Asus ZenBook 14 UX433FA
The latest ZenBook 14 is 13% smaller than last year’s, but that comes at the cost of battery life
SCORE
PRICE £816 (£979 inc VAT) from pcpro.link/299asus
Asus claims that the ZenBook 14 is “the world’s smallest 14in laptop”. I’m not going to travel the globe with a tape measure to verify that, but they certainly don’t come much smaller and its 92% display-tobezel ratio makes it the sleekest laptop around. But looks aren’t everything. As the age-old saying goes, it’s the internal specifications that count.
Having previously tested laptops with an Intel Core i7-8565U and 8GB
of RAM, I knew what kind of performance speeds to expect from the ZenBook 14 (or, to give our tested laptop its full name, the ZenBook 14 UX433FA-A6076T). In our in-house benchmark, which is a combined CPU speed and multitasking stress test, the ZenBook 14 achieved an overall score of 89. That’s a solid score and I didn’t had any issues when opening applications or running with a dozen browser tabs open.
The 512GB PCIe SSD proved equally capable, with a sequential file read speed of 1,444MB/sec and a write speed of 664MB/sec. Although not as fast as the SSD in the Huawei MateBook 14 ( see issue 296, p56), it won’t hold the ZenBook 14 back when accessing and saving files.
Gamers should look away, though, as this laptop misses out on a dedicated GPU, relying instead on Intel’s integrated UHD 620 Graphics. That’s not to say it can’t run games at all. In the GFXBench GL Car Chase test the ZenBook 14 kept up an onscreen average of 31.6fps, while it managed 44fps in our 720p Dirt: Showdown benchmark. So you might be able to play modern titles, as long as you lower your settings. Perhaps we should be thankful that the ZenBook doesn’t have a dedicated GPU – if it did, its power efficiency would likely take a nasty hit. It’s hardly the most long-lived laptop as it is, only lasting 7hrs 51mins in our standard battery rundown test. With moderate use, it should see you through a working day on a full charge but both the Dell XPS 13 ( see issue 296, p54) and Huawei MateBook 14 can last north of ten hours.
Compact design
The new ZenBook 14 is unbelievably compact. Despite its 14in display, it’s the size of a 13in laptop, measuring 319 x 199 x 15.9mm (WDH), and it
“Despite its 14in display, the ZenBook 14 is the size of a 13in laptop, measuring 319 x 199 x 15.9mm, and it weighs a mere 1.19kg”
weighs a mere 1.19kg. While not quite bezel-free, the display’s ultra-slim frame cuts down on wasted space. The top bezel is bigger than the other edges, but only because it needs to accommodate the IR webcam.
You can buy the Asus ZenBook 14 in either royal blue or “Icicle Silver”. I was sent the blue variant and it’s lovely. The back of the lid is embossed with a silver Asus logo and the circular “metal-spun” finish that has become a hallmark of the ZenBook line. Asus includes a rose gold panel above the keyboard, which the company says adds “an extra touch of luxury,” but I’d prefer if it wasn’t there.
The bottom of the laptop’s lid curls around the lip of the base’s rear edge. When the laptop is opened, this has the effect of tilting the base upwards by 3°, raising it above the desk surface. The main benefit of this design is the added breathing room it provides for the hottest parts of the laptop, letting it stay cool and maintain performance more efficiently. The raised angle also allows for a more comfortable typing position and, supposedly, it’s meant to improve the audio of the dual speakers, pushing them closer to the desk surface for added reverberation.
In truth, the bottom-mounted speakers sound better when not pressed up against a flat surface. Rather than improving the sound, this makes it louder and more distorted, adding in all sorts of unwanted noise that spoils the listening experience. You’ll encounter the same problem with almost all down-firing laptop speakers and, while the maximum volume is adequately loud, there’s nothing much in the way of bass.
Laptops this slim often skimp on ports but Asus breaks the trend here. On the left edge, you’ll find the DC-in power socket, a full-sized HDMI input, a USB-A 3.1 port and a USB-C 3.1 port. Over on the right is a microSD card reader, a USB 2 port and a 3.5mm audio jack. The absence of Thunderbolt 3 connectivity is conspicuous, but, other than that, the ZenBook 14 meets expectations. Touch of class
As a long-time owner of an Asus ZenBook, typing on the 14 feels cosy and familiar; the chiclet keyboard layout is about as standard as it gets, and there aren’t any unusual key placements. It’s backlit, too, with three brightness levels you can switch between using the F7 key. The 1.4mm key travel is perfect, with a soft, light action. Press a bit harder on the keys, however, and there’s a worrying amount of give to the keyboard chassis, especially around the centre of the keyboard, so those with a heavy typing action may want to steer clear.
Asus calls the touchpad a “NumberPad”. This dual-purpose touchpad looks normal at first glance, except for a small numpad symbol in the top-right corner. Oddly, you don’t touch the symbol itself to active said numpad, but an unmarked sensor slightly below and to the left of it. This is counter-intuitive, requiring some precision and patience until you’ve learnt the finger placement.
Activating the sensor will illuminate a bright-blue digital numeric keypad within the touchpad, which you can then use as you would expect within Windows. However, the touchpad still functions as normal while the numpad is switched on – you can still scroll, click and use shortcuts. It’s a nice feature but Asus could have implemented a physical button on the keyboard; it’s annoying when you want to use it and twice as annoying when you don’t. During my tests, I managed to unintentionally activate the numpad a few times while typing or scrolling. With no setting to deactivate the numpad sensor, it can become a major source of irritation. Glossy finish
Much the same goes for the glossy finish that coats this laptop’s display. Using the ZenBook 14 in a brightly lit office, I was distracted by streaks of light reflected from the ceiling and had to make an effort to keep it facing away from light sources. When you’re trying to watch a video or study a document, a glossy display like this is not helpful. You can buy a nonglossy iteration of the ZenBook 14 that appears to be the same in every way, except that the display has a matte finish instead. At the time of writing, this model, the ZenBook 14 UX433FA-A5128T, costs the same as my review model on Amazon. It’s the one I’d buy. The panel quality is good, but don’t expect greatness. Colours have a decent amount of “pop”, with a contrast ratio of 1,323:1, while an sRGB gamut coverage of 84% and average Delta E of 3.38 won’t please photographers or designers. Its maximum brightness of 312cd/m² is slightly below average for a laptop of this price, but the real problem is that reflective coating: working outside or by a sun-soaked window is going to be a challenge on this model. Buying decision
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to luxury laptops, so why does the Asus ZenBook 14 deserve your hard-earned cash? For a start, it’s wellpriced, being the only laptop with an Intel Core i7-8565U that we’ve reviewed at under £1,000. (Note you can save roughly £100 by opting for a Core i5/256GB model, but we would spend the extra for the bigger SSD.) Secondly, it’s very compact for a 14in laptop, thanks to that 92% display-to-bezel ratio. Some people might not be crazy about the digital number pad – I’m not sold – but if you don’t need it, you can near enough ignore it. And you can get around the glossy display by buying a near-identical configuration with a matte FHD screen. While rivals run faster and last longer, the ZenBook 14 is a light, attractive laptop with an exceptional price.
“The Asus ZenBook 14 is well-priced, being the only laptop with an Intel Core i7-8565U that we’ve reviewed at under £1,000”