Asus U33Jc: Much Ado About Bamboo
by Vivek Gowri on July 29, 2010 9:01 AM ESTASUS U33Jc - LCD Analysis
And now we get to the first, and only, real sticking point. It feels like we harp on all the displays that come through our labs, partially because we do (with a few exceptions), and partially because they all deserve it for being universally mediocre.
The U33Jc is no different from the U30 and every other mainstream notebook on the planet in that it has a fairly mediocre LCD panel. It’s a bit brighter than our U30 test unit, and thusly has a higher contrast ratio, but they’re close enough that it’s more likely just a function of the panel lottery that we got a slightly better panel. However, colour accuracy is a bit worse comparatively, and the color gamut is nothing special. Viewing angles are about average. There really isn’t anything to say about it - it’s yet another lousy laptop display. Glossy, middling contrast ratio, mediocre colours - basically poor overall panel quality. It’s almost become the defining characteristic of all mainstream consumer notebooks.
I understand that certain cuts need to be made to cheaply manufacture a high performing computer for $900, but still, it’d be nice to have a decent display for once. Maybe somebody should try putting a little bit more money into their display and maybe challenge Apple for the best display at a reasonable price. The MacBook Pro 13” manages to integrate a high contrast, high brightness display for under $1200, why can’t any of the notebook PC makers figure it out?
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Kegetys - Thursday, July 29, 2010 - link
Disapointing to have such a nice "premium" quality machine be ruined by a poor quality display once again. I would have expected Asus to pair it with a better screen. Or maybe they want me to just stare at the bamboo paneling instead of the display...VivekGowri - Thursday, July 29, 2010 - link
Hey, I'd be down for that - the bamboo paneling looks really nice.hybrid2d4x4 - Thursday, July 29, 2010 - link
Thanks for the review and continuing to harp about bad displays. I've been holding out for the UL30Jt myself, but based on the trend from the U30 and this laptop, I'm guessing the new UL30 is also garbage...I guess I'll never buy a laptop then.
chrnochime - Friday, July 30, 2010 - link
Then don't buy one. Simple as that.Pirks - Friday, August 6, 2010 - link
Or buy a Macbook Prosynaesthetic - Thursday, July 29, 2010 - link
Maybe if enough people complain, we'll see good displays on laptops again? I noticed HP seems to be doing something about that--the Envy 14 has a quite nice display.Dell's taken the 16" RGBLED option off the SXPS 16 again...
I miss the days of high-resolution 4:3 and 16:10 panels on all laptops...
aebiv - Thursday, July 29, 2010 - link
I'm glad I got my SXPS 16 when I did. That RGBLED screen truly is marvelous to look at.I think they have it on the precision laptops now though as well.
Full Ctrl - Thursday, July 29, 2010 - link
I'm planning to buy my wife a U35Jc in about a month, I would definitely spend the extra $100 to get a high quality display. I would probably even spend $150 extra if it was also higher resolution, I'm not too thrilled about the 1366x768 resolution.Vivek: are you guys really doing a U35 review as well, considering how similar they are so similar to the U33?
notext - Friday, July 30, 2010 - link
It is even more disappointing because it is Asus and they did such a nice job with the g73jh-a1/a2 screen. I was hoping they would be putting that effort into all of their higher end laptops in the different screen sizes.crimson117 - Thursday, July 29, 2010 - link
How does MacBook give a good display under $1200?It skimps on other internals, like CPU and hard drive. Also, $1200 is 20% more expensive than U33Jc.
I'd love to see a $200 LCD upgrade option, though. But perhaps not enough people are willing to pay for display quality to make it worth developing.