At first glance, the Asus ZenBook Flip UX360CA-DBM2T mirrors the design of Asus’ high-end laptops that usually carry premium prices, especially ones that are way thinner Not everyday do you need the most powerful, most expensive laptop to accomplish your projects. Sometimes a simple clamshell like the ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360CA-DBM2T is all you just need.
For a very reasonable price, the 2-in-1 Flip doesn’t try to outperform the most powerful convertibles in the market or offer any advanced features. Instead, it promises a slim and portable design that’s a beauty too look at and a joy to use. It’s among the first affordable 2-in-1 we’re seeing around, but we’re sure more options will be dropping soon.
Design
The newly unveiled Asus ZenBook Flip is superbly designed, and it manages to be really slim, something many consumers will be glad to see. It is only 13.9mm thick and weighs 2.9 pounds. Unlike many ultra-convertible laptops and hybrids, this one sports a fanless design, which translates into less system noise and better overall battery life.
Just like the premium and pricier Lenovo Yoga, the ZenBook UX features a 360-degree hinge that easily folds back all the way to transform the clamshell laptop shape into a tablet. Plus, the hinge can pause along the way, meaning that the device can stand in a table tent shape, giving you access to the 13.3-inch, 1,920×1,080 FHD display, while the keyboard is conveniently hidden from view. Its body is made of aluminum with a concentric circle design on the design lid.
Performance
The Asus ZenBook Flip UX360CA-DBM2T is based on a 6th generation Intel Core M3-6Y30 CPU, with two Skylake cores, 8GB system memory, ninth-generation of Intel’s integrated graphics (HD 515, Gen 9), and SpeedShift technology that enhances turbo mode when multitasking. The processor is tweaked to run in ‘cTDP Up’ mode, which gives the machine a power push to 7W for an increase in base and turbo mode frequencies; which is a similar feature in the MacBook line. The Core M processor is fanless, so we don’t expect any machine noise during use.
For storage, you have a 512GB Solid State Drive (SSD), which is way better than the 128GB SSD in the HP Pavilion 13-s128nr x360, an Intel Core-i5 powered convertible laptop. The SSD storage suffices for faster boot times and snappy performance unlike the traditional-spinning hard drives found in most entry level laptops, but we’re glad that SSDs are becoming a new standard for ultrabooks and mid-high-end laptops.
Like most of the convertible-hybrid laptops we’ve seen, the ZenBook Flip UX360CA relies on an integrated Intel HD Graphics 515 graphics card, which is more than enough for browsing the Web and streaming media, but struggles when dealing with 3D gaming. If you need a gaming rig, a 2-in-1 may not be a perfect fit, perhaps you can check out the conventional gaming rigs such as the 2021 Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 with its AMD Ryzen 5 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage.
Other Features
The FHD touchscreen is, perhaps, the Flip UX360CA’s most appealing aspect, especially when put side-by-side with its direct competition. The 13.3-inch laptop comes with a FHD touch screen and has a 1,920-by-1,080 resolution set on Mineral Grey style. The FHD touch-sensitive display panel is very responsive and boasts 72% NTSC and a full sRGB color gamut, which means that photos and films show more accurate colors.
That said, the system has a non-backlit keyboard with chiclet-style keys, which is quite unforgivable for an otherwise superb ultraportable. We expected a backlit keyboard, but if you can do without, then its isn’t much of a deal-breaker since the machine does score well in overall performance.
Since it uses a fanless design, we are looking at better battery life; the 3-cell 54 WH battery can give you anything close to 12 hours before you can plug it into a power outlet. This adds up as a big plus to such a decent system since most competitors offer a maximum of 6-8 hours of battery life.
You get the same generous set of ports as on the Asus UX360CA-DBM2T. Here you have a 3.5mm connector for headsets, two 1.6 W speakers, an array of microphones, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) Type-C port (with quick-charging capability for smartphones), one SDXC card reader, a 720p webcam, one micro-HDMI output, and 1.6-watt speakers. Internet connectivity comes in way of dual-band 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth 4.1.
Asus ZenBook Flip UX360CA-DBM2T Review: Verdict
Despite coming in the middle or bottom of our benchmark comparisons, the Asus Flip UX360CA-DBM2T does offer a pleasant experience overall. It feels premium and snappy and can multitask well: You can open over a dozen tabs open in Chrome, with videos running on YouTube, and can copy files to the SSD without slowing down.
Yes, it has shortcomings, and being a 2016 version, things have improved over time. For around the same price, you can get a better model in the market with the latest components, better performance and refreshed designs. The HP Envy x360 is one great 2-in-1 alternative that offers an Intel Core i7 processor and Iris Xe graphics, for around the same price.
Recommended Configuration
ASUS ZenBook 13 UX331UA Ultra-Slim Laptop 13.3” Full HD WideView Display, 8th gen Intel Core i7-8550U Processor, 8GB LPDDR3, 256GB SSD, Windows 10, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint, Icicle Gold
The Review
ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360CA (DBM2T)
The ASUS ZenBook Flip UX360CA (DBM2T) is an excellent 2-in-1 convertible hybrid laptop, with sleek, ultra-thin design, a responsive touchscreen, fast SSD and strong overall performance, decent connectivity and it costs much less than the competition.
PROS
- A sleek, ultra-thin design
- Responsive touchscreen
- Fast SSD storage
CONS
- Non-backlit keyboard
Review Breakdown
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EDITORS RATING
