ASUS X205TA-UH01-BK Signature Edition Mini Laptop

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In case you won’t be able to get the $100 Asus X205TA-RHATMN01 mini-notebook at Staples this Black Friday, one of alternatives is the same notebook for still affordable $199.00 and with extra benefits. And you don’t have to wait for Black Friday and stand in long lines. The Microsoft Store’s exclusive ASUS X205TA-UH01-BK Signature Edition Laptop is available now at Microsoft Store at the discounted price. The main advantage of the Asus X205TA-UH01-BK over the sibling at Staples is absence of various bloatware / trialware 3rd party programs, which are usually installed on new Windows notebooks, cluttering the OS. Besides cleaner Windows experience, Signature Edition laptops offer enhanced security out of the box, since Microsoft installs one of the “world-class” security programs on them free of charge.

Hardware-wise, the X205TA notebooks don’t differ. Both are very entry-level ultraportable 2.2-pound machines with smallish 11.6-inch 1366-by-768-pixel non-touch displays, power-efficient Intel Atom “Bay Trail” Z3735F quad-core processor with acceptable performance for the daily chores, 2GB of RAM with somewhat limited multitasking potential, and quite limited 32GB of internal storage which can be troublesome in some scenarios. But for the most basic computing, such as web browsing with a handful of browser tabs opened, work in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, multimedia playback with up to 1080p video resolution, and even some casual gaming, the Asus X205TA-UH01-BK and its sibling can be satisfactory machines.

Let’s mention one drawback of the X205TA series in comparison to the similar HP Stream 11. The Asus doesn’t come with a free Microsoft Office 365 Personal one-year subscription, which also enables access to tons of online storage on OneDrive cloud, currently 1 Terabyte for the same period. There’s however an option to get the Signature Edition bundled with Office 356 Home edition (for multiple users) for additional $79.99. 365 Home regularly costs $99.99.

Both Asus and HP offer similar computing performance and specs, so the choice between the two will greatly depend on whether a user wants to use Office 365 and store files on OneDrive, as well as on design preference.

Specifications of the ASUS X205TA-UH01-BK Signature Edition Laptop

Here are the specs of the ASUS X205TA-UH01-BK Signature Edition Laptop with descriptions of its features. For comparison against other laptops, you can use the "Compare Specs" button.

Brand Asus
Screen Size 11.6-inch

This is a very small display size, given the most frequently used laptop screen size is 15.6".
Screen Resolution 1366x768 pixels HD

This is an entry-level screen resolution, oftentimes found on budget laptops. It doesn't deliver picture sharpness and space on the screen like the Full HD or higher resolution laptop displays do.
Touchscreen No

This laptop doesn't support touchscreen input.
Other Display Specs TN type

Displays based on the old TN technology lack wide viewing angles you can find on IPS screens. The colors may look washed out or inverted at certain viewing angles.
Processor (CPU) Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core 1.33-1.83GHz 2MB cache (User Benchmark CPU score: 13)
Graphics (GPU) Intel HD integrated graphics of low-end CPUs (only for the lightest gaming)
System Memory (RAM) Size 2GB RAM

2GB RAM size is rare nowadays and makes laptops with it almost unusable due to the low capacity. The recommended size is at least 8GB.
Data Storage 32GB eMMC

A barely usable capacity.
DVD Optical Drive None
Keyboard & Input Non-backlit keyboard without dedicated number pad

The keyboard has no backlit keys and no separate numeric pad you can usually find on the right side of the keyboard on many laptop models.

Touchpad with click buttons built into the surface

The left and right click buttons are built into the surface of the touchpad, as opposed to separate physical buttons.
Speakers & Audio Stereo speakers

As usual, the device features a pair of built-in stereo speakers.
Camera Front-facing web camera

Laptops usually feature a frontal webcam located on the display bezel. This laptop is no exception.
Wi-Fi Wireless 802.11N

802.11N is an old Wi-Fi standard, precursor of the 802.11AC and the latest 802.11AX with improved data transfer speeds and connectivity. 802.11N is rarely used in modern laptops.
Ethernet Network Port No

This laptop has no Ethernet LAN port for wired internet and networking connectivity.
Mobile broadband (4G LTE) No
Bluetooth Yes

This laptop has a built-in Bluetooth module. It enables you to connect the computer to Bluetooth mice and other Bluetooth peripherals, smartphones, and other Bluetooth-equipped devices.
USB Ports 2 x USB 2.0

A pair of traditional full-size USB ports.
Video Output Ports 1 x HDMI

HDMI is a widely used digital video output port. You can find HDMI-in ports on most computer monitors and TVs.
Media Card Reader MicroSD card reader

The laptop has a slot for MicroSD memory cards. These are small SD cards commonly used in smartphones.
Battery 38Wh, 12 hours for web browsing
Weight 2.2 pounds
Height 0.7"
Width 11.3"
Depth 7.6"
Windows Version Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is eligible for free upgrade to Windows 10 Home. Check Windows.com for more info.
Warranty 1-year

A typical laptop warranty.

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