Notebook Hunter

The 13.3in ASUS Zenbook UX31E-RY009V is a mid-range Ultrabook that’s affordably priced at $1,199. Where it stands apart from other mid-range alternatives is that the screen has a high resolution of 1,600 x 900, well above that of any other current Ultrabook except for the HP Envy 14 Spectre. The UX31E’s also got an all-metal exterior that makes it one of the best-looking notebooks we’ve seen to date, even when compared to the generally stylish crop of Ultrabooks released so far. The only downer is that it’s a bit skimpy as far as ports are concerned. It’s got full-sized USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports along with an SD card reader, but otherwise there’s only a Micro HDMI and Mini VGA port. There’s also a headphone jack, but it’d be more of a surprise if that wasn’t included.

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
A128GB solid state drive is very small, but it does have very rapid response though 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.

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