Asus UX30 - hands-on review

Today's Asus product launch in South Kensington saw more than just the official launch of the Lamborghini VX5, with the ultraportable Asus UX30 also released. We’ve already seen the larger UX50, and were impressed by its stylish design, but the slimline 13.3-inch UX30 is in a class of its own.

The high-gloss plastics found on the UX50 have been replaced by classier brushed aluminium, and the inside of this machine is also more robust than its larger sibling. Along with a chassis that measures under 2cm in depth, the UX30 also features a highly portable weight of just 1.4kg, making it a machine you can take with you everywhere you go.

The screens on the samples we saw proved bright and crisp, although the 1366 x 768 pixel resolution is no better than average. With a glass panel stretching from edge to edge, it gives the display a frameless appearance – it looks great, but is also highly reflective.

Processing options come in the form of Intel’s latest range of ultra-low voltage chips – it means performance is likely to be limited, but also means the chassis remains cool to the touch. Multi-tasking should remain a possibility however, aided by 4096MB of memory.

As with the UX50 and the Lamborghini VX5, the UX30 features an isolated keyboard design. We found it both stylish and comfortable, although it did flex under pressure. Whether this remains the case on full production models remains to be seen, but check back here in the next month for a full review.