Asus UX31E ZenBook review

Mon, Feb 13, 2012

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The 13 inch Asus Zenbook UX31E might not have ‘ultrabook’ in its title, but rest assured – that’s exactly what it is. What’s more, it’s Asus’ very first ultrabook. Released in autumn 2011, it’s a fine first effort that has set the bar high for whatever other manufacturers will attempt in this particular market.

What we like best

It’s not surprising that the Zenbook UX31E looks so much like the MacBook Air, it might as well get an Apple tattoo on its metaphorical forehead, but why bother making an ultra-portable laptop if it isn’t up to the highest design standards?

The brushed aluminium finish is probably going to be ubiquitous in a couple of months’ time, but for now, we’re big fans: the lid is ever so slightly darker than the laptop base, creating a softly layered look that goes well with the razor-sharp edges of the laptop.

You could be forgiven for being a bit tired of seeing the word ‘ultra’ being bandied about to the point of meaninglessness, but once you’ve looked at how thin (0.66 inches, to be precise) the front edge of the Asus Zenbook UX31E is, you’ll understand that no other word would do the dimensions justice. Despite this, the Zenbook feels solid and offers next to no flex around the base and the lid.

The Intel Core i7-2677M processor and the 128Gb SSD hard drive ensure that the Zenbook zips along very nicely indeed – the former can overclock to up to 2.9GHz if need be – you rarely have to wait more than a fraction of a second for a new application to launch.

You’ll also be able to take this beauty on the road: battery life at light usage extends to around eight and a half hours.

There are the essential ports (plus an SD card reader) and the Bang & Olufsen speakers just above the keyboard give of a satisfyingly meaty sound when listening to music or watching films.

What we like least

Since the Zenbook does not have a dedicated graphics card, there is a lack of sharpness and colour representation that will put off gamers – the integrated Intel graphics can only handle so many frames per second.

The keyboard lacks both the backlight and the reliability of its Apple idol: the overall feel is solid, but some keys don’t seem to always register immediately.

The positioning of the USB 3.0 port right next to the power socket could spell trouble for users with slightly larger thumb drives and feels like an odd oversight on Asus’ part.

The verdict

As a first ultrabook effort, the Asus Zenbook UX31E does a great job – it is definitely slim and light, and its battery life, design and performance are of the highest standards. The qualms around the ports, keyboard and below-bar screen can be put down to teething problems but are still irritating – not to the extent, however, that we wouldn’t recommend this laptop for anyone who wants to get in on the ultrabook market early.