Asus UX31A-R4004V
Specifications
Notebook: Asus UX31A-R4004V (Zenbook Prime UX Series)Processor: Intel Core i7 3517U
Graphics Adapter: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Display: 13.3 inch, 16:9, 1920x1080 pixels, glossy: yes
Weight: 1.4kg
Average of 5 scores (from 6 reviews)
Reviews for the Asus UX31A-R4004V
Source: PC World
The UX31A is not without quirks, like the oddly partitioned storage system. But overall, the new Zenbook represents a near-pinnacle of the Ultrabook design. It performs well, is super-slim and light, and looks fabulous.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/09/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Pocket Lint
Quite a laptop then from Asus. We can’t think of a much better Ultrabook right now, particularly for those who are after a really top-quality screen. In fact, at £1499 it even makes a viable cheaper alternative to the more expensive MacBook Pro with Retina Display. If you can get round these issues, then there is a very impressive piece of kit here which will definitely turn heads with its looks. We can’t help but think that waiting for a sequel might be worth it however, as Asus might finally get the trackpad right.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/26/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Ultrabook Review
In the end, I can state that I’m glad to call the Zenbook Prime UX31A my new favorite ultrabook, so I’ll be adding it to my list of best available ultrabooks very soon. I’m also happy to see that Asus listened to their customer’s complaints about their first generation ultrabooks and managed to address almost all of them with the new laptop, improving the keyboard, trackpad and screen, while upgrading it to the latest Intel hardware platforms.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/23/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: 01Net
FR→ENSingle Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/23/2012
Rating: Total score: 100%
Source: Dinside
NO→ENSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/12/2012
Rating: Total score: 83%
Source: The Hikaku
JA→ENPositive: Easy-to-read LCD display; viewing angle is very good; good touchpad; light weight. Negative: Higher overall temperature around the keyboard.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/30/2012
Comment
Series:
The Asus Zenbook is still one of the best looking ultrabook out there, next to the Macbook Air. The only problem with the original UX32 was its price. The 13 inch model was far more pricy than any other ultrabooks. Asus decided to deliver a little of that good taste for far less the price with the new mid-range Zenbook.
With the same kind all metal body featuring a concentric circle design, the new UX32A looks every bit as good as the original Zenbook. To reduce its price, the 256GB SSD had to be replaced with a hybrid drive consisting of a 500GB hard disk and a 24GB SSD. Naturally this makes the new model a little thicker than the older one but that size isn’t a problem at all. It is still by farthest, one of the sleekest ultrabook out there. As a result of the thicker chassis, several additional ports could be included in this new model, which actually is better.
The fast boot-up and resume from sleep times still remains fast thanks to the tiny SSD but the cheaper model is crippled with an i3 processor of the older Sandy Bridge platform and an older generation graphics adapter as well. Due to this severe new generation technology shortage it is hard to see why a person would choose the UX32A over all the other ultrabooks in the same price range out there. Perhaps if exterior design is your only priority, it would serve you well. However, even the least tech savvy person might not consider an ultrabook with an i3 processor.
Intel HD Graphics 4000: Processor graphics card in the high end Ivy Bridge models. Offers a different clock speed in the different CPU models (ULV to desktop quad core) and therefore a different performance.
Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.
3517U: Fast Ivy-Bridge-based ULV-CPU in Q2 2012. Offers a core clock of 1.9 - 3.0 GHz and an HD 4000 GPU (350 - 1150 MHz). The TDP is rated at 17 W.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
13.3": This is a common display format for subnotebooks. Netbooks, UMPC and some subnotebooks have tinier displays. Nevertheless, the majority of standard laptops has a higher format. The advantage of a small display is, that the subnotebook can be small dimensioned and can be carried easily. Further the small display needs few energy, which improves the battery runtime and in consequence the mobility. The disadvantage is that the reading of texts is a bit exhausting for the eyes, especially with high resolutions.» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
1.4 kg: This subnotebook is one of the most lightweight of all notebooks and can be carried very easily. There exist only few sub-notebooks, which weight less. 10 inch displays are normal for this class of weight.
Asus: ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, a Taiwanese multinational company, produces motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, PDAs, computer monitors, notebook computers, servers, networking products, mobile phones, computer cases, computer components, and computer cooling systems. The company's 2007 revenues reached US$6.9 billion. ASUS also produces components for other manufacturers. The Eee PC initiated the netbook boom in 2008.
84.6%: This rating should be considered to be average. This is because the proportion of notebooks which have a higher rating is approximately equal to the proportion which have a lower rating.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
