Asus Zenbook UX21E-DH52

What 's more ultraportable than an ultrabook ? The Ultrabooks we've tried to date , Asus Zenbook UX31 like - RSL8 ( $ 1,049 list , 4 stars ) , had a 13.3 - inch display . But even a 2.9 - pound sliver is too big for you , Asus also makes a 2.25 - pound crushed glass : The Asus Zenbook UX21E - DH52 ( $ 999 list ) is a 11.6 - inch screen , an Intel Core i5 processor , and the same 4GB of RAM and 128GB solid - state drive as its bigger brother . In terms of high performance in a trivially light package , this is a netbook 's worst nightmare . But although this is no nightmare to use , it has some shortcomings that keep it from being a pure sweet dream , either .

Like the 13.3 - inch Ultrabooks are invariably compared to the Apple MacBook Air 13 - inch ( Thunderbolt ) ( $ 1,299 direct , 4 stars ) , the UX21E - DH52 gets mentioned in the same breath as the MacBook Air 11 - inch ( Thunderbolt ) ( $ 999 direct , 3.5 stars ) . Besides the same price and the same processor , the UX21E - DH52 and 11 - inch MacBook Air share the same aluminum unibody construction , screen size , and resolution ( 1366 by 768 pixels ) . The former is a USB 3.0 port , the latter a thunderbolt port . But the MacBook Air 11 - inch , although it outshines the UX21E - DH52 with a backlit keyboard , has only half the memory and storage ( 2GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD ) .

Design
The UX21E - DH52 looks like a slightly shrunken ( 7.7 by 11.7 by 0.7 inches ) version of the UX31 series , which is to say , gorgeous . It is machined from a single piece of aluminum , with a vertically brushed pattern on the bottom and palmrest and slightly darker circular pattern on the lid . The FCC notice stenciled unobtrusive clean silver underside and a colored version of the inevitable Intel and Windows sticker on the bottom of the keyboard help make UX21E - DH52 look starkly modern and easy as slick as the MacBook Air . It is also quite stable : Grasp the top corners of the display , and be able to move the entire system rather than flexing the screen .
A small portion of the modern sculpture in its own right AC adapter or power brick ultrabook , a pocket - size (2.25 by 2.25 by 1 inch , HWD ) block with flip - up , two - tooth fork plug . Another goody box UX21E - DH52 is a nylon sleeve or case for the computer ( such as a small interoffice envelope with magnetic snap closure ) .
Icons and text on the 11.6 - inch screen is on the small side , but sharp enough to be quite readable . The screen is very glossy - I got used to reading through the glass ceiling fluorescents work - and so bright ( it's easy to save battery power by turning on the backlight halfway down ) . The colors are vivid , although blacks are a bit pale or gray .
The keyboard is not cramped ( although the cursor arrows , with Home , End , PgUp , and PgDn doubled up on it , is small ) , but the typing feel it is stiff and shallow . Light-fingered typists find it takes considerable force for a keypress to register - I was reminded of the original , clackety IBM PC desktop keyboards , though the UX21E is not too bad - and face a certain period of adjustment .
To make the latter more interesting , Asus has also thrown in a trap : The power button is part of the regular keyboard , in the top right corner where your fingers expect to find the identically shaped and sized Delete key . It 's like putting a kill switch for the ignition your next car radio dial , although Asus has made it more secure by providing a software pop - up : Reach for the Delete key , and you get a menu asking if you really meant the PC to sleep , shut down , hibernate , or do nothing .
The touchpad works well , although some of its specimen ( illustrated by a tutor supplied Asus utility ) take skill . The lower left and right corners serve as mouse buttons click quietly and need less energy to operate .