Packing
====================
1A. The device was in a box in which there was a more Asus carton in which in turn put the actual Zenbook Prime packaging. The Asus-carton was sealed with a seal tape, the actual device package was completely sealed.
The device packaging is very high quality, both externally and internally, and both of the optics, as well as materials used to. You can tell that Asus Again Apple to emulate. It's fun to unpack something.
Optics & feel
====================
The device is -like packing expect lässt- processed excellently. The very chic look is a matter of taste, I like it wonderfully, although the similarities to the MacBook Air are unmistakable, particularly in the wedge shape. The unibody feels extremely wertig to, at any point. Bend or dent is at least moderate effort not possible (but also did not like a madman because dodged). Despite many reports in this direction: my unit stands firmly and safely on all 4 feet and my trackpad is installed straight and with minimal clearance.
The only tiny downside: at one point on the side is in aluminum, just on the edge of a tiny quirk in aluminum (!). If you turvy with your finger, you can feel it and if you look closely you can see it, but that's like me acceptable even for a meticulous man.
[Edit, 2.11.2012] have now found another vulnerability, for in fact I 0.25 stars depart. The lid of the notebook does not include 100%. Says: if one snaps shut the notebook, then at the front is a gap of perhaps 1-2 mm, the lid does not close. That's not so bad when the unit is on the table, but if you take it in hand and holds a vertical position with the opening facing upwards, while the two device halves not squeezing by hand, then the gap widens ca . 1cm, ie, the device works on a bit. In other words, it does not remain completely closed. I think that then, in fact, a "design flaw", even if it is hardly likely to play a role in practical everyday life, because the thing is either worn very short so or anyway put in an envelope. Nevertheless, there should not be in this class something.
Nevertheless remains my old Conclusion of previously Optics & feel (just yet) exist: [/ Edit]
I have never in 20 years had a device in his hand, which is processed at such a high level (!) - With the exception of a MacBook Pro, but that was not mine. Something fun.
Keyboard & trackpad
====================
The keyboard has been praised in many reviews. I am not disappointed, but not impressed, in my view, the only thing that would have improved on the hardware. Yes, the keys are wertig (but not so wertig like Apple) and the key pressure point is also ok. Super is that the main keys to 96% than the standard dimensions correspond with what is important for high-speed recorder. But as cheaper models that I know, the keys are not so far pulled down on the edge that no gap would be seen between the housing edge (= aluminum surface) - rather it is the other way around: if one angle of about 45 -60 ° looks at the keyboard, you'll see both shine through the light from the LEDs as well as the approach of this type is Mechanik.Vielleicht the low height of the unit due to so that there is no alternative ...
In addition, the keys feel compared to the rest device rather "cheap" in terms of "thin" and a little after "plastic coated" to (but compared to other devices still good!). But: I moan here at very high levels.
The writing feeling is in my view a total of "good", with me working all buttons, whether the remains will show (there were probably users where problems occurred with single / multiple keys).
The trackpad is great, very precisely, the gestures and the function buttons also. However, I am also not a trackpad users, but usually close a USB mouse.
Hardware & Performance
====================
It was reported that both the Asus Adata XM11 as SSD installed (SandForce 2281) as well as the Sandisk U100. The latter is significantly slower than the Adata model especially in 4K read accesses. For me, the Adata model was (lucky) installed. Unencrypted following values come at the Crystal Disk Benchmark (x64) the net operating out:
-------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 x64 (C) 2007-2012 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World: [...]
-------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
* MB / s = 1,000,000 bytes / sec [SATA / 300 = 300,000,000 bytes / s]
Sequential Read: 487 106 MB / s
Sequential Write: 240 426 MB / s
Random Read 512KB: 420 827 MB / s
512KB Random Write: 319 899 MB / s
4KB Random Read (QD = 1): 21 747 MB / s [5309.3 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD = 1): 43 381 MB / s [10591.1 IOPS]
4KB Random Read (QD = 32): 18 324 MB / s [4473.7 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD = 32): 47 606 MB / s [11622.7 IOPS]
Test: 500 MB [C: 19.5% (41.5 / 213.5 GB)] (x3)
Date: 31/10/2012 21:28:27
OS: Windows 8 [6.2 Build 9200] (x64)
[The values in battery mode and with TrueCrypt encryption I submit to when I have time]
The other components are so well known and I will not benchen separately here. Only so much: it works very quickly and smooth as silk with the device. Booting takes about 15 seconds, from the S5 (the unit turns in the "Shutdown" not completely off, but goes into the S5 power saving mode), the device comes in less than 3 seconds high. Three (!) Seconds, not more, not usually promised.
The WiFi works quickly and stably with me, with my router that is no wall 3m next, I get net 8-9 MB / s down (801.n). This low performance lies at the 21 (!) Neighboring WLANs, all sparks in the 2.4 GHz band :( Compared to other devices that I use this value, however, is already high! Otherwise there are only 5-6 MB / s.
All in all a great feeling working in all previous circumstances in the apartment.
Display
====================
What to say: IPS panel with Full HD. Fairly stable viewing angle, good color rendering (subjective), with me not (or can not be seen for me) pixels. Very bright (almost uncomfortable) when it turns up, very well lit at me with very little Clouding at the bottom, but for a device of this "thickness".
At this point, the second "flaw" of the keyboard, but that has to do with the software. Full HD display is great, but not even Windows 8 ensures that all programs also scale reasonably. On the 125% setting, most programs are easy to read and "botch" no menu screens by excessive writing. But 125% is still quite small and at 150% it zerhaut almost everywhere (in some cases even in win-dialogs), the menus, windows, etc, so that you can eg hardly rankommt some buttons, because the are "semi" outside the picture , That must be better, because otherwise makes Full HD and high pixel density (ppi) makes no sense in my opinion.
[Edit, 2.11.2012] Have an acceptable solution is found for me. Set the resolution of the display to the 1600s, then subsequently perform at 125% DPI and the Color Calibration + ClearType calibration. The image is then no longer so sharp crack as in the native resolution, but for me it is a good compromise. [/ Edit]
Sound
====================
Long Story Short: Hammer. Did not think that you can get out of such a shallow unit so good sound, which can be quite loud without distorting (or minimal). Well, Classical I would therefore not hear, but even that is going well, if you're not audiophile.
Windows 8
====================
Here is not the topic, nevertheless said: used to, but not as bad as many places said. The old desktop one can almost 100% reclaim (Google: "Classic Shell + Win8"). But some genuinely useful new features are also included, which are likely to be soooo not interesting for the average Joe User.
Conclusion
====================
A top device at a high price. But I had already more expensive devices in front of me, who personally made a not so good impression on me. For the topic with the poor scaling on the Full HD display and keys / keyboard, the issue with the "unfolding" the vertically holding I would deduct a total of 0.5 stars.
But on the one hand you can do this with the bad scaling probably not hold against Asus and others: benefit of the doubt. So it remains at 5 stars from me for a part that is fun :)
