First released in October the Zenbook is regarded as the benchmark in the Ultrabook category
Ultrabooks have been all over the news this week with CES 2012 taking place in Las Vegas. Luckily, ASUS fans didn’t have to wait until CES to get the ASUS Zenbook UX31, since it was announced back in October.
So, in light of all the new ultrabooks being announced, here is a student review of the ASUS UX31 Zenbook for you to compare.
The ultra-thin Zenbook has a polished radial aluminum finish
Design
The body of the UX31, as with the lid, is made from polished aluminum giving it a sleek look and feel. Most eye-catching is the unique spun aluminum lid. It is also ultra thin with its thinnest point at the front measuring only 0.12″ and the thickest part in the rear at 0.35″.
The Zenbook UX31 has a center-hinge that's extremely solid feeling
The ultrabook uses a center hinge to connect the lid and I am happy to report that the UX31 is as solid as it looks. There isn’t any notable give on any portions of the design. It has a large track pad, but still leaves plenty of space to rest your palms making good use of all of its real estate.
The vent is located just above the keyboard and rests under the hinge. I found this to be an ideal location so that it prevents your legs from getting really warm when resting the ultrabook on your lap or heating up your hand or other objects when the vent is on the side.
From right to left: Power input, USB 3.0, Mini VGA (adapter included), Micro HDMI
From right to left: USB 2.0, Audio jack, SD Card reader
Features
The UX31 has the following ports: (Right Side) Power input, USB 3.0, Mini VGA (adapter included), Micro HDMI; (Left Side) USB 2.0, Audio jack, SD Card reader. Admittedly, I wasn’t very happy with the micro HDMI. I tried to use my mini HDMI adapter that I bought for my ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and was disappointed to see that the adapter was too big.
Included with the Zenbook are a mini VGA adapter and USB to Ethernet adapter
Fortunately, ASUS makes up for it by supplying the user with a mini VGA adapter, USB to Ethernet adapter, and a sleeve that matches the UX31′s sleek design.
The audio on the UX31 is one of the most impressive I have experienced. It seems to have 10x more output then my ASUS U35J laptop. The speakers are located within the hinge and are directed straight out to you when you open the ultrabook. The audio is by Bang and Olufsen ICEpower. The audio is definitely not your average laptop audio, which speaks for the UX31′s superior quality.
The UX31's ultra-bright 450cd/ms screen features a high 1600x900 resolution
The UX31 comes with a 13.3″ display sporting a high resolution of 1600×900, rather than the usual 1366×768 on most laptops. This provides you with much more viewing space and increases productivity. The display is also the first 450cd/ms panel on an ultrabook. This means that you experience clearer dark areas and more vivid light areas.
Hardware and Performance
The UX31 comes with your choice of Intel Core i5-2557M processor or the Intel Core i7-2677M processor, 4 GB of RAM, SATAIII SSD in 128G or 256G sizes, and a 0.3M camera. It has a 50W battery which has up to 7 hours of battery life. In my experience, the battery lasted about 5 hours throughout the school day.
With a 2-second resume time you can start working almost immediately when you open your PC
The ultrabook is incredible when it comes to resuming. It has a 2-second resume and this is completely true to their word. I loved how quickly I could flip open the lid in class and begin working. Plus, in between classes when you put it in standby you are sure not to lose much battery life since the UX31 can go up to 2 weeks on standby!
A comfortable keyboard is complimented by a spacious 2-button multi-touch touchpad
The UX31 Zenbook performed well in every situation. I used it in a presentation and the audio was so great that the entire class could hear a video I played without having to hook it up to the class speaker system. It is ultra portable and easy to use in any location. Typing and working on the ultrabook was great and very comfortable even for long periods of time.
A free protective sleeve is included free with the Zenbook UX31
When other students saw me pull it out of the sleeve they couldn’t believe that is what was stored in it. I was also able to test out the unit with some light gaming.
I happened to have the laptop during the Star Wars: The Old Republic open beta, so I thought I would test the game on the ultrabook and it performed really well. I had to turn most of the graphic settings to low, but I was still pleased with the quality of the game on the ultrabook.
Overall
Overall the Zenbook's design and ultra-slim profile make it a definite head-turner
My overall impression of the ASUS UX31 Zenbook is…WOW! This is a notebook that turns heads. I couldn’t take it anywhere without someone asking me about it and proclaiming they wanted it for themselves.
The only oversight that I have seen in the UX31 is the lack of a back-lit keyboard. In my opinion, I wish that it was standard on all laptops. Also, a normal size HDMI port would also be a huge plus.
Other than that, I believe that the UX31 is the perfect device for almost anyone, whether you are looking for portability, power, entertainment, or productivity.
Steve Kofoed is a recent Business Management graduate from Brigham Young University – Idaho.
Feel free to follow me on Twitter: @Steve_Kofoed
Unofficial ASUS Blog: eeescoop.com
Campuslife Facebook Page: Brigham Young University – Idaho
Hi! I have a question regarding playing SWTOR on the UX31. I’ve just bought the computer and I totally love it. However I don’t know how well the system will handle SWTOR on low graphics.
I have the i7 and 256SSD. Since you have played the game (or just the beta?) I would be very pleased if you could answer if the game is playable, fluent with low graphics and medium res. I havn’t been able to find info anywhere else about SWTOR on a Zenbook. Thank you so much!
I played the beta on low graphic settings and I was able to play it with out any trouble. I was also playing on an i5 version, so I imagine you should be good to go with the i7 supporting you. The only thing holding the UX31 back for gaming is the lack of dedicated graphics. I recommend the UX31 as a secondary gaming unit only.
for more review on ASUS Zenbook UX31 Ultrabook device you can go through the below link and here you will get the all details of this laptop: click here: http://forums.techarena.in/reviews/1442292.htm
Just got the UX31 for classes, and I love it, but the screen’s viewing angle isn’t very good, the keyboard is tough to type on as presses on the edges of keys are not registered, and the laptop is thicker than in the pictures, they photoshopped out the curved lower section. I’ve gotten used to the keyboard, and absolutely love the laptop, but I really wish Asus didn’t sacrifice viewing angle for screen brightness, as the screen can get blindingly bright. At max brightness, this laptop could be used on the surface of the sun. Is that worth the bright black levels and sub par viewing angles? I don’t think so.