CHOICE verdict
The ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 UX363 is a very nice 2-in-1 package, but the standout feature is the excellent 13.3-inch OLED Full HD touchscreen. It also features the latest-generation Intel processor, connection ports (including Thunderbolt 4) and Wi-Fi 6. It's slim, stylish and lightweight (1.3kg), with the versatility that comes from a convertible that can also be used as a tablet.
Price: From $2597
Contact: asus.com.au
We borrowed an ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 UX363EA model from ASUS to try it out first-hand and found this is one of the best screens for a tablet-convertible that we've seen.
The Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixel) screen has very wide viewing angles (ASUS claims 178 degrees) and a glossy finish, but the anti-glare coating means we didn't find reflections a problem under normal indoor lighting.
Design and photo enthusiasts will no doubt appreciate the 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, at variable levels of brightness, which is designed to provide accurate colour even at lower brightness levels.
We measured the maximum screen brightness at 320nits, which is good for a laptop. The screen's contrast is very high and the screen response time is fast at 2ms (milliseconds). Plus, the screen has low blue light emission to reduce eye strain over long work periods.
The 1MP (megapixel) webcam on the top screen border lets you log in with Windows Hello face recognition, but doesn't have a physical security cover.
Stylus included for tablet use
The aluminium alloy chassis is thin (13.9mm) yet strong, and light (1.3kg) and compact enough for tablet use with the screen folded back.
Our model came with a 4096-pressure-level active stylus, which works well with the touchscreen, especially when it's folded back into tablet mode. But there's nowhere to stow it in the computer itself, so take care not to lose it.
While the overall built quality is strong, we found that on our test model the base was not perfectly straight, which created a bit of wobble. We suspect this may be because this is a review model which has had a lot of handling, but it's something to watch out for.
How does the ZenBook Flip 13 UX363 perform?
Overall performance is good, as you'd expect from an 11th-generation Intel Core i7-1165G7, supported by integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics (shared memory). Our test machine had 16GB (gigabytes) of RAM (memory) rather than the standard 8GB for this model, and a 512GB SSD (solid-state drive) for storage.
There's a good range of connection ports, including two USB-C super-fast Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB 3.2 (Type-A) port, and full-size HDMI, and wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.1. However, there's no security lock slot or SD card slot.
There's a good range of ports including super-fast Thunderbolt 4, but no headphone port
This is one of the few notebooks we've seen to not have a headphone (or headset) port, which can be inconvenient if you don't have a USB or Bluetooth set handy.
Battery life was just under 10 hours in our worst-case heavy usage battery test, so you should easily get a full day's use between charges and can leave the external power supply at home.
Clever touchpad
The backlit touchpad does double duty as a full numeric keyboard, saving space on the main keyboard.
The keyboard layout is well set up, with lots of quick key options. Though it's a 13.3-inch laptop, the full-size edge-to-edge backlit keyboard gives you a full range of top-row function keys, plus dedicated full-size keys for Home, Page Up, Page Down, and End. There are also handy LED indicators for caps lock and function lock.
The touchpad is large (129mm x 65mm) and was responsive with good gesture support. The finish is smooth, but it also does double duty for number entry via the backlit virtual numeric keypad.
It's a nice space saving feature for a laptop this size and will please anybody who's used to doing a lot of number entry work. It gives you a proper-sized numeric keypad, but doesn't force you to give up all that space to cram one in beside your keyboard.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
