What is most surprising on the Asus UL20A is the price tag, which is way below other small laptops with similar features. It is also an elegant machine with a twelve inch screen and a brushed aluminum lid. Neither is the UL20 heavy in comparison with a weight of just over three pounds. The computer comes in two colors; black and, in this editor’s opinion, a still more elegant silver version.

The computer’s overall performance is significantly better than any netbook. The processor in this variant is an Intel SU7300, which crushes netbook Atom CPUs and keeps pace with others in this segment. As usual, however, the integrated Intel GMA graphics chip is not a good performer.  It can decode HD video and handles 2D graphics efficiently, but it is too slow for any 3D games from the last few years.

Acer Aspire One 10.1" Prices:
		$230.00
		$251.95
		$269.00

This configuration of the Asus UL30A came with two gigabytes of RAM memory, which is good enough for most users and gives you the opportunity to run more than a few apps in parallel. If you only want to do something quickly, like checking your email or chatting on Skype, there is also a mini operating system called Express Gate installed that starts in a few seconds instead of Windows.

Specifications

• 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor
• 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 2 Slots, 4GB Max
• 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM), No Optical Drive
• 12.1″ WXGA LED LCD Display, Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn, 0.3M Webcam
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
• 7.5 Hours of Battery Life

Asus’ UL20A is pleasantly quiet. A light sigh from fans is all that is heard. Not even long-term number crunching that puts full load on the CPU, graphics and hard drive causes excessive noise. That, in combination with the excellent battery life of over seven hours are this laptop’s greatest strengths.

Benchmarks

• PCMark Vantage Overall Score: 2535

If you want to use your computer to watch movies, you’ll be pleased by the display, which offers excellent blacks and accurate colors. Unfortunately the maximum brightness is a bit low, which may cause problems for ordinary office work in the bright environments or outdoors. Another good thing for the aforementioned movie is a set of unusually powerful speakers. In all, if you have been considering a netbook, also take a look at the UL20A for comparison. I’m sure you will find that it offers a considerable amount of added value even if it costs a little more (but not much).