My personal Review of Asus Zenbook UX32VD-DH71

I have had the laptop for a couple of days and here is my first impression. I will add posts later as time passes to include more details or new impressions. I hope this mini review helps those who are trying to make their mind on the laptop.

Positives:

- Nice 1080p IPS screen. From the reviews I infer it covers %99 of sRGB color space. This has been my main reason to choose this laptop over the competition.
- The display is matte which I prefer much over the glossy display on my Macbook Pro.
- Feel solid with metal construction.
- Backlit keyboard which I like having in dim conditions.
- User can upgrade the hard drive and ram.
- Light at 1.45KG.
- Slim design though this is not a major concern for me.

Cons:
- The system is stuffed with bloatware which make it slow. Out of the box I find it too slow.
- The bloatware are even included in the recovery partition so one cannot get rid of the bloatware by resetting the system using the recovery partition.
- The back light on the keys bleed from the sides on small keys in the top row and the arrow key. In particular, the opening in the bottom of the four arrow keys is so large; I can even see the light sources which I find annoying.

Some other issues I have read in reviews from other users:

- Display light bleeding: Some have reported there is light bleeding from some sides of the LCD panel. I cannot detect any light bleeding as of now..
- Keyboard: some users have reported their keyboard bends when the keys are pressed. So far, I have not noticed this being much of a problem.
- Touchpad: some users have reported problems with the touchpad like being too sensitive, etc.. I find it overall acceptable after some configuration through the included software. It is not as good as the touchpad on my Macbook Pro though.

Right now my main problem is the bloatware which is significantly dragging down the performance of the laptop. I have been searching online to find a way for a clean installation of Windows 8 but so far, I have concluded the only way is to pay and get a Windows installation disk which costs about $100. I find this unreasonable and unfair having to pay to get rid of the bloatware. Why should Asus screw their product to the extent that it forces users to unnecessarily spend money?
Even without the bloateware, lack of clean Windows 8 installation disk could be a problem if one decides to upgrade the slow hard drive with a SSD. However, this has a relatively easy solution: cloning the hard drive into the new drive.

I have been trying to get rid of the bloatware by uninstalling unnecessary software. The main thread in this forum on Asus pre-installed software has been helpful but unfortunately it does not answer all questions. For example, I check in task manages to see which processes are set to run on startup. Some are obvious what they are and can be disabled. However, some process are unknown and their names does not help. So I am not sure they are necessary or not.

Right now, buyers have the option to buy different versions of this laptop with Windows 8 or 7. Similar models come with non-upgradable hardware as well. The version with i5 processor do not come with the 1080p IPS display though. So buyers need to be careful which model they choose.

Other are welcome to add their experience too. I am still doing my research for best possible option to get rid of the bloatware.

 

I guess I should have posted this mini review in the Asus owner's lounge forum instead of the main Asus forum but I didn't check that forum till last night where I found an US32VD owner's thread. I have found some very helpful comments there (such as where to find an Windows 8 installation iso, etc..

 

Update:

I replaced the included slow HDD with a SSD and did a clean install of Windows 8. I didn't install some of the bloatware but I am still unsure what is necessary to be installed. System is much snappier now.

After opening up the bottom plate to replace the hard drive, I have started to learn how manufacturers make their products lighter and thinner. The big surprise was I noticed the CPU and GPU are cooled with one heatpipe without a heatsink. Yes, there is no heatsink inside the laptop that is, the heatpipe has absolutely no fins inside. The fans blow air on the heatpipe only to cool it down. That explains why the system gets too hot.

Interestingly, there is about 5mm gap between the fans' opening and the heatpipe. There is also some little space on the other side of the heatpipe that is facing the screen windows at the back of the laptop. Asus could at least have utilized this wasted spaces to attach some short fins to the heatpipe. I am sure it would have improved the cooling efficiency quite a bit. There is also some big wasted space on the left side of the left fan which cold have been used for better cooling efficiency.

I also noticed the metal panels of the case are quite thin, much thinner the ones on the MBP (which is from 2009; the new MBP's might have been made of thinner metal case to reduce weight).

Now, I write more about the LCD panel. The display is bright and thanks to its matte finish, I no longer see myself through the reflection. As the result of a matte super bright screen, the laptop can be used even outside under sunlight or, under almost all normal lighting conditions. I prefer it more over the glossy screen on my old Macbook Pro. On the other hand, a super bright IPS panel has a little drawback too: its minimum brightness setting is still quite bright. In dark rooms, I find it a bit too bright even at its minimum setting. Another note: the screen has a strong yellow cast. Obviously it needs to be calibrated. I did a quick temporary calibration through Windows and lowered the red and green bars to reduce the yellow cast.

The more I see it the more I like it. When watching pictures on it, it is like reviving the picture in front of my eyes. The colors feel real and alive, the image is bright, crisp and sharp. Comparing to my 1200x800 MBP, side by side, one immediately notices the higher resolution makes a difference. Everything on the Asus display is quite sharper and crisper.

The quality of sound: I think this this is the best I have hear from a laptop's internal speakers. There is little noise or air in the sound. However, the sound doesn't get much loud comparing to some other laptops I have had before.

Touchpad: is quite inferior comparing to MBP's touchpad but, it still works and is usable. However I have started to learn I need to ignore some functions of the touchpad such as scrolling using the fingers and right clicking using two fingers. Its responsiveness is just not satisfying.

 

Thanks for the informative review. You are a perfectionist who pays attention to details. Asus should hire you for the design of their next version of Zenbook.
Victor