ASUS ZenBook UX42VS Battery
Considering the size of the screen, some people might prefer to hook up an external monitor. The Mini VGA dongle is included; the Micro HDMI connector is an accessory. The quality of the picture was good in both cases. Asus doesn't offer any other screens for the UX21 - given the high-resolution, this is understandable. Before we proceed with evaluating the display, we want to mention our three areas of criticism: the large display hinge doesn't hold the display as well as it should - especially when the display is tilted back almost all the way, the display suffers from "clouding" (light "leakage" to the visible portions of the screen) at the perimeter after extended periods of use and when we twisted the display we also noticed some ripple effects. ASUS ZenBook UX42V battery pack
To start off our tests, we determine screen brightness using a new tool (X-Rite i1 Pro 2). We measured an average brightness of 322 cd/m² with the brightness decreasing from the top of the screen to the bottom (although the difference is not noticeable during daily use). Because of the variation of up to 40 cd/m², the brightness distribution is 85 percent - still a "good" result, although we would like to see values above 90 percent in this premium category. The MacBook Air 11 Mid 2012 also failed to convince here - it scored only 82 percent. ASUS ZenBook UX42VS Battery
All subsequent measurements leave a favorable impression. The blackpoint is low at 0.38 cd/m² and the contrast ratio correspondingly high at 876:1. Especially when watching movies or looking at vacation photos, this combination really does wonders for the quality of the experience. Another important criterion is a comparison of the display output with the professional color spaces. Since this is a consumer notebook, we can't really expect too much - but the panel nonetheless almost completely reproduces the sRGB reference color space. Most competing notebooks don't do nearly as well here. The UX21A is not a solution for the photographer - but for a quick look at photos the notebook is perfectly suitable. Battery for UX42
Outdoors the Ultrabook does really well. The matte screen surface, maximum brightness, and the high contrast value pay dividends here. Of course, in direct sunlight we would wish for even greater brightness - but we had no issues in shaded areas and especially indoors. A great example for extremely bright panels is Samsung's Series 9 premium subnotebooks such as the 13.3-inch 900X3C-A04DE. ASUS UX42A Ultrabook Charger
Because of IPS (In Plane Switching) technology, there are absolutely no issues with viewing angle stability. Even very shallow angels have no real impact on picture quality: the colors remain vivid and don't invert. An additional advantage compared to regular TN panels is the decreased power consumption. Samsung has outfitted some of their high-end devices with an advanced version of the technology (PLS - Plane to Line Switching), since they consume even less power. So far, Samsung only uses this type in their own displays. As far as viewing angle stability is concerned, both technologies are comparable, however. ASUS UX42V Ultrabook battery pack
Although Asus offers two versions of the Zenbook Prime UX21A in Germany, the only real difference is the size of the SSD. Our review model UX21A-K1010V (1199 Euros MSRP / ~$1550) is equipped with a 128 GB SSD, the more expensive (1299 Euros MSRP / ~$1680) UX21A-K1009V features a 256 GB SSD. Since an upgrade at a later stage is very expensive, it is advisable to spend some time before the purchase to evaluate what amount of storage is needed. Battery for UX42VS Ultrabook
Back to the similarities: for processing power, the Ultrabook relies on a fast Intel Core i7-3517U dual-core ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) processor with hyperthreading (four threads) and a core frequency of 1.9 GHz. Turbo Boost is able to overclock a single core to 3.0 Ghz or both cores to 2.8 Ghz. During our test, the processor was able to address all Turbo Boost and Speed Step (power-saving feature) frequencies without any issues. For details about throttling, please see our section on "Temperature". One of the advantages of the Core i7 over the Core i5 processors is the larger L3 cache (3 MB vs. 2 MB). Asus VivoBook S200 Charger
For graphics power, the notebook uses the integrated Intel GMA HD 4000, which supports DirectX11 and Shader 5.0. This particular GPU obviously wasn't designed for gaming, but rather for everyday tasks and multimedia purposes. The UX21A comes with 4 GB DDR3 RAM, which is soldered onto the motherboard and is therefore not upgradeable. Asus VivoBook S200L3217E battery pack
For the first tests in our series, we use the CPU benchmark tests from Maxon. The Intel Core i7-3517U in the UX21A manages a score of 10333 points in the Multi Thread CineBench R10 (64-Bit) - enough for a place in the top third of our database. The larger Samsung Series 9 900X3C-A04DE (same CPU) scored 10207 points. The older Zenbook UX21E with the Intel Core i5-2467M dual-core processor only managed 7158 points in the same test (a difference of 31 percent). Manufacturers often use the less expensive Intel Core i5-3317U in their systems. This CPU (also part of the Ivy Bridge generation) is frequently found in entry-level Ultrabooks. The average score: 8712 points - 15.7 percent lower. Examples for notebooks using this CPU are the Acer Aspire V5-171-53314G50ass and the HP Envy Spectre XT 13-2000eg Ultrabook. ASUS VivoBook S200L987E Charger
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