A premium multimedia laptop for professional use
The ux501vw xs74t is a premium 15-inch laptop for professionals, and it costs just $1499, more than $500 less than an equivalent MacBook Pro or Dell XPS 15. It has an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and Nvidia 960M discrete graphics.
It's also got a 4K UHD touchscreen, which is not available on any other competitor’s laptop. Asus is using a different LG Philips LP156UD1-SPB1 panel that uses the RGBW pixel grid to deliver more accurate colors, though black levels are dimmer than on last year’s UX501JW.
Specs are similar to the older UX501JW, with the only notable change being the removal of the miniDP port to make room for a USB Type-C port (on select models) and Thunderbolt 3. The UX501VW still gets three USB 3 ports that support Asus’ Charger+ technology, a full-size HDMI port, a combo 3.5-jack to handle headphones and microphone, and a SD card reader.
Design and Build
The UX501VW is a high-end laptop, with a metal unibody chassis topped by a concentric ring finish. The lid and palm rest have a little flex, but this isn't enough to cause concern and the laptop feels very solid overall.
Keyboard
The Zenbook Pro’s keyboard isn't the most comfortable we've tried, but it's not too hard to use and the keys are well-lit. The backlighting doesn't look evenly lit, however.
Glare
As with the earlier UX501JW, the display on the ux501vw xs74t suffers from a lot of glare. It's one of the most reflective we've seen, and any light source is sharply reflected across the screen. It's not a problem for consuming content in dim rooms, but it can make viewing documents and emails difficult outdoors.
