ASUS UX31A-DH71 13.3-Inch Zenbook (Silver Aluminum)

I travel on a regular basis and wanted a laptop to carry around. But still want form and function beyond a tablet.

This fits the bill perfectly. I was able to load the few programs I use and documents and still have a great deal of space left, which was my concern on the ultra-books.

Speed? you lift the screen and the unit is on and running. Programs run fast and smooth.

The other review talking about the track pad was correct, however they updated the software for the unit and its totally fixed. In fact right when it updates the first time its powers on this is fixed.

The only difficult section is getting used to the quick gestures that Windows 8 uses to move between programs, scan up and down a page etc. But once you figure them out its pretty quick and intuitive.

Overall this was a great purchase. I have had it for 3 weeks and love it.

My Sony Vaio VPCSA was only one year old and got stolen from me, so I needed to buy a new laptop. It was quite clear that I wouldn't get the same model again. Just like last year, I spent a lot of time learning about the current state of the laptop market before purchasing the Asus UX31A. So far, I have been very pleased with my choice.

My hard requirements for a laptop are fairly basic:

writing

software development in Linux

the option to play games such as StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3.

possible to carry around every day: ideally not larger than 14"; if 15", then it should be lightweight

no fan noise during office use

battery life > 4 hours

My wish-list included:

very good display

non-glossy display

SSD drive

very good build quality

hybrid graphics card (*)

I learnt quickly that there is no perfect device and that you have to compromise somewhere. Luckily, the only compromise I had to make for the UX31A is the hybrid graphics card (*). It turns out that laptops with a hybrid graphics card are often at least 15" and quite heavy (such as the Macbook Pro Retina 15", which is the only Macbook Pro Retina that has hybrid graphics and is too expensive), and they generally have a relatively bad build quality, loud fans, and a very short battery life (even when the dedicated graphics card is powered off). I considered the UX32VD, but I didn't want to sacrifice both the SSD-card and the excellent build quality of the UX31A just to get a low-end hybrid graphics card.

I am so glad I did compromise on this point! I can play StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3 perfectly fine on customized Mid settings after playing around with some of the settings. Some options that only require RAM and do not depend on the GPU can even be set to High. It is important to manually switch to the "High Performance" power plan in Windows and not use the default "Power4Gear High Performance" since the latter appears to exhibit noticeably worse performance. The graphics still looks very good, and besides, I've heard that StarCraft 2 Pros actually play it on Low. In fact, I feel like these games actually run much smoother now than on my old Sony Vaio, which did have a dedicated graphics card. Maybe this is because you can't use ATI's original graphics driver, but you have to use Sony's outdated version. Furthermore, hybrid graphics has always been a hassle, especially in Linux, and it is annoying to switch graphics cards. It's awesome not to have to deal with this. The Intel HD 4000 appears to be a really decent card.

The display

The Chromebook Pixel, the Macbook Pro Retina, and the UX31A are, at the time of this writing and to the best of my knowledge, the only laptops with high-resolution displays. The gaming requirement meant that I couldn't get the Chromebook Pixel because it's not clear that you can install Windows on it (you can install Linux). The Macbook Pro Retina display is glossy, and apparently, even more prone to reflections than old glossy Macbook displays. The UX31A has an excellent non-glossy display and is a pleasure to work with!

The UX31A and Linux

I installed Ubuntu 12.10 on this device. I ran into some minor issues during the installation, but now that everything is set up, everything seems to work perfectly.

To install Ubuntu 12.10, you either need an external DVD drive or an external storage device. I used a DVD drive. Unfortunately, the computer did not automatically boot from the DVD, and I first had to change the corresponding setting in the BIOS (now called EMI). You also need to deactivate a strange "secure boot" feature in the EMI, as this does not work with Ubuntu.

The Wireless adapter didn't work right away on my device. However, if the USB to ethernet adapter is plugged in before the computer boots, you can get internet this way at the time of installation.

After the installation, going through this guide helped me to set everything up: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AsusZenbookPrime

It is likely that the installation will be much smoother on Ubuntu 13.04.

Final remarks

The UX31A is sturdy, lightweight, and thin. It is so light that I have to open my backpack to check whether I really put it in there. I really like the keyboard and the display. The trackpad is a bit unusual, but of high quality too. The computer boots in seconds and is fan-free during office use. If you have needs similar to the ones I listed above, consider buying this laptop.

Buy ASUS UX31A-DH71 13.3-Inch Zenbook (Silver Aluminum) Now

I travel a lot for my job and I thought I would give an Ultrabook a try with touchscreen capabilities, even though I like my trusty Sony Z series lightweight 13" laptop I've had for 2 years.

Bought this on the road at Best Buy and my initial impression was great until the next 5 hotels and other buildings I used it at. Whenever there was even a 2 to 3 bar signal the wifi slowed way down. I even brought out my aging Sony and my Samsung 10" tablet to be certain it was an issue with the computer and not all the crappy wireless signals you can get at certain hotels. It was this computer. Every time I compared it, it was painfully slower than the other 2. Downloads, and playback of video news stories were constantly stopping and starting, while my Sony and tablet just played and downloaded the same files without a hitch.

So I called tech support, downloaded the latest driver, tweaked the power settings to all max, did it all to no avail. Returned the unit and bought another one a few weeks later thinking maybe it was just "that" Asus, and wanted to give it another chance. Same exact problem occurs at every hotel, and now, even at home with blazing fast wifi (50mbps). As soon as I take it even 20' away from the router it fails miserably in general wifi performance. I am a pretty accomplished techie guy and researched the hell out of this noting wifi adapter strength settings in the power settings that I read in other forums. Nothing works to eliminate this problem. Unfortunately I will be returning this one as well.

Too bad really, because in most other ways this is a great ultrabook, which is why I've been trying so hard to make it work. Just have to wait for something better around he corner.

Read Best Reviews of ASUS UX31A-DH71 13.3-Inch Zenbook (Silver Aluminum) Here

This Laptop is amazing, super fast, I am disagreement with the review where say Your palm will hit the track pad as you type and the cursor will jump, I am quick typist, and I do not have that problem

Want ASUS UX31A-DH71 13.3-Inch Zenbook (Silver Aluminum) Discount?

Would you believe this laptop is not only amazingly thin, light, and fast, but it also supports two external monitors in addition to the laptop screen!? I run one monitor at 1920x1080 over the micro HDMI port and another at 1920x1080 over the micro VGA port.

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