The Asus ZenBook UX305CA presents itself as a stylish laptop that has a feature and hardware set only to be bested by the Dell XPS 13 (2015). It comes with a premium design, fantastic screen quality, and a more-than-satisfactory battery life. Perhaps what’s best about this particular laptop is that it is found in a reasonable price point.
The Asus ZenBook UX305CA Brings Style and Decent Performance at a Moderate Price Point
Right out of the box, you would immediately find the Asus ZenBook UX305CA to be one good-looking machine. It is fully clad in anodized aluminum and comes into the market with a thickness of only 12.3-millimeters. It is perhaps the definition of what you would want in a slim and lightweight laptop.
Looking at its design, you would see some nods to the MacBook Air. However, unlike Apple’s contender, this one does not quite have the more solid feel. Nonetheless, overall build quality is still pretty decent. For comparison’s sake, the MacBook Air has a solid piece of aluminum for its base whereas the ZenBook UX305CA has a pressed-sheet aluminum. This results in a bit of a flex for the keyboard and with the base. While this may not be immediately noticeable when typing, it becomes apparent when you pick up the device by its corner.
The headline feature for this laptop is its amazing screen quality which boasts 3,200 x 1,800 pixels for its native resolution. It also comes with either 4GB or 8GB or RAM, and either 128GB or 256GB SSD for its storage. But even though resolution is great, it delivers a poor contrast ratio. It is also one of the poorest you can see when comparing to other laptops within the same price class.
Aside from its display, Asus paired the device with the Intel Core M3-6Y30 processor which brings a much needed performance boost over the Core M processor found in the original UX305. Therefore, you are now able to get more done which would otherwise give you a sluggish performance from its predecessor.
It is clear, however, that the costs have been cut when it comes to the keyboard. For instance, it lacks a backlight feature, which means typing in the dark can become a bit of a struggle. Furthermore, the battery life was not improved and it is now even lower as compared to the previous model. Continuous use will net you about over 7-hours whereas the previous machine can last just short of 12-hours.
Even though it has its shortcomings, the Asus ZenBook UX305CA is a pretty decent laptop for its price. It is still a great option for those who are in need of a slim and light machine that is about two-thirds of a price of what you can get from acquiring an Ultrabook.