ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501 Pro Reviews

The Asu ZenBook Pro UX501 is a laptop that looks great on paper, if you’re not turned off by its price. It has plenty of power, high-quality build and an ultra-high resolution screen matched with a touchscreen. And it can even play games. It’s everything many people want in a laptop. However, a few little niggles stop it from being the MacBook Pro 15 and Dell XPS 15 killer you might be hoping for. First, the screen’s dated architecture limits the impact of the high resolution in most environments. It’s incredibly reflective on two different levels. That the CPU fan is a little irritating and the touchpad very loud are very minor points, but combined with the screen issue make for a laptop not quite up there with the very best. You can afford to be picky when you have this much money to spend.

The Asus Zenbook Pro UX501J-DS71T is a premium desktop-replacement laptop that not only offers category-leading performance in most tests, but does so for a very affordable price.

Overall, there's a whole lot to like about the Asus ZenBook Pro UX501. It offers a beautiful 3,840x2,160 touch display with extra-wide viewing angles. What's more, the system's case looks as good as its screen. And it's a remarkable bargain at $1,499, when you consider the much higher prices of the MacBook Pro and XPS 15—or, for that matter, the Razer Blade, with which the UX501 almost kept pace in our benchmarks despite the Blade's higher price and gamer orientation.Is the ZenBook Pro a perfect system? No. Asus missed the mark a bit with its keyboard, and we would have liked to see a couple more ports given the system's size. But given how much the UX501 has to offer and how reasonably priced it is, it's definitely one you'll want to check out if you're shopping for a 4K touch-screen laptop.

If physical aesthetics and a 4K screen are your primary goals, and you're looking to keep costs down, the Asus ZenBook Pro UX501 is an excellent bet. With a large SSD, this model can work well for content creators and consumers alike. But, beware the battery life: It's enough to get you through a few hours, but not enough for a laptop you're taking out for a whole day – or relying on at a conference, where outlets may be few and far between. This model's heavy weight is another detriment when it comes to portability. This laptop is inexpensive compared to a 15-inch MacBook or Lenovo ThinkPad W550s. Regardless, the Asus ZenBook Pro UX501 is a strong buy on its strengths alone – including good performance, 4K touchscreen, on-board storage.