ASUS ZenBook 13 UX331UA Ultra-Slim Laptop 13.3” Full HD WideView display, 8th gen Intel Core i7-8550U Processor, 8GB LPDDR3, 256GB SSD, Windows 10, Backlit keyboard, Fingerprint, Icicle Gold

This is a bargain laptop. The core I7 8550U Kaby-Lake processor is the same one you'll find in most high-end laptops these days, and better that the Y processors in the new macbook air. It has a generous number of connections; full size HDMI, USB 3, Usb2.1 and USB-C (3.1 specs), along with a Micro-SD slot and a 3.5mm headphone /microphone jack. The screen is a non-touch 1080P and a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader. All in a 2.6 lb (by my scale) aluminum package. I have read some criticism of the keyboard, but personally I find it as good as any laptop keyboard and have no complaints. But, I do not write novels or technical manuals for a living so my typing is pretty basic and your mileage may vary. The down-firing Harmon Kardon branded speakers are OK. But in my opinion, people who insist on blasting there speakers for sound either live alone or don't mind annoying people around them. I have always preferred headphones.Needless to say, for a laptop that is almost $400 cheaper than its rivals, there are some compromises. The screen is only HD and not the current QHD on most higher-priced laptops. But seriously, it is a 13" screen. The text on 1080P is already tiny for my bifocal wearing eyes, how small would it be at 2560? That's not a deal breaker for me. The USB-C does not support power or display port. You still need the (standard ASUS) Power adapter to plug it in. There is only a 256GB SSD option and it is SATA-III. Finally it only comes with Win-10 Home, a Core I7 should have Pro. I did spend the money for a Pro upgrade.All things considered, it is hard not to like this laptop. For a light weight easy to transport laptop it is excellent The I7 CPU provides plenty of power for almost any portable use. The machine powers up quickly and smoothly, the fingerprint reader works flawlessly (for me). For my use, I just could not justify paying an extra $350 - 400 for a similarly spec'd laptop. And I have had excellent experiences with Asus products. this laptop is an more than adequate replacement for my 6 year old desktop and laptop combo.

Have been using for about a week. Within a couple of days, the laptop developed the flickering screen issue mentioned in several other reviews. I followed the ASUS customer support advice included in the 'comment' responses (reinstalling a couple of bits of software), and the problem appears resolved. However, unimpressive that this appears common in a brand new, not inexpensive, laptop. Otherwise, I mostly like it, and would echo other reviews:- Superfast (though I haven't done anything challenging yet), lightweight and looks good.- The cover definitely shows fingerprints already.- The keyboard isn't backlit, contrary to the description. That was really disappointing. (EDIT: on checking through other reviews, discovered that function/f4 will turn on the backlighting. This does not appear anywhere in the laptop's control panel or in response to 'help' questions. I can't now work out how to turn it off again though!).- The power button is a regular key at the top right of the keyboard next to the delete key. I haven't had a problem with hitting it by accident, but can see that might be an issue; it's certainly a design flaw.- The touchpad is taking some getting used to. It may just be hypersensitive but I do sometimes end up in weird places, and accidentally wobble the entire screen horizontally, which is disorienting. Very occasionally it seems to lag or not work. I would have preferred some definition to the left and right click areas; they're not distinguished in any way from the rest of the touchpad.In summary, jury's out. Will update when I've had it longer, but probably wouldn't buy it again.

My priorities in searching for a laptop were as follows: good brand, low emission (meaning low heat and low noise), MATTE display (because the common glossy displays reflect way too much light), HD monitor, >8GB RAM and a Solid State Drive. I spent a lot of time reviewing newegg, bestbuy and amazon for top sellers, along with pcreviews and notebookcheck dot net (which does incredible detailed reviews showing how much heat and noise a laptop generates). I settled on this notebook and am very happy with what I got. The 2018 version is definitely worth the extra $50 over the 2017 version because the bezel (plastic border around the screen) is much smaller resulting in a laptop that is 10% smaller than the 2017 version while maintaining a 13" screen! The faint high pitched noise put out by the motherboard is only detectable in a silent room when you place your head within 12" of the keyboard. The battery life is stellar. Under load, the system hardly generates any heat and under light use (browsing/Word), I never hear the fan kick in. This 8th generation i5 is much more powerful than older i7 CPU's. It's incredibly thin. I was worried about the laptop looking 'gold' but it doesn't - it looks very silver with a faint hue. Very fast start-ups - I press the power button from hibernation and by the time I moved my finger to the fingerprint, I'm up and running within 2 seconds. Fully recommend.

Initially, this laptop seemed to be a fair value for the price. Aside from trackpad issues and a poorly manufactured screen hinge, the laptop performed admirably.Unfortunately, two months out of warranty the screen started to flicker, and I no longer had any control over the brightness which made working in a well lit office a nightmare. One month later (3 months out warranty) the computer stopped turning on. A local repair shop determined the motherboard is no longer functional.Asus obviously refuses to offer any assistance at this point. I highly recommend spending your money elsewhere on a produce that will last longer than 15 months.