Ivy Bridge Zenbook with FHD IPS screen UX21A UX31A UX32A UX32VD

Yes, SSD is not soldered on, but it's essentially not upgradable because of the form factor. Just look at the pictures I linked. The shape of it is a long, skinny form factor that was custom tailored specifically for this notebook only. Where are you going to find a replacement for it in the future? I doubt any SSD manufacture will spend R&D costs to produce an aftermarket SSD that will work only for one model of one notebook brand. That would just be foolish.

 

I think you are being a little rash in this assessment. It isn't in ASUS's best interest to make it a different part for each and every model. I'm sure every Zenbook that isn't the UX32VD but before and after it for a while will use a similar proprietary interface, to save on their own R&D. This would leave a handful of drives that are compatible already. Some of which we know now as the 128GB, 256GB, and a SanDisk or ADATA drive. Not knowing the combinations there are at least 2 possible and up to 4 possible part #'s compatible for these.

You use the term "upgradeable" but I'm only worried about disaster recovery of a failed drive outside of warranty. If I can purchase the exact same part #, which is standard practice across many industries for repair, not just computers, and get back going again on my own, even if it is is a pricey part (but still cheaper than a new laptop), that is my main concern. I'm not concerned with "upgrading" it to a 256GB or 512GB drive because if I wanted/needed that, I would have made that decision at purchase time and not after the fact.

So based on the SSD not being soldered on, I'm happy

 

Has anyone here tried both the Zenbook Prime and the 13" Samsung S9? I really can't decide between the two.

 

You're right, the one I ordered is the ADP-45AW, and the one the UX32VD comes with the ADP-65AW.

Hopefully the lower wattage just means the battery will just charge slower or something.

 

Just curious - is the power adapter pin on the ASUS Zenbook newer than any of the regular ASUS models ? If it is not - wouldn't it be possible to get an universal charger which supports 19V and the Zenbook pin-type to power it ?

Even I'd like to have a backup AC adapter in my backpack, and leave one in my house.

 

I use an universal charger (60w) with my UX32 without any problem...

 

Device Manager - Disk Drives -> My drive is listed as "ADATA XM11 128GB"

 

I will really only use it for email and the web. I would think I would get better battery life and less heat with the i5.

 

You're right, it must be the adata with a score over 7. The Sandisk last time I tried the UX31 didn't score as high as my 7200RPM HDD in my desktop. Around 5.4. It's also why I won't try the Samsung S9..for no logical reason at all they switched from using their own drives which are really fast to using Sandisk in the new models...makes no sense at all.

Oh, and Amazon has the i5-256 for 1249...as BB has consistently been $100 or more cheaper than Amazon with this new ASUS I would guess their i5-256 should be 1199 or maybe even 1149, not 1299.

 

Here's the only data I have: The plug for the UX32VD power supply is smaller than the one for the UL30VT but it is a standard barrel connector.

So the two power supplies are not interchangeable. But, many of the universal supplies come with multiple connectors so they probably can support most notebooks that use standard barrels.

 

Just wanted to confirm, the $999 Best Buy model says "ADATA XM11 128GB" in Device Manager.

 

Interesting..BB and Amazon say the UX31A-XB52 come with Home Premium and other sites say it comes with Professional and TPM..too bad nobody actually has it in stock.

 

did you get the free xbox? how did all of this work..did you go to a bb store and ordered it online from there and presented the xbox promo code?

 

Yes, that's how you do it. Bring the coupon and college ID and order it from the store. Apply for the coupon here and they send it in 5 minutes.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Global/...0&searchresults=1&searchterm=student+discount

 

I did get the free Xbox, it is really an excellent deal. Earlier in this thread, I linked where on Best Buy's website you have to go to, to input your .edu email address to get it sent to you.

I just went straight to customer service, said this was the laptop that I wanted and told them I already knew they didn't have one in their store and asked if it could be ordered with the coupon.

They even sent some guy to the floor to get the xbox for me, which I wasn't expecting on getting until after the laptop came in.

It was really a piece of cake.

The way they handle the code though, is they still charge you $199 for the xbox, but they subtract $199 from the price of the laptop. So you are charged the same as if the xbox was free, but you sort of paid for it. This obviously is done to prevent someone from getting the free xbox, and then returning the laptop for the full price of the laptop, and paying $0 for an xbox at the end of it all. You would have to return both products to get all of your money back. I already have 2 xbox's and I am only using this deal to sell the free xbox as money towards the price of the laptop.

EDIT: Don1 even got the link for you.

 

I see Amazon isn't expecting any for at least 9 days..maybe the next batch will have the issues fixed.

 

how do you know its not for 9 days? also has anyone been in contact with asus about the bleed issues and whats to come for future ux31a's?

 

They say right on it "Usually ships in 8-9 business days". When it's in stock it says that too. Asus is well aware of the bleed issue, enough people have written about it and they are replacing units that have it to a degree they don't feel is normal. I am sure the retailers are also livid with them and they are hearing it from them too.

 

At least my unit is really not that big of a deal. It's only noticeable during boot up when you have a full black, but on, screen. Really think it has been blown out of proportion in this thread.

 

Would like to do like Tux, only leave one at home, and one at work. FB69, do you remember where and what model your charger is? Would love to pick one up...

 

It's not this thread. There have been many PC sites which have written about it. If it was common they wouldn't have. You never hear anybody talking about bleed on Samsung, Sony or Apple..why, because they don't have it. I said about 100 pages back that I think it's a fatal flaw in the manufacturing and I still do. It's pretty much always at the bottom and I think it has to do with how tight the hinge is and how the bezel rubs against the speakers.

 

Anyone try THIS one? Looks like it would work...

Newegg.com - SPI R-FSP065-RAC 65W 19V DC output Universal Notebook AC Adapter (Full Range AC Input: 100 - 240 V)

 

BestBuy and Staples computers are identical except when it comes to the screen. Their models use a 1600x900 EWV HD+ screen instead of the 1920x1080 FHD IPS Display.

 

I talked to an asus rep a bit, had them look up my serial number to see what batch it was but they couldn't find my serial number on file so that was little help. I'm still in my return period so it was suggested to exchange it and see if the replacement has the problem.

The only problem is, that they haven't got any more in stock since then, they only get new stock twice a week (wed, and fri) and didn't get any today so if they don't get any friday it will have to go back. A shame too, microcenter has them on sale for $999 and its a nice machine. But im not going to buy a machine with defects for a thousand bucks.

 

I'am french and i use this:ADVANCE ADV-CHG-070 (not 60W =>70W)

ADVANCE adaptateur secteur universel pour ordinateur portable - 70w - Achat/Vente ADVANCE adaptateur secteur universel pour ordinateur portable - 70w - RueDuCommerce

You have the same type of universal charger on amazon.com

 

Just for kicks I tried out the screens on every locally available ultrabook out there sony, samsung, hp, asus, apple, etc. The only one with bleed problems is the ux31a. Even the ux31/21e series machines don't have any problems.

The IPS display has been blamed but ive never seen an IPS display (mostly apple at this point) with any kind of bleed.

It also doesn't happen on all units... some have it and some don't. This clearly makes it a manufacturing defect, either in the screens construction or more likely its mounting into the screen bezel.

It depends on how you use your computer to if it will be a problem or not. If you don't watch movies with dark scenes, do any graphic editing where color consistency is important or play any dark graphic games you likely won't notice it. Although, if you recognize it for the flaw it is and that it might get worse with time then its still an issue.

 

I got the email confirmation from Adorama saying they've shipped the UX32VD and should arrive next Tuesday

They had it back on stock on their website again yesterday - but now they seem to have run out of it again. They're still taking orders for $1279.99

 

When you tested, did you turn the brightness on maximum? I heard the bleed on the UX31A/UX32 was only a huge issue when the brightness level was high on a dark screen.

 

I returned my 32vd today because of some light bleed in the bottom of the svreen. It wasn´t something I noticed during regular use (browsing, office work or while watching movies in daylight) but I knew it was there (especially at boot up) but it annoyed me whenever I watched movies in a dark environment. I guess I could live with it if I chose to ignore it but when I pay 1400 USD (in Denmark) for a laptop it better not have any manufacturing flaws. I hope the next one I get will have no bleed - will keep you posted.

 

Why is it taking ASUS forever to get these things into stores? At least in the U.S. you can only find the cheap $999 UX31A models why not ship the best models first?

Does anyone know definitively when these models will be in stores?

 

Really? The BB only has a 1600x900 screen? Maverick0984 got theirs Monday night and I didn't see him mention that.

 

Yeah, this is incorrect. The Best Buy models are all 1920x1080. Mine is. And there are questions on the Best Buy website asked by users and answered by ASUS stating the same.

 

I don't know. I ordered the one from BestBuy and am going to be returning my ux31a-db51 to Amazon. I was doing a little research today and saw this:
ZENBOOKâ„¢ Prime Look up ux31a specs and then look at screen specs

Under specs it shows that the HD+ is referencing a different screen.

When I get this other Zenbook Prime in a few days I will talke it to BestBuy if it does not say IPS display with 1080p resolution on the outside of the box. I hope that it is just a miss print on HD+ part.

 

Personally, I wouldn't mind at all if they offered it with the 1600x900 screen as long as it didn't bleed. They could charge $799 instead of $999 and sell a million of them. As it is there are too many adjustments I need to make so I can actually read the screen without getting a headache and sometimes I get the headache anyway. I always like the original UX31 with the exception of that horrible keyboard that nobody could type on and didn't have backlighting. With this keyboard that unit would be as good or better then the MBAs.

 

Yet another reason why it is great to have options instead of being told what we want like Apple does to their customers. I much prefer the highest resolution possible and for that fact, all other competitors are uninteresting to me. I know the MBA has a great resolution, but I didn't want OSX. All Windows based competitors are the mediocre 1368x768 or whatever and even the Samsung Series 9 15" only gets 1600x900, which is alright, but you have to go up a screen size to get there. I'm still young so no about of "small text' is giving me headaches yet, so that isn't a worry at all. But even if it was, there is 1 setting that takes a couple seconds to change. Not several adjustments or anything.

I'll take some pictures of the bleed I have when I get home with my DSLR. Should give a good representation instead of the doomsday comments people are saying in this thread without any pictures that I've seen.

It isn't fair to compare it to non-IPS screens in a brightly lit store with subpar specs and that is what some people are doing. I haven't tried watching a movie on it yet, but it doesn't reach very far into the screen, maybe a half inch, so I think it'd only effect the black bands a widescreen movie sometimes has.

 

Brightness at Max, theme set to high contrast black, and the windows task bar moved to the top of the screen so there are no obstructions. Only the UX31a showed problems.

I honestly wouldn't expect it from any notebook in the past few years. Now days when people talk about light bleed its usually that you can see the light brightly if you look along the left/right edge of the panel but it doesn't effect the screen brightness. What the ux31a is doing is more like you would see in old DSTN displays in the 90s. Uneven backlighting along the bottom and right edge due to backlight bleed... in sort of a spotlight pattern extending from the edge of the screen.

If EVERY unit did that... it could be chalked up to a design choice... something they had to live with to fit a 1080p IPS display in that form factor... but its not on all of them... which puts it squarely in the realm of defect or assembly problem.

 

Good Luck to you. I'm in the same boat with my ux31a. I bought mine locally though on sale for $999. They don't have anymore in stock so im waiting for either my return period to end or them to get more stock in to see if i exchange or return it.

 

I don't think there is any difference, BestBuy just didn't go into detail to describe it.

I returned both of mine for the same reason..it wasn't bad but I knew it was there.

 

I was just thinking the same thing, although an $899 price is more likely considering BB is selling last gen ux31 refurbs for $799 now. IPS 1080p is a great screen, but I would be more happy with a 1600x900 display without the issues I have with the 1080p bleed I am dealing with now. As it is my unit will be returned if they don't get any units to exchange it with before my return period expires.

 

Doesn't it seem like everyone here is making it sound like that is exactly the case though? That EVERY unit is doing it? Slightly different degrees of it, that might even be do to ambient conditions and light sensitivity to the person reporting it.

People here seem to be complaining so much, that it would lead one to believe that every unit does have the issue, and it is in fact, a design choice. Earlier, someone even mentioned that ASUS was saying a certain amount of bleed was normal and that they would only replace if it was "past a certain point."

 

I have to change the default windows setting, the fonts in outlook and add some crap to browsers to adjust fonts on the fly. What single setting can do all that other then maybe change the default resolution but that defeats the whole purpose of buying that display to begin with.

 

Check the attached image, it is not the same as changing the display resolution and is a global setting.

That certainly seems like extreme overkill. Perhaps the higher resolutions just aren't for you then.

 

ASUS has had the 1600x900 screen since the original UX31, even before the UX31E and never had one singe issue with it. Give me that with the up to date specs of the UX31A and I would be happy. Give it to me for 899 and I will be thrilled.

 

any news on the 1080p ux31/32 vs. vaio Z screen comparison?

 

Are there any retailers carrying the UX32VD that are also doing the Xbox deal? I ordered mine from Amazon last month - still hasn't come in. If I find a retailer with the deal I'm cancelling the Amazon order asap.

 

You would hope the sony would be better when you are comparing a $3000 machine to a $1000 machine but it probably isn't.

 

Possibly Micro Center..at least they are a brick and mortar chain that actually carry the UX32VD..call them and see.

 

The deal is limited to only a few select retailers.

The official Microsoft store, Best Buy, Frys Electronics, Newegg.com, and Tiger Direct if I recall. Microcenter was not one of them unfortunately.

 

There have been a few people who complained the other way... had a perfect light bleed free screen but had to take it back because their wifi didnt work or they had bright dot pixels in the middle of the screen... then the replacement had the light bleed.

There is also the fact that people tend to complain more than praise... if someone drops a grand on a new notebook and it has problems they are motivated to get online and see if others have the problem and complain about it. If you get a perfect notebook your more predisposed to just using it and not even getting on the forums at all. Only the hard core folks hop on here and do reviews of their new hardware for those still waiting for theirs or on the fence. So in forums your almost always going to see more complaining than not... its just a fact.

Honestly for alot of people the bleed with never be an issue... they will see it briefly at boot which won't happen all that often. As long as their doing web stuff, emails, etc. they wont see it at all. Its just those people that actually bought the IPS screen unit for its color reproduction capabilities or to watch movies, or play dark space games that will have a problem with it.

I fall into the later camp, I work with dark screens ALOT in my general workflow so its a front and center problem for me several hours a day. Not something im willing to live with in a premium notebook purchase. If i could get the 1600x900 display out of the E series and put it with this hardware id do it in a heartbeat at this point. It wouldn't be as pretty as the IPS but at least it would be consistent.

 

Unfortunately, I am not as trustworthy as you in regards to people claiming this and that is wrong but something else isn't. I'm much more devils advocate and when someone says they have a stuck pixel, they notice that and don't pay attention to any sort of backlight bleed, even if it is there. I do feel that my assumptions are much more probable than saying some have the issue while others don't. I think it is more to do with the tolerances of one person over another as a machining process, especially of this nature, doesn't leave much room for variance. However, your opinion and my opinion has a lot of room for variance. It is only natural to think that errors will occur more often in human interpretation. However, at the end of the day, we are both making guesses and assumptions.

At the same time and while normally, I would agree with the "you only hear from the complainers" sentiment, this particular situation we are dealing with a very new product that is frankly, very hard to come by at this point. I don't think there are very many of these out in the wild right now.