Asus ZenBook Prime UX31A review

Despite the powerful desktop performance, our battery benchmarks show you’ll still be able to take the ZenBook Prime out on the move. In our light-use test, it managed a respectable seven hours away from the mains. It’s not the best we’ve seen from an Ultrabook, but considering that the Prime has a powerful Core i7 processor rather than the Core i5 we’re more used to seeing, this is still an impressive feat.

The new processor also brings with it an improved graphics core, in the form of Intel’s HD 4000. It’s significantly faster than the previous generation, which means you’ll be able to play more modern games or increase the detail levels on old ones. Our Dirt 3 test produced a barely playable 20fps, but with anti-aliasing disabled the frame rate increased to a more playable 30fps average.

We liked the original ZenBook a lot, but the ZenBook Prime is on a whole other level thanks to its gorgeous screen. IPS technology makes a world of difference, letting you see what’s on the screen no matter how you have the laptop angled, and the Full HD resolution looks glorious on the 13in display. Our only concern is the price – even if there’s nothing quite like it, £1,500 is a lot to ask for a laptop. The equivalent MacBook Air is £1,369 and has better battery life and arguably better looks, although its screen isn’t as impressive. If you want 1080p in an ultra-portable package, the Prime is the laptop to have; just be prepared to pay for it.