Choosing what laptop to buy is always a hard task, considering the variety of models out there. The specs numbers and looks may be deceiving sometimes, so you have to think carefully what’s the best option for you. If you are in search of a powerful machine for light gaming and heavy software for work/study related job, then the ZenBook Pro UX550VD by Asus is a great choice, that you won’t regret!
This ZenBook series laptop has lots of potential, due to both hardware and looks, but the fact that it packs powerful components inside does not mean that it’d be good for the wellness of it to play heavy games. Yes, it is powerful, but the ventilation does not allow it to run the latest games, no matter that it has a 2.8GHz quad-core with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz. It has the looks and performance but will suit mostly people, who use it for work-related stuff, so be careful what’s your purpose of using it. The design is good, as well as other features that this early 2017 laptop model hides.
Design
It definitely has the ZenBook series look, that you’ll recognize at first sight and it is extremely well created, with a touch of simplicity, cleanness and high-class materials used. The laptop is great for people who move around often, not just because of the extended battery life that’s the best for this class of laptops, but for the ergonomic and lightweight abilities that it has. It’s a fairly thin laptop, with the weight of only 1.8kg and dimensions of 1.89 cm/ 36.5 cm/ 25.1 cm.
This UX550VD comes in two colors – black and midnight blue. When you get it out of the box, before you open it, you see that the display lid has a spun metal finish, that’s well-known to the ZenBook Pro series in terms of design. A big ASUS logo is also in the middle of the lid, making it stand out, as well as look simple and business-class at the same time.The sides have a chrome-like finish, that contrasts with the dark colors used. On the bottom part of the laptop, there’s not too much, except 4 rubber small buttons that help for the cooling and non-slipping, as well as 10 screws that you have to remove if you want to get to the hardware.
When you open the lid of the laptop, as if you are about to use the laptop, you see a 15.6” display, with a nice bezel on the sides, and the famous Asus logo on the lower lice. The keyboard feels amazing while operating on it and it actually has LED lights under each button, which is great for use in dark places.
Touchpad also feels really good, due to the glass-covered surface and the optional integrated fingerprint sensor, that supports Windows Hello. On the left and right sides of the keyboard, you can see the 2 woofers that combined with the 2 tweeters under the touchpad, make a really good audio surround system. The sides of the laptop are where the wired-connection happens. The right one has a 3.5mm audio jack, microSD card slot, and USB 3.1 Gen, while the left one has a DC-Jack, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 3 USB-C.
Specs and performance
The hardware inside of this laptop is really powerful, packing a 2.8GHz quad-core with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz processor with NVIDIA GeForce 1050 graphics and 4GB GDDR5 VRAM for outstanding presentation, that is beyond expectations. It comes in two versions, featuring 512GB and 1TB internal storage with 8GB and 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 RAM memory onboard. In terms of connectivity, it includes a dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, as well as 4.2 Bluetooth. What appeals to me most is the 73Wh 8-cell lithium-polymer battery, that offers a battery life of up to 15 hours under heavy work, which will help and support you while you work on it for a whole day, before a charging’s needed.
- Screen 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 px, IPS, matte, non-touch
- Processor Intel Kaby Lake Core i5-7300HQ CPU
- Video Intel HD 620 + Nvidia GTX 1050 4 GB GDDR5
- Memory 8 GB DDR4 (soldered)
- Storage 256 M.2 NVMe SSD (80 mm)
- Connectivity Wireless AC (tri-band Intel AC 8265), Bluetooth 4.2
- Ports 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 2x USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, mic/headphone, microSD card reader
- Battery 73 Wh, 120 Wh charger
- OS Windows 10
- Size 365 mm or 14.37” (w) x 251 mm or 9.88” (d) x 18.9 mm or 0.74” (h)
- Weight 4.05 lbs (1.84 kg) + 1.19 lbs (.54 kg) for the charger
- Extras backlit keyboard, VGA camera, quad-speakers, available in Royal Blue and Matte Black
Screen
The gamma and gray-scale levels on the 15.6″ LED-backlit 4K UHD display, are slightly distorted when you initially start to use it, which can be easily fixed by calibrating the screen. Of course, there are brighter panels out there, but for this price and class, the laptop’s screen works more than good!On top of that, Asus offers a few other panel options for the UX550 series, with FHD and UHD resolutions and optional touch. I’d reckon the base configurations will get the FHD models, while the UHD options will only be paired with the higher performing models.
To sum up, the laptop is good for the price of $1699 and will suit people who happen to move a lot due to work or study related job, as well as running powerful software for video/photo editing. If you are searching for a gaming-aimed laptop, then you won’t be satisfied with this one due to the heat level it reaches during heavy gameplay. You still can play games, but not the latest if that’s what you need.
Personally, if I get the chance I’d cop a pair because I fell in love with the lightweight, thin and business-looking design, as well as the powerful hardware inside and image presentation quality. The operating system of the laptop is Windows 10 Pro, which is what Asus recommends, but the laptop could run on Windows 10 Home too – it’s all up to you. You sure won’t get disappointed by the battery life and durability too, so I suggest you’d better go ahead and grab a pair.If you are interested in this product, visit the Asus website product page, for further information about shipping, hardware, accessories and other.
