ASUS ZENBOOK UX21A Pro Reviews

All things considered, the Asus Zenbook Prime UX21A is a successful update of the 11.6-inch UX21E Ultrabook. The new version features an improved keyboard design, a very impressive Full HD display, and retained the very high quality chassis - it seems the Apple MacBook Air 11 Mid 2012 (the former leader in this category) has some catching up to do. Performance is up, too - thanks to the Intel Core i7-3517U. The new dual-core CPU allows overclocking to 3.0 GHz and features lower power consumption - especially when performing office-type tasks. The slim design also has some disadvantages: the port selection is somewhat limited and expandability is restricted. We appreciate the fact that the fan can be cleaned fairly easily. Speaking of the fan: the cooling system remains quite audible under load - although it can easily handle the new hardware. Asus includes a few accessories with the system (MSRP 1199 Euro / ~$1550): two dongles, a sleeve to protect the Ultrabook, and a cleaning cloth. We would love to see the Micro HDMI dongle included - so far this item remains an optional accessory. The UX21A is an Ultrabook which is quite suitable as a mobile companion. It's about the size of a piece of paper (DIN A4) and weighs 1145 grams (2.52 pounds). We consider it to be a very good alternative to the offering from Cupertino - as long as Mac OS X is not a requirement. The price of almost 1200 Euro (~$1550) seems fair.

Overall, I'm glad to see that ASUS is focusing more on the tangibles and user experience than just on shipping well engineered products. It's hilarious that out of all of the players in the notebook and tablet spaces combined, that ASUS seems to be one of the only ones (if not the only one) actually trying to go after Apple. While I'll save the truly final verdict for when ASUS gets me shipping hardware, chances are if you've been waiting for the perfect 11-inch Ultrabook - the Zenbook Prime UX21A is it.