Asus UX31 Ultrabook

So what is the consensus with the Touch pad and Wifi? Has it been fixed/is it a wide spread problem?

 

Also interested in these questions, especially the touchpad behaviour. How well does scrolling and two-finger rightclick work? Is pressing down the whole pad a good experience or is it to hard/soft to press down or feels wobbly? Also, do the touchpad drivers come with any options, like disabeling the dedicated button areas and turn them into normal touchable area?

Finally, since I have never looked much into this: Are there any general 3rd party touchpad drivers that would work better? I know that there are Donationware drivers for the MBA under Windows 7 that work much better than the ones supplied by Apple.

As a side note, since I didn't want to double post:
Anandtech have received there UX21 (I know, unfortunately not the 13 inches notebook, but there is no thread on the 11 inches one and we might still profit from their finds). Currently they only did battery tests ( AnandTech - ASUS Zenbook UX21 First Results: MBA-Like Battery Life Under Windows 7) and looked inside ( AnandTech - ASUS Zenbook UX21 Teardown) - an no, not to the point where you can see the RAM modules. It seems it is fares similiar or a bit better than the current MBAs.
Also, a further bit of interesting information: The notebook does *not* come with a bunch of battery-taxing bloatware preinstalled - something more companies should learn.

 

AnandTech - Gallery - ASUS UX21 System & Dissection Tour - 44 Photos

You're all wrong !

RAM is under the SSD

At least the 4 chips.

Probably at least 4 more on the other side.

Anyway MBA with 4GB of RAM is using 16 chips.

 

Well there's your answer. Nice find komoornik.

 

Well, the latest touchpad driver does help, and it's no longer a BETA version so will download via ASUS Live update. The scrolling and two finger right click (something I fell in love with on the MBA) work very well. I did adjust the scroll lines to 1 instead of 3, as 2 finger scrolling was a bit fast for me, and a little jerky.
Pressing the touchpad seems a little silly, I'm not sure what the point of it is when you can just tap (or double tap and drag). ANyway, it seems a bit firm to me, but doesn't feel at all wobbly. The dedicated buttons from what I've seen, are just that - dedicated - so no switching there.

WIRELESS:
I've just sat here doing some tests. So, side by side with my 2009 MBA, the ASUS doesn't look great in terms of bars. It hovers between 1 and 2 bars while the Air gets 3 to 4. But then I ran a few different broadband speed tests and the ASUS consistently got higher download speeds than the Air. Not by much. It does seem to give 5 bars when it first connects then drops to 2, I'm not sure what's going on here.
One thing I did notice is that if I connected both the Air and the ASUS at the same time, the Air would literally kick the Asus off the network and it would lose signal. Also when the microwave was running, bye bye signal.

On another note, the appearance and build quality are superb. I'm surprised to say that it makes the MBA feel like a toy. Perhaps it's the heavy metal, almost industrial, look of the Asus, but I really like it, it feels and looks like a substantial notebook, and the MBA feels a bit flimsy now.

I'll be curious to see how the wireless performs consistently, it's early days here and I'm getting 2 bars with the access point downstairs and at least 25m away (I have it set to maximum performance etc so nothing doing there).

 

You can't really compare wireless cards by the amount of bars, even if it's from the same OS. The firmware will report different averages.

You have to look at the link speed, signal to noise ratio and the signal strength in dBm.

Also, a microwave will nearly kill any wireless signal as long as the proximity is close enough. They generate a good amount of interference.

 

Thank you so much. Now we know that these cannot be upgraded. I assume that the UX31 is the same. Well, it is still a good and nice machine but those who need more than 4gb ram, they have to be careful.

 

Any info on fan noise and heat issues? That's something I've had problems with in earlier products from Asus. The fan on my UL30VT doesn't stay silent, even when just browsing with no flash content. It's really something I like about Macs. They're completely silent (at least the SSD ones) until you actually start doing more than simple office/surfing stuff.

 

Forget about the false palm clicks for now. Is anyone seeing any of the following behavior, which has been noted in several press reviews?
"On to the trackpad. Where to begin. It’s a glass trackpad, but it’s actually kind of poor. There is very noticeable lag during mousing and while it’s likely tweaking the tracking speed can fix this issue, it’s telling that Asus didn’t even bother to tweak it on their demo machines, which leads us to believe it might not be fixable."

Another user mentioned that while trying to perform presice clicking (in an exact spot), the mouse cursor seems to jump around and not hold study, and it is very frustrating.

 

Well, very nice finding. And hopefully, no more discussions about RAM upgrade. Unless somebody is extremely skillful with welding iron or a fire torch.

I really cannot understand such complains, you really expect a superb thin piece of hardware where you can tear apart, put neon lights, liquid nitrogen cooling and install 32Gb of ram and 2 Nvidia in SLI?

 

This has just gone up - they seem to think the trackpad is fairly good on the UX21. They also say it has 6GB of RAM though, so still one or two typos in there (it has only just gone up to be fair!)

Asus Zenbook UX21 Review | Laptops | CNET UK

 

Thanks alot ActionShrimp, shame about the plastic keys I had got it into my head these keys were metal :/

 

No, I know the bars are a subjective measure, but the speedtest indicates the asus wireless performance (even if people are complaining about low bars) is on a par with the MBA.

Any way to measure the strength in dBm and the noise?

Dead silent. Actually, more so than a 2009 13" MBA.

 

Hmm.

Still wainting for a professional review to get info about the noise.

Or for someone that can compare it to the 2011 ( 2010 should be the same ) MBA's.

 

This new word gave me a chuckle. A cross between wanting & waiting.

 

Everybody saw this Z830 hands on video? I'm starting to consider the Toshiba machine, it is not a final version but what you think about? Toshiba Z830 Ultrabook Hands-On Overview - YouTube

 

If you're willing to give up the 1600x900 resolution and go with the 1366x768, it certainly looks like a winner. Who knows, until I get a UX31 in my hands, I won't be able to judge whether the 1600x900 is simply too much crunch for me.
I really LOVE the full keyboard of the Toshiba Z830 with the dedicated Home, PgUp, PgDn, and End buttons! For a programmer, this is a Godsend!

 

style and format is definitely different. if you need all those ports built into the computer, why not... but if you don't, i think the UX is still a winner!

 

In my opinion, the keyboard layout on the Tosh is superior to all the other ubooks... and it's backlit.

Now if only they come out with a higher rez screen... maybe next year.

 

Hmm.

What about the BIOS ( or EFI ) ? I saw version from 14.10 - it says it fixes touchpad problems.

 

We plan on doing our review of it tomorrow for those interested. We received our first UX31E-DH72 today. We have opened it up and the RAM is indeed soldered onto the board. Also the wireless is using a smaller SLIM (AW-NB086) wireless which is much smaller then the wireless cards now.

We can at least re-paste GPU/CPU but that is about it until more options come available on the market for wireless or storage upgrades.

Our initial thought about the screen is that is very bright and we love the exterior of the machine. It is nice that the touch pad also works just like a mac where you can push down and click anywhere on the touchpad. (not just using left or right clickers)

 

Just joined the forum. I have a warranty question that hopefully someone can answer. I see UX31-RSL8 listed on the Best Buy web site with a 1 year warranty for Parts and 1 year Limited warranty for Labor. Is this different from the warranty that Asus offers? Since Best Buy is an authorized service provider do we take it to Best Buy instead of shipping it to Asus?

 

Too bad the keyboard isn't made of ALU. I was so hoping it would be.

 

Asus has a 1 year accidental damage protection warranty on the one from amazon, which you have to activate online.

 

Me either, but I wouldnt pay more for that... and Al keys are certainly not cheap...

 

So IF we get the notebook from BestBuy Asus will not give us the 1 yr accidental damage protection? I was planning on getting it from BB instead of Amazon (looks like Amazon is not going to carry it for a month or two)

 

I dont wanna lie, what really make me desire UX31 was the appearance, the aluminum body and the hi-res screen... such a piece of metal art...

Toshiba is more serious, more plastic... but also more functional, by the ports and better keyboard...

OMG how to decide? Performance should be similar. It will obviously depend on Toshiba's cost, I read estimations of 999 bucks, so it will enter definitely on the fight.

I shall wait until the begin of next year though...

 

Thanks for the first impressions, they certainly match with mine. I am finding the touchpad a little bit jumpy still, not sure what's going on there. I'll have a look in the BIOS to see if that helps.


I'm interested in what the Toshiba will sell for. Both Asus and Toshiba aimed for sub $1000 prices for their 13 inch books, but I'd be surprised if Toshiba can do it. I like the backlit keyboard, but not sure if I could get used to vertical PgUp etc keys. I suppose you do.

The Toshiba doesn't have the slender tapered style of the UX, it's slightly boxier, but does have some good ports built in. It'll be an interesting marketplace battle!


One thing I instantly love is the 1600x900 resolution. I suppose if I'd never had it I wouldn't miss it, but flipping between it and the MBA just makes me appreciate it all the more.

 

Don't know to be honest. I just had to enter my serial number online and it said: your computer is eligible for ADProtection.

 

I'm going to play with my asus ux31 a bit more to see if i can get over some of its faults. But I'm skeptical. I agree, the ux31 is a really amazing looking machine... but I have to go for function over form in the end. Whats the point of having a beautiful laptop if the touchpad and keyboard are wonky?

 

Hmm my k/b is perfect, though it could be subjective. I am hoping that I either grow accustomed to how to use the trackpad, or a third driver release helps. I'm assuming one must be on its way, and they just rushed the beta one out early to keep new buyers placated.

 

The backlit keyboard would be nice, sure. But for me, the most important fact of the laptop is the screen resolution. 1600x900 is great for me, putting every other complaint aside.

I'm looking for a "ultrabook" (slim profile with power, but it doesn't need to be the MOST POWERFUL ULTRABOOK IN THE WORLD). I was looking for the Vaio Z 2nd Gen, but it is not that slim. The Acer S3 seems a nice option also, but I've had terribles experiences with Acer (very bad construction, bad quality parts, etc).

So, the fact that the i5 Zenbook uses a TN Panel, or the non-backlit kb can be some kind of down side, I can live with that!

Howerer, using an 1366x768 screen resolution nowadays is a real pain in the for me.

Just my personal thoughts about it. I'm just waiting to november/december to see other options, but I'll surely buy the UX31 with an i5 CPU.

Best regards,

Lunatico

Ps: And just to mention, I'm not interested in Macbooks. That's why I didn't mention MBA and others.

 

Please do see if you have the latest BIOS and update it. I'm very curious to see if it completely fixes this issue with the trackpad.

 

Well, one of the things that was bugging me was that there was no home/end button. I have to retract that statement... I wasn't looking in the right spot. I see it now --as function-arrow keys. Ok, I guess I could get used to that. We'll see if I adjust to the typing as well... I have been missing a lot of the bottom set of keys (v,b,n,m) for some reason... either I'm not hitting it hard enough, or I'm not hitting it in the right place...

Interesting little update... I changed to the .206 bios and the touchpad is a lot more responsive. Not perfect- I still seem to be overshooting some things- but the smaller movements are a lot less jumpy. One less reason not to like this laptop...

 

Hi Makryger, could you comment on how the keyboard feels? is it like the MBA keyboard? I'm worried that the keys may be a bit shallow like the Vaio Z, at least based on pictures.

 

I've never used a MBA, so I can't really comment. They feel like they have decent depth, good springyness, not too loud. They are a bit plastic-feeling, and look like they will become dirty easily. Theoretically, it all seems fine. Only issue is when I start typing like I normally type, a lot of the keys have not been registering. I just tried typing in "newegg.com" a second ago and ended up on ewegg.com. Which is not quite as useful. Next, I tried going to engadget.com, and instead ended up with engadge.com. Fortunately, that redirected. So its definitely affecting my productivity. Maybe I just need to adjust my typing force...?

 

Well, it seems similiar problems are being pointed out here. The owners could say a word about each of them, maybe giving grades from 1 - 10?

1) Screen: Resolution ( ), Contrast ( ), Color ( )
2) TouchPad: Responsiveness ( ), Smoothness ( ), Precision ( )
3) Audio: Depth ( ), Loudness ( ), Surrounding Efficiency ( )
4) Keyboard: Keys Layout ( ), Comfort on typing ( )
5) WiFi (on maximum power): Strength/Range ( ), Connection Quality ( )
6) Battery: on Heavy Duty ( ), on Light Duty ( )
7) Performance: on Browsing/Email/Office ( ), on Gaming ( )
8) General: Appearance ( ), Build Quality ( ), Stiffness ( )

 

You can still get the warranty, you just have to register for it.

 

Thanks for the info

 

1) Screen: Resolution (10), Contrast (7), Color (8)
2) TouchPad: Responsiveness (9), Smoothness (7), Precision (7)
3) Audio: Depth (6), Loudness (10), Surrounding Efficiency (9)
4) Keyboard: Keys Layout (9), Comfort on typing (7)
5) WiFi (on maximum power): Strength/Range (??), Connection Quality (??)
6) Battery: on Heavy Duty (??), on Light Duty (??)
7) Performance: on Browsing/Email/Office (10), on Gaming (??)
8) General: Appearance (10), Build Quality (10), Stiffness (10)

For what it's worth (not much! ...)

 

How's the Ubuntu setup cracking on RR1RR? Anything major that doesn't work?

 

My review so far (haven't played with it enough to test everything... so these are just initial impressions)

1) Screen: Resolution ( 9 ), Contrast ( 7 ), Color ( 8 ), Viewing Angle ( 5 )
2) TouchPad: Responsiveness ( 7 ), Smoothness ( 7 ), Precision ( 6 )
3) Audio: Depth ( 8 ), Loudness ( 8 ), Surrounding Efficiency ( 7 )
4) Keyboard: Keys Layout ( 7 ), Comfort on typing ( 4 )
5) WiFi (on maximum power): Strength/Range ( 6 ), Connection Quality ( 6 )
6) Battery: on Heavy Duty ( 9 ), on Light Duty ( 10 )
7) Performance: on Browsing/Email/Office ( 10 ), on Gaming (n/a)
8) General: Appearance (9), Build Quality ( 8 ), Stiffness ( 9 )

Comments:
1) Resolution a bit too high for me, color is pretty decent, not perfect. Viewing angles are disappointing.
2) I'm still overshooting stuff, but its a lot better now with new bios and drivers.
3) Still crackly, which wasn't accounted for your eval, but otherwise, very good for a laptop
4) Missing keystrokes mean a low "comfort on typing". Keyboard layout is decent, not perfect.
5) When the connection on my four year old laptop is better than this, we have a problem.
6) Battery life is awesome. Although I haven't done a huge amount of stress testing.
7) Performance also great... although I don't do any gaming. Everything is snappy, as I'd expect.
8) Beautiful looking machine.. a bit of fingerprint magnet though. Build is very nice, no real give to the chassis. Dissappointed in power adapter and plastic feeling keys, though.

 

I agree, the main appeal of the UX31 is its appearance and physical characteristics (slimness, weight). I have a beefy desktop that is my main computer. I won't even be using the ultrabook on a daily basis, so I can live with whatever quirks it has as long as it's ultraportable, looks great, and can reasonably handle whatever tasks I need to do on the go

 

Called Asus and asked about the difference between the DH52 model and the one Best Buy carries(btw, Office Depot has it on their website now as well). The rep said the specs looked identical except maybe the SD card reader. I guess we will find out pretty soon as these units arrive.

 

still can't wait for a proper review. some of the consumers on here seem to be a bit overwhelming with all the complaints

Spoiler

 

Just got my notification that my UX31-DH72 shipping today from J&R. Can't wait!

 

What exactly would the difference be? Looks the same as the bag/sleeve I got...

 

Nope, that's the same bag as I got with mine from Amazon. It's a leather (or leather look) flap, with some kind of mesh body. The bag is actually a really really nice plus. I was trying to find one recently for my air, and even looking at $50 options none came close to this. It's reinforced on the back and front, so is very solid. A really great little addition.

I'm going to try the bios update now and will give some info.



As far as the keyboard compared to my (2009) MBA, it's very nice. Doesn't have the same depth, the air you have to push a bit further, but both feel great. What I'm finding is that it's very slightly bigger, so I'm not hitting the keys in the centre just yet, resulting in some missed keystrokes. It'll take a while for the brain to get used to the size difference I think, then should all be good.

 

What's the problem with the adapter?

 

when did you order? Seems out of stock on the site. Hope you used ebates for additional 2.5% discount