ASUS jumped up two spots this year in our annual Best and Worst Notebook Brands report, which ranks the leading laptop makers based on all of the most important features. We’ve always been fans of the brand, but this year we were particularly impressed with ASUS’ Ultrabooks and improvements to its keyboards and touchpads. Plus, the brand is one of the first to offer a touch Windows 8 notebook for less than $500. 

While we’re fans of the brand in general, that doesn’t mean that every notebook ASUS puts out is a winner. These are our picks for the very best ASUS laptops.

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ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A

This sequel to ASUS' first Ultrabook has the same sleek spun metal design, but offers a lot more on the inside with a bright and sharp 1080p IPS display with wide viewing angles, a comfier backlit keyboard and a 3rd-gen Intel Core processor. Clear audio from the Zenbook Prime UX31A's Bang & Olufsen speakers round out this Editors' Choice winner. It's not a cheap pick, but this is the best MacBook Air alternative available.

More: ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A Review

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