ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433 review – AMD and NVIDIA trying to conquer the ultrabook world together
ASUS’s new ZenBook 14 UM433 claims to be stylish, elegant, and innovative. Interestingly, it is probably the first proper AMD ultrabook ASUS is trying to build, with no apparent cutdowns, as we’ve seen on numerous occasions. In fact, we see yet again a bizarre combination between the Ryzen 4000U processors and an NVIDIA GeForce MX350. Now that AMD provides an incredible integrated graphics experience, they pair it with a chip from NVIDIA? We will definitely look into that.
Also, the notebook happens to be incredibly small, and ASUS actually says that it is a “14-inch laptop in the body of a 13-inch one”. While this is a very bold statement in 2020, we can actually confirm that the form factor of the device is extremely tight.
Okay, you have probably figured it out, but this laptop poses to offer huge performance to its users. But what is the main event you might be using them for? Content creation. One could definitely use the power of the 8-core CPU and some CUDA cores, couldn’t it? But in order to be of the best use, it has to offer an on-point display. And a 14-inch 1080p IPS one should be one, but we’ll run our tests, and you will know at the end of this review.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/asus-zenbook-14-um433/
Contents
Specs Sheet
ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433 - Specs
- HDD/SSD
- up to 4000GB SSD
- M.2 Slot
- 1x 2280 PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 See photo
- RAM
- up to 16GB
- OS
- Windows 10 Pro, No OS, Windows 10 Home
- Battery
- 50Wh, 3-cell
- Body material
- Aluminum
- Dimensions
- 319 x 199 x 16.9 mm (12.56" x 7.83" x 0.67")
- Weight
- 1.15 kg (2.5 lbs)
- Ports and connectivity
- 1x USB Type-C
- 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
- 1x USB Type-A
- 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
- 1x USB Type-A
- 2.0
- HDMI
- Card reader
- Micro SD
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11ac
- Bluetooth
- 4.2
- Audio jack
- 3.5 mm combo
- Features
- Fingerprint reader
- optional
- Web camera
- IR HD
- Backlit keyboard
- optional
- Microphone
- Array microphone with Cortana voice-recognition support
- Speakers
- ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system with surround-sound
- Optical drive
- Security Lock slot
All ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433 configurations
What’s in the box?
Inside the package, we found a 65W power brick, an optional protective sleeve, and the mandatory paperwork.
Design and construction
We have to note that the ZenBook 14 UM433 has a very good build quality. Its all-aluminum body weighs just 1.15 kg and has a profile of 16.9mm. Additionally, it is pretty resistant to flex and bends.
Interestingly, the lid of this notebook opens with a single hand, and when opened, it helps the base stay lifted from the ground. Yep, this is the same ErgoLift mechanism seen on other ASUS notebooks. And in addition to the super-thin bezels around the screen, there is an optional IR face recognition system, placed around the HD camera.
Moving our attention to the base, we see the pretty decent backlit keyboard. Actually, it has good key travel, clicky feedback, and aside from the tiny Arrow keys, it is a very comfortable unit. However, there is the thing with the white backlight and light-bluish surface of the keys. In the day time, and in certain angles, it may be pretty difficult to see which key is which. But yet again – this an issue that you will encounter in less than 1% of the time at worst.
On the other side, ASUS provides this laptop with an optional NumberPad feature on its touchpad. Basically, it can be used as a dedicated NumberPad (pretty self-explanatory), and it has two shortcuts to work with – one that turns it On/Off, and one that enables the Calculator app, and adjusts the brightness of the backlight. Other than that, the touchpad is pretty large and has a glass cover, making it extremely comfortable to use, as it offers a great gliding experience.
Expectedly, the bottom panel houses the ventilation grill, as well as the speaker cutouts. And if you are wondering where the hot air escapes from – take a look in between the lid and the base.
Ports
On the left side of the laptop, you’ll find the power plug, a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 2) port, as well as an HDMI connector, and a USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port. Then, on the right, there is a MicroSD card reader, a USB Type-A 2.0, and an Audio jack.
Disassembly, upgrade options, and maintenance
The first thing you need to do, to get inside of the machine, is to remove 7 Torx-head screws. Then, pop the back rubber feet with a sharp plastic tool to find two Phillips-head screws. And after you undo them, you can pry the bottom panel away.
We find it a bit weird to include only one heat pipe, given the fact that this unit features a Ryzen 7 4700U and a GeForce MX350, although it is the 10W variant. On the bright side, the heat pipe is pretty thick, and the ErgoLift mechanism should allow more air to enter the chassis.
In terms of memory, you have two options – 8GB and 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM, working at 4266 MHz. Sadly, there are no slots, so you won’t be able to upgrade it at any point after purchase. On the other hand, ASUS offers one M.2 PCIe x4 slot for storage.
As of the battery, which for some reason is put upside down, it has a 50Wh capacity.
Display quality
ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433 features a Full HD IPS screen, model number BOE NV140FHM-N63 (BOE07E9). Its diagonal is 14″ (35.56 cm), and the resolution – 1920 х 1080. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:9, the pixel density – 157 ppi, their pitch – 0.161 x 0.161 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 56 cm (from this distance, the average human eye can’t see the individual pixels).
It has comfortable viewing angles. We have provided images at 45 degrees to evaluate quality.
The maximum measured brightness is 350 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 330 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 7%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 7800K (average) – colder than the 6500K optimum for sRGB.
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. The illustration below shows how matters are for operational brightness levels (approximately 140 nits) – in this particular case at 51% Brightness (White level = 141 cd/m2, Black level = 0.127 cd/m2).
Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work (a maximum tolerance of 2.0 ). The contrast ratio is good – 1110:1.
To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.
Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people in HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.
Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.
The yellow dotted line shows ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433’s color gamut coverage.
Its display covers only 90% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.
Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.
We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.
Below you can compare the scores of ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433 with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).
The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.
The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.
Response time (Gaming capabilities)
We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.
We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 31 ms.
Health impact – PWM / Blue Light
PWM (Screen flickering)
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.
ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433’s display is not PW-modulated, whatsoever. This makes it comfortable for use for extended periods of time.
Blue light emissions
Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.
Conclusions
ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433’s IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, decent contrast ratio, and comfortable viewing angles. Additionally, it covers 90% of the sRGB color gamut and its backlight doesn’t flicker. With its default settings, the image is cold and the color accuracy is not great. And while our Gaming and Web design profile doesn’t improve the accuracy a lot, the main benefit is that the profile makes the display match the sRGB standard white temperature of 6500K.
Buy our profiles
Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433 configurations with 14.0″ BOE NV140FHM-N63 (BOE07E9) (FHD, 1920 × 1080) IPS.
*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].
Read more about the profiles HERE.
In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.
Office Work
Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.
Design and Gaming
This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.
Health-Guard
Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.
Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount
Sound
ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433’s speakers produce a decent quality sound. Its lows have some deviations, while the mids and the highs are clear.
Drivers
All of the drivers and utilities for this notebook can be downloaded from here: https://www.asus.com/bg/Laptops/ASUS-ZenBook-14-UM433IQ/HelpDesk/
Battery
Now, we conduct the battery tests with Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits, and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with.
Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better
In order to simulate real-life conditions, we used our own script for automatic web browsing through over 70 websites.
CPU options
We are looking at the ZenBook 14 UM433IQ, which comes with two AMD Ryzen 4000U processors. You can pick from the Ryzen 5 4500U and the Ryzen 7 4700U.
Results are from the Cinebench 20 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
GPU options
In addition to the integrated Radeon RX Vega 6 and 7, you get the option of the 10W version of the GeForce MX350.
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
Results are from 3DMark Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Gaming tests
| CS:GO | HD 1080p, Low (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings) | HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 94 fps | 81 fps | 68 fps |
| DOTA 2 | HD 1080p, Low (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings) | HD 1080p, High (Check settings) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 112 fps | 98 fps | 64 fps |
Temperatures and comfort
Max CPU load
In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.
Average core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.
| AMD Ryzen 7 4700U (15W TDP) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433 | 2.79 GHz (B+40%) @ 64°C | 2.64 GHz (B+32%) @ 70°C | 2.07 GHz (B+4%) @ 58°C |
| HP Envy x360 13 (13-ay0000) | 2.87 GHz (B+44%) @ 60°C | 2.63 GHz (B+32%) @ 71°C | 2.13 GHz (B+7%) @ 69°C |
Thankfully, the ZenBook 14 UM433 manages to maintain a frequency of above 2.00 GHz for long periods of time. Additionally, the temperature at the end was only 58C, which is extremely good for such high loads.
Real-life gaming
| NVIDIA GeForce MX350 | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min) |
|---|---|---|
| ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433 | 1050 MHz @ 67°C | 1062 MHz @ 74°C |
| HP Envy 13 (13-ba0000) | 584 MHz @ 63°C | 528 MHz @ 63°C |
| Lenovo Ideapad 5 (15) | 1493 MHz @ 66°C | 1493 MHz @ 66°C |
This is the second laptop we’ve got with the 10W version of the MX350. In fact, it is the first successful interaction with this GPU, as the Envy 13 had some bizarre issues.
Comfort during combined load
While the laptop is not extremely loud, we feel that the heat coming from the chassis may be a little uncomfortable.
Verdict
Ultimately, ASUS has created one of the most powerful ultrabooks on the market. The Zen 2 + GeForce MX350 combination happens to be a sweet spot for light gaming and especially productivity tasks. Interestingly, there is no problem with the drivers, so good work on ASUS from the software standpoint.
While the performance is there, we found a couple of issues with the cooling. Although they are not directly influencing the performance, it is not really comfortable to work on a hot device, right? With that said, the bottom panel of the notebook was a bit too hot for comfort, indeed. And with the placement of the exhaust vent, the bottom right side of the display also heats up.
Nevertheless, the laptop has a lot of strong points that can still make you talk about it. For example – battery life. We were able to extract about 18 hours and 20 minutes of Web browsing from it. And while the video playback times were not near as impressive, 9 hours and 15 minutes is still a respectable score.
And although you won’t be able to upgrade your memory post-purchase, you still have an M.2 PCIe x4 drive slot. Plus, there is a MicroSD card slot for quick transfer of your photos, and a USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port with 10 Gbps bandwidth.
In addition to that, ASUS ZenBook 14 UM433’s IPS panel (BOE NV140FHM-N63 (BOE07E9)) has a Full HD resolution, decent contrast ratio, and comfortable viewing angles. Also, it covers 90% of the sRGB color gamut and its backlight doesn’t flicker. With its default settings, the image is cold and the color accuracy is not great. And while our Gaming and Web design profile doesn’t improve the accuracy a lot, the main benefit is that the profile makes the display match the sRGB standard white temperature of 6500K.
Once again, technologies like the NumberPad 2.0 and the ErgoLift hinge are giving their contribution, but what excited us the most about this device, is definitely the integration of one of the fastest mobile chips out there, and an entry-level energy-efficient NVIDIA GPU, like the GeForce MX350.
Pros
- Extremely potent hardware for an ultrabook
- PCIe x4 support and a MicroSD card reader
- Doesn’t use PWM for brightness adjustment (BOE NV140FHM-N63)
- Covers 90% of the sRGB color gamut (BOE NV140FHM-N63)
- IR face recognition onboard
- Great battery life
- ErgoLift hinge and NumberPad 2.0 support
Cons
- RAM is soldered to the motherboard
- A bit too hot under combined load
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/asus-zenbook-14-um433/
Author: Alex Iliev
Author: Kroum NikolovHead of Engineering at LaptopMedia.com, inventor and innovator with 40+ years of experience in electronics and high technology.
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Thank you for this comprehensive review! One important figure – why is purchase relevant for me – I’m missing is the opening angle of the display. This should be included in any notebook review.
I totally agree with Richard’s comment it is a VERY comprehensive in depth review of the Asus Zenbook UM443, The only omission, which I was looking for verification on is that the screen is NOT gloss and is MATTE which for me is very important as I travel around Europe in my Motorhome and the sun does create an issue on my present HP laptop. Otherwise very pleased with your review.
Thanks Alan