ASUS' 12.1-inch notebook stands out for its small size and white exterior, but does the laptop live up to its design?
Review summary of the ASUS U6E:
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 The white exterior alone makes this 12.1-inch ultraportable from ASUS an attraction, and the integrated optical drive and LED display all hit the right notes. The battery is a let down, both in the way it sticks out from the back and the brevity of the battery life, but the above-average Intel CPU might have something to do with that. For road warriors looking for a notebook that has a different look and feel, the ASUS U6E won’t disappoint you. Release: February 2008. Price: $1630.
Pros: LED display, integrated optical drive, white exterior
Cons: Battery sticks out from the back and lasts only 2 hours, a little pricey
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Full review of the ASUS U6E:
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Design - Mediocre
ASUS has never been afraid to break out its paint brush for its notebooks, and the U6E immediately stands out from other 12.1-inch business notebooks with its shiny white exterior. It‘s a glossy shade of pearly white that surprisingly does not collect fingerprint smudges. The U6E is on the upper end of its weight class at 3.8 pounds, but with a 12.1-inch screen it still deserves to be categorized as an ultraportable.
If there’s a flaw in the design of the U6E, it’s the battery. From front to back the U6E measures 11.7 inches, but the 6-cell battery awkwardly extends backward another 1 inch. Not only does that interrupt the U6E’s rectangular shape, but makes the back of the laptop a target for cable snags and other problems. While we appreciate the effort to shrink the physical size of the U6E as much as possible, the exposed battery partially undermines that design.
Input – Good
Input on the U6E is handled by the 83-key keyboard and touchpad. For a small ultraportable, 83 keys is roomy, and typing on them elicits the perfect soft bounce all laptop keyboards strive for. The touchpad is also well-sized for a notebook of this class, but the two touchpad buttons are incredibly stiff when depressed. Perhaps over time and repeated use they soften up, but out of the box they require extra effort to click.
Display – Very good
The U6E uses an LED 12.1-inch 1280x800 display instead of the traditional LCD. LED displays traditionally are brighter, thinner and use less power than LCD monitors, and the payoff can easily be seen in the vivid colors and contrast of the U6E.
Performance – Very good
The 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 is several notches above what’d we’d expect in a 12.1-inch ultraportable. Normally laptops this size are optimized for maximum battery life and are outfitted with weaker processors. Having a 2.2 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo provides more than enough juice for most productivity applications . While no processor is future-proof, the processing punch of the U6E should wane less than comparable models.
Ports - Good
The port arrangement on the U6E is a little unusual – the VGA out and Ethernet ports are in the back, while the rest are split along the sides. Real estate is a premium on 12.1-inch models, so that’s probably a function of the notebook size more than anything else.
The U6E is essentially a modified version of the U6S but with integrated graphics and the HDMI port removed. In fact, you can still see the outline of the HDMI port on the U6E’s left side. We’re not sure if ASUS made the switch to reduce cost, but HDMI out on laptops work best when paired with high-definition optical drives; since the U6E only sports a traditional DVD SuperMulti drive, it doesn’t seem like a major subtraction.
Software - Excellent
ASUS provides a handful of configuration programs, but the two most noteworthy pieces of included software are ASUS’ L ifeFrame3 and SmartLogon. Both take advantage of the built-in webcam; LifeFrame3 allows you to record videos, while SmartLogon uses facial recognition technology for an additional layer of security – above and beyond the integrated fingerprint reader. After a quick setup, simply sit in front of the integrated webcam during bootup and Windows will automatically log you on – unless you have some evil identical twin, it’s one of the easiest and more advanced forms of logon security.
Security is one of the most important areas in any business laptop, but especially so on a 12.1-inch ultraportable because their small size makes them more susceptible to theft. It’s nice to see ASUS go the extra mile for business customers.
Entertainment – Good
ASUS has included an integrated DVD SuperMulti drive on the U6E, and it’s something we’re pleased to see. Including or omitting an integrated optical drive is always the single biggest decision OEMs have to make when designing an ultraportable, and while good arguments can be made against them (they make the notebook heavier, they add to the power drain), we tend to prefer integration. Not only does it make installing software easier, it allows your notebook to double as a portable DVD player – which is nice.
Gaming - Mediocre
The other cost-cutting modification ASUS made on the U6E, compared to the U6S, is the switch from a more powerful discrete graphics card to Intel’s integrated graphics, the Graphics Media Accelerator X3100. That means you won’t be able to play any high-end games, as evidenced by its 563 3DMark07 score.
Web browsing – Good
ASUS has included all support for all four of the major 802.11 WiFi standards – a, b, g and even n. That eliminates all compatibility headaches, and is great to see on a notebook. On the downside, this is a business ultraportable, and business customers should have the option of integrated WAN from Verizon, Sprint or AT&T. ASUS does not sell direct in the United States, so you can’t choose WAN as a configurable option – what you see is what you get.
Productivity – Good
The default OS configuration on the U6E is Windows Vista Business Edition, which includes several features that Home Premium does not, like Remote Desktop Connection, Windows Fax and Scan and automatic backup and restore, although it also lacks the popular all-in-one program Windows Media Center. In our dream world we’d like to see Microsoft Office bundled into the Business Edition, but that’s not an ASUS issue.
Battery life – Mediocre
Not only does the battery stick out the back, the battery life performance sticks out, too, and not in an attractive way. At 2 hours and 8 minutes, the 6-cell, 4800 mAh battery on the ASUS U6E fell short of our expectations. A 12.1-inch notebook with an LED display should be aiming for at least 3 hours unplugged, else why not spend for a bigger form factor? Long battery life is one of the marquee attractions to ultraportables, and we’re not sure exactly which component is draining the battery so.
Value – Good
Ultraportables are always pricier than their bigger, 15.4-inch cousins, and the $1,630 pricetag on the U6E is slightly above the $1,500 sweet spot in this category. On the plus side, you are getting an integrated optical drive and LED screen, which, in our opinion, are always good investments in a 12.1-inch ultraportable. The only problem with the price is that since ASUS does not sell direct in the U.S., American customers may find the price varies several hundred dollars from one third-party vendor to the next.
Price and availability
The Asus U6E is available now for $1630 from online retailers like Newegg.
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