Asus Zenbook UX303LA - Laptops 2024

With the Zenbook range, ASUS has one of the most interesting lines as far as ultrabooks are concerned. Partly thanks to it, the Taiwanese manufacturer has managed to achieve brand status to consider every time one considers the purchase of a laptop. If that is your current situation, it may be worth considering some of the options proposed by ASUS, including this ASUS Zenbook UX303, its new mobility-oriented laptop which we are going to review here.

During this autumn, ASUS is renewing its range of Zenbook ultrabooks, including the UX303 model, one of whose versions we have been able to test on Xataka Windows.With them, they incorporate processors from the latest batch of Intel inside the usual aluminum casing that gives a premium look to a team that not only seeks to compete to be one of the best ultrabooks with Windows 8.1 on the market, but also offer quality at a good price.

Asus Zenbook UX303LA, specifications

Processor	Intel Core i7 4510U 2.00 GHz
RAM	8GB DDR3
Storage	HDD 1000GB 5400rpm
Screen	13, 3-inch, 1600 x 900
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4400
Sound	Intel Lynx Point-LP, ICEpower \| Bang & Olufsen Technology
Grid	Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (a b g n ac)
Ports	3 USB 3.0, 1 with USB Charger+, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort,Headphone Jack, SD Card Reader
Webcam	HD 1280x720
Drums	50 Wh
Dimensions	327 x 227 x 20mm
Weight	1, 45kg
OS	Windows 8.1 64-bit

Test unit specifications.

Design and construction

The first thing that's familiar about the ASUS Zenbook UX303LA is its external appearance. And it is that the laptop has the characteristic case of the Asus Zenbook series, with a back surface of aluminum scratched in a circular way around the central ASUS logo . The aluminum also has the usual color treatment of the house, which gives it a hue close to that of worn metal, achieving a striking effect without being as forced as other metallic gray tones. It's a matter of taste, but it seems difficult to discuss the good result on an aesthetic level of the ASUS proposal.

But not only the view benefits from the choice of materials, the cold and metallic touch of the whole is equally pleasant. To put a hitch, its sharp lines can be accused of being too marked to serve as a rest for the wrists. Although, yes, there is no doubt that the sharp ends serve to reinforce the thinness and lightness of the set. Lightness that confirms its thickness of barely 2 centimeters and its weight below a kilo and a half It could be improved, but totally valid to serve its purpose as truly portable equipment.

The central body is made up of a couple of well-constructed and fixed pieces, the union of which is not even visible to the naked eye. In the lower area we hardly find small ventilation grills and small feet with pads that allow the laptop to be slightly raised on the surface on which it rests.The result, although nice, means hindering access to the equipment's guts by lacking expansion methods, something to take into account when choosing a configuration.

Base and screen are joined by a single, long connecting hinge that seems to offer enough strength. And we say it seems because, despite maintaining the position without problems, the screen has a certain tendency to remain oscillating slightly when changing the opening angle. However, it is not something pronounced and in no way tarnishes the good sensations in construction and design that the complex transmits.

As a demonstration of the attention to detail, it is enough to notice how ASUS has cleverly hidden ventilation grills in the inner area of the hinge. Grilles that, together with the cold touch of its materials and the good heat dissipation provided by the equipment, prevent us from noticing any overheating during prolonged or demanding use of the laptop .

Keyboard, touchpad and ports

The ASUS Zenbook UX303 is a laptop, so the quality of the two main control elements is particularly important: keyboard and touchpad. With the first ASUS manages to keep dimensions contained without compromising the size of the keys. Stable as a whole, thanks in large measure to the metal surface that supports it, its almost only flaw lies in the travel of the keys, scarce and somewhat lacking in feedback. But this is again a matter of taste, as is the position of the function keys, which is also not my favorite since it forces me to use both hands for tasks as common as turning the volume down or up. Regardless of these personal preferences, the ASUS Zenbook UX303 is a good keyboard that will surely satisfy the needs of a large majority of users

We find ourselves in a similar situation when talking about the touchpad. And it is that the good size of the keyboard has not prevented ASUS from also incorporating a large touchpad Made of a single piece and with pressing areas at the bottom, the touchpad works much better than a regular typing mouse user would admit. His touch is pleasant, his response adequate and his click sufficient. And not only that, the ASUS Zenbook UX303's touchpad is also one of the best I've tried when it comes to leveraging scroll gestures in Windows 8.

But, despite the above, we already know that often nothing can replace the precision of a good mouse. And for that we need connection ports Ports that, of course, this ASUS Zenbook UX303 also has. Located in the farthest part of its two sides, we find three USB 3 ports.0, one of them with Charger+ charging, an HDMI port, a mini Display-Port port, headphone jack, SD card slot, and charging port. The best that can be said about them is that they are where they belong And that's no small feat when compared to the unfortunate position of the tiny speakers, located on the sides and pointing down.

Processor, display and battery

The Intel's Haswell platform has demonstrated its suitability for this type of equipment that is strongly committed to mobility. This is the case with this ASUS ultrabook that also opts for one of Intel's low-voltage processors. Which one it is will depend on the configuration chosen, being able to reach up to an Intel i7 4510U

This processor occupies position 119 in the NotebookCheck list and is more than sufficient for the tasks that should be required of this type of notebook No one should have problems using any office application on it, to regularly browse the Internet, to play or edit certain multimedia content, or even for more demanding applications.

The question here is the usual one: knowing the type of equipment we are buying and the use for which it is intended. In that sense, a configuration like the test one, with an i7 and 8 GB of RAM is much more than enough. Obviously, this ASUS Zenbook UX303 does not perform if it is intended to be used, for example, to play video games with great graphic demands. That is not the remit of this laptop and it should not be judged for it. For everything else, wherever it is required it more than complies This is further attested by the different benchmarks to which it has been subjected.

PCMark 8 v2
Home	2476
Creative	2323
Work	2780

Cinebench R15
OpenGL	27.26 fps
CPU	277 cb

But power and performance are of no use if we don't have a suitable screen to display it. Fortunately, the Asus Zenbook UX303 integrates a valid option. This is a 13.3-inch matte screen with 1600x900 resolution. Configuration that I consider ideal for being a laptop, but that can also be configured with touch versions or higher resolution.

In any case, the role of the screen is relatively satisfactory Although in the test model the panel is not touch, something that in Windows 8.1 it never hurts, on a day-to-day basis this option will be little missed. As positive notes: the large frames do not detract from the set, the fineness of the panel is noticeable at all times, the automatic brightness setting works correctly, adjusting well to each situation, the screen is visible in all types of conditions and we have good viewing angles. sight. On the negative side, it could be blamed for some inaccuracy in the representation of colors. But, ultimately, the screen of the ASUS UX303LA should not disappoint us and accompanies more than decently the use that we will give it day to day.

There could be more debate on the always delicate issue of the battery ASUS integrates a 3-cell, 50 Wh battery into its ultrabook that has offered satisfactory results during the two weeks in which we have been able to test it.The charging periods oscillate around 3 hours, with variations depending on whether the laptop is turned off or we are using it while it is charging. Obviously, the same dependence on use is reflected in autonomy. Thus, although it barely reaches 4 hours during an intensive day of high-performance tests, we have been able to easily extend it up to 7 hours with normal use in balanced mode.

Software: Windows 8.1 and testing with Windows 10

How could it be otherwise, the ASUS Zenbook UX303 comes with Windows 8.1 installed out of the box. Microsoft's operating system, despite the lack of touch control, works perfectly on the computer and its performance is what we can expect from a clean installation. That helps the good decision of not overloading the system with our own and third-party software We continue to have to suffer with the default antivirus and with the hassle of registering in certain services, but otherwise the system appears pretty clean.

Without touch control, we again have to deal with the same problem that some of us still experience regarding the Modern UI environment and the difficulties of navigating it with mouse and keyboard. Fortunately, with Windows 8.1 things have improved and the good touchpad of the ASUS laptop helps to use it For the rest, we continue to have the same Windows as always, where any desktop app will work, and will work fine on this computer.

But there is another challenge that computers like this ASUS Zenbook UX303 will soon have to face: Windows 10. The next version of Microsoft's operating system should work even better than Windows 8.1 on a laptop with the characteristics of this , and so has the Windows 10 Technical Preview that we have been able to test on it through a virtual machine. Whoever buys now the ASUS Zenbook UX303 should have no problem running Windows 10 in the future

ASUS Zenbook UX303LA, conclusions

We've already said it, but it bears repeating. If this ASUS Zenbook UX303LA stands out from the start for something, it is because of good manners in the design by the manufacturer Few faults can be put to the construction, to the chosen materials and the expected aesthetics of a laptop that considers itself an ultrabook. And as such it must also be considered its more than adequate performance for the needs that a team of this type tries to satisfy.

More debatable may be issues such as the keyboard, the touchpad, the autonomy or the choice of the screen. In the opinion of the writer, except perhaps for details of the latter, the others comply adequately and contribute to improving the offer of a team that hides a good additional detail: its price. The new ASUS Zenbooks have reasonable prices, starting at 799 euros and going up as we add improvements to the configuration of an attractive and accessible ultrabook like few there are in the market.