Asus Eee PC 1025C and X101CH Specs Announced at CES 2012
The Asus Eee PC Flare 1025C, 1025CE and X101CH are all on display at CES 2012 this year. While ultrabooks are far outnumbering netbooks this year, Asus still sees life in the category that they created. There’s nothing new or terribly exciting for these netbooks compared to existing Asus offerings, but the price of $299 is still going to be enough to entice some people that want a tiny and cheap 10.1” screen laptop. Let’s go over the specs and pricing for each model that Asus has announced:
Asus Eee PC 1025C Specs and Pricing:
Processor: Intel Atom N2600 1.60GHz dual core
Screen: 10.1 inches 1024 x 600 resolution
Memory: 1GB RAM base
Storage: 320GB HD
OS: Windows 7 Starter
Dimensions: 10.3” x 7” x 1.3”
Weight: 2.7 lbs
Thickness: 1.3”
Ports: 3 USB 2.0, Ethernet, Monitor out, HDMI, headphone port, SD card reader
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery Size: 56 Wh
Battery Life: 10.2 hours of battery life quoted
Colors: Blue, Red, Pink, Black, Gray
Pricing on the Asus Eee PC Flare 1025C will start at $299 and availability will be in February of 2012.
Asus G74SX-A2 (Core i7-2630QM 2GHz, 17.3-inch TFT)
The good: The Asus G74SX packs gamer-friendly components into an understated case, and includes a large 160GB SSD and plenty of RAM.
The bad: It's very expensive, while some parts still feel cheap, and higher-end boutique laptops beat it on performance.
The bottom line: Asus has built a very nice sideline over the years with its gaming laptops, including the G74SX, which is a strong, if expensive, quad-core rig that works fine, but looks like it should cost less.
After a season of wafer-thin ultrabooks and pocket-sized ultraportables, there's nothing quite like a giant desktop-replacement gaming rig. Despite making a name for itself with the original Eee PC Netbook and the new Zenbook, Asus has always had a solid line of gaming laptops (sometimes marketed under the "Republic of Gamers" subbrand), the latest of which is the G74SX-A2.
While that jumble of letters and numbers may not be very illuminating, the system it refers to is a strong performer that has the added benefit of not looking like the typical ugly gaming laptop. The $1,949 G74SX is an angular black box, and its muted matte finish helps it from feeling as massive as it actually is.
These days, two grand is really an astronomical amount to pay for a laptop, and generally only Apple gets away with charging that much. In this case, you do get some serious hardware for the money, including a quad-core 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M GPU, a 160GB solid-state drive (SSD) coupled with a 750GB hard-disk drive (HDD), and a whopping 16GB of RAM.
All that makes it good for mid- to high-level gaming, though not on the same level as our current gaming laptop leaders, the Origin EON17, which is an overclocked $3,500 monster built into a hideously generic Clevo chassis, and the $5,000 configuration of Dell's Alienware M18x that we tested earlier this year. But even serious gamers are unlikely to notice a difference except on the highest details settings of the latest PC games such as Skyrim and Battlefield 3.
If you're only a casual (or semiserious) gamer, this system may be overkill, but the possibilities of the large dual hard-drive setup and 16GB of RAM may be appealing to video editors and other multimedia types. If you want gamer-oriented power, without the over-the-top designs and blinking lights of an Alienware PC, the G74SX could be your wolf in sheep's clothing.
Asus U46E-BAL6
The Asus Eee PC Flare 1025C, 1025CE and X101CH are all on display at CES 2012 this year. While ultrabooks are far outnumbering netbooks this year, Asus still sees life in the category that they created. There’s nothing new or terribly exciting for these netbooks compared to existing Asus offerings, but the price of $299 is still going to be enough to entice some people that want a tiny and cheap 10.1” screen laptop. Let’s go over the specs and pricing for each model that Asus has announced:
Asus Eee PC 1025C Specs and Pricing:
Processor: Intel Atom N2600 1.60GHz dual core
Screen: 10.1 inches 1024 x 600 resolution
Memory: 1GB RAM base
Storage: 320GB HD
OS: Windows 7 Starter
Dimensions: 10.3” x 7” x 1.3”
Weight: 2.7 lbs
Thickness: 1.3”
Ports: 3 USB 2.0, Ethernet, Monitor out, HDMI, headphone port, SD card reader
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery Size: 56 Wh
Battery Life: 10.2 hours of battery life quoted
Colors: Blue, Red, Pink, Black, Gray
Pricing on the Asus Eee PC Flare 1025C will start at $299 and availability will be in February of 2012.
Asus G74SX-A2 (Core i7-2630QM 2GHz, 17.3-inch TFT)
The good: The Asus G74SX packs gamer-friendly components into an understated case, and includes a large 160GB SSD and plenty of RAM.
The bad: It's very expensive, while some parts still feel cheap, and higher-end boutique laptops beat it on performance.
The bottom line: Asus has built a very nice sideline over the years with its gaming laptops, including the G74SX, which is a strong, if expensive, quad-core rig that works fine, but looks like it should cost less.
After a season of wafer-thin ultrabooks and pocket-sized ultraportables, there's nothing quite like a giant desktop-replacement gaming rig. Despite making a name for itself with the original Eee PC Netbook and the new Zenbook, Asus has always had a solid line of gaming laptops (sometimes marketed under the "Republic of Gamers" subbrand), the latest of which is the G74SX-A2.
While that jumble of letters and numbers may not be very illuminating, the system it refers to is a strong performer that has the added benefit of not looking like the typical ugly gaming laptop. The $1,949 G74SX is an angular black box, and its muted matte finish helps it from feeling as massive as it actually is.
These days, two grand is really an astronomical amount to pay for a laptop, and generally only Apple gets away with charging that much. In this case, you do get some serious hardware for the money, including a quad-core 2.0GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M GPU, a 160GB solid-state drive (SSD) coupled with a 750GB hard-disk drive (HDD), and a whopping 16GB of RAM.
All that makes it good for mid- to high-level gaming, though not on the same level as our current gaming laptop leaders, the Origin EON17, which is an overclocked $3,500 monster built into a hideously generic Clevo chassis, and the $5,000 configuration of Dell's Alienware M18x that we tested earlier this year. But even serious gamers are unlikely to notice a difference except on the highest details settings of the latest PC games such as Skyrim and Battlefield 3.
If you're only a casual (or semiserious) gamer, this system may be overkill, but the possibilities of the large dual hard-drive setup and 16GB of RAM may be appealing to video editors and other multimedia types. If you want gamer-oriented power, without the over-the-top designs and blinking lights of an Alienware PC, the G74SX could be your wolf in sheep's clothing.
Asus U46E-BAL6
The good: The Asus U46E-BAL6 has an excellent keyboard and a well-designed frame, and comes packed with a fast processor, ample connectivity features--WiMax and USB 3.0 included--and plenty of hard-drive space and RAM for an aggressive price.
The bad: The laptop doesn't have dedicated graphics, and the battery life is good, but we've seen better.
The bottom line: A strong design, tons of features, and plenty of performance make the Asus U46E-BAL6 one of the best 14-inch laptops we've seen all year.
In an era of thin laptops and Ultrabooks, to be thin is starting to feel like less of a novelty and more of a requirement. Thin, however, is relative: are you talking about the razor-thin world of Ultrabooks, or the not-quite-as-slim world of thin full-size laptops? In the case of the Asus U46E, thin means "normal-size, but pleasingly compact"--like the Dell XPS 14z, this is a full-fledged 14-inch laptop with an optical drive, but it's only about 0.1 inch thicker than a MacBook Pro.
The U46E is part of a family of thinnish Asus laptops that I've been bullish about for years, going back to the UL30A. The U46E-BAL6 continues the trend while throwing in tons of power under the hood of a pretty compact computer: a dual-core Core i7 processor, a 750GB hard drive, and a whopping 8GB of RAM.
What price would you pay for such a laptop? The U46E-BAL6 goes for $829 at retail, and that's a pretty good value for what you're getting--especially compared with the similar 13-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,199, or the $999 Dell XPS 14z, which has a slower Core i5 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. In the word of Windows laptops, $600 is becoming a more commonplace midrange price. Still, this Asus has extras that make it well worth the extra investment. Really, all it lacks is dedicated discrete graphics.
A sturdy keyboard, Bluetooth, and a WiMax antenna round out the package. Even in a crowded market, the Asus U46E-BAL6 manages to stand out from the pack as an excellent powerhouse 14-incher.
Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH53
The good: The Asus Zenbook UX31E boasts sleek, pristine design, excellent-sounding speakers, a higher-resolution screen than the MacBook Air, and a better price for nearly identical specs.
The bad: The keyboard and touch pad are weak points; there are equally thin laptops out there with better battery life.
The bottom line: The Asus Zenbook UX31E is an excellent-looking Windows Ultrabook laptop that matches the MacBook Air step for step with an even better price. Fans of great audio, high-resolution screens and lots of ports will be happy; keyboard/touch pad aficionados will be disappointed.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the MacBook Air should be positively blushing right around now. A sudden onslaught of Ultrabooks--the Intel-coined term for thin, MacBook Air-esque Windows laptops with fast boot times and sleek, high-end designs--has hit just in time for the holidays, and one of the most highly hyped ones we've seen is the Asus Zenbook, a product that doesn't shy away from an Apple-like design whatsoever. That's not such a bad thing: who doesn't want a thin, unibody metal lightweight laptop that starts fast and has a great battery life?
The 13-inch Asus Zenbook, despite looking at least as expensive and high-end as laptops such as the Samsung Series 9, has a starting price of $1,099, which includes 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD drive. That's $200 less expensive than the equivalent MacBook Air. Smartly, the Zenbook gets that part right: when competing with a product as singularly well-known and highly rated as the MacBook Air, your product has to be either better or cheaper.
Cheaper, it is: as for better, I'd have to disagree. Excellent speakers, sleek design, and a high-resolution screen are accompanied by a finicky keyboard and touch pad, giving the ever-so-slightly-off sensation when working on the Zenbook. It feels like the opposite of the silky-smooth experience on a MacBook Air. Battery life is short of the Air's lofty numbers, too. Nearly 5 hours isn't shabby, but it's not industry-leading.
Those are somewhat minor issues for what's otherwise a very solid and impressive thin laptop, but at a price north of $1,000, these are issues anyone would pay attention to. The 13-inch Zenbook UX31 gets more expensive in 256GB SSD and Core i7 configurations, climbing up to $1,449 at its highest price. If I were buying a Zenbook, I'd stick with our $1,099 review model and live with the limitations, glad that I had a MacBook Air-alike that saved me a few dollars along the way. If your idea of an Ultrabook is a Windows version of a MacBook Air with a slightly lower price, then consider the Zenbook your product: just be forewarned that the keyboard, touch pad, and battery life are less impressive than the audio/visual bells and whistles.
Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17 (blue)
The good: Long battery life; solid-feeling design.
The bad: Cramped keyboard; lacks HD screen or HD accelerated graphics.
The bottom line: The Asus Eee PC 1015PED is the definition of standard 10-inch Netbook, with little to distinguish it despite its solid overall performance: we've seen it all before.
Asus Eee PC Netbooks have diversified into a sometimes numbing range of options, but when you boil it down, most of them have nearly the same components. Case in point: the Asus Eee PC 1015PED. For $329, this 10.1-inch Netbook has a single-core Atom N455 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and the same long battery life we've come to expect.
However, it lacks the bells and whistles we've seen in premium Netbooks, including higher-resolution displays, HDMI-out, and HD accelerated graphics via Broadcom or Nvidia Ion solutions. Plus, for only $40 more, there's a dual-core Atom configuration, the Asus Eee PC 1015PEM, which offers faster multitasking with no effective losses in battery life.
The bottom line is clear: this Netbook offers nothing extraordinary, but it does the job. However, you might want to consider upgrading to the dual-core 1015PEM instead, unless you'd rather save $40.
The 10.1-inch LED matte screen on the 1015PED has a maximum pixel resolution of 1,152x864, which is highly nonstandard and produces a squished look. The resolution can be knocked down to 1,024x600--common for Netbooks. We've noticed 1,366x768 10-inch Netbook displays becoming increasingly common, but there's no such luck here. Pictures and videos looked crisp, and viewing angles were reasonable for the size and hinge limitations of the Asus' lid, but Web pages feel cramped at this limited resolution.
Stereo speakers, located on the bottom front edge of the Eee PC 1015PED, offered louder-than-average audio that actually sounded quite good for video viewing. They're not musically extravagant, but they're definitely good enough for most needs.
Asus chose to add a physical lens cover slider to its VGA Webcam, ostensibly to protect people against being unknowingly recorded. It seems a little silly and is more likely to cause panic by making some people think their Webcam is broken when it's really just covered. Regardless, the picture quality is suitable for basic video chat, but its contrast levels created dark silhouettes. CyberLink's YouCam software, which can be launched from a pull-down software widget on the desktop, is included on the system and has links to various Asus cloud-storage services and shortcuts.
Asus K50IJ-BNC5
The good: Solid build quality; long-lasting six-cell battery; comfortable, backlit keyboard; multitouch touch pad; a year of AV protection included.
The bad: Next Class features add to the bill; underwhelming preinstalled software; no HDMI.
The bottom line: The Asus K501J-BCN5 serves up long battery life, a backlit keyboard, and a year of AV protection. Unfortunately, these Next Class features add a considerable sum to the price; we like a cheaper yet similarly configured Asus K501J model better.
The Asus K501J-BCN5 is a member of Best Buy's Next Class program, which elicits feedback from college students about the features they want to see in a laptop. College students told Best Buy they would like a preloaded Office suite, long battery life, antivirus protection, and a backlit keyboard--all in a portable package at an affordable price. The Asus K501J-BCN5 hits on all of these features by and large, but you do pay for it. The K501J-BCN5 costs $699 and is nearly identical to the Asus K501J-BBZ5, which costs only $529 but does not include Next Class features.
So, what does the extra $170 get you on the Asus K501J-BCN5 that's not included on the BBZ5? Not a bump up with the CPU, more memory, or better graphics; both laptops features the Intel Pentium T4500 chip, 4GB of DDR2 memory, and integrated Intel graphics. The BCN5 model serves up a larger hard drive (500GB instead of 320GB) and a higher-capacity six-cell battery (62Whr to 46Whr). It also includes a backlit keyboard and a year of Webroot AV protection. Microsoft Office Starter 2010 is preinstalled, even though Best Buy's site claims that Office Home and Student 2010 is included. Starter is very limited, including only stripped-down versions of Word and Excel that are ad supported; we'd rather use free office apps such as Google Docs or Open Office.
In the end, the Asus K501J-BCN5's extras are a tough sell for an addtional $170. If you like the design of the Asus K501J laptop as we do, you may be better off going for the cheaper Asus K501J-BBZ5 and forgoing the added hard drive space and backlit keyboard, finding yourself a free office suite and a free AV app such as AVG or ?tag=txt">Avast. Then again, a backlit keyboard is a must-have feature for many, and this is one of the least expensive laptops we've seen it in.
Asus Eee PC 1215N-PU17 (black)
The good: Includes Intel's dual-core Atom CPU, plus Nvidia Ion graphics and Optimus graphic-switching technology; good game and video playback performance.
The bad: Other low-cost ultraportables with AMD's dual-core Neo are faster; flimsy keyboard; stiff mouse buttons.
The bottom line: The Asus Eee PC 1215N combines Intel's dual-core Atom CPU with Nvidia Ion graphics and Optimus GPU-switching for an impressive overall package, but one that still feels a bit too much like a Netbook.
Since the start of the Intel Atom era, we've longed for one thing: a dual-core version of that otherwise impressive power-saving CPU. Standard single-core Atom Netbooks are fine for basic tasks, but even when just Web surfing or typing they can be bogged down by bouts of seemingly random sluggishness. The Asus Eee PC 1215N aims to address this shortcoming by being the first premium Netbook/ultraportable to cross our desks with the dual-core D525 version of the Atom (although we've previously seen a couple with an older dual-core desktop/Nettop version of the Atom).
For $499, the Eee PC 1215N includes most of what we'd want from a current ultraportable, including a high-resolution 12-inch display, Nvidia Ion graphics (with Nvidia's Optimus graphics switching), and, most importantly, a dual-core CPU.
In practice, this is a big step up from typical $300-$400 Netbooks, but at the same time, similar systems with AMD's Neo CPU more closely approximate the feel of a full-power mainstream laptop. The Eee PC 1215N does do very well at basic gaming and HD video playback. Combined with the larger 12-inch screen, that makes for a potentially very useful travel system with serious multimedia chops.
Asus N82JV-X1
The good: Above-average Nvidia graphics; fast Core i5 processor; USB 3.0 port.
The bad: Poor battery life; quirky multitouch touch pad; confusing energy-saving settings.
The bottom line: For $999, Asus' graphics-boosted 14-inch laptop lacks battery power, and has few distinguishing features that push it over similarly priced (or less expensive) alternatives.
Laptops are less expensive than ever, and that fact is changing how we perceive computer value. Case in point: the Asus N82Jv-X1 is a nicely featured laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor and automatic-switching Nvidia GeForce GT 335M graphics for $999, but in today's market it doesn't feel like a value.
The $999 price represents the high end of today's mainstream retail market. While getting this level of graphics power at that price isn't bad, the boring design, lack of other features like Intel Wireless Display or Blu-ray, and poor battery life suggest you could do better.
Despite being marketed as a "media notebook" by Asus, there's not much that really makes this any more of a media notebook than other 14-inch machines. That's not to say the performance wasn't solid--it just isn't particularly noteworthy in a sea of increasingly similar Core i5 laptops, except for including a high-speed USB 3.0 port.
In fact, some of its ergonomics set it back from the competition. Honestly, despite processor limitations, we'd rather buy an HP Envy 14 or white Apple MacBook instead.
Asus U36JC A1 (Core i5 460M 2.53GHz, 13.3" TFT)
The good: Thin magnesium-alloy frame; powerful Core i5 processor in a 13-inch laptop; Nvidia Optimus automatic-switching graphics; USB 3.0 port; sturdy construction.
The bad: Not a next-gen Sandy Bridge Intel processor; battery life is good, but not great; no optical drive.
The bottom line: The thin, powerful Asus U36JC-A1 packs a lot of computer under its slim 13-inch hood, but some might want to wait for next-gen Intel processors to sweeten the deal.
It's no lie, we're fans of thin 13-inch laptops; so much so, we feel like they're nearly the perfect size for the average portable computer. Unfortunately, the 13-inch landscape is a bit of a minefield for the average consumer: some options have underpowered processors, others lack optical drives. We loved the thin Asus U35JC-A1 when we reviewed it in October, finding it a perfect mix of size and performance. The $999 U36JC-A1 is an update with a few new features, including a faster Core i5 processor, a sleeker design, Nvidia Optimus 310M graphics, and a high-speed USB 3.0 port, making it arguably even better than its predecessor.
Those specs are solid, but this thin laptop still lacks Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors, and its battery life suffers in comparison with other thin laptops. While that may not bother some, it can't hurt to wait a few months and see what updates might be around the corner, especially since our initial tests of Sandy Bridge laptop CPUs show a great deal of promise, and even some graphics prowess, that could make the successor to the U36J an even better buy. Nevertheless, the U36JC-A1 is a step up from its predecessor, albeit at a slightly higher price. Compared to the Toshiba Portege R700 series, which won a CNET Editors' Choice, an equivalent CPU, hard drive, and RAM can be had for a similar price. The Portege, however, has an optical drive and lacks discrete graphics; the Asus U36JC-A1 has discrete graphics, but no optical drive.
Asus K53E-B1
The good: Sharp design and excellent battery life, plus a surprisingly affordable price, make the 15-inch Asus K53E a smart alternative to more-expensive midsize laptops.
The bad: There are no configuration options, so you're stuck with integrated graphics, and there are no high-speed ports, such as USB 3.0 or eSATA.
The bottom line: For Intel's next-gen CPUs in an attractive, affordable, midsize package, the Asus K53E is easier on the wallet than systems from Dell or Apple.
PC maker Asus has spent the last several years riding the popular Netbook wave, almost single-handedly creating the sub-$400 10-inch laptop category. But now that Netbooks have faded from the top products lists (largely for failing to innovate), Asus has to fall back on everyday mainstream laptops instead.
Fortunately, the company has typically made products that run from average to very good, and if you take the trouble to track one down (they're not as ubiquitous in online or offline retailers as some other big brands), you'll often end up with a laptop that offers a lot of features and solid design for a reasonable price.
Case in point: the awkwardly named Asus K53E-B1. This $770 15-inch laptop has a high-end current-gen Intel Core i5 processor, excellent battery life, and a sharp-looking part-aluminum chassis. With the same CPU, RAM, and hard drive, it's about $200 less than a comparable Dell XPS 15, although the Dell comes with a basic discrete video card, whereas the Asus K53E is stuck with Intel's better-than-last-year integrated graphics.
No one is going to mistake the 15-inch aluminum Asus K53E for a 15-inch MacBook Pro. First of all, the lid on the Asus, and its bottom panels, are plastic, but for less than $800, this is still a slick-looking, well-made laptop.
Both the plastic and metal parts are dark brown, with some black accents and a black keyboard. It's relatively thin for a 15-inch midsize laptop, but other current models, such as the latest Dell XPS 15, are following the same trend (although that XPS model had a huge extended battery that made it actually much thicker).
The keyboard is very similar to what we've seen on Asus laptops such as the U36J, with raised chiclet-style keys with very little flex. The keyboard is not backlit, and for functions such as volume or screen brightness, you'll have to rely on function-combination keys along the top of the keyboard, as opposed to any dedicated keys. There is enough room, however, for a number pad, although the number pad keys are very narrow.
The generous touch pad is indented into the wrist rest, and it offers plenty of room for multitouch gestures (although those gestures aren't as easy to use as on a MacBook). Two large mouse buttons are a nice extra; far too many laptops have tiny, hard-to-hit buttons.
The 15.6-inch display has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels. That's fine for a midsize laptop in this price range, but more-expensive 15-inch laptops, from the Dell XPS 15 to the Apple MacBook Pro, offer higher resolutions. To assist its small speakers, Asus includes a software app called Sonic Focus, which purports to add clarity, bass, and stereo separation. Tweaking the EQ always helps laptop speakers stand out, at least in the short term, but the results aren't massively different.
Asus Eee PC 1215B
The good: The Asus Eee PC 1215B gets a CPU upgrade, as well as excellent battery life and USB 3.0.
The bad: The long-standing Eee PC design is starting to look more than a little dated, and comparable systems offer bigger or faster hard drives.
The bottom line: Asus updates the Eee PC line with AMD's excellent ultraportable CPU, making for a powerful, portable package, but the field is getting crowded in this category.
By ditching the long-in-the-tooth Intel Atom processor for the AMD E-350 Fusion platform, Asus graduates this 12.1-inch Eee PC from the flailing Netbook category to the more comfortable ultraportable one. At $449, which includes a USB 3.0 port, the Eee PC 1215B compared favorably with the 11.6-inch HP Pavilion dm1z, which looks nicer and has a faster hard drive, but lacks USB 3.0.
We've seen a lot of subtle variations on the Eee PC design over the years, but if there's one thing this new 1215B confirms, it's that the overall look and feel of the line is due for an aesthetic upgrade. The smudge-attracting matte-black plastic worked fine for low-cost Atom-powered Netbooks, but trading up to a more mainstream processor and higher price, we'd like to see some visual differentiation. For example, the last 12-inch Eee PC we looked at, the 1215N from August 2010, looks identical to this model. We called it "a bit of a throwback," even last year.
The familiar island-style keyboard is similar to what we've seen on other Eee PC models, and also very close to the one on the HP dm1z. The Asus version adds an extra vertical row on the right to accommodate Page Up, Page Down, and other navigational buttons.
The large touch pad looks at first like the clickpad-style ones found on MacBooks and HP's dm1z, but there is actually a small button bar below it for the left and right mouse buttons. Those button bars are universally a pain to use, and we'd much rather have a clickpad or distinct left and right mouse buttons.
The display has the familiar 1,366x768-pixel native resolution found on nearly every laptop screen from 11 to 15 inches. On a 12-inch laptop, that gives you plenty of space for documents and Web pages, and it's also good for 720p HD video. The display is glossy, so it occasionally picks up distracting glare from nearby lights, and off-axis viewing was better horizontally than vertically.
Asus Zenbook UX31E-DH52
The good: The Asus Zenbook UX31E boasts sleek, pristine design, excellent-sounding speakers, a higher-resolution screen than the MacBook Air, and a better price for nearly identical specs.
The bad: The keyboard and touch pad are weak points; there are equally thin laptops out there with better battery life.
The bottom line: The Asus Zenbook UX31E is an excellent-looking Windows Ultrabook laptop that matches the MacBook Air step for step with an even better price. Fans of great audio, high-resolution screens and lots of ports will be happy; keyboard/touch pad aficionados will be disappointed.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the MacBook Air should be positively blushing right around now. A sudden onslaught of Ultrabooks--the Intel-coined term for thin, MacBook Air-esque Windows laptops with fast boot times and sleek, high-end designs--has hit just in time for the holidays, and one of the most highly hyped ones we've seen is the Asus Zenbook, a product that doesn't shy away from an Apple-like design whatsoever. That's not such a bad thing: who doesn't want a thin, unibody metal lightweight laptop that starts fast and has a great battery life?
The 13-inch Asus Zenbook, despite looking at least as expensive and high-end as laptops such as the Samsung Series 9, has a starting price of $1,099, which includes 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD drive. That's $200 less expensive than the equivalent MacBook Air. Smartly, the Zenbook gets that part right: when competing with a product as singularly well-known and highly rated as the MacBook Air, your product has to be either better or cheaper.
Cheaper, it is: as for better, I'd have to disagree. Excellent speakers, sleek design, and a high-resolution screen are accompanied by a finicky keyboard and touch pad, giving the ever-so-slightly-off sensation when working on the Zenbook. It feels like the opposite of the silky-smooth experience on a MacBook Air. Battery life is short of the Air's lofty numbers, too. Nearly 5 hours isn't shabby, but it's not industry-leading.
Those are somewhat minor issues for what's otherwise a very solid and impressive thin laptop, but at a price north of $1,000, these are issues anyone would pay attention to. The 13-inch Zenbook UX31 gets more expensive in 256GB SSD and Core i7 configurations, climbing up to $1,449 at its highest price. If I were buying a Zenbook, I'd stick with our $1,099 review model and live with the limitations, glad that I had a MacBook Air-alike that saved me a few dollars along the way. If your idea of an Ultrabook is a Windows version of a MacBook Air with a slightly lower price, then consider the Zenbook your product: just be forewarned that the keyboard, touch pad, and battery life are less impressive than the audio/visual bells and whistles.
The bad: The laptop doesn't have dedicated graphics, and the battery life is good, but we've seen better.
The bottom line: A strong design, tons of features, and plenty of performance make the Asus U46E-BAL6 one of the best 14-inch laptops we've seen all year.
In an era of thin laptops and Ultrabooks, to be thin is starting to feel like less of a novelty and more of a requirement. Thin, however, is relative: are you talking about the razor-thin world of Ultrabooks, or the not-quite-as-slim world of thin full-size laptops? In the case of the Asus U46E, thin means "normal-size, but pleasingly compact"--like the Dell XPS 14z, this is a full-fledged 14-inch laptop with an optical drive, but it's only about 0.1 inch thicker than a MacBook Pro.
The U46E is part of a family of thinnish Asus laptops that I've been bullish about for years, going back to the UL30A. The U46E-BAL6 continues the trend while throwing in tons of power under the hood of a pretty compact computer: a dual-core Core i7 processor, a 750GB hard drive, and a whopping 8GB of RAM.
What price would you pay for such a laptop? The U46E-BAL6 goes for $829 at retail, and that's a pretty good value for what you're getting--especially compared with the similar 13-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,199, or the $999 Dell XPS 14z, which has a slower Core i5 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. In the word of Windows laptops, $600 is becoming a more commonplace midrange price. Still, this Asus has extras that make it well worth the extra investment. Really, all it lacks is dedicated discrete graphics.
A sturdy keyboard, Bluetooth, and a WiMax antenna round out the package. Even in a crowded market, the Asus U46E-BAL6 manages to stand out from the pack as an excellent powerhouse 14-incher.
The good: The Asus Zenbook UX31E boasts sleek, pristine design, excellent-sounding speakers, a higher-resolution screen than the MacBook Air, and a better price for nearly identical specs.
The bad: The keyboard and touch pad are weak points; there are equally thin laptops out there with better battery life.
The bottom line: The Asus Zenbook UX31E is an excellent-looking Windows Ultrabook laptop that matches the MacBook Air step for step with an even better price. Fans of great audio, high-resolution screens and lots of ports will be happy; keyboard/touch pad aficionados will be disappointed.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the MacBook Air should be positively blushing right around now. A sudden onslaught of Ultrabooks--the Intel-coined term for thin, MacBook Air-esque Windows laptops with fast boot times and sleek, high-end designs--has hit just in time for the holidays, and one of the most highly hyped ones we've seen is the Asus Zenbook, a product that doesn't shy away from an Apple-like design whatsoever. That's not such a bad thing: who doesn't want a thin, unibody metal lightweight laptop that starts fast and has a great battery life?
The 13-inch Asus Zenbook, despite looking at least as expensive and high-end as laptops such as the Samsung Series 9, has a starting price of $1,099, which includes 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD drive. That's $200 less expensive than the equivalent MacBook Air. Smartly, the Zenbook gets that part right: when competing with a product as singularly well-known and highly rated as the MacBook Air, your product has to be either better or cheaper.
Cheaper, it is: as for better, I'd have to disagree. Excellent speakers, sleek design, and a high-resolution screen are accompanied by a finicky keyboard and touch pad, giving the ever-so-slightly-off sensation when working on the Zenbook. It feels like the opposite of the silky-smooth experience on a MacBook Air. Battery life is short of the Air's lofty numbers, too. Nearly 5 hours isn't shabby, but it's not industry-leading.
Those are somewhat minor issues for what's otherwise a very solid and impressive thin laptop, but at a price north of $1,000, these are issues anyone would pay attention to. The 13-inch Zenbook UX31 gets more expensive in 256GB SSD and Core i7 configurations, climbing up to $1,449 at its highest price. If I were buying a Zenbook, I'd stick with our $1,099 review model and live with the limitations, glad that I had a MacBook Air-alike that saved me a few dollars along the way. If your idea of an Ultrabook is a Windows version of a MacBook Air with a slightly lower price, then consider the Zenbook your product: just be forewarned that the keyboard, touch pad, and battery life are less impressive than the audio/visual bells and whistles.
Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17 (blue)
The good: Long battery life; solid-feeling design.
The bad: Cramped keyboard; lacks HD screen or HD accelerated graphics.
The bottom line: The Asus Eee PC 1015PED is the definition of standard 10-inch Netbook, with little to distinguish it despite its solid overall performance: we've seen it all before.
Asus Eee PC Netbooks have diversified into a sometimes numbing range of options, but when you boil it down, most of them have nearly the same components. Case in point: the Asus Eee PC 1015PED. For $329, this 10.1-inch Netbook has a single-core Atom N455 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and the same long battery life we've come to expect.
However, it lacks the bells and whistles we've seen in premium Netbooks, including higher-resolution displays, HDMI-out, and HD accelerated graphics via Broadcom or Nvidia Ion solutions. Plus, for only $40 more, there's a dual-core Atom configuration, the Asus Eee PC 1015PEM, which offers faster multitasking with no effective losses in battery life.
The bottom line is clear: this Netbook offers nothing extraordinary, but it does the job. However, you might want to consider upgrading to the dual-core 1015PEM instead, unless you'd rather save $40.
The 10.1-inch LED matte screen on the 1015PED has a maximum pixel resolution of 1,152x864, which is highly nonstandard and produces a squished look. The resolution can be knocked down to 1,024x600--common for Netbooks. We've noticed 1,366x768 10-inch Netbook displays becoming increasingly common, but there's no such luck here. Pictures and videos looked crisp, and viewing angles were reasonable for the size and hinge limitations of the Asus' lid, but Web pages feel cramped at this limited resolution.
Stereo speakers, located on the bottom front edge of the Eee PC 1015PED, offered louder-than-average audio that actually sounded quite good for video viewing. They're not musically extravagant, but they're definitely good enough for most needs.
Asus chose to add a physical lens cover slider to its VGA Webcam, ostensibly to protect people against being unknowingly recorded. It seems a little silly and is more likely to cause panic by making some people think their Webcam is broken when it's really just covered. Regardless, the picture quality is suitable for basic video chat, but its contrast levels created dark silhouettes. CyberLink's YouCam software, which can be launched from a pull-down software widget on the desktop, is included on the system and has links to various Asus cloud-storage services and shortcuts.
Asus K50IJ-BNC5
The good: Solid build quality; long-lasting six-cell battery; comfortable, backlit keyboard; multitouch touch pad; a year of AV protection included.
The bad: Next Class features add to the bill; underwhelming preinstalled software; no HDMI.
The bottom line: The Asus K501J-BCN5 serves up long battery life, a backlit keyboard, and a year of AV protection. Unfortunately, these Next Class features add a considerable sum to the price; we like a cheaper yet similarly configured Asus K501J model better.
The Asus K501J-BCN5 is a member of Best Buy's Next Class program, which elicits feedback from college students about the features they want to see in a laptop. College students told Best Buy they would like a preloaded Office suite, long battery life, antivirus protection, and a backlit keyboard--all in a portable package at an affordable price. The Asus K501J-BCN5 hits on all of these features by and large, but you do pay for it. The K501J-BCN5 costs $699 and is nearly identical to the Asus K501J-BBZ5, which costs only $529 but does not include Next Class features.
So, what does the extra $170 get you on the Asus K501J-BCN5 that's not included on the BBZ5? Not a bump up with the CPU, more memory, or better graphics; both laptops features the Intel Pentium T4500 chip, 4GB of DDR2 memory, and integrated Intel graphics. The BCN5 model serves up a larger hard drive (500GB instead of 320GB) and a higher-capacity six-cell battery (62Whr to 46Whr). It also includes a backlit keyboard and a year of Webroot AV protection. Microsoft Office Starter 2010 is preinstalled, even though Best Buy's site claims that Office Home and Student 2010 is included. Starter is very limited, including only stripped-down versions of Word and Excel that are ad supported; we'd rather use free office apps such as Google Docs or Open Office.
In the end, the Asus K501J-BCN5's extras are a tough sell for an addtional $170. If you like the design of the Asus K501J laptop as we do, you may be better off going for the cheaper Asus K501J-BBZ5 and forgoing the added hard drive space and backlit keyboard, finding yourself a free office suite and a free AV app such as AVG or ?tag=txt">Avast. Then again, a backlit keyboard is a must-have feature for many, and this is one of the least expensive laptops we've seen it in.
The bad: Other low-cost ultraportables with AMD's dual-core Neo are faster; flimsy keyboard; stiff mouse buttons.
The bottom line: The Asus Eee PC 1215N combines Intel's dual-core Atom CPU with Nvidia Ion graphics and Optimus GPU-switching for an impressive overall package, but one that still feels a bit too much like a Netbook.
Since the start of the Intel Atom era, we've longed for one thing: a dual-core version of that otherwise impressive power-saving CPU. Standard single-core Atom Netbooks are fine for basic tasks, but even when just Web surfing or typing they can be bogged down by bouts of seemingly random sluggishness. The Asus Eee PC 1215N aims to address this shortcoming by being the first premium Netbook/ultraportable to cross our desks with the dual-core D525 version of the Atom (although we've previously seen a couple with an older dual-core desktop/Nettop version of the Atom).
For $499, the Eee PC 1215N includes most of what we'd want from a current ultraportable, including a high-resolution 12-inch display, Nvidia Ion graphics (with Nvidia's Optimus graphics switching), and, most importantly, a dual-core CPU.
In practice, this is a big step up from typical $300-$400 Netbooks, but at the same time, similar systems with AMD's Neo CPU more closely approximate the feel of a full-power mainstream laptop. The Eee PC 1215N does do very well at basic gaming and HD video playback. Combined with the larger 12-inch screen, that makes for a potentially very useful travel system with serious multimedia chops.
The bad: Poor battery life; quirky multitouch touch pad; confusing energy-saving settings.
The bottom line: For $999, Asus' graphics-boosted 14-inch laptop lacks battery power, and has few distinguishing features that push it over similarly priced (or less expensive) alternatives.
Laptops are less expensive than ever, and that fact is changing how we perceive computer value. Case in point: the Asus N82Jv-X1 is a nicely featured laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor and automatic-switching Nvidia GeForce GT 335M graphics for $999, but in today's market it doesn't feel like a value.
The $999 price represents the high end of today's mainstream retail market. While getting this level of graphics power at that price isn't bad, the boring design, lack of other features like Intel Wireless Display or Blu-ray, and poor battery life suggest you could do better.
Despite being marketed as a "media notebook" by Asus, there's not much that really makes this any more of a media notebook than other 14-inch machines. That's not to say the performance wasn't solid--it just isn't particularly noteworthy in a sea of increasingly similar Core i5 laptops, except for including a high-speed USB 3.0 port.
In fact, some of its ergonomics set it back from the competition. Honestly, despite processor limitations, we'd rather buy an HP Envy 14 or white Apple MacBook instead.
The good: Thin magnesium-alloy frame; powerful Core i5 processor in a 13-inch laptop; Nvidia Optimus automatic-switching graphics; USB 3.0 port; sturdy construction.
The bad: Not a next-gen Sandy Bridge Intel processor; battery life is good, but not great; no optical drive.
The bottom line: The thin, powerful Asus U36JC-A1 packs a lot of computer under its slim 13-inch hood, but some might want to wait for next-gen Intel processors to sweeten the deal.
It's no lie, we're fans of thin 13-inch laptops; so much so, we feel like they're nearly the perfect size for the average portable computer. Unfortunately, the 13-inch landscape is a bit of a minefield for the average consumer: some options have underpowered processors, others lack optical drives. We loved the thin Asus U35JC-A1 when we reviewed it in October, finding it a perfect mix of size and performance. The $999 U36JC-A1 is an update with a few new features, including a faster Core i5 processor, a sleeker design, Nvidia Optimus 310M graphics, and a high-speed USB 3.0 port, making it arguably even better than its predecessor.
Those specs are solid, but this thin laptop still lacks Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors, and its battery life suffers in comparison with other thin laptops. While that may not bother some, it can't hurt to wait a few months and see what updates might be around the corner, especially since our initial tests of Sandy Bridge laptop CPUs show a great deal of promise, and even some graphics prowess, that could make the successor to the U36J an even better buy. Nevertheless, the U36JC-A1 is a step up from its predecessor, albeit at a slightly higher price. Compared to the Toshiba Portege R700 series, which won a CNET Editors' Choice, an equivalent CPU, hard drive, and RAM can be had for a similar price. The Portege, however, has an optical drive and lacks discrete graphics; the Asus U36JC-A1 has discrete graphics, but no optical drive.
The bad: There are no configuration options, so you're stuck with integrated graphics, and there are no high-speed ports, such as USB 3.0 or eSATA.
The bottom line: For Intel's next-gen CPUs in an attractive, affordable, midsize package, the Asus K53E is easier on the wallet than systems from Dell or Apple.
PC maker Asus has spent the last several years riding the popular Netbook wave, almost single-handedly creating the sub-$400 10-inch laptop category. But now that Netbooks have faded from the top products lists (largely for failing to innovate), Asus has to fall back on everyday mainstream laptops instead.
Fortunately, the company has typically made products that run from average to very good, and if you take the trouble to track one down (they're not as ubiquitous in online or offline retailers as some other big brands), you'll often end up with a laptop that offers a lot of features and solid design for a reasonable price.
Case in point: the awkwardly named Asus K53E-B1. This $770 15-inch laptop has a high-end current-gen Intel Core i5 processor, excellent battery life, and a sharp-looking part-aluminum chassis. With the same CPU, RAM, and hard drive, it's about $200 less than a comparable Dell XPS 15, although the Dell comes with a basic discrete video card, whereas the Asus K53E is stuck with Intel's better-than-last-year integrated graphics.
No one is going to mistake the 15-inch aluminum Asus K53E for a 15-inch MacBook Pro. First of all, the lid on the Asus, and its bottom panels, are plastic, but for less than $800, this is still a slick-looking, well-made laptop.
Both the plastic and metal parts are dark brown, with some black accents and a black keyboard. It's relatively thin for a 15-inch midsize laptop, but other current models, such as the latest Dell XPS 15, are following the same trend (although that XPS model had a huge extended battery that made it actually much thicker).
The keyboard is very similar to what we've seen on Asus laptops such as the U36J, with raised chiclet-style keys with very little flex. The keyboard is not backlit, and for functions such as volume or screen brightness, you'll have to rely on function-combination keys along the top of the keyboard, as opposed to any dedicated keys. There is enough room, however, for a number pad, although the number pad keys are very narrow.
The generous touch pad is indented into the wrist rest, and it offers plenty of room for multitouch gestures (although those gestures aren't as easy to use as on a MacBook). Two large mouse buttons are a nice extra; far too many laptops have tiny, hard-to-hit buttons.
The 15.6-inch display has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels. That's fine for a midsize laptop in this price range, but more-expensive 15-inch laptops, from the Dell XPS 15 to the Apple MacBook Pro, offer higher resolutions. To assist its small speakers, Asus includes a software app called Sonic Focus, which purports to add clarity, bass, and stereo separation. Tweaking the EQ always helps laptop speakers stand out, at least in the short term, but the results aren't massively different.
Asus Eee PC 1215B
The good: The Asus Eee PC 1215B gets a CPU upgrade, as well as excellent battery life and USB 3.0.
The bad: The long-standing Eee PC design is starting to look more than a little dated, and comparable systems offer bigger or faster hard drives.
The bottom line: Asus updates the Eee PC line with AMD's excellent ultraportable CPU, making for a powerful, portable package, but the field is getting crowded in this category.
By ditching the long-in-the-tooth Intel Atom processor for the AMD E-350 Fusion platform, Asus graduates this 12.1-inch Eee PC from the flailing Netbook category to the more comfortable ultraportable one. At $449, which includes a USB 3.0 port, the Eee PC 1215B compared favorably with the 11.6-inch HP Pavilion dm1z, which looks nicer and has a faster hard drive, but lacks USB 3.0.
We've seen a lot of subtle variations on the Eee PC design over the years, but if there's one thing this new 1215B confirms, it's that the overall look and feel of the line is due for an aesthetic upgrade. The smudge-attracting matte-black plastic worked fine for low-cost Atom-powered Netbooks, but trading up to a more mainstream processor and higher price, we'd like to see some visual differentiation. For example, the last 12-inch Eee PC we looked at, the 1215N from August 2010, looks identical to this model. We called it "a bit of a throwback," even last year.
The familiar island-style keyboard is similar to what we've seen on other Eee PC models, and also very close to the one on the HP dm1z. The Asus version adds an extra vertical row on the right to accommodate Page Up, Page Down, and other navigational buttons.
The large touch pad looks at first like the clickpad-style ones found on MacBooks and HP's dm1z, but there is actually a small button bar below it for the left and right mouse buttons. Those button bars are universally a pain to use, and we'd much rather have a clickpad or distinct left and right mouse buttons.
The display has the familiar 1,366x768-pixel native resolution found on nearly every laptop screen from 11 to 15 inches. On a 12-inch laptop, that gives you plenty of space for documents and Web pages, and it's also good for 720p HD video. The display is glossy, so it occasionally picks up distracting glare from nearby lights, and off-axis viewing was better horizontally than vertically.
The good: The Asus Zenbook UX31E boasts sleek, pristine design, excellent-sounding speakers, a higher-resolution screen than the MacBook Air, and a better price for nearly identical specs.
The bad: The keyboard and touch pad are weak points; there are equally thin laptops out there with better battery life.
The bottom line: The Asus Zenbook UX31E is an excellent-looking Windows Ultrabook laptop that matches the MacBook Air step for step with an even better price. Fans of great audio, high-resolution screens and lots of ports will be happy; keyboard/touch pad aficionados will be disappointed.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the MacBook Air should be positively blushing right around now. A sudden onslaught of Ultrabooks--the Intel-coined term for thin, MacBook Air-esque Windows laptops with fast boot times and sleek, high-end designs--has hit just in time for the holidays, and one of the most highly hyped ones we've seen is the Asus Zenbook, a product that doesn't shy away from an Apple-like design whatsoever. That's not such a bad thing: who doesn't want a thin, unibody metal lightweight laptop that starts fast and has a great battery life?
The 13-inch Asus Zenbook, despite looking at least as expensive and high-end as laptops such as the Samsung Series 9, has a starting price of $1,099, which includes 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD drive. That's $200 less expensive than the equivalent MacBook Air. Smartly, the Zenbook gets that part right: when competing with a product as singularly well-known and highly rated as the MacBook Air, your product has to be either better or cheaper.
Cheaper, it is: as for better, I'd have to disagree. Excellent speakers, sleek design, and a high-resolution screen are accompanied by a finicky keyboard and touch pad, giving the ever-so-slightly-off sensation when working on the Zenbook. It feels like the opposite of the silky-smooth experience on a MacBook Air. Battery life is short of the Air's lofty numbers, too. Nearly 5 hours isn't shabby, but it's not industry-leading.
Those are somewhat minor issues for what's otherwise a very solid and impressive thin laptop, but at a price north of $1,000, these are issues anyone would pay attention to. The 13-inch Zenbook UX31 gets more expensive in 256GB SSD and Core i7 configurations, climbing up to $1,449 at its highest price. If I were buying a Zenbook, I'd stick with our $1,099 review model and live with the limitations, glad that I had a MacBook Air-alike that saved me a few dollars along the way. If your idea of an Ultrabook is a Windows version of a MacBook Air with a slightly lower price, then consider the Zenbook your product: just be forewarned that the keyboard, touch pad, and battery life are less impressive than the audio/visual bells and whistles.
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