ASUS ZENBOOK UX32VD Pro Reviews

In a sea of Windows 8 machines with funky swivel screens and striking designs, the sleek style of the Zenbook UX32VD may struggle to get noticed. But awareness issues aside, this is a solid performing ultrabook at a reasonable price. The Core i7 version may be a better performance option, if you can manage to find one, but the i5 is still a decent laptop for users on the go.

The newest ZENBOOK UX32VD is a generally impressive Ultrabook with plenty of great reasons why you should buy it ... and at least one reason why you might want to pass. The beautiful 1080p IPS display is quite possibly the best screen on any current 13-inch notebook. The dedicated graphics mean you can play modern games or use that additional performance to accelerate graphics-intense applications like Photoshop or video editing software. Unfortunately, the SSD cache wasn't doing its job very well in our review sample, the battery life wasn't as good as we hoped, and the lack of a built-in Ethernet jack may prove to be a problem if you aren't careful with the included adapter. In short, if ASUS fixes the SSD cache issue then the UX32VD is quite simply the best Windows-based alternative to the MacBook Air.

Asus clearly has engineers who know what they’re doing. They are interested in high-resolution displays, attractive exteriors and excellent performance. The UX32 is an engineering feat no other Ultrabook on the market can match. Unfortunately, the laptop fell short in our battery life testing. That’s a serious problem. It’s fair to assume someone buying a portable laptop expects it to offer great battery life. The UX32 is merely adequate. And then there’s quality control. The display is wonderful, but the backlight uniformity issues aren’t. We were incredibly disappointed to see a misbehaving backlight spoil the best laptop display we’ve used. And let’s remember the price tag of $1,299. This is a premium laptop, yet it has a backlight issue not found on much cheaper laptops. We respect the Zenbook Prime UX32 for what it tries to accomplish, but we have mixed feelings about it as a product. Give it a look, but also consider the MacBook Air and HP Envy 14 Spectre.

With a Core i7 CPU, discrete graphics, and a full HD screen, the Asus Zenbook UX23VD is pretty close to being the ultrabook that has it all, but you'll pay for all those features.

All in all, even with a less-than-bodacious battery, the Zenbook Prime easily cops an Editors' Choice for its wonderful 1080p IPS screen, swift performance, and at least moderately game-worthy graphics. It's a premium-priced choice in the ultrabook arena, but it delivers a combination of cool design and potent productivity, especially for photo or video buffs, that'll be hard to top. If all you want is the excellent 1,920x1,080 display, you can get it for $200 less in the Zenbook Prime UX31A-DB51 ($1,099), which combines a slower processor—the same 1.7GHz Core i5-3317U found in numerous "Ivy Bridge" ultrabooks—with faster albeit smaller storage in the form of a 128GB SSD. But we think the quicker CPU and GeForce graphics are worth the extra two C-notes (as well as the extra third of a pound that the mechanical hard drive brings). Of course, that begs the question: Why can't Asus put a 256GB SSD into the UX32VD-DB71 and stake a claim to the ultimate ultrabook title? Industry pundits would probably say it was too expensive, but we don't often agree with them.

The Asus Zenbook Prime UX32VD-DB71 adds a speedy 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce graphics to the ultrabook formula. What Asus has wrought is the thinnest and lightest 1080p HD power system on the market. It's the ultrabook to buy if you want to get real work done.

Which one of the new Zenbooks is the right choice, depends on individual needs and the desired price point. An elegant unibody chassis is available in the Zenbook Prime UX31A, as well as an SSD and FHD IPS, but limited to Intel's integrated GPU. The UX32VD offers a bit more power for graphics, but sacrifices the noble unibody case and makes do with only an SSD cache. For bargain hunters, there is the UX32A which comes without dedicated GPU and uses a conventional HD (1366x768) display. In this case though, one is sacrificing the most noteworthy feature of the new Asus Zenbooks, the great FHD IPS display.