First of all, there's have been a lot of dispute regarding this laptop. Many have said that this laptop is a pure copy of the Macbook Air. I personally think not. Just because Apple was the first company to make something so small and so thin like the MBA, it doesn't mean that any other company who does something similar is a copy. The build quality on the chassis seems much stronger and of much more quality when compared to MBA. And, I must claim that this is the best looking notebook on the block. Much better looking than any computer with the Apple logo on it.Touchpad Update the driver (downloading it from the Asus website). Before doing anything, do updates on the computer first. Some may say that this is absurd and that it should work out of the box. But, I think it's correct to say that you need to update the driver! Same goes for keeping your virus definitions updated for your anti-virus program! After the update, almost flawless trackpad. It's just as good as any Windows trackpad. Obviously not as good as a Macbook with it comes to smoothness (but Mac trackpad doesn't work well in Windows either since it doesn't have the drivers).
Sound Very very good sound for the form factor. For something so thin, I don't think you can find anything that matches the quality of these speakers!
Screen I personally did not have any viewing angle problems. The screen is very bright and high resolution, but I did have a dead pixel on the top left edge of the screen. This can be verify by the video I made for it! Also, there's a small quirk... The screen hinge is a little loose and when typing on your lap at a wider angle, you might experience the screen to fall backward. I also made a video of this.
Now, the worst of all! Keyboard! What were they doing with the keyboard? There's very little travel on the keyboard and absolutely zero support on the side of the keys. Longer keys like "Enter", "Shift", and "Spacebar" would experience problems where the key is pressed but it doesn't registered. This happens on other keys as well, but less occasionally. I made 2 videos of this problem and posted it on Youtube as well. You can see a few examples where FN + F11 (volume), I should be able to adjust the volume. But, when the FN key is pressed on the side and not in the dead center, it won't register. Therefore instead of changing volume, I get full screen! This goes the same for the enter Key where pressing it on the side or edge it doesn't move the words to the next line. Yes, you can argue that I just need to adjust my typing, but how hard is it to make a keyboard that works? Other manufacturers who use chiclet keyboard don't have this problem (Sony, Apple, HP). Also, how are you to guarantee that while typing 50-75 words a minute, your hitting dead center of every key including enter or shift.
Realistically, if keyboard is 100% registering every key, dead pixel wasn't there, and tigher hinge... I would recommend this as the Number 1 laptop in it's form factor (including price). I will be returning the laptop because of the problems above as I think it's pretty annoying correcting my typing as the keys don't register!...
~~ If you want to check out my video of the problems I listed above. Go to youtube website and int he search bar, look for "twkidM3". You should be able to pull up my username and it will have 5 videos of the problems. Enjoy!
EDIT~~~~~*****
11/23/11
Need to write an update. I ended up sending this thing back because the keyboard and a dead pixel problem. I did not have WIFI issues or other issues such as the computer shocking you when plugging in the power. But those two reason I listed which I did not like ended up to be a real pain in the butt. Key registering problem was huge and I would miss enter key or shift key left and right. Even FN+F9 sometimes did not register volume buttons.
Now many of you may ask, "Why don't you contact ASUS before returning it to Amazon? Get them to RMA the system because of DEAD Pixel Guarantee!" Truth be told, I did all that. I submitted a query to ASUS 2 days after I bought the system and made the videos. I posted all the videos on all the ASUS fanpages that you can find on facebook. I've also contacted Asus Corporate in Taiwan. They called me at midnight and told me that they will resolve the issue and have someone from Fremont, CA contact me regarding my issues. 3 days later, no response and no contact. So technically I was expecting someone to talk to me around the 9th of Nov. No response so I send it back to Amazon. Customer service? yes or no? you decide! Dropping from 3 stars to 2 stars... Still a beautiful unit with a lot of flaws and lack of customer service!
I decided to give Asus another chance on November 17, 2011 and bought another version of the Zenbook line called UX31-DH72. See my review there, it get's more interesting! =)
Buy ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH53 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Ultrabook (Silver Aluminum) Now
First, let me say I am not a computer nerd trying to find everything wrong with a laptop. Now, about the Zenbook, it is built very well, love the design and solidity of this ultrabook. The lid opens easily, there is a small tab on the top to open the screen from the bottom, so don't believe anyone when they say they can't open it. So I turned it on, I did the updates which were very easy to do, they were almost automatic. The trackpad and the wireless work with out any problems, I really like that the left and right click buttons on the pad actually click. Typing on the keyboard is different, but I have had no problems. The battery seems to last forever. Now for the best part, this thing starts up so fast, even after I loaded the Norton Antivirus on it. It wakes from sleep very fast, it connects to my wireless home network almost instantly. So, it does what a laptop is supposed to do, plus it's light, fast, and looks really good. I am probably going to buy one for my boyfriend for Christmas. Hope this review helps. Oh yea, the screen on this is really crisp.After owning this zenbook for less than three months, the a/c adapter stopped working. Although covered by warranty, trying to get it replaced promptly for my daughter in college was ridiculously difficult. I called and opened a claim and was told I would get an email with instructions to follow. A full day passed. No email. I called them and asked them what happened and then they sent the email. I followed their instructions immediately which were to send back a fax. Two days later, they still said the fax hadn't been processed. At first, they said that process took 24 to 48 hours but then started to say it would take up to 72 hours. I could not get a supervisor to do anything to expedite the process. By the time they finally processed the fax, I had made other arrangements through Amazon to get a replacement shipped to my daughter so I told them not to charge me for expedited delivery. If they had sent it overnight or even two-day air at no additional cost to make up for the delays and inconvenience we had experienced, as I asked them to, I would not be posting this.I will definitely buy my next ultrabook from Amazon but it will not be an asus product.
Want ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH53 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Ultrabook (Silver Aluminum) Discount?
EDIT:Update my review:
I love everything about this notebook except for the fact that mine died after 40 days of use. One second I'm installing Adobe Reader then next I can't even boot into windows. I tried using the recovery partition to no avail. It turned out to be a defective system board so I had to RMA it. When I recieved the RMA unit back it was broken, physicially broken. The screen bezel is cracked and it seems to be getting worse. I contacted ASUS right after I opened the box and now I'm waiting for this "investigation" to finish. ASUS is HORRIBLE at giving me any kind of information as to what is actually happening. I do not know how long this investigation is going to take or if they will actually take care of me and give me a zenbook that is both free of defects and isn't broken. I was told that someone was supposed to contact me from ASUS yesterday and that never happened...
I changed to review from 5 stars to 1 considering I got a defective unit AND have had a horrible experience with this RMA process.
********Old Review Below************
I have been waiting for the PC market to catch up with Apple with a notebook comparable to the "Macbook Air". I believe that the Air has set the standard for what these new ultrabooks coming out are trying to achieve. However, I do believe that while the Zenbook is "like" a macbook and was definitely inspired by the Air, it is also different and unique with its own sense of style. I will try to briefly go over what I like and dislike about the Zenbook.
One thing I will recommend above everything else is going to a local store that has this beautiful ultrabook on display and getting a hands-on feel for what you will be buying. This way you can see for yourself if the keyboard/trackpad will be a problem for you and if you like the look of this beautiful machine. If you decide that this is the ultrabook for you then I would recommend shopping around for a price or buying it from amazon.com. I do NOT recommend buying it from a Bestbuy, Office Max or Costco store for the fact that you will NOT get the FREE 1 year accidental damage warranty that ASUS offers for purchase of this machine. (Please check comments for more information regarding the warranty or check the ADP warranty site for ASUS and read the fine print...)
Likes:
Build Quality and Design The build quality for the Chassis/Frame is second to none and matches that of the Macbook Air. Total WIN in this area.
Lightweight and Portable I will be using this for work meetings and college course and I will definitely appreciate that I will no longer have to carry around my old, large, bulky and heavy laptop as I did before.
Thinness Not only is it beautifully thin, it is also practically thin meaning that it won't take up very much space in my travel bag and it adds to the portability.
Screen Resolution I was a little worried when looking for a netbook/ultrabook to replace my old laptop that I would struggle when working in excel documents due to screen real estate. However the zenbook has a 1600x900 display which offers more than I could of hoped for in a 13" notebook without making the text too small.
Battery Life I never expected to get anything over 5 hours of battery life from any kind of notebook/netbook that would meet my needs. It is simply amazing and I feel "free" from having to constantly carry around my power cord.
Mouse Trackpad my Zenbook came pre-loaded with the latest drivers. I understand that there used to be an issue with the track pad, however I have noticed no issue what-so-ever. Infact I am really enjoying the feel and functionality of the track pad. I use the two-finger scrolling all the time and I am starting to use the three-finger functionality of it now. I will mention that I did need to bump up the speed of both the mouse pointer and the two-finger scrolling to make it "feel right" to me. So I would recommend that you play around with those settings until it feels right for you.
Thermal Design I was a bit afraid that being made out of metal, the bottom of the zenbook might become a little "hot". It surprised me that the thermals for this ultrabook are quite good! I guess the credit should go to the low voltage CPU from intel. Simply amazing and quiet!
Noise Level Most of the time the fan is off and when it does turn on it is barely noticeable. The loudest thing for me is my typing! No need to be concerned that it would be disruptive in a meeting, classroom or library.
Keyboard I really love that the keys for the keyboard also have that metal finish to them. I really pulls the design together for me.
Accessories All the accessories that ASUS decided to include with the Zenbook are just icing on my cake. I love the envelope that the Zenbook can slide into, very nice quality and does not feel "cheap"
Instant On Most ultrabooks will probably have this feature. No more waiting for my machine to "start-up"
ASUS Warranty A "free" one year accidental damage warranty. Nothing one could complain about that, expect that you must be careful where you purchase your Zenbook from to ensure that you will get this warranty. (Don't buy it from a BestBuy or OfficeMax or Costco)
Dislikes:
Webcam Poor quality webcam in my opinion. I honestly never use a webcam anyway on any of my computers so it isn't a big deal for me. However why put such a horrible webcam on such a beautiful and well though-out machine?
Viewing Angles (Up and Down)All laptop screens have issues with viewing angles in my opinion. All of a sweet spot range, some have a wider range than others. I will tell you that the range for the "sweet spot" on this machine is a little narrower than I would like.
Glossy Screen I really wish that ASUS would have Zenbooks with BOTH a glossy and a matte screen so the consumer could pick which screen would fit his/her needs best. Glossy means that any outdoor use for my Zenbook will be limited to overcast days only. I would have preferred a matte screen. In fact I almost didn't buy the Zenbook because the screen was glossy.
Power Connection I wish that the power connection into the Zenbook was a little more "firm", I worry that overtime it might have problems charging due to a wobbly power connection.
Wants:
Different Color Case I hope that ASUS might sell the same cases that they include with the Zenbook in different colors. I am not the biggest fan of the brown color that is sold with the Zenbook.
Better Webcam
Matte Screen
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