RRP: $1599
Specs:
- Intel Core i7 267M Processor
- 11.6-inch LED display
- 128GB SATA III SSD
- 4GB DDR3 memory
- Up to 5 hours battery life
- Bang and Olufsen ICEpower and Sonic Master audio
The Verdict:
The Asus Zenbook UX21 is a stunning piece of design that really does rival the Macbook Air in terms of external looks. It is very thin, weighs 1.1kg and is almost unnoticeable when put into a bag.
When looking at the spec sheet, the UX21 boasts a strong array of features, a capable chipset, decent memory,Solid State Drive, long battery life and Bang and Olufsen audio.
Under everyday use, the UX21 is a very capable PC that is capable of handling the majority of tasks you throw at it. Things like web browsing, word processing and even a little photo editing are all possible, but remember this isn’t a gaming PC, so don’t expect much on that front.
Battery life was reasonable and lasted around 4 hours with moderate use in our tests, Asus claim it can get up to 5 hours, and with light use this is very possible. Standby time is also fantastic, meaning you can simply close the lid and come back days later and still have charge.
While our time with the UX21 was mostly positive, there were a few drawbacks that hindered our experience. Firstly, the keyboard is not backlit and has a tendency to miss letters when typing. While this can happen with all keyboards from time to time depending on how hard you press the keys, the UX21 seemed to drop letters with quite alarming regularity. In fact it was common for most paragraphs to have one or two letters missing on a consistent basis.
The second problem is the trackpad. While Asus has good intentions in trying to mimic the gesture style control of a MacBook, the end result lacks polish. Control can be unresponsive at times and the gesture control only works sporadically.
So on the surface the UX21 is an impressive addition to the ultrabook line, but unfortunately a few quirks under the hood leave this from being the MacBook Air killer that everyone was hoping for. If you can look past the quirky keyboard and trackpad, this is still a decent option for those after a sexy, portable and capable PC.
7.5/10