Buzz
Design
The body of the Asus ZenBook 14 is crafted from metal, with engraved patterns on the surface. Due to the material used, the device looks sturdy but is prone to scratches. Below the screen, there's a horizontal strip creating an impressive visual experience. To the left and right of the keyboard are mesh grilles hiding the speaker system.
For ZenBooks, the mechanism of raising the body seems to have become a trademark, where the entire body is raised slightly when opening the lid. This design provides good aerodynamic efficiency but also creates an uncomfortable edge when using the laptop on your lap.
Despite being made primarily of metal, the Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA remains one of the lightest devices today. Compared to other 14-inch devices, the ZenBook 14 is much more compact.
Port Connectivity
The ZenBook 14 brings most essential connectivity ports, yet offers expandability through a USB-C port with a separate adapter. The ports are arranged on both sides of the machine, with reasonable positioning and spacing.
Keyboard & Touchpad
The keyboard of ZenBook 14 UM431D is appropriately sized for typing tasks. Tactile feedback is noticeable, though the somewhat slippery key surface may lead to occasional mistypes. Even with familiarity, typing errors may occur, especially with some smaller function keys requiring precise targeting. The keyboard backlight has 3 brightness levels to ensure input capability in low-light conditions.
Designed to replace the mouse, Asus introduces a well-sized ClickPad capable of accurate cursor navigation. Both left and right clicks are accurately registered by firm pressing on the pad. There's an icon above the top right of the touchpad to display the numeric keypad. When the numeric keypad is displayed, you can still navigate the cursor, but the mouse buttons will only input numbers instead of left and right-click functions. This mechanism operates smoothly, providing excellent support for typing tasks.
Display
Asus's 14-inch laptop boasts outdoor-friendly usability, especially in shaded areas. The matte screen significantly reduces glare, though under direct sunlight, visibility is still somewhat limited.
The IPS panel provides wide and stable viewing angles, displaying content on the screen well from every angle without color distortion.
Performance
At its core lies an AMD processor, the Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA targets those in need of an extremely compact, thin, and light ultrabook for daily office tasks. The manufacturer offers various configuration options, all suitable for office work with integrated GPU. There are also many options for RAM or SSD memory.
The AMD Ryzen 7 3700U is a quad-core processor capable of operating as 8 separate threads. Clock speeds range from 2.3 to 4 GHz, with sustained maximum clock speed depending heavily on the cooling system. In the CineBench R15 test, the ZenBook 14 can only achieve maximum CPU performance for a short period. Afterwards, performance drops by 20%, comparable to the Ryzen 5 3500U. The Lenovo ThinkPad E595, also using the same processor, delivers stable and longer-lasting performance.
The SSD used in the Asus ZenBook 14 achieves very good write speeds, faster than the average for devices using the same processor.
Graphics tasks on the Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA are handled by AMD Radeon RX Vega 10. This integrated GPU benefits directly from dual-channel RAM. With sufficient RAM capacity, it can even handle mainstream gaming titles. With 8 GB RAM on board, the ZenBook achieves slightly lower benchmark values compared to the average GPU data. With this performance, the ZenBook 14 is also suitable for basic photo editing.
AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 10 is quite suitable for gaming. With 8 GB RAM on board, slightly older games can be played smoothly at medium graphics settings. Games that don't require high-end specs can be played at Full HD resolution. My gaming experience was quite good as the machine delivers smooth gaming performance.
External Speakers
The external speakers on the Asus ZenBook 14 are rather small, with sound quality focusing more on mid-range tones. Therefore, our sleek and lightweight device is best suited for video viewing in quiet environments. For prolonged use, you should consider external speakers or headphones.
Battery Life
In standard Wifi testing, the Asus ZenBook 14 UM431DA can operate continuously for just under 7 hours. This value is only average as there are many competing devices that can run longer with lower battery capacities. When pushed to the limit, Asus' device manages to outlast its competitors.
