Luxury market – Premium Notebooks
by Leda Cavalcanti
Working in a hybrid or remote format and distance-learning have contributed to the expansion of the category of premium notebooks, which have productivity as one of their main characteristics. “Premium products offer the best performance in everyday tasks and also in the most complex ones, such as image manipulation, games and heavy files. Allied to performance, the market is looking for a more refined and clean design, high durability and favorable cost-benefit ratio”, says Rodrigo Fiani, vice president of B2B sales at LG Electronics do Brasil.
Data from research firm GfK shows that notebook sales grew 4.2% in units and 27.5% in value from January to October 2021, compared to the same period last year. “Even in a crisis scenario, we see that the acceleration of society’s digital transformation tends to lead to an increase in demand for premium notebooks, which bring innovations and performance to increasingly demanding users, both for work and entertainment”, says Fabiano Honain, Product Manager at Dell Technologies.
As consumers increase their demands for electronic equipment characteristics, the trend is to have an increasingly larger and more consolidated market, says Luciano Beraldo, senior manager of the notebooks area at Samsung Brasil. “For this reason, premium notebooks have gained more space, as they are devices that guarantee high performance and mobility, essential features, in addition to providing a superior user experience to that of entry-level devices. They have gained even greater importance in a world that considers the remote model before the face-to-face.”
Data from research firm GfK shows that notebook sales grew 4.2% in units and 27.5% in value from January to October 2021, compared to the same period last year.
Expansion
Two factors will lead to market expansion, says Samuel Rodegheri, PC Consumer business director at Positivo Tecnologia, which, in 2015, obtained the license to produce and sell Vaio-branded notebooks in Brazil. “The first is that the penetration rate of computers in Brazilian homes is very low. According to data from the latest TIC Household survey, carried out in 2020, only 45% of them have a computer. In addition, there are more than 25 million computers in the country over 5 years old, and with their greater use and the need for more powerful machines, the trend is for this park to be renewed in the coming years.”
The entire notebook category grew with working and studying remotely. However, premium equipment is a separate segment. “These products reach a specific audience, which values design and seeks high performance. Demand has been growing in recent years due to high demand from creative professionals, content producers and entrepreneurs. For this new normal, notebooks have to be compact, thin, light and powerful”, says Manuel Castro, commercial director of Asus Brasil.
The premium market should continue to grow as consumers understand their needs and continue to look for machines that offer greater performance for working or studying, whether in person, at home or in a hybrid way, or even for leisure, such as playing games or surfing the internet. That is, each product has its use clearly defined. “It’s no use, for example, having a convertible car to use in the mud”, compares the CEO of Compaq Brasil, Camilo Stefanelli.
Style
The sophistication of premium notebooks points to a way of life that everyone aspires to. “In the same way that people like having a cell phone, a car, visiting places and seeing things that demonstrate their lifestyle, they want to have different notebooks. Premium products fall into this category. People gift themselves with notebooks”, explains André Teixeira, senior product manager at Acer Brasil.
“Premium notebooks are products with an exponential growth trend”, attests Emerson Salomão, CEO of Avell. “Despite being a completely dedicated market, more solutions are created from physical to virtual media, which leads to an increasing number of technological applications that allow people who did not consume this medium to participate in it. As technology evolves, the high-performance notebook market will have the possibility of expansion.”
As consumers increase their demands on the characteristics of electronic equipment, the trend is to have an increasingly larger and more consolidated market.
In fact, the notebook is renewing itself in the market as a key product in people’s lives, both for work and for fun and personal relationships. “With this vision, space is opened up for several product segments for niches that are looking for specific features in their notebooks, such as the 2 in 1 with touch screen. We will see, more and more, an expansion of the companies’ catalog to serve various types of consumers who will keep this market heated for years to come”, explains Fernando Nogueira, product director for notebooks and screens at Multilaser. See the retail products below.
ACER
André Teixeira, senior product manager at Acer Brasil
The Swift 5 SF514-55TA-519P is a 14” ultra-thin notebook that comes equipped with Intel’s 11th generation Ci5, 8GB of memory and 512GB of SSD. The device has Windows 10 and is already prepared for a free upgrade to Windows 11. It has the new Corning Gorilla Glass antimicrobial technology, which protects the user from unwanted conditions of outdoor use, such as microbes and bacteria. At 1.04 kg and 14.95 mm thick, the device has an exclusive design.
Another model is the Spin 3 SP313-51N-54V4, 2 in 1 touch notebook with 13.3” IPS WUXGA touch-screen, high resolution, 225 nit brightness and 100% sRGB sharpness. Comes with the Acer Active Stylus stylus with Wacom AES 1.0, featuring 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity for a realistic pen-on-paper feel. It has 8 GB of memory, 512 GB of SSD, Windows 10 and, like the model above, it is ready for Windows 11 and Intel® Iris® Xe graphics processor. It can also be used as a tablet.
Swift 5 – Suggested price as of Dec 13, 2021: R$ 8.799,00.
Spin 3 – Suggested price as of Dec 13, 202: R$ 7.699,00.
ASUS BRASIL
The ZenBook Duo 14 UX482EA-KA213T has the exclusive ScreenPad™ Plus, additional touch-sensitive screen, which automatically tilts to an angle of up to 7 degrees. This IPS-level 12.6” Full HD touchscreen works with the main 14” Full HD NanoEdge, whose design has virtually eliminated the edges. It features 11th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, up to 16GB of 2,666MHz LPDDR4X RAM and up to 512GB of PCIe® SSD storage. It features an Intel® Iris® Xe processor, transformational GPU and integrated graphics, 70 Wh battery for up to 17 hours of use without needing to charge, and weighs 1.62 kg.
Another product, the ZenBook 14 UX435EA-A5072T has the exclusive ASUS ScreenPad™ 2.0, which allows the user to exercise their creativity on a smart touchpad, which works as a second screen, with a programmable and intuitive interface. It has a NanoEdge screen, extremely thin edges on all four sides and weighs 1.29 kg. It is equipped with 11th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor, Intel® Iris® Xe graphics, ultra-fast storage, 512GB4PCIe® 3.0 x2 SSD, and 63 Wh battery life for up to 17 hours of use without needing to charge.
ZenBook Duo 14 UX482EA-KA213T – Suggested price as of Dec 15, 2021: starting at R$ 11.699,00.
ZenBook 14 UX435EA-A5072T – Suggested price as of Dec 15, 2021: R$ 8.999,00.
AVELL
In the high-performance line, there is the Avell MOB Line, with 11th generation Tiger Lake H series and G PU RTX 30 series processors, and screen options with sizes of 14″, 15.6″ and 17.3″. All MOB models come from the factory with memories of 3200 MHz and SSD NVMe M.2. These two components can be customized by the customer on the website according to their needs, from 8GB to 64GB for the memories and from 250GB to 2TB of storage.
The company also works with the B.On Line, focused on productivity. It consists of thin and light products, with a battery that lasts up to 14 hours. The equipment has an Intel® Iris® GPU integrated with an 11th series G processor, they are available in i5 and i7 versions and have hardware that includes AI solutions. The models have a 15.6” WVA Glossy multitouch screen, rotated up to 180° and are Intel EVO certified.
Avell C62 MOB – Suggested price as of Dec 8, 2021: starting at R$ 10.995,30.
Avell B.On – Suggested price as of Dec 8, 2021: starting at R$ 6.795,00.
COMPAQ
It offers the Compaq Presario 450 notebook, whose performance is guaranteed by a 240 GB SSD, up to five times faster than a traditional HD, and 8 GB DDR4 RAM memory. The battery lasts for seven hours. Internet access is via both high-speed Wi-Fi and a wired connection via the RJ-45 port. It has a rubberized finish that provides greater comfort and ergonomics, with a keyboard with wider keys, in addition to a 14’’ Widescreen HD LDC screen with thin edges and LED technology.
Another notebook, the Compaq Presario 420 has 120GB SSD, 4GB of RAM memory, Intel Pentium N3700 processor, HD audio, built-in stereo microphone and speakers, HD 720p HD front camera and 4,800 mAh battery. With a 14” screen, thin edges and LED technology, it is presented in gray, with a rubberized finish. It weighs 1.3 kg.
Compaq Presario 450 – Suggested price as of Dec 10, 2021: R$ 3.509,00.
Compaq Presario 420 – Suggested price as of Dec 10, 2021: R$ 2.069,00.
DELL TECHNOLOGIES
The XPS 13 is the most premium notebook in the brand’s current portfolio and features a number of innovations. It is made from selected materials to balance weight, size, performance, durability and energy efficiency. It features aerospace-inspired carbon fiber finishes, woven fiberglass, and precision-cut machined aluminum from an aluminum block. Since mid-2020, the XPS 13-line models have been produced in Brazil.
Its Corning®Gorilla® Glass screen is bonded to aluminum, which brings greater resistance to damage and greater durability. It has a compact profile, 13.4” screen with ultra-thin edges on all four sides due to the InfinityEdge design, hardware and features that ensure high performance and productivity in entertainment and work. Highlight for high connectivity with the Killer AX1650 card (2×2) integrated to the Intel Wi-Fi 6 Chipset and for the Dell Power Manager, which controls its energy efficiency to optimize the CPU and maximize performance when needed.
XPS 13 – Suggested price as of Dec 13, 2021: starting at R$ 12.349,00.
LG ELECTRONICS DO BRASIL
It recently launched the LG Gram Line, comprising five premium notebooks, with features such as lightness, better performance, design and durability. They have a compact design and minimalist lines that leave the screen edges almost imperceptible. They feature the new LPDDR4X technology, which allows them to reach memory speeds of 4,266 MHz, 33% faster than the current standard. The battery, with up to 80 Wh of lithium ion, has a autonomy of up to 22 hours. The line has Thunderbolt™ 3 and 4 ports for connectivity and allows data transfers of up to 40 Gbps/s.
Among the highlights are the models Titanium Edition 17Z90N and Titanium 15Z90N, extremely light, highlights the brand. They feature a 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB DDR4 32,000 MHZ, SSD NVMe, ’18:10 screen on the 17” model and Thunderbolt™ 3. The line is one-touch activation. Just activate the notebook on the Power Button and automatically identify yourself, all through fingerprint reading technology, which ensures greater security. It also has the Military Certificate MIL-STD, proving its resistance.
Titanium Edition 17Z90N – Suggested price as of Dec 10, 2021: R$ 7.999,00.
Titanium 15Z90N – Suggested price as of Dec 10, 2021: R$ 6.999,00.
MULTILASER
The Ultra 500 Series has two models, the UB520 and the UB522. The first has all the features of a notebook for those looking for performance and a good price, highlights the company. Equipped with Intel Core i5 processor, it has 8 GB of RAM and 480 GB of SSD storage. With a modern design and premium finish, it allows you to work with documents and spreadsheets, browse the internet and watch videos. It has a 15.6” Full HD screen and a Netflix shortcut key, allowing quick access to the platform’s movies and series.
The UB522 model is for those who want to save a little. It has all the features of the UB520, but with 240G of SSD, it is suitable for those who work more in the cloud and don’t need a lot of local storage. Both notebooks come with the Windows 10 Home operating system from the factory.
UB520
UB522
SAMSUNG BRASIL
The Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 make up the brand’s new generation of mobile notebooks. Ultra-thin, the Galaxy Book Pro is rugged, has a 15.6” AMOLED screen and is available in Mystic Silver. Made of anodized aluminum, it’s just 11.7 mm thick, weighs 1.05 kg and has a fast-charging battery (in 30 minutes of recharge, eight hours of battery life). It has a autonomy of up to 21 hours in video playback. It features 11th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, Intel® Evo™ Platform and Intel® Iris® Xe, providing a better work and entertainment experience.
An all-metal notebook with a lightweight design, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 weighs less than 1 kg and is about 11.5 mm thick. 2 in 1 product, it has a Super AMOLED display that rotates 360°, allowing use in tablet mode. It comes with the S Pen, a pen that offers greater precision for professionals in the areas of design and creation. It is equipped with 11th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor and its battery life provides up to 21 hours of video playback use.
Galaxy Book Pro – Suggested price as of Dec 13, 2021: R$ 11.499,00.
Galaxy Book Pro 360 – Suggested price as of Dec 13, 2021: R$ 10.999,00.
VAIO
VAIO® Z is the world’s first notebook with a 3D molded carbon fiber structure, highlights the brand. It weighs approximately 1 kg. It has 11th generation 11370H i7 H35 series processor with Intel® Iris® Xe graphics, which together with VAIO® TruePerformance technology delivers desktop performance in a machine with ultra-portable design. The 14’’ LCD screen, with thin edges and 4K resolution, has an anti-glare system and reproduces colors with HDR visuals. Its compact power supply needs 60 minutes of charge to ensure 10 and a half hours of continuous use.
To attest to its ruggedness, the VAIO® Z has passed military standard tests (MIL-STD-810H), established by the US Department of Defense, such as drops in any position and up to 1.27 m. Another notebook, the VAIO® FE 15 has an ultra-slim design, a 15.6” screen, weighs 1.75 kg and is available in dark lead and silver colors. It has versions with 10th generation Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7 processors, RAM memory of up to 16 GB, numeric keypad and the option of backlighting to facilitate typing in dark environments.
VAIO® Z – Suggested price as of Dec 10, 2021: R$ 21.599,10.
VAIO® FE 15 – Suggested price as of Dec 10, 2021: all models in the line cost between R$ 3.059,10 and R$ 6.389,10.
Source: Eletrolar News #146
