Ultrabooks are one of the most actively developing segments of the computer market in recent years. Making the right choice can be challenging due to the abundance of supply. For example, a joint study by IPSOS and Microsoft conducted in the Russian market found that 78% of people in their PCs are not satisfied with the battery life, 83% are dissatisfied with the low performance, and 74% are annoyed by the long startup.
In this material, using the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 as an example, we will consider what functions and capabilities a modern high-end laptop should have in order to delight its owner.
The average laptop life cycle has increased significantly. As statistics show, users update their computers about once every 3-5 years. So the question of choice became even more important. You choose a device with which you will work for several years.
However, before we get down to specifics, it should be said that it is very important that the laptop is visually pleasant, so that it is pleasant to touch and wants to work with it.
Content
- Form factor and portability
- Screen and noise reduction with artificial intelligence
- Modern connectivity: ports, digital touchpad, Wi-Fi 6 and Windows Hello
- Performance
- Battery life
- conclusions
Form factor and portability
I suppose it’s safe to say that the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 represents a new breed of versatile laptop, that is, multitasking devices that should help out their owner in any situation.
What is useful to pay attention to when choosing universal solutions?
First, the laptop should be light and thin, that is, portable. For example, the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 with a thickness of 13.9 mm and a weight of 1.3 kg will fit into any bag or backpack without pulling the shoulder.
Secondly, it’s a 2-in-1 form factor.
ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 is a 360-degree convertible laptop. Thanks to the touch screen and stylus support, it can be used as a tablet for drawing or editing documents. The Ultrabook can either be folded into a tablet, or folded, as shown in the image below. Thus, writing with a stylus on it will be even more convenient. Also, this position is great if you want to use a laptop, for example, as a smart screen for video conferencing or watching videos.
The third feature of a universal laptop is what is called omnivorousness. Let’s talk about the battery life in a separate paragraph, but here I will note that, for example, ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 uses a USB Type-C port for charging and supports the Power Delivery standard. This is important as the laptop can be charged even when using the fast charger from the smartphone! Accordingly, there are fewer things in the bag, plus there is an opportunity, if anything, to “shoot” the exercises from colleagues.
And finally, I will note one more important factor that most manufacturers prefer to ignore. It is MIL-STD 810G certified for military reliability. This standard consists of many endurance tests, so you need to look at which tests the laptop passed. In the case of the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13, there is a shock test (in this test, the laptop is dropped 25 times at different angles), that is, the ZenBook is likely to survive a fall. The importance of this point should not be underestimated. Additional protection has never been superfluous!
Screen and noise reduction with artificial intelligence
One of the main features of the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 is its OLED screen. Despite the fact that the OLED screen has long become an indispensable attribute of the flagship device in the smartphone market, laptop manufacturers are in no hurry to introduce this technology. Some of the main reasons are the high cost and difficulty of manufacturing OLED panels for laptops.
And yet, the future lies with OLED screens. The vast majority of laptops use IPS panels. Such screens are good, they have accurate color reproduction, a good margin of brightness and large viewing angles. However, if you put IPS and OLED screens side by side, as high brightness, contrast and color saturation, ideal black color will immediately make the advantage of the latter obvious. By the way, rich blacks are achieved due to the fact that the pixels are simply turned off. The advantage of this solution is the increased energy efficiency of OLED screens. We will not guess, but it is likely that with an OLED screen, you will fall in love with black themes in the design of interfaces.
OLED screens have a significantly wider color gamut and are capable of better color reproduction. For example, ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 has 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and Pantone Research Institute for Color Accuracy. Compare the color gamut difference – standard sRGB and DCI-P3.
One of the important features of OLED screens is a large margin of brightness. The ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 has a VESA DisplayHDR 500 certification, which means panel brightness is at least 500 nits. So, when choosing a portable laptop, you should consider the OLED screen option, because the high brightness of the screen will allow you to work comfortably even outside on a clear summer day.
In 2020, the use of video calling has become ubiquitous due to remote work. And many are faced with the fact that their houses are not provided for video communication: children are running around, water is noisy in the kitchen, a neighbor with a puncher is sure to be somewhere within earshot. Lucky for those whose windows overlook a quiet courtyard, the noise of cars, tuned “sixes” and ambulance sirens burst into the apartments of the rest. All this brings discomfort.
ASUS responded by introducing Intelligent Noise Canceling to ZenBook Flip 13, which filters noise and enhances the speaker’s voice. Instead of a description, just visit the ASUS official website and listen to an example of how the system works!
Another important point for video conferencing (however, for creating and consuming content) is the quality of the screen. The screen has the thinnest 3.9mm side bezels, but most importantly, the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 is sold in combination with OLED, which has an extended color gamut of 100% DCI-P3. A screen like this is great for watching movies and playing games, but coupled with the stylus support, it becomes obvious that the laptop will also suit professionals who work with color.
The laptop also has Harman Kardon certified stereo speakers. ASUS talks about surround sound and an intelligent amplifier that eliminates audio distortion. All this is good, but the main thing is that, as a rule, Harman Kardon speakers are much louder than normal ones.
Accordingly, when choosing a laptop, pay attention to the presence of such pleasant bonuses as good sound and intelligent noise cancellation. I will not recommend to carefully study the screen, since the point is obvious.
Modern connectivity: ports, digital touchpad, Wi-Fi 6 and Windows Hello
In the last couple of years, there has been a trend when manufacturers in pursuit of compactness of devices have reduced the number of ports. It often happens that, like, a great laptop, but it has only two or even one Type-C port. Someone puts an adapter-splitter into the box (so-so solution, to be honest), and someone suggests buying such an adapter (even better!). In this regard, all ASUS notebooks are endlessly pleasing. ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 is no exception:
- 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports (up to 40 Gbps)
- 1 HDMI 2.0 port
- 1 classic USB 3.2 Type-A (speed up to 5 Gb / s)
This array of ports makes ZenBook the perfect laptop for those looking for a device to work with at home or on the go. Using HDMI and Thunderbolt 4, you can connect two monitors or one monitor to a laptop, and through an adapter – wired Internet. Perhaps, one can only find fault with the lack of a memory card slot.
By the way, about the Internet. ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 has a Wi-Fi 6 module. Subject to the availability of an appropriate router, such a module will increase the speed of the Internet and reduce network delays. Wi-Fi 6 is just coming, however, given the long life cycle of laptops, it is worth taking a laptop that supports this communication standard.
The laptop has perhaps the perfect keyboard. Quiet, excellent key spacing, 1.4mm travel depth. This keyboard allows you to type large texts without causing fatigue. Due to the compact size of the laptop, I had to abandon the digital block. However, ASUS was able to gracefully get out of this difficult situation by offering users a replacement – the NumberPad 2.0 digital touchpad. This is a touchpad combined with a numeric keypad. Moreover, even when the additional function NumberPad is activated, it continues to work according to its original purpose: an intelligent algorithm automatically determines whether you enter numbers or control the cursor.
One of the nicest features of the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 that you don’t expect to find in such a compact device is the Windows Hello infrared camera. Now you don’t need to enter a password or scan your finger, the laptop will recognize you by sight. You quickly get used to good things, and if you used to enter a password or use a fingerprint scanner before, then after a couple of weeks these authorization methods will seem hopelessly outdated to you.
Performance
The ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 uses Intel’s recently introduced 11th generation called Tiger Lake. And you will immediately notice the difference as soon as you start using it. Tiger Lake has been designed to optimize energy efficiency and overall performance.
One of the main advantages is the integrated graphics core Iris X ^ e. If in the 10th generation they talked about AAA games, but in 720p resolution, then the new graphics already promise Full HD. However, the main purpose of graphics is not games, but content creation and video rendering.
In addition to a fresh processor and 16GB of RAM, the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 uses a PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 SSD. Even if you don’t understand abbreviations, you can simply remember that “3.0 x4” is the technology that stands for the fastest SSD drives at the moment. Thanks to this SSD, the system boots instantly, and Photoshop opens in about 5 seconds.
Battery life
A laptop that claims to be a general-purpose laptop should, by definition, have good battery life. Optimally, if the laptop can last 8 hours, that is, a whole working day. It’s even better if it’s 10-11 hours, so that you can watch the show at lunchtime, and it was enough for the journey from home to office and back.
ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 can work on a single charge up to 14 hours. Such battery life gives confidence that the laptop will not let you down or run out of power at the most inopportune moment.
The ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 has nice charging bonuses. First, the ultrabook supports fast charging. In 49 minutes, the battery will be charged from scratch to 60%.
There has already been a story about the second bonus. With support for Power Delivery and Type-C charging, the laptop can be charged using adapters from smartphones.
conclusions
The appeal of the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 is that it is a versatile laptop that can flexibly adapt to its owner’s tasks:
- The performance of the laptop is enough for working with content (editing photos and videos), and for office tasks. And the laptop will allow you to play after a working day, even though it is not sharpened for games.
- If necessary, the laptop can easily hold out on one charge all working day. At the same time, it has a fast charge, and it can also be recharged from a smartphone charger.
- The touch screen with a high color gamut will come in handy for professional work with color and for watching movies.
- The precise 4096-level stylus makes the notebook ideal for drawing, while editing documents or writing notes by hand as easily as a pen on paper.
- The keyboard is great for typing large texts, and the virtual digital touchpad NumberPad 2.0 will help you cope with entering digital information.
In this article, very little attention has been paid to design. One of the reasons for this decision is that there are no comrades in taste and color. However, if you want to know what are the design trends in the market, then ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 won an award at the prestigious reddot design competition.
So, when choosing a laptop, keep in mind the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 as a guideline, what characteristics and hardware must certainly be so that the device does not become outdated and is relevant in the coming years after purchase.
You can better get acquainted with the device on the official ASUS website.
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