ASUS Zenbook UX303 Hands-on: Sleek 13-inch 3K Ultrabook

ASUS' laptops are looking sharper than ever. The company showed off the 13-inch Zenbook UX303 at its booth at Computex 2014, and we got a first look at the sexy Ultrabook with a stunning 3K display. 

We couldn't stop running our fingers along the UX303's smooth chassis and its glossy and inviting 13.3-inch display. The colorful Windows 8.1 Live Tiles looked crisp and bright, almost jumping off the screen at us, and Chinese characters on the interface were tack sharp. That's thanks to the notebook's 3200 x 1800 QHD+ IPS display.

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At 3.2 pounds and 12.7 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches, the UX303 is very portable. We found the system responsive overall. The UX303 will come with 4th-generation Intel Core processors, from i3 to i7. Powered by Nvidia's GeForce GT 840M with 2GB of VRAM, the UX303 will also support lightweight gaming on the go, but we don't expect optimal performance at the native 3K resolution. 

Since there's very little content out there optimized for such a high-res screen, we don't expect to be able to fully enjoy the UX303's beautiful display in daily use right now. Your Web videos and TV shows could look pixelated on full screen at this resolution. Over time though, we do expect more material to become available in this format.

You should also get decent endurance with the notebook's 3-cell 60Whr battery, and connect to pretty much anything thanks to HDMI, DisplayPort, SD card and three USB ports along the UX303's edges.

While no price and availability information has been released yet, we expect the UX303 to arrive stateside this year. Stay tuned for a full review of the UX303 to see how this laptop stacks up against its competitors.

Cherlynn Low
Staff Writer
Cherlynn joined the Laptopmag team in June 2013 and has since been writing about all things tech and digital with a focus on mobile and Internet software development. She also edits and reports occasionally on video. She graduated with a M.S. in Journalism (Broadcast) from Columbia University in May 2013 and has been designing personal websites since 2001.