ASUS ZenBook UX303UA 13.3-Inch FHD Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Windows 10 (64 bit)

Really early review for my UX303UB, but I wanted to get it out there. I've had it for almost a week, and have basically set it up and used for working (online, at home job). I'll give some background on my situation, then give pros/cons. To preface, I'm a loyal Asus buyer (despite notoriously sub-par customer service). Basically that means I'm used to their weird "click pad" touch pad and the chicklet keyboard, and I expect crappy speakers. This is replacing a Q500A, so I haven't had a new laptop in like 4 years (well I have an eeebook, but that doesn't really count). I needed to downsize to something more portable, but I wanted enough power for decent gaming (GW2, Saints Row, Sims, Skyrim, Witcher, etc.). Haven't gotten around to gaming yet, so cannot comment, but, based on other online reviews, I'm not playing anything too heavy for this computer. I don't care for the touch screen, so I turned that off. My last laptop was about $700, so this is the first actually high-end laptop I've bought (due to some nice xmas cash flow), making it expectedly more impressive than former computers. So for starters, I made some tweaks to the laptop right away: Straight off the bat I did a clean install (after finding my product key just in case). Comes with a lot of bloatware, so it was just easier for me to do that. Then I went ahead and updated all of the drivers just to be safe. I was a little disappointed to see that the hard drive is split into 190 GB C drive and 286 GB D drive, but whatever. I changed the default program save to the D drive, and put the D drive as the location for documents, downloads, etc. I'm not a crazy computer genius, so all of these things I did was from finding instructions online. However, I still needed to manually change the install location on some programs to the d drive, so something may have gone wrong there. Also, I don't care for the touch screen, so I turned that off (and thus will not be reviewing it). I also lowered the resolution, because some programs were too tiny with it up so high. Okay, so now the points of importance: PROS: -It comes with a bunch of stuff: sleeve (decent quality), cloth for cleaning screen, extra velcro strap thing (for cord), VGA adapter, and ethernet adapter. -Backlit keyboard is a must, so that's great. -More RAM than I'll ever need, which will give good resale value in the future. -I love the auto detect for screen brightness. -It's super light and thin, which I love. -No problems running anything. Haven't gamed yet (will update after), but everything I've done (web browsing and game downloading, mainly) has been seamless. -It starts up in like under 30 seconds, which is awesome (remember, last computer was 4 years ago). -Windows 10 is cool, at least compared to 8/8.1. Not sure I'd purposefully upgrade to 10, but I have no complaints (not that it's something to attribute to the computer itself anyway). -I'm impressed with the screen resolution and images. Color is a little different than my last computer, but not in a bad way. -The USB port that will charge a device (phone) while the computer is asleep is genius. Why isn't that standard on all computers? -Minor, but the color is good. I was a little unsure of what it would actually look like, but it is more silver than in the picture, which I approve of. "Smokey brown" is super vague and weird, so I didn't really know what to expect. I'm not too much into gold, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it was more silver than the picture. But it's basically a mix between gold and silver (40 gold:60 silver?), if I had to describe it. (I'll consider taking/adding pictures later, some with size reference.) CONS (all minor or fixable, in my opinion): -BIGGEST COMPLAINT: The power cord is SO SHORT. Holy what. I haven't measured, but like....MAYBE 7 feet. Maybe. Probably 6 feet. It's stupid how close to an outlet I need to be. Also it's got the power brick at the prongs, which takes up a lot of outlet space. I did a ton of research to find a compatible power cord and dropped another $20 to get an off-brand normal cord. The adapter section of the new cord will be 6' by itself, so that will be a huge improvement. But really disappointed at how useless the original cord is. (I'm actually dumbfounded over this and cannot get over how someone thought it was okay.) -The keyboard is a little resistant. I definitely have to press harder than with any other computer, so right now I'll miss a letter here and there. Not a big deal, I'll strengthen my fingers and that's cool. -The power button being a regular button next to the delete key is a little worrisome. However, I've been super conscious of it and haven't had problems, but there's great potential to accidentally press the power button instead of delete. -The fans vent out the bottom, so that's weird and can get warm if you keep it on your lap. The keys also can get warm too from venting, so I would hesitate to use a cover over the keyboard (but I'm gonna anyway). -Like I said, there are 2 drives instead of 1, so plan carefully for where you wanna save stuff (if you have lots to put on the laptop). -Battery isn't great (like 5 hours?). It also takes a bit to charge, like almost 2 hours to charge around 80/90% of it. In all honesty I'll be plugged in most of the time anyway, so it's not a big deal (but that power cord, though). -Speakers aren't great, as to be expected. Asus seriously needs to step up that game. I'm used to speakers being on the bottom of their laptops (which is the worst), so having them on both sides is a slight improvement, but they still don't get very loud. Again, I expected that, so no big deal, but worth noting for those who have never owned Asus. -Along the line of speakers, I've always hated that you have to press FN to use the volume keys on Asus laptops. Never looked into changing that, but this review may spark that research. -Not the greatest construction. Not bad, just not what you might expect for paying over a grand. I think it's a little less solid than expected to keep the weight down. It's not going to be solid metal build and stay this light, so it's a trade off. But it's not cheap either. Just worth mentioning. Okay, hopefully I will remember to update in a month or so, after I've done some gaming and had more time to run into potential problems (cause none so far!). -------------------- UPDATE 1/6: So after a little more time I have some more updates to make. -Keyboard gets way easier to use. I think I had about a week of normal use before I was back to my normal typing accuracy. -I am disappointed that there's no little edging on the laptop lid to help open it. I just find myself having a hard time getting it open, and I realized it's because there's no little lip or grip to help separate the lid and body. On my old Asus there was, and I must have used it because without it I'm struggling, haha. -Gaming is great. I've only played a couple, but I'm really happy. Sims 3 runs really smooth, loads quickly, and can support high graphics. I also played some GW2. The graphics are great (there are textures on my clothes I had never seen before) with no lagging (unless my internet is bad) on med-high (I let it auto detect graphics). Overall I'm really satisfied with the gaming aspect, so just keep in mind what you plan on playing. -Keyboard heats up when gaming, seems some of the heat escapes that route instead of the downward facing fans. Not a huge deal, but definitely keep in mind. The laptop can definitely get hot gaming, but the performance doesn't suffer, so I'll deal with the heat. -Oh, a weird thing is that the SD card only goes in the slot halfway. Kind of weird/annoying. I uploaded a couple pics. One of the SD card, and one of it compared to my old laptop (17 inch w/ optical drive). I just put a skin on it, so not great to get pictures of anymore. Figured a couple were better than nothing, though.

- Background: *Software Engineer for a hospital working mainly on CCL. I bought this for myself as i do app development using cordova/intel xdk/Java/Eclipse/Android Studio. *I would say i am also fairly knowledgeable in computers/hardware. I build my desktops and i enjoy it. *I have an ASUS ROG 17 inch that is my favorite Laptop ever, but it is bulky to move around, so i wanted a ultrabook. I didn't want anything over 4 pounds. If i am buying an new laptop for portability's sake, it might as well be an ultra. *I also have the i7 Lenovo X1 Carbon from work. Not really impressed. Laggy, probably due to the encryption software they installed on it. *I have been researching ultrabooks for about a month now, since i wanted to snatch a deal for Black Friday or Christmas. *The decision came down between this and the Dell Dell XPS9350-4007SLV: Dell XPS9350-4007SLV 13.3 Inch QHD+ Touchscreen Laptop (6th Generation Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD) Microsoft Signature Edition 1)This one has a bit higher specs, including from what i read, the ability to add a 2nd SSD, but i haven't opened the laptop yet, so i am not sure. And i don't think i will need another one for sometime. All my development tools + Win10 filled 15% of the SSD so far. 2)Do not forget the price difference between the two: $836 vs $1188 for the Dell. - Why go i5 over i7: After much research, the difference is only 200MHZ which is insignificant. 200MHZ does not justify me paying $200 - $300 extra. It is said that the difference shows when you are working on resource extensive apps like photoshop, etc. I also do not intend on playing games on this one. So for all my intents and purposes, i5 suites me fine. - Now down to business: *Build: Awesome. Hinges seem very sturdy. I got a friend who bought a Toshiba 6 months ago, now it is in the shop to fix the hinges. And she doesn't use is as much at all. *Color: Awesome rose-gold or smokey-brown. Whatever you want to call. My family loved the color. *Weight: This is very light. Even compared to the X1 Carbon *Processor: Lightening fast. i installed my development tools simultaneously without any hiccups. Sometimes 2 or 3 tools at a time. Extremely fast. *SSD: Has only one partition, which is perfect for me. Not two like others mentioned. Also, lightening fast. (See above: *Processor) *Fan: Is there even a fan in there? It is noiseless. *Keyboard: A little bit small for my fingers, but i will get used to it. it is not that it is uncomfortable, it just needs getting used to. *Track pad: A little bit clicky. Nothing i can't live with. *Screen: Gorgeous screen. No issues with the yellows at all. I was looking for the newer drivers to install but i din't need to after all. from the other reviews, it seems that the most screen issues where with the i7. not i5, like the one i got. *Bloatware: So far, McAfee (which i genuinely hate with all my soul) and ASUS gift. The former, Kaspersky took care of removing it during installation, and the later i un-installed myself. if i find any, i will post. *Heat: Worked on it for 6 straight hours on my lap, and i felt nothing at all. And finally most importantly, *Battery life: So far, for my work, which is pure development on auto screen brightness adjusting, i can go up to 9 hours with full charge. I have't streamed videos or played music. I suspect with those you might go up to 5 - 6 hours, but this is just an estimate. **Conclusion: I am very happy with this ultrabook. I am falling in live with it every time i work on it. if i find anything during the coming few days, i will post it. I do recommend it even development.

TLDR; The molded plastic hinge on this computer broke after 2 years of normal use, not what I expect when I spend $1200 on a laptop that is otherwise fantastic. I have an 11 year old Lenovo Yoga that folds back into a tablet, and that hinge is still like new. Meanwhile, the Asus has been out of commission since 2021. I bought a new laptop this year--another Lenovo Yoga. I highly recommend the Lenovo over the Asus because it is simply more durable. -------- I originally bought this Asus laptop in 2016. It was fast, sleek, and more than I really needed. The display and touch screen were excellent. It was a bit on the heavy side. I used it as a traveling private tutor, and I kept it in a properly padded bag with other supplies. It went from my car, to schools & homes, then back to my home. It did not get any rough treatment. But after about 2 years, the molded plastic hinge started getting a little wonky. It progressively got worse, and there really wasn't a way to affordably replace it. I disassembled it and found the interior parts cracking and broken. I used a little epoxy to repair and rebuild the broken parts. It was better, but still not right. I I felt like I had to be overly gentle with it, but still it got worse and worse. I used it through the first year of covid while I worked from home. Fall of 2021, I bought a desktop computer so I could get a big screen and faster processor, as the laptop was 5 years old. I tried to fix the hinge again, but it was hopeless at that point. Considering that I had originally purchased it for $1200 and with the fastest processor and extra RAM, it was a huge disappointment. Interesting note: I had a very compact, Lenovo Yoga Flex that I purchased in 2013. The monitor folds all the way around to make a tablet, and the hinge on it is fantastic. And although the CPU is now as slow as Christmas, it still works fine, including the touch screen, and the hinge is like new--11 years later! As it aged, it didn't get the gentle treatment of a new laptop, but it is so well built, even mildly rough treatment hasn't cause a glitch. This year I bought a new laptop because for personal use, I don't want to always sit at my desk since I do that enough already. I bought a renewed Lenovo Yoga Flex 5 (model14AIU7). It still has the same great hinge and overall quality as the first one I bought. I highly recommend the Lenovo over the Asus because it is simply more durable.

I was only going to give it 4 stars because it would not turn on after 7 months but I later found out my nephew dropped it and it broke the charger pin and he tried to use a different charger and I think he shorted something out within the computer. Well for the first 6 mos or so I was sooo happy with this ultrabook. It has the backlit keyboard and son I'm here to tell you I had MacBook Air 11, MacBook Air 13 and MacBook Pro Retina 13. And this thing is just better!!! Now don't get me wrong I ain't no windows fanboy, nor am I a Applephite but let's be honest the MacBook Pro Retina is a sight to behold as well as simplistic closed operating system with counter intuitive command names (common you Applefanfarts you know I'm telling the truth). The trackpad on Apple is smoother without the annoying mechanical "click" However once I relearned a new Window format (Windows 10) this Asus has become like my second self, my alter ego so to speak.. anyway back to the zen book. I opted for the i5 256gb sad and while it has been gone for these last 2 weeks for warranty repair ( because I don't know what happened it just will not power up) as I told the warranty consultant, a wonderfully pleasant female by the name of Tisha (I think). She had me perform a few last ditch attempts to power up and they failed. ( this only took 10 min at most.) but the wonderful voice she projected was a pleasure to listen to and I dutifully complied with all her requests and I found myself almost breathless waiting for her next command. She asked for my email address and I new this would be the beginning of a very satisfying relationship between us, but alas it was not to be for she emailed me the FedEx shipping label and that was all. No personal cell number, no smiling emojis or blushing kissy faces. Our relationship was purely professional to her and I was just another case number for her warranty File. Well with a heavy heart I boxed my Zenbook in a not original box because she said It will in all likelihood will not be sent back to me when the work is done. Well it has been excaxtly 10 days since I sent my zenbook off when I received a notice of return shipping from an obscure town in Cali with a little not saying my Zenbook was received with no damage and would not turn on, with warranty work complete, the Zenbook was received by FedEx on its return journey. I am so excited I am beside myself because you see I have had to go back to my MacBook Pro Retina for the past 12 days. Relying on it for me Emails, Research(internet browsing) and docs. It has been such a bore!!! It is almost as if that Zenbook had become apart of me in the last 7 months and there is a whole in me we're my Zenbook used to be. I don't know if it's the spiral scalloped metallic feel of the luminasent pinkish gray aluminum, which I must say was a little emasculating when I first opened the box those 7 long months ago, but turned into my heart gladdining blip I felt everytime I got home from work and settle in my favorite chair after family dinner and rub my hand across her sexy ridged aluminisent body. Ahhhm well can you tell that I have simply feel head over heel in love with this Zenbook? Well I have and I miss her terribly I hope above all hope it will be returned to me no later than Tuesday afternoon. ( the end of the 5 days it should take to get from Cali to my home). Well there you have it the most heartfelt review I have ever written. I look back on it and read these words and honestly do not know what came over me! So take it or leave it.

I have been using a UX303UB as my primary computer for about month because I have been traveling a lot. I totally agree that it is an excelent computer, especially for the price. I use it mainly for Java and Android development. It seems to be as fast as my desktop which is a few years old and also has an i7 processor. First, let me say that I would buy this computer again, and recommend it to friends and colleagues. Now, I'll rant about what I don't like. The UX303UB's high DPI display is unusable with some software programs. Second, the glorious spacious 500GB drive is partitioned into 2 pathetically skimpy 250GB drives. Third, I frequently use the computer with a second HDMI display, extending my desktop. Once every couple of days, the displays go blank for a second, and then recover after displaying an error message. I do not know if this only happens with the dual display setup I usually use. The UX303UB's display is unusable with certain programs due to its high DPI display. I think this is a general problem for a number of high DPI tablets and computers. Specifically, the fonts and icons are too small to read for Eclipse (a development environment), WinSCP (a secure FTP program), and E-TradePro (an investment trading program). I am sure there are other programs that suffer from this problem. There is a work around, but it cannot be fixed easily by just increasing font sizes or lowering the display resolution. I discuss the work around below. When I received my computer, the gloriously spacious 500GB SSD drive that I paid for was partitioned into 2 pathetically skimpy 250GB drives (a C: and a D:). I do not understand the logic of doing this unless the OS is unable to to handle a 500GB drive. Maybe someone can enlighten me. I've dealt it before. I hate it. Every program you install will default to loading on the C: drive, and keeping its data on the C: drive. You will have to constantly fight every program to try to not fill the skimpy C: drive, and use the empty D: drive. There is a work around to this too, which I discuss below. Do not attempt this procedure unless you are comfortable with modifying the Windows Registry. The tiny font and icon problem can be fixed for Eclipse and many other programs by installing an xml file in the same directory as the executable, and naming it elipse.exe.manifest. Also you have to add a registry key to tell Windows to use the file. Here is a link to a posting by Mathew Cochrane who explains the fix and provides a link to the file you need [...] Do not attempt this procedure unless you are comfortable with using the Windows Disk Manager to re-partion drives. Since I have been traveling a lot, I have not followed this procedure, so I cannot vouch for it 100%. Here is how you can get back the glorious 500GB you paid for. If you try to re-partition the drive with Windows Disk Manager (WDM), you will not be able to do it. WDM will only expand your skimpy 250GB drive if you are expanding into physically contiguous space on the disk. Asus has inconviently created a small recovery partition physically right next to the C: drive. So you are stuck. You have 2 choices. Either get and trust a 3rd party Disk Manager or delete your recovery partition. You should not delete your recovery partition unless you make a new recovery USB drive or have some other way to recover your OS when, not if, the computer crashes. So you will have to take several steps: 1) Do not do this unless you understand the procedure. Google for more info. 2) Make a USB recovery drive 3) Backup any needed data on your puny D: drive 4) Delete the recovery partition on your UX303UB SSD drive 5) Shrink your puny D: 250GB drive to zero losing all info on it 6) Expand your C: drive to its glorious 500GB potential Again, let me repeat that I recommend this computer, and would buy it again despite a few problems. It is a great buy.

I have had an ASUS laptop before i bought this one, so i decided to stick with it because i saw potential. Before i bought the ASUS UX303UA with 8GB ram and an I5 processor I had a very low end ASUS lap top (about $250- $300 for it) i needed an upgrade. The screen resolution on this is amazing and works well with small photo edits i currently do. As i grow my skill in photo editing im sure this computer will still not be a problem for it. The keyboard on this i actually love more than the Mac Book pro keys. My friend lent me his Macbook Pro 2015 model for a day while he was in class and it was a bit too shallow for me. ASUS nailed the keyboard on this one, great response and feels great when typing on it. The metal body is great in appearance and durability. The top does get some finger prints but are very easy to remove with the cloth given in the box when you purchase it. The battery life and speed of this computer is also very good. The battery lasts me for about 5-6 hours while im on excel and have my google browser open, and before that watched an hour of Netflix. This thing is great for students.. which is what i am. I have also played some League Of Legends on here and it runs very smoothly with no lag. (I am ethernet connected when playing) Which bring me to the cable they add in when you buy this computer. The cable is great when it is plugged in and works very well. Only downside is that it is sometimes hard to get out of the USB port. Nothing major and doesn't do any damage to the machine... just something i would like to add for people to be aware of. The track pad is very very good! The only thing i have to say about it is sometimes you may have to press down on it a little harder than usual, but nothing to stress over and does not need to be pressed because it isn't doing what i want it to. It just may feel stiffer than usual track pads. One thing i do like about this computer is that it is well balanced when on the lap and it can be opened with one hand. That may not seem like a big deal but it is nice. Overall, this computer is well worth the money if you are not a huge huge gamer. Great for students and business men/ women, photo editing, surfing the web and hat have you. Great product for the money and i would buy it over the MAC.

ASUS ZenBook UX303UA 13.3-Inch FHD Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Windows 10 (64 bit) This is what the Amazon discription said: ASUS ZenBook UX303UA 13.3-Inch FHD Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Windows 10 (64 bit) This is a complete lie. When I received the laptop it had Windows 7 (not Windows 10) installed. It had 5 CD's/DVD's in the box. No explanation what they were for or how to use them. No explanation that you needed to buy an external DVD ROM if you want Windows 10 installed. I would have purchased a DVD ROM when I bought the laptop if I knew in advance. I had to wait 5 extra days to get one delivered due to the Christmas holiday. There were no instructions in the box or on the ASUS website on how to install Windows 10. This is a total crock of BullPucky!!! I started loading the different DVD's until finally one of them loaded a setup screen for Windows 10. I had to guess which DVD needed to be loaded next to finish the install. After much confusion I finally got Windows 10 installed. After the install, Guess What? No Touchscreen. I did an online chat with ASUS's support department. They told me the laptop does not support Touchscreen. This is unacceptable!!! I'm never buying anything made by ASUS for the rest of my lifetime. I've been ripped off!!! Never again. The one star is for ASUS's complete lack of instructions. Enough of my rant. I can live without Touchscreen. Cleaning the fingerprints off the screen would be a pain. My tablet's screen gets wasted from my greasy fingers. Other than the Touchscreen lie, I'm very happy with the laptop. I would give it a 4-5 star rating performance wise. With the SSD Drive, Windows 10 boots in about 20 seconds. Love it. Since it's light weight, and I slouch down in my overstuffed livingroom chair, it makes for a great BellyTop computer. I purchased a ASUS SDRW-08U9M-U/BLK 13mm External DVD Writer designd for the ZenBook. ASUS SDRW-08U9M-U/BLK 13mm External DVD Writer, Compatible with USB 2.0 and Type-C for both Mac/PC It works great as well. I didn't notice too much Bloatware installed. For the price, $715.00 was a good deal on the laptop. With all of my hard work, I'm keeping it.

I did extensive research before buying the Zenbook, ultimately deciding that it was the absolute best option for portability, price and power. Several days into owning the Zenbook, I'm convinced I made a good decision. One of the challenges I had in deciding how to pick a laptop/tablet was figuring out what to prioritize. Through a good deal of Reddit research, polling of Facebook friends and reading online I think I've generated a pretty good foundation of what's important for an average user. I'll share some of that thinking in the context of the Zenbook. Preliminary Guidance: Start by developing a really clear definition of your regular use. Focus on buying a device that thrives in your everyday scenario, not a device that matches a more marginal, rarer use. Example: don't be obsessed with portability if you only travel with a device twice a year. If you can nail down how you are going to use your device 90% of the time, you should focus on finding a device that matches that profile. Don't inflate the importance of the other 10%. In my case, I wanted a powerful laptop that could handle multi-tasking effectively while being easy to move from room to room in my house (a desktop replacement in my office, a device for streaming Netflix while in bed). The Zenbook has been fantastic on both fronts. Breaking Down the Zenbook: First, portability. Yes, there are plenty of lighter devices, but I find it hard to imagine that a device that is 3.3lbs is going to be unwieldy for anyone. It's not going to be obtrusive in your backpack, and you can easily move it around wherever you are in one hand. Unless you have a really unique use situation, I don't recommend viewing the Zenbook's size as anything other than a plus. This is particularly true if this is the first laptop you're buying in a few years. I can almost guarantee that this will feel lighter than any device you are using from a few years ago. Second, price. With tax this device cost me just over $1,200. I consider this a pretty fantastic price for a machine that's as portable and powerful as this one. In my research there wasn't anything even really close to the Zenbook considering the power components I'll discuss below. I'll say this: everyone wants to spend as little as they can on a laptop. But I made the decision early on that a "budget laptop" wasn't the right move for me given I want a machine that will last and thrive for at least three years. I'd urge you to really think about what you want and what you need and stretch for the better Zenbook if you can. If your budget is $1,000 I suggest you really consider taking the $200 hit and upgrading to this device which is more likely to be good for a few years versus a few of the other slightly less expensive options. A key component of this to me: I determined early on that a device with a solid state hard drive (SSD) was worth several hundred dollars based on the likelihood that it'll last longer (more below). Third, power. It's absurd how good laptops are these days. This laptop has the latest generation of Intel processors (Skylake), carries 12GB of RAM and has a SSD. What that practically means for most users is they get really fast, reliable performance while multi-tasking. As I said above, an SSD was a must--a perspective that all of my more technical friends beat into my head. It makes a device work faster, more efficiently without all of the moving pieces that frequently lead to hard drive failure/overheating in laptops after a year or two. I really urge you to make an SSD a must-have in any device you buy. Having the latest generation of processor was also important to me because it makes me encouraged that this device will be able to keep up a few years down the road as technology continues to progress. 12GB of RAM was more than any other device I seriously considered in this price range. That's really nice when you are asking your computer to do multiple things at once. All told, this device is the most powerful package I could find in its class. That's my personal hierarchy of what matters. I hope that helps. A few other tidbits that might help inform your decision: - Typical Use: I multi-task constantly, including running Chrome (3-10 tabs), Spotify (or Netflix) and Minecraft. After reading reviews I was a bit nervous about the Zenbook's ability to run Minecraft effectively (apparently the graphics card is just average). This hasn't been a problem at all. I'm sure other devices can render Minecraft/other games faster, but for me--an average/non-intensive gamer--it runs great. - Desktop replacement: 75% of the time I've used the Zenbook plugged in to two external monitors (make sure you buy a "Thunderbolt to HDMI" convertor if you want to use dual monitors). One drawback on the dual monitors front: I was getting greedy hoping I could use two externals AND the Zenbook as a third monitor--as far as I can tell this can't be done. The Zenbook display runs as a duplicate with one of the external monitors, while the other monitor will act as a second screen. A marginal complaint, in my opinion. - Touch screen: I've had one on my work laptop for a long time and never use it. I haven't found myself using it much on the Zenbook either. Maybe you'll be different than me, but I wouldn't view this as much of a factor one way or the other. One screen complaint I do have is that it seems dark to me (even with the brightness all the way up). If you are particularly sensitive to light, this might be worth investigating further. For me, it just takes some adjusting. - Bloatware: As you'll read other places the Zenbook comes with a good deal of Bloatware. It's annoying, but don't sweat it. Nearly every new laptop will have a similar problem. I suggest you plan for one to two hours of machine maintenance when you first get it to make sure everything is clean and setup the way you like it. For me, I started by installing the latest Windows updates (a must), then began removing unnecessary programs (there are resources online to help you with this if you need guidance), installed my preferred browser (Chrome) and installed a new anti-virus program after removing the annoying/intrusive McAfee. - Last word: I'm a really picky tech consumer and have been told I'm impossible to please. Well the Zenbook has done it--I'm really, really happy with it. Can't recommend it enough.