Over the past few years, ASUS has been producing some of the best ultraportable laptops on the market. With their ZenBook series of laptops being widely popular for a lot of different aspects, the company’s new additions to the lineup are impressive as well. However, there was one weakness to the ZenBook 13 laptops, which was their aesthetics, which made them look like a standard machine. With the ZenBook 13 UX333FA laptop, the brand has managed to overcome the weakness by making this device more compact, slimmer, and giving it a premium look.
The ASUS ZenBook 13 UX333FA costs under $1000, but is one of the few laptops in the price range that comes packed with some amazing specs and features. Right from the powerful 8th generation i7 processor to amazing battery life, this could be the only laptop you need. But, there are some flaws that need to be addressed as well.
In-Depth ASUS ZenBook 13 Review
Design
The ZenBook 13 resembles some of its premium family members when it comes to design, and comes in a blue and gold color scheme, with concentric circles around the ASUS logo in the gold present in the center of the lid. Straight off the bat, the royal blue color of the laptop, similar to the same on some of the other top tier models from the brand, is really attractive, elegant, and sophisticated. While the whole color scheme and glossy finish make the laptop stand out from the crowd, it certainly is not too flashy to make you feel embarrassed about using it in your office. However, one slight drawback with the design is that the glossy finish on the chassis registers fingerprints really easily.
One of the highlighting features of the ASUS ZenBook 13 UX333FA is its portable nature. Weighing just 2.6 pounds and 0.6 inches in thickness, this is definitely one of the few highly portable and ultra-compact laptop models you will come across in this price range and category. This level of portability makes this laptop an amazing travel companion and also suitable for the daily commute. Despite being so light in weight, ASUS has made sure to not compromise on the device’s durability, to the point that the laptop is made to meet the most demanding military standards for durability and reliability.
Display
The ASUS ZenBook 13 comes with a 13.3-inch WideView Full HD NanoEdge bezel display, with screen resolution 1920 x 1080. In addition to this 13-inch model, the laptop is also available in 14- and 15-inches, with the price varying accordingly. First of all, the full HD resolution of this laptop is an excellent addition for a 13-inch screen, which means you get to enjoy great and vibrant color output, making the device suitable for movie watching, and other multimedia activities. The 1080p screen resolution makes visuals sharp, and moreover, you don’t have to be concerned about quick battery drain associated with 4K displays.
But, there is one downfall to the device’s display – brightness. It doesn’t score well in terms of the overall brightness; with the maximum screen brightness, all you can do is use the device indoors without any trouble, but not in bright or outdoor lighting conditions, because you will encounter way too many reflections on the glossy screen. The viewing angles of the display are excellent. Above all, with its four-sided NanoEdge bezel design, the device comes with 95% screen-to-body ratio, which is absolutely incredible.
Hardware Performance
The ZenBook 13 UX333FA is powered by the 8th generation Intel Core i7-8565U Quad-Core processor, with maximum clock speeds of 4.6 GHz. This quad-core processor belongs to the higher end of Intel’s 8th generation U-series processor lineup and is powerful enough to enable you to perform both your daily tasks as well as much heavier tasks at ease. With the i7 chips, you can also perform high-resolution photo and video editing on the device.
The laptop comes with a 16 GB RAM and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD, which together make the device even more efficient in terms of speed and performance. The device includes what they call the ErgoLift hinge mechanism, which is designed to automatically tilt the keyboard, and this, in turn, creates an additional ventilation space that allows for increased airflow around the bottom area of the chassis. As a result, the laptop will be able to remain cool even when you perform some intense tasks for a longer period of time.
Gaming
While the powerful processor used in the ZenBook 13 enables you to perform several demanding tasks, when it comes to gaming, however, you cannot do much, because of the Intel HD 620 graphics used in the device. As a result, despite the efficient processor, you cannot expect to perform any graphics-intensive activities on this laptop.
Connectivity
The ASUS ZenBook 13 UX333FA doesn’t disappoint in terms of the connectivity options it provides. Despite its thin and light form factor, the device comes with an HDMI port and a USB 3.1 Type-A port. In addition, you also get a USB 2.0 port, a Micro SD card reader, an audio jack, a DC-in port, and a USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port.
Keyboard and Touchpad
One thing that ASUS has managed to succeed in is offering proper key travel in its keyboard despite the thin profile. The device comes with a full-size backlit keyboard, which feels great. However, the keys are pretty tightly spaced, which results in uncomfortable typing experience. However, it shouldn’t bother you much when it comes to typing short documents, emails, or other small tasks.
For the touchpad, what you get with the ZenBook 13 is their new NumberPad, which gets activated when you hold the top right area of the touchpad. The touchpad is soft to the touch and highly responsive as well, and the numeric keypad enables easy and fast data entry.
Audio
The ASUS ZenBook 13 comes equipped with two down-firing speakers certified by Harman Kardon. While the speakers are able to deliver good and balanced audio output, they lack in loudness. However, there are no signs of distortion even when the volume is at its maximum, which is a huge plus.
Battery Life
While the brand claims up to 14 hours as the device’s battery life, the ZenBook 13 is able to last for more than 11 hours, which in itself is an amazing number when compared to most other models in this category.
Conclusion
The ASUS ZenBook 13 UX333FA is one solid piece of laptop you can find for under $1000. From its powerful performance to incredible battery life, there are a lot of areas where this device excels, making it an ideal option for many users, including students and office workers. Yes, like with any device, there are a few flaws, like the below-average audio loudness, cramped keyboard, etc. But, when looked at as a whole package, these flaws only seem minimal, and for the amount you invest, you are guaranteed a highly durable and practicable machine.
