Asus Zenbook Flip UX362 review (UX362FA – i7-8565U, UHD 620)

28 Comments

  1. Pockystix27

    November 13, 2018 at 5:51 am

    I had a ux561 and returned it for various reasons. Now I am interested in the newer ux562. Can't find reviews yet for the ux562 but I'd imagine the ux362 is very similar.

    My previous ux561 had an extremely glossy screen. The worst I've seen on a touchscreen laptop. There was no point in even looking for backlight bleed over the bright reflections. The build was also a bit underwhelming. It would creak if you held it the wrong way. Which meant I didn't use it much as a convertible.

    Any indication the newer ux562 (based off of the ux362) will be any better? Another big issue is I have my laptop plugged in half the time to a 4k TV. The hdmi 1.4 isn't gonna cut it and not sure if the usb-c will be display port capable or not. Also debating between the ux562 and ux533.

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 13, 2018 at 6:36 pm

      The UX362 is pretty well made imo, no creaks or weird noises when hold in hand. But I would jump to any conclusions regarding the UX562 based on that, let's wait for some reviews.

      As for the screen, it's also glossy on the ux362, and the feeling is accentuated by the dim panel.

      As for the last part, the UX562 gets dedicated graphics, but even so it might only get HDMI 1.4 and gen1 USB-C, and I'm not entirely sure you can drive a 4K 60 Hz off those. In theory, it's possible, but I can't vouch for it without trying and I don't have a 4K screen, nor an USB_C to HDMI adapter.

  2. Sam

    November 13, 2018 at 10:00 am

    Thanks for this great review
    Is there any chance that a your model has a dimmer scren but the real product will have a better one?

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 13, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      Yes, that's a possibility. However, this is a fairly new panel, so I'm rather inclined to say the final versions will also get the same. We'll see.

  3. Husel

    November 14, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    For future 2 in 1 laptops you could perform more tests and elaborate upon
    1. presence of sensors – accelerometer, gyrometer, compass, light sensor, GPS etc
    2. pen technology used – N-trig, Wacom AES, Wacom EMR etc
    3. screen protection – Corning Gorilla Glass
    4. touchpad manufacturer – Synaptics, Elan, Alps. Despite software using Windows Precision drivers the hardware is still 3rd party engineering.
    5. general durability and serviceability of components e.g. battery, screen
    6. comparison to alternatives in each section e.g. keyboard feel against thinkpad, ideapad, spectre, xps etc
    7. OEM preload software – drivers, fan control, pen control, power management, hardware testing etc

    Excellent review as usual. Love the insightful hands-on observations comparing with Notebookcheck that keeps me coming back. Would love even more little details like whether the Function key sticks or any minor inconveniences using as a convertible.

    It appears Lenovo's still the king of convertibles with its Thinkpad X1Y3 at high end and Yoga 730 13 at mid range. Still looking forward to the rest of your ZenBook reviews though, that is if Asus ever releases them.

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 14, 2018 at 11:59 pm

      Hey, thanks for all the suggestions, will try to get into more detail in the future.

      1. Just the gyroscope, none of the others.
      2. I mentioned there's no digitizer on this one, it's compatible with Active pens like this one: https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops-Accessories/Asus-Pen/
      3. There's of course a layer of protective glass on top of the screen, but it's not Gorilla.
      4. Haven't checked this time, but I'd expect Elan
      5. Impossible to judge that based on a few week's use
      6. Will consider that, but I don't get to review everything, so I can't cover everything
      7. Got it. I usually don't cover that because each OEM put its fair share of bloatware, and I get rid of most of it

      I haven't noticed other issues or quirks, or I would have mentioned them. Not sure if the Yoga 730 is necessarily a better product, but there's great value with that one with the current prices. This Zenbook has the form-factor and design on its side, too bad for the screen though.

      • David

        November 18, 2018 at 3:01 am

        You have to have a digitizer on a touchscreen. It's the thing that translates touch/pen movements into action on screen.

        Active pens require further work on the screen part to make them work together. If the Asus Pen is an active stylus then it would have such modifications. That's why you can't use(for the most part) can't use one active stylus on another device.

        There are some hybrid pens nowadays where it tries to blend the two. It's an "active" pen but uses trickery to improve accuracy over passive ones. But you can't get the accuracy and functionality you can with true active pens and the paired screens.

      • Andrei Girbea

        November 18, 2018 at 7:02 pm

        Yes, you're right, sry for my confusing previous reply. I don't know however which kind of digitizer this one uses, my knowledge of the topic is in fact fairly limited.

        As far as I can tell though, it's not N-Trig or Wacom AES/EMR, but some other sort of Eletrostatic implementation. I'd reckon it's similar to what they've been using on the Zenbook UX370 and the Zenbook UX461 in the past, but I can't find any specific details bout those series either.

  4. Binghituw

    November 18, 2018 at 4:33 am

    Will the UX370 also get an upgrade? UX372?

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 18, 2018 at 6:41 pm

      It might at some point, but none was announced yet.

  5. Furkan

    November 18, 2018 at 11:42 pm

    Will the price really be just 999$?
    Is that the estimated price or is it official?
    Seems to be a great alternative to the zenbook flip 14 with way thinner bezels and competetive pricing.

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 19, 2018 at 2:12 pm

      It's my estimation based on the prices over here in Europe for the entry level configurations with the i5 /8 gb / 256 GB SSD. Not sure if it will be available in that configuration in the US though

  6. Rayben

    November 19, 2018 at 9:26 am

    Please also review ZenBook Flip 15 UX562FD when it becomes available. Possibly with an i7, FHD and 86Wh battery SKU.
    I want a 15" 2-in-1 laptop focusing on good performance and battery life. New Spectre x360 15 with 1050 Ti looks perfect except for its lack of FHD screen. Following up the UX562 looks decent but I'm mainly concerned about power/thermal throttling and Asus's hardware quality.

    https://www.asus.com/2-in-1-PCs/ASUS-ZenBook-Flip-15-UX562FD/Tech-Specs/

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 19, 2018 at 2:14 pm

      Havne't got a review sample yet, but it's going to be a priority when I get it

  7. Badabum

    November 22, 2018 at 4:06 pm

    Hello Andrei!
    I have two questions.
    Did you check the weight (1.27kg) by yourself?
    Did you see QuietFan asus app in the notebook?
    Thanks!

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 22, 2018 at 5:42 pm

      1. Yes.
      2. No. I did however update that section of the post, I believe the fact that the fan was always active was some sort of quirk with this test unit. The fan remains inactive on the other ZenBooks I've reviewed lately, and I'd expect the same with the retail versions of this one. We'll see.

      • Badabum

        December 21, 2018 at 11:32 am

        Sad news. Asus presented ux362fa in Ukraine and 1st reviewer notes one big issue: constant loud fan system. Really nice laptop fails on the fan.
        itc.ua/articles/asus-zenbook-flip-13/

      • Andrei Girbea

        December 23, 2018 at 12:17 pm

        Not the case with our review unit. It was active, but quiet, with daily use.

  8. Emani

    November 22, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    Hello Andrei,

    I see you have a test version, does this mean it isn't available to buy yet, and if not do you know when we can?

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 22, 2018 at 8:01 pm

      I was told Jan 2019 over here in Europe.

      • Jack

        March 2, 2019 at 10:22 pm

        Do you know when it will be available in the US?

      • Andrei Girbea

        March 3, 2019 at 7:10 pm

        No, I don't have any insider info on this matter. COudl try to contact Asus on social media and ask about it

  9. Blagh

    November 22, 2018 at 11:40 pm

    If possible, please update article with a picture of the Asus next to an XPS 13, which I believe is its true competition.

  10. Karel Klapka

    March 21, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    Thank you for valuable review! Can you compare the battery life with same test with other convertibles – Yoga 730, Spectre x360 (in Spectre x360 I haven't found same test matodology, maybe I just missed the right review)? Do you plan to update the review with real product? Possibly also with i5 / 8GB version?
    Thank you very much.

    • Andrei Girbea

      March 25, 2019 at 11:18 am

      I don't think there will be a further update. We don't have a similar review of the x360.

  11. idan m

    April 4, 2019 at 6:04 pm

    hello,
    i have a question about the version with only the 2 usb-c ports.
    does the mini-dock of asus- or any mini dock will work with those USB3.1 Type C (Gen 1) support Display- which are not charging.
    https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1033037/
    thank you!

    • Andrei Girbea

      April 5, 2019 at 2:10 pm

      I've never tried that dock, so I can't offer a proper answer. Perhaps someone else can pitch in with a reply.

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