Asus’s New Zenbook UX32VD Gets Top Marks For Reparability From iFixit

Posted 08/19/2012 at 9:34am | by Justin Kerr

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Component makers are under more pressure than ever to design thin and light products, but as iFixit has pointed out on more than one occasion, a millimeter could be the difference between a throw a way gadget, and a serviceable one. Apple’s new Retina Macbook Pro is an excellent example of design over function. It’s a glorious mess of metal and glue, and all we can say to those who plunked down over $2,000 to own one, we hope you’re never in need of an out of warranty repair. Asus seems determined get the Ultrabook design right, and as enthusiasts who love to tinker, we like what we’ve seen in the iFxitit UX32VD teardown.

On the surface the Zenbook design looks very much like the highly renowned Macbook Air, however the extra two millimeters of thickness adds a world of possibilities for PC owners. The gorgeous 1080p display can actually be separated and replaced, RAM can be added to increase capacity, and even the storage uses the industry standard 2.5” design, making upgrading or replacement down the road a piece of cake. The Zenbook’s 48 Whr battery is also easy to get at and replace, though it does require removing a handful of Torx screws to access. This will no doubt help extend the useful life of the machine well into the future, but might net you a few concerned looks if you try and do it on a transatlantic flight.

The iFixit teardown nets the Zenbook UX32VD an 8 out of 10 for reparability, and might be worth looking at if you’re on the hunt for a new thin and light Ivy Bridge machine.

(Image Credit = iFixit.com)

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