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The thin and light ASUS UL30Vt is a harmonious blend of form and function. Powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo ultra-low voltage processor, it boasts an impressive 12-hour battery life for all-day computing.
It also sports user-centric features such as a multi-gesture touchpad and provides an impressive multimedia entertainment experience with Altec Lansing speakers and an NVidia G210M graphics engine (users can turn the graphics card off if longer battery life is needed).
With Bluetooth, a 0.3MP Webcam, and Wireless b/g/n, the UL30Vt-X1 allows you to stay connected with ease.
All of these features and more are shrouded in a robust brushed aluminum lid that not only looks magnificent, but also helps in maintaining the notebook’s stylish exterior day after day.
ASUS notebooks come with a 1 year global warranty, one month zero bright dot guaranty, free two-way shipping and twenty-four hour tech support seven days a week.
Plus it comes with a FREE One Year Accidental Damage Warranty protecting your notebook from drops, fire, spills and surges.
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 Near perfect thin and light laptop |
| Review Date: December 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: landale, Washington, DC |
I had been excited about the ULxxVT series from Asus since they were first announced a couple months ago. I originally purchased the UL80VT back when it was released in October but ultimately returned it due to a very noticeable dead pixel right in the middle of the screen. This was probably for the best as a week with the UL80VT made me realize it was bigger then I needed and I didn't really have much use for the optical drive.
Due to my brief ownership of the UL80VT I knew certain things to expect with the UL30VT but I have to say the UL30VT has exceeded my expectations. While I never felt the build quality was bad on the UL80VT it's much better on the smaller UL30VT. Clearly due to the smaller frame everything is quite a bit more solid as there is almost no chasis flex at all. The keyboard is okay. Everything is well spaced although the small right shift key is a bit annoying. Honestly the only thing about the keyboard that isn't great is that it's a bit on the noisy side as its very clackity when you type. I know a lot of people don't like the dimpled ASUS touchpads but honestly I don't think it's that bad and it has tons of multi-functions that really make it a joy to use. The single button touchpad button isn't as firm as on the UL80VT so its a bit easier to press for those who don't just use tapping. The screen is also in my opinion much better then the UL80VT in regards to contrast which I felt was subpar on the the larger model. Viewing angles still aren't great but they aren't on most laptops these days. The hard drive is a bit noisy but it's not really that noticeable.
I know a lot will be made of battery life on these UL models and it should be pointed out that this comes with the 10 hour battery, not the 12 hour one Amazon lists. Even still its a 63whr, 4400mah 8 cell battery that I have easily been able to get 7 hours of wifi web surfing and there still being life left (sorry, I haven't had it long enough to do a full battery test yet). So while it would have been nice to get the larger 84whr battery I don't think I will have had too many instances where I will even need it. Also just to correct another incorrect part of the Amazon listing, the UL30VT weighs 3.92lbs according to my precision scale with the battery installed. Still plenty light for me but I don't know how they got 3.7lbs that is listed here. The UL80VT also has the wrong weight listed in it's listing as it weighed 4.8lbs when I weighed that back in October.
Overall I am very happy I waited for the UL30VT, the idea of creating an overclocked low voltage system is a genius concept that ASUS has executed very well here. The end result gives the user performance equivalent to a regular full voltage Core 2 Duo while still providing great battery life. There is truly nothing else on the market like the VT series laptops and for $799 you get a lot. Sure the larger battery or longer warranty of the A series UL models (this is an X model) would be nice but it would then cost more and lets be honest, it still has better battery life then most systems on the market and almost all consumer laptops only come with a one year warranty to begin with! Given the price I can't recommend this system enough, sure there are a few things that could be improved but for me it's exactly what I needed in a laptop at hundreds less then I was originally expecting to pay. |
Very innovative notebook
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| Review Date: January 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Dave, Portland |
I got to use this laptop for a few days and it's brought me dangerously close to buying one for myself. If you are looking for a thin-and-light notebook with great battery life and a little gaming life under the hood this is (in my opinion) the best choice on the market today. What sets this notebook apart is two things:
1. At the push of a button you can switch from a low power Intel 4500HD graphics processor to a higher power NVidia G210M with 512MB DDR3 RAM (this defaults on when plugged in and defaults off when unplugged).
2. At the push of a button you can enable the "Turbo 33" mode which uses a mix of hardware (such as overclocking the cpu) and software to boost performance by up to 33%. I ran some basic benchmarks and it seemed to work pretty well.
CPU - The 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor 3MB Cache 800MHz FSB is a great fit. Some of the thin-and-lights in this class ship with either a Core Solo (i.e. single core) or Celeron CPU. I tend to avoid both because the single core CPUs tend to choke on all the Internet Security software you need these days and the Celerons come with cut-down cache and now power saving modes.
RAM - The included 4GB of DDR3 is just the right amount to really start taking advantage of a 64 bit O.S. I also like that Asus used DDR3 which uses less power than DDR2.
HDD - It comes with a 500GB hard disk drive which is more than most users need today. The 5400RPM speed is slower than the 7200RPM drive you will find on some models but I prefer the reliability and power savings that come with a 5400RPM drive.
DISPLAY - The 13.3 inch widescreen is glossy and reasonably bright. Outdoor use will suffer from some glare but the backlit screen helps. I found the vertical viewing angles are a little tight but it wasn't a big deal.
GRAPHICS - As mentioned above it switches between a low power Intel 4500HD graphics chip on the motherboard (fine for most non-gaming tasks) and a more power hungry NVidia G210M that will actually let you do a some 3D gaming (though newer games will still run best at reduced settings). This simple and clever innovation really sets Asus apart. Oh and either chipset can do 1080P HD video.
Battery - It's rare to get a battery this good in a notebook this thin: 8 cell 5600mAh. I couldn't get the claimed 12 hours of battery life but I got very close (doing a normal mix of MS Office tasks and web browsing I got just shy of 11 hours). Even doing very compute intensive tasks like gaming or playing back video I went over 6 hours. Most notebooks can't run Word that long.
Touchpad - At first I hated the touchpad but as I got used to it I really liked it. It two-finger scrolling and three-finger right click which may trip you up at first but after a few days you won't want to go back.
It comes with most of the usual stuff: HDMI port (for an external monitor or compatible TV), Ethernet port, wireless b/g/n, 3 USB ports, headphone jack, microphone jack, and a vga (for an external monitor). It does lack any kind of optical drive, so no playing CDs or DVDs without an external drive. For this you would need the ASUS UL80Vt-A1 14-Inch Thin and Light Black Laptop. It's a "thin-and-light" which as you would guess means it is thin (1") and light (3.75lbs). I also found it to be very quiet. It comes with a facial recognition feature that allows you to login without a password but this was disabled by our IT department so I wasn't able to try it out.
I see a lot of notebooks and I've generally been impressed with the build quality of Asus notebooks. The build on this model looks great and it's helped by the sleek and simple design: no fancy little bits that fall off in a year. In my opinion this is the thin-and-light to have if you need great battery life but don't want to give up all the fun. If you don't do any 3D gaming you don't need the Nvidia chipset and you probably should save a little money on a notebook without it such as the nearly identical ASUS UL30A-A2 Thin and Light 13-3-Inch Silver Laptop. Otherwise this is a great choice for a student or business traveler who likes to do a little gaming.
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Killer laptop
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| Review Date: December 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Markey, Boston, MA USA |
Look and Feel (4/5):
Besides the brushed aluminum lid (which is very good looking by the way), the plastic body feels very sturdy. I'm not the biggest fan of glossy plastic (would prefer matte), but it doesn't make the laptop feel or look cheap like other laptops.
The keyboard is nice to type on, much like the newer generation macbook / macbook pros. The trackpad is definitely unusual with it being made out of the same glossy plastic as the body, but once the initial shock of not having a usual trackpad surface is over with it's a pleasure to use. The multitouch is as good as you can get on a non-apple laptop too (that's not saying much, but I commend asus for the addition of it).
Power and Performance (5/5):
This is the first ultra portable computer that I've used that has very little compromise in terms of power and performance. Out of the box the 1.3ghz processor is actually overclocked by Asus to squeeze out even more power. I am a developer and can run multiple development environments / surf the web / run iTunes and the computer does not skip a beat.
I also love the ability to dial up the power of the computer when I'm not concerned about battery life and dial it back down when I'm trying to conserve. The Asus guys really engineered a great machine here.
If youre wondering how the Nvidia dedicated graphics performs, I just fired up Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and played it at 1280x768 without a hitch! Again, no compromises there with bad gaming performance.
Durability (Initial thoughts: 4/5)
While it's not an aluminum unibody design, it feels quite sturdy. I've only had this a few days though, so we'll see how it holds up, but it feels alot better than most Sony laptops I've used in the past if that gives any indication. Also the aluminum lid feels fantastic and sturdy when opening / closing the laptop.
Value (5/5)
There is no reason to pay over $1000 for an ultra portable anymore. Get this, and spend the money you saved on an SSD hard drive to really make this computer scream. The power / performance / price ratio for this machine is rediculous. All other ultra portable manufacturers need to step it up bigtime, because Asus came to play with this laptop! |
This laptop is the BOMB!!! (In a good way)
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| Review Date: January 20, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Thomas Schroth, Marietta, GA United States |
I am told I over analyze purchases and must say I have been watching laptops for a couple of years. My goals were lightweight and portable but not so small I could not read the screen and LONG battery time. After all it is a portable! I tried a 15.6 but what a moose! A 14" seemed just right but the chassis was bigger and heavier. I was afraid of a 13.3 but then it dawned on me that is was the same resolution as the 14 and only .7" smaller, not a full inch. I went from store to store lining a 14's up next to a 13.3's and I really could not tell the difference! Listen my fellow middle agers,I have exceptionally poor eyesight so if it worked for me it will for you! (no offense to my eye Surgeon, Dr. Barry Lee, he did a great job with what I gave him to work with!).
I have a powerful desktop so I did not need a desktop replacement class Laptop. I also can't stand a slow poke so a netbook was out and so was a celeron. The T6600 CPUS are the sweet spot for price and value and they are plenty snappy but they are power hungry (compared to the SU's). The SU7300 was just the ticket. Yes, I got the TURBO 33 VT version but I don't think that matters at all. I wanted it for bragging rights only. Same goes for the separate GPU, I want to hedge my bets in case I do some vector art editing. I am NOT a gamer.
I wrestled with the lack of a DVD drive but hey you can download ANYTHING, DVD drives are really on the way out, don't sweat it!It's worth the size and weight savings. The keyboard is REALLY GREAT, I am not a touch typist and the keys have nice spacing and definition. (I would have paid BIG money for a back lit keyboard but that just narrows the field TOO MUCH. Touchpad is fine also but I live with my Logitech NANO V450 mouse anyway.
The battery life is the real deal and that sold me on this unit. I am coming up on 4 hrs with wifi, bright screen, remote desktop, iTunes, 2 browsers and only down 25% on the battery. Seriously! I charge it and leave without the power cord. I really wanted the silver cover after seeing a black one in person it really showed finger prints. Silver is GREAT!
Another thing I like about the VT version is a little bit faster DRAM and Bus, I don't believe anyone could tell a difference but it makes me feel like I have the latest and greatest and am hedging my bets regarding being outdated sooner then later. If you need to save a few dollars, don't worry about it!
There are no compromises here and if you don't know ASUS, they have been around FOREVER and have been an OEM supplier since, like FOREVER! Don't get hung up on the big name companies, it means nothing! The ONLY complaint is the lack of documentation. I got NOTHING to help me figure out the VT features like discrete graphics switching or the Turbo boost (That's the over clocking feature. It steps the CPU up 33% This is VERY unnecessary, I can not come close to pushing this thing in standard mode.) I suspect most will never adjust these features anyway but HEY ASUS, are you listening? Send me a manual, pdf is fine! If its on here somewhere then you made it too hard to find! :) |
Has exceeded my expectations!
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| Review Date: December 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jordan, San Diego |
I'm very pleased with this computer thus far. I find some reviewers are nitpicking a bit with their cons of this computer.
For one, it's funny that someone marked down their rating of this product because amazon ran out of stock and outside sellers have booted up the price (not really the computer's fault). I also don't have much of a problem with the touch pad, i find it useable with most of the gestures working just fine for me, it just takes a little working in and tweaking.
Performance wise it has been very capable. While I dont do much gaming, HD Hulu and HD youtube videos have run perfectly (in high performance mode with nvidia on of coarse) and the picture looks amazing btw. Multitasking as well has not been a problem for this computer as (for testing purposes) i have opened numerous IE windows along with a couple word documents and excel spreadsheets while I played music in itunes and all operated just fine.
Viewing angles are pretty good, the lateral angles are better than the verticle angles, but this isnt much of an issue for me, just adjust the angle of the screen till it looks good. Build quality is excellent, this thing feels good while holding it! No noticable creeks for flex either. I can attest that it picks up fingerprints but I dont mind wiping it down every once in a while, it still looks super sleek! I havent done much battery testing yet, but I'm sure it has more than enough juice for my needs. Also, while this computer does come with a bit a bloatware, so does every other personal notebook these days and its easy to uninstall, its nothing people should be getting to worked up about.
Overall this is an awesome computer that looks and feels great, and performes really well. A definate recommendation to anyone interested! |
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