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REVIEW: iLife Zed Air Ultra

Dubai - iLife tries to entice students to do more with the Zed Air Ultra

Like the rest of them in the affordable technology field, iLife is carving is doing its best to carve its way into the consciousness of consumers - particularly younger students, who may need a computing buddy that is light, both economically and literally. 
At this point in time, they'd like you to look at one of its latest netbooks, the Zed Air Ultra, which they are billing as a modern take on a classic style and a small-size-matters thing. And, of course, its budget-friendliness.
It's fairly light made with an aluminium finish. And for its price point it does offer a good host of ports around it: USB-B, microSD card reader and 3.5mm audio jack to the right, and, on the left, another USB-B, mini-HDMI, charging port and - most importantly - USB-C. It's definitely welcome news to see that last one here. There's also a camera on top for those video chat moments. 
To be honest, it has quite a solid build, and from afar you may even mistake it for a MacBook or even an HP Spectre.
Its screen, at 11.6 inches, has brightness good enough that it doesn't strain your eyes. That will, however, have certain limitations, particularly in seeing less on the Internet or on what you're working on.
The keyboard is your typical netbook type, with keys that are big enough yet aren't really that squished together. For those more used to 13-inch or bigger devices, it may take some time to get accustomed to this layout. Nevertheless, they respond well, though it has a clunkier sound - especially when you start hitting them in frustration for some reason (avoid keyboard rage, folks). 
The trackpad, meanwhile, is kind of a mixed bag. While it does respond well to taps and single-finger navigation, it tends to be slow in responding to those Windows 10 trackpad gestures. For example, with three fingers on the 'pad, you can switch between open windows or show the desktop by swiping sideways or towards you, respectively. 
Inside is where it gets a bit stingy. It runs on a dual-core Intel Celeron processor and only has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage, which reflects in the way it performs: you will encounter lags most of the time, especially when several apps have been fired up. There isn't an additional drive on it, so you'll have to be very picky in what you're saving in it. It's best to have an external HDD for that matter.
In the battery department, we also subjected it to our standard one-hour YouTube test, but on two different scenarios: on best battery life mode, it posted a 23 per cent drain, while on best performance mode, it got zapped by an eye-watering 49 per cent. It did, though, last below five hours while I was doing a little bit of everything on it on the middle-of-the-pack battery setting, so that's something good. 
AND SO.
The iLife Zed Air Ultra fits the mold of a device that it was meant to be: an affordable yet still-can-do-it-all machine. Search the Web? Check. Watch movies? Gotcha. Get some assignments or office work done? On it. It's small enough to fit even in a small bag and light enough to carry around, which would be a delight especially for students who are already having enough strain with all their other school stuff.
THE LOWDOWN 
Processor: Intel Celeron, dual-core 2.4GHz
OS: Windows 10 Home
RAM: 2GB LPDDR III
Storage: 32GB flash, microSD up to 64GB
Display: 11.6" FHD IPS, 1920 x 1080
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0; USB-B (2), USB-C, mini-HDMI, 3.5mm audio
Camera: 0.3MP
Battery: 4000mAh
Price: Dh693  
GOODIES - Good build, affordable, easy to carry
GOOFIES - Very limited storage, lags a lot, battery drains fast with video
EDITOR RATING - 3.0/5
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com