The ASUS ZenBook UX305UA AS51 is a bestselling 13.3-inch laptop that has been praised for its 6th generation Intel Core i5 processor, thin and light design, crisp IPS display, super fast solid state drive and for its great battery life. But the RAM is soldered to the mainboard, which means that you are stuck with the 8GB of installed memory. You also don’t get a backlit keyboard which is a bit disappointing for those who often work in lower light conditions. But with its compact and lightweight design, and 10 hours of battery life, the ASUS ZenBook UX305UA AS-51 makes for a great travel friendly laptop.
Ultraportable laptops such as the Apple MacBook Air have become ever more popular for travellers and office professionals who are constantly bouncing between meetings. But if you are not an Apple fan and want a good ultraportable laptop that runs Windows 10, then the ASUS ZenBook UX305UA AS51 is worth considering for its attractive price.
The elegant aluminum unibody design weighs in at just 2.9 pounds and is a mere half an inch thick. Powering this compact ultrabook is a 6th generation Intel Core i5-6200U ultra low wattage processor and 8GB of DDR3L RAM, this allows the ASUS ZenBook UX305UA AS51 to easily run your everyday run of the mill apps. The downside is that the 8GB of RAM is soldered to the mainboard and cannot be upgraded so you will have to make do with the installed RAM.
Its super fast solid state drive will mean that you will be able to boot up Windows 10 in a matter of seconds and your apps will launch way faster than with traditional hard drives. With 256GB of storage space, you shouldn’t have any issues when it comes to storing your work or personal files, but it is slightly limiting for those users who have larger multimedia collections.
The Full-HD IPS display offers great viewing angles and crisp image quality for all your web browsing and video streaming needs. You also get a great 97% sRGB gamut coverage, which makes the ASUS ZenBook UX305UA AS51 great for designers and photo editors. Something that is slightly disappointing is that you don’t get a backlit keyboard, which is something that we usually expect from ultrabooks.
Pros
- Great battery life
- Thin and light SSD
- Intel Skylake processor
- Full-HD matte display
Cons
- RAM cannot be upgraded
- No full size HDMI port
- No backlit keyboard
Bottom Line
The ASUS ZenBook UX305UA AS51 offers users a thin and light laptop that can easily be carried on a daily basis. But the RAM cannot be upgraded and you will have to settle for the installed 8GB of memory.
- Weight: 2.86 lbs
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz
- Display Size: 13.3 inch
- RAM: 8GB DDR3L
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
Critic Reviews
- DigitalTrends May 13, 2016
Asus’ Zenbook series has been on a roll as of late, led by the Zenbook UX305CA, an excellent, affordable ultrabook that won our Editor’s Choice award. Our one small complaint was with its performance, as the UX305CA has a Core M processor – less powerful than a standard Core i3, i5, i7. So we were excited when Asus announced its new UX305UA with a Core i5-6200U.
Read full review - TechRadar May 25, 2017
Call it a MacBook Air knock off all you want, the Asus ZenBook UX305 remains one of the best and most affordable Ultrabooks on the shelf.
Read full review
Full Specifications
| Processor | Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz [View Benchmarks] |
|---|---|
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 520 [View Benchmarks] |
| Graphics Type | Integrated |
| Graphics Memory | Shared |
| RAM | 8GB DDR3L |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows Windows 10 Home |
| Weight | 2.86 lbs |
| Battery Life | 10 hours |
| Hard Drive 1 | 256 SSD |
| Display Size | 13.3 inch |
| Display Type | IPS |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Display Technology | LED backlit | In-plane switching | Matte |
| Connectivity | 2x USB 3.0 | USB 2.0 | micro-HDMI | AC WiFi | Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers | Bang & Olufsen ICEpower |
| Webcam | HD 1.2MP |
| Additional Features | Memory card reader |
| Dimension (LxWxH) | 12.75 x 8.89 x 0.62 |
| Warranty | 1 year |
