ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 13.3-inch laptop review

We have always been a fan of ASUSs lineup of Zen Ultrabooks so for today I decided we need to revisit this lineup of great laptop. We haven’t reviewed one for 2 yeas now. Because of that I decided that today we are taking a look at the ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54. Let’s see what ASUS has improved over time on this laptop.

The exterior

For starters the body has retained its very thin and light style. The body is made out of machined aluminium and for this model the back cover receives the bare metal finish with a circular patter spreading out from the middle. Also in the middle of the top cover there is the typical ASUS logo in silver. On the inside of the ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 we find a high DPI FullHD 13.3-inch IPS screen surrounded by a silver bezel. The ASUS logo is present in the middle below the screen.  The built in webcam and dual microphones are located in the usual place above the screen in the middle. A nice feature of the display assembly is the color matched rubber border that goes all around the screen. Thanks to it and the recessed keyboard you won’t be getting any scratches on the screen due to the keyboard touching. 

While we are on the subject of the keyboard, ASUS has decided to fit the ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 with the same keyboard scissor switch technology as the 12-inch Apple Macbook. The keyboard itself also has a very similar layout to the one on the Macbook. Just like with the previous generations ASUS is aiming this device squarely as a better Macbook alternative and it shows.

Also found on the palmrest is the very generous touchpad that has an integrated fingerprint scanner. The power button is integrated inside the keyboard layout and is the top right key on the keyboard. The status LEDs are located on the right side of the body.

The Connectivity

The extra connectivity and performance have been the main selling point of any ASUS ZenBook over the equivalent Apple laptop. I’m happy to report that the ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 doesn’t disappoint. The available ports are as follows:

  • The left side of the body features 1 USB 3.0 Port, the headphones-microphone combo jack and the built-in SD card reader
  • The right side of the body features the power connector port, one USB 3.0 Port, one USB Type-C port and finally a compact mini-HDMI port. 
  • On the inside the Zenbook features the lates WiFi 802.11a/c connectivity and Bluetooth 4.1

The Performance

Since the beginning of the Ultrabook trend performance and portability has been their main features. While the Ultrabook name is slowly going the way of the dodo, the laptops that it describes are still here. The the ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 is in keeping with this name thanks to its according to ASUS up to 12 hours battery life and fast 7th generation Intel Core i5-7200U processor. It gets 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a 256GB M.2 SSD. While it would have been nice if it also had a dedicated graphics card, I don’t think it suites what such a laptop is meant to do. With this in mind I think the integrated Intel HD graphics card is more than enough. 

The performance is definitely well above what its direct competitor offers while having similar battery life and storage space. When it comes to thin high performance laptops with very good battery life the ZenBook lineup is one of the few that can keep up and beat what Apple has to offer. 

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Who is it for? discussing who would benefit most from this laptop...

  • Student
    Ultrabooks in general have been the ideal laptops for students for years. While they are indeed on the pricier side they are a lot better value for money that their Apple counterparts. The ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 is no exception to this rule. It comes with up to 12 hours of battery life, more than enough for any student. It has enough performance to satisfy even the more demanding majors and is made out of solid aluminium. The only thing that you need to consider with this laptop is getting an external HDD. I don't think the 256GB SSD is enough for most students.

  • Business User
    If you've been a long time reader here you already know what I'm going to say. Yes, the ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 is an ideal business laptop. It has both the battery life and performance to keep you comfortably working while on the go. Thanks to its substantial battery life you can even hold an entire presentation without the need for a power cord. Storage capacity has never been a concern for business users but if you need, you could go for the 512GB SSD variant of buy an external HDD. You also will need an adapter for that less common miniHDMI port.

PROs Vs. CONs

As I was hoping from the start the ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 has all the features it needs to be a very good Ultrabook. It comes with a high-DPI FullHD IPS screen, it gets a fast M.2 SSD and has a battery life of up to 12 hours. What more is there to ask of a laptop designed for mobility and performance.

It's honestly quite difficult to find something that is wrong or a downside with the ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 . The only thing that does indeed stand out would be the not very common miniHDMI port. ASUS could have followed the trend and installed a miniDP port instead. Other than this and maybe the weird way the fingerprint scanner is integrated into the touchpad I can't find much fault here.



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Summary

It's no secret that I've been a big fan of the ASUS ZenBook series of laptops over the years. I'm happy to report that the ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH54 is very much in keeping with the design philosophy of previous generations of laptops. It continues to be one of the thinnest laptops on the market while offering above average battery life and plenty of ports to suite anyone's needs. I continue to recommend this series of laptops to anyone looking for high performance and high mobility inside a single package.
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Technical Details

Processor Intel Core i5-7200U 2.5GHz
Video Card Intel HD Graphics 520
RAM Memory 8GB LPDDR3
Audio Two Built-in Stereo Speakers with High Definition Audio
Operating System Windows 10
Display 13.3-inch 1920 x 1080px
Storage Drive 256 GB SSD -rpm
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac
USB 2.0 Ports None
USB 3.0 Ports 2
Built-in Camera None
Built-in Microphone Yes
Optical Drive none
Memory Card Reader Yes
Bluetooth Yes
Headphone-out Yes
VGA-out -
HDMI-out Yes
LAN-out -
Color Silver
Width 12.7 in.
Depth 8.7 in.
Height 0.5 in.
Weight 2.6 lbs.
Battery Life up to 12 hours
Warranty 1 Year Limited Warranty

Updated on August 30th, 2017

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