First, this is a review for the ASUS UX360CA-AH51T. There are several completely different models for sale in this one listing, making the reviews "blend together" (not a great practice, Amazon...). You can find a few other listings a few different variants of the ASUS UX360CA, and you can get a general feel for the overall ratings, but for this listing the ratings are very difficult to interpret. That said, here is my own for the Zenbook Flip.
I needed this machine for a very specific purpose, and this rating is based on the fact that it so far meets/exceeds all of my needs.
I wanted a smallish PC-based laptop to dual boot Android. Prior to this purchase, I tried several variations, like detatchables and other "flip" designs. I first settled on the Lenovo Yoga 720, which was a beautiful machine. But to my dismay, that machine will not allow you to dual boot into any linux-based operating systems. I spent nearly 2 weeks struggling with various OS installs, like Remix, Phoenix, and the stock Android x86 builds, to no avail. I finally learned through more research that the Raid-0 configuration of the SSD (implemented by Lenovo supposedly to make it run faster?) was incompatible with all Linux based systems. You didn't get an error, it just wouldn't install or run. Add insult to injury, the Lenovo Yoga 720 has NO legacyBIOS support, it is UEFI only. Lenovo claims this is because Microsoft required it of them. Microsoft said "it isn't us". So...Lenovo has some issues to work through on their newer Yoga lines in that regard.
With the Asus UX360CA, it took about 5 minutes and I was up and running Android dual-boot. Remix, Phoenix and stock x86 all work flawlessly.
The device had to be light-weight. This unit runs just under 3lbs, and it is JUST light enough to act as a decent tablet. Obviously it isn't for one-handed use like an iPad or Samsung Galaxy, but it serves the purpose, and it does it better than the Lenovo Yoga 720, which is a tad lighter. The issue with the Lenovo is that it is a bit thicker in tablet form. The Asus may be heavier, but it is THIN.
The device had to be powerful enough to handle day to day PC tasks. I was leery of getting an i5 "Y" processor (which is just the newer version of the "M" processors... Intel is pulling a bit of a trick by calling them i5's now, IMO). But the i5-7Y54 does a decent job so far, combined with 8GB of RAM and an SSD. My only complaint would be due to the fanless design, it can get rather hot when taxed. Uncomfortably so at times. Overall, with normal day to day usage, it stays pretty cool considering, but I think I would almost prefer a fan (like the Yoga 720 has...although it also has a U processor).
Some other thoughts:
-The overall build quality is very nice, on par with other ASUS laptops I have owned in the past. The laptop feels solid enough, but sacrifices some rigidity due to its thin-ness. The Yoga 720 felt more solid.
-It has enough IO ports to get the job done. More than the 720, less than some other alternatives like the Dell Inspiron 13 5000/7000 models. I like having two full sized USB type-A connections, and having the Type C for future compatibility is nice, despite it not being Thunderbolt or whatever. Not a big issue for me. And a full-sized SD slot is great, giving more flexible storage options than a MicroSD (most of the tablet-based PCs (read: Surface clones) have a MicroSD if they have a slot at all).
-Biggest gripe: no back-lit keyboard. I knew this going in, so I didn't take a star off for it, especially since it met all of my "needs". This is just a "want", I don't need to see the keys to type. However, locating the Fn key to raise/lower brightness or other function keys is difficult at night. I will get used to it, but it seems like a big oversight/design flaw on ASUS's part (I think they fixed this in the UX360UA, by the way. I would have looked for that unit but it doesn't sell for less than $1000 that I could find, and that is just too much $$$ for me)
Summary - excellent machine especially if you want a light-weight 2-in-1 tablet replacement that can dual boot Android and still be a decent PC running Windows 10. Beware some heat issues on the bottom in the back when you are doing taxing tasks
| Standing screen display size | 13.3 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz core_i5 |
| RAM | 8 GB DDR3 |
| Memory Speed | 3.2 GHz |
| Hard Drive | SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 515 Integrated |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 2 |
