Asus X201E Review

Ultranetbook? Thin like an Ultrabook, yet as affordable as a netbook - that must have been Asus' goal when developing this 11.6-inch subnotebook. We will need to see if the low price point of  $295 allows Asus to pack enough performance into the 21.7 millimeter (0.85 inches) thick chassis.

Manufacturer Asus is well know for their Ultrabook series, called "Zenbook". Not everyone wants to spend more than $670 on a thin notebook though - and that's where the X201E comes into play: a cross between a netbook and an Ultrabook, retailing at $360 with Linux. Competing models are netbooks like the HP Pavilion dm1 and affordable subnotebooks like the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E130.

Can the Celeron-equipped X201 outperform the competition with netbook processors - or is it simply a slim netbook?

Case

Plastic chassis...

...and a textured display lid.

The  Asus X201E is the stripped-down version of the Vivobook S200E. Visually, the two notebooks don't appear to be significantly different - the shape and measurements are identical. The chassis of the X201E is made from plastic while that of the S200E uses brushed aluminum. The cheaper materials don't impact the build quality, which is still on a very high level. An additional benefit of the plastic parts is the reduced weight of 1.31 kilogram (2.89 pounds). The back of the display is also slightly different. While the lid of the VivoBook has a smooth surface, the lid of the X201E is matte and textured, which makes scratches much less noticeable.

We can't complain about the structural integrity either. Even though the chassis is only 21.7 millimeter (0.85 inches) thick, the subnotebook doesn't lack rigidity. On the contrary, the X201E is torsionally more rigid than some Ultrabooks. The thin display lid also resists pressure and twisting reasonably well. The hinges are stiff and manage to secure the lid nicely, so the display should remain steady even when riding in a car. Since the hinges are rather stiff, both hands are required to open up the display.

Although the X201E is a very compact unit, the port selection doesn't suffer as one might expect. Most of the ports are located on the left side; those on the right are pushed towards the back which makes the notebook particularly suitable for right handers who use an external mouse. Some aspects could use improvement however. We don't like the fact that the video ports are not located on the same side, as a dual-monitor setup causes a mess of cables on the desk. It would have been better to locate both ports on the same side or in the back.

Communication

As far as communication options go, Asus provides the essentials. The Atheros AR9485WB-EG Wireless Network Adapter allows for cable-free connectivity and supports 802.11 standards b/g/n. Signal strength (through 2 walls) was still maximum when we moved 10 meters (~33 feet) away from the router (Fritz!Box7141). At 20 meters (~66 feet) and through 4 walls, we saw only 2 of the maximum 5 bars. The WLAN adapter Intel Wi-Fi Link 1000 still showed 4 bars at this distance. Those without a Wireless LAN Router can also use regular Ethernet, although the Atheros AR8162/8166/8168 PCI-E Fast Ethernet adapter only supports connections speeds up to 100 Mbit/s. Bluetooth is lacking - at least our review model didn't have it. Since Asus mentions Bluetooth 4.0 in their product brief, we can only assume that future configurations are going to be equipped with it.

Accessories

Not much is included in the box aside from the notebook and its 33 watt power adapter. There is also a short user manual and a warranty card available.

Maintenance

The bottom of the subnotebook allows access to the internal components. After removal of nine screws, the bottom plate can be carefully unclipped and the 2.5-inch hard drive, the WLAN card, and the fan (which allows for easy cleaning) become accessible. Otherwise, expandability is restricted. The RAM is soldered onto the motherboard. The battery can be accessed via a maintenance hatch, but is secured with additional screws.

Warranty

In Indonesia, the notebook comes with 1 year pick-up and return service, so the user is not responsible for shipping costs.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The keys of the 11.6-inch subnotebook are quite large at 15 x 13.3 millimeter (0.59 x 0.52 inches).Typing comfort is good as the fingers and hands are not all cramped together. The key travel is fairly low and the click point is clear and well defined. The sound level is unobtrusive and the the keyboard doesn't flex even under firm pressure.

Touchpad

The touchpad measures 105 x 60 millimeter (4.13 x 2.36 inches) and features a smooth surface, which allows the fingers to glide easily and results in high cursor precision. In order to maximize the surface area, Asus doesn't use separate mouse buttons, but rather integrates them into the touch surface itself. The touchpad also supports multitouch gestures, which work without any issues. As far as flaws are concerned, the upper edge of the touchpad was slightly raised in our review sample and the the pad isn't very sensitive towards the perimeter. 

Display

Asus uses the glare-type panel B116XW03 from AU Optronics, which we are already familiar with as the review model of the VivoBook S200E was equipped with the same screen. The only difference is that the display of the X201E is not touch sensitive which is an advantage here, since the touchscreen adds an additional layer and in case of the S200E, decreased both brightness and contrast. The LED backlit 11.6-inch panel features a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels (135 PPI) and uses the cost efficient TN technology.

We used the X-Rite i1Pro 2 to determine the maximum brightness of 228 cd/m² in the middle of the display. Brightness distribution is very good at 88 percent and we couldn't discern any differencesin brightness at all. The average brightness is 210 cd/m² which is about average for this class of notebooks. The contrast ratio of 456:1 is very good however and leads to a saturated black and vivid colors. One of the competitors - the Acer Aspire One 756 - has a contrast ratio of 208:1, which results in more of a grey than black.

200 cd/m²	205 cd/m²	214 cd/m²
204 cd/m²	228 cd/m²	215 cd/m²
201 cd/m²	217 cd/m²	204 cd/m²

Information

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 228 cd/m²
Average: 209.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 228 cd/m²
Black: 0.5 cd/m²
Contrast: 456:1

ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

Nearly all subnotebooks are similar as far as their ability to cover the color spaces is concerned. The X201E can not reproduce sRGB and especially not Adobe RGB color spaces. This notebook isn't suitable for professional graphics tasks anyways, since the screen is just not big enough.

sRGB vs Asus x201E

Adobe RGB vs Asus x201E

Those wanting to take the notebook outside will have to deal with the highly reflective screen. Inside or in the shade, the notebook can be used without issues.

As we would expect from an inexpensive TN panel, the viewing angles are only stable in the horizontal plane. Deviating in the vertical leads toinverted and washed-out colors and very large angles result in a completely unrecognizable picture. IPS and PLS panels offer much better viewing angle stability, but at a higher cost.

Performance

The high-end version of this subnotebooks comes with an Intel Core i3-3217U processor. At the time of this review, the only other configuration available featured a Celeron 847. The user can pick between 2 and 4 GB DDR3 RAM. Our review model, the ASUS X201E-KX096H is equipped with the Intel Celeron 847 processor, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, and a 320 GB hard drive.

The Intel Celeron handles office-type tasks and web surfing without issues, but doesn't offer enough power for more demanding work like video editing.

System information Asus X201E-KX092H

Processor

The Intel Celeron 847 is an Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) with a TDP (thermal design power) of 17 watts. The processor is well-suited for subnotebooks, which tend to have issues with heat dissipation. The dual-core CPU has a maximum clock speed of 1.1 GHz and doesn't offer hyper threading.

During the Cinebench Multi Benchmark, the clock speed decreased to 0.94 GHz - about 85 percent of the nominal frequency. We didn't observe a reduction during the Single Benchmark test. The 1.4 GHz Pentium  977 is about 50 percent (Multi) and 33 percent (Single) faster. Compared to the AMD ULV processors, the Celeron 847 is much faster - +18 percent compared to the E2-1800, and +26 percent compared to the E1-1200. As soon as the GPU is tasked during rendering, the Celeron falls behind all other aforementioned CPUs.

System Performance

The PCMark 7 benchmark test measures overall performance of all components (processor, RAM, and hard drive) using predefined usage scenarios, like photo editing and web surfing. Our review model scored 1359 points - ahead of systems equipped with AMD's E2-1800 APU and Intel's Atom N2600 CPU (+51 percent). The Asus VivoBook S200E with the i3-3217U CPU reached 2081 points in the same test and is about 53 percent faster than the X201E. The system equipped with the Pentium 977 is about 13 percent faster, which is a much smaller difference.

Windows 8 Experience Index

Processor

Calculations per second

3.9

Memory (RAM)

Memory operations per second

5.9

Graphics

Desktop performance for Windows Aero

4.1

Gaming graphics

3D business and gaming graphics

5.1

Primary hard disk

Disk data transfer rate

5.4