ASUS ZENBOOK UX21-ESL4 11.6-Inch Thin and Light Ultrabook (Silver Reviews

Customer Ratings:

HISTORY: I originally had a Compaq laptop that was 15.6 inches I think? It was a couple inches thick and made my school bag heavy. The ad for it said Bluetooth and webcam, but the laptop actually had neither. When the MacBook Air came out in 11.6 inches and Apple's ad said it could do iCloud synchronization, I gave my Compaq to my little brother and got the MacBook 11. As it turns out, the next class I was registered for at school (I take online college classes and work full time) required a computer with "Windows environment". SO... I needed a Windows laptop again.

I researched 11.6 inch laptops for about 2 weeks and learned that the Asus Zenbook UX21A (I think the K series?) had all the specs I wanted, but no-one in America sold the K-series. Best Buy sold the UX21A with 250 GB of flash drive, improved backlit keyboard and improved trackpad response, i7 processor, and Windows 8 (which I found really frustrating to use within the first hour I tried it) for about $2000. Amazon advertised the UX21E with 128 GB of flash drive, non-backlit keyboard, the original trackpad, i5 processor, and Windows 7 (which was easy for me to learn and already familiar) for $748. After learning that I only used about 70 GB of hard drive on my Compaq, I decided on the UX21E.

THE RESULTS:

May 25, 2013 I ordedred the UX21-ESL4 from Amazom. The estimated delivery date was June 3 June 18, 2013. It arrived May 31, only one day after my class began. The first day was for introductions, so I slid past ok just using my MacBook. Since then, I've only had a few minor issues arise using the Zenbook.

1) The settings on the WiFi would turn on when you told it to connect, but then drop every so many minutes. This was really nerve-wrecking when it happened a couple days before my first test. I had typed up an essay in-class and the WiFi dropped taking Blackboard and my essay with it. Luckily, I had copied and pasted the essay into MS Word and was able to re-paste in Blackboard once I got back in. The fix? I took the laptop to work and a co-worker hit a button and now the WiFi stays on.

2) The software on the UX21E are a bit more up to date than my Compaq... About 2 or 3 years more up to date. For whatever reason, Blackboard does not recognize/accept Ctrl-V from my Zenbook (even though it did from my Compaq). The fix? I use right-click + "Paste" when the teacher requires us to copy and paste things.

3) The security settings are awesome. Windows has a firewall. The UX21E has IE10 (not IE9, yay!) and it has a firewall. IE10's firewall would not let me stream Pandora at all and I use Pandora to get in the groove when I'm studying. The fix? I took my laptop back to work where the original guy and his 2 team mates fiddled with the security settings. I think they added Pandora to the accepted websites on the Security tab.

This part I just thought it needed saying for those wondering how I conveniently completed my little school kit. There aren't many bags out there that are as short as the Zenbook 11 is wide. I'd rather my laptop NOT get bounced around in a bookbag that's too big for it and not be left in a laptop messenger bag which any thief can recognize. I've found only 2 sellers that make a real backpack in the proper size. Toppu sells a faux-learher laptop bag that's classy and designed for technology this size. KGHP & Jaimall sell it for about $70 I think. It's advertised here on Amazon in mint color, but I think they're able to restock in brown and black. By the time I found out (yesterday) I'd already bought the SwissGear Dashpack for $25. Perfect fit for the laptop and my books. If you want your cords and thumb drives to stay nice, neat, and put away, also try the Mead Five Star XPanz zipper pouch. It holds the Zenbook's power cord, my Case Logic ER303 mouse, my Skullcandy earbuds, my thumb drive, my iPhone 5 USB cord, and my 6ft extension cord perfectly. I topped it all off with a Novotel MHS 890 WiFi hotspot purchased from Verizon. I can do my homework virtually anywhere now.

This was a trial and error lesson on laptop purchasing, but having a lightweight office in my backpack is very rewarding and comforting. When you're as active and small as I am, you really do better with tools that "fit" you properly. Try the Zenbook UX21E if you're looking for portability and convenience. Go easy on the keyboard ;-) and you won't go wrong.

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i was surprised. the only other thing i don't like about this ultrabook is that at least the chrome browser seems to lag when i scroll through pages; i didn't have that on my 4-yr-old desktop for some reason. otherwise it's pretty solid.