What do I give up to choose UX over MX?

I'm choosing between the UX & MX. Am leaning towards MX but the biggest hurdle is its weight.

Can anyone give me a comparison of the pro & cons, i.e.

1) what I'll be giving up if I choose UX over MX
2) what I can get from the UX (apart from the lightweight) that the MX can't provide?
3) is it worth the price if I upgrade the UX to the level of MX?

 

1. if going with UX, you will be giving up...
- screen size
- fingerprint reader
- slightly more max RAM
- bluetooth
- superior graphics card

2. not much

3. depends how much you value weight

Your first decision should be how much do you value the weight? Is it necessary for you to value weight that much?

 

A quandary close to my heart ;-)...seriously, I wrestled with the same decision. They are both excellent machines, but the MX is a better unit for a few reasons- it has a dedicated graphics card, it is a 14.1" widescreen versus a 12.1" regular screen (same screen height, btw, but the MX screen is wider) and the keyboard is a little bigger (bigger spacebar and right shift key), has bluetooth, RAM upgrades are cheaper and because it is a bigger unit you can go with the 2.0 GHz processor without worrying about heat.

That said, I chose the UX, because weight was a really important factor. The bottom line is how will you be using the machine? If you are looking for more of a desktop replacement that is portable, then the MX is the unit for you. If you need a portable laptop for Office apps. and Internet, then the UX is an excellent choice. My daughter was using it for law school; it gets carried around all day, in and out of a messenger bag accompanied by a ton of books. Weight was a big issue for us. She has a desktop for her heavier processing needs, so I was really looking for a durable, reliable machine that was, first and foremost, as light as possible while still being a great performer, having a great keyboard and fabulous screen quality. The smaller footprint and thinner size were pluses too. For us, the UX was and is the perfect option. However, if she didn't have a desktop, I think the MX is a better all-around unit, but you are lugging a pound and a half more around, even with the bigger battery in the UX. I was actually surprised at how light the UX feels and it is a dream to use. I can say she really appreciates the lighter weight.

Oh- there is one thing you get in the UX that you don't in the MX- to get the 6 hours of battery life in the UX you just swap the 3 cell battery out and replace it with the 9 cell optional battery. To get comparable battery life in the MX you need to swap out the modular optical drive, so that you have 2 batteries, but no optical drive onboard. The optical drive in the UX is integrated and not modular; you never have to plan on whether you'll need the cd drive. Not a biggie, but you wanted the pluses and minuses.

Another very small detail which I hesitate to even mention- but where will you be using it? My daughter uses it in long desk-type set-ups, where space is an issue. There are people with their own books and laptops on either side. Since it was really the vertical screen height that was in issue for her use and they are the same in both units, she preferred the narrower UX because of side space for her books. I didn't perceive that as an issue, but I'm not in the classroom....

HTH- good luck! You can't go wrong with either unit, but I understand your indecision.

 

Fingerprint reader is a pcmcia card and can be purchase seperately. I got one from them before. I returned it along with MX machine.

 

Why did you return the laptop?