gorilla glass with a good glide. There all along recognized his own five fingers at the same time. It is not embarrassing for a single user but it can be problematic for some multiplayer games touch for example.

Inside, we find the typical configuration of a ultrabook end of this year 2012 with an Intel Core i5 3317U, 4GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD This is more than sufficient to run Windows 8 and perfectly sufficient for all tasks. The HP 484170-001 Battery life is also pretty good because it reaches 5 hours.

Toshiba U920T: yes but

Toshiba U920T leaves us with a mixed impression. The device itself is quite convincing. Despite a design that does not in the sexy, Toshiba offers us a notebook without compromise. The performance is good and the finish too. However, the concept of sliding screen leaves us skeptical. Indeed, U920T is not smaller than a standard ultrabook but has many mechanical stress such as a EliteBook 8540p Battery and a touchpad cramped, unable to completely control the tilt of the screen, not to mention a mechanical component by nature with risk of breakage. This format therefore seems less convincing than the Lenovo Yoga, which is also more versatile in use. However, the sliding screen is now more popular and we are also currently testing the Sony Vaio Duo uses the same principle.

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