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Asus UL20A review – powerful 12 incher with an affordable price

By Andrei Girbea , updated on May 19, 2012

I am a big fan of netbooks and one of their biggest advocates. However, there are moments when they just can’t offer enough power and get sluggish, especially if you’re a power user (like me) trying to run many programs in the same time like on a regular laptop or desktop.

For these cases, there’s this gadget: the 12 inch Asus UL20A, a mini laptop designed to meet portability with performance.

It is a light (3.3 lbs) and compact device (1 inch thick) you can easily carry around, almost just like a netbook. But it provides the performance of a full-sized notebook, being able to run Windows 7 Home flawlessly and all your needed applications.

Of course, it’s not meant for Photoshop or Maya 3D, but will handle easily a browser with multiple tabs, chating programs, text editors, music playing software and more, all opened simultaneously. HD Flash content or 1080P movies are no match for it either.

All these while still offering good autonomy and a decent acquisition price. For more details on specs and pros/cons, see the rows below.

Asus Ul20A - a looker with powerful hardware and comfortable ergonomic keyboard

Asus UL20A - a looker with powerful hardware and comfortable ergonomic keyboard

Specs and features:

  • Intel SU7300 dual-core processor, 1.3 GHz
  • Nvidia GMA 4500HD integrated graphics
  • 2 GB of memory (up to 4 GB)
  • 250 GB storage space
  • 12.1 inch LED-backlit glossy display, 1366 x 768 px
  • Wi-Fi N, some versions come with Bluetooth 2.1 also
  • chiclet keyboard, decent trackpad
  • 3xUSB ports, 0.3 MPx Webcam, VGA, 8-in-1 card-reader
  • Altec Lansing speakers
  • 6 Cell 4400 mAh battery
  • Windows 7 Home premium OS
  • measures 11.8 (W) x 8.4 (L) x 1.0 (H) inches and weighs 3.3 pounds

Pros:

  • quite compact (only 1 inch thick) and light for a 12 incher
  • looks very nice with the brushed aluminum lid and is solid built
  • hardware is powerful: the device can easily run everyday applications and even 1080p content
  • the full-size chiclet keyboard is comfortable to use
  • sound quality is well above the average of its class, thanks to the Altec lansing speakers used by Asus
  • runs pretty quiet and cool
  • battery life is decent considering the power: 7.5 hours on paper, more like 6 during everyday tasks
  • display is one of the best in its class, both in terms of brightness and color reproduction, although viewing angles and in the limits of a decent laptop display
  • you can very easily access RAM or the 2.5″ HDD by unscrewing the dedicated bay on the back (might affect warranty though if that bay comes with a seal)
  • good price for the features and performance

Cons:

  • display is glossy, thus difficult to use outside
  • trackpad and the entire palm rest area is also glossy and catches fingerprints and smudges easily
  • US version doesn’t come with Bluetooth and is only available in Silver
  • No HDMI output

Conclusion:

All in all, the Asus UL20A is a great device. Capable and portable, it’s just the perfect travel companion. In fact, it can even be your primary computer if you’re always on the go and need an affordable, powerful and easy to carry around laptop.

It comes with lots of strong points as you could see above, i for one really enjoying the good hardware, comfortable keyboard (very important for a mini laptop in my view) and the nice aluminum finish on the lid. Plus, the device is available in both silver and black, although the black version seems nearly impossible to find in the US.

Asus UL20A - slim and compact, only available in Silver in the US

Asus UL20A - slim and compact, only available in Silver in the US

However, the UL20A is not perfect. I don’t really care for the lack of HDMI port, i don’t use my mini laptop for outputting content anyway, but i do resent that glossy display (horrible to use in direct light conditions) and the glossy palm rest and trackpad (i don’t really like how they feel and also catch scratches and fingerprints in a matter of seconds). I can live with them, but i would surely pay a couple of bucks extra to get them replaced with matte ones.

And speaking of prices, see details about them below.

Prices, versions and where to buy

In the US, Asus sells the UL20A only in silver, as UL20A-A1 . The device is available in Black in other parts of the world, but i for one couldn’t find it in this color in any US store though (please let me know if you do).

Anyway, this version of the UL20A comes with all the above specs and features and sells right now for $539 on Amazon (best price i could find online), with a 60 bucks discount and Free Shipping included. It comes with 1 year Global Warranty and 1 year Accidental Damage Warranty and benefits from impressive marks and reviews from previous buyers.

But that’s something i was expecting, as the Asus UL20A is overall the best affordable 12 incher available on the market right now and definitely a great pick. However, if you’re interested in other similar devices, check out my post on the best 12 inch mini laptops of the moment and don’t forget to subscribe for more info on compact notebooks and netbooks on this site.

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Andrei Girbea, Editor-in-Chief at TLBHD.com. This project was born as part of my search for capable mini-laptops that I could easily lug around to work, and still provide the performance that I'd need on a daily basis. I'm primarily using such ultracompact devices and have been testing them since 2006.

2 Comments

  1. andrew hoffman

    November 26, 2010 at 9:13 pm

    hi there,in Australia I’ve only seen UL30A.How does it differ from UL20A ? I haven’t been able to get hands on 1215N or P-only VX6 Black glossy finger print highlight Lamborghini-white not imported into Aust.Do you think a manufacturer will put 3G on a netbook ?HDMI would be nice. Andrew

    • Mike

      November 27, 2010 at 4:52 am

      the ul20a is a 12 incher, while the ul30a is a 13.3 incher. Also the bigger one comes with slightly better hardware.

      You can hardly find any netbooks with integrated 3G and the ones available are very expensive. But you can always use an external USb dongle. As for HDMI, there are devices with it. The 11.6-12 inchers have it and also the Asus 1015PN if not mistaken.

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