Asus Zenbook UX305LA

The Asus Zenbook UX305LA is a thin and light notebook with Broadwell U hardware, a matte IPS display, long battery life and a competitive price. All these make it one of the better 13-inch ultrabooks of the moment;  The Zenbook UX305LA is similar in many ways to the Zenbook UX305FA, with whom it shares most of its design lines, the keyboard, the trackpad, the IO and the screen. It is however slightly thicker and heavier, and that’s because it houses a larger battery and 5th Gen Intel Core i processors.

     The UX305FA on the other hand is motorized by Intel’s Core M hardware, which has the great benefit of being a fanless platform, but at the same time might not be fast enough for some of you. And here’s where the UX305LA comes to play, as a beefier configuration capable o tackling those chores the UX305FA cannot. Aesthetically, the UX305LA is simpler than all the Asus ultrabooks before. Previous Zenbooks sported a pattern of concentric circles on the hood in one way or another and that particular detail is gone here, leaving a smooth, plain metallic lid cover that feels a lot like the ones on the Apple Macbook Air or the Dell XPS 13. The only element breaking the spartan design is the shiny logo. We do have what Asus calls the Aurora Metallic version here, but they’ll also offer a darker color scheme called Obsidian Stone, which will feature the rippled pattern.

     The entire body is made out of aluminum, which covers the hood, the interior and the belly. In fact, the only plastic element is the bezel around the screen, flanked by a thin layer or protective rubber, meant to ensure that the display won’t get in contact with the laptop’s body when the screen is closed.The inner chassis is partially cast out of metal as well, so when it comes to durability and build quality, the UX303LA is tough. Yes, there’s still some flex on the lid and especially in the keyboard area, but nothing that could be of any concern in daily use or could jeopardize the components inside. The screen is hold in place by a long hinge stretching across the laptop’s length, an approach borrowed from previous Zenbooks. One thing is different though: I could effortlessly lift the screen with a single hand, while the lower-body remained still on the table, something Macbook users are for sure familiar with, but at the same time is a rarity on Windows ultrabooks.