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The laptop universe is steadily going hybrid. The convertibles market is getting bigger and bolder, and the gadgets are getting snazzier than ever. Market researcher IDC feels ultraslim convertibles and detachables will grow 75 per cent this year. Most analysts see detachables as the saviour for the struggling tablet market. In this backdrop comes the latest hybrid product from Asus, the ZenBook Flip UX360CA.
The ZenBook Flip is among the slimmest of its kind available in this part of the world. The device with its aluminium shell looks premium and weighs a comfy 1.3 kg. But the surface is alarmingly slippery — not an ideal feature for a convertible.
The power button is on the left, siding with the ports and the memory card slot. The chiclet keyboard’s layout is well spaced out, but it is, surprisingly, not backlit. The flat and sharp edges make typing a bit bothersome. The body feels smooth and sturdy. But you need to get used to the confusion while opening the lid. This is the first ZenBook model to have a “360 degree hinge” with a flippable display in this market. The flip works hassle-free and the physical keyboard switches of automatically as you flip the device. There is no dedicated port for plugging your Ethernet cable, but Asus has provided an extension cable for this purpose.
The 13.3-inch IPS touchscreen display is crisp and warm, and reproduces colour without blemishes. The display is not that great in sunlit outdoors though. The touch experience, again, is tad baffled especially in the desktop form. This device offers one of the best viewing angles in this category. The battery lasts up to a neat 8 hours on low browsing and less connectivity. Heavy streaming pulls down the performance significantly, but not hazardously.
The Zenbook Flip’s video performance is enhanced by Asus’ Tru2Life technology. Asus claims the technology automatically optimises the sharpness and contrast of every pixel in every video frame so as to make them look clearer, more detailed. Our experience suggests the claim has some truth. Videos come out sharp and detailed. That said, the speakers are a let down. The audio is sharp and clear, but it’s not at all loud enough.
The Zenbook Flip’s fanless design is impressive. This, powered by and Intel Core m3 processor and an 512 GB SSD storage, delivers a yogic silent performance. The machine does not heat up even during heavy gaming. That is a big plus in this price range.
The device has two USB 3.0 Type-A ports and a reversible USB 3.1 Type-C port. But one would expect more USB ports in this age of multi-device connectivity. The DC cable is sadly the only way you can charge the device; Asus should have used one of the USB ports for this purpose. The volumes buttons on the left side is a plus as they help you bypass the function keys.
The microphone records sounds suitably well, but they are not as crisp as, say, an Asus Zenfone does. The camera, though HD, records poor video and the video calling experience of the review device has turned out to be average. Clearly, Asus needs to work on this front. The Zenbook Flip comes pre-loaded with Windows 10 OS, which, of course, lacks the butter-smoothness of an Android ecosystem, but promises to be a strong competitor.
In sum, the Asus Zenbook Flip convertible is a midrange performer that offers a silent, smooth multi-tasking experience despite the fact that it could have been improved on certain core areas.
Price: Starts at ₹46,990
Love: Display, battery, performance
Hate: Camera, speakers, slippery body
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