Asus Zenbook UX32VD

Laptop selling is always about creation compromises, trade computing power for battery life or shortening size and weight at the cost of additional features. For ultrabooks or other ultrathin laptops, this is primarily true, and scarcely every slim 13-inch laptop we've reviewed has had a or more cut corners and omitted features that remind you of the unavoidable trade-offs required.

The 13-inch Asus Zenbook UX32VD comes alluringly shut to being an ultrabook without compromises. For $1,299 it includes an Intel Core i7 CPU, a full HD 1,920x1,080-pixel-resolution display, and a several Nvida 620M GPU. Most laptops of a identical size, inclusive Apple's genre-leading MacBook Air , insufficient all 3 of the features (although a Core i7 choice is existing on the Air for $1,599).

That creates this the closest hybrid of a 13-inch ultrabook and a full-power mainstream laptop to date, and might be the answer to infrequent reader questions we obtain about superthin laptops with GPUs and high-res screens. Acer moreover has a couple of incomparable ultrabooks with GPUs, but they have other issues, inclusive low shade resolutions.

It's not all perfect, however. $1,299 is still a lot to pay for any laptop, primarily when other ultrabooks are $800 or less. It has both a hard disk and a solid-state drive (SSD), adding weight and heat, and the Nvidia 620M GPU is flattering low-end. The pattern is really MacBook-like, but still not as cultured or ergonomic. And, finally, the touch pad isn't as manageable as it should be, even after a late program refurbish from Asus.

Despite these shortcomings, the UX32VD is great for on-the-go gaming or situations where you really need a full HD screen. Asus creates several UX variations, inclusive the UX31A and UX32A , that barter in not similar CPUs, screens, and hard drives. The UX31 is a more upscale pattern variant, thinner with a more unibody chassis. Neither has a part set as attention-grabbing as the UX31VD, though. If your ultrabook needs are more basic, there are many other inestimable options out there to consider.

Asus Zenbook models compared

Asus Zenbook UX32VD specs

The Zenbook line launched in late 2011 as both an early access in the then-new ultrabook marketplace and a send contestant to the MacBook Air. The design, aluminum, tapered, and minimalist, was the many Air-like of the early ultrabooks, at least until the Dell XPS 13 came along. But it moreover had a couple of pattern miscues. The lid on the initial Zenbook was notoriously hard to open. The UX32VD doesn't have that problem, and the touch pad moreover feels more manageable than the comparison models', primarily after a last-minute program refurbish from Asus, nonetheless it's still a of the system's feeble points.

The initial Zenbook was thinner and lighter than this version, that is full with sufficient more absolute hardware, but both the more slim Zenbooks (such as the stream UX31A) and this a have a pointy front mouth that may be kill in cold blood on the heels of your hands, depending on your typing style. Ergonomics aside, the solid-feeling aluminum body is not as streamlined in its building as a MacBook, but the tools fit together well, with minimal screws and seams.

The set of keys was a feeble indicate on the initial Zenbook, with shallow, clacky keys. The body of the UX32VD is obviously somewhat thicker and heavier, and that additional height lets the set of keys have a small more space. Compared with the UX31, the feel of the keystrokes here is more similar to what you obtain on a typical laptop. The set of keys is moreover backlit, a must-have underline on any ultrabook (and something that really stands out right away when missing).

The considerable but fussy clickpad on the first UX31 was a of the principal problems. Out of the box, the chronicle on this network was likewise annoying, with what felt similar to pale attraction and untrustworthy multitouch gestures. Asus sent over an

I was dubious, but the new drivers (version 1.0.26) did make a in accord with improvement, and the touch pad went from frustrating to usable. It still feels a bit excessively sensitive sometimes, and under-responsive at other times. There is, however, a decent set of multitouch gestures, demoed and tranquil by the Asus Smart Gesture application. It's nowhere nearby as discerning or manageable as a MacBook touch pad, but that's a Windows-wide problem. One good touch -- you can set a two-finger daub to indicate a right-click, a really Mac-like pierce that I've seen popping up a couple of Windows laptops lately.

In other change from the formerly era of Zenbook laptops, the manifestation is right away an IPS shade in full HD, with a 1,920x1,080-pixel local resolution. That will be a leading selling indicate to some, but it's moreover a polarizing choice. Most 13-inch laptops, inclusive a few really costly ones, have 1,366x768 screens. That's excellent for $800 or so, but once you obtain past $1,000, we regard it's immaculately in accord with to expect a 1,600x900 display. In fact, to my eyes, that's the honeyed mark for a high-end 13-inch laptop.

The 1,920x1,080 manifestation here can make content really small and hard to read at times. Still, it depends on what you wish to do with it. For personification 1080p video content or cranking video games up to their top laptop resolution, it's an critical feature, and a a few shoppers actively seek. Note that the comparatively low-end GPU may not be the most appropriate at pulling more-recent games at that full 1,920x1,080 resolution. The shade itself looked decent, and was not excessively glossy, but there was a few light drain manifest at the really bottom corner from the backlights during dim scenes of cinema and games.

Audio by a orator grille at the really top of the set of keys tray was predictably thin, notwithstanding the Bang Olufsen ICE Power branding. Audio volume controls are mapped to alternate F-key functions, so you'll must be hit, for example, Fn+F10 to tongue-tied the sound.

With twin video outputs and 3 USB 3.0 jacks, the UX32VD creates good use of its somewhat thicker body to fit in more ports. Ethernet is still relegated to an outmost dongle.