ASUS U2E: Form vs. Function

Closing Thoughts

It's been some time since we looked at our last true ultraportable laptop. Since then, the market has been shaken up a bit by some of the new product launches. The question that many people might end up having is whether a typical Windows Vista ultraportable can compete with the MacBook Air. Before you even bother asking that question, however, need to make sure that an ultraportable laptop is the right type of system for you. Paraphrasing our MacBook Air review: Users who are considering the U2E could end up sorely disappointed by it, if all they really want is a smaller notebook - not an ultraportable. If this is going to be your only notebook and you plan to use it as your main computer, chances are the U2E isn't for you.

That's a simplification of things, as the ASUS U2E does address several of the shortcomings present with the MacBook Air. It has a user upgradable battery, so you can always pack along extra batteries if you want to have even more battery life. It also includes an optical drive; it might seem like a small thing, and transferring files over a network often gets around that requirement, but if you ever want to watch a movie on an airplane and you don't already have a copy ripped to your hard drive, the ability to watch a DVD is very useful. Finally, you get a few extra features - more memory (upgradable to 4GB), VGA and micro-DVI video outputs, integrated Gigabit Ethernet, and more USB ports. And you get all of that in a chassis that is slightly smaller - but also thicker - then the MacBook Air.

Score a win for the ASUS U2E, right? Well, perhaps not. The MacBook Air comes with the ability to run OS X and Windows, it's sleeker looking (depending on opinion), and it comes with a faster processor. Pricing might actually be in Apple's favor as well, although with the extra features on the U2E we're willing to call it a draw. Apple's other MacBook offerings are another good alternative, and Dell's XPS M1330 with most of the performance upgrades carries a similar price tag to the ASUS U2E-A2B. If you're looking for a single notebook that can do everything, we would definitely choose something like the Apple MacBook Pro or Dell XPS M1330 over any ultraportable.

What about other ultraportable notebooks? Outside of the various tablet PCs that are on the market - which tend to be thicker, slightly larger, heavier, and whose only real selling point is the tablet feature - the Sony VAIO TZ series seems to be one of the few direct competitors. The Sony VAIO ultraportables look very similar to the ASUS U2E, which isn't surprising since they both use an 11.1" chassis. Outside of the leather inlays on the ASUS and a few minor differences in features and specifications, there's little difference between the two brands. ASUS prices appear to be slightly lower and you get a better warranty, so unless you can find a good price on a Sony VAIO TZ we would give the nod to the ASUS U2E. We would also take the ASUS U2E over any of the tablet PCs we've tried, although some people might feel the tablet interface is more useful than we do.

The ASUS U2E may very well be the best ultraportable currently available - it's certainly the best that we've ever used. If you're in the market for such a laptop, it certainly warrants a closer look. Don't forget to pay attention to the A1B/A2B designation, as you need to figure out whether you want better hard drive performance or nearly 4x as much internal storage. We like the SSD, but as a $500 upgrade it can be a difficult pill to swallow. This is definitely a niche market, and we think that many users would actually be happier long-term with a slightly larger, more versatile laptop. On the other hand, if you already have a desktop system - and most of us do - adding an ultraportable as a second or third computer might be just what you need, and the U2E fills that role nicely.