It is no secret that Asus is one of our favourite notebook PC manufacturers due to their excellent build quality, design, feature sets, and performance on tap. Their designs usually stand out for their quality and eye-catching style and the ZenBook Flip 13 is no exception, boasting a sleek NanoEdge display and 360° ErgoLift hinge that not only makes the ZenBook Flip 13 extra compact, but very versatile as it can be used in a standard laptop mode, tent mode to consume content, and tablet mode for taking notes via a stylus during a varsity lecture for example.
All of this capability is packed into a super-slim 13.9 mm chassis that tips the laptop scales at around 1.3 kg. One negative though is that the great-looking metallic casing is quite a magnet for fingerprints and smudges, so the OCD amongst you might be constantly reaching for the microfibre cloth or wipe.
In terms of I/O options, you are well catered for with an HDMI, USB Type-A and two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, with one of these being used to charge the laptop. The ZenBook Flip 13 uses a high-capacity battery that features fast-charge technology enabling you to recharge to 60% capacity in as little as 49 minutes, so you can be up and running quicker. Battery life is good as well, most notably whilst browsing, checking emails, and using Microsoft Office/Google Docs.
More demanding tasks including video streaming services such as Netflix and gaming will, however, have you reaching for the charger sooner rather than later. Speaking of entertainment, the 13.3″ FHD NanoEdge touchscreen, featuring slim 3.9 mm bezels that maximize the screen space while reducing the laptop’s footprint, is the perfect way to view your favourite series and movies during the holidays while the sound from the laptop is equally as impressive both in terms of quality and volume level.
Great performance on tap and on the go
Performance is also really good thanks to Intel’s 11th gen Core i7 that sports the noteworthy Intel Iris Xe graphics. This makes it one of the fastest laptops we’ve ever tested as the PC benchmark scores attests including 3724.9 for Passmark and 2133 for Novabench (not far off the 2186 scored by Acer’s ConceptD 7 Pro) while the generational leap provided by Iris Xe also proved to be impressive and actually for once, lived up to the hype.
It not only scored 795 in Heaven Benchmark (Intel integrated graphics usually post in the 290’s) but managed to run Fortnite at high settings (automatically set by the game) at a respectable 25-30 fps while putting up a far more playable 35 fps at medium quality settings.
Further adding to the smooth and quick performance was the laptop’s 500 GB SSD and 16 GB worth of RAM.
Wrap up of the featureset
Also worth a mention is the quality of video delivered by the front-facing camera considering its just a 720p unit. This laptop also boasts a novel feature perfect for the lockdown era, which is ASUS’s implemented AI-noise cancelling technology that helps to significantly reduce surrounding noise and provide a clear voice quality during Microsoft Teams, Skype or Zoom calls.
We also really liked the typing experience offered by the keyboard that sports an easy on the eyes white backlighting that can be set to a couple of brightness settings while the trackpad also works a treat.
Final word
For those who can afford the price tag, the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 (UX363E) provides a quality experience on all fronts including design, battery life, performance, display, audio, and connectivity. It is available from Incredible Connection with a starting price of R19,999, but pricing depends upon configuration.
