Asus has carved out quite a name for themselves in the last few years thanks to their exceptional line of ultrabooks; the Asus Zenbook. Its popular lineup is seen as the windows equivalent of the MacBook Air with a tighter price point and -let's face it - a more innovative design. Today we're ready to talk about one of its most popular models; the Asus Zenbook 13 UX333FA-AB77.
The signature model packs a powerful Core i7 processor, ample SSD storage capacity, a nano-edge display, and stunning battery life amongst its many, many virtues. Now we're ready to get cracking, look under the hood, and see if this ultrabook has what it takes to become our newest crush.
Asus Zenbook UX333FA-AB77 Review
Let's talk about the design: the future is now.
Starting off this review with the design of the UX333FA-AB77 we can appreciate the fact that this ultrabook was always meant to stand out from the crowd of black and grey laptops. In that regard, this model comes in a stylish navy blue - or royal blue as they call it - with gold touches throughout the keyboard as well as the hinges that simply scream "elegance".
Its compact weight of just 2.6 pounds and slim form factor of 0.7 inches makes it the ultimate portable productivity station.
Add to that its novel nano-edge display with a 95% screen to body ratio and a Full HD resolution on top of a glossy display and you've got yourself a futuristic yet stylish design that's bound to catch the eye.
Finally, it's worth pointing out that despite packing a tight form factor of 13.3 inches, the new Zenbook does not forego the numeric pad like most of its competitors, on the contrary, instead of cramping a numeric pad onto a tight space what Asus has done is create a digital numeric pad which presents itself on the trackpad allowing you to be more productive.
If you want to activate the numeric pad all you have to do is click on the upper right corner of the trackpad and you will automatically activate this feature. Talk about cutting edge tech!
Oh, and it has a backlit keyboard!
High-end performance
Moving onto the key specs that make up the performance of the laptop we've got a nice set of high-end components. Starting off with the processor, the UX333FA-AB77 packs an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor series 8565U which works at a base 1.8 GHz clock speed and reaches a surprising 4.6 GHz horsepower.
Add to that 16 GB of DDR3 RAM and an impressive 512 GB of SSD storage and we're looking at a laptop that was built to take on the world.
Can I upgrade the RAM?
A RAM memory upgrade on this particular laptop is out of the question since it's soldered onto the motherboard. That said, we're quite happy about the fact that we have an interesting 16 GB which provides a solid future-proofing of the device allowing for a laptop that will still be functional years from today.
But what does this all mean in the day to day?
Specifically, packing such a high-end processor and solid-state storage offers us a laptop that's perfect for anything from surfing the web with several tabs open at a time to coding with a couple of virtual machines running in the background as well as do some moderately advanced video and image editing (remember it doesn't come with a dedicated graphics chip) and everything in between.
All in all, the ample RAM capacity means that we will be able to work with multiple programs at the same time without overextending the device and the fact that it comes with an SSD instead of a traditional hard drive means you can expect a substantial bump in speed on anything from turning the laptop on to downloading files and uploading videos.
What's the battery life like? Is it fit for gaming?
Battery life on laptops has seen a steady growth over the past few years with some laptops even claiming over 20 hours worth of battery life (here's looking at you LG). That said, we all know by now that advertised battery life and actual battery life are very very different things.
In that regard, Asus claims this model offers us up to 14 hours worth of unplugged goodness, however, as you might expect and as many users have attested towards, the true battery life on this laptop ranges anywhere between 7 to 10 hours (your mileage may vary ;).
When it comes down to gaming this laptop simply does not pack the dedicated graphics that are necessary to offer a AAA gaming experience. Specifically, this model packs an Intel HD Graphics 620 which will offer a decent frame rate on games such as Fifa or Fortnite (adjusted for a lower resolution) but it simply won't deliver anything decent on more demanding games.
What are the customers saying about this laptop?
The Asus Zenbook 13 UX333FA-AB77 has over 300 customer reviews due to its massive popularity. However, going through all the reviews can be a massive undertaking so we'll keep it short and sweet and give you the summed up version:
The good: There's generally a consensus when it comes down to the speedy performance, sturdy yet light-weight design, and overall physical appearance. People are also big fans of the face id recognition that allows the laptop to unlock with your face (like an iPhone) and they also like the battery life.
What do people not like?
People who don't like this laptop seem to not be all that thrilled about the trackpad with quite a few customers pointing towards an issue of sensitivity in that regard. That said, this seems to be the most pressing issue most people seem to have with the laptop, and its one that has a very easy fix (external mouse) if you were to have the same issue (which you don't have to).
What's the deal with the connectivity? Anything else worth pointing out?
Finally, when it comes down to the connectivity options, another feature that we like about this model is that despite its "ultra-thin" design it still manages to deliver a full-sized HDMI port, a couple of USB 3.1 ports and a standalone USB Type C port. There's also an audio jack and a microSD card reader (would've preferred a standard SD card reader).
We've also got a high definition webcam, Bluetooth, and WiFi b/n/ac connectivity (which delivers download speeds up to three times faster through a compatible router).
Closing statements: Should you buy it?
In wrapping up this review of the Asus ZenBook UX333FA-AB77 we can appreciate that we're in the presence of greatness. This is a stylish ultra-thin laptop that delivers a high-end performance on anything but gaming and can last a considerable amount of time away from a power outlet.
It's perfect for traveling power users, students, programmers, or anyone looking for an everyday laptop with more than enough horsepower to hold its own. Overall, a great choice well worth its competitive price point.