Asus Zenbook UX32VD battery precharged or did I get a replacement?

[tommedema]

I'm a bit worried that my "new" Asus Zenbook UX32VD is actually a replacement. As far as I know, I should charge the battery before first use.

However, I just attached the battery after pulling the ultrabook from its plastics and the charger indicator (LED) is already green. I think "green" means that it is fully charged.

Did someone fully charge this before me (in other words, this is a replacement and not a fresh device), or does Asus precharge the Zenbook UX32VD (or UX31A) battery?

 

[trapper]

I've had a few things fully charged, or close to it when buying them, most recently (over a year ago now) was an Acer netbook. I've also bought a pair of phones, one at about 50% and one at about 80% out of the box. Sometimes you can just get lucky with a higher charge.

As for the color I'm not sure about what it means. Mine is green for charging, yellow for not charging. You won't do any harm to turn it on while plugged in now to check the battery's % in windows and start using it.

 

[tommedema]

I've had a few things fully charged, or close to it when buying them, most recently (over a year ago now) was an Acer netbook. I've also bought a pair of phones, one at about 50% and one at about 80% out of the box. Sometimes you can just get lucky with a higher charge.

As for the color I'm not sure about what it means. Mine is green for charging, yellow for not charging. You won't do any harm to turn it on while plugged in now to check the battery's % in windows and start using it.

Thank you, but are you sure I won't do it any harm when powering it on while charging it for the first time?

I'm sure I've heard numerous times that one should fully charge it before use for the first time. In other words the device should not be turned on.

Then again there is no way for me to know when it is fully charged, because the indicator is already green. Also the manuals do not state what green means. I cannot find the meaning of the indicator color on the internet either for the Asus UX32VD or UX31A.

 

[jaguarskx]

When I bought my Lenovo Y470 last directly from Lenovo I believe it was already precharged. It does not necessarily mean it was a pre-own laptop.

I never heard of any recommendation where you should fully charge a laptop before using it. Even for the 1st time.

The only way to know if your laptop is fully charged is to look for the battery icon on the right side of the Windows taskbar. You may need to click on it or simply hover the mouse over it to find out what the current charge level is.

If your laptop is going to be used at home while being plugged into the AC outlet, then it is recommended you remove the battery once it is fully charged. Otherwise "overcharging" can decrease battery life. Some brands only allows their laptop batteries to charge up to 50% or 80% to prevent overcharging. They should have instructions on how to override that default charge setting so that the battery can be fully charged to 100% in the event you need to run the laptop off of the battery.

 

[userxvi-JOE]

Probably went through quality control, I bet you wont have any problems with it for a very long time =)

 

[trapper]

I never heard of any recommendation where you should fully charge a laptop before using it. Even for the 1st time.

Generally the manual or box of a new laptop tells the user to charge it fully before use, the same as new cell phones and other such products. This is more or less leftovers from older generations of batteries that would sometimes hold lower max charges if never fully charged up before use. Modern batteries don't suffer from this problem, but most companies still tell you to charge a device fully before use.

 

[jaguarskx]

^^^

Hmmm....

I tend to ignore manuals.

 

[the great randini]

i have purchased two of these both came with about half a charge.

 

[tommedema]

Guess what.. I only just saw a rather significant scratch on the side of the screen. It seems like Asus sold me a returned product without noticing the scratch themselves. I am returning the laptop

I am so fed up right now...

 

[djscribbles]

The charge state of the battery doesn't mean that it's been charged. My assumption has always been that batteries are chemically mixed in a charged state, however over time they lose their initial charge (due to self discharge), so it likely just indicates that your battery was manufactured recently rather than sitting on a shelf for the last year.

The scratch may also be simply manufacturing damage, but it seems like a solid reason to return it; however keep in mind that if you do a return through Asus, they are allowed to give you a refurbished unit, so be sure to send it back to the seller instead.

 

[tommedema]

The charge state of the battery doesn't mean that it's been charged. My assumption has always been that batteries are chemically mixed in a charged state, however over time they lose their initial charge (due to self discharge), so it likely just indicates that your battery was manufactured recently rather than sitting on a shelf for the last year.

The scratch may also be simply manufacturing damage, but it seems like a solid reason to return it; however keep in mind that if you do a return through Asus, they are allowed to give you a refurbished unit, so be sure to send it back to the seller instead.

I just contacted the seller. They will respond with a solution tomorrow, after I have sent them the photos. He said that he is going to contact Asus.

If the shop does the communication with Asus, am I still guaranteed to get a nonrefurbished unit?

The scratch is bad though... I cannot just ignore it.

 

[trapper]

If the shop does the communication with Asus, am I still guaranteed to get a nonrefurbished unit?

It depends on what the shop does. If they do an exchange you'll just get a new one from them. If they make you send it back to Asus you'll be hit or miss with the refurbished unit.

 

[tommedema]

It depends on what the shop does. If they do an exchange you'll just get a new one from them. If they make you send it back to Asus you'll be hit or miss with the refurbished unit.

It is annoying how something completely out of my hands and completely not my fault can leave me in such an uncertain and worrisome situation.

I guess I need to suck it up and accept being unlucky this time, hopefully their solution will be to replace it immediately with their own stock. This would only be righteous in my opinion.

 

[djscribbles]

I would expect the shop to stand behind the product they sold you, they have a lot more incentive to make you happy, which is why you can generally expect a brand new replacement from the seller.
The manufacturer cares more about minimizing the cost of the bad unit they sold, which typically means sending you a non-new unit. This is not always the case though, some manufacturers will surprise you.

At the shop, you can return the defective product if you are unhappy, and it should be within your rights to get a full refund if they cannot provide a replacement that meets your expectations.
The shop should have more leverage to get the situation straightened out with Asus and get you a new unit, but be sure to let the shop know that you want a brand new replacement so that they know what you are expecting.

Your only course of action with the manufacturer is to get warranty service, which is why they can give you a non-new laptop; a 2day old laptop falls under the same warranty treatment (legally) as a laptop 2 days from the end of it's warranty.

edit: As some consolation, things like this are fairly common, and I would expect everything to get sorted out in your favor; it's just a very stressful position to be stuck in

 

[lourson]

Hi

I've just received my UX32VD and I can confirm that the battery was fully charged. The package is sealed by Asus and you can't be mistaken when it's a fully original product.

 

[Davd Yng]

acer, asus are terrible with "new" products, apple's not far off. you always find nicks and scratches on brand new out of the box products, so far toshiba's been the best - brand new means brand new, no finger prints scratches

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

I sell a LOT of new Laptops in my shops... most of them come with a minimum of 50% charge.... some more...rarely less...

All the best Brett