A closer look at the Gigabyte X11, the world's 'lightest' Ultrabook

GIGABYTE X11 - 11.6" Full Carbon Fiber 

Gigabyte has announced the X11, an 11-inch laptop that claims to be the world's lightest Ultrabook, at 975 grams, or 2.15 pounds. Given above are few hands-on shots for you to enjoy. 

It is not sure if the X11 really is the world's lightest Ultrabook or how long it will hold that title. This thing really is featherweight, and is easy to carry across the room in one hand. Does it feel materially different form other 11-inch Ultras like the MacBook Air and new ASUS Zenbook Prime UX21A? 

When Gigabyte first unveiled the X11 last week, we felt the chassis smooth and soft under the fingers, but we noticed it's not immune to fingerprints -- everything from the touchpad to the palm rest to the lid showed greasy smudges. It feels nice in hand, though it doesn't nearly match the level of craftsmanship you'll find in the UX21A or the current-gen Air. Presently Gigabyte is only showing the race car-inspired version, which has a fading "Woven Diamond" pattern, but Gigabyte will eventually offer an all-black version as well.

Lift the lid and you'll be greeted by a fairly cramped keyboard. That's not surprising -- most 11-inch laptops have at least a few squished keys -- but even so, the UX21A offers a more spacious layout and its keys are made of metal, not plastic. The touchpad, meanwhile, has a nice, smooth surface and responded well to simple taps and basic navigation.

The X11, like all 11-inch Ultrabooks, makes some considerable compromises in the way of ports. You get two USB 3.0 ports, along with a Mini DisplayPort and audio jack, but it's missing a full-sized SD slot; instead you'll have to settle for a microSD reader. Then again, ASUS' UX21A doesn't have a memory card slot of any kind, so this doesn't necessarily put the X11 far behind the competition where I/O connectivity is concerned.

The X11 will go on sale in the US in late July or early August, according to a Gigabyte. When it does, it'll start at $999 -- pretty typical entry-level pricing for an 11-inch Ultrabook. At that base level, you'll get an Ivy Bridge Core i5 CPU and SSD, but a Core i7 CPU and larger drive will also be available. In terms of runtime, Gigabyte says it's still testing the X11's locked-in battery.