Asus Zenbook UX21E-DH71 Ultrabook Review
It’s been a while since we’ve first heard the term Ultrabook and the Asus Zenbook is one of the first ultrabooks to hit the market. We’ll most likely move away from laptops and the old fashioned notebooks very soon, to a new breed of notebook computer – the ultrabook.
The slim design will surely capture your attention as well as the fact that the Zenbook looks a lot like a MacBook Air. Apart from a fashionable and slim look, the device will most likely be the ideal travel companion for many business users looking for a lightweight and space-saving option.
The Asus Aspire Zenbook UX21E is the company’s first ultrabook to bring to the table portability, a slim design and a lot of power under the hood. The fact that the device looks like a MacBook Air but costs less is a huge selling point for the Zenbook. The Asus Aspire Zenbook comes with an envelope vinyl carrying case and five different versions to choose from, all with different screen sizes and technical details. If you’ve been thinking about acquiring a Zenbook, you’ll first have to choose between a 13.3” and a 11.6” screen size.
The Zenbook UX21E-DH71 is a 11.6” version coming from Asus and costs $1,149.99 right now on Amazon.com.
Asus Zenbook UX21E-DH71 Build
One of the major selling points for the Zenbook ultrabooks is the look. The polished aluminum look makes the Zenbook UX21E-DH71 a very elegant product. The Zenbook lid comes with a polished finish and a radial pattern that will keep off fingerprints or smudges. On the down side, it feels kind of slippery when you carry it in one hand, with the lid closed. In terms of looks, the Zenbook will not disappoint you at all.
Asus Zenbook UX21E-DH71 Technical Details
The Zenbook UX21E comes with a 11.6” display offering clear and crisp images, although the black levels weren’t the best.
The Zenbook UX21E is powered by a Sandy Bridge 1.8 Ghz Intel Core i7-2677M processor and 20GB SSD dedicated to the OS. The processor is absolutely great for multitasking and very fast when it comes to opening up programs. You’ll also get a 350GB HDD to store all your media and documents and 3D capabilities, that will enable you to watch a 3D movie very comfortably. However, if you’re looking to play 3D games on this one, you’d better look elsewhere.
Conclusion
The Zenbook UX21E-DH71 is a great ultrabook providing a portable solution and is great for multitasking as well as 3D. On the downside however, we’ve found problems with black levels and contrast and most definitely the keyboard could be a lot better. You’ll also find a 0.3 megapixel camera providing a very low resolution and very low quality photos and videos. We’re sure that Asus could have done a lot better with the webcam as well. On the up side, the sound experience was pretty great with the built-in speakers, while the battery life is more than expected. You’ll get around 7 hours of battery life in a single charge and around 4 hours if you’re using your Zenbook heavily.
In conclusion, the Zenbook UX21E-DH71 is one of the most solid, slimmest and lightest ultrabooks you can find right now. The performance of the Zenbook is undeniable and mostly due to the Sandy Bridge i7 processor. If you’re willing to overlook the low-quality keyboard and the low resolution webcam, the Zenbook will most likely be a great companion for you.