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ASUS U35JC notebook review

by Parm Mann on 21 September 2010, 05:00 3.5

Tags: U35JC, ASUSTeK (TPE:2357)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qazym

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Final thoughts and rating

We've often felt that 13.3in notebooks hit a sweet-spot, and they seem to be getting sweeter by the day.

ASUS's latest effort, the U35JC, is mighty close to offering it all. Both CPU and GPU performance is exceptional at this size, and the notebook manages to retain the other two must-have features; portability and a long-lasting battery.

Build quality and a large serving of bloatware detract from the overall package, but a quick Intel processor, NVIDIA graphics and excellent battery life combine to make the U35JC worthy of consideration.

The Good

Strong all-round performance
Excellent battery life
Ultra-thin design

The Bad

Build quality doesn't reflect the £670 price tag
Cluttered with bloatware

HEXUS Rating

3.5/5
ASUS U35JC

HEXUS Where2Buy

The ASUS U35JC notebook can be purchased from SCAN.co.uk*.

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

*As always, UK-based HEXUS.community forum members will benefit from the SCAN2HEXUS Free Shipping initiative, which will save you a further few pounds plus also top-notch, priority customer service and technical support backed up by the SCANcare@HEXUS forum.


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HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

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Posted by Pandora92 - Tue 21 Sep 2010 09:52
The bloatware can always be removed by a fresh install, but it's a shame about the overall lack of build quality since that's something that you can't do anything about, I still might give it a look though since I've been in the market for a notebook small enough to carry around easily that can still manage to play TF2 during lunch and has a half-decent battery life.
Posted by this_is_gav - Tue 21 Sep 2010 10:18
Pandora92
The bloatware can always be removed by a fresh install

Which would be fine for most Hexus readers, but without an optical drive, a bit trickier for the average laptop user.

Added value it certainly isn't (it only serves to show to average Joe how slow their new laptop is), but I'm sure ASUS (and most other manufacturers) gets a nice sweetener from Symantec/McAfee/whoever else fancies handing over some money.
Posted by Pandora92 - Tue 21 Sep 2010 15:13
this_is_gav
Which would be fine for most Hexus readers, but without an optical drive, a bit trickier for the average laptop user.

This is true, I guess I was sort of only thinking about myself at that point since this is one of the first notebooks I've genuinely considered purchasing, plus technically you then need to factor in the cost of another copy of Windows since I doubt the average laptop user would plan on installing Linux (I'm presuming the copy of 7 that it comes with is an OEM version valid for one install only). :|
Posted by this_is_gav - Tue 21 Sep 2010 17:51
Pandora92
plus technically you then need to factor in the cost of another copy of Windows since I doubt the average laptop user would plan on installing Linux (I'm presuming the copy of 7 that it comes with is an OEM version valid for one install only). :|

The license is tied to the machine (generally defined as motherboard) not the number of installs. You could reinstall it every day if you liked, providing it was limited to that laptop.

Activation would be another issue - generally you can only activate so often within a certain time-frame (I don't know what that time-frame is, but you'll be talking months I'd imagine), but you can ring them up and activate it over the phone.

I know recent Acer laptops can't be activated over the internet, but do work using the automated phone system (without having to be transferred to an operator). I'd be staggered if it isn't the same for all OEM laptops.

But it's all within the EULA. :)
Posted by kingpotnoodle - Wed 22 Sep 2010 13:28
I very nearly bought one of these, but the bendiness really put me off, it doesn't feel like it would last well on the move. The price was a bit of an issue but you're paying for the smallness.

The Acer 3820 felt a little less bendy (certainly around the keyboard was much firmer) but has an AMD 5 series card, similar in performance but no Optimus.

In the end I went cheaper, smaller, lighter but sturdier with the Dell M101z.

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