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Asus EEE PC 1015PX review – solid in every possible way

By Andrei Girbea , updated on August 5, 2012
Tested: Asus EEE PC 1015PX
Rating: 4/5     Price Range: $259 - $379
Summary: The Asus 1015PX is, now in 2011, the best ultrabook money can buy. It's fast for its class, it beautiful and sturdy and packs all the features you'll need on such a small computer, alongside 7+ hours of life on a single charge.

It was about time we got to test some new netbooks as well here on the site and this time it’s the new generation Asus EEE PC 1015PX.

I see the 1015PX as a slightly improved 1015PE/PEM, which was in fact the most popular Asus netbook last year in the US. The 1015PX inherits the exterior from the existing model, but comes with some minor hardware upgrades: dual-core Atom N570 processor and 320 GB of storage.

Not that much changed you might say, but there’s in fact not much happening in this world of netbooks, thus every bit of novelty must be treated accordingly.

Now, you should now the the EEE PC 1015PX will probably only going to be available in Europe with this name, as the US version will probably keep the PEM name and only get the upgraded hardware somewhere in the near future.

In this post however you will be able to read a pretty thorough Asus EEE PC 1015PX review, with details on pretty much all its important aspects, including exterior, design, keyboard, trackpad, hardware, battery life and pricing. See the rows below for details.

Update: The Asus 1015PX was recently replaced by the new 10 inch EEE PC Series, with devices like the mainstream Asus 1025C and the premium Asus 1025CE. I’ve reviewed them both here on the site and they bring better hardware, extra features and overall a more solid case than you’d get on the Asus 1015PX. All these while the price tag was kept around $300 – $330.

Asus 1015PX EEE PC review - premium 10 inch netbook

Asus 1015PX EEE PC review – premium 10 inch netbook

Oh, and you must know this is a sample unit, but the guys at Asus ensured us it’s pretty much identical to what we’ll have in stores soon.

The specs

First, let’s take a look at the specs:

  • 10.1 inch LED backlit display, 1024 x 600 px resolution, matte
  • dual-core Intel Atom N570 processor clocked at 1.66 GHz
  • 1 GB DDR3 memory
  • 320 GB HDD, 5400 rpm
  • Wireless N, Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth
  • 3 x USB 2.0 slots, headphone/mic slot, VGA, card-reader, webcam
  • 6 Cell 47 Wh battery
  • Windows 7 Starter
  • measures 262 x 178 x 23.6 ~36.4 mm (10.3 x 7 x 1.1 – 1.4 inches)
  • weighs 1.25 Kg (2.7 pounds) with battery included

So pretty standard, except for that new processor and the increased storage space.

Video review

You should check the video review below for details about the Asus 1015PX EEE PC, but also see the rest of the post for some extra details I’ve failed to include in the clip.

Design and exterior

The 1015PX inherits the exterior completely from the PEM/PM model we already know. So, it comes with the established clamshell body, thinner towards the front and thicker towards the back. Lid is covered in a smooth matte plastic with a rubbery feel which is actually very nice and provides good grip. Plus, based on what we know from the previous models, will be reliable in time and won’t scratch or catch smudges that easy.

Matte white exterior on this one

Matte white exterior on this one

The version we had comes in white, but there will be blue, black and red color schemes available as well.

Bottom part is covered in a textured plastic with will catch dirt in time but is reliable. You get easy access to battery and memory, but not to HDD.

Bottom part

Bottom part

Opening the lid, you’ll notice the same matte plastic finish used for the palm rest and trackpad, while the are around the keys comes in glossy white plastic (differs accordingly to each color scheme). As for the bezel around the screen, that one is black and glossy on all models.

The clip above (video review) should tell you more about the exterior of this EEE PC so I would advice taking a look.

As for ports, you can see their layout in the pics below.

Front

Front

Back

Back

Left

Left: PSU, VGA, USB and cooling vent

Right

Right: Card reader, headphone/mic, two USB slots, Kensington lock and LAN

So overall good quality exterior on this laptop. Although the 1015PX is covered in plastic, it’s a high quality matte one, which is something you find on only a bunch of devices in this class. Add solid construction and reliability and you get a very good mix.

Keyboard and trackpad

Keyboard and trackpad are inherited from the previous models as well. The keyboad is a standard 93% Full-size one with chiclet design. Keys are decently sized and properly spaced, although some might find them small. I do like however that there’s little to no flex and a soft rubbery finish on top of those keys you won’t find on cheaper netbooks.

As for trackpad, comes with the smooth plastic finish and is decently sized for a netbook trackpad. There’s even enough space for multitouch gestures. Click button is fairly easy to press but a solution with individual right/left buttons would have been a better choice.

Good keybaord and trackpad

Good keybaord and trackpad

Display

There’s a 10.1 inch display on this one, with standard 1024 x 600 px resolution and a matte finish. That makes the little laptop usable even in brighter light, which is very nice. I also find viewing angles fairly good, definitely better than what you will get on an average laptop in this class.

However, the screen only bends back to 130 degrees top which is a bummer when trying to use the laptop in bed, but that’s a problem for the most part of the EEE PC line.

Matte display with glossy bezel around it

Matte display with glossy bezel around it

Hardware and performances

You noticed that this mini laptop comes with an Intel N570 CPU inside clocked at 1.66 GHz, which is the fastest netbook processor available from Intel these days and in fact should be the fastest CPU of all you can get on such a mini laptop these days. That’s why you’re probably curios to see how good it is, I know I was when i got my hands on the 1015PX.

I’ve ran a couple of benchmarks and you’re going to find the results bellow, but more will be available in a future post on the performances of Atom N570 processor.

Windows 7 rating

Windows 7 rating

PC Mark Vantage

PC Mark Vantage

3Dmark 06 on default

3Dmark 06 on default

CrystalMark

CrystalMark

Also, I’ve ran a couple of types of HD content on this one as you could see in the video review. A 720p clip played flawlessly but the Samsung Oceanic 1080p 40 Mbps clip lagged. In fact, this CPU couldn’t play self stored 1080p content not even after installing the Core AVC 2.0 Codecs bundle which did wonders for me in the past. However, the 1015PX managed to face streamed content, including a standard clip from Hulu and some HD content on Youtube (720p and 1080p Flash clips).

As for everyday performance, the dual core Atom surely feels way snappier than a standard single core Atom CPU, but I can’t say you’ll actually notice a difference between a device with N570 and one with N550. After all, there’s only a 0.16 GHz frequency difference between them which not even benchmarks can always show.

All in all though, the 1015PX is fast for a netbook. Having two gigs of memory instead of one will help improve performances as well, plus you can always get a faster hard-drive or even an SSD if you’ve got the skills (caution, this operation usually leads to loosing warranty if not performed by an authorized service).

Connectivity and ports

The 1015PX comes with great connectivity options, including Wireless N, Bluetooth and Gigabit LAN. There’s not 3G option though.

As for ports and features, you get all the standard ones available on 10 inch netbooks these days: 3 x USB 2.0 slots, VGA, headphone/mic, LAN. Kensington lock and card-reader. Of course, an USB 3.0 slot would have been a nice addition but Asus seems to have decided against one.

Good conectivy options, with Bluetooth, Wireless N and Gigabit Lan

Good conectivy options, with Bluetooth, Wireless N and Gigabit Lan

Heat, noise, speakers and others

Despite the tad faster processor inside this one, neither heat or noise are a problem. The bottom gets warm when dealing with HD content or occasional games, but not hot, while CPU’s fan rests quiet most of the time. However, HDD was particularly noisy on the version I got to test, as its clanks were kind of bothering especially in a quiet room, but I would reckon that’s a problem on this model I’ve tested and not on all of them, since the hard-drive is pretty much the standard one found on netbooks and I did not encounter this problem before.

Heat and noise levels are not a concern

Heat and noise levels are not a concern

The Speakers speaker (yes, there seems to be only one speaker inside this EEE PC) are is surprisingly good for a netbook, providing decent punch and overall good audio quality.

There’s also a webcam on top of the display, but can’t add many things about it. Will do for chatting with your friends but this one find its limitations in dim light conditions.

Software

Not much to say about software. You got Windows 7 Starter on this one bundled with the typical bloatware we usually get on all Asus netbooks. There are some Asus utilities and some Trial software (like Office and Trend Micro antivirus) you should get rid of asap. After all, the less things running in background on a low power machine like this one, the snappier the overall experience will be.

Battery life

This particular versions we have here comes with a 6 Cell 47 Wh battery rated at 8 hours of life. In real life use however you won’t get 8 hours, but will get around 5-6, depending on how you’re using you notebook. For instance, here’s what I got:

  • around 6 hours for light Office use while mainly typing and chatting on YM, having the browser opened with only 2-3 tabs, with Wireless On and screen dimmed to 40%
  • around 5 hours for everyday use, with typing, browsing, listening to some music, watching some clips online with Wireless On and screen at 60%
  • around 4.5 hours while looping a DVD quality clip with Wireless Off abd screen at 80%

So like I said, you’ll get around 5-6 hours of life on a single charge on this Asus, which is pretty fair. There is however an option for a 6 Cell 63Wh battery (that is not available in Europe from what i know, only in the US) which should see around one, one and a half hours added to those numbers above, really making the 1015PX an all day laptop.

Prices and availability

Like I said in the beginning of this post, the 1015PX will probably only be available in Europe with this particular name. For the moment, it cannot yet be found in stores but should pop up soon, probably in April and prices should be similar to the ones of the current Asus 1015PE version, so around 350 euros.

In the US the 1015PX is available in two different versions, one starting at $349, with an 11 hours battery (bigger than the one one the tested unit) and the other starting at $289, with the same battery as the one reviewed.

Update: As the 1015PX is reaching its end of life, being replaced by the new 1025 EEE PC line, you’ll have a hard time actually finding it in stores today. However, the new generations bring some improvements while keeping the price tags in place: the Asus 1025C start at $299, and the better Asus 1025CE starts at $319.

I’ve played with them both and you can read the review here on the site, for the Asus 1025C or the Asus 1025CE, or you can read this comparison between the two.

Final thoughts

If you’re on the market for a small 10 incher and want the device with the best features/price ratio, the Asus EEE PC 1015PX is probably one of your best picks. For a netbook, it’s solid built, nice looking and pretty fast, plus it comes with all the features producers usually bundle on these machines and good battery life. You do have to remember however it’s only a netbook and as long as you know that and adjust your expectations, this little Asus and you will be best mates.

The Pros

  • nice design and solid construction
  • high quality smooth plastic used for the exterior and palm rest
  • nice keyboard and trackpad
  • matte display
  • good sound volume and quality
  • top features
  • powerful N570 dual-core Atom processor
  • good battery life

The Cons

  • glossy bezel around the screen
  • hard-drive was a bit noisy

Of course, there are other good devices on the market as well, my list of best 10 inch netbooks gathers the ones I and regular buyers considered top options during the last months and is definitely something you should check out.

A solid mini laptop in the 10 inch class. although a bit pricey

A solid mini laptop in the 10 inch class. although a bit pricey

And as always, your comments and feedback is much appreciated, so don’t hesitate and leave your reply via the comment form below.

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Andrei Girbea, Editor-in-Chief at TLBHD.com. This project was born as part of my search for capable mini-laptops that I could easily lug around to work, and still provide the performance that I'd need on a daily basis. I'm primarily using such ultracompact devices and have been testing them since 2006.

37 Comments

  1. Shahram

    June 2, 2011 at 12:47 pm

    Thanks for your review. I needed a mini-laptop with a good processor, light weight,  good battery life and also ratioanal price. After reading your review, I got a 1015PX.

    Shahram
    Urmia- Iran

  2. Gav

    June 4, 2011 at 11:09 am

    Great review. Many thanks Mike, a huge help when trying to decide what to consider when buying my first netbook.

  3. Vishnu Sankar

    June 9, 2011 at 6:24 pm

    saw this netbook today. seriously thinking of getting it. 
    will it hook up well to a 21″ or 22″ super LED monitor through VGA I wonder… any thoughts? what might be the resolution it supports at max?

    • anonymous

      June 30, 2011 at 2:56 pm

      max resolution is about(!!!!!!) 1150 x 800 
      But I haven’t tried long

  4. Izat

    July 17, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    I’ve got this 1015px 4 days ago before i read this review. My comment the netbook is a good buy for me. My main reason buying this netbook is the battery life. It stated 11 hours but i dont think i can get it. I ve already test the battery life and i set the power option to power saver mode & dim the brightest a little bit. I can say the battery life last me like 7-8 hours with web browsing, chatting & a little bit video viewing . Also with dual core I think the performance suit me just fine. At early charge i did see the battery showing 15 hours (that s ridiculous) but that is just without doin anything with the netbook.

  5. Hossein

    July 27, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    Thanks for your review; I’m gonna buy one.
    Hossein, Iran

  6. Glynr

    August 16, 2011 at 3:13 pm

    Hi.

    I knew nothing about netbooks before reading this review on the Asus 1015px.  This review has and will give me the confidence to go and purchase a netbook that covers my needs exactly.  This review was professionally thought through in my opinion and covered all the major points anybody would need to consider prior to purchase.  I was considering the Asus1011px before reading this review and i have now changed my mind.  I was not aware that the Asus 1011px was limited to one Gig of Ram which would not allow for an upgrade of the Os to windows home premium.  This is why i will after reading this very informative review be purchasing the Asus1015px model with two Gigs of ram.  Thanks to the author.

  7. Devil

    August 20, 2011 at 7:34 am

    I bought one of these to travel around southeast asia with and was delighted. Its light weight meant I could keep it in my rucksack and brilliant battery life (with backlight set lowest, and SHE set to power saving) it would last the typical 8 hour bus journeys between cities in Cambodia and Vietnam. With wifi available everywhere for free, I was able to keep up with family and friends effortlessly. It handled streaming video from youtube and BBC with ease. I am very impressed and very pleased with it!

  8. Rweeler

    September 12, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    would be a good idea to start your comments mentioning the date it was written…. it would help to make conclusions some months after… just my 5 cents…

    • Mike

      September 12, 2011 at 6:40 pm

      that date is at the bottom

  9. HotTech

    September 23, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    “Solid in every way”, except graphics, which flops like a beached whale. The N570 is a step up from N450, no doubt. But for whatever reason, Intel doesn’t even have the will to compete against AMD’s APU, which has the graphic performance more than 10X of this new Atom. The AMD system I’m referring to isn’t even the E-450 that just came out, but the much weaker C-50. Check it out here:

    https://tlbhd.com/intel-atom-n2800-vs-atom-n570-vs-amd-e-450c50-benchmark-comparison-10489/

    In short:
    Atom N570 – 144 3DMark points
    AMD C-50 – 1790 3DMark points  <— NOT A TYPO!

    The set that sports this AMD APU, also model 1015 but ends with the letter B (for BADASS), retails for not 299, not 270, but $250. And it comes with Windows 7 Starter. Battery life is not 6 hours, but 8. Got an LCD with DVI port? Because the 1015B has an HDMI port.

    I'm surprised that with all these things going for AMD netbooks, people would even bother with Intel. 144 points is laughable.

  10. Ervan Erry

    October 14, 2011 at 9:11 am

    i have problem with eeepc 1015 px, i have some noise like little “bib” at i shutdown my eee pc…can give me solution?

    • NOS

      October 4, 2012 at 4:49 am

      Yes, they do that.. It’s the disk. I think it’s the disk head retracting.

  11. Victor Luiz

    November 1, 2011 at 7:16 pm

    Hi Mike,
    I have just bought this netbook (Eee PC 1015 PX) with Intel Atom N570, 2GB RAM, 320 HD, but my Windows Experience rating scores 2,3. Since this unit i bought its more “powerful” than the one you reviewed, why there is that diference in rating?
    I had a Eee PC 1005HA, with Intel Atom N270 and 1GB RAM, and it was rated at 2,0 in Windows Experience, so i think it’s a litle strange my 1015 PX scores so near like a 1005 HA, i’m I right?
    Thank’s for the attention and keep the good working on the site!

    Victor Luiz – RJ/Brazil  

    • Mike

      November 3, 2011 at 8:54 pm

      Hei Victor

      You should check and see if you have High performance profile activated. Right click on the battery Icon, Power options, High Performance. That should be the problem.

      Otherwise, I don’t know, does it feel snappier than the 1005HA? It should be considerably faster.

      • Victor Luiz

        November 4, 2011 at 2:02 am

        Hi Mike,
        In fact the 1015PX is faster than the 1005HA, i can easily notice that since i have both of them. My doubt is about  the Windows Experience Rating, yours 1015Px get 3,0 and mine, that have better RAM, get’s 2,3, almost the 2,0 of my old 1005HA. Weird, isn’t it? (or not? I’m far from being a especialist in those things).
        Whatever, i’m liking a lot of the 1015PX, it really fits in my needs (Microsoft Office use and some internet). And i can even play some emulator in it, like Nintendo 64, that is working just fine.
         

      • Mike

        November 4, 2011 at 8:21 pm

        that’s weird, yours should get the same rating as mine, maybe 0.1 or 0.2 of a point less (cause mine was stripped down of all bloatware and didn’t have anything installed on it – not sure about yours?), but 0.7… not sure why, but hey, if it’s working fine, than who cares about the stupid ranking 😛

  12. Jose L.

    December 11, 2011 at 8:39 pm

    Hello.
    First of all I want to congrat the team for this nice review.

    I have bought this computer and now, I have a question. The problem is that I don’t know if it is possible what I am going to ask. Might this computer have only one speaker?. That’s what I think, because I can not differenciate in the sound test whether are two. In my case, this speaker is located at (left)  bottom. The other is suposed to be at the bottom, but near the tochpad?. 
    I can’t appreciate when I try to change the banlance if the sound “is moving” from left to right. It always stays at left part.

    I have to say that I can listen with no problem, the speaker is OK, but I don’t know if it is only one, or there are two together or what.

    I look forward to an answer.
    Thanks.

    PS: English isn’t my mother tongue, so I’m sorry if it is something wrong.

    • Mike

      December 11, 2011 at 9:16 pm

      I’m sry I no longer have the 1015PX, but I think you’re right. If I reckon correctly, there’s only on speaker on this machine. Asus says it provides stereo sound, but how is this possible with only one speaker, that i don’t know, so it’s probably a marketing gimmick.

      Still, if I remember correctly, the sound was not poor on this one, even with the single speaker, right?

  13. Mike

    December 12, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    I’m sry Jose, I should have mentioned that in the review but it slipped 🙁 I’ve added it now for future readers, but unfortunately that won’t do you much good now. Sry once again

  14. Kate

    December 25, 2011 at 9:51 am

    I was considering between the 1015 PN and 1015 PEM-PU17 when I read your posts about the 1015 PX and 1018P. Now I’m kind of confused. Can you please tell which is the best in terms of performance? And in terms of battery life? Or, say, which is the most powerful 10-inch netbook on the market right now? Please help!

  15. Skyjochem

    December 27, 2011 at 10:43 pm

    Hi Mike,
    Thanks for this great review, i just have one small question before i go and buy this laptop. Does it have a build in microphone? I would really appreciate it if you would answer. And once again, this is a great review.
    greets, Jochem from the Netherlands

    • startx

      December 28, 2011 at 6:33 pm

      Hi Skyjochem,
       I have this netbook and I can confirm that it has a built-in microphone. But always will be better an plug-in microphone… you know.

      Greets.

  16. Dian Rukma indonesia

    December 28, 2011 at 8:42 am

    I just bought asus 1015 px , however i have a problem with this netbook, when the headset is plug in , the computer does not detect it, the realtek audio driver had been installed normally..thanx for your answer

  17. Josh

    December 29, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    Absolutely epic laptop. Can’t fault it.

  18. Bscs_batch2k

    January 25, 2012 at 6:44 pm

    WHY SOME OF MY FUNCTION KEYS DOES’NT WORK?

  19. John

    February 9, 2012 at 12:06 am

    Hi there,

    Any idea if Asus EEE pc 1015pem/px can record video using the existing webcam?

    Thanks
    John

  20. Paul B.

    March 21, 2012 at 6:02 pm

    I have an issue with the single speaker: my unit does not recognize the second external speaker when the analog cable is used. Is there a work-around?

  21. dave

    April 16, 2012 at 2:16 am

    Hi mate, 
    Is this netbook worth it for £200 (this is the price i can get it for?

    • Andrei Girbea

      April 19, 2012 at 11:06 am

      Dave. I’m not familiar with UK prices. You should compare it to the price you can get for the new 1025C/1025CE. The older 1015PX was poorer in terms of video abilities, as it could barely play 720p videos, an no 1080p videos as all. Besides that and the design changes, the two netbooks are pretty much on par. And the 1015PX has the mature drivers and the ability to upgrade memory on its side.

  22. Ron

    August 3, 2012 at 4:00 am

    My wife loves the 1015PX-MU17 that I got her in Aug 2011. Very snappy after upgrading to 2GB RAM. Long batt life and strong wifi reception. I’m looking to get a used one myself.

  23. jerome basco

    August 3, 2014 at 3:28 am

    what would be the best antivirus or best suited antivirus to asus eee pc 1015px?

  24. Mar

    October 17, 2014 at 3:40 am

    Hello!
    Sorry for asking, Is it possible to change the hard drive of this netbook mine is hanging and sometimes the screen becomes color blue it is just having a virus or just needing an upgrade for the hardrive.
    Thanks for your time
    Mar

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 17, 2014 at 9:58 am

      The Blue screen is not caused by the HDD. However, if the netbook feels very slow, you could try to change the HDD, preferably with an SSD if the budget allows. Then reinstall a fresh Copy of Windows on it and should be significantly faster.

      • Mar

        October 17, 2014 at 11:46 am

        Hi!

        Thanks for the advice.

        Mar

  25. kalee

    November 5, 2014 at 2:02 am

    My husbands 1015px locked him out of the first log in screen. Pressing the power button only puts it in sleep mode. I think there was a key combo to turn completely off?
    Thought I would then try removing the battery and reinserting?
    The password is NOT incorrect.
    Thanks

  26. RAVIKUMAR ARAVAMUTHAN

    June 4, 2016 at 12:59 pm

    Difference between ASUS PPP 1015 PX WITH REV:1.4 MOTHERBOARD AS AGAINST REV:1.0 in performace???

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