Waiting for Haswell? Here are the 6 laptops you should consider

Intel officially announced the 4th generation Core processors — code named Haswell — back in June. Here we are over a month later and Haswell ultrabooks are just starting to arrive.

If you’re in the market for a new Windows laptop, Haswell is the way to go. Intel has worked out moderate performance gains, but a substantial increase in standby battery life. Don’t just buy the first ultrabook you spot, though. Here are six Haswell laptops you should look at picking up this year.

Dell XPS12

Dell’s newest ultrabook is going to ship on July 29th, and it has some distinctive features that set it apart from other ultrabooks. The first thing that’ll catch your attention is the crazy rotating screen. Lenovo cornered the market on wacky ultrabook design last generation with the Yoga, but the new Dell XPS 12 has finally made its flip-hinge something to consider.

All you have to do is unlatch the screen, flip it, and close the lid. Boom — you have a Windows 8 tablet. Yes, it’s going to be bulky as far as tablets go, but the screen is all Gorilla Glass and supports 10-point multitouch. On the subject of the screen, this is a 12.5-inch 1920×1080 LCD. These higher resolution screens are becoming standard. Thankfully, 1366×768 is slowly going away.

The Dell XPS12 is a bit chunkier than some competing ultrabooks because the flip-hinge prevents the extreme taper toward the front edge. This laptop will start at $1199 for the model with the Core i5 U4200.

Sony Vaio Pro 13

Sony’s new Haswell ultrabook is a real beauty. Made from carbon fiber, it’s one of the lightest small laptops on the market at just 2.4 lbs. The Sony Vaio Pro 13 uses that MacBook Air-inspired front taper to make the device seem a bit thinner than it is. Although, the front corners are actually a bit sharp.

The 13.3-inch display is another 1920×1080 panel with touch built in. Sadly, it doesn’t do any crazy gymnastics to become a tablet. Sony is using its experience in TVs to pump up the colors and depth of the screen on this laptop — it’s said to be one of the better 1080p laptop screens you can find.

This is one to consider because of the lovely design, low weight, and the fact that you can buy it right now. The Sony Vaio Pro 13 launched a few weeks ago, starting at $1249.99

Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus

Samsung made some of the best ultrabooks in 2012 with the Series 9. The Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus at least gives the Korean company a shot at continuing that trend. This 13.3-inch ultrabook has a sleek overall design, but the screen is what sets it apart. No, it doesn’t have some sort of crazy hinge — it’s just staggeringly high-resolution.

Samsung has opted to go with a 3200×1800 touchscreen LCD, which it calls QHD+. At this size, the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus has higher pixels-per-inch (PPI) than the Chromebook Pixel (276 vs. 239). There will also be a 1920×1080 resolution panel available if you want to save a few bucks.

The entire frame is a mere 0.53-inches and weighs in at 3 lbs. It’s a bit heavier than some of the other new ultrabooks, but the difference might be negligible. Samsung hasn’t announced a price or firm release date for this device, despite announcing it almost a month ago. It’s just, “in the coming months.” The price is expected to be high on the flagship model with the insane display and Core i7. A 1080p screen paired with a Core i5 Haswell should put it in the same range as the Sony Vaio Pro.