If salmon-pink isn’t your colour, then for $1,297 online via Dick Smith the 13.3in ASUS Zenbook UX31E-RY009V is well-priced considering that it combines good build quality with a strong set of hardware. Oh, and a spun-metal finish as opposed to the metallic salmon-pink of the Zenbook uploaded yesterday. The all-metal finish is about as good as it gets for Ultrabooks right now, and at 1.3kg it’s very light as well.
While the low-voltage 2nd Gen Intel Core i5, 4GB of RAM and 128GB solid state drive are expected for the price, the UX31E has one advantage over comparably priced alternatives. The 13.3in screen has a resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels when the 13.3in alternatives have 1,366 x 768 pixels, a big difference. The physical connectivity is reasonable but not as good as alternatives like the Toshiba Satellite Z830: the UX31E has a USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Micro-HDMI, Mini-VGA, a headphone jack and an SD card reader.
There’s no clear expiry date, but as soon as one becomes apparent we’ll update the special accordingly. Also, it’s only available online -- and home delivery perplexingly isn’t an option. This means that if you want to take advantage of the special you’ll have to buy it via Dick Smith Electronics’ website and use “Click & Collect”. More info on this process is available here. Please contact Dick Smith for any queries about how to process the order.
It also comes with two years of Intel Anti-Theft, a service that allows you to remotely lock the UX31E if it gets stolen or lost. This service normally costs extra, so getting it together with what’s already a good-value Ultrabook is a bargain by any measure.
See the special online here.
Processor
The UX31E features a 2nd Gen Intel Core i5-2557M (1.7GHz), which is one of the better mid-range low-voltage processors that can run productivity applications and some intensive software. It can burst up to 2.7GHz using Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology if a particularly demanding program is running.
Graphics
It comes with an integrated graphics solution called Intel HD Graphics 3000. It’s on par with a low-end dedicated graphics card, and is sufficient for modern games at the lowest settings.
RAM
4GB of RAM is enough to run several programs at once smoothly. It’s more than enough to ensure fluid overall system performance with Windows 7 Home Premium.
Storage
A 128GB solid state drive is very small, but it does provide very rapid response for both reading and writing data.
Screen
It sports a 13.3in (1,600 x 900 resolution) gloss screen. This is a much higher resolution than what’s typical for an Ultrabook (1,366 x 768).
Portability
The UX31E has exceptional portability, because it weighs 1.3kg and is 17mm thick. It’s more than light enough to be taken anywhere without any problems whatsoever.