Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH52
Manufacturer: Asus Part number: UX31E-DH52
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- Bottom Line:
- The Asus Zenbook UX31E is an excellent-looking Windows Ultrabook laptop that matches the MacBook Air step for step with an even better price. Fans of great audio, high-resolution screens and lots of ports will be happy; keyboard/touch pad aficionados will be disappointed.
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CNET editors' review
Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH52 price range: $989.95 - $1,129.00
- Reviewed by: Scott Stein
- Reviewed on: 10/24/2011
The good: The Asus Zenbook UX31E boasts sleek, pristine design, excellent-sounding speakers, a higher-resolution screen than the MacBook Air, and a better price for nearly identical specs.
The bad: The keyboard and touch pad are weak points; there are equally thin laptops out there with better battery life.
The bottom line: The Asus Zenbook UX31E is an excellent-looking Windows Ultrabook laptop that matches the MacBook Air step for step with an even better price. Fans of great audio, high-resolution screens and lots of ports will be happy; keyboard/touch pad aficionados will be disappointed.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the MacBook Air should be positively blushing right around now. A sudden onslaught of Ultrabooks--the Intel-coined term for thin, MacBook Air-esque Windows laptops with fast boot times and sleek, high-end designs--has hit just in time for the holidays, and one of the most highly hyped ones we've seen is the Asus Zenbook, a product that doesn't shy away from an Apple-like design whatsoever. That's not such a bad thing: who doesn't want a thin, unibody metal lightweight laptop that starts fast and has a great battery life?
The 13-inch Asus Zenbook, despite looking at least as expensive and high-end as laptops such as the Samsung Series 9, has a starting price of $1,099, which includes 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD drive. That's $200 less expensive than the equivalent MacBook Air. Smartly, the Zenbook gets that part right: when competing with a product as singularly well-known and highly rated as the MacBook Air, your product has to be either better or cheaper.
Cheaper, it is: as for better, I'd have to disagree. Excellent speakers, sleek design, and a high-resolution screen are accompanied by a finicky keyboard and touch pad, giving the ever-so-slightly-off sensation when working on the Zenbook. It feels like the opposite of the silky-smooth experience on a MacBook Air. Battery life is short of the Air's lofty numbers, too. Nearly 5 hours isn't shabby, but it's not industry-leading.
Those are somewhat minor issues for what's otherwise a very solid and impressive thin laptop, but at a price north of $1,000, these are issues anyone would pay attention to. The 13-inch Zenbook UX31 gets more expensive in 256GB SSD and Core i7 configurations, climbing up to $1,449 at its highest price. If I were buying a Zenbook, I'd stick with our $1,099 review model and live with the limitations, glad that I had a MacBook Air-alike that saved me a few dollars along the way. If your idea of an Ultrabook is a Windows version of a MacBook Air with a slightly lower price, then consider the Zenbook your product: just be forewarned that the keyboard, touch pad, and battery life are less impressive than the audio/visual bells and whistles.
| Price as reviewed | $1,099 |
| Processor | 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5-2557M |
| Memory | 4GB, 1333MHz DDR3 |
| Hard drive | 128GB SSD |
| Chipset | Intel QS67 |
| Graphics | Intel HD 3000 |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) |
| Dimensions (WD) | 12.8 x 8.8 inches |
| Height | 0.1-0.7 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 13.3 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 3.1/3.5 pounds |
| Category | 13-inch |
Take the Asus Zenbook out of its foam-lined jewel-box packaging, and you might think you'd accidentally bought a MacBook Air. The experience is that similar, down to the square plastic wall charger with a removable plug tip. The Zenbook, made of unibody aluminum like the MacBook Air, has a darker gloss to its back lid and a heft that makes it almost feel more like magnesium or steel. Radial metal lines on the back catch light and give the Zenbook an industrial-design flavor. Inside, the metal surfaces are brushed in a subtle vertical pattern. Brushed metal on the bottom is only interrupted by a rear speaker grill and four black rubber feet.
The bladelike teardrop shape of the Zenbook is even curved like a MacBook Air, but it's slightly more bulbous: its 0.71 inch of maximum thickness is cleverly concealed, but I could tell the difference when I slipped it into a messenger bag. A weight of 3.1 pounds is still light, but it's a tad heavier than the MacBook Air, Acer S3, and Lenovo IdeaPad U300s.
Ports line the sides of the Zenbook UX31, just like on the MacBook Air. USB, an SD card slot, and a headphone jack line the left side, while a USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, and Micro-HDMI port line the right. There isn't any Ethernet jack, but Asus includes a USB-to-Ethernet and VGA dongle with the Zenbook, along with an attractive brown, nylon mailer-envelope-style sleeve to protect your laptop investment.
The Zenbook's got a great coffee-shop quotient: it's easy to slip into and out of a bag, and odds are you'll draw a fair amount of casual attention from nearby latte-sippers when using it. I found that fellow office-workers were more eager to check it out than the typical laptop. Asus spent a lot of effort on the Zenbook's design, and it shows.
The magnetic hinge that keeps the Zenbook closed works somewhat like a MacBook Air's, but the narrow lip is harder to catch with your fingers and pull apart. Sometimes it worked perfectly, other times I had to fiddle a bit. Once it opens, the interior's clean and crisp design offers an unencumbered keyboard seated up near the screen and a very large--about as large as a MacBook Air's--multitouch click pad, with dedicated click zones underneath delineated with a simple little black dividing line.
Alas, if only that keyboard and touch pad could come close to what a MacBook provides. The flat, square raised keys are too shallow and mushy for my taste, but it's more than that: I mistyped quite a bit when keys didn't seem to register. The keyboard's top row of function keys does double duty for volume control and screen brightness, and the power button's part of this same row on the far right. All buttons required me to simultaneously press Fn to raise/lower volume and the like, which killed some of the elegance. The keyboard also lacks backlighting, and the black-on-silver key lettering can be hard to read at off angles.
The touch pad isn't the more common Synaptics version, but a Sentelic that, while offering similar two- and three-finger gesture controls, wasn't as responsive consistently--even when we installed the latest driver updates. Neither the keyboard nor the touch pad is a deal breaker, but they mar the supposed Zen-like feel I felt that Asus hopes we achieve via the Zenbook. Love at first sight didn't describe my ergonomic experience.
Asus includes some software tools on the Zenbook that should feel familiar to owners of other Asus computers. Lifeframe, Asus' Webcam program, is as chock-full of odd backgrounds and extra features as always. Instant On is a desktop widget that promises faster wake-up from sleep. I activated it (who wouldn't?) and found a cold powered-off boot-up to take around 16 seconds, but wake-up from sleep by lifting the lid was indeed snappy, coming in right around the promised 2-second mark. A clever battery life widget shows not only the estimated hours left of use, but estimated hours for game play, "office operation," video playback, and Internet browsing. Asus promises two weeks of standby time when in sleep mode, but I wasn't able to test this in the limited time I've spent with the laptop. A data-save feature will save the laptop's data when the battery dips below 5 percent, much like Apple's MacBooks already do quite well.
The 13.3-inch glossy glass screen is framed in a bezel that's not edge-to-edge, but will be familiar to MacBook Air users, too. The screen resolution is an impressive 1,600x900 pixels, well above the 1,366x768 pixels on other Ultrabooks and mainstream laptops. I was able to fit more onto the screen--more documents, more text--and the finer resolution wasn't a big strain to my eyes. While the screen's very bright, colors and viewing angles aren't quite as spectacular. I tilted the screen and found the picture quality degraded faster than an IPS-style screen.
Asus touts the audio on the Zenbook, and it lives up to the billing. I loved listening to music and movies via the Bang & Olufson-designed speakers, situated under the laptop. Their resonance and quality were a step above other thin laptops I've used. They're not the best laptop speakers I've ever experienced, but for the size, they might be.
The included Webcam's a letdown: I booted up Lifeframe and discovered that the camera had a 640x480-pixel maximum resolution. That's no better than a budget laptop, and doesn't fit the sticker price.
| Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH52 | Average for category [13-inch] | |
|---|---|---|
| Video | Mini VGA, micro HDMI | VGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone combo jack | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, SD card reader | 2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, SD card reader |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband |
| Optical drive | None | DVD burner |
Despite being so small, the Zenbook UX31E-DH52 manages to include all the ports I'd expect on a larger laptop, including USB 3.0 and HDMI. Some of the ports are limited in number (only 1 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0) or size (Micro-HDMI, mini VGA), but dongles for VGA and Ethernet make up for what's missing better than Apple's MacBook Air or the Samsung Series 9 do. I wish this had a standard HDMI port--I hate using dongles. Of course the optical drive's intentionally left out, as it is across all Ultrabooks.
The 13-inch Zenbook UX31 (there's also an 11-inch model, the UX21) comes in three configuration varieties, starting at $1,099 for the UX31E-DH52 this review unit: a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD storage. That's $200 less than the equivalent 13-inch MacBook Air, or $100 less than a comparable Lenovo IdeaPad U300s. The 256GB SSD configuration bumps the price to $1,349, and upgrading to a Core i7 CPU brings the price to $1,449. Still, even at that lofty price, it beats the top-end MacBook Air by $100 while offering a better processor, and gives more bang for the buck than the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s. You can't argue that the Asus Zenbook isn't a relative value.
A 1.7 GHz Core i5-2557M processor is technically a low-voltage CPU, but it's the same generation of processor that's in laptops like the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, Acer Aspire S3, and Apple MacBook Air. In performance tests, the entry-level Zenbook managed to outperform both the Acer Aspire S3 and Lenovo IdeaPad U300s in general, even though the gains were sometimes slight. Experientially, I found it was an excellent experience for all-around computing. Unless you're doing heavy video editing, graphics work, or gaming, you won't notice the processing compromise. Multitasking and video streaming in HD were all excellent, as would be expected.
With the included Intel integrated graphics, I didn't expect this system to be used for much gaming, and neither should you, if by gaming you're thinking of Call of Duty. With the higher-resolution 1,600x900-pixel screen, you should expect basic casual games and mainstream gaming with settings turned down, but not much more.
 Juice box |
|||
| Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH52 | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.44 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 0.70 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 7.56 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 35.89 | ||
| Raw kWh | 35.20 | ||
| Annual energy cost | $4.00 | ||
With its integrated battery, the Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH52 lasted through four hours and 45 minutes of video playback before needing a recharge. That's not bad at all, but I expected a little more. The battery outperformed the Acer Aspire S3, but the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s fared a little better. Battery life expectations have been blown open by laptops like the Toshiba Portege and Apple MacBook Air, which each exceeded seven hours on the same test. While you could get a lot of computing done on roughly five hours of battery life (more if you adjust battery modes and usage), you would be justified in envying any laptop that bested it, like the Air.
Asus offers a two-year warranty on parts and labor and one year of accidental damage protection with the Zenbook UX31E-DH52, which easily bests the minimal warranty service on the average consumer laptop. Asus' Web site can get a little confusing to navigate, but 24/7 phone support is also available.
Windows owners hoping for their own MacBook Air get closer than ever with the Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH2, with the added benefit of a greater variety of ports and a lower price. The Zenbook is less expensive on a pure processor/spec comparison than the MacBook Air. The Zenbook's underwhelming keyboard, battery life, and webcam could be turn-offs for some, while the higher-resolution screen and high-quality onboard speakers might seal the deal for others.
System configurations
Asus UX31E-DH52
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-2557M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz;
64MB(Dedicated) Intel GMA HD; 128GB Solid State Drive
Toshiba Portege R835-P56X
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz;
64MB (Dedicated)/1696MB (Total) Intel GMA HD; 640GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Lenovo IdeaPad U300s
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-2677M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Shared) Intel HD 3000; 256GB JMicron 616 Solid State Drive
Acer Aspire S3-951-6646
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-2467M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz;
128MB (Shared) Intel HD 3000; 320GB Hitachi 5,400rpm + 20GB Solid State Drive
Apple Macbook Air 13.3-inch - Summer 2011
OS X 10.7 Lion; 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-2557M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 384MB (Shared) Intel HD 3000;
128GB Apple Solid State Drive
Dell XPS 14z
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-2640M; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz;
1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 520M / 1GB(Dedicated) Intel GMA HD; 750GB Western Digital 7,200rpm
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User reviews
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Greta MBA Alternative now a few kinks are worked out.
by athletejmc on November 19, 2011
Pros: Screen, sound, design, battery life, track-pad.
Cons: My first unit was deffective, no back-lit keyboard
Summary: I'd just like to mention that there is another five star review for this device by "anonymous and I too am in much consensus on what they had to ...
Summary: I'd just like to mention that there is another five star review for this device by "anonymous and I too am in much consensus on what they had to say about their review for this product; I will also use a similar outline for my review of the Zenbook. I'm writing this review to offset the negative reviews because I feel it deserves much better of a rating than what has been portrayed so far. Also, this is my second system, my first was defective and I don't even know how it could have passed quality control, the seal on the side of the screen was partially stuck under the screen causing it to bulge out, the speakers had a screeching sound depending on the vibration/frequency that would cause the sound and for some reason it would continually drop my wifi connection. I would have possibly rated this computer four stars because of that, but you must also understand that ASUS as of now has the highest track-record for reliability and I also understand that sometimes you can end up with a lemon as with any company; this is not a common issue that I've had with ASUS in the past and I feel it was a fluke. I just wanted the reader of this review to be aware of this experience and so that I can be as accurate as possible with my personal impression of the product. Also, I have tried the Toshiba z830 ultrabook of which I had originally replaced my macbook air. Its a great system for the price, but after prolonged use, I decided to pay the extra $250 in price difference for the build quality of the ASUS Zenbook and its trackpad.
There are 16 updates with this unit straight out of the box performed by Asus's auto-update software. These updates address two major issues that users are reporting with Wifi dropping and the track-pad being buggy and unresponsive. My major issue when I first tried this system was the wifi dropping out. Some of the other updates include software for the bios, standby, power management and other such essential programs that should have been running on this system properly from the factory. I'm disappointed that this was a problem for Asus in that they state that they are dedicated to building quality products before being released on their product warranty page. However, I will give them credit for getting the updates out in a good amount of time and getting this machine fine tuned for perfection.
Trackpad:
The track-pad from factory is nearly useless and unmanageable. However there is an update to this that is HUGELY significant to the proper functioning of the device. After the driver update, this is nearly one of the best multi-touch track-pad that I've used on a windows laptop. Asus or Best Buy should really have this fixed before even selling the product as some people are not fully computer literate with the ability or understanding get this machine fully functional. I understand the logistical complications, but there should be some sort of consensus to getting the product to optimal condition before selling it prematurely. However I also understand that the holiday season is here and ASUS is very excited to get there product to the shelves ahead of their competition. Also, the track-pad hardware is very nice, it is glass and is just as high of quality as a mac track-pad. Just like MAC, the track-pad is nearly a duplicate as with the rest of this machine with an Asus spin on their design. It has two-finger right-click, screen lock for dragging and dropping, and the ability to scroll through windows and clear the screen all without the need depress the trackpad. Learning these gestures are familiar if you have used a MAC product before, if not, you can go into settings under mouse. I do feel that this is another short-******* of this device, there should have been a quick overview of gestures in print format or digital on the desktop with the purchase of this system.
Keyboard:
The keys on this keyboard are not mushy and are a tad on the stiff side. If you are a confident typist that does not just wave your fingers and stumble across the keys, you should be fine with the keyboard. That's the best way I can describe the keyboard. I think you should definitely try using a demo/floor-model at Best Buy before deciding to purchasing the device to see if you can type comfortably on it. There is nothing with the keyboard, its just the way it was build and I became more comfortable with it after using it for a few minutes.
Screen:
is a pleasure to work on and to watch videos. There are a couple things worth mentioning though. The color black is more of a grey (large images, not text while typing); all the other colors though are very accurately portrayed after I ran a screen calibration utility. The other thing worth mentioning though is that the screen angle is not nearly as much as what you would find on a macbook air, but it does well none the less. Leaning off to an angle while working on the system is not really enough to affect what you can see. One of my pet-peeves about screens is there brightness level; anything under 350nits is unacceptable. The screen on this machine is more than bright enough and will scorch your retinas just like the Samsung Series 9 screen at maximum setting. Seriously, you can nearly light up an entire room with this screen turned up. The resolution, its higher than the macbook air, need I say more? You are getting a high-quality screen with your purchase.
Appearance, form factor, Convenience:
The machine is beautiful. It is of mac-like quality and I am satisfied with the purchase. The main differences are: the interior is all silver trim, the top cover is a different shade of silver with swirl marking enveloping the ASUS trademark, the edges are more square vs round on the MBA and the bottom panel has vents along the bottom which assists in the longevity to keeping the hardware running cool and efficient. Overall this machine feels very sturdy and I have not fear of placing a book on the top cover or placing it in a backpack with other objects. There is very limited wobble to the screen when it is opened and the hinge feels sturdy/solid when opening and closing the device.
Ports
the system comes with the ethernet and VGA dongles as an added bonus. These ports are non-proprietary and there are aftermarket parts if you should need to replace these connectors; this was a huge factor in my decision to purchasing this ultrabook. The two connectors are micro HDMI and micro VGA of which are commonly found on data-phone now.USB 3.0 is a huge and practical plus too. My only gripe is that I'd prefer a larger and sturdier build for the power-plug connector although I don't thing wear should be a problem.
Performance:
This system is quick and I feel it outperforms the MBA for daily use. It does not get nearly as hot as the MBA 13.3" under heavy use or simple tasks such as watching NETFLIX; my MBA would get unbelievable hot to the touch and the fan would spin up significantly loud enough that I could not comfortably watch a video, youtube etc.. I use my laptop for a lot of media, but had stopped when I purchased my Macbook Air. However this system has no problem keeping cool and quite; I'm very impressed considering this system uses the same processor as the MBA. I'm glad to be able to fully utilize this system's capabilities without fear of it over-heating or becoming embarrassingly loud in quite settings. This is one of my main reasons for selling my less than several month old MBA. Also, USB 3.0 is a little more ideal for day to day use. Although the MBA can outperform this device in several areas, the Zenbook runs more gracefully and cool. This is important for the longevity and reliability of the system.
Battery Life:
The battery life seems fairly accurate as advertised as long as you use all of the eco-settings such as lowering the screen to minimum brightness, not doing intensive tasks, etc.
Sound:
The sound is amazing if your speakers are not defective or there are loose parts inside the machine that rattles the parts to an audible sound. As mentioned in my introduction, my first unit was defective and although the sound quality was good, there was a high-pitched rattling like sound which made it seem the sound quality was poor. The sound is nearly of that of the mac and the speakers can go much louder.
Summary:
Overall I'm confident with my purchase and I'm glad to own a windows based product from a company that is truly known for innovation in their hardware and reliability.
Updated on Dec 26, 2011
Give this system a second try if you are an earlier adopter and are in a position to do so. I promise it won't disappoint after the windows and Asus driver updates are applied.
Updated on Dec 26, 2011Hey Barkayboy, I would swap the unit if I were you. As much as I like Asus and the Zenbook, I don't feel the quality control has been consistent with their production. Also, Asus released this system pre-maturely which is a disappointment. If you can still exchange it, I highly recommend it. I'm actually on my third one because at the time of this review I began having irritating wifi issues with the signal dropping out on me. This third system has no problems now that the updates have been applied and the sound and build are great even though its embarrassing noting that I had to go through three Zenbooks. I have another buddy who just bought one which is why I gave it a second chance. I think there was a bad start when production began on the Zenbook. I was able to exchange back to the zenbook from a Samsung Series 9 because I have Best-Buy's Reward zone Silver Member's 45 day return policy.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Simply the coolest looking laptop available today.
by Trey444 on November 1, 2011
Pros: Beautiful finish, solid well built feel. High resolution screen.
Fast SSDCons: Power adapter pin seems undersized. Asus website for support should be better.
Summary: When you hold this in your hand, you realize the MacAir now looks frumpy by comparison. It's absolutely beautiful, and feels very well constructed. The trackpad response was jumpy ...
Summary: When you hold this in your hand, you realize the MacAir now looks frumpy by comparison. It's absolutely beautiful, and feels very well constructed. The trackpad response was jumpy initially, but works well after a BIOS update. Asus should be congratulated on getting out updates so quickly on a new model, but their website is quirky.
Biggest downside is a keyboard which is OK, but not sterling. Overall, though, this is a really nice, fast laptop with a brilliant screen, and it's nice not to have to go to the Apple side to get decent hardware. I was getting really tired of Macbooks and it's good news to have an alternative that actually bests them in most every way.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great looks and features, keyboard could be better
by JonUGA on October 25, 2011
Pros: thin, light, and beautiful. Definitely one of the best looking windows notebooks on the market. It is great as a windows equivalent macbook air. It is a good notebook for those looking for a daily use computer, wouldn't recommend for gamers.
Cons: The keyboard is very shallow and takes a while to get used to. I make so many more errors typing than on my sony laptop. The track pad is not great but in my experience it is not as bad as everyone else says.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very nice, I like it better than Macbook air
by raymondzzd on October 12, 2011
Pros: Thin; fast wake up time; reasonable price; Windows
Cons: not shall how much time battery will last for watch HD video with headphone
3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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There must be better ultrabooks.
by jeffzn on February 11, 2012
Pros: battery life, weight, sleek look
Cons: keyboard is terrible (read cnet review)
shipped with defective drivers
support is weak
startup times can be slowSummary: I am trading my zenbok in after two months of trying to live with it. For my style, keyboard is the worst I have ever used. I have to retype ...
Summary: I am trading my zenbok in after two months of trying to live with it. For my style, keyboard is the worst I have ever used. I have to retype all the time and apparenly I am not an anomaly. Check out CNET's review and take it seriously. Do you really want a $1,000+ laptop with a lousy keyboard?
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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GREAT LAPTOP
by alphasigmafire on May 3, 2012
Pros: Light, thin (I've had many people comment on how thin it is), fast, easy to clean, looks good, starts up really quick
Cons: The webcam takes pretty low quality photos....but it's a laptop webcam so what do you expect
Summary: This laptop is PERFECT for me. I've had it for several months now (I'm typing this review on it), and while I was wary with the keyboard at ...
Summary: This laptop is PERFECT for me. I've had it for several months now (I'm typing this review on it), and while I was wary with the keyboard at first (yes some of the keys are a bit small), I eventually got used to it (just like you would get used to the keys on a larger keyboard after a while). Yes the keyboard is rather "shallow" compared to other keyboards, but I type with a rather large amount of force and so have not had problems with the keys not registering. I also don't feel like the keys are flimsy because you don't get that clacking noise you get with some other keyboards.
There's only 120 GB, but it's solid state so it's really fast, and I've only used about 50 GB anyways. Yes it doesn't have a CD drive (like most other ultrabooks), and it doesn't come with a built in ethernet port (it does come with a usb->ethernet converter), BUT I NEVER USE CDs OR ETHERNET so it doesn't matter to me. Also, the laptop is really light (I'm a student and I walk all over the place, and I never feel the weight of the laptop). It also starts really fast, which is nice especially since I switch locations every couple hours or so....
Yeah so CNET says the media playback is only 4 hoursish (who watches media without plugging in their laptop?) I NEVER bring my charger with me to classes, and I've pushed 5-6 hours of use (using something called Power4Gear Battery Saving Mode, which while it dims the screen, doesn't really matter indoors since the screen is already so freaking bright) taking notes, looking at PDFs, browsing Facebook etc. I think the battery life is actually pretty good!
Also, I'm a casual gamer and I was able to run League of Legends on medium-high quality with no issues, and at about 60+ FPS (plugged in and on high performance of course). -
What a piece of art =) just about perfect!
by frankspace34 on April 19, 2012
Pros: Sleek, fast, bright, loud/clear and ports. Seriously a well rounded machine. THE WINDOWS ultrabook of choice.
Cons: sharp edges, web cam, not so good pre loaded utilities are so so
Summary: so beautiful you carry it like a baby afraid of it being scratched banged or nicked, keys and typing is a ehhh experience. But seriously this is such an awesome ...
Summary: so beautiful you carry it like a baby afraid of it being scratched banged or nicked, keys and typing is a ehhh experience. But seriously this is such an awesome machine. The screen so bright and clear the sound by b&o is amazing and the design is just so all around perfect. the quirks like keyboard 'feel of keys' and web cam 'which I will probably never use' are rarely a thought. If your a PC/windows kinda guy.. or gal.. JUST GET IT you will not be disappointed =)
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Could be a 5! but the terrible keyboard kills it.
by znobrdr on April 1, 2012
Pros: Power, weight, fast, graphics display, sound quality, small form factor charger (A++)!!! Cuts 3 lbs out of my briefcase over my Dell when traveling.
Cons: Keyboard, keyboard, keyboard If you have to type this is NOT the machine for you. If you hunt n peck then its perfect.
Summary: I put this up against a Sony Z and this performs as well portable, less finicky for $1,000's less. But the cheap plastic key tops (especially the shift, ...
Summary: I put this up against a Sony Z and this performs as well portable, less finicky for $1,000's less. But the cheap plastic key tops (especially the shift, enter and backspace)flex so much that if you hit the edges the keystroke won't register! I actually improved performance by gluing some aluminum sheet on those keys and it was a big help.
I am dumbfounded by the reviews not hammering Asus on this! Asus is a good solid company with talent and resources to screw up this badly on a simple thing like the keyboard is almost unbelievable. The poor keyboard exacerbates the touch pad issues by having to contort your fingers to get any typing done. I've been able to "tune" the touch pad pretty well and have come to be pretty happy with it. But just typing these comments in already makes my hands ache from the effort! This things going up for sale on ebay after I find a replacement. I can type on my old Dell all day with not the slightest problem. This Asus on a typing program cuts my typing speed by 35% over my other two machines. Asus - find a keyboard and send it to me please! -
Outstanding design, fast performance, ultra portable.
by NipsUtopia on March 18, 2012
Pros: Light weight, solid build, slick design, eye popping performance, low heat emission, best screen I've seen to date. Surprised to see the VGA on a dongle, Im happy that has not been written off yet as we're not totally HDMI yet. The Standby technology inte
Cons: Wish it had a backlit keyboard
-
love everything but the keyboard
by WinstonR73 on March 15, 2012
Pros: sturdy and sleek. specs are substantial. battery solid.
Cons: keyboard is the worst. constantly missing keystrokes
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Asus
- Part number: UX31E-DH52
- Description: The ZENBOOK UX31E uses a precision-crafted design measuring only 3mm at the front and 9mm at the rear. The form features razor thin edges and a curved center section, which is both practical and attractive - while accommodating the powerful computing components within, this design also looks totally unique. It embodies beauty and strength in complete balance and harmony. Exclusive ASUS Super Hybrid Engine II with instant on enables 2-second resume of the notebook from sleep, with up to two weeks of standby time with open files and other pending data kept safe in memory. Plus, automatic data backup when the battery reaches 5% charge further helps secure your work. ASUS ZENBOOK UX31E keeps energy saving front and center with a dedicated Battery Saving Mode, which conserves power whenever possible to increase battery life by as much as 25%. You're also always in the know when it comes to the battery thanks to ASUS PowerWiz, a utility that shows exactly how much charge is left per application - web browsing, movie watching. ASUS ZENBOOK UX31E combines power, efficiency, smooth usage and user empowerment, all on in one sleek package. ASUS is proud to deliver the world's first ultrabook with SATA 6Gb/s solid state storage, making for an amazingly smooth and fast computing experience. Additionally, all ASUS ZENBOOK models ship with USB 3.0 as standard, multiplying the transfer rates of current USB 2.0 by as much as a factor of ten! Combined, SSD storage and USB 3.0 create incredible speed of data transfer rates.
General
- System Type Ultrabook
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
- Notebook type Ultraportable (Under 4 lbs.)
Processor / Chipset
- Processor Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 i5-2557M,
1.7 GHz - Multi-Core Technology Dual-Core
- 64-bit Computing Yes
- Chipset Mobile Intel QS67 Express
- Features Intel vPro Technology,
Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0,
Intel AES New Instructions (AES-NI) Memory
- RAM 4 GB,
( Provided memory is soldered ) - Technology DDR3 SDRAM
- Speed 1333 MHz
Storage
- Floppy Drive None
- Hard Drive 128 GB,
SSD - Interface Serial ATA-600
- Storage Removable None
- Optical Drive None
- Hard drive type Solid state
Display
- Type 13.3 in
- LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight
- Max Resolution 1600 x 900 ( HD+ )
- Widescreen Yes
- Image Aspect Ratio 16:9
Audio & Video
- Graphics Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000
- Memory Allocation Technology Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0
- Camera Yes
- Resolution 0.3 Megapixel
- Sound Microphone
- Compliant Standards High Definition Audio
- Audio Features ASUS SonicMaster,
ASUS Bang & Olufsen ICEpower Input
- Type Keyboard,
Touchpad
Communications
- Wireless 802.11n,
Bluetooth 4.0 Battery
- Technology Lithium polymer
- Capacity 50 Wh
- Run Time 7 hour(s)
AC Adapter
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
- Output 45 Watt , 19 V , 2.37 A
Connections & Expansion
- Slots Memory,
Memory card reader - Interfaces USB 2.0,
USB 3.0,
Headphone/microphone combo jack,
Mini-VGA,
Micro-HDMI - Interfaces 1 x USB 3.0 - USB 3.0,
1 x USB 2.0 - USB 2.0,
1 x Display / video - VGA,
1 x Micro HDMI,
1 x Microphone - Memory Card Reader 2 in 1 card reader ( SD Memory Card ),
( MultiMediaCard ) Software
- Software Included ASUS PowerWiz
- Microsoft Office Preloaded Includes a pre-loaded image of select Microsoft Office 2010 suites. Purchase an Office 2010 Product Key Card or disc to activate preloaded software on this PC.
Miscellaneous
- Color Silver aluminum
- Features Intel Anti-Theft Technology (iAT),
Intel Identity Protection Technology (Intel IPT),
Intel Rapid Start Technology,
ASUS Super Hybrid Engine II - Included Accessories Sleeve
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 12.8 in
- Depth 0.71 in
- Height 8.8 in
- Weight 2.86 lbs
Product series
-
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 i5-2467M,
1.6 GHz ( Dual-Core ),
4 GB,
128 GB,
- Serial ATA-600,
11.6 in,
TFT active matrix,
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium,
None,
Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0,
2.43 lbs,
Silver aluminum -
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 i7-2677M,
1.8 GHz ( Dual-Core ),
4 GB,
128 GB,
- Serial ATA-600,
11.6 in,
TFT active matrix,
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium,
None,
Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0,
2.43 lbs,
Silver aluminum -
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 i5-2557M,
1.7 GHz ( Dual-Core ),
4 GB,
128 GB,
- Serial ATA-600,
13.3 in,
TFT active matrix,
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium,
None,
Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0,
2.86 lbs,
Silver aluminum -
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Intel 2nd Gen Core i5 i5-2557M,
1.7 GHz ( Dual-Core ),
4 GB,
256 GB,
- Serial ATA-600,
13.3 in,
TFT active matrix,
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium,
None,
Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0,
2.86 lbs,
Silver aluminum -
Manufacturer: Asus
Specs: Intel 2nd Gen Core i7 i7-2677M,
1.8 GHz ( Dual-Core ),
4 GB,
256 GB,
- Serial ATA-600,
13.3 in,
TFT active matrix,
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium,
None,
Intel HD Graphics 3000 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0,
2.86 lbs,
Silver aluminum
Accessories
- A-Data Classic Series C008 - USB flash drive - 4 GB (34637987)9.69
- A-Data Classic Series C008 - USB flash drive - 64 GB (34581520)64.99
- A-Data Classic Series C008 - USB flash drive - 64 GB (34581564)62.99
- ASUS WX-Lamborghini mouse (34433827)56.14
- ASUS Laser Gaming Mouse GX800 mouse (34442833)
- Belkin Compact Mouse M100 mouse (35145329)7.99
- Cisco Linksys E4200 v2 Maximum Performance Dual-Band N900 router (35098697)164.99 - 199.99
- Asus RT-N56U Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router (34200558)114.79 - 135.00
- Belkin N150 Wireless Router - wireless router - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (34859948)28.99 - 34.99
- Belkin N300 Wireless N Router - wireless router - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (35263578)39.99 - 48.99
- Belkin N600 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router - wireless router - 802.11 a/b/g/n - desktop (35190484)66.57 - 104.73
- Belkin N900 Dual-Band Wireless Router - wireless router - 802.11n - desktop (35262637)194.99 - 292.17
- Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti HighPower Giga WZR-HP-G450H - wireless router - none - 802.11b/g/n - desktop (34859675)82.11 - 95.99
- Cisco 881 Fast Ethernet Security Router supporting EVDO/1xRTT - router - cellular modem - 802.11b/g/n (draft 2.0) - desktop (35026157)
- Cisco 892F Gigabit Ethernet Security Router - wireless router - ISDN - 802.11 a/b/g/n (draft 2.0) - desktop (34693849)
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Asus products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Asus
- Address:
44370 Nobel Drive, Fremont, CA 94538 - Phone: +1-510-739-3777
- Email: tmd1@asus.com
- Fax: +1-510-608-4555
