Customer Reviews

ASUS UL50VT-X1 Thin and Light 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This computer replaced a Toshiba Satellite laptop that served flawlessly, but that was showing its age after four years of college.

While it's far too soon to know if this ASUS product will match that length of service (and stand up to the sometimes not-so-gentle schlepping that college students can subject electronics to): their motherboards enjoy a great reputation among the build-it-yourself crowd and their netbooks have been well received.

This is the second we've purchased this year (the first was the original ASUS UL-50 "A1" version).

As with that model, this one is very strong in four areas that clearly differentiate from an endless array of similarly priced laptops:

(1) display size and quality (15.6 inches, crisp and bright, separate video processor with 512 MB of its own memory)

(2) system memory (4 GB DDR3)

(3) battery life (ASUS advertises 11.5 hours; more on how they get to this below). Even if you don't exercise all the tweaks to get to maximum battery time, it still offers great battery performance.

(4) length and scope of warranty coverage.

About the battery life which other reviewers have criticized as not meeting the marketing hyperbole (Amazon indicated 11+ hours and a sticker in the packaging claims 12+ hours)....

ASUS has a power control scheme offering the option to select from two video adapters: a discrete NVIDIA Gforce G210M video processor or the integrated Intel display adapter. Users then have to decide whether they want enhanced video or extended battery life. A small power button above the keyboard lets you make this selection. You can also select an auto mode, which makes the choice for you based on whether using AC power or the battery is being used.

ASUS also includes a power management utility offering four power setting scenarios (high performance, entertainment, quiet office or battery saving). Each of these can be further customized (display blanking, screen savers, sleep mode, etc.) as you determine your balance of performance vs. battery life.

So: can you really get 11 or 12 hours of battery time? Maybe.

IF you select the battery saving mode, and IF you accept the diminished video performance, and IF you give up power-hungry goodies (like Windows sidebar) and IF you avoid power-intensive tasks (like CD burning or video rendering)...you might get there...but you should still figure the marketing figures make some best-case assumptions.

What I have done is used this machine for six untethered hours while enjoying the enhanced video and writing to multiple DVDs. As an upgrade to an old machine that could barely manage 90 minutes away from an AC outlet: six hours of battery time for full-featured operation is excellent.

Their support seems better than many other manufacturers. I registered with the ASUS support site, and posted a question about operating the webcam. Within five hours, I had an email response. Very impressive. Although I haven't tried it --or had a need to-- they also have a 24/7 toll free number.

ASUS offers the following mix of warranties on this computer in the US and Canada:

-30 days for "bright dot" (hot pixels...they don't say anything about about dead ones!) on the display. ANY singe pixel qualifies for this.

-1 year on the the battery

-2 years on the computer

-1 year accidental damage coverage (which they immediately extend to 2 years when you register online)

-two way shipping for any repair/RMA situations.

For the money, this is a superb laptop choice and ASUS appears ready to stand behind it.

Unlike the A1 version, the X1 model includes a recovery DVD. In addition, you'll also be prompted to generate your own recovery DVDs (you'll need 4 DVDs and about an hour to do this).

Minor gripes:

(1) No speaker volume control wheel. Volume is controlled either with via the task bar (using a mouse or touchpad) or FN keys.

(2) No physical switch to turn the wireless adapter on/off. This is done either through a FN key or a task bar icon (and you may not remember the latter, because it can be hidden under Windows 7 options!).

(3) The webcam software was not easy to identify. This was mostly because of a silly, cartoonish user interface that also makes it hard to use. They could have done better by talking to at least one user.

(4) Others have written about the super glossy wrist-rest area. It's an an absolute fingerprint magnet and skin oil palate. A matte or brushed finish, similar to this machine's outside cover could have eliminated this. I'm considering fine-grain sandpaper to roughen this area up!

(5) I prefer a power adapter that plugs in at the rear of a laptop. This one plugs in on the left side, which can be in issue depending on the AC outlet location.

(6) One of the three USB ports is at the front right of the machine. If you use this for a mouse (as many right-handers might), you'll have mouse cordage right where you might prefer to place the actual mouse.

None of those are serious enough to diminish a "buy with confidence" bottom line for this computer. It's light, powerful, power-stingy and full-featured.

After playing around with this laptop for a week or so I think I should be able to write an informative review. Some of the pros so far are: 1. Beautiful body. The laptop is really sleek, shiny, and looks cool. Its definitely the type of laptop your friends may question you about. 2. It is not slow, because I had feared this when noticing the 1.3ghz processor. 3. The screen is really nice. Its actually fun to work on this laptop. Sadly for me, the cons outnumber the pros: 1. The speakers are terrible. They will be okay if you are watching a show, but don't count on great movie/music quality. 2. Although the body is great, it smudges too quickly. 3. When I type, I feel like I might break the keyboard (It flexes way too much on my left-side). The chiclet style keyboard looks cool, but does not feel durable for my work. I'm into programming, so its a bit awkward putting your fingers on very sensitive keys. 4. I'm not a big fan of the optical drive, because if I place my hand on it, while carrying the laptop, I feel like it might crack or something. 5. The touch pad is great, but the click-button is horrible, its too hard to click. But mostly I use a mouse. 5. The webcam is a joke, its pretty bad.

Overall, since I bought this laptop from here at Amazon for only $750. I am trying to complain not too much because for the price its a good buy. But that's all it is. A good buy. I wish ASUS asked me to throw $150 - $200 to them more if they could agree to install better speakers, webcam, and keyboard on this laptop. But hey, I've had it only for a week so maybe my perception will improve as the time goes by? Awesome battery life by the way...

So why would I give it 4 stars even when the cons outnumbers the pros? Because it looks so freaking cool for the price!!! Seriously, its nice to 'look' at, and works pretty fast. Not to mention, Windows 7 is heaven.

UPDATE:

Okay, its been about 3 weeks since I've kept this laptop and I just keep falling in love with it more and more. Its actually fun to type on the keyboard because it seems so easy (contradictory to what I had said before). However, I have started to notice that it does freeze here and there when it has a LOT of load, but nothing too problematic.

Also, to clarify, for those of you who may be confused, UL50VT-A1 is the older version of the same model, while UL50VT-X1 is the newer version, but I believe everything is pretty much the same. I recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a laptop that is beautiful, easy to type on, hard to click on but is willing to use a mouse, and long batter life. I love it!

I wanted a high-end machine that would work like a desktop and not put me in the poor house. I looked at the MacBook, which is a very nice machine, but the price was just too prohibitive ($2500 for a 15 inch). I went to Microcenter and browsed; while there, a salesman directed me to an Asus 17 inch laptop. It was great, but I wasn't willing to shell out $1400-$1700. I inquired of my IT folks on my job, and they mentioned DELL and Asus. Up to this point, I had never heard of Asus, so I said "H-m-m-m." I mentioned to a good friend of mine what I was looking for and mentioned Asus. His eyes lit up and he told me had two (2) of them. We talked a good while and my search got even more intense. I found this machine on Amazon at an unbelievably low price. I ordered it and have never been happier. I've been working with computers since the old Packard Bells were around (yeah, I'm showing my age) and at one time actually learned how to build computers. I am totally satisfied with what I have. I don't miss having the MacBook for what I need to do. I treasure this baby. The speed, the keyboard, the size are simply outstanding; not to mention the 12 hour battery. It is for real. I recommend this product highly. Asus has got it going on!!

I was sold on the battery life and while I have yet to get the 10-12 hours on one charge, I must say that it has given me a solid 5-6 when I remember to reset the power settings. It has been able to keep up with my usage requirements easily, typical office type work with many windows open at once and the occasional light photo editing needs. I don't mess with the photos unless I have the video card turned on and have access to power or can live with the shorter battery life.

I bought an ASUS Laptop less than one year ago. The fan needs replacing. I bought it knowing I would be transfered to São Paulo Brazil. I believed the global/world wide service claim. I am now bringing my laptop back to the USA for service. They need a minimum of 14 business days to service the computer. I will have to pick it up at my son's house on my next trip back to the USA I will be without my laptop for 2 months at least. BUYER BEWARE CHECK WHERE THE SERVICE IS IF YOU WANT YOU LAPTOP REPAIRED. BRAZIL HAS NO SERVICE

Eu comprei um notebook ASUS menos de um ano atrás. O ventilador precisa ser substituído. Comprei-o sabendo que eu seria transferido para São Paulo, Brasil. Eu acreditava que o global / mundo reclamação do serviço de largura. Agora estou trazendo o meu laptop de volta aos EUA para o serviço. Eles precisam de um mínimo de 14 dias úteis para a manutenção do computador. Vou ter que buscá-lo na casa do meu filho na minha próxima viagem de volta para os EUA vou ficar sem meu laptop por 2 meses pelo menos. CUIDADO COM O COMPRADOR CHECK Sempre que o serviço é se você quiser você laptop REPARADO. BRASIL TEM NO SERVIÇO

I purchased this in early September and at first was thrilled to have a brand new laptop running Windows 7 smoothly. The software that Asus includes adds some extra functionality that is fairly cool, as well.

Like most of the reviews point out, the touchpad's design could have used a little more time in the product testing departent. The buttons are stiff, and it is somewhat difficult to glide over the glossy surface.

My real problem came when I was trying to run certain applications that are GPU-intensive. At first, the apps will run smoothly. After about 10 minutes into running, however, everything starts going downhill. The graphics become choppy and fail to render properly, and then a loud beeping sound is emitted from the speakers repeatedly. The application, once it hits this point, must be closed.

My attempt to register the product on Asus's support site were unsuccessful, because they say the serial number does not match the model specified. I'm quite sure I'm typing the s/n in correctly, and the model specified is correct. There seems to be NO support number for Asus on their website, either.

Overall, I will probably never buy another Asus again. As bad as some of the other manufacturers seem to be when it comes to customer support, at least they have a phone number to call in order to talk to a live person.

I bought this laptop two weeks ago and it runs great! The only complaints I have are that it did not come with MS office or a good virus protection. My son-in=law had to put a good virus protection on it and now I have to buy MS office. Other than those two things it is great for internet and email.