Asus ZenBook 15 (i7-8565U, GTX1050 Max-Q) Laptop Review

[Redaktion]

Thanks to Intel's Core i7-8565U and Nvidia's GTX 1050 Max-Q, the Asus ZenBook 15 packs a lot of performance in a very slim chassis. With a fast SSD and 16 GB of RAM, the Asus notebook does not leave anything to be desired. Read our review to find out if this is truly so.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-ZenBook-15-i7-8565U-GTX1050-Max-Q-Laptop-Review.406551.0.html

[Jsboo]

That is clearly not a unibody aluminum chassis.  You can see the plastic skeleton underneath The thin aluminum veneer.

[sticky]

ZenBook 15 and MSI PS63 share the same problem, you pay a lot more for less compared to the likes of XPS 15 and X1 Extreme, both of which are frequently discounted or available as refurbished from outlets.

They were supposed to deliver battery advantage paired with Core U processors, but the Core H is already very efficient on light workloads with the added benefit of performance on sustained. Incidentally the hardware on performance laptops are also much more premium compared to these new systems.

Common argument is that Asus and MSI are often more price competitive than Dell and Lenovo outside the US. Nevertheless people have the option to import from the US with better prices than anything domestically sold.

There's little point in this Core U + middling dGPU coupling unless OEMs can offer them with considerably larger batteries at lower prices while keeping the weight down, and that's unfeasible.

[Turpe]

"a solid block of aluminium" - I think that's incorrect from your very own images of the internals. 

[Jesse]

Drop the 1050, get the weight down to Acer Swift 5 levels, make it with a matte screen, and you've got a winner.

My cash is burning a hole in my pocket waiting for the first company to put out a light weight 15" matte screen laptop in the 1kg range.

[AA]

@Jesse, Why not use a matte screen protector with LG Gram 15?

[Tony]

Is the 4K option available anywhere? Will that be a better screen overall?

[Renaud]

Can it be charged over USB-C ? Thanks :)

[Nicoonline]

Hello,
I get lot of Fan noise during games: I bought the Asus ux533 last month, it is quite silent except if i launch any game, the fan generates over 50db loud noise. Do you also experience fan noise when gaming? Tested with Starcraft and Borderlands...  >:(

[Renaud]

Can it be charged over USB-C ? Thanks :)

According to the review from ultrabookreview which I can't post (forum rules), it can't be charged over USB-C.

[Ahmed Maarof]

How much time does it take to be fully charged?

[Clausp]

Is it a good idea to buy a laptop without Thunderbolt 3?

Will this laptop be able to connect to anything in a few years?
I normally keep my devices for years, my Macbook is from 2009 and work Well,  but I do have problems with webpages not all but some, because I can´t upgrade browsers anymore.

[Sterlinger]

I don't think so. But of course it depends. In theory you connect your laptop only using thunderbolt and have access to all external devices like monitor, external keyboard and other USB devices and so on and even it should charge the internal battery. It would be very convenient using only one cable.

[Archuk]

ZenBook 15 and MSI PS63 share the same problem, you pay a lot more for less compared to the likes of XPS 15 and X1 Extreme, both of which are frequently discounted or available as refurbished from outlets.

They were supposed to deliver battery advantage paired with Core U processors, but the Core H is already very efficient on light workloads with the added benefit of performance on sustained. Incidentally the hardware on performance laptops are also much more premium compared to these new systems.

Common argument is that Asus and MSI are often more price competitive than Dell and Lenovo outside the US. Nevertheless people have the option to import from the US with better prices than anything domestically sold.

There's little point in this Core U + middling dGPU coupling unless OEMs can offer them with considerably larger batteries at lower prices while keeping the weight down, and that's unfeasible.

Dude, I've got this laptop for half of price of XPS 15.
As for battery, not sure about MSI because I don't own one, but it easily beats X1E on battery related stuff. It also barely gets warm, which is a big plus for me (not sure everyone shares the same sentiment). I understand that X1E is much more powerful than this one, but it is much cheaper, has much better battery, and descent performance. As a bang for the buck it is really, really good one. If you're willing to compare refubrished models, then this one refubrished will cost you half the price of refubrished XPS 15 / X1E. Let's just say they are in different price segments, this laptop is in lower / mid range category, while XPS 15 or X1E cost you almost as much as Macbook Pros, which is far from cheap.

[sticky]

@Archuk

You're right, the ZenBook line is mid-range, only they're priced as high-end.
ZenBook 15 is 1,300 USD, XPS 15 with graphics is actually cheaper starting at 1,240 USD.

If you got your ZenBook 15 for $600, then good for you. But as far as I know, Asus doesn't have open discounts or refurbished stores online.