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Asus ZenBook UX32A review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £749
inc VAT

A well-built laptop, but the screen is a little disappointing

Specifications

13.3 in 1,366×768 display, 1.5kg, 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5-3317U, 4.00GB RAM, 500GB disk, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

http://www.amazon.co.uk

Although the ZenBook UX32A follows the same design queues as Asus’ previous Ultrabooks, such as the top-end Asus ZenBook Prime UX31A, a few concessions have been made to make this model cheaper. Primarily, the case is a little thicker to squeeze in the mechanical hard disk, although at 18mm at its thickest point, it can hardly be considered chunky.

Asus ZenBook UX32A

A slightly thicker case does have one advantage: there’s more space for ports, although Asus has still opted to bundle adaptors for VGA and Ethernet, rather than squeeze them into the chassis. You still get three USB ports, a multi-format card reader, 3.5mm headset audio jack and an HDMI video output, but having to keep extra adaptors handy is a minor inconvenience.

Asus ZenBook UX32A

Underneath the brushed metal lid lies a Chiclet-style keyboard, all-in-one metal touchpad and a 13.3in display. Unlike the more expensive ZenBook Prime with its Full HD display, the UX32A has a 1x366x768 screen. As you might expect, viewing angles are limited, but the matt finish helps diffuse light reflections and both brightness and contrast are respectable. Colours appear slightly too vibrant, with an unwanted slight blue hue. There’s also not a huge amount of screen tilt, which could make it difficult to work in cramped locations such as in a plane seat.

The keyboard was something of a stumbling block with the original ZenBook, but thankfully Asus has rectified that here. Each full-size key has a very springy action and plenty of travel. The entire keyboard tray is now backlit, making it easier to work in the dark, and the function keys behave as you would expect, unlike on other laptops where they are often remapped to multimedia shortcuts.

Asus ZenBook UX32A

Less impressive is the touchpad. The smooth surface creates very little friction and is sensitive enough to span the whole desktop in one movement, but the integrated buttons occasionally interfere with cursor movement, particularly when dragging icons around the screen. However, for the most part it works problem-free, so with some adjustment you won’t have too many issues.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ***
Processor Intel Core i5-3317U
Processor clock speed 1.7 GHz
Memory 4.00GB
Memory slots 2
Memory slots free 0
Maximum memory 8GB
Size 325x18x223mm
Weight 1.5kg
Sound Realtek HD Audio
Pointing device touchpad

Display

Viewable size 13.3 in
Native resolution 1,366×768
Graphics Processor Intel HD 4000
Graphics/video ports HDMI, VGA via adaptor
Graphics Memory 384MB

Storage

Total storage capacity 500GB
Optical drive type none

Ports and Expansion

USB ports 3
Bluetooth yes
Wired network ports 1x 10/100/1000 via adaptor
Wireless networking support 802.11n
PC Card slots none
Supported memory cards SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick Pro
Other ports minijack headset port, 2x USB 3.0

Miscellaneous

Carrying case No
Operating system Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Operating system restore option restore partition
Software included Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition
Optional extras none

Buying Information

Warranty two years RTB
Price £749
Details www.asus.com
Supplier http://www.amazon.co.uk