Asus Zenbook UX305LA review – great and inexpensive 13-inch ultraportable

89 Comments

  1. Javier

    October 26, 2015 at 8:56 am

    I have read some of your reviews and I would like some advice buying new laptop (fhd matte and lightest):

    – Dell Xps 13″ Skylake (I love design but you indicate some deficiencies in the 8 months after review)
    – Toshiba Portege Z30 (I read about very noisy fan)
    – Asus UX303lb (heavier and worried about hinges problems)
    – Asus UX305la (maybe a solution?)

    Thank you in advance

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 26, 2015 at 9:25 am

      My experience with the Portege Z30 is limited, so I can’t comment on that one.

      The UX305LA lacks backlit keys, but if that’s not a deal-breaker, it’s the cheapest of the bunch.

      The UX303LB should be an option if you plan to play any games. Even so, try to get the model with the FHD display, the QHD+ option has severe color issues.

      As for the XPS 13, I still think it can be a great little machine, despite all my issues with it. Perhaps you’d be luckier with your unit. You’d better wait for some reviews of the 9350 model though and see if they addressed the touchpad and battery life issues in any way.

  2. Dor

    October 26, 2015 at 9:32 am

    I got this model a week ago, with the I7 Core and it’s just perfect!
    strong battery life, rarely makes any noise, and good performance as well.
    Oh, and it is very slim and light :)

  3. Justina

    November 1, 2015 at 1:14 am

    Just wondering if the ux305la is available in store in Singapore? Aside from Amazon I cant seem to figure out where to buy one

    Cheers

  4. tom

    November 2, 2015 at 11:23 pm

    Hi Andrei,

    Quick question, very helpful review however trying to weigh up options.

    Looking for an ultra book for hopefully 6 years of college. Would i5 be sufficient of is i7 necessary

    Thanks!

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 3, 2015 at 8:38 am

      Well, 6 years is a long time, so I’d probably look at the Core i7 processor and a minimum of 8 GB of RAM. Also, the battery will probably die in this time, so you should look into popular brands that offers spare batteries in your region.

      • tom wall

        November 4, 2015 at 10:22 pm

        Hi Andrie,
        Thanks for your help!
        Based on that, the i7 8gb would be necessary however would the new UA be a more futureproof model?
        However do you know where in either the USA or EU. the i7 8gb model is available. Have no trouble finding the i5 model however the i7 model is nowhere to be found!!!

        Thanks

      • Andrei Girbea

        November 5, 2015 at 9:47 am

        Asus offers different configurations in different regions. The i7 might not be available in the US. For the EU, try amazon.de , amazon.fr, amazon.it etc

  5. Will

    November 4, 2015 at 7:12 am

    Hi, do you have any news about the release time of ux305la or ux305ua in China?

    Thanks.

  6. Toshik

    November 24, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    @Andrei Girbea

    Thank you for review.

    Can you share windows color profile after you made screen calibration?

    Cause buying calibrator for calibration one screen once, is difficult to justify.

    • MD

      November 26, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      That would be very helpful!

  7. Isaac

    November 24, 2015 at 5:04 pm

    Hey, I was wondering if the 15 model will run Adobe Lightroom 5 fairly well.

  8. rachel

    November 26, 2015 at 11:41 pm

    Does this come with Word Processor?

  9. Rick

    November 27, 2015 at 4:18 pm

    Nice review. I want to purchase a laptop for myself for Christmas. The UX305 is my second choice if the MIIX 700 isn’t here by Christmas.

  10. Allan

    December 8, 2015 at 7:30 am

    Bought the UX305LA I5 model for $750 plus delivery charges of just over $50 from Amazon.com. An absolute bargain and a cracking ultrabook. Screen colours look fine to me and it runs absolutely silent.

    • Toshik

      December 10, 2015 at 4:26 pm

      It was $699.94 + free delivery during black friday week.

    • Brendon

      December 15, 2015 at 4:32 pm

      Hey, speakers are nice? I just bought one too. I like to watch netflix with a loud and decent quality sound, so…

      • Toshik

        January 12, 2016 at 7:45 pm

        Sound quality is acceptable, but can be better.

        Though if we take into consideration how thin is case of ultrabook, it is acceptable.

  11. Jakub

    November 9, 2016 at 3:34 pm

    Hi,
    I'd like to buy 305LA but I wander if it uses PWM and from what brightness ?

    • Toshik

      November 12, 2016 at 6:10 am

      As far as i managed to find the display shows PWM flickering at 50 Hz at brightness levels of 20 percent and below.

      Also, as 305LA is not manufactured now, consider 305UA model based on the latest Intel Skylake processor.

      • Andrei Girbea

        November 12, 2016 at 7:50 am

        Or the newer UX306UA and UX330UA Zenbooks, some of them with KabyLake hardware

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