Maybe the most intriguing thing about the U32U is that it will pack AMD’s new APU, namely the E-450. If you know about the Zacate E-350, then the E-450 will be very familiar. It has a dual core processor running at 1.65 GHZ (the E-350 was slightly slower, ticking in at 1.6 GHZ) and the same integrated Radeon HD 6320 video card. The trick is that the E-450 can increase the speed of the video card if there’s enough TDP around and thus boost the video performance of the laptop.

Even so, don’t expect wonders, as this is an on board video card- the best you can get out of it is running newer games on modest settings and playing HD video, which is a pretty decent deal for a mid range 13.3 incher. You can opt between 2 or 4 GB of RAM, which is more than enough if you’re going to stick with the original OS, namely the feeble Windows 7 Home Basic. As for storage, there are two options, namely 320 and 500 GB, and there’s no word if an SSD option will be offered.

Spec sheet for the U32U- thumbs up for 2 USB 3.0 ports, Asus!

The screen has a standard 1366 x 768 resolution, while ports include no less than 2 USB 3.0 ports, one 2.0 port, a HDMI port to connect the computer to an HD TV or projector, card reader and audio jack. The U32U is hailed to have a great battery life- Asus claims that the laptop can run on a single charge for about 12 hours.

While it’s true that the E-450 has better power management, it’s hard to believe that the laptop will actually have a 12 hour battery in it- a 8-10 hour life span is the best we can hope for, I think, as the 12 hour claim was probably obtained in factory testing conditions.

The U32U will be released next year for a base price of a little over $500 and will be available in the US, mainly, and there’s no info about availability in other territories.

We’ll know more as we get closer to CES, so stay tuned for steamy info as the year nears its end.

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And even though the UX 31, along with its smaller sibling, the UX 21, are expected to revolutionize the entire computer market, being aimed directly at overthrowing the MacBook Air’s supremacy, before actually talking about these kinds of things, the 13-incher should first be put against one of its family members, the U36SD.

The Asus U36SD is one of the most appreciated 13-inch ultraportable notebooks at the moment, impressing with great performance and a very strong battery. In the following lines we will therefore compare and contrast the two slim and strong laptops from Asus and we will try to determine which one is the better all-around piece of computer equipment.

Design and exterior

While the U36SD made quite a visual impression after its official release, being slim, thin and sturdy, the UX 31 redefines portability and lightweight. The new ultrabook weighs in at just 2.9 pounds and measures a mere 0.8 inches in depth, while the U36SD goes for over 3.7 pounds and is over an inch thick.

The UX31 is clearly the most fashionable of the two, as well as the strongest.

In terms of build quality, the UX 31 is again the better device, managing to somehow be at the same time elegant and robust. The magnesium lid case of the U36SD looks good and sturdy, but compared to the UX31’s aluminum unibody it doesn’t stand a chance.

Keyboard and trackpad

Both these laptops feature very large keyboards, with well-spaced and well-sized keys, which provide a pretty good level of comfort and accuracy. However, the UX31’s keyboard certainly looks and feels better, coming with metal keys and not plastic-finished ones, as you will find on the U36SD.

As far as the trackpad goes, the differences are even bigger, with the UX31 providing much more comfort and responsiveness. The trackpad on the U36SD is not poor, but the magnesium surface looks and feels much cheaper than the glass surface on the UX31.

The UX31's keyboard and touchpad are clearly better than the ones featured by the U36SD.

Screen, hardware and performance

While both displays are glossy and therefore unable to offer a decent image quality in difficult lighting conditions, the UX31 is again better, coming with a higher-resolution screen. The U36SD features the already classic 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, while the UX31 comes with a 1600 x 900 pix res, which will most likely translate into crisper colors, higher brightness and contrast and better viewing angles.

As far as performance goes, the U36SD is actually much better. The top version of the notebook is powered by a very snappy 2.3 GHz Intel core i5-2410M and features 4 GB of RAM, as well as a pretty impressive Nvidia GeForce GTX 520M graphics card.

The UX31 sports a high-resolution 13.3-inch screen.

The UX31, on the other hand, is powered by a slower 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5-2557M chipset and features 4 GB of RAM, as well as an Intel UMA graphics card.

You can therefore expect a much better gaming experience from the U36SD, as well as very smooth browsing. In terms of storage space, the U36SD is slightly better, featuring a 160 GB solid state drive. The UX31 also comes with an SSD, but its capacity is of only 128 GB.

Battery life, connectivity and others

Both these 13-inchers are very competitive in terms of battery life, with estimated autonomies of around five or six hours, based on regular use. The UX31, on the other hand, comes with a very nice touch, automatically backing your computer’s data when the battery reaches a five percent charge.

While not being as slim and elegant as the UX31, the U36SD is clearly better in terms of raw performance.

In terms of ports and connectivity, the U36SD comes with more options. Therefore, while both computers feature Wireless and Bluetooth compatibility, as well as a USB 3.0 port and a mini VGA connector, the U36SD has two USB 2.0 ports (the UX31 only has one), a full-sized HDMI port (the UX31 has mini-HDMI), Gigabit Lan and a 5-in-1 card reader (the UX31 only has an SD card reader).

The stereo speakers, on the other hand, are clearly better on the UX31, where you will be pretty amazed by the high volume and the well above average bass.

Pricing

Both these 13-inchers from Asus are currently available in two different versions. The U36SD goes for between 800 and 1,000 dollars, while the UX31 can be bought at around 1,100-1,400 bucks. If you want to find out more about their prices and also where to find them, you can check out this review of the Asus U36SD or the UX31’s presentation. There you can find out more details and information about the two laptops as well.

The U36SD is a bit cheaper than the UX31 and also features more connectivity options.

Wrap-up

While both the Asus U36SD and the UX31 are extremely competitive right now, being destined to sell in large numbers and to attract generous audiences, the two 13-inchers are actually very different and are aimed towards different people.

The UX31, on one hand, is highly elegant, fashionable, portable and slim, sporting a great display as well. On the other hand, the U36SD is clearly snappier and has a better hardware configuration, as well as a couple of extra ports and connectivity options.

In the end, if you will have to choose between these two, you will most definitely have to firstly think about what you need and want and not which one of the two is best, because all in all they are both great and you will be surely satisfied with either of the two.

Related posts:

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And even though the UX31 was made available for sale just a while back, the first product releases have already appeared. These are very encouraging, to say the least, with most of the reviewers calling Asus’ s 13-incher an almost perfect laptop.

Being targeted to compete against Apple’s great MacBook Air, but also against other slim and ultraportable laptops expected pretty soon, the UX31 has many strong points, but also a couple of weak points.

In the following lines we will take a quick look at both its advantages and disadvantages, trying to determine just how far from perfection this ultrabook really is.

Design and build

While we were expecting a slim, thin and portable laptop, the UX31 has surpassed all expectations in terms of design, being beautiful, fashionable, but also reliable-looking. The brushed-aluminum chassis, along with the circular spun-metal pattern on the lid are just two of the elements that make the 13-incher original and elegant.

The UX31's aluminum unibody looks and feels extremely strong and smooth.

Weighing in at just three pounds and measuring a mere 0.7 inches thin, the UX31 redefines portability, but somehow manages to be sturdy and robust as well. It’s true, it looks a bit like the MacBook Air here and there, but overall the design is chic, special and pretty innovative.

Keyboard and touchpad

Like its smaller sibling, the UX21, the most important weak point of the 31 is the keyboard and touchpad. The keyboard, on one hand, while being comfortable, accurate and pretty well-spaced, can’t compare with the one featured on the MacBook Air when it comes to one feature. The backlighting, present on Apple’s best seller, but missing from Asus’ s ultrabook.

The UX31's keyboard is large and comfortable, but has a couple of flaws.

The touchpad is itself decent, but not impressive, being large, good-looking and comfortable, but not that responsive from time to time or accurate.

Screen, hardware and performance

Probably the biggest ace up the UX31’s sleeve is the 13.3-inch display. This comes with a great resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels, which is much higher than the standard 1366 x 768 and even higher than the MacBook Air’ s 1440 x 900.

This will translate into incredibly crisp colors, as well as high brightness, contrast and viewing angles. You can run HD video content without any problem and the overall image quality is out of this world.

The display is one of the best you could hope to get on today's computer market.

In terms of hardware and performance, things are again great, with the UX31 being slightly better than even the MacBook Air. The second generation Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology, along with the 4 GB of RAM and the Intel UMA graphics card make for a very snappy system, capable of running a few demanding video games, as well as surfing the web at great speeds and playing any kind of multimedia content.

As for the storage space, you get a 128 GB solid state drive, which will provide you with enough internal memory to go around, but which will also up your booting speeds and boost your battery.

And talking about booting speeds, the innovative Asus Super Hybrid Engine II technology with Instant On will ensure a two-second resume of the notebook from sleep mode, which is pretty cool.

Battery life, connectivity, ports and others

According to the battery test performed by the guys at laptopmag.com, the UX31 managed to go for just under six hours on a single charge. That is pretty close to the autonomy found by Engagdet during their standard battery test and is well above average right now. We should also mention another cool Asus feature, which automatically backs up your data when the battery reaches a five percent charge.

If you are looking for thin and portable, the UX31 is the ideal choice.

In terms of connectivity and ports, you get pretty much all you could hope from an ultraportable and slim computer like this, including two USB ports (a 2.0 and a 3.0), micro HDMI, a mini VGA port for external monitor, an SD card reader, as well as Wireless and Bluetooth 4.0 compatibility.

Other features include an 0.3 megapixel webcam, but also a couple of great stereo speakers, which impress with great volume and above average bass.

Pricing and availability

The UX31 has gone up for sale only a few weeks back and is currently available for 1,099 dollars, with a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 128 GB SSD storage. This is a bit more than what Intel planned when it first started to talk about ultrabooks, but is pretty decent nevertheless and is less than what the MacBook Air goes for at the moment.

However, more versions should be available in these next weeks and I’d expect the prices do drop as we get closer and closer to the Winter Sales period, especially during the Cyber Monday deals period.

No matter how you look at it, the Asus UX31 is brilliant.

Wrap-up

While it has its tiny flaws, especially when talking about the keyboard and touchpad, the Asus UX31 ultrabook has every chance of making a great impression in the computer market.

Being slim, lightweight and portable, but also sturdy and solid and featuring great technical specs, as well as a display like no other, Asus’s 13-incher is arguably better than Apple’s Macbook Air and it could well be the best ultrabook for the following months.

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The U36SD has a Core i5, 2.3 GHZ processor, a glossy 13.3 inch, 1366 x 768 display,  6 GB of RAM (4 for the basic version), a 640 GB HDD and the Nvidia GT 520M video card, as well as Intel on board graphics. You can switch between the two in order to preserve battery using Optimus technology. The laptop has a pretty slim profile, 0.76 inch, being thinner than other 13.3 inch slim machines, like the Lenovo E220S and MacBook Pro, but failing to outmatch the MacBook Air or Samsung 9 Series.

The notebook’s magnesium chassis is a nice touch, being both sturdy and light. Less impressive is the glossy display and bezel, which will have to be cleaned quite often of smudges, stains and other. The keyboard is standard chiclet and has a plastic finish, which makes it a little noisy and causes some flex. As for performance, the Core i5 dual core processor (with 2.9 GHZ Turbo Boost), 6 GB of RAM and a newer Nvidia video card is a setup that should prove more than enough for most tasks, including gaming, video processing, HD playback and more.

The U36S has a magnesium chassis and matte finish

As for battery life, the tested unit was able to go for about 6 hours on a single charge, while in power saving mode, with Wireless off and working only with simple apps, like text editors. Anything more than that will make the battery meter go down much faster- running HD content with brightness at 80% will deplete the battery in about 4 hours.

The one major flaw of the notebook is that it gets hot pretty fast, but if you intend to keep it on a desk most of the time, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The laptop will cost a little under $1000, with the base models being even cheaper. It’s not a bad price at all, but considering that right now everybody is thinking at Ultrabooks, offering “conventional” laptops at a lower price seems like the right move.

Update, the U36SD is now available in stores and it already got a small discount going, for around 950 bucks.

Stay tuned for a couple of demos and hands on videos with the U36SD. Enjoy.

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The LED backlit screen has a 1366 x 768 resolution and as we said earlier, might attract some glare if you’re taking it outside in sun. Before getting down and dirty with the internals of this laptop, let’s take a look at the build and design. The lid is made from aluminium and the only marking on it is the Asus logo, positioned not quite in the middle.

The U30s has a screen that will reflect light

The device looks and feels very solid and all the joints and hinges feel the same; we don’t recommend dropping it on the ground or something, but if that happens, there’s a big chance the floor will suffer more than the laptop The area around the keyboard has the same finish, but around the screen you get a plastic finish, which, as all plastic, will attract fingerprints.

On the bottom, there are some hatches for easily accessing the internals, like RAM or HDD for some upgrades.  The keyboard of the U30S has big keys and plenty of room between them in order to avoid typos. There’s not much flex and noise, so we must say this is a truly enjoyable keyboard- it has a little of MacBook Pro in it, but can you blame Asus for learning from the best? The touch pad is rather big, has a metal finish and has a single mouse button, as well as a pretty decent palm rejection system.

In terms of size, the laptop is 1.4 inch thick, which might be much for some, but for a machine that can replace your desktop computer, it’s not that much. It weighs around 4.2 pounds, which is not much, but not less either- but you should carry it around without many problems. Now, let’s move on to the hardware.

The laptop can run flawless HD content

The U30S has a Core i5 processor, running at 2.3 GHZ and can host as much as 8 GB of RAM. With this initial setup, you can imagine how fast apps and casual desktop operation will be. Of course, the 8 GB version is not standard- that one will probably come with 4 GB, but that’s still a decent deal. In terms of graphics, there’s Intel HD graphics and Nvidia 520M, which is Nvidia’s entry level mobile graphic card.

You’ll be able to run flawless HD playback and animations of any kind and you’ll be able to play some games as well, some of them released in late 2010, like Fifa 11. Well, don’t expect them to run with all the settings very high, but in comparison with the performance you usually get on laptops, the U30S will be more than satisfying.

The hard disk drive is also pretty good, a 500 GB, 7.200 rpm HDD. There’s also even a optical drive, namely a DVD burner ROM, which is nice- I guess a Blu Ray drive is too much to ask for now. To round up the specs, there are 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA and HDMI slots and card reader. The battery will run for as long as 6 hours on a single charge, but less if you’ll run graphic intensive apps.

Premium Altec Lansing sound adds to the gaming experience the u30s can deliver

The OS is Windows 7 Premium and you get also some Asus dedicated programs, but you can easily get rid of them and even go for a fresh install. For now, there’s no clear info about the pricing of this one or about a release date, but we might expect it to cost somewhere around $1000, considering the specs.

Update: This oen is now available in the US for around 800 bucks, with some discounts and Free Shipping. The black version sells as Asus U30SD, while the silver one goes as Asus U31SD. See the links for more details about each of them, with pictures, reviews from users and prices.

Read Reviews

All in all, it might worth the investment, considering it has some great features, like the lid finish and great keyboard and a hardware lineup strong enough to put many laptops to shame.

More info on this Asus U30S review.

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This should be the weapon of choice for those who seek a little more from their everyday mobile computing (and of course are willing to pay a little extra in comparison with what you would normally pay for a modest netbook).

In terms of appearance, the NF310 looks classy, and has a faux metal finish, namely the Titan Silver finish. It sure looks great, but it might attract a fair amount of fingerprints after a while.

The construction is very sturdy, we might add, so on the build side this surely is a winner. The keyboard and touch pad are also very well made, with the keys having little to no flex and being very silent.

the keyboard has lots of space between the keys and the touch pad has a great feel to it

And there’s so much space between them that typos are hardly an issue (maybe the space bar is a little small, though). The touch pad has a metal feel to it, being very pleasant to work with. The metal feel is present also on the palm rest, which is very comfy and will hardly get hot. Now, the screen. This is something you rarely get on a netbook and we’re talking about the 1366 x 768 wide screen display, which is able to play true HD video.

Most netbooks come with a 1024 x 600 screen and deliver fair performance, but the NF310 raises the stakes and comes with an extravagant display. Also, the screen has a matte coating, meaning you can use it also in sunny places, like a park or something. The screen uses LED technology, which allows for thinner screens and better battery life, as well as crisp and sharp images.

Moving on to the hardware, we’re as happy as we were when talking about the screen. At the core of this netbook, there are actually two cores . I’m talking about the Intel Atom N550, which has two cores running at 1.66 GHZ. The N550 offers twice the performance in comparison with single core processors. Plus, it’s much better when it comes to power management, as it takes in less than first generation processors.

The HD screen brings a different experience than most netbooks can produce

In terms of graphics, there’s also an on board video card, namely the Intel GMA 3150, which is able to decode HD video up to 720p (add that to the dual core chip and HD screen and you have a great multimedia netbook). A less bright side of the netbook is that it comes with only 1 GB of RAM, but you can of course add up to 2 GB.

The limited amount of RAM is motivated by the OS, which is Windows 7 Starter, the cheapest version of the OS not being able to cope with more than 1 GB. Most manufacturers put in only 1 GB to keep the price down, but users usually go for a clean Home or Premium install after purchase, so adding more system memory will be very easy.

The HDD has a 250 GB capacity, which should be enough to keep all your stuff in one place (or most of it, anyway). In terms of ports, everything is there, including USB, card reader, audio jack and the works. If we’re at the audio part, you should know the netbook comes with SRS Premium Audio, which should complement the HD experience.

The Titan Silver is surely an eye catcher...but will do the same with fingerprints

Connectivity wise, nothing spectacular, as you get WiFi and blue tooth 3.0 Battery tests indicated that the juice maker can go on a single charge for about 9 hours, but I doubt it can do that while playing HD video. The NF310 is available from Amazon for a reduced price of $369.99, which is a no brainer, basically, considering the great screen and HD capabilities of the processor.

It’s a setup you don’t find on any netbook and the extra 60 or 70 bucks in comparison with mainstream netbooks is surely worthwhile. Also, like other Samsung netbooks, the NF310 has a very stylish design and a great keyboard.

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The hardware config looks similar to the one available on the Asus U36JC-A1 we can find in US stores, but only comes with 3 GB of memory, instead of 4, which is a bit odd in my eyes to be frank.

Anyway, we won’t get into details, you should read the review for that. We will however tell you a couple of things about the good and bad parts of the device.

Asus U36J comes with a sleek body, but the hardware inside needs a refeshment

Here’s what to like:

• the device is very solid, covered in a black magnesium alloy material, which doesn’t scratch or bend, but does catch fingerprints. Still, looks and feels very good and gives the U36J a fancy style.
• the U36J is very thing, measuring only 0.7 inches in thickness and is also quite light (3.2 pounds with a 4 Cell battery and 3.6 with an 8 Cell one)
• keyboard is OK and doesn’t flex. Trackpad and buttons and proper sized and comfortable to use
• you get  fingerprint reader
• status LEDs were nicely integrated just beneath the trackpad
• good hardware, but feels outdated on a device launched in early 2011

And here’s what not to:

• the screen: is glossy, offers poor vertical viewing angles and doesn’t tilt back too much
• speakers are OKish but do sound kind of hallow
• battery life is not as good as you woudl expect from an 8 Cell battery
• performances are decent, but competitors do offer better

Bottom line, the U36J is impressive in terms of design and build quality, but the outdated hardware inside makes it pale. The good part is we should see an update soon so most of the problems should be solved by and Intel SandyBridge platform. Except the ones with the display of course, but that screen ain’t that bad, just that we were expecting way better from a device that will set us back 1000 bucks.

But I wouldn’t jump and buy one yet, wait for that soon to come hardware upgrade. Cause the U36JC has the potential to be great, but it’s not there yet.

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3. Asus U30S(U30SD) reviewed – a mini laptop that can play many tricks

So no wonder the various versions of the Asus UL30A have become so popular all around the globe (in the US they are some of the bet sold laptops). What we have here right now is the Asus UL30JT, the next step from Asus in terms of mobile computing.

Shortly, this laptop merges the looks and build quality of the previous generation with a new hardware platform, meant to offer better performance and increased autonomy in the same time. Read the review below to see how exactly is that possible and to find out if the product leaves up to its expectations.

Specifications

• Intel Core i5-520UM 1.07 Ghz processor with Intel Boost technology (boosts frequency when needed)
• 4 GB of RAM DDR3 1067 MHz
• 2.5″ 640 GB hard-drive 5400 rpm + Online Storage
• X4500M graphics + Nvidia GT310M + Optimus
• Wi-Fi N, Bluetooth 2.1, Gigabit LAN
• 3xUSB ports, card-reader, webcam, VGA+HDMI output, speakers
• 8 Cell battery 5600 mAh 84 Wh
• Windows 7 (Ultimate on this particular version, but it will probably ship with Home)
• weighs 3.7 pounds (1.75 kg)

Design and build quality

On the outside, nothing much has changed from the previous generation. I remember back when i first got my hands on the Asus UL30A, I considered it one of the best looking laptops ever-made. And I still do.

The UL30JT is almost identical to that one, in fact there’s only one thing different: the entire palm rest and the area around the keyboard are no longer made out of a glossy plastic, but a matte one which feels better and catches smudges harder. While the casing of this device is made out of matte plastic, the lid is covered in a brushed aluminum finish.

This gives a more elitist aspect and while better than a plastic case when dealing with scratches, it still catches smudges and fingerprints. They shouldn’t be so easy to spot on the silver finish though, so I would get that instead of this black one, if given the choice.

A looker - the 13 inch Asus UL30JT

Build quality is solid, very solid i must say. And based on reviews received by the previous UL30s, the entire computer is very reliable. So you shouldn’t have problems with it on the long run (although that’s something for the future to prove).

Ports and features

Back - only the battery, a big 8 Cell one

Back side

Left side – card-reader, headphones and mic, 2xUSB slots, Ethernet, DC-IN

Left Side

Right side – big heating vent, VGA, HDMI and 1xUSb slot

Right side

Front – nothing but the system LEDs

Front side

Bottom – big battery and the dedicated bays for upgrading RAM and HDD

Front side

Also, see my hands-on clip below:

Keyboard and trackpad

They keyboard on the Asus UL30JT is a chiclet-styled one with independent keys, also 100% Full-size, thus those of you with bigger fingers won’t have any problems with it.

Good overall, although the plastic used for the keys doesn’t quite feel right and the flex is a little bit too obvious. If the keyboard kept from the previous generation is a good one, i would have hoped the trackpad with that dimpled texture to have been replaced. It’s not matte anymore, which is a plus, but still responsiveness and overall touch-feeling are not as they should be.

Don’t get me wrong, this touchpad does its job, but sometimes won’t be as quick and precise as you would want it to be.

Chiclet keyboard and dimpled trackpad

Display

The Asus UL30JT comes with a 13.3 inch LED backlit display with 1366 x 768 px resolution (perfect for a screen this big). Very good overall and with nice colors, brightness and viewing angles, as long as you use it inside on in poor light conditions. When taken outside or used in direct light, it turns into a mirror, because it’s glossy. The clips in this post stand as proof for that too. So too bad, i wished Asus had a matte display for this device, at least as an option you’d have to pay extra for.d

Screen is glossy

Hardware

The UL30JT proves its superiority over the previous UL30 series when it comes to hardware. First of all, this device packs the Intel new generation ULV processor built on Arrandale platform (32 nm), the Core i5-520UM. Clocked at 1.06 GHz, this processor comes with 3 MB of L3 cache, HyperThreading and 800 MHz FSB, while bringing Intel’s Turbo Boost technology which automatically increases frequency (by increasing the multiplier) in case extra performance is needed.

Theoretically the increase is up to 1.86 GHz, although CPUz presented numbers up to 2.4 GHz on this system (but it might be some kind of mistake) The device is based on the HM55 Express Chipset and comes with a hybrid graphic solution (managed by the Nvidia Optimus technology). The two graphic chips used are the GMA X4500 and the Nvidia GT310M. Optimus is the link between the two and seamlessly changes between them based on the operation the computer is performing (and its requirement for graphic power).

Thus, when browsing, listening to music, writing, the system uses the integrated chip in order to offer better autonomy, but when watching HD content or playing games, the dedicated Nvidia GT310M chips jumps immediately in action, in order to cope with the requirements.

Good hardware

Also in terms of hardware, the Ul30JT brings 4 GB of RAM (upgradeable to and 640 GB storage. Wi-Fi N, Ethernet (Gigabit Lan) and Bluetooth are present as connectivity options, but there’s no sign of even optional 3G (at least not on this test version I have on my desk – there’s usually a slot behind the battery on in the left-side, but this one lacks it).

Performances and Software

When speaking of performances, this laptop is perhaps right now one of the lords in the 13 inch class. While still using an ULV platform in order to also offer decent battery life, it can run nearly all kind of software and applications.

1080P - Flash

This test version came with Windows 7 Ultimate, but it will probably ship with Home Premium or Professional. Anyway, Asus loads it with quite a lot of bloatware (at least 10 applications you’ll hardly ever going to need) which has some effects over the snappiness of the entire system, thus, if you get this laptop, installing a fresh Windows should be your main priority.

Self stored 1080P on Power Saver

Still, even with the bloatware installed, this notebook is fast. It can run any type of software, including power hungry ones like Photoshop, Corel, etc.

Still, don’t expect them to load as fast as on your desktop. What the UL30JT is meant for is multimedia on the go, thus it can face 1080P content both self-stored and Flash, even on battery-more with Power balance profile selected. The screens below prove it. It scores a 3.0 Windows 7 rating, with the poorest mark received for graphics.

Windows 7 rating

But even so, this laptop can handle games. I for one tried Anno 1404 which is a RTS launched late last year and it can run from 20-25 fps (on native resolution with details on medium) to 50-80 fps (on 1024 x 768) with details also on medium. So more than playable. Other games like Counter-strike, Call of Duty, Sims, all should run decently on this laptop as long as you don’t expect to play them on full-details.

So overall the UL30JT performs amazingly well for a 13 incher ULV laptop. Better than i was expecting actually. Stay tuned, I’ll get back with some tests later on (if you want me to run a particular test, please post a comment and I’ll see what i can do). Here you can see the results for the benchmarks conducted on this laptop. Also, see this video below for more details on performances in clips and games.

Battery life

Like I said before, this laptop packs an 8 Cell 5600 mAh 84 Wh 15V battery. A pretty big one, but the hardware is needy too. So, expect to get:

• around 7-8 hours of life on light browsing on Wi-fi with Screen dimmed to 50% (and no music)
• around 5 hours on regular DivX movies
• around 3 hours on HD playing and gaming
• anywhere in between for a mix of these

All in all, you get good performance and battery life of around 5-7 hours on average, which is more than excellent. And the battery charges from 10 to 100% in around 2.5 hours, so pretty fast.

Sound, webcam, noise, heat and others

The UL30JT comes with a webcam, like all modern netbooks, placed on the upper part of the display. It’s only a 0.3 MPx one, so don’t expect much, but for chatting and Skype is more than enough. Sound quality on the other hand is top notch. The speakers in this notebook are not only loud, but also very good. I reckon there’s some Altec Lansing technology inside, like I’ve seen on other Asus devices. As for noise and heat.

I have to say this device is a little bit noisier than the other 13 inch laptops I’ve tested. Having the powerful hardware comes with a price, and especially when playing or watching HD clips, the fan will get quite loud. Not disturbingly loud, but still, you’ll hear it. Also, the bottom-left part of this Asus gets a little bit hot and there’s a lot of warm air dispersed through that vent on that side. Yes, i know, “a little bit hot” it’s not really scientific, but I lack a method or tool to properly measure temperature on the surface, although I’ve been looking for one (suggestions would be appreciated ).

So for now, you’ll just have to take my word for it: this laptop gets somewhat hot on the left-bottom side. But is it “Burn my legs hot”? Definitely not, at least for me, and I have low heat tolerance

Where you can get it

You can’t get it yet. This device is not available on the market yet and what I have on my desk is an early sample. However, we should see it in stores soon, probably in the next weeks. I’d reckon prices will get to around 700-800 bucks, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Asus plans. I’ll update this part once i know more.

Update: This device is now available in the States for $849 , from Amazon.com .

Asus UL30JT - a winner

Final thoughts

If you’ll read some of my other posts on this site, you’ll see i almost never rate a device “top notch”. The UL30A was one of the exceptions and now the Asus UL30JT is another. I i were to rate it, i would give it 9 out of 10. I like the looks, the design and the construction quality. I like the powerful hardware in this light body and the fact that it comes with Optimus, so you get a mix between performance and battery life.

Overall, I like it, although I would have given it a 10 if Asus changed the screen with a matte one and the trackpad with a better option (like we saw they’re preparing for the EEE PC 1218 for instance). Still, if Asus manages to get the UL30JT for a fair price, which should be around 700-800 bucks, I’m sure it will quickly become very popular. Because it’s good, bringing portability, power and hopefully a nice price tag under a single roof. And this doesn’t happen too often.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• sleek aspect and solid build quality
• light and compact for a 13 incher
• bright display, very good inside or in poor light conditions
• latest generations ULV hardware from Intel
• top performances: can run nearly all kind of applications, clips and even most of the modern games
• good full-size keyboard, although with a little bit too much flex for my taste
• big battery which translates in good autonomy: up to 8 hours
• very good speakers
• good connectivity, but no 3G option

Cons:

• Glossy display (so unusable outside)
• trackpad with the dimpled finish and single-click button will do its job, but is not the best
• aluminum exterior still catches smudges and fingerprints and they are noticeable on this black finish
• gets noisy and hot on its upper left-side when used in intense applications
• there’s a lot of bloatware preinstalled with the OS

All the pictures

Related posts:

1. Asus EEE PC 1025C review – a good netbook for 2012
2. Asus 1225C review – a good EEE PC mini laptop for 2012
3. Asus B23E 12-incher released: a business laptop with a lot of power and a premium price