asus ux31la release date/other info

Digital D,

How did you find/apply the 10% student discount? I could not find it on the Microsoft store site.

 

I think there were some issues with the touchpad not being always responsive and the screen sometimes had backlight bleeding.

I think Asus fixed most of the problems with the last generation, but I wanted to make sure that everything has been sorted out with the Ux31la.

 

The discount is applied to any computer in the store if you're a student, all I had to do was ask for it. I think that if you call them to order it, they will honor it as well.

 

I find the touchpad works pretty well. The click is a bit stiff but otherwise it detects everything very well except right after I wash/dry my hands. I guess it takes a bit of the oil on your hands or some moisture to transmit the signal. Other than that I've never have a problem with the trackpad. The keyboard is really nice too, I can type very fast with it. There is a tiny issue with it around the 0 key. It tends to slightly move the f keys directly above it. It's not frame flex, it's the keyboard membrane itself, but it's minimal compared to other laptops I've tested (most others actually), and really isn't an issue. The rest of the keyboard is perfect. The touchscreen works wonderfully well, but I don't use it much. Still it's nice to know it's there. Could be useful for some photoshop work if I get a stylus. I'm still not 100% on this machine, it's cheap yes. The performance is very good but I can't decide if I want something with an i7. As of right now, due to my requirements and desire for good build quality my only other options really are the lenovo yoga 2 pro (meh build quality) and the 2013 macbook pro 13 (expensive).

One issue I should mention. This is my second ux31la. The first developed some insane issues with the sleep mode, where it would reset or hang when the screen was closed pretty often. Did a full memtest, checked all the settings, did a full reinstall (twice), nothing fixed it, so I returned it for this one. Only time will tell if it was an isolated issue, this one has acted weird on sleep twice so far, both times when plugged in. Once was right after installing windows 8.1, where it flashed to bios, I'm assuming that was an issue related to windows 8.1 being installed, and today, when it hung at the login screen and the mouse wouldn't really move. Another strange glitch is that when the computer is on ac power and closed, it will not sleep even if set to, it goes into this kind of suspend state where everything is still running in the background, but the screen and keyboard are off, and the computer is locked. A surefire workaround is setting the computer to hibernate on lid close. Works every time and the ssd is so fast that you can hardly tell the difference. It is however, a workaround, not a solution. If anyone is aware of what may be causing these issues please let me know as I have been trying to verify if this is a hardware or software issue that can be fixed.

I really really like this machine, and it's finish. The display is gorgeous, the finish is second to none and the battery life is great. However, depending on these issues and whether I can resolve them, I may end up returning it for a dell xps13 (if that ever actually comes out), or a macbook pro 13.

 

thanks for your review. a few questions..

so yours is the i5-4200U? do you notice any areas where it runs slower than you'd like?

how's the wifi performance? have you had any random dropped signals even when close to your router?

does clicking on the trackpad make any kind of sound?

have you got 7-8 hours on a battery cycle yourself? done any battery tests in different settings?

thanks again.

 

No not really, but I haven't really been able to push the 4200 that far either. It's fast, and seems decent but I'll be more sure of that once I get some 3d modeling and other work done on it.

WiFi performance has been perfect. Not much else to say about that.

Yes, it's a lot like a mac trackpad, the mac's are better though. That doesn't count for much as they are better than pretty much everything. It's one of the best I've tried however. Makes a satisfying click on press, perhaps harder to press than I'd like. The trackpad can get a little catchy on your fingers too with sweat, it's not as smooth as the mac's but, again, pretty good none the less.

Yes, I tested it and got about 7, including a little gaming, a lot of downloading. I haven't really been able to do a straight test of only web browsing. This test included some idling so that may have offset the battery usage but I can pretty confidently suggest that you will get about 7-8 hours of use if you're just surfing the web and doing normal stuff.

Again, unless you are cool with only using hibernation mode, I'm still a little apprehensive to recommend this machine. While it IS very good in every other respect, it's issues with sleep are pretty annoying. I have thus far isolated what's causing it to resume and either A. Not sleep, or B. bluescreen. It's the usb3 driver. I've even seen it through the command prompt and solved the issue by disabling it. SOMETHING is making the usb3 device activate on lid close (it's only on lid close too), and this is making it wake back up and have all these issues. What that is and how to remove it from the devices that are checked during sleep is beyond me, I've spent quite a while looking at it and haven't come to a derisive solution. As it stands, I will test for a few more days, if I can solve it, then that's awesome. Otherwise I will have to seriously consider returning it and getting...well I don't know what. I don't really want a macbook pro because it's a macbook, and not much else has this build quality. It's a shame really, such a perfect computer in every other sense. Oh well, will report back when there is more to report.

 

Is this one a touch?
Does it have AC wifi?

 

Yes and yes.

 

I'm planning to get one of these next week. It looks like the issues are software based, so I hope it won't be a problem.

 

Keep us posted. You have been warned however. I still haven't solved the god damn sleep issue that is recurring through the usb 3.0 interface. Another weird issue is that very occasionally, the touch screen will flash touch registration bubbles randomly after logging in and the mouse will stick or be pulled back. I had it happen once or twice to the point where I couldn't log in, but now that seems to have gone away. Instead it very occasionally does this after login and requires you to put the computer to sleep and turn int back on to clear it...kinda weird. After the first model with all the blue screens and now this, I'm starting to get really fed up, I've wasted a lot of my time trying to fix this issue. At this point, it's likely I'm going to return it and get a macbook pro 13. I don't like mac's, I don't like OS X, but I need a functional computer and the Mac is one of the only ones I can think of that meet my very anal build quality requirements.

 

So following some real world testing, on light use, such as web browsing, listening to a little music, typing up word docs, stuff like that, the battery does last about 7 hours. I'm sure if you tried really hard you could get more but 7 hours real world is pretty good as I wasn't trying very hard to save battery other than screen brightness. Haswell processors are one of the best things to happen to mobile computers in years.

 

I'm unable to get one this week, so then I'll go next week.

I'm also surprised that only the Microsoft store has it. You could buy previous Zenbooks at Best buy, Amazon and lots of other stores.

 

Yeah I was wondering about that. I'm assuming the 5 hour battery life listed on the MS website is a typo?

 

I don't think it's a typo. I think all the other laptops with a similar price has the same "5 hour battery life". If you look at the more expensive ones, they have a "7 hour" battery life. It seems to be Microsofts way to get you to spend more money.

 

Uh... no. It has to be a typo. 5 hours is embarrassing for a 13.3 inch Haswell Ultrabook. Even this 15.6 inch Acer gets up to 6.5 hours: Buy Acer Aspire V5-573P-6896 Touchscreen Laptop (Intel Core i5) - Microsoft Store

Even this other zenbook running on a HDD (uses more battery) gets almost 7 hours: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/zenbook...&st=asus zenbook&cp=1&lp=1#tab=specifications

 

thanks for your continued reports. will you still be returning this for a mac just because of the lid/sleep issue? do you think it's not fixable via a patch?

 

It IS a typo. I tested it in real world use and calculated the battery life on light to moderate use to be in the range of 6-8 hours. I got 7 hours with real world lightweight use on it, so that's confirmed (I wasn't obsessing about battery life either, I actually just used it and watched what happened).

I did return it, though not only for the sleep issue (that's easily worked around by a hibernation setting). I want something more powerful now, I realized. Today I picked up a Dell XPS 12 with an i7 processor and 256gb ssd. I will miss the finish on the Asus though..god damn that thing was well made. I actually decided to completely avoid Mac Os and Apple, mainly because running Windows on the newer models can be problematic, and I HAVE to be able to run Windows (not to mention I prefer it). I really do recommend this computer if you can ignore the sleep issues however, which I have very good reason to believe to be a bios level driver issue. Maybe it will be patched soon, I can't say for sure though.

I will continue to answer any questions people have on here until a few more people have the device. I feel I know a lot about it after doing so much work on it in the brief period I had it. I will also upload an unboxing and summary review video of it soon, just need to upload them to youtube. Anyone with isues feel free to contact me, and be aware that I did have issues such as blue screens as well. I strongly recommend updating the bios to v206 if you get this machine in any event, but feel free to fire off any more questions. Also be aware that the HP Spectre 13t 3000 is on sale now, and with a discount that can be found in it's thread on this forum, you can get one for the same price as this Asus with education pricing AND with an i7. Something to consider (trying to be unbiased here, but I really did like the Asus).

 

what kind of programs or functions were too slow for you on the i5-4200 where you feel you needed the i7?.. is the Dell i7 that noticeably faster?

and did you consider the Asus UX301 with the i7-4558U before going with the Dell?

i see the MS store has dropped the price to $999 on the UX31LA-UH51T.

 

That's more like it. The starting price was a bit too steep in my opinion.

 

Do you have a link for the HP Spectre 13t 3000 deal? Or special instructions if necessary

EDIT: Nevermind - coupon is: PC1723 for anyone else interested. Takes $120 off any comp $899 or more

 

I did consider the ux301 but I can't afford that thing, it's like $2000. I'd love to have it but damn. There wasn't anything really that the 4200 was too slow for, yet. Thing is I'm a power user, and I know that not to far down the line, it's going to start to slow down and I will notice it, so why not extend the lifespan of the computer a bit with an i7? I haven't gotten the chance to even unbox it yet, I'll report back on it if you're interested, but I'm assuming it's cpu is about 25% faster, the graphics probably 10-15% due to better cooling and increased clock speeds, and everything else is probably about the same.

 

yeah, that'd be great to hear your comparison once you've had the chance to play around with it enough.. thanks again.

 

Anyone see any advertised refurbished units yet?

 

Plus take 10% off that and it brings it to $899.00

 

why aren't any other retailers outside of the MS store carrying this model? and how do you get an additional 10% off?

 

I have the exact same question. It's possible that they got an exclusive deal.

You get the discount if you are associated with an education institution. Just ask for it when you buy it.

 

esp, for EU citizens, this 8GB 1600x900 matte i7 Zenbook might be interesting:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...-bridge-np900x3e-np900x3f-21.html#post9463697

 

If anyone's interested, I just got one. I haven't really been able to do much, but it has an excellent build quality, screen looks awesome keyboard and touchpad is great too. So far battery is good(I'll need to use it more to really see how it is).

I've had no issues with it yet, so I hope it stays that way.

 

Looks like Microsoft is sold out. At least online.

 

When will it be available again?

 

Have you had any issues with sleep mode like I did?

 

At first I don't think so, but earlier today, when it was supposed to be sleeping I heard a notification from the laptop. I confirmed it by playing music, then putting it to sleep by closing the lid. It stops for 5 seconds, then the music resumes while the lid is closed. But when I put it to sleep using the power button, no issue at all. This seems like a software glitch.

EDIT: I looked it up and partially fixed the issue. In the adapter settings (In network connections) and in configure, there's an option to allow it to wake it from sleep, which was checked. I unchecked it, and now the problem doesn't happen as often. This is even more weird. Doesn't bother me to much, but I'll continue to look into it.

 

I am waiting for the refurbished ones to come out.

 

Wahooo! Not me man. I just bought mine at the Microsoft Store. God be with me. (I'll letcha all know how it goes...)

 

Where can I find the 10% discount? Thanks!!

 

You have to ask them when you buy it. But you have to be a student in order to get it.

 

Yes I'm a college student.
So I called them and asked about the student discount and they said since the item was already on sale (from $1199 to $999) the student discount may not be applied at this point.

 

What come on.... Now I really am going to wait for the refurbished ones to start to show up.
Most the time like 99% of the time there is nothing wrong with the.

people return them because they don't like it and want something else....

 

That's weird. I was able to get the discount with the sale. In total it was only 899 for me. If you buy it, still ask for it in store.

 

So you went to a local MS store and askd for it?

 

I made my order through the phone today and I thought they would provide me the student discount but I was wrong...
So they placed the order for me and they told me they would send me a confirmation letter
After few hrs of waiting still hasn't gotten anything from them...I started to have a bad feeling about it.
It probably will take forever to process the order
Should I cancel my order and go to a retail store to pick up? Will it be quicker that way?

 

I don't know exactly how long it will take if you order it online/by phone, but when I called them to ask them about stock, they said it takes around 3-5 days. If your Microsoft store has it in stock, it will be much quicker. And you will get a chance to get the discount. It's possible that not all of the employees know that they can't discount on a sale, like the one when I got mine.

 

It depends on where you live. I would always rather buy at my local store than online, just because they have made such an effort to keep me satisfied and provide the best customer service possible. Their level of service was right up there with the apple store, so yeah, I will be shopping there again if they offer anything I want.

 

Purchased it yesterday in-store with student pricing. Sleep issue on closing lid is there for me as well. One thing I've noticed as that screen brightness seems to be very dim, even on maximum brightness and high-performance battery profile. I'm pretty sure it wasn't this dim when I was playing with them in the stores and is significantly dimmer when placed side by side to my macbook air. Going to go back to the store tomorrow and compare and see if perhaps I got a dud?

 

Hey all. New user. I stumbled across this thread when trying to troubleshoot my UX31LA which i purchased from the Microsoft store last week. I thought I'd share my experiences with you. I'm going to try to be as thorough with my post as possible in the hopes that it may be relatable or help someone else.
After seeing that the price of this laptop dropped online to $999, I went to the MS store which had it at that price. I applied the 10% student discount and got it for roughly $900+tax. I got home and used it around 6PM. I played with it and learned to use Windows 8 up until about 11PM, at which point there was about an 85% charge left when I put it to sleep. I went to bed and woke up the next morning and tried turning the unit on via the power button. It would not turn on. I tried discharging the the unit via the power button for 30 seconds without the power adapter in, then plugging it back in and tried turning it on; didn't work. I decided to return the unit to the MS store for another one. I searched online via Asus support. Apparently there was a BIOS update that fixes some type of power issue(or so I thought). I decided to update to Windows 8.1 and install the new BIOS update. This was all around 1PM. I used it for a bit, put it to sleep, and left to the gym around 5PM. I came home around 8PM and tried turning it on. Didn't work on. Unfortunately I had forgotten the AC adapter at my girlfriend's house. I called Asus support and they told me that I should perform a hard reset: hold down the power button for 60 seconds without the adapter in, then plug the adapter in and try turning the unit on. I did this the next day and it worked... but the power was at 0%?! Thinking nothing of it, I kept using this laptop. The past couple days, I've actually noticed that I would sleep the unit, and turn it back on, and find it in BIOS. I've come to the realization that this may have been the cause of my power drainage issue as BIOS does not have a standby mode. From reading through this thread, I can't seem to get to where alex9r claims to have unchecked a wake from sleep setting via the network connections. I did, however, happened to come across this link online which describes the problem to this issue being that it wakes up over a LAN connection. I actually wasn't able to find "shutdown wake-on LAN" but I was able to find the other two. According to a follow-up thread, someone claims that the issue resides in "wake on pattern match". I've currently disabled only that option with the hopes that this will resolve the issue. I will give an update if there are any changes. Again, sorry this was such a long post!!

 

Not sure if this is the same for windows 8, but in windows 8.1, you can fix this by going into PC settings -> PC and devices -> Power and sleep -> and turning off the "adjust my screen brightness automatically"

 

Unless the LAN is connected through the same port as the usb3, (which is possible if it's all connected via PCI, which would make sense as PCI can handle a huge amount of data), then it's not actually the Wireless. I tried disabling it from waking the computer and it didn't work. The way I found out what was causing it was by doing a command line (under administrator) argument as follows: powercfg lastwake
This gave the response of the last wake being caused by the usb3.0 device (and there was some data there about it passing through the PCI lane, so maybe the LAN does as well). However, as I said, disabling the lan from waking didn't work in my case. I then proceeded to disable the usb 3.0 device through the device manager, and lo and behold, it entered sleep perfectly normally! Of course, this isn't a solution, as you lose usb functionality. However, that did isolate the issue.

Now, if you're still reading, keep in mind I never did find a solution, simply a work-around. I ended up updating the bios to 206, through the bios update utility in bios (winflash doesn't work). Anyway, that took care of the bluescreen and bios issues that had it at bios on lid open. Now, this is a lid issue as well, something about it triggers the usb ports, as it sleeps perfectly every time on power button press. I have no idea why that is. What I did was set the computer to hibernate when the lid is closed. It's not a huge deal as the ssd is so amazingly fast that it wakes from sleep nearly as fast as hibernate.

Now, as a diagnostic, you can view the right side of the computer after you close it. If the light starts blinking rapidly, then it's in sleep. If it goes off and then comes back on, solid, it woke from sleep and will drain the battery. You should have the sleep settings set to allow the computer to sleep after something like 15-30 minutes on battery anyway, that pretty much avoids the battery drain issue. Now, in your case it may have been blue-screening to bios so maybe that's why it drained the battery, and yes, the bios update should solve that. That being said, the only real solution is to tell the computer to hibernate on lid close (which does work every time).

I hope this helps somebody. This isn't an issue that should dissuade someone from purchasing the computer, but they should be aware of it. It's kind of a big deal, and shouldn't happen, but the work around is good enough to make the computer still fully viable as a purchase, especially at it's current price. The display is straight up perfect, save for a little light bleed. The battery life is very good. It has a second ssd slot for a m.2 ssd (FFAAASSSSTTTTT), AC wireless, a decent keyboard, good trackpad, and overall gorgeous finish.

As a power user and someone who moves the computer around a lot, the whole sleep issue was annoying me. I returned the computer a second time and they gave me a dell xps 12 with an i7. I really have to give the Microsoft store credit for stepping up. My local store is awesome, and I will be shopping there again. The XPS is also awesome, particularly from a power users perspective. The asus is prettier, by far, but the xps is really really well built, as well as the asus, it's more powerful in this configuration, has a superior keyboard, and the trackpad is better in some ways and worse in others. You win some, you lose some. The other option for perfect build quality is a Mac. Thing is those things don't always run Windows well, or easily, and to hell with OSX. Some people prefer it, and consider it to be a better operating system. That's totally ok, and subject to opinion, only it's so totally not a better OS.

Anyone with questions is welcome to message me about anything relating to the Asus or the Dell. I'll happily answer any questions you have about either if I can.

 

That fixed it! Didn't know they even had that feature. Guess it's going to take a little getting use to of W8.

 

that seems like a long way off since no other retailer than the MS Store is even selling this model.

 

joekrt

Why are you using sleep mode?
You have an SSD boot up is only 10 seconds.

I believe that a full shut down is safer then sleep mode as in a full shut down all memory is released also there is the potential of losing power in a brown out of power outage and draining the battery in sleep mode could be bad.