ASUS Zenbook vs. Toshiba Portege Z835: Ultrabook Showdown Discussion

In this article we will take a look at two of the hottest Ultrabooks on the market. Both feature a 13.3-inch screen and fast flash storage, but do the extra features of the ASUS Zenbook make it worth a few hundred dollars more? Which is the best Ultrabook for your money?

Read the full content of this Article: ASUS Zenbook vs. Toshiba Portege Z835: Ultrabook Showdown

Related Articles:

• Toshiba Portege Z835 Review: The Best Ultrabook
• ASUS Zenbook UX31 Review: MacBook Air Killer?

 

Considering that the Z835 premiered at a sub-$700 pricepoint, and that retail, consumer quality Windows notebooks always tend to be discounted later in the lifecycle, I think it's a clear winner, despite the short comings of the hinge design. Knock a couple of hundred off in price, and a sub $500 Z835 might make some sense for consumers.

As far as Asus, support is something of a question mark, judging by responses in the Asus forum on this site. It's a very attractive product, it comes closer to Apple packaging with the case design, but I'm not sure it's worth the price. I wouldn't want to have to wait for a motherboard from Taiwan for a depot repair on the Asus. No thanks.

Remember, we're still talking about Sandy Bridge/Windows 7 "ultrabooks" in a year when Ivy Bridge Windows 8, and even ULV AMD APUs are going to be the big news. Show me the discounts, because it will soon be time to clear out inventories, unless production volumes for first generation "ultrabooks" are insignificantly small to begin with.

With clearances and discounts, I think Toshiba's Z835 can reach a credible price point. I think the message is to wait until the prices drop, or if you like paying retail, and can afford to pay the premium for a real premium product, buy a Macbook Air.

 

I think the Toshiba's price point is perfectly "credible" at $800-$900. I don't think it needs to be $500 to be a good value.

 

Not only are the clickpads for show, they are poor imitations of Apple's clickpad. Either get it right or don't even bother.

Still, better screens are really important. The screen vs. the bad clickpad makes this choice hard. If there was a way to fuse the two together, though...

 

I think $800 is a very nice price point for the Z835. I was seriously considering it to replace my old 2510p and T400 instead of the X220 I ended up going with.

I would take a Z830 over an MBA13 if given the choice. They both offer crap keyboards, no trackpoint, somewhat acceptable battery life, and decent performance, but the Z830 manages to be over half a pound lighter, have enough ports, and cost a few hundred bucks less. Its a no brainer imho.

Instead of wanting a sub $500 Z830, I want a slightly more premium Z830 with a decent keyboard+trackpoint (the ones in the Tecras seem okay enough), slice battery option, 1600x900 display, and maybe a few fractions of a pound lighter. I would take that over my X220.

 

$500? That's asking far too much. $700 - $800 is a very fair price for such a machine. For $500 you'll be limited to either netbooks or budget notebooks.

 

Well, it's a close call.

Personally though, the Asus is priced way too high, going at that level you are into the 13" MBA range which offers OS X support, better design, and the full AA body.

The Z seems to be in its own price league, and I'd have to say they are priced just right - enough to make you wonder if you really need the Toshiba Z, but not to "price" itself into the same league as the Asus and the MBA, the battle which they will definitely lose.

 

I really like the <$900 ultrabook segment, with the Folio 13 and the Z835. It makes them easier to justify as second computers to a desktop, large laptop, etc. And given the small storage space and small screens of an ultrabook, I think for a lot of people they are second computers.

 

I'm not arguing about production costs but about consumer acceptance. The Z835 premiered at $699 with a Core i3-2367M. Last year, a Samsung Series 3 subnotebook premiered at Staples at $699 with a Core i3-2357M, and was eventually on clearance at $350 or $250 w/trade in.

The problem with 17-watt ultrabooks is that they command premium prices, but offer performance that is intermediate between Atom powered netbooks and full power 35-watt mainstream notebooks.

I don't doubt that a $500 "ultrabook" wouldn't be a profitable endeavor for the Windows PC OEMs, but that isn't a concern for the buyers. I'm sure that Samsung isn't very profitable to conduct clearances of the sort we saw with the Series 3, but that also isn't a matter for consumers.

I still maintain that the pricepoint for mass mainstream consumer adoption of a Windows "ultrabook" is more likely to be below $500 than below $1,000 - probably not all that much higher than current transaction prices for consumer Windows 7 notebooks.

 

Your previous harping on this point (that people buy primarily Apple above the $1000 price point) was based upon a survey solely of brick-and-mortar sales. Which makes the survey useless. Plenty of people buy $800, $1000, $1500, $2000 PCs. They just don't buy 'em at Best Buy or Costco. They buy them online, direct from the manufacturer or through Amazon or NewEgg.

 

Which is only biased more by the presence of the B&M Apple Stores..

But let's stay on the topic.

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Personally think the Z seems to be priced right. Assuming that the Apple is the luxury line of ultrabooks of $1000, and that consumer netbooks are within the $200-$300 range, with tablets nowadays in the $300-400 range, the Z has a solid stance in the middle area.

Those who want tablets/netbooks with ultimate portability and sacrifice on productivity will spend the corresponding amount. Those who want powerful but ultraportable laptops will take the extra $200-$300 in spending for a full-fledged Z that is capable of doing what the ultraportable market seeks for.

 

The Toshiba Z835 is $100 more than a 64 gb iPad 2. Throw in an external keyboard for the iPad and it's priced basically the same (only $30 more expensive), while being easier to carry than a tablet+keyboard. It know it seems like an odd comparison, but I see so many middle-aged businesspeople buying fully-loaded iPads because "they're so portable," and then struggling to input text with them, that I thought I would throw it out there.

 

Still liking my Z835... wish it had the resolution of the UX31 but considering all the problems with the Asus (documented in the threads here), I think I made the right choice.

And I got it for the $699 price adjustment... so it's even a better deal.

That doesn't mean I won't buy another ubook this year though... waiting for a 1080p one and then I'll probably even sell off my SE. I really like this evolution to thin/light machines.

 

where can i buy this for $699??? do tell!!

 

It was available at BestBuy for this price for a while. I don't think its this cheap anymore though. Still a great deal.

 

The Sony Z2 is on sale right now...you can configure a 1080p model for $1749.

 

I guess I should have said "waiting for a < $1000 1080p one".

Plus I don't like the Z's keyboard... I prefer the dedicate Pg/Home/End buttons.

 

No one has even made a 900p Ultrabook or ultraportable for less than $1000...it's going to be a while before we see a 1080p ultraportable at that price point.

 

Not true. There was just a $700 deal on the VPCSA3AFX/B with the 1600 x 900 screen. There will be lots of closeout deals on Sandy Bridge/Windows 7 notebook PCs in the coming year, ultrabooks and ultraportables included.

 

The Asus UX31 which runs 1600x900 is $999 at Best Buy:

Asus - 13.3" Zenbook Ultrabook Laptop - 4GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Radiant Silver - UX31-RSL8

It was also less than $1000 at the Microsoft store in December and January (they had a 25% discount). Currently it's $1099 and you get a $200 MS Store credit.

If 10-11" tablets are coming out with 1080p+ rez for around $500... I hope that 1080p ultrabooks come out at less than $1000 this year.

 

128GB (or higher) Solid State Drive (SSD), Intel Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) processors, and are generally not user-upgradeable ...
Does this mean the SSD also is not upgradable? (on the Toshiba)
My Dell D610 is on its last legs and am looking to replace it. TIA
My 2 yr old G73 has/had KB and TP issues , one would think they could get it right by now.

 

It depends on the form factor. There are conventional 2.5" form factor SATA SSDs, mSATA SSDs, miniPCIe SSDs and the wacky Macbook Air blade type. Unless it's truly soldiered in, it's upgradeable.

Processors? Apple soldiers theirs in, and generally, mobile PCs aren't economic to upgrade after the fact.

Hang in there. With the pending launch of Ivy Bridge and Windows 8 still quite some time away, 2012 is going to be a good year for discounts. If you're not in a hurry, wait, wait, wait for the discounts and clearances.

The only risk is that Sandy Bridge/Windows 7 "ultrabooks" might be produced in such limited numbers that there won't be big inventories to clear out. I don't think that's the case, since some Windows PC manufacturers seem to be overly optimistic.

To sum up, the best time to buy an "ultrabooks" is after the clearances have begun. Not now. Later.

 

We don't really know about how fast ultrabooks are selling and how many were made, but I think that they are selling ultrabooks faster than expected, not slower. At least Toshiba is, as the price of the Z835 went up from what it was earlier.

The SSD on the Toshiba is an mSATA SDD I believe. It's upgradable, but there aren't any larger SSD's available in the mSATA form factor as of now.

 

The Z835 has its retail launch through Best Buy at $699, so the subsequent price increase might represent a Best Buy marketing ploy, not real demand.

Personally, I don't think that launching through Best Buy increased the credibility of the Z835, if only because of Best Buy's very negative practices, such as the $100 "Geek Squad Tax," Best Buy's reputation for selling decontented, lowered specification notebooks, and 15% restocking fees. Did I forget to mention the horrific tales of Best Buy refusing to refund or exchange merchandise that's missing or damaged before the box is even opened?

As previously stated, I'd advise anyone who's interested in the Z835 or any other first generation "ultrabook" to wait.

I would think that mSATA might become a universal form factor, but it comes down to sales volumes. Look at the selection of upgrades for the Macbook Air's blade-style SSD? The Air is popular, buyers are affluent, so you see both the money and sales volumes to support a surprisingly large upgrade market.

 

I'm not a marketing person, so do explain.

I don't really like BestBuy, but why do you think the Z830 needs help with "credibility"?

Anyone who is interested in buying any computer now is best of waiting for Ivy Bridge and/or Trinity.

There are a lot of mSATA SSD's. There just aren't any that have more than 128GB yet. It's not a limitation because there aren't enough buyers of mSATA drives, but you can't fit enough memory chips to get 256GB in the mSATA form factor with current technology.

 

Its retail launch price was $799... when the MSRP was $899. It went back up to $899 for a while, then went back down to $799... and for one week in December it was put on sale for $699. Currently, it has been $799 since then.

I would agree with you on this which is why I only like to browse at BB, but they are changing these practices. The 15% restocking fee has been discontinued for over a year now. I had thought it was still in effect but when I asked them, they said that they had stopped doing that since the start of 2011 (I guess they just don't advertise it for the obvious reasons). Even their receipts still have that 15% on their return policy text.

I agree that the next generation of ultrabooks will probably be better (I assume ASUS will fix their hardware issues) but if you needed a notebook now, for $700 (when it was on sale), an ultrathin, ultralight notebook with all the ports and features the Tosh had was hard to pass up.

 

My hands-on impressions of the Portege Z835:

1. The screen hinge design is unspeakably bad. We're talking about major screen bounce. I suspect the screen will bounce even during vigorous typing. This is not a notebook you'd want to use in a moving car, bus or train.

2. The sceen has terrible viewing angles. Not just vertical viewing angles, but narrow horizontal angles as well.

3. It feels flimsy. Not just the screen lid, but the base. I didn't try to flex the base, since it was a display model, but it felt as if I could have.

4. The keyboard is a cheap drop-in. Just island style keys surrounded by plastic, trying to immitate a unibody Macbook. Cheap. A different kind of cheap than a HP Folio, but cheap.

5. The power adapter is in the back. Actually, a good design detail.

6. Actual touchpad buttons. Not exceptional in apparently quality or feel, but similar to a Portege R835.

Overall, my impression is that the Z835 is even worse than the Folio, with the screen hinge being the one factor that would preclude my ownership, regardless of price. The screen hinge makes this product line a dead end design.

 

Being an owner of the z835 for over 3 months, I can tell you I have no problems with the hinge.

While you may think the screen would be bouncy on your lap or in a moving vehicle... it is not. The screen is very light (and yes... bendy)... but that also keeps it from having enough weight to shift with small movements.

The base is actually pretty sturdy... just as rigid as my MacBookAir.

Long term usage will sometimes yield different results from in-store impressions.

My only dislikes:

1. 1366x768 resolution... the viewing angles are a non-factor for me since I'm the only one looking at my screen.

2. Shorter keys as in more rectangular/flat than square. The keyboard layout itself is excellent because of the dedicated nav keys but the difference in distance from spacebar to function keys takes some getting used to.

 

You get screen bounce when typing on a moving butt?

 

I don't know if the screen hinge issue varies from Z835 to Z835, but so far, I've witnessed far more screen bounce than any notebook should have. I think that vigorous typing or use in a moving vehicle might make some users nauseous.

The screen did strike me as very flexible. I wonder just how much flexing the glass can take before it cracks? I know another manufacturer is bragging about a "Gorilla glass" display on their ultrabook? The flex issue might be one reason why.

After my initial impressions, I can't see any reason why I'd consider ownership of the Z835.

Narrow viewing angle can be a major annoyance for any user, especially when quality displays are available to every manufacturer. I personally don't like to have to continually repostition the screen angle to compensate for a narrow vertical viewing angle and a narrow horizontal viewing angle is a major source of embarrasment in the business world.

This is just another low quality display, a criticism that's becoming almost universal for Windows notebook PCs.

 

Another inaccurate drumbeat of a fanboy. There are plenty of Windows PCs with great screens. This inexpensive, extremely lightweight machine isn't one of them, but that's no excuse to try to turn this thread into yet another "Apple hardware rocks, Windows hardware sucks" rant like you so often do.

The rest of us are sick of it. And that includes those of us that buy Apple products.

 

Indeed. It's trolling. Semi-expert, please stop trolling threads.

 

Again... until you have actually used it in those situations over an extended period of time, your observation does not reflect my real-world usage (nor the usage of those in the Z830/Z835 thread on this forum).

I don't plan to test it. I don't know anyone who regularly flexes their displays to a breaking point.

It depends on your usage. In walking around the house carrying it with me (since it's so light), I found no need to adjust the screen putting it on my table, my lap, on the counter while standing up or on the sofa arm next to me... so the viewing angle is not so extreme to require adjustments for each of those positions. A major problem with the screen is the glossiness (which the business-oriented matte Z830 screens help with)... that actually has more to do with being able to view it from various angles... but straight on, without overhead lights... the screen is great (which a glossy screen excels at because of the "brightness"... like my MBA).

So if you're buying it for business... get the matte Z830.

The last few weeks I've been toting both my MBA and Z835 around the house to get a feel for portability and I find the Z835 easier to use. It has a better keyboard layout and the difference in weight, although not a lot, is noticeable. The MBA's trackpad is superior (have not found any like it) so that is something that Apple has over Win PCs.

It's not for everyone... but I just wanted to reply to your impressions because they are different from my actual usage.

 

I'm simply reporting my hand-on impression of two ultrabooks, both of which are currently at the same $950 pricepoint, sitting side-by-side at the same retail store. I'm just reporting my objective observations of the Z835 in this thread.

Review Toshiba Satellite Z830-10J Ultrabook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

Practical Test: Toshiba Portégé Z830-10N (Core i3) Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

Nobody's contesting that the Toshiba Z has a low-quality display. Comes with the price point and extraordinary light weight. The trolling part of that post was "...a criticism that's becoming almost universal for Windows notebook PCs."

 

No, not at all. And even if it were, it's irrelevant to this thread.

 

It might it might not. From my impressions of the Z835 in a store, the screen is very much usable, if a bit bouncy.

Flexing is a durability feature. It's intentional. It seems weird at first, but it really makes a lot of sense. Bending but not breaking is better than breaking and not bending. Look at airplane wings for example.

After my first impressions, I figured that if I was forced to buy an ultrabook instead of my X220, I would get a Z830.

It's universal for budget notebooks. My X220 screen is awesome. You generally get what you pay for and screens are an easy corner to cut.

 

I've used notebooks with a screens that were "a bit bouncy," but it's a characteristic that should be avoided, especially for highly mobile users and vigorous typists.

As far as screen bounce,

And that's why I referenced the use of Gorilla glass in a competing ultrabook, as it apparently isn't just very hard and scratch resistant, but will tolerate more bending than conventional glass.

Well, for the upgrade to an IPS screen, $50 is not much of a price to pay, especially when the X220 with the "premium" display is so very unique in the market. It's unparalleled in 12.5" ultraportables.