Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro 2.7GHz Dual-core Intel i5 with Retina Display.

Thorough Mac news, reviews, expert opinions, how-to articles and email newsletter. Apple is going to update the current MacBook Pro to a processor that has been shipping in quantity for ONLY MORE THAN FIVE MONTHS?!? Wow, everyone. Real world speed test results for performance minded Apple Macintosh users.

Asus Zenbook UX3. LN vs Mac. Book Pro 1. Retina Display. Some of you requested a head- to- head between the Asus Zenbook UX3. LN and the Mac. Book Pro 1.

I finally managed to get them side by side this week. I don’t have any pictures though, I did not have my camera with me at that time, so you’ll have to settle for my written impressions. Anyway, these are two of the most interesting 1. Jpg To Pdf Converter Online In 300 Dpi Vs 600 on this page. UX3. 03. LN has been continuously delayed and its availability still very limited at the time of this post).

They are also some of the premium options for 1. Euro) for them, and even more for some of the higher end configured Macs. But which one is the better pick in the end? Well, there’s no “simple” answer, as both of them are solid options, but each are meant to satisfy different requirements and each have limitations. But if you’ll stick with me through this entire post, you’ll know what to expect from each side. Two premium 1. 3 inchers: the Apple Mac.

Book Pro 1. 3 (Left) and the Asus Zenbook UX3. LN (Right)The Specs. Mac. Book Pro with Retina Display (Mid 2.

Asus Zenbook UX3. LNScreen. 13. 3 inch, IPS 2.

IPS 1. 92. 0 x 1. IGZO IPS 3. 20. 0 x 1. PX touchscreen. Processor. Intel Core i. 5- 4. U, Core i. 5- 4. 30.

U, Core i. 7- 4. 57. UIntel Core i. 5- 4. U, Core i. 7- 4. 51. UVideo. Intel 5. 10. HD Iris. Intel 4. HD + Nvidia GT 8.

M 2. GBMemoryup to 1. GB DDR3up to 1. 2 GB DDR3. Storageup to 5. 12 GB PCI- E SSD2. GB SSDConnectivity. Wireless AC, Bluetooth, LAN (adapter)Wireless AC, Bluetooth, LAN (adapter)Ports.

USB 3. 0, SD card reader, HDMI, 2 x Thunderbolt. USB 3. 0, SD card reader, HDMI, mini.

DP, VGA and RJ4. 5 (with adapters)Battery. Wh. 3 Cell 5. 0 Wh. OSOS X Mavericks.

Windows 8. 1 /Pro. Size. 31. 4 x 2. 19 x 1. Weightabout 1. 5. Pricetop version ~ $1. Both devices are available in a few different configurations. But there are two things to keep in mind: The TOP Asus config (Core i.

U, Nvidia 8. 40. M, 1. GB RAM, 2. 56 GB SSD, 3. IGZO touchscreen) sells for $1. Apple asks just as much for the base- version of the Macbook Pro 1. Core i. 5- 4. 27. U , 8 GB RAM, 1. 28 GB SSD).

While Asus did announce several configs for the UX3. LN, only the top one is now available in SELECT countries, with no word on when the others will get in stores or if they will be available worldwide (I’d reckon they won’t; Asus tends to offer only several configurations on the bigger markets, and more in smaller countries). Design and build quality. I can’t say one of these looks better or feels sturdier than the other, that’s mostly a matter of personal taste, but I can say this: both are some of the most well made laptops out there. Apple’s Macbooks have been a reference for years when it comes to build quality, but Asus actually managed to come close with their latest Zenbook.

The latter still sports a more complex design, with a ripple effect on the lid cover and different shares of metal used around the body, while the Macbook remains simpler, with its silver aluminum unibody, but gets the lit Apple logo on the hood. The Zenbook gets a more sophisticated design. The Macbook Pro is millimetrically more compact and thinner than the Zenbook, but at the same time somewhat heavier, but neither are visible in real life. You will notice the perfectly joined parts though, the nicely cut edges or the sturdy long hinges on both of these. And the ports, where the two are again fairly similar. The UX3. 03. LN does offer one extra USB port, but the Macbook Pro gets two Thunderbolt 2 connectors, which allows for a larger option of connected peripherals, while Asus’s notebook gets only a mini- DP port for external monitors.

It’s also worth noting that most ports are lined on the left side on the Zenbook and on the right on the Macbook, thus if you’re a righty like I am, you’ll probably prefer the former’s layout, which leads to a less cluttered right side, where I usually keep my mouse. But the more compact Macbook Pro 1. Taking a quick look at the bellies, you’ll find some cooling cuts on the UX3. LN and none of the Retina Pro, which anticipates the more powerful hardware inside the first. Air is blown out through the hinge on both, partially towards the rear and partially upwards, into the screen and back to the user. Screen. On paper, both sides look great, with sharp IPS displays. Asus’s option packs even more pixels, but you’ll hardly see the difference in everyday use.

In fact, if we consider that plenty of older third party apps still don’t scale well on Windows 8. But OS X is not perfect when it comes to scaling either. At the same time, both panels are bright (above 3. Mac, about 5. 00: 1 for the Asus) and both are glossy. That was expected for the UX3. Apple’s screen lacks touch, so perhaps they could have went with a better anti- glare finishing. The Zenbook’s display however has serious problems when it comes to reproducing colors.

As I’ve told you in my review, the Samsung made panel on the UX3. That’s a known problem, the same panel is used by Lenovo on the Yoga 2 Pro and by Samsung on the ATIV Book 9 Plus and they partially corrected the issue with BIOS updates, but Asus did no such thing, at least for the time being. Hopefully they will, but even so, the Retina Display on the Macbook still remains capable of showing colors more accurately. Keyboard and Touch. Stone Of Destiny Torrent Italiano more.

Pad. These two laptops feature what seems like nearly identical keyboards on a first look, with pretty much the same layout and color schemes (black keys on a silver background), both illuminated. However, Apple went for a smoother, softer plastic coating on top of their keys, while those on the Zenbook feel cheaper, plastickier .

Besides these, the Mac’s keys are a bit firmer and all these combined lead to a slightly superior typing experience on the Macbook Pro, but the UX3. Both laptops also feature large glass- made touchpads with not dedicated buttons. They are both responsive and accurate, with support for gestures, but if you’re one of those persons that performs physical clicks on a touchpad, you should know that the Zenbook’s is rather stiff and noisy. So once again, while the UX3. Retina Macbook Pro is just nicer to use. The Macbook Pro offers an overall more enjoyable keyboard and touchpad.

Hardware and everyday experience. Here’s where these two are no longer close match- ups. On one side we have the Macbook Pro which is powered by the higher- end line of Intel ULV Processors, hence the Core i.

U (2. 6 GHz), Core i. U(2. 8 GHz) and Core i. U (3. 0 GHz) CPUs, all bundled with Intel HD 5. Iris graphics. Such platforms are only available on the Asus UX3. LA windows 1. 3 inch laptop, and provide a 1.

ULV Haswell chip with Intel HD 4. Zenbook UX3. 03. LN (the C0re i. U – 1. 7 GHz or the Core i. U – 2. 0 GHz). The Zenbook is however paired with an Nvidia GT 8.

M graphics chip, a mid- level modern solution usually found on larger multimedia laptops. And as a result, the UX3. LN demolishes the Macbook in games and most other apps that require intense graphics processing. Not that much in Premiere and Photoshop though, which rely more on RAW CPU power. However, that’s not all. The Zenbook gets up to 1. GB of RAM, and 4 of them are soldered on the motherboad, while for the other up to 8 GB you can insert your own DIMM into the available memory slot.

The Macbook Pro 1. GB of RAM, but the entire amount is soldered on the motherboard, so you’ll end up with what you’re choosing in the beginning and there’s no way to add more later. Last but not least, the two feature different storage solutions.

The UX3. 03 gets a standard SATA 3 7mm 2. Thus, Apple’s solution allows for faster speeds, however, since this is not a standard M. Macbook Pro, you’ll have a really hard time finding something compatible. The Asus on the other hand can get all sorts of storage drives, from HDDs to SSDs, into that standard- sized 2. SATA half- size sticks (which are rather expensive and slow, though).

Dell XPS 1. 3 review: Mac. Book Air fanboys, look no further for your rumored unicorn.

As PC fan boy No. I cannot lie: Apple’s Mac. Book Air 1. 1 has had us whupped.

It’s slim and light, offers great battery life, and damn—the $9. PC vendors. PCs are all about great performance at low, low prices, right?

Oh, the burn! Well, I’m here to tell you that the Mac. Book Air just lost all its luster. Dell’s sexy new XPS 1.

Mac. Book Air rumor story you’ve read on Cultof. Apple. Rumor. Mongering. Dell’s new ultralight is essentially the storied- but- not- yet- released Mac. Book Air unicorn that every Apple fan wants, but just can’t have. Then there’s the real star of Dell’s show: a 1.

Most manufacturers would have settled for an 1. Apple’s current Mac. Book Air lineup for evidence). The XPS 1. 3 body itself is just 1.

It's 0. 6 inches at its thickest. Gordon Mah Ung. Small indeed: Dell’s new XPS1. Mac Book Air with a 1. Put the XPS 1. 3 next to the vaunted Mac. Book Air 1. 1 and the Mac. Book Air 1. 3. Give all three laptops a nice, long stare.

It looks like someone took the display from the MBA1. MBA1. 1. Except Apple didn’t do it—Dell did it, and then posted “first” on the Internet.

The real burn for Apple users, though, will be the panel in the XPS 1. Dell offers base 1. For people who think only in Retinametrics, that’s a pixel- per- inch count of roughly 2. The 1. 3- inch Mac. Book Air, with 1.

The 1. 1- inch model actually offers slightly more Retinameters of 1. But even the 1. 3. Mac. Book Pro Retina's high- res screen is but 2. Both sizes of XPS 1. MBA in technology as well as resolution. The Mac. Book Air models use mere TN screens (albeit better examples of the genre), while the XPS 1. IPS. For anyone who does color- critical work such as photo editing or design, TN can’t beat IPS.

The XPS 1. 3 I reviewed also includes 1. Ultrabooks aren’t known to offer very bright panels and usually hover in the 3. The 2. 01. 4 Think.

Pad X1 Carbon I used for comparison, for example, is rated at 3. I measured it at about 2. The XPS is rated at an eye- searing 4. I measured 3. 99 nits.

Dell. The Dell is small enough to fit in an interoffice envelope. The screen is very impressive, especially when you consider the space Dell is working with. I didn’t notice any serious banding issues nor backlight bleeding, and lighting was fairly consistent.

One thing I did see was a three- inch by one- inch, mustache- shaped discoloration when looking at a uniform white screen with the brightness up. That may be a defect in this particular review unit.

The company said other units don’t exhibit the same phenomenon. Instead, Dell puts it in the lower left corner of the XPS 1. Your videoconference colleagues will see part of your hand while you’re typing, as well as a great view of your wattle. It’s not pleasant. PCWorld. The camera on the XPS 1. The XPS 1. 3 is also the first official laptop we've seen with Intel’s new Broadwell U, outside of CES.

The short and skinny of Broadwell U is that it’s Intel’s 5th- generation Core i CPU and uses the company’s 1. The end result is the promise of better battery life and somewhat better CPU and graphics performance. I’ll delve little deeper into Broadwell U’s performance in an upcoming story. Meanwhile, I compared the XPS 1. Haswell- based Lenovo Think. Pad X1 Carbon. In our Handbrake test, we take a 3.

GB 1. 08. 0p resolution MKV file and transcode it to a far more manageable size for viewing on an Android tablet. Despite having a lower Turbo Boost clock, the XPS 1. Lenovo X1 Carbon by a good margin. The XPS 1. 3 easily outruns the older X1 Carbon in this pure CPU test. One thing to keep in mind when comparing the two, however, is the Core i. U in the XPS 1. 3 actually has a lower- rated turbo frequency of 2. GHz, compared to 2.

GHz for the Core i. U in the X1 Carbon. During my tests though, the XPS 1. GHz, while the X1 Carbon ran in the 2. GHz range. PCWorld. We initially were confused by the performance of the Broadwell chip in PCMark 8 until we realized the much higher resolution was hurting performance.

Due to an apparent bug in Mobile. Mark 2. 01. 4 that BAPCo is looking into, I’m not using the performance score from the suite. Instead, I ran PC Mark 8’s Home test on both laptops. The XPS 1. 3 and its Broadwell U once again came out on top. PCWorld. The better graphics core in the Broadwell U helps keep it ahead of the Haswell U in the Lenovo. The last benchmark chart I’ll put you through is 3.

DMark’s Ice Storm Extreme, which measures graphics performance. Again, the Broadwell U in the XPS 1. X1 Carbon, but gamers shouldn’t get their hopes up. You won’t be playing Far Cry 4 at the panel’s native resolution anytime soon.

Perhaps the most important feature in a laptop today is battery life. To determine that I used BAPCo’s new Mobile. Mark 2. 01. 4 benchmark.

The test uses popular real- world applications such as Chrome, Office 2. Photoshop CS6, and Premiere Pro CS6 to perform various tasks at 1. Mobile. Mark 2. 01. You don’t, for example, type for seven hours straight in Word.

You type, pause, use your phone for a few minutes and then go back to typing. Then you task- switch to email. Mobile. Mark actually lets the laptop’s screen dim or blank out before resuming a task.

Mobile. Mark 2. 01. OEMs for testing, so we’re actually a little ahead of the curve now. It’s also worth mentioning that the battery in the XPS 1.

WHr, which is actually a reduction from the previous XPS 1. PCWorld. Mobile. Mark 1. Broadwell chip delivers in battery life. Keep in mind, the XPS1. Our Mobile. Mark 1. Office- drone tasks puts the battery life at 1. The XPS 1. 3 with the 1.

If you’re looking to go off- grid even longer, add Dell’s Power. Companion battery brick so you can charge the laptop much as you would your phone. As with the badly placed camera, Dell made one other dubious choice with the XPS 1. Dell crams the important keys (function keys don’t count to me) in a space about 1. Travel is rated at 1. Gordon Mah Ung. The one big compromise you’ll make is a slightly compressed keyboard in the XPS 1.

The Lenovo X1 Carbon's four rows fit into a spacious 1. Even the Mac. Book Air 1. XPS 1. 3, gives the keyboard 1. To see whether the smaller keyboard would impact my typing, I took an online test on the X1 Carbon and the XPS 1. I typed at 7. 2 wpm on the X1 Carbon and 7.

XPS 1. 3, producing six errors both times. On a full- sized Corsair K6. I hit 8. 8 wpm. The keyboard on the XPS 1.

The trackpad appears to be made by Synaptics and I had no complaints. Despite the cramped quarters, my palms didn't cause cursor jump, but there was also no way to adjust palm rejection on the XPS 1. One final spec to mention in the XPS 1. Mac. Book Air battle is the SSD. The XPS 1. 3 uses an M. SSD, but it conforms to the SATA portion of M.

PCIe drive. I saw sequential reads and writes in the 4. MB/s range. That's decent, but PCIe- based storage devices like in the Mac.

Book Air can reach close to 8. MB/s. Dell said it has plans to release a PCIe- based SSD for the XPS 1. Before the Apple crew stars to crow though, I should mention the M. Haswell- based Mac. Book Airs aren't actually M. Gordon Mah Ung. The XPS 1. Ultrabook of the year, and it’s only January.

In the end, I honestly have few complaints beyond the compressed keyboard and odd camera placement. The XPS 1. 3 gives you good performance and great battery life in an incredibly compact and solid- feeling package. Even the pricing is almost reasonable. This model with its 2. GB SSD, 8. GB of RAM and QHD+ touchscreen costs $1,4.

If that’s too rich, Dell really takes a shot at Apple with its base model. That XPS 1. 3 comes with a 1. IPS panel, 1. 28. GB SSD and 4. GB of RAM.

At $8. 00, it packs components a magnitude better than the Mac. Book Air 1. 1's, and it’s $1. Few Mac users may cross over to the light side, but at least there’s finally a PC with better specs and a better price in the world. Which is the way it’s supposed to be.

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