Asus ZenBook UX305 Review

With ultrabooks, we are seeing more and more very thin and very light models. There are also many options among 13-inch models. If you recall as an example of these, we can show you the XPS 13 from Dell, which we have reviewed recently . However, this time, we have the UX305 model in Asus’ ZenBook product family . ZenBook UX305 , powered by the Intel Core M platform , draws attention especially with its fanless design.

Simple, stylish design

If we start with the so-called design, we can say that when you hold the ZenBook UX305 in your hand, it looks like a notebook. The ultrabook that looks so thin is 12mm thick. So it’s clear that it’s almost the thickness of a cell phone. The ultrabook, which we find very light with 1.2 kilograms in weight, is similar to the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro in this sense .

ZenBook UX305 looks very stylish with its slim and light weight and compact structure. Of course, the metallic material structure has a big share in this.

ZenBook UX305, which has a 13-inch screen, is very simple with its in-body appearance. The display panel is matte material which makes it completely free from reflections. The keyboard lying in front of the screen is very simple and provides maximum usability. The sizes and heights of the keys are extremely ideal. The only criticism about the keyboard is the lack of backlight, which is an important deficiency. In addition, the power button placed in the keyboard is also very suitable for accidental touches. It is necessary to be careful not to turn off the computer while pressing the “Delete” key, especially at first times.

There is also a large touchpad area under the keyboard. Again, when we look around the Ultrabook, an important detail draws attention. ZenBook UX305, which offers three USB 3.0 ports, also offers us HDMI, which is not seen in the Dell XPS 13 , albeit in micro format.

Core M architecture

Now let’s get to the technical details of ZenBook UX305. If we talk about the screen right away, we can say that the 13-inch screen offers QHD +, ie 3200×1800 pixel resolution, and is not touch-sensitive. Again, the model we have is also available in Full HD; users can also choose it. The matte display is a great advantage, but let’s just say that the screen still doesn’t look as impressive as the Dell XPS 13 ‘s display.

ZenBook UX305 features Intel’s 5th generation Broadwell architecture Core M processor. The biggest advantage of this 14 nm processor is, of course, the latest low-power consumption model. On the other hand, Core M, which is available for slim models in terms of its dimensions, already gives us the answer with the ZenBook UX305.

Core M, which allows fanless designs with its low power consumption, allows the ZenBook UX305 to operate completely silently with its fanless design. The processor of the ZenBook UX305 , which was launched in the third quarter of 2014, has a 2-core structure and can reach 800 MHz with its base frequency and 2.0 GHz with Turbo Boost , it consumes a maximum of 4.5 watts of energy, which is a very good figure.

The ultrabook, which brings the Intel Graphics 5300 integrated graphics unit with the processor, says that it is not very ambitious in terms of graphics with its maximum 800 MHz dynamic graphics frequency. Yes, the ZenBook UX305 is neither a graphics editing nor a gaming ultrabook. Its assertive point is in daily general use or office use.

Performance

Using 4 GB of RAM, ZenBook UX305 also owns a 128 GB SSD. According to the test results we got with CrystalDiskMark , the ultrabook, which performed 562 MB / s in sequential reading and 264 MB / s in sequential writing, could not show the effect we expected with its writing performance. We also observed low performance in 4K.

When we performed the battery test on ZenBook UX305, the result we got was 5 hours and 21 minutes in the PCMark 8 Battery Life test . If you remember, this result was around 4 hours and 35 minutes on the Dell XPS 13. Of course, it must be said that the XPS 13 has a Core i7, unlike the UX305. For Lenovo Yoga 3, which uses a Core M processor, the same test was at the level of 4 hours and 30 minutes. This reveals that the ZenBook UX305 performs better at the battery point. At the actual point of use, it is possible to get 9 to 10 hours of performance.