ASUS Zenbook UX31 deemed a solid Windows counter to Apple’s Macbook Air
Posted on 21. Oct, 2011 by Paul in Laptops, Laptops, Reviews
The Asus Zenbook UX31 has a distinctive look thanks to it's metal finish. Image: Laptop Mag
The reviews are rolling in for the new Asus Zenbook UX31 laptop and everything is checking out okay for the new Apple Macbook Air challenger. Performance benchmarks show the UX31 offers comparable performance to the Macbook Air in all the main areas, and hardware tests show the display (resolution) and speakers (sound quality) featured on the Asus one-up those of the Macbook Air.
Last week we learned just how Asus would price their 13-inch Asus Zenbook UX31 –and the 11.6-inch UX21 as well–. The 13-inch UX31 from Asus starts at $1,099MSRP (UX31E-DH52) with a Core i5-2557M CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD; the most expensive model (UX31E-DH72) is $1,449MSRP with a Core i7-2677M, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 256GB SSD. At each price point the Asus is cheaper than the comparable 13″ Apple Macbook Air laptop by more than $100.
Which do you choose?
When your looking to buy an ultra-portable laptop the battery life, size, and raw performance matter. According to the performance benchmarks from Laptop Mag, who reviewed the Core i7 based UX31 laptop and the 13-inch Macbook Air (2011), the Macbook Air beats the Asus and the Air is thinner by 0.5-inches.
A comparison of the battery life tests –the battery life test consists of continuous Internet browsing over Wi-Fi until the battery is completely drained– between the two machines by Laptop Mag exposed that the Air could last six hours and twenty-five minutes while the Asus managed five hours and fifty-eight minutes.
In classic benchmarking tools 3DMark06, Geekbench, PCMark Vantage and PCMark 07 the results posted by Laptop Mag have Apple’s Macbook Air beating out the Asus Zenbook UX31 by slim margins. You can view the performance results of the two compared here on Laptop Mag‘s website.
After looking at the LaptopMag review it’s my conclusion that given the amount you can save by going with the Asus it’s a better buy, and it comes with Windows 7 out of the box if that’s something that matters to you. The Apple Macbook Air can run Windows using the pre-installed program Bootcamp, but in addition to spending more for the Macbook Air over the UX31 you’ll have to buy your own copy of Windows to get Windows on the Mac.
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