Notebook Hunter

The metallic salmon pink of the ASUS Zenbook UX31E-RY032V is certainly unusual for an ultrabook, but for $1,299 it’s still good value. It’s got identical specs to the UX31E-RY009V (also on special today), but has a markedly more feminine appearance thanks to the colour choice. It’s sturdy to the touch and feels very premium overall. One unique feature is that the 13.3in screen has a resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels, a density that no other comparably sized ultrabook has matched so far. It also weighs only 1.3kg, making it very portable.

There’s no expiry date on the ASUS Zenbook UX31E-RY032V, so we’re assuming this is just Bing Lee’s normal (albeit rather low) price for this unit.

See the product page 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 about middle of the road in terms of size, and it has very rapid response though for both reading and writing data.

Screen
It sports a 13.3in (1,600x900 resolution) gloss screen. This is a much higher resolution than what’s typical for an ultrabook (1,366x768).

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.