The Asus Zenbook UX305 Is a Beautiful Laptop at a Steal of a Price

Apple’s MacBook Air is the ultimate ultralight laptop and the only ultralight for Mac users. Windows users have more options. Like the new Asus Zenbook UX305.

The Zenbook is one of the thinnest and lightest notebooks around, and with a starting price of N150K, it’s N65K less than Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air.

It’s a good machine, but sadly there are tradeoffs.

A beauty with some warts

At 2.6 pounds, the aluminum Zenbook is about a third of a pound lighter than the MacBook Air. But it’s about the same size: 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches, compared with the Apple’s 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches. The difference in weight comes from the fact that the Zenbook doesn’t use as many internal parts as the MacBook, a result of the processor used in the Zenbook.

Lenovo’s Yoga 3 Pro, another superthin laptop, offers the same dimensions and weight as Asus’s Zenbook and doubles as a tablet. However, at $1,299, the Lenovo costs nearly twice as much as the Asus and $300 more than the MacBook Air.

Outside of Apple, Asus easily makes some of the most attractive laptops on the market. As with its predecessors, the Zenbook UX305’s cover features a large ASUS logo ringed by a series of concentric circles. It’s a beautiful design that gives the laptop a decidedly upscale look.

 Zenbook looks great, but it’s an absolute fingerprint magnet.

Screen

The Zenbook’s 13-inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution display offers crisp, sharp text and images, but there are issues with its anti-glare matte coating.

Matte screens are great for using in direct sunlight or under bright office lights because they are less reflective, but they make colors look duller. A glossy screen (as on a MacBook Air) shows  bright, vibrant colors but can be tough to see under bright lights.

 If you’re the kind of person who needs to use your computer outside, a matte screen will likely be a better choice.

Videos  still look fine on the Zenbook’s display.