Asus's Macbook Air killer U36

Mine won't be here till Monday. Let me know your impressions Forum.

 

More high quality live pics via ASUS Official Facebook page.
Hands-on with the ASUS U36Jc | Facebook

 

Wookie - will do. And thanks to amazon prime with 4 dollar next day air to get it here tomorrow.

Those facebook photos show the u36 without the fingerprint scanner on the touchpad button as do several others around the web. Not sure whether I'll be getting that or not or how you know since the u36jc-a1 model on stores show photos both with and without. I'll report back...

 

Does replacing the hard drive with an SSD usually reduce the heat somewhat or does this have nothing to do with it?

 

"SSDs lower laptop heat?"

The short answer is probably not, unless the laptop is very poorly designed (airflow) to not take away any heat generated by the spinning disk. Here's a good article testing out this idea:

SSD vs. HDD Solid State Drives vs. Hard Disk Drives for laptop computers, which summarizes:

"The 7 degree difference between 5400 rpm laptop drives and SSD drives during load is nice, but the hard drive is not the component causing the majority of heat coming from your laptop. Most of the heat is coming from the processor and memory. The switch to SSD made no measurable difference in the peak temperatures coming from under the laptop"

 

Did it show??

 

Anyone know where one could buy the 4 cell battery that does not stick out as much....? I'm guessing it has about half the life of the 8cell --- around 3-4hours but I do think it looks better and better weight!

Look forward to the reviews!

 

It only sticks up under neath, not out the back.

 

Still would be nice with that option!

 

This machine really interests me. If it has a decent display I may grab it up.

 

In my possession . Unfortunately work clients don't care if I have a new toy to play with. I'll have time this weekend to share thoughts however.

 

Review from CNET

Asus U36JC A1 Review (Core i5 460M 2.53GHz, 13.3" TFT) - Laptops - CNET Reviews

 

I love how they harp about Sandy Bridge. It is a perpetual cycle that something is always around the corner. The only real competitor to this for me was the Samsung 9 which I will probably buy in 9-10 months and donate this to my wife's cause.

 

What is the word Forum? How does this thing handle itself?

 

Wookie - i think you'll be happy when yours comes. Had a little bit of time to spend with the new laptop now, and I'm impressed - It's a nice machine. For perspective, I'm coming from a Sony Vaio SR-290, which is a 13.3 laptop I've had for 2 years and the screen went bad (horizontal lines on half the screen) so while somewhat usable, I had to replace it sooner than later.

Here's a few thoughts:

• Build Quality - The laptop is very solid, which is even more impressive considering how thin it is. The entire case feels like one solid piece and nothing bends or depresses when pushed. There are no creaking sounds and the battery doesn't rattle. I really like the nano material that prevents finger smudges - it feels like a premium over most other shell coverings.
• Weight - It is very light - I can have it in my backpack and barely know it's there - especially since the battery lasts so long I don't have to bring the power supply.
• Battery - While the battery life is good I'm getting more like 6-7 hours instead of 10. It will take a while to figure out the right power/efficiency settings for the right balance. And probably will require a full OS reinstall to get rid of the bloatware. I'm still hoping I can get 8+ hours of web use. I did take it to work on Friday without the power supply and it lasted all day - although I had calls, meetings where it went to sleep for a while each time and the screen was turning off after 1 minute as I set it up that way. This was my secondary machine while I mainly used by work desktop.
• Power Adapter - The adapter is quite small making it easy to take along for multi-day trips.
• Heat/Noise - this has not been an issue at all. Normal use and I don't notice any heat at all other than when I go out of my way to feel the heat exhaust - which is just warm but not uncomfortable air. Never had any discomfort with it on my lap. I did do some video encoding (pinging all cpus at 100% for 15 minutes) and it got warm but not uncomfortable. It was probably the warmest right after the first boot up - when I assume Windows was indexing everything, avast was scanning and bloatware was activating the first time. Very thankfully tho, heat is not a concern for me with this laptop which could have been a deal breaker.
• Screen - The screen seems fine to me - it's brighter and more true in color than the sony sr was. The highest setting is too bright, which is good. The vertical viewing angle is not a big range but never bothers me unless watching a video - then you have to be in the sweet spot to enjoy no inversion in the top and bottom of the movie. I think this i just standard for TN panels and you won't get something better unless you're spending hundreds more. I'm pretty happy with it tho.
• Keyboard - I've used chiclet keyboards for a while and really like them. I have been missing some characters when typing but assume that is just adjusting to the slightly different throw to the keys. It is very quiet as well. I also like having pg up dn/home/end keys on a laptop this small but hit them when intending to go for backspace or enter - should adjust to this pretty easily I assume.
• Touch Pad - It's Synaptics like I've used before. I had to do lots of tweaking to the control panel config to get all scrolling and sensitivity right which I don't remember on other laptops but it's working well for me now and is a good size, Buttons do have a click sound but hasn't been concerning at all and is not mushy like some others.
• Performance - It's fast doing everything I throw at it except I've seen a few hiccups which I'm attributing to bloat ware, new installs of a bunch of apps and the fact that I'm coming from SSD's in all my other machines and this being 7200rpm spinning drive. I will be placing a SSD in this laptop once I've played around a bit more, and figured out the right adhesive product to reattach the feet which have to be removed to get to screws.
• Ports - I wanted a laptop as small, light, and thin as possible but I still wanted access to all the potential ports without requiring a dongle or adapter. The u36 excels here compared to the air or Samsung 9 series. If I'm in a corporate office and need to connect to a projector they always have vga so I'm glad to have it, and hdmi as well for entertainment uses all without a dongle that could be lost or forgotten and have to be carried around.
• Speakers - pretty standard - works fine for youtube videos, or background music. Certainly works well for spoken word (audiobooks, podcasts, talk radio, etc) I am really interested to hear how the samsung 9 series sounds which I think has a built in subwoofer. It is a fair amount louder than the sony sr.
• Fingerprint scanner - Mine (from amazon) did not have the finger scanner. I had this on my old laptop and used it for the first 2 weeks and then completely stopped using it because it didn't really save me any time so no big loss - but I wish it was more clear for those who specifically do or don't want it.

other considerations

• -Sandy Bridge - I wish I could have waited till sandy bridge came out for small laptops (late Feb. is the word) to see if it might provide better battery life and whether the intel graphics on it obviate the need for a separate graphics processor altogether. But I've seen these things delay before and since we've only gotten the sasmsung 9 with any PR out, my guess is it could be April or May until we really have the best options using Sandy Bridge in light laptops. And most likely they will be more expensive anyway.
• -Samsung 9 series - I really like the appearance of this laptop, but the cost, lack of ports that don't require adapters to use, the irremovable battery, and unknown reviews make me feel the u36 is a great choice right now - and will be even more so if the Samsung doesn't actually come out in quantity till April or later. Any my guess is you'll be able to buy something like it near the end of the year for close to 1100. The u36 isn't as sexy as the samsung, but I find it quite attractive in a non flashy understated way especially when you hold it - up to personal opinion of course.

Feel free to ask additional questions or share your own experiences if you have the u36jc.

 

I wish i needed a new laptop XD

Same power or more than my current laptop with at least 4 times the battery life and half the weight.

 

Thanks for your impressions MyForumAccount

And I will


I'm concerned about the battery life actually, 6-7h is okay but I expected something like 7h30/8h in "normal use".
If you could do some battery testing in different conditions, that would be great but it takes a lot of time.

But here, you did some web browsing, office use and so on...
Was the Wifi always turned on ? What was the brightness of the screen ?
Because 6/7h at 100% is quite good, at 30%, not so much ... and Wifi is also a battery hog.


Thanks

 

Like you said it will take time to really figure out what to expect as there are many variables. However, my current scenario is that I am in battery saving mode. I've been on battery (starting at 100%) since 9am this morning, it's 12:20 now and windows is saying 4 hr 12 mins are left so that would be 7.5 hours of usage predicted. I haven't been using it every minute but have the screen not turning off and not going to sleep (to give me a better idea on how long it will last with continuous usage).

The battery saving mode has the processor state capped at 60%. I have wifi on always and the screen at 6. The screen on the sony wasn't bright enough unless on full power. With the asus I'm very happy using a 6, and 10 is too bright unless watching a movie with lots of dark scenes.

I know that on my android that my battery life can vary a lot when using wifi based on how close I am to the wifi router. I'm guessing laptop wifi cards do the same thing and can regulate power usage based on how strong the signal is which could give very different results for people. My home router is generally very close to where I use the laptop.

 

how is the asus screen quality?

is it as bad as the previous generation?

 

MyForumAccount,

Would you mind running PCMark Vantage and see how high the temps can get? You can use HWMonitor to check the temps.

 

How much improvement in battery life will you get with a SSD?

 

And how much will boot up times change w/ a ssd. Based off youtube vids currently looks like the Asus u36 hdd boots in 40 - 50 secs.

 

I am stricken with joy! My U36 will be here in a few hours. I will add a review in addition to Myforum's and if you want certain things performed let me know Ill give it a go.

 

SSD will make the boot time around 15 to 20 seconds.

 

Intel finds flaw in 6-series chipsets, halts shipments - The Tech Report

delay w/ intels sandy bridge until April...

 

I feel much better about my decision to pull the trigger now

 

David:
I ran this on battery but changed to High Performance mode - nothing throttled. The latop got warmer but not uncomfortable at all. The exhaust was the warmest - which I guess meant it was working well.

PCMark Vantage Results : Result
Temps:

Others:
SSD should have little to no impact on battery life and temps unless you have a very anormal disk usage pattern (like server usage).

Sandy Bridge Delay:
Very interesting and certainly makes the u36 a smarter choice now.

Wookie:
Enjoy and let us know what you think when you have time.

 

The laptop just arrived and I am examining it now. Right now my largest complaint is that the mouse rocker feels so cheap and clicks somewhat loudly.

Overall the build quality is quite nice and this thing is very thin! I can easily one hand this to move around and carry it on my side.

Boot up appears to take about 45 seconds as it sits. ( I think this can be sped up with tweaks and a fresh install; tons of bloatware)

Has anyone started an official U36 thread?

 

So I am really thinking about pulling the trigger. Only things I am missing here:

- better screen and maybe 14"
- Sandy Bridge (but will it ever come out with it??)
- WiDi (or does it have widi?)

As of the rest, I will just put an SSD in it, cheaper anyway to buy it extra.

So anyone got suggestions? Another comparable lap? Better wait? (waiting since months..)

 

I've seen mentioned in a few reviews that the keyboard on this notebook misses some letters when typing. Has anyone had this problem? If you type quite softly is the keyboard still good?

Also, I remember from another thread that a similar laptop makes a high pitched noise when the CPU is idle. Is this a problem with the U36?

 

I am fine with the screen as is - viewing angles are not that big of a deal on laptops since it's just you in front of the screen, at least for me. And the asus is very bright and clear. Unless you are getting a 1500+ laptop like the sony Z or potentially future samsung, I'm not sure you have better options. Also, if you want a 14 inch that will add a fair amount of weight and you'll still have the same resolution.

Sandy Bridge is an unknown from a timeframe and benefit standpoint. How long will the wait be - 3-4 months? Will we get 10% more battery life or more?

WiDi - the asus does not as is, WiDi requires an intel i series proc AND an Intel wireless card. This comes with an Atheros card. However, you can replace it with an Intel 6100/6300 card. Then, reports are that you may be able to use WiDi. However, check out the reviews online for all the WiDi TV adapters. They are universally panned. I thought I would miss this but determined it wasn't ready for prime time yet anyway.

So, this is the best laptop I could find for this price. If you can wait - then that might be a better option for you to see what happens with Sandy Bridge.

Hopefully we'll see some other users reviews here to see if my experiences are shared with other new u36 owners.

 

I have not experienced this whine that people have mentioned in other I cores.

As far as the keys go I have noticed that. Prior to this a had a very soft rubberized chicklet keyboard and I loved it; this one does miss some, but I think it is me used to typed SO softly. You do not have to be overtly firm with your strokes, but a little more so than I am used to. I still enjoy the keys and hold that my largest complaint is the rocker for the mouse pad feeling so cheap and clicks somewhat loudly.

If you guys want I can take some video of it typing etc.

 

That would be really useful, if it's not too much trouble.


One thing that puts me off this laptop a little is that the stock battery sticks out the bottom so much. It kind of negates the benefits of having such a thin laptop.

 

I should have a full review of the U36 by this coming Monday

 

Well I was going to use my wife's Nikon D90 to shoot the video, but a close friend just went to the hospital to deliver his baby and needed to borrow it. So I have the option of using my Logitech Orbital cam or HD Samsung Vibrant camera phone. What in particular do you want to see with the video Consequent?

As far as the battery goes it does not bother me one bit. It is nice when your on a flat surface because it angles the keyboard towards you.

 

Thanks a lot MyForumAccount for your quick review!
I had the chance to see the U36 in store and saw it beside a 14" acer timeline.
Build quality and looks where really nice, but the screen had no good luminance at all, also compared to the acer. So, at least for now, unfortunately it is a no go for me, though I hoped to get it home with me from the store.

 

Where do you live? In which store was it?

 

I am also interested in which store you saw this laptop in.

I am seriously considering buying this laptop over the next month, my only hesitation is that it is on the upper side of my budget (not going over 1000) and was wondering what your thoughts were on comparing this to something on the lower end such as the HP dm1 with the new AMD fusion. All I am really looking to do that is resource intensive is to play 1080p to a TV and do normal stuff like internet/micro office.

 

I'm interested in seeing the battery in the laptop from a few angles and the laptop from the side with the battery in. Other than that, just general typing / clicking with the mouse buttons.

As an aside, given the choice between the laptop with 2.53GHz CPU & 7200RPM 500GB HDD, and with 2.66GHz and 5400RPM 320GB HDD, which do you think would perform better in general purpose use?

 

@max7 and thebill: at cyberport in germany.

I am interested in any thoughts of the screen. I was pretty disappointed, but maybe i had a bad screen to see? Not likely but who knows..

@consequent: I would personally get the better cpu and put an ssd into it. That version is cheaper, so you save more money if you go that way. Apart from that, you can more easily switch a hard drive and it is more likely then cpu.

One store I saw they had a model with 320hdd and one with 500gb. The rest is the same but the price difference is 81euros. So there I would def. go with the cheaper one if you are willing to open up the case of the u36.

 

Does opening the case and putting a SSD in the U36 void the warranty?

 

I was thinking the same thing, although I am little concerned about the screws being under the rubber feet. I'm wondering how you would take those off and whether they can be reattached 'as new'.

After looking at some pictures, it seems that the body surrounding the keyboard is part of the shell of the laptop. Do you have to remove the keyboard from underneath? Does this mean that you can't replace the keyboard with another keyboard which has differently shaped keys (US -> UK)?

 

I believe you do have to remove the keyboard in order to get to the hard drive. Their is a breakdown on youtube somewhere.

Consequent, your concerns about the shape of the battery and typing will be shown in video this weekend. I apologize for the delay it has been a hectic week. A close friend's dog passed away suddenly from a brain tumor and he was pretty shook up. I had to drive to his house and dig a hole for a 100lb dog in icing rain; consequently (get it) I was stuck at his house over night with no laptop. I will stick to my word and have it up for you.

 

Oh, don't worry at all about the delay, life comes first! You're doing me a great favour by making the video, and I won't have money until after this weekend anyway.

I'm slowly becoming more set on this laptop; for such performance and style I'm really quite surprised at the price.

 

So, after a few days of usage, do you guys have a better idea of how the battery really performs ?

 

I'm getting great battery life. Of course it's all relative. All other laptops I've had have required a power supply always on hand, never lasting more than 2 hours.

If you use the battery saving mode that asus provides you do take a lowered performance but as long as you are web browsing and doing office equivalent apps it's a full 6+ hours (sometimes as much as 7.5). This allows me to take it to work and use as a second machine at meetings, or on the side without bringing or having an adapter at work assuming it goes to sleep some during the day which mine does. That's a powerful thing for me.

If you are playing games or watching HD movies or running on full performance mode you're battery time will be as low as 2-3 hours.

 

Thanks MyForumAccount

 

Apparently late Feb, the U36JC-B1 model is going to available. It has i5-480M processor instead of the i5-460M that the A1 has. Anyone know if there are other differences?

 

Yep, it looks like a release date on February 22nd for the ASUS U36Jc-B1 (Windows 7 Home). The U36Jc-B2B (Windows 7 Pro) is available now. The only difference I can see is the slightly higher clocked processor.

 

Anyone know about a review that tests the screen and if there is a docking station for the u36?