Stiftung Warentest: MacBook Pro beats Ultrabooks

Stiftung Warentest let the MacBook Pro compete against 6 Ultrabooks from leading manufacturers in issue 07/13. The expensive Apple notebook (13.3 inches) did only marginally better than the much cheaper Ultrabook alternatives. We summarize the results of the product test for you and take a look at the Ultrabook leaderboard.

Test winner: MacBook Pro (13.3 inch)

• Expensive but best: With a final score of 2.0, the MacBook Pro (A1425) is just ahead of its competitors. The 13.3 incher is also the most expensive device in the test. Our price-performance comparison of the Ultrabooks shows that it is also cheaper.
• The MacBook cut a good figure in mobile use and convinced with a particularly long battery life. Also noticeable is the low power consumption of the extremely quiet MacBook and its suitability for the office. Price approx.1, 400 euros.
• Apple received a "satisfactory" for its software, which is not or only insufficiently compatible with other systems.

Ultrabook followers: Samsung and Toshiba in second place

• The two runner-up Toshiba Satellite Z930-16K (price approx. 900 euros) and Samsung NP730U3E-S03DE (price approx. 950 euros) cost just a third compared to the test winner MacBook Pro. However, the gap is extremely short: with 2.1 overall, they are strong competition for the product test winner.
• When it comes to computing power for office and multimedia applications, the two Apple pursuers are on par with the MacBook or even top it. At the latest when it comes to power consumption, however, you can no longer keep up.
• Another plus: the 13.3-inch displays of the two runners-up are significantly better than the MacBook: Toshiba has given its ultrabook a matt screen and at Samsung it is at least anti-reflective. How to work with the Ultrabooks even in strong light with almost no reflections.

Ultrabook with touch at Stiftung Warentest only mediocre

A highlight of the product test is the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 - an ultrabook with a 360-degree touchscreen:

• However, the Ultrabook convertible left quite a few springs in the check, especially with the highly reflective display. Price about 1, 200 euros.
• The IdeaPad lacks some features for a real notebook, it is too difficult for a tablet. In the end, Stiftung Warentest came to the verdict "satisfactory" (mark 2.5).
• You can find the details of the test at test.de.

Top ultrabooks in the CHIP leaderboard: MacBook only in 4th place

• In the CHIP leaderboard, the new MacBookPro ranks 4th in the top league. In terms of price, there are hardly any differences to the better placed Ultrabooks, but they also score with more performance.
• The Asus Zenbook UX301LA (price approx. 1, 600 euros), which can even compete with Apple on the topic of "battery life", takes the lead. In addition, it convinced in the test with its particularly good equipment, excellent performance and high-resolution display.
• The places 2 and 3 go to the Sony Vaio Pro 13 (price approx. 1, 400 euros) and Acer's Aspire S7 (price approx. 1, 350 euros).
• Among the hybrids, the IdeaPad Yoga 2 from Lenovo (price approx. 1, 200 euros) makes the leap into the top 10: Well suited for working, you should rather use a notebook to play, so the conclusion.

Tip: You don't necessarily have to pay a lot of money for top ultrabooks: in our large ultrabook check we show you strong models under 999 euros.