We unbox the 13.3-inch ASUS UX31 Zenbook
We unbox the ASUS UX31 Zenbook – the first Ultrabook from ASUS. Weighing in at just 2.87lbs and 0.67 inches thin at its thickest point the finely crafted all-aluminium ASUS UX31 represents a revolution in notebook design.
The UX31 delivers the ultimate in performance including an Intel Core i5-2557M ULV processor, 4GB of ram, and a first among notebooks – an SATA III 128GB SSD for uncompromised speed. And with exclusive Instant-on technology and up to 7 hours of battery life the ASUS UX31 is the ideal PC for students that want to power through any tasks, stay connected all day, and of course, turn heads.
Free mini-VGA adapter and micro-HDMI port make connecting a monitor easy
First, let’s look at some of the free bonuses included in the box – starting with a VGA adapter. The UX31 itself comes with a mini-VGA port but to make things easier ASUS includes a free adapter to convert this to a standard VGA plug – making it incredibly easy to hook your UX31 up to an external LCD display or HDTV.
Free USB to Ethernet port adapter with carry case included
For frequent travellers the UX31 also comes with a free Ethernet adapter. While most users will be totally fine with wireless internet there are definitely times when an Ethernet port comes in handy – we’re thinking hotel rooms with sketchy wireless service and study halls designed in the 60′s! Plug this Ethernet adapter into one of the UX31′s two USB ports and you’re set.
Also included free, a padded carry case with magnetic latch
Undoubtedly the best free find in the box is a padded carrying case that you would expect to pay $50 for with just about any other notebook. Perfect for travelling or for keeping your notebook safe when you’re moving between classes the carry case is the perfect addition to the UX31. It kept the UX31 safe and sound on a recent trip to New Mexico where it shared space in my bag with a digital SLR and the tangle of cables I carry around for all my devices. No worse for wear after four flights.
The charging cable for the UX31 is as portable as it is. An indicator light lets you know it's charged
Another pleasant surprise in the box is the slimmed down charging adapter that comes with the UX31. Even slimmer than what came included with the Eee Slate EP121, this charging cable completely does away with the typical ‘brick’ that comes with most notebooks. What good would an ultra-portable PC be if the charger added an extra pound and took up half your bag? This one fits easily in your pocket and has a handy indicator light where it plugs into the side of the UX31 that goes from orange to green when you’re fully charged.
In the box: User manual, cable organizer, screen cleaner, warranty card
Underneath the UX31 and its carry case are some of the standard documents you find with ASUS notebooks. These include a warranty card, user manual, cable organizer, and LCD screen cleaner. Handily, the UX31 includes a ceramic coated screen bezel so fingerprints are kept to a minimum here.
The UX31 has a radial finish brushed aluminium lid that really catches the light
On to the main show – the UX31 itself. The most eye-catching feature of ASUS’ first Ultrabook is the unique radial aluminium finish. Apart from just catching the light and the attention of just about everyone around you when you pull your computer out of your bag, the finish also helps to resist and hide fingerprints so it stays looking new.
The underside of the UX31 reveals its unibody aluminium construction and convenient rubber feet
Flipping the UX31 upside down reveals the same aluminium material underside, albeit with a more traditional brushed finish. There are also rubber feet on each corner that protect the Zenbook’s bottom from scratches or scuffs when you’re using it on a hard surface and prevent it from moving around while typing. Rear facing vents also direct air away from you to avoid excess noise or heat.
On the left hand side there's a USB 2.0 port, headphone jack, and 5-in-1 card reader
The left hand side of the UX31 has a USB 2.0 port (great for plugging in an external mouse or hard drive), a headphone jack, and a 5-in-1 card reader.
The right side has a micro-HDMI port, mini-VGA port, USB 3.0 port, and charging port
On the opposite side there’s a micro-HDMI port, a mini-VGA port (where the aforementioned adapter plugs into), a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port (for 10x faster data transfers and back-ups), and the charging port.
Inside there's a large seamless trackpad, metallic chiclet keyboard, and ceramic finish bezel
Cracking open the lid reveals a full aluminium palm rest and seamless construction. There’s a huge trackpad and full keyboard that make getting around your desktop easy. And, a departure from recent ASUS notebooks, the screen features a ceramic finish bezel that is not only fingerprint-resistant but also better looking.
Behind the Zenbook's aluminium grille lays Bang & Olufsen ICEpower speakers
Behind the keyboard also lays one of the most surprising features of the ASUS UX31 Zenbook. Despite being extremely thin (just 17mm at its thickest point) the UX31 packs a serious audio punch. The ASUS SonicMaster design team worked in collaboration with Dutch Danish ultra-premium audio house Bang & Olufsen ICEpower to develop mind-blowingly clear speakers. You won’t believe that audio this loud or clear could come out of a laptop this size.
So there you have it – the ASUS UX31. Stay tuned for our hands-on video.
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I just bought this. I find myself remotely controlling all my servers at home and spending more time with this device than my desktop which is a dual 24 inch rig with a powerful GTX 580 graphics card.
The high quality finish, the brilliant IPS panel, super fast N wifi, intel i7 processor, low weight, solid metallic build and last but not least it’s ratio to my physical posture when I sit down makes this one commendable experience just by being in front of it.
This is the future.
Highly recommended buy, it would have been sweeter if it was cheaper than the $1500 I paid for it.
The UX31 is a beautiful extension of every intelligent thing is this life. I have been working on it since early March and it feels like arriving home. It is fast, reliable, attractive nad performance in every aspect. It also commands attention wherever I take it. Now all I need is a USB 3.0 hub to complete the set-up. Cheers and see you out there!
TheAudiRS4manAugust 20, 2011 Actually GTA IV is not a good game to test the performance of any dvicee, because its a code mess. Still, that Asus Laptop Rocks!! Hey i really enjoyed your lcd script. Thanks!
Does the USB 3.0 port double as a “charging port”…i.e. can it charge devices when the PC is not powered on?
My current laptop has this feature and it’s been extremely useful!
eek I’m holding thmubs SO hard!!!it’s been two years since my laptop was stolen and I haven’t been able to afford to buy a new one it would ROCK my world if I won one!
just saying 
how do I install more memory? I am a authorized tech and I removed the bottom panel with the star 5. I see the polymer battery and removed the three screws, but the other side of the battery seems to be bolts.
According to Crucial, the UX31 has four slots for memory with 8GB possible in each. I would love to bring this Ultrabook to 32 GB Memory
This is NOT a gaming notebook. Would you buy a Saturn car and try to drag race it? Come on be serious.
For the price, it needs a discrete video card, digital audio input, and should have come with either a DVI-D adapter or HDMI. Who uses VGA? I haven’t touched VGA in 7 years.
It has HDMI (see article above).
Also, the Intel Core i5 has an excellent onboard video processor. More than adequate for a notebook in this class.
As Dave points out, it does have HDMI and your comment about VGA is astonishing. VGA is the most widest used connector within industry with domestic use for entertainment purposes being where people tend towards more modern standards. For every one large company you can name me that can supply a workforce of 200 to +2000 with 1 or two monitors using HDMI instead of VGA and I could list 100 that don’t.
we want it!
from italy!
As this is always on and connected to the web, do I purchase a provider subscription when I buy this laptop? What are my choices for this?
What portable cd/dvd drive do you recommend for watching movies, installing software, etc.
Actually these ultrabooks won’t handle most serious games. Lack of a discrete GPU seriously hampers them, it’s why I decided not to get one of these and get a Sony Vaio S series instead. Try an older game like World of Warcraft (not that demanding compared to the current crop of games) on a current Macbook Pro 13 inch that lacks a discrete GPU and you’ll see how it falls flat on its face despite having a Sandy Bridge processor/chipset. If they put in an ATI or NVidia GPU I’d get one of these in a heartbeat…
I know the ux21 and 31 come with 4GB of ram. What is the max ram the machine can be installed with?
Bang & Olufsen is danish..
Thanks! Updated.
OMG
I want this so bad!!!!