Asus Zenbook Flip Ux461ua 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop - Intel Core I7 -1080p Reviews
Our Verdict
The Asus ZenBook Flip 14 is the quintessential 2-in-1 laptop for students who need a reliable computer, but that fingerprint reader needs to be moved.
For
- Lightweight
- Soild performer
- Well designed
Against
- Bad fingerprint reader placement
- Inconsistent Windows Ink experience
TechRadar Verdict
The Asus ZenBook Flip 14 is the quintessential two-in-1 laptop for students who need a reliable reckoner, but that fingerprint reader needs to be moved.
Pros
- +
Lightweight
- +
Soild performer
- +
Well designed
Cons
- -
Bad fingerprint reader placement
- -
Inconsistent Windows Ink experience
With back to school season just kicking off, both traditional and 2-in-i laptops are in high demand. Students need a computer that'southward reliable, has adequate battery life and is powerful enough to go through a random Photoshop task.
The new Asus ZenBook Flip xiv walks that line, as do the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro and Lenovo Yoga 920.
Heck, Asus has a few laptops that would fit the bill as well. However, the ZenBook Flip 14 sets itself apart from the pack, thanks to its premium design and beefy internals. Boasting Intel's latest generation Cadre i7 processor and Nvidia's MX150 graphics, the Flip 14 is more than capable of meeting a educatee's needs.
Well, most of them.
Spec Sheet
Here is the Asus ZenBook Flip 14 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8550U (quad-core, 8MB cache, up to 4.0GHz with Turbo Heave)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce MX150 (2GB GDDR5 RAM); Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2,133MHz)
Screen: 14-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) touchscreen broad-angle
Storage: 512GB SSD (PCIE Gen3x4)
Ports: 1 x USB-C iii.one, ii x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI, i x 3.5mm audio jack, one x SD card reader
Connectivity: 802.11 ac Wi-Fi (2x2), Bluetooth 4.ii
Camera: Hard disk webcam
Weight: 3.3 pounds (1.49kg)
Size: 12.nine x viii.9 x 0.5-inches (327 x 226 x 13.ix mm; W x D x H)
Price and availability
We've tested a souped-upwards version of the ZenBook Flip xiv, which has an Intel Core i7-8550U processor, Nvidia GeForce MX150 GPU and Intel UDH Graphics 620 for less intensive tasks. Information technology's loaded with 16GB of retentiveness, and 512GB of storage. All of that powers the 14-inch touchscreen that's held to the body of the Flip 14 by two, 360-caste hinges.
In the US, this configuration runs $1,299 (almost £990, AU$1,758). If you're OK with dropping downwards to an i5 and cutting storage and memory in half, the price drops to $849 (about £644, AU$i,148).
In Australia, the but confirmation nosotros could find is the Flip fourteen with an 8th generation Intel Core i5, 8GB of retentivity and 512GB of storage for AU$i,799.
U.k. customers have to forgo the 14-inch model altogether. Instead, Asus offers either a ZenBook Flip S (incredibly thin and portable) or a Flip model with a xv.six-inch display.
The Flip 14 is priced in line with the competition. Accept the Samsung Notebook nine Pro as an instance. The only model that the company makes comes with an i7-7500U, 15-inch FHD display, AMD Radeon 540 graphics, and 16GB of memory for the same $1,299 (about £1,000, AU$ane,720) equally the Flip 14. Lenovo'southward Yoga 920, a device more closely matched with the Flip 14 on paper is priced slightly higher, at $1,549/£1,349.
Design
In that location'southward a lot to similar nearly the build quality of the ZenBook Flip 14. From the metallic housing to its sturdy hinges, the Flip feels like a 2-in-1 that can take the occasional drop in a backpack or knocked off a desk without any impairment.
Despite its sturdy exterior that measures 12.ix x 8.9 x 0.5 inches (327 10 226 x 13.9 mm; Westward x D x H), the Flip weighs a respectable 3.3 pounds (one.49kg). It's not the lightest ii-in-one, with the Yoga 920 being slightly lighter at iii pounds, only information technology'southward lite plenty to conduct around all day without being noticeable.
The right side of the housing is where you'll find a microSD menu reader, a USB-C 3.1 port, 3.5mm audio jack, a USB 3.0 Blazon-A port and a full-sized HDMI port. On the left side is a lone USB 3.0 Blazon-A port, a volume rocker, and the power key. The volume and power keys are close enough and feel enough alike that we oftentimes mix them up, pressing the power push button when we intend to adjust the book and vice versa.
The backlit keyboard uses chiclet keys, requiring little pressure to activate each key. The keys are evenly spaced, and nosotros needed piffling adjustment before we were typing at normal speed with very few typos.
The touchpad is smooth the to touch unless you get well-nigh the superlative-correct corner. There's a slight divot that feels out of place. The divot is a fingerprint reader that works with Windows Hello to unlock the laptop without a password.
The fourteen-inch FHD display is surrounded by somewhat narrow bezels on the sides, with an HD webcam centered along the superlative. The colors are a slightly muted on the screen, but it'southward not a deal breaker. Our just result with the screen is that it's non particularly bright.
Leave the touchpad lonely
Nosotros demand to rant for a 2d. Asus, please: stop putting the fingerprint sensor in the touchpad? It breaks up an otherwise stellar input method on the Flip, along with whatever other model using the same placement.
We understand Asus wanting to streamline the design, and with the power push button on the side of the housing, there's nowhere else to hide the fingerprint reader. Regardless, there has to be another way.
Source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/asus-zenbook-flip-14