Asus UX31 Ultrabook

'preorder'.. oh, you kids today..




well, they're out of stock now..

 

Here's the video that you requested.
ASUS Zenbook UX31 - Keyboard Issue (HQ) Pt.2 - YouTube

 

I dont have this issue. Just ran the same test and I was able to jump to the second line while hitting the edge of the enter key on my UX31

 

Interesting. Looks like I have a bad keyboard?

 

So you bought it from MemoryExpress?

Does it have the newest BIOS?

 

I don't think you need to worry about the bios! All you need to do is get it updated when you get the computer. It's not hard to do. The asus auto update software would download the things need and get your bios updates. Or you can do it manually by going to the Asus support webpage to download the bios or the drivers!

 

yeah I also hit the edge of the backspace key and it works. btw my first UX31 had 4 dead pixels and the 2nd one was perfect. Another good reason to do an exchange.

 

Where did you purchase it?
Did you return to the place where you purchased? or did you swap out with ASUS? If you swapped out with ASUS, did you get a brand new one?

 

I was within my 14 days so I did the exchange with Bestbuy much faster then dealing with Asus. Yes I got a brand new one.

 

Is there a fix for the poor wifi issues on the ux31? I get an error when trying to update the drivers from Asus website. When I try through device manager it claims I have the latest. I even updated firmware on my router. I think I'm going to take it back.

 

If I press down a key, no matter if it's in the corner or in the dead center of it, I expect it to react as if it was pressed. This is what the issue is about, and this video clearly shows this problem.

 

Thank you! Someone that agrees!
+1 Rep!

 

Also, as have never had the problem you are showing on any notebooks earlier either. Currently on a UL30VT that has a keyboard that works just fine, and neither of my earlier notebooks had any simillar problem either.

But I guess people who type with 2 fingers don't have much of an issue with the keyboard and it's most likely more usual with "real" typers to have issues with the keyboard. Not all of them ofcourse, but those who do. Atleast that is my guess.

 

Yah. My second video that I posted ASUS Zenbook UX31 - Keyboard Issue (HQ) Pt.2 - YouTube shows exactly what's going on. With my pinky, I can miss the "enter" key when I'm typing. I'm also using the UL30vt and don't have a single problem with the keyboard. Nice tactile feedback!

 

Just wondering, what brand is everyone touchpad: Sentelic or Elantech (please list your UX31 model also)? Cause it seems to me not all UX31 are build the same.

 

Mine was sentelic, and it sucked

I agree too, I might not have had a specific problem with the enter key, mine was just the keyboard in general. And it's very very common to see that issue raised in reviews, both professional and consumer.

So no, it's not just yours being a bad one.

 

Im one of those "real typer" who has no issue with the keyboard....

 

Did you try uninstalling the sentelic and then install the Elantech driver? Or is that not possible?

 

I dont think it will install. It will give you a warning saying that it's not supported!

 

Yeh I didn't give it a go, the keyboard was the bigger issue for me.

 

Hey guys, been following this thread for a while and I'm thinking of buying one when I'm going to the US in a couple of weeks. I'm from Holland so I was wondering if the Best Buy model also comes with the 1 year global warranty. As this will be probably the easiest way to buy one in store right?

 

Anyone have any experience with ASUS RMA service? fast? Gives you a refurbish replacement or actually tries to fix your problem?

 

I needed to use ASUS RMA support last year, on a previous laptop. I've heard they can be fast, but they can also get stuck waiting for parts from overseas. My case was particularly annoying, since I had a brand new laptop with a bad lid sensor, and got stuck waiting for parts. After several weeks, they offered me a refurbished unit, but my unit was brand new so I asked for a new replacement instead. But I'd purchased a closeout model at a good price, and production had halted. Since they didn't have any new ones in my model, they offered me a new unit in a similar model instead. I accepted, but was annoyed that I didn't end up with the model I'd really wanted. So my experience wasn't great, but I give them points for making an attempt to do the right thing.

 

Cant you rma with your seller

 

After following this thread religiously, I thought I'd register and provide my assessment of the UX31E-DH52.

I ordered this laptop from B&H Photo on Wed Oct 27. It shipped on Thurs Oct 28 and arrived at my door in Ontario, Canada on Mon Oct 31. Total came to $1266.94 after Shipping, Taxes, and Duty. This information may be irrelevant as it appears some Canadian retailers are now getting stock of this product.

Pros:
-This laptop is aesthetically beautiful and looks way better in person. It is the thinnest and lightest laptop I have ever owned. Ultrabooks are the future.
-Bootup time, instant resume, and battery life are all excellent and in line with what others have reported.
-Screen has amazing brightness and clarity. Comparing side by side to my girlfriends new MacBook Air, we both prefer the Asus screen as it is noticeably brighter. No dead pixels to report so far.
-1600x900 resolution is probably my favourite feature of this laptop. As a student using Office, Excel and reading on-line textbooks daily this resolution is a necessity that greatly increases my productivity.
-Two finger scrolling is smooth.
-The carrying case provided is attractive and a bonus.

The Grey Area:
-The keyboard issue as reported by twe90kid does exist, where the keys do not register if the very edges of the keys are hit. Although, I never seem to have problems with the keys registering but that may just be my typing style.
-The loose hinge issue as reported by twe90kid does exist. Although, this hasn't caused me one problem.
-No backlight keyboard. Although, even when using this laptop in the darkest of rooms the light from the screen illuminates the aluminium keys.

Cons:
-The only major problem, which could be a deal breaker, is the faulty touchpad. Prior to the BIOS and driver updates I experienced both; the mouse jumping all over the screen and multiple windows randomly opening up. After updating the BIOS to 206 and downloading the latest Sentelic drivers from Asus' website the touchpad was significantly improved*.

*However, I have noticed that after extended use of the laptop running on battery power the touchpad starts to act up with the same sluggishness and skipping movements that were experienced prior to the updates. This only appears to occur when the battery is below 25%. The problem doesn't seem to occur when the laptop is plugged in. I will investigate this further and continue to report.

Overall:
-I love this laptop and I still prefer it to my girlfriends MacBook Air. I do truly hope that Asus fixes the touchpad issue soon as it is a very frustrating problem that overshadows everything this laptop has to offer.

If you have any specific question feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them.

 

So far, Best Buy does not stock them in the stores.

 

Is there any place in the US that has them in store to look at and try them out before actually ordering one?
I'm going to the US for a visit next week for about 3 weeks, so I'm planning to take a day to go "laptop hunting", check out the ASUS UX31 and the Lenovo U300 (hopefully it'll be out by then) in a store, compare them and probably buy one or 2.

 

I don't think that you'll find these in stores (in the next few weeks anyway). We, in the USA, pretty much have to do all our "new model" shopping online. Best Buy is the only exception but they have never even had the Samsung Series 9 in their stores, as far as I know, and that has been out for 6 months now...

 

Frys and Microcenter have them on display, but they may no longer have them in stock for sale. They went quickly in my area!

 

I guess it depends where you are. Neither of those stores are in my state. Microcenter is VERY far from me in any neighboring states.

 

Best Buy sucks. They consider any laptop over $799 to be a "high-end" product that won't sell enough volume to make it worth their while.

 

Yes, the keyboard is definitely a gray area. Some people don't have the problem as I claimed. Some people just argue that I can't type if I can't hit the key in the dead center. And, some just can't even tell there is a problem. So, not much I can say about it. The only thing I know is that it's bothering me at some point or another while typing on this keyboard.

I'm still deciding if I want to return the laptop or exchange it for another one... I'm sure the manufacturing process for the keyboard is all the same and coming out from the same factory. Therefore, I don't think that exchanging this thing would help my situation. However, I do have dead pixels which I don't want if I were to keep this laptop!

 

I have a quick question:
I am considering the UX31.. I know that the Intel Core i7 2677M and the i5 2557M are pretty damn close in term of their performance..
now what about heat? i looked it up and it says both are TDP max 17 watts..
does this mean that they consume the exact same power?! or the i7 gotta need more power regardless but with the same max? I am asking this because the microsoft store has only the i7 option.. but i do not want it if it means that the fan will go off more often.. esp with no advantage in performance.. thanks

 

have not heard anything from asus on the keyboard issue yet. i've actually pm-ed the rep on the site and posted on numbers of their facebook accounts. also submitted a inquiry through the RMA status... hmm...
Looks like it's going back to amazon very soon

 

I'd expect the energy efficiency of the two processors is essentially identical. So if the i7 is 10% faster, expect it to generate only 10% more heat. However, most cpu usage happens in bursts, not constant use. So the i7 will finish a complex task slightly faster, and then go back to idle slightly sooner. Your overall heat production, averaged over time, is going to be about the same, and I don't think you'll notice the fans coming on more often.

The exception to this will be cpu intensive tasks like games, where the cpu runs at full speed all the time. But if you're running a game, expect the fans to stay on all the time for both model CPUs.

 

In fact I am asking whether they both would consume the same power when they are running max, since they both got the same TDP (17 watts)?

 

+1.. i check the websites daily waiting for the i7 models to come in stock. they have the base models in i5 which i dont want.

but the only reason i havent bought one is the headphone combo jack issue a lot of people have had..

including me.... on my G62 or whatever, my 16" gaming laptop had the exact same issue. and i sent it into best buy geek squad within the first year i had it. got it back in about 3 weeks... long wait for me.

 

The i7 model is in stock in several online retailer:
Asus UX31E DH72 Laptop Computer With 133 LED Backlit Screen 2nd Gen Intel Core i7 2677M Processor by Office Depot
JR.com: ASUS ZENBOOK UX31E-DH72 13.3" Notebook PC in PC Notebook Computers
I am waiting for a price cut (even a small one!), plus i prefer to buy from microsoft store

 

i will only buy at a local store. dont want to have to ship back if i dont like it.

 

But what local store will carry the i7 version?!

 

I called Office Depot - they did not actually have them, they were allowing orders to be placed based on when they think they will have them and not clearly stating that. You can only get a hint of that by putting one in your shopping cart and seeing the delivery date being way out.

Not sure about jr.com - every time I look there, they show on order, not in stock. Dynamism shows stock last I looked, though.

 

im waiting for the 2nd batch with a hopefully improved headphone combo jack. until then ill try and be satisfied with my Vaio SA25.

 

sorry for the slow response. I don't have any problems with the keyboard and I am getting more and more used to it by the day.

I also wanted to address the "delay" that happens when using the trackpad after the keyboard. This is a feature to prevent the mouse from moving when you're using the keyboard. You can turn it off in the mouse settings!

I have been using the UX31 as my primary machine for almost a week now and I am very pleased.

I'm still contemplating upgrading to a sony z series though

 

Has anyone on here bought a Micro HDMI - HDMI adapter?

I do not want a 6 inch extension cable but I am unsure as to how slim of a block style is required.

 

Hi,
I installed vanilla windows 7 and can't seem to figure out how to enable the quick start aspect of this thing. You know, close the notebook, then open and get going in 1 second. I reviewed the ASUS crapware thread but it didn't seem to cover this. Right now i close the notebook and it basically crashes and reboots.
Anyone know the magic combination of ASUS programs to install?

BTW - still not loving the trackpad -

Thanks!

BTW - still not

 

Just ordered the i5 256GB SSD from Amazon. Last one they had with those specs. Arrives tomorrow, so I'll give my first impressions, especially about the keyboard and trackpad.

Do you think I'll be satisfied with the i5? I'm a photographer and videographer and do some editing concurrently sometimes. In fact, I often have a printer hooked up making prints. The 4GB of RAM concerns me a little, but I hear the SSD takes up a lot of the slack. Most of the time, I just watch movies on the plane. This laptop is only for travel. At home I have a hefty PC for the heavy lifting.

 

It's great that you do not have any problems, but have you actually tried to do what he indicated was his problem in the videos he posted?

 

I believe you need to install the Instant On utility ( ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download UX31E ). You might also need to install the Power4Gear utility because I've read somewhere that it causes crashes/BSOD if you uninstall it.

 

Does anyone know which kind of software update that I have to do with the new UX31? I just got the lalptop yesterday and the Asus Live Update does not work.

 

Well the first thing you should do is check to see if you have the latest BIOS (206). To check that, press F2 at the Asus logo when you turn on the laptop. Then you might need to update the Touchpad and wireless drivers.

My UX31 arrived yesterday and it came with the latest BIOS 206.The Asus Live Update worked for me and took care of all the other driver updates (touchpad, wireless, etc.).