Some months ago, on the Taipei international computer show Computex 2017, a huge variety of high-quality, thin and light notebooks were presented and one of them is ASUS ZenBook UX430UQ. The main selling point of this laptop it is cost-effective despite its high-quality hardware. This product was well accepted especially among the students and younger folks because it is more of an entertainment notebook which is thin, light and portable and these qualities aroused their fancy. To add to what we already know about this notebook, we have carried out a detailed review and accessed its performance.
Specifications
| Screen | 14″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS |
| Processor | Intel KabyLake Core i5-7500U Processor (2.7GHz up to 3.5GHz) |
| Video | Geforce 940MX 2GB GDDR5 |
| Memory | 8GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n |
| Ports | USB 2.0, USB 3.2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.0, HMDI |
| Battery | 50 Wh |
| OS | Windows 10 |
| Weight | 1.257kg (net weight) |
| Extras | backlit keyboard, Web webcam |
Design & Appearance
Asus has a concentric metal wire drawing design which is like its totem that it uses in all its products including smartphones. ASUS ZenBook UX430UQ uses a similar design on its brushed metal body. The top surface is highly polished that you can almost use it as a mirror and it appears as jade. This laptop comes in numerous amazing colors which makes its surface to appear like it was polished from a gemstone rather than a metal. It has the rose gold, quartz gray, ice drill gold and tourmaline blue colors. In general, these colors are so attractive that anyone who needs elegance would definitely fall in love with this product.
This laptop has the “ASUS” logo is written with a light gray color which makes it more attractive. At the rear, we have four anti-skid foot pads. These pads raise the base of the laptop a little to create an allowance for heat to be dissipated via the cooling holes on both sides. They also give the system balance and create a solid cohesion between the base of the laptop and the surface on which it is placed thus it cannot easily slip off the table.
14-inch Ultra-thin bezel Screen
The ASUS ZenBook UX430UQ comes with a 14-inch 7.18mm ultra-thin bezel design which is the latest display technology in the laptop manufacturing industry. The top and bottom bezels are thicker than the side frames because the top bezel contains the webcam while the bottom frame has the “ASUS” logo. In all, the thin bezels give this product an 80% screen-to-body ratio which delivers a good visual effect.
Screen Test
Asus ZenBook UX430UQ is designed with an anti-glare screen which is meant to eliminate reflection. This 14-inch Full HD laptop has a 178-degree wide viewing angle thus regardless of angle, this device can deliver a high-quality visual experience. To determine the screen color performance, the red spider 4th generation professional instrument was used. The final test result shows that the screen structure of Asus ZenBook UX430UQ has a 100% sRGB gamut range which is very good. The screen performance is top-notch and it will deliver excellent image processing for daily usage. Whether you need this laptop for games or movies, it will unleash a clear image regardless of the lighting conditions.
In addition, the top bezel has a 720P high-quality camera which is perfect for online video calls and for capturing special moments. The Asus ZenBook UX430UQ is also equipped with a microphone which allows users to get a better video and voice communication interactive experience.
Speakers
In addition to the immersive high-quality display, Asus ZenBook UX430UQ uses the Harman Kardon technology to produce a SonicMaster sound. The speakers are systematically positioned at the rear of this laptop. The SonicMaster sound technology consists of intelligent and professional audio debugging software to provide users with “immersive” high-quality audio experience.
Keyboard: Fingerprint Sensor & Excellent Touchpad
The keyboard of Asus ZenBook UX430UQ gives a seamless typing experience. It has an elegant design with soft, flat, highly sensitive keys and with a 1.4mm key spacing, typing on this system is absolutely seamless. In addition to the sensitivity of the keys, they rebound quickly that you don’t have issues of entering a letter multiple times while typing. The Asus ZenBook UX530UQ one-piece touchpad is very delicate and comfortable to use.
Keyboard backlit is a prerequisite for a “complete” keyboard because, with this technology, low light conditions can’t stop you from typing on your computer. The Asus ZenBook UX430UQ comes with a warm white backlit which ensures that you can use this laptop conveniently even in the dark.
Interestingly, this laptop comes with a feature which is not found in most recent laptops. It has fingerprint sensor which uses a more secure and convenient encryption system thus no stranger can delve into your system without your approval. The sensor is located at the top right corner of the touchpad.
If I have a problem with the keyboard of this laptop, it is the location of the power button. On the right side of the keyboard, we have more function keys and this product uses a full-size directional key design but the power button is still integrated in the keyboard and this may be a problem for some users because a simple touch mistake can turn off your laptop especially due to the fact that the power button is close to some very important buttons such as “delete”, “home” and “backspace” which are used almost on a daily basis.
Interface Configuration
The ZenBook UX430UQ has a slim body design and it is only 15.9mm thick. On the right side of the fuselage, we have the headphone/microphone interface, USB Type-C port, USB 3.0, HDMI port, USB 3.1 and the power interface.
On the right side of the fuselage, we have a USB 2.0 ports and an SD card reader. The strength of Asus is exemplified in this laptop as such a thin product could pack a lot of interfaces.
Weight
Asus ZenBook UX430UQ is very thin and it is about the size of a magazine. It has a net weight of 1.27kg which makes it a great device to go out with. In truth, this is one of the lightest and most portable devices I have ever reviewed and with this weight, all including females can easily carry this laptop as it will fit into an average size briefcase or a small bag.
Processor
The ZenBook UX430UQ is equipped with an Intel Core i7-7500U processor, using KabyLake architecture design. It has dual-core four threads clocking 2.7GHz with a turbo boost core frequency up to 3.5GHz.
Processor Performance Testing
To test the performance of the processor, we used CineBench R15 software. It got a final single-threaded score of 123cb and a multi-threaded score of 286cb. Generally, the processor was ideal.
Graphics Performance test
The UX430UQ is equipped with a NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphic card which comes with a 2GB GDDR5 VRAM video memory.
This GPU was tested using the Cloud Gate mode of 3DMark software it got a score of 8714. This GPU performance is much better than many core graphic cards and it should satisfy all daily graphics needs.
SSD benchmark test
The Asus ZenBook UX430UQ comes with a 512GB SSD. AS SSD software was used in testing the SSD. It achieved a final read speed of 496.46MB/S, and a write speed of 294.10MB/S. On daily usage, the performance is good.
Battery Life
The Asus ZenBook UX430UQ uses a 50Wh built-in lithium polymer battery. To test the battery performance, we used a power balanced mode, set the notebook brightness at 50%, volume at 20%, turned off all background software and initiated a continuous video playback on 1080P. After an hour, 17% of the battery has been used up which implies that a continuous playback of high-definition video on Asus ZenBook UX430UQ notebook can reach 9 hours which is quite impressive.
Heat Dissipation Performance Test
After 10 minutes of usage, we monitored the heat signatures of Asus ZenBook UX430UQ. The temperature on the front heat outlet was 50.5 degrees while the back outlet recorded 48.4 degrees.
Conclusion
The Asus ZenBook UX430UQ is a thin, light notebook with a mirror polished metal wire visual design. It is 15.9mm thin and has a net weight of 1.25kg which makes it a perfect travel companion. This laptop comes with a seventh generation Core i7 processor, a NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphic card and a 512GB high-capacity high-speed SSD which allows users to get a seamless experience with this laptop.
Finally, its 50Wh high-density lithium battery can deliver 9 hours of online high-definition video time, while the efficient cooling system can support the entire platform and ensure an efficient and stable operation.
