With that said, photographers will definitely appreciate it. You’ll be able to see more of each of the shots you take in higher detail, meaning you won’t have to zoom and pan around your snaps so often.Actual screen performance is reasonable. It’s relatively bright at 260nits, although this is generally eclipsed by higher-end screens, and its 0.27nits black levels equate to nice, deep blacks when playing atmospheric games.I did find the screen erred towards rather crushed blacks and greys at times, which reduced detail in some scenes. Colour coverage is reasonable, too, with the screen managing to cover 97.5% of the sRGB colour gamut, and accuracy is rated at a delta E of 6.7, which isn’t particularly great, but perfectly fine for non-professional use.
Asus has been churning out some great Ultrabooks in the form of its ZenBook range. I’ve been particularly impressed with the stellar UX305, which offers premium build quality and design at an affordable price.

With the UX303UA, the company has once again delivered the same superb build but this time with improved hardware to compete with the likes of Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air and the Dell XPS 13. Inside the UX303UA sits one of Intel’s new Skylake Core i7 processors, 12GB of DDR3 RAM, and 256GB of solid-state storage.The Ultrabook is available in a range of configurations, offering either a i3-6100U or i5-6200U chip, with 128GB, 256GB, 500GB or 1TB storage options. But it's the i7, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB storage version that appears to be the standard configuration, judging by a quick glance at online stores.

At £899, the UX303UA isn't the cheapest laptop, but neither is it the most expensive Ultrabook. In fact, it’s very reasonably priced, which makes it an exciting prospect for anyone looking for a top-performing Windows machine.First, that signature Asus concentric circle, brushed metal finish has been retained for the aluminium case. It's available in three colours: Smoky Brown, Icicle Gold and Rose Gold. I was sent the Icicle Gold version for my review and can say that while it certainly doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy, there’s something about the simple aesthetics that almost undermines Asus’ premium aspirations.

Prior to the UX303UA I reviewed Asus’ much lower-end Transformer Book Flip TP200SA, and to be honest, there’s very little to distinguish the two in terms of pure looks. The UX303UA obviously has a better build quality and feels decidedly sturdier, but from the outside both laptops look the same.Perhaps it’s the "Icicle Gold", which was more like a faded silver, that made it appear as though the laptop had seen better days. Or maybe it was that there was no standout design feature – the Lenovo Yoga 900’s intricate hinge, for example. Whatever it was, I just wasn’t getting the idea of "premium" that Asus is promising here.

• ASUS X44H Notebook Battery
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The large bezel doesn't help either, detracting from any attempt to establish a high-end finish. Unlike the super-slim bezel on the Dell XPS 13, Asus’ laptop proudly sports a huge screen border that doesn’t do much for its overall look.In terms of build quality, however, this laptop can’t be faulted. It feels robust, there are none of the issues that often come with lower-end devices – such as a rattling trackpad – and the top half of the case feels sturdier than the rather flimsy effort on the more expensive Lenovo Yoga 900.The laptop is also fairly light at 1.45kg. That’s slightly heavier than the previous ZenBook UX305 and the XPS 13, which both weigh in at 1.2kg, but it’s about the same as the 13-inch MacBook Air’s 1.35kg.

At 19mm, the UX303UA’s is thicker than the MacBook Air’s 17mm and the Dell XPS’s 15mm. It’s also bulkier than the UX305, which was an impressive 12.3mm at its widest point. The UX303UA isn’t the lightest or thinnest laptop you can buy then, but it’s still fairly compact and, like the Dell and MacBook Air, you'll have little issue carrying it around.In terms of ports, Asus has made decent provisions. The right side of the case features the power socket, mini-DisplayPort, USB 3.0 port, HDMI port, and the combo audio jack. On the left sit two USB 3.0 ports and an SD card reader.Unfortunately, there’s no USB Type-C support, which would have made the UX303UA a much more attractive option in terms of future-proofing, although it’s great to see that Asus has included the HDMI-out port.

While some may find the UX303UA’s keyboard a little shallow when it comes to travel, I didn't find it an issue. The non-backlit keys do feel a little spongy, but in my opinion layout is more important. If arrows are in an unfamiliar place, or the Enter key has been reduced in size, it can throw you off. Thankfully, there are no such issues with the UX303UA; I could type easily without hitting wrong keys.It would have been nice to have included backlighting, a feature offered by both Dell and Apple, especially since Asus has gone to the effort to provide impressive specs elsewhere. These days it seems backlighting has become a standard addition for many companies.The size of the trackpad is impressive for a 13-inch laptop. It's surrounded by a silver trim, and doesn't suffer from any rattling.

I did have a recurring issue with tapping and dragging, however. When opening tabs in Chrome for instance, I'd tap on an open link, then move the cursor downwards only to have the tab follow me. It’s a minor issue, but one that I haven't experienced with the MacBook, nor any other laptop in this price category. Update: Since my original review of the Surface Book, Microsoft has released a number of firmware updates for various issues that many users encountered. Like with the Surface Pro 4, I didn't experience all of the problems that were listed, but among units sold to the public there appeared to be a large number of problems relating to battery drain, system stability and performance.

Recent updates include improved performance and stability when switching between laptop and tablet mode, with battery life also apparently improved when making the transition between laptop and tablet.Various patches have been released for the onboard Intel HD Graphics 520, too, which should make a difference to stability. A big one for some users will be improved battery life while the laptop is asleep with various onboard sensors and drivers wrangled into line to prevent them from draining the battery.There's also been patches that improve stability on the Nvidia GPU, although it's unclear whether this will fix the problems around games being powered by the wrong graphics chip.The full list of changes can be found on Microsoft's Surface Book update history page. I haven't had a review unit in recently so I can't verify whether the patches Microsoft has issued have actually worked, but we will be requesting a unit so we can check for ouselves. You can read my original review below.

Microsoft’s Surface range of tablets has steadily been growing a huge following since the US powerhouse started shipping the devices in 2012. And for reasons that go beyond monstrous amounts of marketing and product placement.The 2015 Microsoft Surface Pro 4 offered top-end specifications within a neat portable design and is, in my opinion, the ultimate productivity tablet at the moment. However, its usability as a laptop is marred by its lack of a dedicated GPU and bundled keyboard – the Type Cover keyboard accessory still costs over £100 extra.The Surface Book, on paper, fixes these flaws, and is being marketed by Microsoft as a laptop first and a tablet second. But with pricing for the most basic version starting at £1,300, can it justify its hefty upfront cost?

• Asus K53E-SX104V Notebook Battery
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Since the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft’s really come into its own on the design front, which is why I’m pleased it hasn’t rocked the boat too much with the Surface Book.From a distance you’d be forgiven for mistaking the tablet section of the Surface Book for the Surface Pro 4. The device’s chassis is built of the same grey magnesium, with the only obvious design feature being a shiny Windows logo on its back.Up close, however, you’ll notice a few key changes. For starters, it's a little larger than the Pro 4, measuring in at 7.7mm thick and 312 mm wide – dimensions that place it in roughly the same size bracket as a 13-inch Macbook.Microsoft’s also ditched the Pro 4’s kickstand to make way for the Surface Book’s biggest feature – its detachable keyboard dock. Unlike past Surface models, the Book comes bundled with a full-on physical keyboard, not relying on an optional Type Cover.

The keyboard houses the Surface Book’s most interesting feature: an optional secondary NVIDIA GeForce GPU. The GPU activates when the tablet section is docked in the keyboard, and in theory will radically improve performance. When undocked the Surface Book’s tablet section runs using the lower-power Intel HD graphics.The dock also houses the Surface Book’s primary battery and the lion’s share of its ports – a point that further emphasises the focus on being a laptop first, tablet second. Ports-wise, the Surface Book is pretty well stocked when you consider its tiny dimensions. Along the dock’s sides you’ll find two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, a Mini DisplayPort, a headphone jack and a proprietary charging socket.

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