ASUS Zenbook UX301LA: A Nice Intel Ultrabook For Linux Users
Another distinguishing attribute of the UX301LA-DH71T is that it's the reported first ultrabook in the world where the lid is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Gorilla Glass is common among smart-phone screens but ASUS turned to the latest-generation Gorilla Glass 3 with Native Damage Resistance to make the ultrabook's lid scratch-resistant while also improving the overall durability of the ultrabook. This ultrabook at its thickest point is just 0.6 Inches thick. The only downside of the glass lid is that it very easily picks up fingerprint smudges, but it can be easily wiped clean.
The UX301LA-DH71T features a 2560 x 1440 IPS display within the 13.3-inch display. This certainly makes it a HiDPI display. The resolution is loved but the Linux desktop support for HiDPI displays can vary. From this Zenbook I already wrote some related articles on the matter: OS X Is No Longer On My Main System, But I Already Have Regrets and Unity 7 Is Now My Desktop, Wins Over Xfce On HiDPI. The display is phenomenal with wonderful clarity and color reproduction. I didn't run into any dead or defective pixels with this Zenbook. The display also boasts a 10-point capacitive multi-touch display; this touch display did work out-of-the-box on Ubuntu 14.04 and seemed to do just fine during my basic touch screen testing. The built-in web camera on the Intel Haswell ultrabook also worked without issue.
The keyboard on the UX301LA isn't too different from other Zenbook models I've tested. The keyboard is back-lit and the overall key layout is fairly normal and the keys are sufficiently sized. In my several weeks of testing out this Zenbook while traveling, I ran into no complaints or issues about the keyboard. The touch-pad also worked fine on the ultrabook but a complaint for some users is that the touch-pad surface is textured the same as the rest of the ultrabook. The speakers on this ultrabook are quite nice and were co-developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower and ASUS SonicMaster Technology.
On the right side of the ASUS Zenbook UX301LA is a memory card reader slot, USB 3.0 port, and mini-DisplayPort. On the left side of the UX301LA is the DC-IN power connector, a second USB 3.0 port, micro-HDMI, and combo microphone/headphone jack. Sadly there's just these two USB 3.0 ports on this Zenbook model... It would have been much better to see at least three USB 3.0 ports on the unit, given it also lacks Thunderbolt or any other connectivity options. The micro-HDMI port is also located close enough to one of the USB 3.0 ports that if using some micro-HDMI to HDMI adapters, the USB port next to it is blocked. This is a problem I've run into when running the Zenbook in my office and can just use one USB 3.0 port then connected to a USB hub. Wireless support includes 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0.
The Intel Core i7 4558U processor used by this ultrabook is a dual-core CPU with Hyper Threading to yield four logical cores. The base clock speed on the i7-4558U is 2.8GHz with a 3.3GHz Turbo Frequency. There's 4MB of Intel Smart Cache, a 28 Watt TDP for this CPU, and the other usual Haswell CPU features. The Intel Iris Graphics 5100 have a base frequency of just 200MHz for power savings but will max out at 1.2GHz. The Iris Graphics 5100 can drive up to three displays simultaneously.
The overall build quality of the UX301LA-DH71T is good but after using it for weeks I wouldn't go as far as calling it great or comparable to Apple's MacBook Air/Pro hardware. I don't feel like I will run into durability/reliability issues with this Zenbook, but it just doesn't feel as great as Apple's laptops or other high-end ultrabooks/laptops while it's still costing a big premium. I generally use my mobile systems for 12~24 months before replacing and feel the UX301LA should be able to serve well for at least that duration.