ASUS Zenbook (UX21) Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 22, 2011 8:00 PM ESTIntegrated VGA Camera
ASUS integrated a VGA camera into the display bezel of the UX21. Its performance is pretty much what you'd expect for such a small sensor. Given enough light you can actually send a halfway decent image at a high frame rate to someone at the other end of a Skype call:
Unfortunately if you're not in studio lighting, both image quality and frame rate suffer tremendously. The camera is still usable, but don't expect anything wonderful out of it:
Video Out
The Zenbook UX21 features two display outputs: mini VGA and micro HDMI. ASUS supplies a dongle to conver the former into a standard female VGA connector, while you'll have to supply your own cable for the latter. Maximum display output over VGA is 1920 x 1200 while it's 1920 x 1080 over micro HDMI. I tested both outputs and they worked as expected, with quick detection and switching times between outputs.
With an external display connected the Zenbook automatically shifts into clone mode. You can cycle through notebook panel or external only configurations by hitting fn + F8. There's also a dedicated combination (fn + F7) to blank the display entirely if you want a quick way to hide what you're working on.
Networking Performance: Wireless & USB Ethernet
ASUS integrated a very small Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 802.11b/g/n WiFi solution into the UX21. Unfortunately the specs of this particular radio aren't anything to write home about. It supports only 2.4GHz and a single spatial stream, limiting its performance to 72Mbps with 20MHz channels and 150Mbps with 40MHz channels. Unfortunately Apple's AirPort Extreme only supports 40MHz channels on the 5GHz band so my testing was limited to 20MHz channels at 72Mbps. Real world performance is obviously significantly lower than that, I measured about 50-60% of the link rate for most transfers within 10 feet of the AP. That works out to be around 5MB/s over 802.11n. If you can connect using 40MHz channels however, expect to see about twice the performance. ASUS is limited by the availability of 1/4 length PCIe WiFi solutions since the Zenbook uses that form factor. Apparently a 2x2:2 version is due out next year; we'll hopefully see it in time for the second generation Zenbook.
All Zenbooks ship with a USB to Ethernet adapter, enabling 100Mbps Ethernet if you need a wired connection. Inside the dongle is a ASIX AX88772B USB Ethernet controller. The controller works quite well, and I had no problems sustaining over 90Mbps in a transfer on my local network.
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rs2 - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
That's some quality anti-logic. The problem isn't that PC's are somehow unable to run OSX, it's that OSX has been deliberately crippled to prevent (or at least, attempt to prevent) it from running on any PC's that haven't been assembled by Apple. It is not the PC (or the Mac...after all a Mac is just a PC that's being marketed as something that's not a PC) that is limited, only OS X is limited.And if you don't care that this limitation was *intentionally* built into OS X for the sole purpose of *forcing* OS X users to buy their hardware from Apple, then you are a fool.
Remember all the trouble MS got in for attempting to force people to use Internet Explorer? The thing to note there is that whatever your opinion of IE, it has always been a free product. In that light, Apple's shady business tactics are significantly worse than Microsoft's ever were.
pdjblum - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
The point is that with windows you don't have any reason to run a osx. For some reason, people using macs still find it necessary to run windows in some fashion. OS X must be limiting in some way, it seems.lukarak - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Sure you do. The fact you don't know what they are, however, an indicator of how deep your computers usage goes.Fradelius - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
i can tell ya this,apple = mostly a not hi techy user who likes to use his system out of the box
windows = Working, gaming, hi tech users
Linux = apple + windows if you have the requiered knowledge.(wich 99% of the users dont have)
if im wrong then why 89% of the world uses Windows on enterprise level?
im not a mac hater, i just dont like it.. its like cars, or ice cream
you do.. or you dont.. but still even i fi like it..
Active directory = Win
LDAP = Linux
Mac haves something like active directoy, but like all mac stuff its under the control of apple, in active directoy im on top.
pdjblum - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Brilliant. Unfortunately, this is a hard pill for the vast majority of apple users to swallow, especially when they depend on anand for acceptance and approval, as they did jobs.lukarak - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
Why does it have to be separated? Are the just three types of users or are the borders a little more fuzzy? Why couldn't you belong in two of the groups. Or three?I'm not saying that everybody has to like it. I just don't understand the aggressiveness towards Apple.
pdjblum - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
Guess you finally got to a bad reaction. I guess I must of struck a nerve. Sorry the truth is so troublesome to you. Sorry you are so insecure. Your defensiveness is quite apparent in the not so kind things you have said. Enjoy your mac and your pathetic existence you sad coward.lukarak - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
You didn't strike a nerve, you just revealed your level of knowledge. The rest of the post is really not worthy of a comment, but while it doesn't say anything about me, it say everything about you.Sunburn74 - Sunday, October 23, 2011 - link
If I'm on an apple pc and want to play most games, I need to install windows. That is an obvious limitation that causes people to install windows.Its not PCs fault they can't run OSX out of the box. Its an arbitrary limitation Mac chooses to enforce.
morousg - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link
I don't think it is a question of comparing apples to oranges. I think this is a question of understanding R+D or not understanding it.I love Apple for many reasons, but I hate it to for many others.
I love Windows because I can play all the games and run all the Office suite, and is the best OS for easily managing business infrastructures, but I hate it for all the rest.
I love linux because it's free, OpenSource and internet is full of documentation about it's code and design so I can learn OS design, but I hate not having Microsoft Office software for it and driver troubles and having difficulties to use it on a Mac hardware.
So, my concerns about this Asus laptop is not a question of comparing or defending Apples against oranges. It is a question of defending R+D, that is my job in the university and business.