Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VD Series
Processor: Intel Kaby Lake i5-7300HQ, Intel Kaby Lake i7-7700HQGraphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
Display: 15.60 inch
Weight: 1.8kg, 1.85kg, 1.853kg
Price: 1500, 1700, 1849 euro
Average of 4 scores (from 8 reviews)
Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VD
It seems like there is no end for the Zenbook series from Asus as they expand their line up with the new Zenbook Pro UX550VD; possibly to compete with the likes of Dell’s XPS 15, Lenovo’s Yoga Y720 or even HP’s Spectre x360 15. The base configuration of the Zenbook Pro UX550VD features a Core i5-7300HQ, 8 GB of soldered on RAM, 256 GB of superfast NVMe based storage and an Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050. An optional Core i7-7700HQ is available should the user require more CPU horsepower. Chassis design-wise the Zenbook Pro UX550VD sports an aluminium construction. It is not only premium to the touch, but also looks quite elegant. The Zenbook Pro UX550VD is actually quite light and thin when compared to its predecessor, which means weight savings even for a 15-inch notebook. In comparison to its competitor, the XPS, the Zenbook is quite round and curved, which makes it much more comfortable to hold. As with most or if not all aluminium constructed notebooks, the Zenbook Pro UX550VD is quite rigid and solid, although there is a little bit of flex since the Zenbook Pro UX550VD is not a unibody design. With two USB type A ports and two USB type C ports with full support for PCIe x4 Thunderbolt capabilities, a HDMI port, and your usual SD card reader, there are many ports. The Zenbook Pro UX550VD lacks a dedicated LAN port, but this is easily rectified with a USB to LAN adapter. Because of its premium build and price the Zenbook Pro UX550VDfaces tough competition although it is not as premium as users think it is since most notebooks of its segment sport a unibody design, which is superior in terms of weight to rigidity. It feels like the Zenbook Pro UX550VD is somewhat in need of a feature in order to compensate. The Zenbook Pro UX550VD is equipped with a FHD IPS panel which is quite good considering it scores about 98 % of the sRGB spectrum and about 75 % for AdobeRGB. However, in terms of brightness it is somewhat lacking when compared to the likes of Dell’s XPS. The keyboard has a bit of flex but not that much that it would severely impact the typing the experience. However, the keyboard layout seems a bit annoying. Asus has decided to put the power button next to the delete key. which can frustrate people when they are trying to use the delete key but end up shutting down the PC. The key travel is deep enough for feedback, but are the keys are quite spongy and mushy, which can be jarring sometimes since you have to actually press them in the middle to actuate the keys properly. It should be noted that the keyboard does have a backlight function which should help does night owl users out there. The touchpad is about as spacious as it can get, which means Asus has done a good job. However, it is clickpad, which might annoy users who prefer actual click buttons. As the Zenbook Pro UX550VD includes a dedicated GPU, it is worth mentioning that the included Geforce GTX 1050 performed well in modern games at high to ultra settings with average framerates hovering anywhere between 45 to 35 fps. The sound system is quite good, especially since the Zenbook Pro UX550VD has four speakers. The audio quality is quite punchy and loud with little to no distortions even at max volume. On the other hand, the included webcam is abysmally sad since most manufacturers these days would have opted for a FHD webcam. However, the Zenbook Pro UX550VD only comes with a VGA webcam. Given its size, battery life is fairly decent at about 8 hours and 20 minutes on Wi-Fi and about 1 hour and 30 minutes on full load. While the Zenbook Pro UX550VD lacks in certain departments, it might surprise you if you keep your expectations reasonable. Hands-on article by Jagadisa RajarathnamSpecifications
Notebook: Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VDProcessor: Intel Kaby Lake i7-7700HQ
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 4096 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 1.853kg
Price: 1849 euro
Links: Asus homepage Asus notebook section
Price comparison
Reviews
Elegant multimedia Laptop. The new Asus ZenBook Pro UX550 is a high-end multimedia notebook. You get powerful components in a great chassis, but the cooling solution struggles with the heat development of the components. Update: Second test sample, BIOS 302, SATA-3 SSD
Asus Zenbook Pro UX550VD-90NB0ET1-M01310
Specifications
Notebook: Asus Zenbook Pro UX550VD-90NB0ET1-M01310Processor: Intel Kaby Lake i5-7300HQ
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 4096 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 1.8kg
Price: 1700 euro
Links: Asus homepage Asus notebook section
Price comparison
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Ultrabook Review
Archive.org versionThe Zenbook Pro UX550 is a solid option in its niche of premium 15-inch multimedia laptops. It's not the best or the most affordable, but it slots right in the middle as a good value pick. The design and overall build, the clickpad, long battery life, punchy speakers and smooth everyday performance are among its strong points, while the list of quirks includes a spongy keyboard, a somewhat flexible main-deck, always active fans, some coil whining and some performance issues with gaming. I could live with most of them, hence the overall rating, but it's entirely up to you if this laptop strikes the right balance for you or not. Read on for the whole story.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/25/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Chip.de
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/02/2017
Source: Chip.de
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/17/2017
Source: Go4it.ro
→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Pleasant design; solid workmanship; high autonomy; nice display. Negative: Average performance.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 09/18/2017
Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VD-BN020T
Specifications
Notebook: Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VD-BN020TProcessor: Intel Kaby Lake i7-7700HQ
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 4096 MB
Display: 15.60 inch, 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Weight: 1.85kg
Price: 1500 euro
Links: Asus homepage Asus notebook section
Price comparison
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Kitguru
Archive.org versionNeither issue is overly significant, but together they do mean the laptop isn’t quite perfect. It does come close, though, and we definitely still think the ASUS ZenBook Pro (UX550VD) is overall a very good buy thanks to its portable body, impressive spec and vibrant display.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/21/2017
Rating: Total score: 85%
Source: Zdnet.com
Archive.org versionThe new ZenBook Pro is certainly good value for money, providing professional-level performance at a competitive mid-range price. And while the laptop isn't particularly stylish, Asus has done well to squeeze high-end performance into a slimline, 15.6-inch design that weighs just 1.8kg. Asus is, perhaps, missing an opportunity by not currently providing a higher-resolution display for the ZenBook Pro, since there are many designers and photographers who might balk at Apple's high prices and switch loyalties if only this laptop had a better display.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/18/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Hexus
Archive.org versionThe latest incarnation of the Asus ZenBook Pro is a stylish and capable all-rounder. Dubbed the UX550VD and priced at £1,600 when outfitted with an Intel Core i7 processor, the sleek 15.6in laptop doesn't wow in any one regard but has the makings of a potent multimedia workhorse.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/31/2017
Comment
Asus: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. is a major Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer based in Taipei, founded in 1989. Under the Asus brand name, the company manufactures a wide range of products, including laptops, desktops, motherboards, graphics cards, monitors, smartphones and networking equipment, complete systems and PC components for end users.
Under the ROG (Republic of Gamers) brand name, ASUS manufactures gaming laptops known by gamers for their powerful specifications, dedicated graphics cards, high refresh rate displays and advanced cooling systems.
Beyond gaming, a wide range of notebooks are offered for different needs and budgets, from ultra-slim and lightweight ultrabooks to versatile 2-in-1 convertibles and budget-friendly options. In 2023, Asus had a 7% global market share of the PC market.
Customer satisfaction with ASUS notebooks concerns performance, the features, and the good price-performance ratio of ASUS notebooks. However, as with any brand, there are occasional reports of problems such as overheating, driver compatibility, or build quality issues.
Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile: Mainstream graphics card based on Nvidia's Pascal architecture and successor to the GeForce GTX 960M. Is manufactured in a 14nm process at Samsung and the technical specifications are very similar to the desktop version.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Kaby Lake:
i7-7700HQ: Quad-core notebook processor based on the Kaby Lake architecture. Besides four CPU cores (including Hyper Threading), the chips also integrates the HD Graphics 630 GPU and is manufactured in an improved 14 nm process.
i5-7300HQ: Quad-core notebook processor based on the Kaby Lake architecture running at 2.5 - 3.5 GHz without Hyper Threading (which is supported by the faster i7 CPUs). The chip also integrates the HD Graphics 630 GPU clocked at 350 - 1000 MHz and is manufactured in a 14 nm process (improved compared to Skylake).
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
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83.03%: This rating is slightly above average, there are somewhat more devices with worse ratings. However, clear purchase recommendations look different.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
