Intel Inside Laptops: Here Are The Top 6 Kaby Lake Notebook Brands In 2017 Q1

The Next Generation

Devices featuring Intel's newest top-of-the-line processors, codenamed Kaby Lake, started hitting the market this past fall. The seventh-generation Core i processors feature boosts in speed over the previous generation (Skylake) and other advantages, such as lower battery drain. Not all notebook makers have been quick out of the gate with Kaby Lake devices – Apple and Microsoft have yet to release devices with the processors, for instance – but other major vendors each have a range of Kaby Lake notebooks now on the market. Six vendors were dominant in sales of notebooks featuring Kaby Lake chips during the first quarter of 2017, as measured by sales through major technology distributors tracked by The NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm. NPD's DistributorTrack sales database is comprised primarily of U.S. Global Technology Distribution Council members.

Following are the top six best-selling Kaby Lake notebook brands in the first quarter of the year, according to The NPD Group.

6. MSI Computer Corp.

Taiwan-based MSI nabbed a 4 percent share of the market for Kaby Lake notebooks during the first quarter of the year, in terms of unit sales through technology distributors.

In January, MSI introduced a new line of mobile workstations, including the WT73VR, a powerful laptop that aims to serve as a replacement for desktop PCs. The WT73VR includes up to Core i7 Kaby Lake processors and is among the first to fully support virtual reality applications.

5. Dell

Round Rock, Texas-based Dell had a market share of 5 percent for Kaby Lake notebook units sold during Q1, according to NPD data from technology distributors.

Among the company's Kaby Lake notebooks are the latest update to the XPS 13 laptop, as well as the first-ever convertible edition of the XPS 13, released in January. The XPS 13 2-in-1 includes low-power Kaby Lake processors, from the Core Y-series, which don't require a cooling fan.

4. Acer

Taiwan-based Acer saw a 7 percent share of the market for Kaby Lake devices in the first quarter of 2017, based on unit sales through distributors.

The company's best-selling Kaby Lake notebook via distributors during the quarter, according to The NPD Group, was the Aspire E, a 15.6-inch notebook featuring Core i5 Kaby Lake processors.

3. Asus

Taiwan-based Asus captured 8 percent of unit sales of Kaby Lake notebooks during Q1, according to sales via technology distributors.

Asus' Kaby Lake offerings include the ZenBook 3, which is available with up to Core i7 processors. The 12.5-inch laptop also weighs just 2 pounds and is one of the thinnest laptops on the market at 0.47 of an inch thick.

2. Lenovo

Lenovo, based in Beijing, China, and Morrisville, N.C., enjoyed 24 percent of the market for Kaby Lake notebooks in the first quarter, based on unit sales through distributors.

Lenovo's top-selling Kaby Lake notebook through distributors during Q1 was the ThinkPad T470S, according to The NPD Group. The T470S includes Core i5 or i7 Kaby Lake processors, while weighing 2.9 pounds and measuring 0.74 of an inch thick.

1. HP

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP Inc. led the way for distributor sales of Kaby Lake notebooks during Q1, with nearly half of the market -- 48 percent of units sold, based on NPD data.

HP saw strong sales of its fourth-generation ProBook 450, which features up to Intel Core i7 processors, according to NPD. During the first quarter, HP also released the EliteBook x360 convertible laptop, which offers choices among several Core i5 or i7 processors, up to the Core i7-7600U. The EliteBook x360 also promises up to 16.5 hours of battery life and a wide range of business security features.