A brand new product from Panasonic, the Let’s Note, is an upgraded laptop from the Japanese multinational electronics company, with even better CPUs, and a distinctive look for some of Americans. The Let’s Note laptops are upgraded from Panasonic’s previous 12.1-inch series, and are considered the only ultra-compact from the company to feature the very latest mobile CPUs from Intel, and a bundle of other features usually not in conjunction with one device. Made of plastic, you wouldn't know just how complete this particular laptop is. Obviously an ultra compact device, the Panasonic Let’s Note is also rugged enough to dropped from a height of 76 cm.

Panasonic, of course highly regarded in Japan, meets the requirements of consumers there quite differently than American consumers, who are frequently looking for the ultra-thin genre. Ultra compact and ultra-thin are most definitely not the same. The Let’s Note devices are light, however, relatively thick devices. This is because Panasonic wanted to offer something with advantageous I/O, as well as a battery that will last. Hence, Let’s Notes do not look like most of the ultra-thin notebooks, convertibles, and hybrid laptops that are consistently launching in the U.S. Rather, they are boxy, not revelled for ever having thin panels, and feature very interesting circular track pads, something you'd really have to get used to if you're living in 2018, and not 15 years back. As mentioned, these are lightweight, but rugged, meaning even if they are fitted with an extended battery, one that Panasonic boastly claims to run for 21 hours, the device is still compact enough to barely reach 2.5 pounds.

The 12.1 inch display features a WUXGA 1920 x 1200 matte LCD screen, and a 720p webcam and IR sensor for Windows Hello. Inside, hardware includes an Intel Core i5-8350U or a Core-i7-8650U CPU processor, plus a new cooling system to beat the heat of its upgraded processors (which also adds to its bulk). Configuration options also include up to 1TB PCIe SSD, along with 128GB to 256GB SSD, and 8GB to 16GB LPDDR3 RAM.

Sometimes, if you want to go ultra-thin, you might want to get something lovely and sleek. However, this desire for beauty may cause a disadvantage when it comes to thin, replaceable batteries, and the lack of ports that some people actually need. Hence, the Let’s Note’s ports and connectivity include an HDMI port, Thunderbolt 3, VGA connect, Ethernet, (optional) LTE, an SD card slot, three USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and DVD burner. A DVD burner? That is awesome! Another slice of the pie that takes up space, but good for the demographic it is intended for.

Here, we have a Panasonic, in its relative state, utilizing multiple ideas in order to achieve an incredible light form-factor, in addition to being one of the few companies that still offer highly integrated laptops with more optical drives, thicker batteries (which are still replaceable), and more connectivity and ports. The price though, it's going to disappoint. Just for the stake of shocking you, $3,000 is about the price of the higher-end model. That, my friends, is pretty much where I would say, if you're not buying a brand new Dell XPS 15 9560 with 4K resolution and Kaby lake CPUs, put that 2 to 3 grand towards a car. On the other hand, Let’s Note has a place in the world, and could offer more external accessories, run for 21 hours without a charge; and, if you are curious and exotic enough to fit into this category of preferences, it may be the one for you. The Japanese computing company refreshed this brand without a U.S. introduction just yet. However, these are probably going to do quite well and places like Tokyo and Osaka, where they are already being sold via FlipKart.