With the Zenbook Flip Q535, Asus has managed to combine several devices into one. The Zenbook is a tablet and laptop, 2 in 1 with enough power for gaming and everyday tasks. Where once convertible laptops failed to meet the demand of modern applications and gaming, today the newer generation of processors, in this case, the Intel Core i7 – 8550U blasts through tasks and applications with ease.
The Zenbook also comes with a nice build quality, something that we will discuss further in detail in the review below. While the i7 may be the forerunner in the long list of technical specifications, the other details are meaty, and nothing to scoff at either.
Technical Specifications
| CPU | Intel Core i7-8550U 4 x 1.8 – 4 GHz, Kaby Lake Refresh |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile – 2048 MB, Core: 1493 MHz, Memory: 7000 MHz, GDDR5, Nvidia 382.53, Nvidia Optimus |
| RAM | 16384 MB DDR4-2400, 8GB soldered |
| Motherboard | Intel Kaby Lake-U + iHDCP 2.2 Premium PCH |
| Storage | 256GB SSD + 2TB HDD |
| Connectivity | 1x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2, status LEDs, volume rocker, power-on switch, SD card reader, 3.5 mm audio combo, 2x USB 3, HDMI 1.4, power input |
Physical Form Factor
When it comes to the physical form factor of the laptop the most striking feature is the fact that the laptop can completely fold to turn from a laptop into a tablet. This is a great feature, especially for people who work on the go. Having the capability of turning your laptop into a tablet with one move is great for productivity, meaning you can handle tasks more easily on the go.
The second thing you will notice about this laptop is that it’s made out of aluminium. Overall, the colour is something of a dark grey, which is reminiscent more of black, than grey. In terms of quality, the aluminium holds up nicely to pressure tests, including both the bottom base of the laptop and the display lid. We tried applying pressure pretty much everywhere, and the only place the laptop showed signs of giving way to the pressure we applied is the middle of the laptop, and even then only slightly.
If you are a fan of opening the laptop with one hand, in the case of the Asus Zenbook that would be pretty much impossible due to the sturdiness and stiffness of the hinges, which is understandable as the hinges need to support the folding of the laptop.
Display
There are two display options one being the UHD 4K touchscreen, and the other a standard Full HD display. If you are serious about doing work in tablet mode, we’d suggest getting the touch screen UHD.
In terms of brightness, the laptop display was visible even when working solely on the battery, with about 87% in brightness distribution. The Colour contrast is good enough, with some minimal light bleeding at the edges of the screen which is not ideal. But the Asus Zenbook is still rocking a UHD display, so the image quality especially when looking at still photos looks very high quality.
Do keep in mind that this model comes with a glossy display which can make it harder to work in places where there is direct sunlight, as it reflects easily off the screen making it hard to see what’s happening on the laptop.
Battery Life
Having the option of working in tablet mode would be worthless without good battery life, and this is of vital importance to one of the main features of the laptop. Unfortunately, this particular model has very high energy consumption rates, so running time on battery alone is far from ideal.
Even though the battery is relatively large at 52 KWh the standard WLAN test gave the laptop around 5 hours of battery life. If you want to charge the laptop from 0% to 100% you would have to wait around 2 hours of charging, which is a little below average. Of course, the performance is significantly decreased when working on a laptop powered only on battery alone. If you want to have any serious work done you would have to plug the laptop into a power socket.
Keyboard And Touchpad
The keyboard of the Asus is backlit and well organized. Backlighting allows for work in environments with low light, which is always a plus. In terms of size, the keys are big enough for people with bigger fingers and hands, and they have a smooth and flat surface which doesn’t make them uncomfortable to use even after long periods of typing. The short travel point may take some getting used to, but otherwise, the keyboard is perfectly fine for prolonged use.
Some of the keys are a little smaller like the “Enter” of the Numpad, and the arrow keys are smaller. This takes some getting used to but overall the keyboard is of very decent quality.
When comes to the touchpad it has a smooth surface, and it performs smoothly as well. There’s an area of low touch recognition around the bottom of the touchpad but this isn’t a big deal as that part of the touchpad is rarely used. Overall, a very smooth touchpad which will let you perform your daily tasks with ease, without the need to carry a dedicated mouse with you wherever you go.
Touch Screen
The touch screen works great whether you use it with a stylus, or with your hand. In our review, we didn’t notice any problems with it, and it performed flawlessly. If this is something you care about, the touchscreen of the Asus will make you happy.
Performance
Thanks to a great CPU and a mid-range gaming GPU the Asus Zenbook can easily compete with some of the gaming laptops on the market today. It won’t play all modern games at High Present and 60fps, but if you want to do some light to medium gaming, this laptop will handle games with more than enough power. For work-related tasks, the laptop handles applications with ease.
Verdict
If you want a good-performing laptop with a touchscreen, and that can act as a tablet with its foldable design, the Asus Zenbook is great. It offers plenty of storage, a good display and plenty of performance for any task or application you may want to throw at it. For working on the go, folding into a tablet and working on the touch screen is great. Overall, for the price range, the Asus Zenbook does exactly what it’s supposed to do, and more.