Review ASUS Zenbook UX301LA

Despite the abundance of offers of all kinds of tablets, laptops do not want to give up. Some time ago, ASUS introduced the new Zenbook series ultrabooks. Today we bring to your attention a review of the older model, UX301LA.

Technical specifications and equipment

The table presents the characteristics of the sample that participated in the review.

Processor :
• Intel® Core ™ i7 4558U, 2.8 GHz
• Intel® Core ™ i7 4500U ~ Core ™ i7 Processor
• Intel® Core ™ i5 4200U ~ Core ™ i7 Processor
OS : Windows 8 Pro; Windows 8
RAM :
• 8 GB DDR3L 1600 MHz SDRAM
• 4 GB DDR3L 1600 MHz SDRAM
Screen : 13.3 "16: 9
• WQHD (2560x1440), IPS, touch;
• Full HD (1920x1080), IPS, touch
Graphics :
• Integrated Intel® Iris ™ 5100
• Integrated Intel® HD Graphics 4400
Hard Drive: 2x SATA III SSD RAID 0 total capacity:
• 512 GB
• 256 GB
Optical drive : none
Card reader : SD
Camera : HD Web Camera
Network :
• WLAN 802.11a / b / g / n / ac
• Bluetooth 4.0
Connectors :
• 1 x 2-in-1 audio
• 2 x USB 3.0
• 1 x micro HDMI
• 1 x mini Display Port
Sound :
• Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® audio system
• SonicMaster support
Battery : six-cell, Li-Po, 50.6 W * hour
Dimensions : 325 x 226 x 15.5 mm (Width x Height x Thickness)
Weight : 1.4 kg (with battery)













Ultrabook comes complete with a folder-cover, charger and two adapters: from RJ-45 to USB and from VGA to Mini Display Port.

Appearance

Unlike the ultrabooks of the previous series, the hero of this review has an iridescent concentric texture in the color dark blue metallic (or white, depending on the model). On top of it is covered with Gorilla Glass 3. In the center, the ASUS logo flaunts. It looks very beautiful and rich, but the glass surface is instantly covered with fingerprints. During operation of the ultrabook, the logo glows with a beautiful white light.





The case is made of aluminum and has a dark blue, almost black color (a white version will also be available on sale). The most interesting thing is that all the surfaces of the case, except for the bottom, are covered with a layer of protective glass Gorilla Glass 3. However, let this not mislead you, the laptop does not look like a glass box at all.

Visually it seems that the case has a wedge-shaped shape. However, this is only an illusion created due to smooth transitions from the bottom to the edges of the hull. The build quality and the operation of the hinges of the lid are not satisfactory, do not creak or dangle.



On the bottom side there are only ventilation holes and rubber feet.
On the left side are:
Power connector
• USB 3.0 port
• microHDMI connector
• Audio jack



On the right side:
• Card reader
• USB 3.0 port
• Mini Display Port



Lift the lid: the interior is austere and austere. The lid is securely fixed at all opening angles. The screen and the surrounding frame are covered with glass. A thin protruding border runs around the perimeter, preventing glass from contacting the keyboard. Above the screen is a webcam lens, light sensor and two microphones at the edges.



The keyboard has a slightly rough texture, and the surrounding panel is covered with Gorilla Glass 3. In this version of the laptop, the panel has a slightly dull surface, while the version with a white case is glossy. The key travel is short, quiet. Not too soft, moderately tight. When a key is pressed, it does not warp, the panel does not sag. Under the keyboard is a large convenient touch pad, recessed by about a millimeter into the body. By the way, the touch pad is also covered with Gorilla Glass 3.





The F2, Caps Lock, and Power buttons are equipped with small white LEDs. At F2 it is on when Wi-Fi is turned on. The keyboard is also equipped with a white backlight, which makes it easier to work in low light conditions. The brightness of the backlight is automatically and manually adjusted, in total there are three levels of brightness.

Screen

The ultrabook is equipped with a screen on the IPS matrix with good color rendering (in general, somewhat cooler) and large viewing angles. The resolution of 2560x1440 makes the image perfectly smooth: even if you bury your nose on the screen, the image pixels are not noticeable. But the resolution is also the main drawback - with a diagonal of 13.3 inches, the size of the interface elements and objects is too small. If this is not convenient for you, then there is a modification with a screen of 1920 * 1080.

Touch control with support for up to 10 simultaneous touches makes it easier to work in Windows 8. Despite the glossy protective glass, the oleophobic and anti-reflective coating slows down the appearance of fingerprints and significantly reduces the amount of spurious reflections.

Performance

Of course, ultrabooks are not at all intended for use as gaming machines. For games, ASUS offers a number of other laptops. Therefore, you can play this ultrabook only in solitaire. Otherwise, this is a good working machine, perfectly coping with various everyday tasks, including office applications.

3DMark 11:



3DMark 06:



Cinebench:





Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0:
• FPS: 2.0
• Score: 49
• Min FPS: 1.4
• Max FPS: 2.9

Features and RAID 0 benchmark from SSDs:

Duration of work

Watching FullHD movies (1920x1080) with an average screen brightness: 3 hours 20 minutes.
Surfing the Internet via Wi-Fi, with clicks on links approximately every 10-20 seconds, average screen brightness: 5 hours 40 minutes.
The total battery charging time was 2 hours 20 minutes.

Conclusion

ASUS Zenbook UX301LA is a fast and stylish ultrabook, compact and lightweight. Stylish and expensive design, high-performance filling and a very quiet cooling system rightly allow us to attribute this Zenbook UX301LA to the top line. The disadvantages include the soiled glass surface of the lid, which is a kind of payment for beauty and unusualness, and the low performance of the graphics subsystem in games. On the other hand, image ultrabooks are not bought for games at all.

Recommended retail price: from 64 thousand rubles.