Closing Thoughts
It's been some time since we looked at our last true ultraportable laptop. Since then, the market has been shaken up a bit by some of the new product launches. The question that many people might end up having is whether a typical Windows Vista ultraportable can compete with the MacBook Air. Before you even bother asking that question, however, need to make sure that an ultraportable laptop is the right type of system for you. Paraphrasing our MacBook Air review: Users who are considering the U2E could end up sorely disappointed by it, if all they really want is a smaller notebook - not an ultraportable. If this is going to be your only notebook and you plan to use it as your main computer, chances are the U2E isn't for you.
That's a simplification of things, as the ASUS U2E does address several of the shortcomings present with the MacBook Air. It has a user upgradable battery, so you can always pack along extra batteries if you want to have even more battery life. It also includes an optical drive; it might seem like a small thing, and transferring files over a network often gets around that requirement, but if you ever want to watch a movie on an airplane and you don't already have a copy ripped to your hard drive, the ability to watch a DVD is very useful. Finally, you get a few extra features - more memory (upgradable to 4GB), VGA and micro-DVI video outputs, integrated Gigabit Ethernet, and more USB ports. And you get all of that in a chassis that is slightly smaller - but also thicker - then the MacBook Air.
Score a win for the ASUS U2E, right? Well, perhaps not. The MacBook Air comes with the ability to run OS X and Windows, it's sleeker looking (depending on opinion), and it comes with a faster processor. Pricing might actually be in Apple's favor as well, although with the extra features on the U2E we're willing to call it a draw. Apple's other MacBook offerings are another good alternative, and Dell's XPS M1330 with most of the performance upgrades carries a similar price tag to the ASUS U2E-A2B. If you're looking for a single notebook that can do everything, we would definitely choose something like the Apple MacBook Pro or Dell XPS M1330 over any ultraportable.
What about other ultraportable notebooks? Outside of the various tablet PCs that are on the market - which tend to be thicker, slightly larger, heavier, and whose only real selling point is the tablet feature - the Sony VAIO TZ series seems to be one of the few direct competitors. The Sony VAIO ultraportables look very similar to the ASUS U2E, which isn't surprising since they both use an 11.1" chassis. Outside of the leather inlays on the ASUS and a few minor differences in features and specifications, there's little difference between the two brands. ASUS prices appear to be slightly lower and you get a better warranty, so unless you can find a good price on a Sony VAIO TZ we would give the nod to the ASUS U2E. We would also take the ASUS U2E over any of the tablet PCs we've tried, although some people might feel the tablet interface is more useful than we do.
The ASUS U2E may very well be the best ultraportable currently available - it's certainly the best that we've ever used. If you're in the market for such a laptop, it certainly warrants a closer look. Don't forget to pay attention to the A1B/A2B designation, as you need to figure out whether you want better hard drive performance or nearly 4x as much internal storage. We like the SSD, but as a $500 upgrade it can be a difficult pill to swallow. This is definitely a niche market, and we think that many users would actually be happier long-term with a slightly larger, more versatile laptop. On the other hand, if you already have a desktop system - and most of us do - adding an ultraportable as a second or third computer might be just what you need, and the U2E fills that role nicely.
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sam13007 - Friday, November 6, 2009 - link
hi friendsplease what's the model of the motherboard of this asus U2E please friends answer me.
thanks
Anonymous Freak - Sunday, April 20, 2008 - link
[quote]We still think that it would have been nice if ASUS could have managed to provide easier access to the bottom memory socket.[/quote]Why? If they are going to ship it with a 2 GB module in there, why does it matter? The chipset only supports a max of 4 GB of RAM, so 2x2GB modules would get you there. Heck, if they were going to supply it with 3 GB of RAM, why not go the MacBook Air-route, and solder the 2 GB onboard to save space, leaving just the one SO-DIMM socket.
JarredWalton - Sunday, April 20, 2008 - link
I wrote that before finding out that ASUS was switching the lower socket to a 2GB SO-DIMM - or at least, that's what they say. But then, you never know if your RAM is going to go bad, and making it easy to replace never hurts. A small panel on the bottom could have made this tons easier.howardmoore - Monday, September 15, 2008 - link
Hi,Is there a way to find out whether the bottom SO-DIMM socket does have 2GB of RAM installed without having to take the thing apart?
I say that because I have a U2E and bought 2GB Ram upgrade (2 x 1GB) on the advice of Orca Logic in the UK. Before I upgraded it said that I had 2GB of Ram, though the chip that was already in the top tray was a 1GB. I presumed therefore that the bottom tray had 1GB also. When I installed one of my new 1GB chips into the spare top tray the upgraded RAM read 3GB, but I would have thought that:
a) If the bottom already had 2GB the top would have read 3GB already.
b) If I installed 1GB more into the top, it would read that I now had 4GB.
So, what to do!? Do I go through the laborious (and potentially dangerous for the laptop!) task of disassembly to see whether I can upgrade the bottom socket, or just live with 3GB? Also, is there a problem with the two sockets being on different amounts - I read somewhere that they had to have the same memory amounts to work effectively. Finally, why cannot I not see 4GB showing?
Thanks in advance for any responses.
JarredWalton - Monday, September 15, 2008 - link
You can use CPU-Z (from www.cpuid.com) to see what memory is installed.Nimbo - Thursday, April 17, 2008 - link
3 years ago I could buy a 10.6' laptop with centrino platform (1.1GHz) 512MB and 80GB HDD for $1000 and DVD CDRW combo for $1000. How come a similar laptop with updated to today's hardware it's dobled in price. Back then the ultra small laptops were not regarded as special and Averatec did not charched a premium because of the form factor.Asus should follow the same path and de-primiumaze this niche market so I can aforded again.
JarredWalton - Thursday, April 17, 2008 - link
The ASUS Eee PC 900 series takes care of the lower spec market, I suppose. It seems that the ultraportable market has either become lucrative due to business interest, or perhaps there just aren't enough customers so they need to recoup the R&D expenses. The specs of a modern ultraportable are quite a bit better than the three year old stuff, though.kmmatney - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - link
It would be nice if the optical drive could be swapped out with other hardware, like an extra battery or another hard drive...IvanAndreevich - Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - link
Last time I used the optical drive on my laptop was to install the O/S. Really, I would prefer my T60 didn't have one. As for this, it would be a much better thing to have the full 2.5" HDD, and perhaps a slightly bigger battery, or faster processor instead of the aforementioned optical drive.I also have an IBM X31 without an optical drive, and it doesn't bother me a bit.
strikeback03 - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - link
I use the optical drive on my T43 quite a bit for watching DVDs, burning the occasional disc, and loading programs. Plus the bay can hold another battery or hard drive. Too bad ASUS couldn't fit that functionality into the U2E, would let most people be happy with what they put in the bay.