The fourteen-inch Asus ZenBook fourteen UX435EG incorporates the quirky ScreenPad — a little secondary monitor embedded in the touchpad that supports a variety of makes use of, which you is not going to uncover on laptops from any other maker. The ZenBook range’s usual slender-and-mild build is existing and suitable, and when the value of £1,399 (inc. VAT £1,one hundred sixty five.83 ex. VAT) might look a small higher you do get an eleventh-technology Intel Main processor and discrete Nvidia graphics. This model updates the ZenBook fourteen UX434FL, which I reviewed in August 2019.
At its launch Asus proclaimed the ZenBook fourteen UX435EG to be “the world’s smallest fourteen-inch laptop computer with ScreenPad”, which is rather considerably less remarkable when you be aware that Asus is the only laptop computer producer that does ScreenPads.
The Asus ZenBook fourteen UX435EG runs on eleven-technology Intel Main i5 or i7 processors with discrete Nvidia GeForce MX470 graphics, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. It weighs 1.19kg and is MIL-STD 810G compliant.
Visuals: Asus
Even now, the ZenBook fourteen UX435EG is in truth tiny at 31.9cm extensive and 19.9cm deep, and also slender at 1.59cm thick at the front, increasing to 1.79cm at the back again wherever it wants to accommodate a variety of ports and connectors. The weight of 1.19kg would make it an great laptop computer for carrying around, and the build is impressively robust. The aluminium alloy chassis substance indicates I could not bend the lid in my arms, and it lends a great deal of solidity to the foundation way too. Asus claims the ZenBook fourteen UX435EG meets MIL-STD 810G, but if you never want to ding the etching on the exterior of the lid, you might still want to use a protective sleeve when carrying or storing this laptop computer.
Acer can squeeze a fourteen-inch monitor into a chassis which is barely bigger than the monitor alone many thanks to its minimal-bezel NanoEdge monitor, which delivers a (claimed) ninety two% monitor-to-physique ratio. Acer provides us two individual measurements for the little limited-side bezels: two.6mm measured between the edge of the non-active monitor exhibit place and the inside of edge of the circumstance, and four.4mm measured from the edge of the monitor to the inside of edge of the chassis. For the best and base bezels, which are thicker, we just get measurements to the edge of the non-active monitor: 6.1mm for the best edge and 3.3mm for the base. The comparatively deep best bezel accommodates the IR webcam with Windows Howdy aid.
The exhibit alone is a fourteen-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) LED-backlit IPS touchscreen. It can be vibrant, very clear and sharp with four hundred nits greatest brightness, but instead reflective. The contact responsiveness on my evaluation model was exemplary.
The superb monitor is complemented by a Harman Kardon-qualified twin speaker setup that delivers great-high-quality seem, though best quantity could be louder. If you use the built-in audio subsystem for voice or online video phone calls, the AI-assisted noise-cancelling audio functionality could occur in valuable. There are four modes to find from: Ordinary, Stability, One Presenter and Multi-Presenter.
The complete-dimensions keyboard is backlit and sensibly laid out, but some users will uncover it noisy. The touchpad doubles up as a secondary 5.sixty five-inch exhibit (ScreenPad).
Impression: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
The keyboard manages to be both of those ‘clacky’ and ‘thunky’. Heavier-handed typists might uncover the noise degree a small annoying, and you can find a fair amount of money of flex. Even now, the keys are significant and effectively spaced, and I was equipped to contact form at my usual velocity. The touchpad is offset a fair way from the area bar, which took a small receiving utilised to, but it truly is comparatively significant and incredibly responsive.
ScreenPad delivers utilities that can be moved to the key monitor as required, together with shortcuts, controls and a quantity pad.
Visuals: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
The ScreenPad is the most noteworthy feature of this laptop computer — and in truth of a expanding quantity of Asus laptops. The basic plan is that the touchpad doubles up as a 2nd monitor — a 5.sixty five-inch FHD+ (2160 x 1,080) Super IPS panel that delivers a variety of productiveness-boosting shortcuts, controls and utilities.
So, for illustration, you can find a utility for automating keyboard sequences referred to as Speedy Crucial, a feature for launching picked out groups of apps with a pair of faucets, and a handwriting recognition utility. You can even swap articles between the key exhibit and the ScreenPad — though the pad is so tiny that it truly is only sensible for a tiny quantity of capabilities. There is certainly also a perhaps useful quantity pad.
Asus presents an API for third parties, so it’s possible much more capabilities and even bespoke apps might appear in the future. The ScreenPad is easily toggled on and off by means of a Fn key, for these occasions when you just want to use the basic touchpad functions.
Just about every time I’ve reviewed an Asus laptop computer with a ScreenPad I’ve uncovered it exciting to participate in around with, but not an indispensable addition to my daily computing. If it have been a long-lasting feature of my daily laptop computer I might use it much more, but I can not be guaranteed. For now, it truly is an intriguing but unproven Asus-specific feature.
The ZenBook fourteen UX435EG is powered by an eleventh technology Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor with discrete graphics courtesy of Nvidia’s 2GB GeForce MX470 chipset, together with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This is a incredibly effectively-specified ultraportable laptop computer — for this reason the value tag. There are other configurations, but these are not at the moment obtainable in the Uk.
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There are two Thunderbolt four/USB-C ports, one particular of which is occupied when the laptop computer is charging, a one USB 3.two port, a complete-dimensions HDMI port and a 3.5mm headset jack. There is certainly also a MicroSD card reader.
On its web-site, Asus basically prices battery existence from the 63Wh battery as ‘outstanding’. Above a few hrs of a typical working day throughout which I generally labored into website apps, browsed, listened to tunes and watched online video, the battery went from 100% to 74%. On that basis, you should really be equipped to get a day’s operate finished on battery electrical power, if you’re functioning mainstream workloads.
Conclusions
The Asus ZenBook fourteen UX435EG is effectively produced and has an up-to-date, higher-finish configuration. The keyboard is noisy but incredibly at ease to use, the fourteen-inch IPS monitor is superb and all-day battery existence should really be no issue for know-how staff. The ScreenPad could be an acquired flavor, but you is not going to know if it fits you right until you devote some time with it.
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