Review: The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Changed My View On Windows Laptops
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- Today, I am reviewing the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q409ZA-EVO.I5256BL) and it is glorious. I’m extremely picky when it comes to laptops and a bunch of them quite honestly are average at best. Thankfully, this guy does almost everything right and definitely worth checking out. Even if it is only for the screen alone.
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DISCLAIMER:
For full transparency I did receive this product in exchange for an unbiased written review on Best Buy .com through Best Buys Tech Insider Program. This will not bias my opinion in any way, shape, or form. I do not get rewarded for a positive review or punished for a negative review. Out of my own volition I decided to do a video review. They are both completely unaware that this review exists and had no influence over it. My thoughts are my own. I am very blessed to be in this program as it allows me to bring you reviews that I otherwise wouldn't have access too or tried myself.
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Best Buy Link (Non-Affiliate):
- Asus Zenbook 14 OLED 12th Gen Intel Processor I5-1240P: (bit.ly/3wBWcdE)
Videos Used In This Video:
- FLYING OVER BALI (4K UHD) Amazing Beautiful Nature Scenery with Relaxing Music | 4K VIDEO ULTRA HD ( • FLYING OVER BALI (4K U... )
- Noisestorm - Crab Rave [Monstercat Release] ( • Noisestorm - Crab Rave... )
- 2020 LG OLED l The Black 4K HDR 60fps ( • 2020 LG OLED l The Bl... )
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SPECS:
It comes with a 16:10, 2880x1800, 14-inch, OLED screen (without touch), 90 Hz refresh rate, that has 90% screen-to-body ratio (seriously the bezels are tiny), that supports 100% of the DCI-P3 (133% sRGB), 1.07 billion colors, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, up to 550 nits, 0.2 ms response time, and 70% less harmful blue light while being flicker free. It comes with the Intel 12th gen Core I5-1240P which is a mid-grade processor that for most people will be more than enough (especially at this price point). It comes with 8 GB of DDR5 RAM at 4800 Mhz. 75 Wh battery. I get about 6 hours out of it. Harmon Kardon and Dolby Atmos. includes MicroSD card reader, two thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports (fast charging, 4K UHD external display, and up to 40 Gbps data transfer), 3.5 mm audio jack, HDMI 2.0b port, and 1 USB A 3.2 Gen 2. The screen can go to 180 degrees. It is actually made from alumnium. Has a 65 watt USB C charging brick.
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Timestamps:
Intro: 00:00
OLED Screen: 00:44
Screen Specs/Comparison: 2:00
OLED Protection Features: 03:22
Touchpad: 03:55
Keyboard: 04:37
The Processor: 05:20
Can It Edit Video? 06:39
Teardown Start: 07:33
RAM: 07:56
Storage: 08:21
Battery: 08:40
Speakers: 10:12
Ports: 11:15
Build Quality: 12:06
Boot Time/Wake From Sleep: 13:06
Fan/Temps: 13:21
Conclusion: 13:49
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#AsusZenbook14OLED
#Asus
#OLEDLaptop
#bestlaptop2022
#Zenbook - Věda a technologie
What are you guys thoughts on this PC? Have you had any issues?
EDITS:
- For clarification the CPU in this computer is a powerhouse. The Single Core performance is spectacular. The Iris Xe graphics is only mediocre though which holds it back for graphic intensive tasks and creative workflows. But still impressive for an APU. RAM is also a big issue for creative workflows (Photoshop, Premiere Pro, etc.). I did more testing with Premiere Pro doing a single 4K project (that isn't even actual 4K) and Adobe regularly crashed on me. CPU temperatures were great (60 - 70 c on average). CPU and GPU also seemed to be doing fine with this. RAM was sitting at around 6 - 7/8 GB. So, I'm not sure what is causing the crashes. It could also be that with 12 Gen being new that we are still going through some growing pains where things aren't working the way it is supposed to be and will improve in time.
- In the same vein. I think the terrible battery performance will improve in time as we get more firmware updates. As again I think the 12th Gen Processor isn't working exactly like it should making it use more power than it should and burning through battery life faster. To go a bit more in-depth it appears that the TDP is not going into a "low power" mode and instead continues to clock high which goes through the battery faster. Interestingly enough, it appears that the I5-1240p is sometimes out performing the 17-1260p depending on model and how many watts the laptop is allowing through. So make sure to do your research before buying if that is important to you. As you could be paying extra for the same or less performance.
- I haven't noticed any slowdowns with the most recent update to the bios. I also reinstalled windows from scratch and only added what was needed and the laptop is running even better than it was previously.
- I have had some issues with the Bluetooth when it comes to connecting Bluetooth Headphones where it will connect to them but they won't show up in the sound panel or play through them. This is hit and miss. I have done a lot of troubleshooting without any results. Installation of Windows helped but did not solve the issue. When I run diagnostics on the Bluetooth it comes back as being "good" but I'm not convinced that I don't have some failing hardware. But mice and keyboards do just fine. So I'm not really sure what is up. If you know please let me know.
- In the review I mention that it is plastic. I believe I am WRONG and it IS in fact aluminum. With the flex and it being warm it came across as plastic to me.
- I still absolutely love this laptop and highly recommend it.
TWO ISSUES:
- I've had one person comment that the hinge on theirs broke upon opening. This looks like a possible flaw in general for Asus laptops. I also wonder if this is a flaw for most laptops in general so further research is needed.
- Another person mentioned that when they have their speakers between 30 - 50% that they heard buzzing. Upon tightening the screws it helped and now they year it at around 70%.
@@dyeace Totally agree!
8GB of RAM is too limiting. Between your IDE, and your WSL sessions, there's hardly anything left for your docker containers.
@@daves.software Agreed. Really frustrated that you can't upgrade the RAM either. As this machine would be so much better with 16GB of RAM.
@@dyeace I do Java development, and some of the projects I work on require >4GB just to run the integration test suite. If I'm also running an IDE that's using 2GB+ and I have outlook and a couple of web browsers open to api documentation, 8GB gets *really* *really* tight.
I could reduce the RAM requirements a bit by setting the fork-count for the maven failsafe plugin to 1 so that every thing runs sequentially (no parallelism). However then it takes over 2 hours to run all of the tests if I need to build the full project.
If I want to actually run the entire application locally, I need to launch the 4 separate docker containers (1 oauth resource server, 1 database server, 1 application server, and 1 web application server). The OAuth server you might be able to get away with 1GB. The database needs at least 4GB to run comfortably (I don't recall IBM's minimum spec for their DB2 container). The application server needs at least 4GB of RAM. The web app server can get by with 2GB. So just running the application would require you to over-commit RAM by 3GB and before you count the web browser needed to access the application. Chrome routinely uses 2+GB of RAM, so now you're over-committed by 5+GB.
Throw in Outlook, and Office 365, and 8GB becomes unbearably restrictive. 16GB is doable, but still tight. Realistically 24GB or 32GB is probably the sweet spot for the type of development that I do. My personal machine at home, I run 64GB because I don't like to have to worry about running out if I've got 20 web pages open, my IDE, a slew of docker containers, and a handful of WSL sessions open. I can also switch to other types of projects like Fusion 360 for 3D modeling without having to shutdown my software development projects.
@@dyeace All it really needs is more RAM, it would be quite good for the type of work I do. Also you missed the part where the video creator directly asked what we thought of this computer. I was answering the question, and then the discussion moved on to my rationale behind my thoughts. If that offends you, well... then it sucks to be you.
Bought this yesterday from best buy for $250 off. ($499!) Didn't even need a new laptop, but couldn't resist that screen.
RIGHT?! Especially, for that price point. They really nailed this computer.
What? is that 256 varian tho? that's monster for $499 is a really good deal.
@@rockazulla I'm not completely sure what you were going for here. I'm assuming the question was "Is the $499 sale price the 256 GB SSD variant?" The answer is yes, that was the exact model that was in this review was on sale at Best Buy from $749.99 retail to $499.99.
@@ThomasMuehler so sad it has 8gb ram...and I'd easily pay an extra $150 to up it to 16gb, but ram is soldered....and the next best version costs like $1,100, which is ridonkulous
@@kiyoshimatsutsuyu1931 I completely agree. I'd even spend a bit more just to make it so the RAM isn't soldered and I could upgrade at a later date.
This review is really fucking good. Very professional, straight to the point, no BS. Thank you!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.
Thank you for the review. I was going to wait a few months until the new models became available, but when I saw this at $500 coupled with your review, I couldn’t justify paying more than double for the new models.
Yeah, $500 for this guy is absolutely crazy.
Same here! Excited for it! 🙌
@@awe6947 I’d love to hear your thoughts on it once you’ve gotten it in and I’ve tried it out.
aye we all got the july 4th sale
I'm pretty sure the slowdowns you were experiencing were due to the limited RAM, not the CPU bottleneck, as you mentioned you tend to do many less demanding things at once. If you try the 16 GB RAM version you will not be disappointed. Excellent review by the way. Wish you had more variety in your A roll and a little more cinematic flair would be more entertaining.
Agreed. I also think when it came to videos that the Iris Xe graphics are just weak. Along with Adobe possibly not fully supporting that architecture. As they are known to drag their feet with that kind of stuff.
Also, I appreciate the constructive criticism and will definitely keep that in mind going forward.
Fast, technical, fair. Good review. Cheers
Found an open box model at BestBuy for 375 yesterday and I couldn't resist after watching your review, super pleased with the performance, I'll likely be upgrading the internal SSD, huge bummer about the soldered RAM though
Oh man, that is a fantastic price. Upgrading the SSD is super easy. But agreed on the soldered RAM. Wish companies would not do that. I'll take the decrease in speed for the ability to upgrade my RAM. Especially, with how cheap RAM is these days.
@@ThomasMuehler it was super easy but i did run into a complication with having to disable VMD in the bios before W11 installation would recognize the SSD
@@loganmelchior2128 I forgot about that. Which is an easy speedbump to get over, if you already know the answer. lol. Otherwise it can take some time and frustration to figure out.
@@loganmelchior2128how was your open box? I have one coming this week! Hoping for no issues!
Just bought this notebook yesterday in Best Buy for $550, not including $44 sales tax. They're offering a $200 discount on it up front, rather than after rebate. Your video was the first one i watched and was very pleased with your detailed itemization of the features. Oh, and the crab dance video was a smooth touch that I've really enjoyed. 😂 Thank you for your review. It definitely helped be get familiar with my new notebook!
What a wholesome comment. Appreciate you taking the time to share. Means a lot. Enjoy your new laptop! I know I sure do.
lol now way! I bought it too right before the sale ended. I gotta say I'm in love, I didn't watch any videos I just went to the store and fell in love. My only nitpick is that is a fingerprint magnet
@@MasterNochi I'm glad you are enjoying it! Also, it definitely is a fingerprint magnet.
@@ThomasMuehler got it through open box perfect condition for $340
That's absolutely insane. Well done. How are you liking it?@@Critterfurr
Great Review, Thomas! Been a follower of your channel since the Gallahad days. What laptop would you recommend for creative productivity? Been all over different laptops and hope you could share your thoughts and ideas on it. Thanks!
That's awesome! Thanks for sticking around very much appreciated!
Can you give me a bit better idea by what you mean by "creative productivity"? Like what programs/tasks are you specifically looking for?
@@ThomasMuehler Like almost all adobe products. 😅 because there are very few good videos our there talking about laptops for creators. Most of them are for gaming
@@renieljustincole5615 Well, technically any laptop that is good for gaming will be good for creators power wise. As the reason why this laptop struggles with Adobe is because the Iris Xe graphics isn't powerful enough. The CPU also lags a bit behind. As does the RAM (as 8 GB isn't enough). So finding a laptop that has a better GPU would solve that issue. As a laptop with a good GPU usually also has a better CPU.
If any of that didn't make sense. Gaming laptops are powerful so should theoretically be able to run Adobe Products better. However, is the trackpad, keyboard, screen, weight, etc. going to keep up? And that is where I would be concerned. Also, battery life isn't going to be good. As for good battery life you need to not use a lot of energy. Powerful products tend to use a lot of energy. So, the trade is pretty much do you want a lot of power/performance or do you want battery life.
Anyways, maybe I'm preaching to the choir. But basically, what I'm saying is I don't have any good laptop suggestions for you. As like I said in the video. I hate laptops as they are usually trash when it comes to aggressive workflows for a lot of reasons. Mostly, just simply because it's hard to pack the performance needed into a portable machine and make it affordable. This has improved dramatically over the years but we still aren't quite there yet. But we are getting awfully close.. But I still edit and do all my adobe stuff on my Desktop "Gaming" PC. And it cost WAY less than it would if I got something similar in a laptop and provides way better performance. The closest experience I got to my Desktop PC Windows wise was my Dell G15 gaming laptop with a Ryzen 5800H and GeForce 3050 TI. I was able to upgrade the RAM to 16 GB which also helped a lot. But it is bulky, has meh keyboard and mouse, and a terrible screen for editing. Also the ports are fine but not great. As it was a very affordable gaming laptop that I was fortunate enough to try.
Okay, I keep going on tangents I'm sorry. This is a complicated question that is really hard to answer without a bunch of context.
Put simply, your best bet is to buy Apple. My MacBook Air was the best laptop that I edited anything on. I had to export my raw files into a better file and then I had no slow downs at all and was able to do my normal edits without any issues. I also had ZERO issues with photoshop and it was incredibly snappy. Plus the screen, battery life, trackpad, etc... are all there. The M1 chip is a champ. I'd imagine it would be even better on the MacBook Pro's with an even better chip and more RAM and that would have actual active cooling. As MacBooks really are made for creative workflows. But that may mean learning a completely new OS. I just recently switched over to MacOS. I like it and the transition was a lot smoother than I would have expected. But I still get frustrated trying to do basic stuff just because it's not available. But if I could only pick one laptop I would pick the MacBook just because it's an all around banger and the M1 platform was a complete game changer. So my #1 recommendation would be a MacBook Pro (not the top spec but I think the mid-grade one has shown best price to performance ratio). But the MacBook Air also does it good enough. But depending on how much time you spend or if this is for a business that may not cut it.
PERHAPS if you could find a higher spec of the Asus Zenbook it could also theoretically work well. From what I'm seeing the I7-1260P doesn't seem to be all that great. So sticking with Ryzen may be your best bet for performance and battery life. But you'd need to research more. Regardless you'd want to be looking out for an I7 (upper end one at that) with at least 16 GB of ram and ideally a 512 - 1 TB drive. But that's likely going to cost you about $1500 and up.
OR if I were you and I had some cash to throw around (like buying a MacBook Pro). I would buy a cheaper laptop (the MacBook Air or this Zenbook) along with a Desktop PC with a nice processor, a 3070 graphics card (3060 may also work), 32 GB of RAM, a 2 TB SSD, 750 watt power supply, along with whatever else I missed. That'll cost you $1500 - $2000 (unless if you don't have a monitor/desk/keyboard/mouse then a bit more) for that PC and then another $750 - $1000 for a laptop and you'd spend around $3000 which would be the same or less than a fully spec out laptop and you'd have dramatically better performance and then when you are traveling or doing small things you could use the laptop.
Otherwise you buy a mid-grade/lower high grade laptop and just face the facts that you'll be dealing with slowdowns on a regular basis but that'll be okay because you saved a bunch of money. Which leads me back to the original point. I love laptops. I think they are great (for very specific use cases). I find that for Video editing and highly creative/productivity work that it is exceedingly and almost impossible to find a machine that is not unbelievably expensive that can still keep up and checks the rests of the boxes. The only TWO laptops that I have EVER liked is my MacBook Air and this Asus Zenbook 14 OLED. But again, I only use my laptops for specific things and when I'm ready to get serious I go to my gaming PC. Which honestly, isn't even that good anymore. It's got 32 GB of DDR4 RAM 3200 Mhz, Ryzen 3800x (I'd go intel if I were buying a new Desktop and almost opposite for laptops as I think the performance and power draw of my Rzyen laptops is better), and 2070 (not even the super version). With your normal Samsung Sata SSD's. Which honestly, if you were to buy these days would be like
solid review thank you
Glad you enjoyed it.
Hello Sir, I hope you are doing well
Concerning this laptop : does the fan spin when you are doing very basic tasks (solely reading a book for example) ?
I have to admit that I had a motherboard that went bad with it (super rare and not something you should worry about). So I had to RMA and I got the replacement (Q409 in this video now have the Q410).
With that disclaimer out of the way, no on either model I don't get fan noise when doing normal basic tasks. And in general I don't even get fan noise when doing some semi-demanding tasks. Additionally, you can go into the settings and change the fans to be "quiet" which would further help if that were an issue. But would make it run hotter along with maybe thermal throttle a bit if doing something demanding.
Hey,
First, thanks a lot for the review, it helped me a lot (and I finally bought a zenbook 14 UX3402).
You mentionned in your review that the fan was a bit noisy in the beginning and I wanted to ask you when did it really stop ? The fan of my zenbook that I bought recently can sometimes (and for no particular reason) get really noisy due to the CPU temperature rising up to 80° Celsius when I'm not even using it...
Could you give me some more information about your experience with yours ?
NB: Sorry if my english wasn't perfect, it ain't my first language
Usually when you first get a laptop and are going through setup, it runs a bunch of background processes to get windows into a stable/working state. This uses a lot of energy, which produces heat, causing the fans to increase to prevent CPU throttling, to get everything done as soon as possible. Once everything is setup your CPU is no longer under that load so heat isn't being generated, and thus fans can slow down/turn off as the thermal load is no longer there.
For me with this laptop the fan was at max speeds throughout updating windows and setting up everything. But once I got done setting everything up, logging into the things I use, limiting what tasks are open at Windows Start Up, the fans stopped turning on.
If the fans continue to go crazy even during normal use I would recommend going into the Asus App (I forgot the name off the top of my head and am at work so can't look it up) that allows you to change fan speed, screen preferences, etc. and you should be able to do some tweaking there (such as putting fans to quiet or balanced). Also, make sure to not use "High performance" in battery. Or use more of a balanced/quiet profile if that is in the Asus App. As that sometimes overclocks the CPU which then can cause it to constantly run at higher clocks and be ready to go which creates more heat, which turns on the fan to reduce. Sometimes you can also adjust fan curves.
I'm giving a lot of generalized information here, but trying to explain why fans turn on so you can better figure out why they are doing that. But if the fans are only occasionally turning on even if you aren't using it then my guess would be:
1. The task that you are doing is actually more intensive than your realize. Or you have a lot of things running in the background, when they want an update they may be pulling energy which increases load/heat and turns the fan on temporarily.
2. The ambient temperature of the room or how you are holding your laptop (covering fans or smothering it which prevents it from venting) is building up heat causing the fans to go on.
3. Incorrect settings that puts the CPU on max at all times which is slowly building up heat, making the fans come on until cooled, where they turn off, where the process then repeats.
Does that make sense?
@@ThomasMuehler The fan actually completely stopped for the first time today, so I think everything is alright now !
Thanks a lot for all the informations and explanations, I appreciate it a lot👌
Have a nice day !
I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for updating me! @@yanishadef1878
Is it good for programming software like Android Studio, or is the limited ram won't work with it at all?
I'm thinking of buying it for long-term use, and I'm really afraid of the long-term problems.
Please any advice about this.thanks
TLDR: Yes, this laptop will work for programming. But it will be on the lower end where RAM issues may happen (depending on complexity) and if you are creating demanding games GPU will limit you as well. But it will get the job done without breaking the bank. I think the screen would be brilliant for it. Along with the keyboard and trackpad.
I don't do programming so I'm not sure how RAM intensive something like that is. The CPU will be able to handle it. If it is heavy on GPU the Iris Xe graphics are bottom tier and will be limiting outside of basic uses (things you could do on a premium smart phone). RAM at 8 GB as mentioned is going to be the bare minimum. I usually recommend 16 GB at this point. As that gives you some future proofing. As this laptop is "entry level" power wise (due to no dedicated GPU, limited RAM, and while the CPU is very powerful it is limited in power draw compared to others on the market but still think for majority of uses outside of hardcore uses the CPU is just fine). But you get an excellent keyboard, trackpad, ports, and most importantly OLED screen. Making it a tremendous bang for your buck. But if you are a power user looking to do demanding tasks this is not the laptop you should buy. And need to spend more money for higher RAM, perhaps a better CPU, and perhaps a dedicated GPU. As you can swap out the NVMe SSD. But I think there is only one slot meaning if you need a lot of storage again another laptop that has 2 NVMe slots may be beneficial. It really comes down to use case. But for those doing word documentation, normal web browsing, very light mobile gaming, watching videos, email, normal work this is an excellent solution for the price.
Hey, I'm thinking of buying this one because it looks great and they are giving it away for a good price. Is it good for editing videos and photography? I am looking for the i5 version
The processor itself is solid. However, video editing and photography tends to rely heavily on a GPU. This laptop doesn't come with a dedicated graphics card (only Iris Xe) which isn't very powerful and will greatly limit what you can do regarding videos and photography. It may be worth doing some research yourself on Iris Xe to see if it would handle what you are looking for. From my experience/understanding (which you should always cross reference) if you are doing basic editing (1080p with limited layers) it should do just fine. However, if you are doing medium to advanced editing at 4K and/or with a lot of layers it MAY get the job done. But it won't be an enjoyable experience. Same with photo editing. Where for basic stuff it should be so-so. But if you have a ton of photos that you are editing regularly and doing a bunch of stuff to in photoshop then again, it may work, but it will take a lot longer and not be an enjoyable experience.
I tried a basic 4K video (as you can tell in this video I do the bare minimum) and it crashed on me multiple times and I had to wait a lot and turn a bunch of settings down. Same with me creating the thumbnail for this video. Which again is basic stuff. But that MAY have improved. As when I was trying that this generation of Intel was brand new. And it takes a while for programs to catch up and firmware to get more polished. So could have been due to that over lacking power. But I did see my usage of CPU and RAM very high. Along with the fan going hard. Which brings me to the next few points 8 GB of RAM for video editing/photography isn't enough. I'd recommend 32 GB or higher. With 16 GB being acceptable if it is an occasional thing or money is super tight. This laptop's cooling also isn't built for highly demanding tasks (as it is a budget laptop shooting for normal use type stuff such as emails, web surfing, videos, college/work type stuff.) Not your creative suits or gaming. Even though the screen is stellar for that.
Since that time, the laptop died on me. I think it was the motherboard. Which is very rare and not something that I think you need to worry about. But wanted to mention it. I went through the RMA process and they sent me the new one Q410 over the Q409. I find it to be an upgrade all around and if you were planning on still purchasing I’d go with the new unit. As it appears to be more powerful. It comes with a better processor but the same 8 GB of ram and Iris Xe graphics. Cooling appears to be better. But again, the point of this type of a laptop is not digital creation or gaming. But most of your everyday basic stuff that the majority of the world uses a laptop for. Not your specialized niches that require all the power. But again, if doing super basic stuff occasionally it would likely do just fine.
I picked up the asus s 13 pretty much the same but has a touch screen and an Amd 6800u not at the same price point but also an option if you can find one.
That is good to know. I'll have to check it out. As when it comes to laptops I've been preferring the AMD side of things. As they have great performance with less power draw. But prefer Intel when it comes to gaming desktops.
Best Buy have it on sale for $500 two week ago. Probably the best $500 laptop ever.
Agreed.
Hello, thanks for the review. Would you recommend the one with 16gb RAM and ryzen 5 5625U for a wildlife photographer who does moderate level photo editing? I am a computer science student as well. I will definitely use for coding. I bought macbook pro 14 base but didn’t open the box since there is 1250usd price difference in my country. I questioned myself would that really worth and at the middle of returning the macbook pro 14 or keeping it. One important note, I hate long lasting fan noise. That was one of the main reasons directed me to apple silicon.
They just came out with an updated version of this (Asus Zenbook 14x OLED Q410) which I'm currently testing and I haven't even heard the fans turn on which may behoove you. But I'm still very much in the testing phase and it hasn't officially dropped yet. But with the previous version (Q409) the fans did turn on regularly and were annoying so I don't think that would be a good choice for you if you hate fan noise.
I know with the Macbook Air M1 that I have that one of my favorite things about that laptop is that it has no fan. I also think that Apple Silcon continues to be superior to Windows across the board. As the CPU/GPU is more powerful for APU's (which would be the I5-1240p with Iris Xe graphics compared to M1) but isn't more powerful than a CPU + dedicated GPU (which also destroys battery life). Which is the other fantastic thing with Apple is that no matter if you are on battery or if you are plugged in the performance is nearly the same. While still having insane battery life (I think average is like 10 hours maybe 15 with normal usage). Meaning you could take that to school and it would easily last the entire day without you needing to charge where you would need to plug in the Windows laptop. Where with Windows you get a lot more performance when you are plugged in and get a huge performance hit when on battery while having a lot less time (usually around 4 - 6 hours with normal usage). I also think the keyboard, trackpad, speakers, build quality, performance, _ tends to be superior on Apple.
MacOS also tends to just work. Where sometimes Windows can be a pain. But that tends to be subjective I do fine on both but am also more knowledgeable than the average user.
Screen wise I don't remember what the M1 Pro comes with. But the OLED screen on this and the newest version are unmatched. As I really think OLED screens are next level. Everything is so sharp, easy to read, and the overall real-estate is just a joy to use. The newest version also has a touch screen which I think is nice to have.
Apple is going to do better with photo editing. As again the CPU and GPU are just better. RAM is going to be important where I think 16 GB is worth the premium. Especially, if you want to continue to use this laptop for a few years. As 8 GB is just difficult. I sit at it being full almost all the time on the Asus which is frustrating. As that means it has to push things onto the SSD and back which can cause some slowdowns. So investing in a faster SSD would be beneficial not only to have more memory but to quicken those slowdowns as the included SSD is middle of the road and something like the SN850X would be probably add some performance. With Apple you can't upgrade the SSD which is frustrating and I also forgot the speeds. But MacOS since it is all build in Apple is better designed to use less RAM than Windows.
So, are the benefits you are getting for 1250 usd price difference justified? That's not something that I can answer. As it really comes down to personal preference. Apple laptops really do knock it out of the park and have for some time now. While I think this laptop for the price you get is excellent, by no means is it a "high-performance" laptop. Where I would consider the Macbook Pro M1 to be in that category. I'd suggest looking up some comparison videos of a more premium Windows laptop (due to price they will be comparing a higher-tier windows laptop with the M1 Pro) and see which one checks more boxes for you. As I think there is a lot behind the scenes that aren't covered in reviews that you get with one or the other. With my main thing for this laptop really is the OLED screen. Outside of that I'd personally pick the Apple every time. Assuming that I can do everything on the Macbook (as some software doesn't work on Apple). Which would be the other thing. But both photo editing and coding are both extremely popular on Apple which makes me think for your use case you'd be covered.
I'd be interested to hear which one you decide to go with. Also, if you have any other questions let me know.
@@ThomasMuehleridk if you'll ever see this but holy shit you're an amazing person man 🫶🏼 god bless you
@@bro-ken5709 You're very kind. Appreciate the compliment. Right back at ya!
Hi, I bought this notebook more than 6 months ago and I see that it gets too hot in use and when charging (overheating) . Any idea why? Any solution? Thanks
Sounds like a defect. I would reach out to Asus support and go through an RMA. As that shouldn't be happening. You could check your fans and make sure they are working and on the correct settings. As that is the only thing I can think of outside of a defect.
Great review. It sold me on this laptop without overselling it. I picked one up last weekend when Best Buy had it $250 off. Good value. Great display. I expected the audio coming out of mine to be better. The speakers or housing buzz while playing audio, typically set in the 30-50 range. Squeezing the housing around the speakers makes the buzz better.
I’m glad you are enjoying it. Interesting about the audio. I don’t get any buzzing at all from mine. So I do appreciate you pointing that out to me. You’re the first Ive heard with that problem. Have you tried to physically tighten the screws on the bottom of the device (especially near the speakers) as I’m just wondering if they are slightly loose causing that sound.
@@ThomasMuehler I removed the bottom cover this morning (thanks for highlighting the 2 hidden screws under the back feet in your review!) I found no loose screws, but I slightly snugged all the interior and exterior screws as I replaced the bottom cover. It sounds better now for volume in the 30-50 range. At 70 I hear some slight buzz, but I think this is reasonable.
@@erickanemoto6162 Interesting. I'm wondering if you just got a slightly defective unit. If they get worse I would love to know. As I like to keep track of what other people are experiencing in my pinned comment.
@@ThomasMuehler Possibly. I found when plugging/unplugging the power cable, an audio tone plays out of the right speaker that causes it to buzz at any volume setting over 18. The laptop has been acting odd during this time though. Power setting: balanced, fan setting: standard and running at medium speed, but lots of heat dumping out the exhaust, and laptop bottom really hot. MyAsus reports CPU load = 4%, CPU temperature = 90C! Task manager shows no apps running. Rebooted, ran at 80-90C for next ~15 minutes before settling down to 50C, and seemingly back to normal, but the power plug tone still buzzes the speaker at the 50C temp.
@@erickanemoto6162 Yeah, none of that is normal and it shouldn't be happening. I'd reach out to support and/or return the laptop and say it is defective and then exchange it for a new one. Otherwise, you could reach out to Asus and see what they say. Or if you haven't already you could reinstall windows and see if it is a software issue causing problems. My fan pretty much never turns on and it is rarely ever warm. Unless if I am doing HIGHLY demanding tasks like video editing.
Definately a ram issue not a cpu issue at all. 8gb is not enough for power users like us who have like 50 tabs open lol. You just have to go with 16gb, i just wish it came with the 6800u for that sweet RDNA2 performance
Agreed on all points. It is so frustrating that the RAM is soldered on too. As I LOVE this laptop. But that 8 GB kills me. Getting it with the new 6800U would also be nice. As AMD is killing it.
Is this a good laptop for someone who does freelance writing & scriptwriting? I use a decent amount of tabs and software.
Absolutely. The CPU on this is great. The Iris Xe graphics are also capable of average tasks. But struggles once you get to more demanding tasks such as gaming, video editing, or any type of 3D/creative work that requires rendering. The CPU keeps up just fine but the GPU and RAM start to bottleneck you. I may be wrong about this but I don't think that would be needed for writing or scriptwriting.
I also think the display makes for extremely rich and in focus text. Screen is the right size where you can see a lot or zoom in just fine. Also, has great size and portability. Along with a great keyboard and trackpad. Making it an ideal choice for that type of work. In fact I use it most of the time when writing my scripts for my CZcams channel along with my personal writing for other things.
Also, you can easily have multiple tabs and software open. You are limited a bit with 8 GB of RAM. But I think 16 GB is still mostly for your power users. As I've got 32 GB in my main gaming PC and even when I'm doing everything possible I rarely pass 11 - 14 GB. So while I think 16 GB is more than enough, 8 GB is still perfectly acceptable with you only running into some issues very occasionally and rarely and again only for when you are going absolutely nuts. Which most people don't do enough at the same time to usually max out.
Battery life while not excellent is still solid (6ish hours). So if you charged it up during lunch you'd be fine for a full day's work.
If you end up getting it I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
Great video! I agree the CPU/RAM may be a power-user bottleneck, but did you by any chance uninstall some bloatware etc.? Regardless, I feel confident buying this after watching. Thanks!
I ended up doing a fresh install of windows which made a huge difference. The fan almost never turns on anymore and it is a lot more snappy. I'm still getting the same "benchmark" scores which are impressive. But a lot less stutters and it definitely feels faster and more responsive during real world use. I haven't tried to edit a video on it again. So I'm not sure if a fresh install fixed that from crashing. Also, battery life improved but not by a dramatic amount. I'm still averaging around six and a half hours. This CPU is still a beast and the single core performance actually beats my desktop and any other CPU I own (which includes a Ryzen, 3800H, 5800H, and desktop 3800X). But doesn't beat the multicore score. The biggest thing holding this machine back is the 8GB of RAM along with the Intel Iris Xe graphics are trash. Especially, in comparison to Ryzen and Apple. But this is still a very powerful machine (I technically call it mid-tier). But there have been some benchmarks that actually show the 1240p out performing the 1260p. Depending on cooling and stuff. I haven't looked close enough at this score to compare it to those scores though so I'm not sure how this stacks up. But basically, this CPU is seriously impressive and should handle most things. The GPU and RAM do limit things. But for 95% of people none of this should come into play unless if you are doing highly demanding things. In which intel tends to fail at (on laptops) anyways in comparison to Ryzen and Apple. But compared to other Intel CPU's is very impressive. That was a round about way of me still HIGHLY recommending this product. Especially for the price. I haven't heard anyone complain about it. It's not perfect. But it is pretty close. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it once you get it in and try it out.
@@ThomasMuehler good to know! After the fresh install did everything Asus proprietary still work well (brightness etc.)?
@@zackarysilva1618 Yes. But you need to make sure to go to Asus's website under this notebook model and install the right things. Most of the time Windows Update gets everything you need. But I always make sure I'm also downloading drivers directly from the support page for this laptop to ensure everything is kosher.
@@ThomasMuehler awesome, thank you!
Amazing review
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Is there any eye strain dye to flicker, bias lighting or TWM or anything?
They report it is flicker free with 70% less blue light. I don't notice any flicker at all. No eye strain. I watched another review that proved the 70% less blue light by looking through a special lens (but I think it is a setting that you turn on and isn't on at stock).
As for Bias Lighting. My understanding of that is light shining from behind the display. There isn't an LED on the backside of the screen that would shine on a wall. If you setup your own custom bias lighting the screen looks great. So, I'm going to say no? But I'm not sure if that is what you meant by that or not.
And I don't know what TWM is.
Any else have an issue where it makes like a notification noise whenever you move the screen whether away or closer to you? Quite annoying and cant find a way to disable
Huh? That sounds weird AF. I have not had any one else comment that. Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what is happening or how to fix it.
Would the ram/processor be good enough for college students doing online classes requiring software such as lockdown browser for exams?
I'll respond to both your comments with the same comment.
But regarding the processor. Yes, the processor in any of the laptops I mention are going to be just fine for the use case you mentioned (as they are all mid/upper end and will be performing around the same level as the majority of PC’s out there). There are some edge cases that you’d want more powerful. But if you’re in that boat you’re going to be looking at significantly more expensive computers anyways.
As for how this compares to the MacBook Air M2, all the laptops listed below are going to be essentially the same from a performance standpoint. Just some numbers to give a rough estimate of performance.
CineBench R23 Results:
The Apple Macbook Air M1 - 1528/7799 (single core/multicore),
Apple Macbook Air M2 - 1701/8538,
Asus Zenbook Q409 - Intel i5-1240p -1607/8195,
Asus Zenbook Q410 - i5-13500H - 1743/13941
But Macbooks will be performing the same whether on battery or plugged in. Whereas, Windows will lose some performance when on battery. Also, won't have as long of battery life. And be a bit thicker, and heavier on average.
As for other aspects:
Apple Macbook Air M1: (My Recommendation if MacOS):
- 13 inch screen - 16:9 ratio (you’ll have to look up resolution for each of these laptops but they are going to be around the same at ~2560x1440 with similar PPI)
- $750 - $999
- Fantastic build quality (aluminum), lightweight, premium trackpad, great keyboard, accurate screen but not very big and gets adequately bright. Fantastic battery life (12 - 15 hours). My least favorite screen out of the four. But is by no means bad.
Apple Macbook Air M2:
- 15 inch - 16:9 ratio
- “Replaced M1”
- $999 - $1099
- Everything the M1 is but slightly bigger but costs a good amount of money more, mostly for a bigger screen. Slightly different shape.
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Q409 (This Laptop):
- 14 inch - 16:9 ratio
- $550 - $750
- Good build quality. Not as good as the Macbooks as there is more flex and some screen wobble. But isn’t bad. Has a better screen (due to OLED over IPS) but uses more energy. Battery life is going to be about 6 - 7 hours. More ports. Not as thin or lightweight. But good keyboard, trackpad. 90 Hz refresh. At $550 is excellent value. But for $750 I would go with the Q410. In general I would pick the Q410 as I think it is better all around.
Asus Zenbook 14x OLED Q410: (My Recommendation if Windows):
- 14.5 inch - 16:10 ratio
- Replaced Q409.
- $799
- Will be the most powerful PC of these choices when plugged in. Has improved in every category compared to the previous one including all the negatives. Equal build quality to the Macbooks. Even better OLED screen that gets very bright and is much better than any of the other choices in that regard. But OLED isn’t as robust as IPS and could fail faster over time and requires a bit more care. The 16:10 resolution also makes the screen feel al lot bigger without taking up that much more space. I now want 16:10 on all my laptops. As it makes a big difference. 120 Hz refresh makes it feel a lot more responsive and smooth when using, which again makes a noticeable difference. Arguably as good of trackpad as Mac and as good of keyboard. Same 6 - 7 hour battery life as the previous version. Great build quality.
I find the best bang for your buck will be the Q410 or M1, and could go either way. And think the biggest difference here would be the operating system and battery life. Making me lean Apple if you are going to be going to be constantly unplugged as the battery life is significantly longer making you have to worry about charging less often. Also, Apple’s performance is going to be the same plugged in or on battery where with Windows you will lose some performance while on battery over plugged in. If you have only Apple products the Macbook will play nicer
The M2 is a great laptop but find the bump in cost knocks it out of the reasonable price range for what you get and is more of a “luxury” item. Also, with all Mac’s they start too low on base specs. Almost all the laptops in this price range are 8 GB (which should be 16 GB but that’s another topic) and can’t be upgraded later on. But the storage is 256 GB of which is likely not enough for a primary computer. The Q410 comes with 512 GB which I think is adequate and may not need to be upgraded. But Apple’s pricing to upgrade RAM or Storage is beyond excessive and greedy. For perspective, to upgrade the Macbook Air M2 from $256 GB SSD to 2TB it is $800. Comparatively with Windows you can upgrade it yourself for significantly less. For a premium SSD (which will be faster than Mac’s) it will be $119 for 2TB or $300 (recently on sale for $269) for 4TB. Otherwise, you’re stuck with external storage. Which works but isn’t ideal as that is more stuff to buy, keep track of, and carry around. If you choose to upgrade that memory you are also bumping into a totally different price bracket which can change your choice of PC.
But in the end, taking money out of the equation, you can’t go wrong with any of these choices and I’d happily use any of them. But would choose the Q410 over the Q409 unless if money is very tight. I constantly go back and forth between using my Macbook M1 and Q410 and still can’t pick a winner as it really comes down to my mood that day. As everytime I use them I am just blown away at how good they feel to use. But with the Macbook’s being thinner, lighter, and having better battery life (baring storage) they just simply can’t be beat when it comes to on the go. But if I were watching a lot of content on them as well the Q410 will be the best followed by the M2.
Wow, that turned out to be a lot longer than I meant it to be. I’d love to hear your choice. Even if it isn’t one of the four I listed.
Is this equipped with Windows Hello face recognition log-in on Windows 11? Thanks.
Unfortunately, it is not. It does have windows hello fingerprint recognition though. Which is built into the power button and works well. When you turn it on it will usually register your finger and then auto unlock from there.
Thank you so much! I'm horrible at computers things ahha but I need a new one. I'm debating between the Zenbook 14x 5401 oled Ryzen 7 and the Zenbook 14 3402 oled Ryzen 5. I have no idea which one to take. Both have 512go and 16go memory. I think one is slightly newer the 3412. What the difference between the x and the no x and also ryzen 7 or 5? Ive been watching so many videos about all the different pièces. You video motivated me I was getting annoyed of not understanding. Hopefully you will see my comment. I trust your opinion :);
Computers are hard so I don't blame you! Especially, laptops as they like to make things overly complicated. I'll try to keep it simple. I'm going to give general guidelines to help aid you in your decision making. Also, feel free to continue to ask any questions you have. My main question for you is what is your use case for this laptop? As if it is mostly light workloads (email, web browsing, writing, mild photo editing, normal everyday stuff) then either option will probably be more than enough.
Before getting into the nitty gritty my quick recommendation is that the Ryzen 5 or 7 will likely be just fine for you (unless if you are a hardcore user, hence my question above). Also, 16 GB RAM is great and the minimum I’d go for these days. 512 GB SSD is going to be good enough. However, depending on use case may be filled up quickly. I prefer 1 TB. But you can always buy that down the line and swap out the SSD if needed.
As much as I appreciate you giving me model numbers, they aren't incredibly helpful to me as they can vary quite a bit on internal specs depending on which one I am looking at. So, I can't give a lot of specifics on which one is best, and CZcams usually blocks links, so I don't even get the comment. But you could certainly try. Otherwise, I would need the specific SKU and website or something to look it up myself.
1. Agree, looks like the Zenbook 14x 5401 is older than the Zenbook 14 3402. Usually the "X" means it is a slightly higher end model. Meaning better cooling (due to more fans and different layout). Maybe better keyboard, speakers, screen, etc. But without seeing the specific model you are looking at it is hard to call. And sometimes a newer base model (non-X) can have the same features of an older X model due to progress from generation to generation. Not sure if that is the case here or not.
2. Processors vary wildly in power depending on different nomenclature. But breaking it down to simplest form, there are two main processor brands; Intel and AMD. Intel is currently on the 13th (13000) generation and AMD is on the 7th (7000) but sometimes Desktop and Laptop generations are slightly different depending on time of year. Going from worst to best Intel I3, I5, I7, I9/AMD 3, 5, 7, 9. Also, the higher the number the more powerful the processor is. For example, this is also for desktops as I know them better, 3700x vs 3900x, the 3900x is going to be the more powerful. Then you’ve got like U, H, etc for mobile/laptop processors. These are different classes which usually denote how much watts they are have, 15 watts or 45 watts typically, which means one will give you more horsepower (45 watts) at the expense of more energy and less battery life. H tend to be on Gaming/High end laptops. Intel/AMD trade blows constantly on which processor is "best". But common theme as of late is that Intel uses more power than AMD for nearly the same performance which means worse battery life.
3. With 2 said a Ryzen 7 is going to be better than a Ryzen 5 IF they are in the GENERATION. However, if you are looking at an older generation Ryzen 7 compared to a new generation Ryzen 5 then the newer generation can be as powerful (or more powerful) while using less energy. Which goes back to laptops making it overly complicated as there is a wild amount of variability.
4. The same processor can vary on how powerful it is depending on the laptop. As a laptops design can allow for better/worse cooling/energy used. The cooler a processor is the better as it allows it to stay at max clocks speeds. As it reaches the thermal limit it will start to decrease its performance to generate less heat. But the more robust the cooler the louder and heavier it is. Those with better cooling and allowing more power (as in more watts) will give you higher performance (as again cooler temps paired with more energy for higher performance output) but often lower battery (but the battery may be bigger leading to the same hours of use) and are heavier. Which is where better reviewers than I are helpful as they do real benchmarking and compare to other models. However, I'd argue that for 90% of users these minor power differences aren't going to matter much. As unless if they are a power user (gaming, video editing, coding, doing a million things at once, etc) they won't be pushing the computer to the max where this will come into play.
5. Screen resolution. Personally, I find 4K screens to be a waste on a laptop. As viewing distance are so close you aren’t getting a big benefit and they require more power to use which leads to a big hit on battery life. The screen resolution on the laptop in this video tends to be my ideal (about 1440p). As you are getting the best of both worlds with better sharpness/clarity along without a big hit to power while still being able to not have to zoom in and having more screen real-estate. However, OLED screens use more energy than IPS but look so much better that I’d take that trade 10/10 times. Burn in (where if having a static image for long periods causes that image to scar on the screen) can be an issue with OLED. However, that has mostly been resolved with OLED at this point and they have tech to help prevent that from happening that as long as you are utilizing it shouldn’t be a problem. The laptop in this video having an Intel along with an OLED are two of the main reasons why the battery life on this laptop isn’t great.
6. When you buy a newest generation CPU they can still be getting the kinks out of it. Which means it can give you a bit worse performance and a bit worse battery life but this tends to improve in time as they iron it out.
7. Depending on your own use case having less or more ports can be a good/bad thing. You can always buy an external hub. But the downside of that is those can be expensive and are cumbersome if you are moving around with your laptop a lot.
8. Weight. I use laptops to move around a lot so the lighter the better. But that tends to lead to increased thermals (due to not having room for great cooling) along with less performance (as having a lower end processor that uses less energy along with not as good of a screen will use less energy and give better battery life, while being lighter). Where the heavier laptop the more internals and cooling and all that jazz which tends to me higher performance but harder to move around and less battery life. Which comes down to user choice for what they are using the laptop for.
@@ThomasMuehler Thank you sooo much Thomas! I will keep this because I've learn so much and it makes look at computer with a complete different eye! I appreciate it so much! I will use it for now anyway, only for work which is just a bunch of windows opening and light video editing for online course but I like to make it a bit artistic and all that jazz. I spent hours reading on the different model. I don'T wanna spend more than a thousand as maybe in the future I'll get a desktop like the imac style, was always my favorite but since I travel a lot not so practicle. So Asus seems to be the way to go. I cannot put the links as you say but one is the older design 14x 5401 with the AMD 7800H etc like I wrote and the other that I found now is the 14 so one year newer, but intel. A contact of my mine doesn't trust the AMD so I got all paranoid :/ anyway so I found the intel Core i7 1260-P 512 Go RAM 16Go. So by my understanding kinf of similar in 2 different type of processor, one being newer so might be better but one is the H, the older, so that might come back to equal again. So that will be a matter of choice. The newer is 400 dollars more. That's also in the balance. I just want to make sure I am being logical and I am investing in something I'll be satisfied over some years. When I moved to Cambodia, my computer died in the plane for I don't know what reasons and I got the ACER Swift 3 of 2020 or 2019... In a small village so it was pretty much what I could get.. but now I'd like it a bit better for the next hopefully 4 years to come. So great all your info, I almost like talking about it now ahah Thank you so so much for your time!
@@MajorieRoyal 7800H is going to be slightly better than the 1260P. But they trade blows and are pretty close. For your use case I think either would work. So, I'd watch some reviews and go with which one is rated higher. Also, test it out in store (if possible) and then go with whatever feels best to you. Then go with whatever fits your budget the best.
If you end up getting it I'd love to hear your thoughts on it when it comes in and you've had time to try it out.
@@ThomasMuehler fantastic Thomas ! Thank you so so much! I like that I understand things a little better! I will let you know ok! I should get it this week :)
@@MajorieRoyal I'm excited for you! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Does it allow to set a Hard Disk password in BIOS, to encrypt your SSD drive on hardware level (not Bitblocker) ? If so, is the factory SSD a self-encrypting type?
Great question. You've gone past my level of expertise. If there is a way to check this I'd be happy to. I do know that Windows 11 has more built in security features than Windows 10. So I almost want to say Yes. But I cannot confirm since I don't actually know how to check.
@@ThomasMuehler This is just in BIOS settings. Is there an option like "HDD Password" or "Hard Disk Password" ?
@@freedom7995 In the BIOS if I go to “Permission Settings” I see “Please select set password.” Where UEFI Password Setting is lit up but “Storage Disk Password Setting” is dimmed making me not be able to click it. Even if I put in a UEFI password setting I cannot select the storage disk. I do not see anywhere else that I can do that. Other than the Secure Boot that is required for Windows 11. Does that answer your question effectively?
Hello brother I am planning to buy it with 16GB ram mainly for(student) programming . Should I go for Intel model or AMD model ? Please respond 🙏 😢
Performance wise they are going to be essentially the same with one or the other performing better depending on the task. The Ryzen in general did better overall. But more importantly the Ryzen uses less power meaning you should see better battery life without taking a hit on performance. If I had a choice I'd personally choose Ryzen/AMD over Intel. With that said I have noticed improved battery life on my Intel variant since this review. As it was a new architecture at that time and they have ironed out some issues and made it more efficient than it was previously.
Yo bro, if I'm deciding between Apple MacBook Air M1 vs This Zenbook 14 Oled i5 1240p Which would u recommend
It's a tough choice. I think if I could only have one it would be the Apple Macbook Air M1. As I think structurally it is better, it is about 1 lbs. lighter (2 lbs. total which is insane), very thin, keyboard is better, trackpad is better, battery life is dramatically better (it's actually insane), just as powerful CPU, and I think a more power GPU. Negatives would be MacOS (which is subjective) but isn't as supported as Windows for things (so depending on what you are doing may be locked to one OS system), doesn't have a USB-A port, and while the screen on the Macbook is above average (especially in this price category) OLED is just next level, period and makes such a huge difference.
The only reason why I like this guy over the M1 would be the OLED screen as it really is just so much nicer. And if you prefer Windows. As the battery life is about 6 hours compared to like 10 - 12 if not 15 with the Macbook. I almost never recharge the Macbook where I feel like I'm constantly charging the Asus. I think they keyboard and trackpad are pretty equal (which is rare for me to say on a Windows laptop). So they did a lot of things right.
Best Buy is also releasing the Asus Zenbook 14x OLED Q410 (over the Q409 in this review) which I actually prefer over last years model. As they took a lot of the things that were negatives (issues with bluetooth, hinge, build quality, non-touch screen to name a few) and improved on them. Where I think the extra money on that would be a better buy when it finally releases.
Regardless, what you get I don't think you are making a bad decision as both of these are excellent laptops for the price. But I'd love to hear which one you decide going with and what your thoughts are on it.
So I picked up my own Zenbook 14 OLED as a secondary computer and tinkering laptop and, being a little bored at the time, I decided to throw Linux onto it. Interestingly, I notice that the fan noise reduced significantly, and memory usage sits quite low now as well, compared to Windows 11 being installed on it.... which isn't much of a surprise lol. However, I ALSO noticed that it quick charges much better with Linux installed on it, but I'm not sure if that's a consequence of Linux itself or my power settings and if comparable performance can be achieved through tweaking power options and charge levels in Windows 11, as well. Just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone that could benefit from a little extra information.
Sorry I don't have exact numbers, for the memory and temps, it wasn't something I was focused on when I was playing around with changing the OS at the time.
Interesting. I'm with you in that I would expect the fans to be working less along with lower memory with Linux. As it is a much lighter operating system. But am surprised that it quick charges faster. Also, what did you change for power settings? As I'm not sure what you mean by that.
Increased power can cause improved performance. But there are some asterisks associated with that as multiple variables go into it. Such as some chips only see a benefit at a certain level of power. Also, it increases thermals and if you don't have adequate cooling then you get worse performance as it will thermal throttle. But yes adjusting some of those clocks can provide benefit when done right. But is a slippery slope where you can mess things up if you don't know what your doing and don't test it thoroughly.
Appreciate you sharing your findings/thoughts! Loved reading through it.
Excellent review Thomas! Please could you give me your opinion regarding choice of laptop? I am split between two choices for my next purchase - both are approximately the same price. Firstly, an Asus Zenbook 14 (AMD Ryzen 7 5825U), with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD. It does not have any Thunderbolt ports, but does have a memory card slot, whilst the webcam is 720 HD. Display is a glossy OLED (touchscreen), with 90 Hz refresh rate (would be interested to know if anyone has experienced the 'screen door effect' or 'screen burn' with this display). Bluetooth version is 5.0.
The second choice is the Acer Swift 3 (Intel Core i7 1260P), with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD. It comes with two Thunderbolt ports, no memory card slot, and a 1080 HD webcam. Display is a matte IPS LCD (no touchscreen), with 60 Hz refresh rate. Bluetooth version is 5.2.
I believe the Acer Swift 3 also has twin fans to aid with cooling, whereas the Asus Zenbook 14 only has one fan, which many people claim can get noisy.
I realise that the Acer Swift 3 has the more impressive CPU and so should perform better, whilst the Asus Zenbook 14 has a more superior display and build style. I am more tempted to go for the Acer Swift 3 as performance is more important to me, but it would be helpful to know if you think that the Asus Zenbook 14 would be the better option and why. Finally, it would also be helpful to know which laptop is more likely to last longer, as I don't intend to purchase another laptop for a while after this. Many thanks in advance for your help and sorry for the length of this question!
Before, I answer your question. What is the main use case for your laptop? Like what things are you going to be doing on it? Do you travel with it a lot (as in take it place or is mostly just used in the home)?
@@ThomasMuehlerThank you for your reply Thomas. I will use Microsoft Office (mainly Word, PowerPoint and Outlook), surf the web, watch CZcams videos, whilst I might also complete some light video creation. I will probably take the laptop with me to work everyday (5 days a week), but will not use it on the journey to and from work.
My main criteria for the laptop, is that I would like something which is fast, that can handle multiple apps being open without any 'lag' or 'stuttering'. It would also be good to get something which will give me longevity, as my last laptop lasted me ten years and I wouldn't really want to change my new purchase too soon either. Thanks.
@@user-mg6bl3kf8j This is the laptop that I would recommend you buy (Asus Zenbook 14.5 Q420VA-EVO.I7512): www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-zenbook-14x-14-5-2-8k-oled-touch-laptop-intel-evo-platform-13th-gen-core-i7-processor-with-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-inkwell-gray/6543526.p?skuId=6543526
My reasoning behind that is the one in this review is the Asus Q409. Mine went bad (which was just a fluke and not something to worry about) and so I went through the RMA process and they sent me the newest version the Q410. Which is the best Windows laptop I’ve ever tried. The one I sent you is the same exact laptop that I have, except it has slightly better internals (the bump up in CPU and in RAM). The SSD is a bit disappointing at 512 GB. However, I would recommend you buy a new SSD anyways. As you can buy a superior SSD (faster) at a higher GB for not a lot right now. My recommendation would be the Western Digital SN850x 2TB. Recently I’ve been seeing that at $99 - $130. Or if you don’t use a lot of memory the 1TB would be just fine. That will give you a ton of storage, along with super fast speeds, and from a trusted brand.
The 13700H is going to be faster than both the Ryzen 5825U and 1260p. It will be able to do whatever you want. As it’s quite powerful. The main thing that will hold you back will be the Iris Xe graphics. Which is going to be the case on most laptops. Unless if you go to a laptop with a dedicated graphics card. Which I don’t advise for your use case as there are trades for that.
8 GB is passable currently. But I am a firm believer that laptops shouldn’t even come with 8 GB anymore as that just isn’t enough. I’m currently sitting at 6.9/8 on my Q410 and all I have open is Word, Outlook, and four to five tabs on Edge. So, moving up to 16 GB is the bare minimum for you. If you upgraded more often then 8 GB would again “work” but wouldn’t be advised as it will force you to upgrade sooner rather than later. If you want to keep it for another 10 years then 16 GB is a must. Which has you covered here. I wish companies would stop soldering it directly and instead allow us to upgrade. As I’ll take the reduction in speeds for the ability to increase my RAM amount.
Since I’ve used the Q410 (which is just a slightly downgraded version of the Q420) I know that the keyboard, trackpad, screen, build quality, etc. are excellent. I personally, find this to be something that a lot of reviewers skip over. Instead focusing on the internals (that for the most part are essentially the same). I’ve had a lot of laptops that I hate using because they just feel trashy to use. I look forward to using this Zenbook as the screen is excellent, with it being 14.5 inches and 16:10 it makes it feel huge. But since it has tiny bezels it is still in a small chassis which makes it highly portable. The touchpad is very accurate and satisfying. The keyboard is fun to type on, well spaced, and the backlit keyboard is even. The structural integrity is good being made of aluminum (I believe). I haven’t heard the fans turn on personally, but the temps continue to be good and it has a solid cooling solution for what the laptop is built for. Twin fan solution I believe. It should do light video editing just fine. Light gaming would be fine as well (held back by Iris Xe graphics) and the cooling solution probably isn’t robust enough to fully keep it cool if going all out for long periods. But I could be wrong about that as I haven’t stress tested it. You also can adjust a lot of the settings which not every laptop allows you to do through My Asus. The screen is gorgeous, great for watching media, doing text work (as very sharp), and could do photo work as well seeing as it is pantone certified. I don’t notice any screen door effect. Nor any burn in. OLED displays have come a long way. And this has certain tech in it to help prolong that. I do worry a bit more about the display on this for very long term (10 years) over an IPS. But I think the quality of life with this is better. It also has top of the line ports which will help as time goes by with staying at good speeds. As it has two thunderbolt ports along with a USB-A 3.2 gen 2. So port selection is good. It’s also touch screen which is nice. 120 hertz also makes things more clear and smooth making things feel faster and most responsive. Battery life is 6 - 7 hours. Wish it were more. But that appears to be kind of the average for Windows laptops.
But to specifically answer your original question between the Acer Swift 3 and Aus Zenbook 14. The CPU in the Zenbook is actually superior based on the benchmarks I saw. I can’t mention the build quality as I haven’t tried the Swift. I still think I’d go Zenbook as I’m big on how a laptop feels. I know the Zenbook feels good. I also, think the screen on a laptop is critically important and can make or break you enjoying the device. The Zenbook’s is nearly unmatched at the same price point. But the Acer does look to have 100% sRGB which is good too. The fan could be annoying. I didn’t hear the fan on my like ever. Only when I first setup the device (which is going to be the case with all Windows laptops as when you are first setting it up it is going max power to get everything initialized so the fan is always going hard. But once you get through that setup phase the fan usually goes quiet. Plus you can adjust that in the My Asus app). Touchpads tend to be hit or miss on Windows devices too. This is improving in time. I don’t know how the Acer one feels so can’t say which is better there. As for which will last longer, I’m not sure. If I’m going for longevity I want A. Nice Screen. B. Good build quality. C. Enjoyable experience - meaning good trackpad and keyboard. D. As up to date ports as I can get. In the case of laptops I want Thunderbolt. E. At least 16 GB of RAM. Storage isn’t as important as that can be upgraded. F. Solid processor. The Q420 hits all of those.
Last note regarding webcams. All laptop webcams suck. They should not be something that makes or breaks a decision in buying that laptop. As if you are taking that seriously at all then you’ll need to buy a separate one regardless. With that said the Q420 has Windows Hello for sign in. Which I think is amazing and is another reason why I think that is the better call.
@@ThomasMuehler Thank you for your reply! I really appreciate the effort that you have made to advise a suitable laptop. Unfortunately, I will not be able to purchase the Asus Zenbook that you have suggested as I do not live in the US and so making a purchase from Best Buy is not possible.
It is for this reason, that I have decided to go for the Acer Swift 3, though I realise that the Asus Zenbook 14 is also a great machine. Thank you for your advice and help with this issue Thomas.
@@user-mg6bl3kf8j That’s great news! I’m glad you found your winner. If you care to get back to me, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it once it comes in and you try it out!
I've had this laptop over a week, I love it, but my only complaint is the back-lit keyboard, the row of function buttons, for some reason there is a lot of light bleed out out which distracts from the rest of the keyboard, it does not affect functionality which is to light up the keys but it is disappointing that Asus could make this silly mistake, a shame as its a pretty perfect laptop apart from this!
One of the benefits of being a touch typist is that I don't always keep the lights on my keyboards. Especially, laptops. But looking at mine I completely understand what you're saying and it certainly can be distracting. I find having it on the lowest setting makes it nearly a non-issue where on the brightest setting it is very noticeable. But yes, totally agree. It is unfortunate. But personally, I can look past it seeing as for the price I still think it seriously out performs nearly everything else in is relative price bracket. They did a lot right here.
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in have zenbook and its battery last for hardly 4 hours can you suggest me why is this happening. its been 1 months old only
Unfortunately, intel's power management is not the best. I would argue that for most Windows Laptops they will last for 4 - 6 hours. If you are only getting 4 hours then you'll need to adjust some of the ways that you're using the computer for more energy savings.
1. Turn down screen brightness.
2. Turn down speaker volume or more ideally use earbuds (as they use less energy).
3. Make your power plan on "battery saver" which may make your computer slower as it is using less energy.
4. Don't have the backlit keyboard on.
5. Limit the things that are open on your computer. Quit out of background tasks that you aren't actively using.
6. If you are using a highly demanding program it will go through battery faster. So better to plug in.
7. Go to 60 Hz over 90 Hz for the screen refresh.
8. If watching videos instead of using 4k or 1080p do 720p.
Through some testing you'll be able to better tell which helps a lot and which doesn't matter and be able to find a good middle ground. Unfortunately, if you want fantastic battery life with Windows you need to kind of go out of your way. Or go with Apple.
I got this model today for $499.99. I am blown away for the price! I am not entirely sure how Best Buy (I work for them) managed to sell this for such a low price, but I am not complaining. I have not looked into it, but it has to be at a loss. I love this thing! I have no complaints as of yet. The display is fantastic. It's not great for gaming, but if you have a fast internet connection, it will do just fine with cloud gaming. I have always leaned toward the Microsoft Surface line, but for the price, it blows many other laptops out of the water. I finally found the perfect laptop. I guess the only thing I wish it had was under keyboard audio. Even them, the down firing speakers are pretty damn good. I still get angry when customers come in and say they've never heard of ASUS. 🤦Like... how? ASUS hits the target more often than not, at the risk of sounding like a fan boy.
Yeah, I am truly shocked that it is on sale for $500. I honestly can’t believe it. As like you said it’s a tremendous machine, even at retail much less $500. That is surprising that not more people have heard of Asus as they tend to be a pretty major brand. That’s interesting.
@@ThomasMuehler Not even kidding. They usually mistake it for Acer, and I'm like... Acer has made some solid products, but don't confuse the two. I have absolutely no idea why this model isn't sold out yet. Like... dumbfounded. Even at $750... OLED laptops are usually above $1,000 and I can't really find anywhere ASUS cut corners on this laptop. Yeah, the processor isn't high end, but I currently have like 30 tabs open on Edge (including CZcams) and have not noticed any lag. And yeah, the screen has a plastic bezel, but the metal exists where it actually counts (top, keyboard, and bottom). How did ASUS build a great OLED laptop for so much less than competitors? I wonder if the lack of a touch screen makes a huge difference in price. Isn't that like a standard now? Would it cost that much more to include one? I personally was happy that it did not have one, as it is not a 2 in 1 anyway. No one should expect this to be a gaming laptop, and ASUS didn't market it as such, but damn does it hit all the marks I was looking for when it comes to a secondary, mobile PC. It perfectly compliments my stationary gaming rig.
@@josephlagray9276 You are asking fantastic questions that I had during my review. As I don’t get it. Sure the 12th Gen I5 1240-P isn’t like AMAZING. But the Single Core score is fantastic. Multicore is still punching above average. Unfortunately, the Intel Iris Xe graphics are poor. Like sure you can run some games on it but video editing (while it can be done) struggles a lot because of it. As the CPU does just fine. Also, the 8GB of RAM is too low for that type of workflow. And unfortunately is soldered on (which is probably one reason why it is cheaper). Along with a 256 SSD (Gen 3 over Gen 4) also cuts some money. Last, it only has one SSD slot. Like you said no touchscreen. Battery life (due to Intel 12 Gen using a ton of energy and appears to not be going into a low power state when it should) also suffers (about 6ish hours) when it should be a lot more. But port selection (and the types) are great. Trackpad is great, Keyboard is great. Screen is unreal. Like seriously one of the best I’ve ever seen. It’s lightweight. It has an aluminum body. The 720 p webcam is meh. Speakers to me are above average. Fan for me rarely turns on, isn’t all that annoying, and the machine rarely gets hot. Even when video editing it does well temperature wise. Oh and it has a 90 Hz screen. Like what?! But yeah not good for gaming. But I prefer that as gaming takes a ton of power which is a big trade on battery life, slimness, weight, etc. But to summarize, I think that Asus did a great job by doing the external shell well (ports, screen, keyboard, trackpad, speakers), but then skimped a bit on the CPU/GPU, lower RAM that is soldered in place and not upgradable, a lower end SSD that is low on memory, and only has one SSD slot. I’m bummed at the 8GB as 16GB for this machine would be straight up nuts.
@@ThomasMuehler I agree. I've only had it for a few days, so maybe I'll find some annoyances. I may have jumped then gun on my glowing review. Time will tell. All I know is, at the current price, this is the only laptop anyone should be looking at if they are not expecting portable gaming. Work, school, media consumption, browsing, etc. It's been a real delight doing every single thing other than gaming on this laptop. It's a little crazy to me that Dolby Atmos works so well on down firing speakers, too. Lenovo uses it in the hinge on a lot of models, but ASUS seems to keep up.
@@josephlagray9276 I think you’ll continue to give it five stars. My complaints are only me being nitpicky and I only run into issues when I’m trying to do extremely demanding tasks that I wouldn’t expect laptop like this to be able to perform adequately anyways. Even my gaming laptop doesn’t fully keep up. The only computer that does is my custom gaming pc. I know I still certainly find it to be the absolute best Windows laptop I’ve ever used. And by a significant margin. I compare it very closely to the MacBook Air which is also an incredible machine for the price. Sure it’s technically mid-tier but that doesn’t mean that it’s still not a powerhouse in today’s current age. And I honestly believe you’d have to spend a lot more money to see a significant increase in performance at which point it would probably not justify the price difference. Especially at the $500 price point. So definitely think you made a great choice and I don’t think your opinion will change all that much because mine sure hasn’t and I’ve been using it for months. But if it does I would love to hear your gripes. As you clearly know what you’re talking about.
When is the ASUS ux3402 coming out in the US?
I wish I could provide some answers but I don't know. I would have figured it would have dropped already. I've heard rumors of Quarter 2 but we are moving into quarter 3. I know a lot of laptops for the past few years have struggled to actually get to market simply due to supply chain issues. I'm not sure if this is one of them or not.
How annoying is the reflectiveness of the screen? could an antiglare screen protector help?
Personally, I prefer a gloss finish over matte as I think the increased clarity is worth it. This guy also gets quite bright which helps. I tend to not notice it much. Only if I have a very bright light directly behind it I sorta notice it. It is also kind of wavy (which I don't think is a defect as it looks normal) but this helps cut down on glare as well. As it kind of breaks up reflections. But again, my bias interferes with this assessment. Basically, I don't find it to be an issue. But if you are highly sensitive to this issue, or the place you use the laptop most is not good for this type of screen, it may be best to pass.
As for antiglare screen protector. I have no idea. As I've never used them. So I can't speak to how well that would work or not. But I imagine based on the ones I've tried on my phone that if you can find one it would be beneficial for reducing glare but may reduce clarity and colors.
How did you become a Best Buy tech insider? Is there a certain number of reviews you did before they chose you?
I honestly have no idea. One day I just got an email that invited me into the program. Whatever it was, I'm extremely thankful and blessed for it. And am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I've got to try a lot of cool stuff that I otherwise wouldn't be able to due to it.
Hello! I am between this one and LG Gram 16 16T90P-K.AAE7U1 2in1, i7-1165G7/16 WQXGA IPS Touch/16GB/512GB SSD( 2021 model) at the same price, just for office work use!
Which one would you suggest?
Hard call honestly. I haven't tried the LG Gram so I would be going off the spec sheet over me trying it personally. So keep that in mind throughout. As I find spec sheets for laptops to be essentially useless. As they can't convey how a product actually FEELS to use. It is a good elimination process to see if a laptop has what you are looking for. But to me...
To me the most important thing is how a laptop feels to use. I want something, in order, that has an excellent screen, great trackpad, long battery life, relatively lightweight and not thick, not loud, and has an enjoyable keyboard, with good port selection. Power/performance for me is more secondary. As more or less pretty much all of them are going to be in the same ballpark and if I'm doing something demanding I'm lucky and blessed enough to have a gaming PC that can do all the heavy lifting. The whole reason why I mention all that is this laptop and its newest variant (Asus Zenbook 14x OLED Q410 - over the Q409 in this review) are the only two laptops that I feel like hit nearly all of my checkmarks. The screen is incredible and I have a hard time thinking the LG is going to compete. So 1 point to Asus. Trackpad is really good on the Asus unsure about LG. Long battery life is a fail on the Asus (as to me 6ish hours is "acceptable" but also the norm) and I don't know about LG. Lightweight/Thickness is likely to be almost a tie, unsure on fan noise but for both my models for Asus they tend to not be very loud, keyboard will likley be a wash as those are hard to mess up, Port selection seems to be a slight win to Asus. And you'd have to look up benchmarks for the CPU performance. As I'm too lazy to do that and would imagine they will be pretty darn close.
However, I find the 16 GB to be more future proof and will be better on the LG gram. As things should just be smoother all around for that. But if you are doing basic office work you may not even tap into that. But I think period this is a point to LG.
512 GB SSD on the LG Gram is also better than 256 so another point. I don't know if the LG gram supports Gen 4 ssd or not. Or if you can upgrade it. But I know you can upgrade the Asus one and I think it does support Gen 4. SSD's are also cheap and easy to upgrade. I think the Asus also has a full size one.
Touch is also just nice to have. I tend to forget about it most of the time. But still enjoy having that feature. The new Q410 comes with a touch screen where the Q409 does not. So again, win to LG if that is something important to you.
TLDR and quick summation. I find the most important thing for a laptop is how it feels to use. As a lot of laptops to me just feel like trash and that makes me hate it and want a new one. This laptop and the newest version knock it out of the park in over all feel and the screen is awesome (probably the best you can get especially at this price point) which to me is MASSIVE and cannot be overstated. As you stare at it all the time and it makes media consumption and daily use so much nicer. That I would absolutely sacrifice a bunch of other things for a superior display. I also think the track pad is gold (which again I use all the time if you are a mouse person that doesn't matter as much). In a sentence I enjoy my time on the Asus which makes me want to use it more often and more likely to overlook flaws. I don't know what the LG Gram feels like or how good a screen it has (in reality not on a sheet of paper as I've never found them to be a good representation of specs to real life). Which is the only reason why I am concerned about the LG. As otherwise I think the specs (RAM, Touchscreen) is better on the LG. But not having an HDMI (if you plug into a secondary monitor) can be highly frustrating. But if you can do that with USB-C plug in then great. Which is another thing I like about the Asus as it is thunderbolt USB-C. Also forgot to mention that the 16 inch screen would be nice over 14 inches. But also makes the entire device a lot bigger. And sometimes for portability smaller is better as it is less cumbersome. But again depends on use case. Also, the bezels on the Asus (again unsure of LG) are tiny and the overall footprint is small. The 16:10 ratio also makes it appear bigger and allows you to see more.
I would love to hear which one you go with and your thoughts on it once you try it out.
PS: If you are all the sudden looking at the Q409 vs the Q410 the Q410 is better in every category and the one I would choose and pay a bit more for.
@@ThomasMuehler thank you so much for the extensive and thorough answer! People usually answer these kind of questions by just saying the lap top they prefer so I really didn't expect your answer which is a complete technical analysis! I really appreciate it!
@@user-vs2ug1wp3i Happy to try and help. Hopefully it was beneficial in the decision making process.
Could someone please confirm what screws are used in laptop back? I mean, I have seen T4, T5 or even t6! Thanks.
T4 fits. T5 seems to fit better. T6 is too large. So, my final answer is T5. Assuming the bits I'm using are correct.
@@ThomasMuehler Wow! Thanks for the fast reply. Amazing! Have a great weekend.
@@AngeloRoncallioficial Thanks man you too!
I'm planning to buy the AMD version (UM3402). Do you think the battery life will be better than the Intel version by a considerable amount?
I wouldn't use that word choice ("considerable amount".) But yes, I do think you'll see better battery life. As you get similar performance (sometimes better sometimes worse depends) but use a lot less energy with AMD. If you end up getting it, I'd love to hear the battery life you are getting so I could compare better.
@@ThomasMuehler Thanks! I'll let you know about how the laptop performs once I get it.
@@A1cJ121 Looking forward to it.
@@A1cJ121hi so how is the battery life?
@@ming1436 I didn't get the laptop in the end. Went for a ThinkPad X13 with AMD R7 6850U. Battery life is generally 6+ hours when programming in Visual Studio with about 10+ Microsoft Edge tabs open and Microsoft Teams. Battery life can drop down to 3 Hours when using Adobe Creative Cloud applications, and can go up to 10 Hours when using battery saver with Microsoft Office. Performance is decent. All in all, it is still better than my previous intel 11th gen laptop in terms of efficiency, heat and performance.
"I'm thinking about buying this ZenBook with the same processor as yours, but with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It's also available with an AMD Ryzen 7 5825U. Will it be good for video and photo editing?
I think either processor will be good for video editing. As those come in a lot of higher end laptops that do video editing.
However, I do worry about the graphics card (Intel Iris Xe and whatever AMD's variant is). As depending on what type of video editing you are doing (4K, 8K, effects, green screen, etc.) and how advanced/deep (layers, multiple videos, etc.) of edits you are doing may overwhelm the integrated GPU quickly and turn everything into a slide show and be frustrating to work with.
As while both of these machines CAN do video editing. They are not MADE for video editing. As usually you want a dedicated GPU which is more powerful, usually has more encoders/decoders (which are extremely important), costs a bit more, and significantly impacts battery life. I think the RAM is adequate/acceptable at 16 GB. 8 GB is NOT enough as just sitting on the desktop takes up 5.9 - 6.9 GB. Also, 512 GB can fill up quickly, but can easily be solved with external solutions or just upgrading the internal SSD. For example the WD SN850x 2 TB was recently on sale for $109. So not expensive. And last cooling. Editing can generate a lot of heat. And depending on the laptop it can sometimes not be made to be put on such as severe load for as long of periods which creates higher temps which then throttles the CPU/GPU which then reduces performance, puts more wear and tear, and makes it frustrating to work on. I think the cooling on this laptop is acceptable. I think the newest variant (Q410) has better cooling. And in general wouldn’t worry too much about cooling assuming you are taking good precautions such as using a cooling pad and making sure there is plenty of airflow if you noticed elevated temps.
A bit more on encoders/decoders real quick. One reason why MacBooks do so well (such as the MacBook Air M1) is that they have a lot of dedicated encoders/decoders. Which makes them do video editing better than a lot of Windows Laptops even though their components are more or less equal. So, if you know what type of content you are doing I’d recommend looking up the specs (CPU and GPU) of the laptop you’re looking into to see if it has the encoders/decoders you’d be using.
Last, since I'm blessed to have other alternatives and am impatient, I haven't tried a lot of editing on this laptop (or those with similar specs) so don’t know exactly how good or bad it would be. I’ve done it once or twice and it works. But haven’t had a lot of experience so am unable to give you a lot of nuanced information on exactly how it handles it and the quality of life.
man this laptop sounds like a dream on paper
RIGHT?! It works pretty well in real life too. But at the same time lives up to the $750 price point as well.
Anyone can say me if the battery is better with latest bios updates for Intel i5 version? Thanks!
Really?! I'll have to try it out. Thanks for the update!
How does it compare to a MacBook Air m2?
I'll respond to both your comments with the same comment.
But regarding the processor. Yes, the processor in any of the laptops I mention are going to be just fine for the use case you mentioned (as they are all mid/upper end and will be performing around the same level as the majority of PC’s out there). There are some edge cases that you’d want more powerful. But if you’re in that boat you’re going to be looking at significantly more expensive computers anyways.
As for how this compares to the MacBook Air M2, all the laptops listed below are going to be essentially the same from a performance standpoint. Just some numbers to give a rough estimate of performance.
CineBench R23 Results:
The Apple Macbook Air M1 - 1528/7799 (single core/multicore),
Apple Macbook Air M2 - 1701/8538,
Asus Zenbook Q409 - Intel i5-1240p -1607/8195,
Asus Zenbook Q410 - i5-13500H - 1743/13941
But Macbooks will be performing the same whether on battery or plugged in. Whereas, Windows will lose some performance when on battery. Also, won't have as long of battery life. And be a bit thicker, and heavier on average.
As for other aspects:
Apple Macbook Air M1: (My Recommendation if MacOS):
- 13 inch screen - 16:9 ratio (you’ll have to look up resolution for each of these laptops but they are going to be around the same at ~2560x1440 with similar PPI)
- $750 - $999
- Fantastic build quality (aluminum), lightweight, premium trackpad, great keyboard, accurate screen but not very big and gets adequately bright. Fantastic battery life (12 - 15 hours). My least favorite screen out of the four. But is by no means bad.
Apple Macbook Air M2:
- 15 inch - 16:9 ratio
- “Replaced M1”
- $999 - $1099
- Everything the M1 is but slightly bigger but costs a good amount of money more, mostly for a bigger screen. Slightly different shape.
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Q409 (This Laptop):
- 14 inch - 16:9 ratio
- $550 - $750
- Good build quality. Not as good as the Macbooks as there is more flex and some screen wobble. But isn’t bad. Has a better screen (due to OLED over IPS) but uses more energy. Battery life is going to be about 6 - 7 hours. More ports. Not as thin or lightweight. But good keyboard, trackpad. 90 Hz refresh. At $550 is excellent value. But for $750 I would go with the Q410. In general I would pick the Q410 as I think it is better all around.
Asus Zenbook 14x OLED Q410: (My Recommendation if Windows):
- 14.5 inch - 16:10 ratio
- Replaced Q409.
- $799
- Will be the most powerful PC of these choices when plugged in. Has improved in every category compared to the previous one including all the negatives. Equal build quality to the Macbooks. Even better OLED screen that gets very bright and is much better than any of the other choices in that regard. But OLED isn’t as robust as IPS and could fail faster over time and requires a bit more care. The 16:10 resolution also makes the screen feel al lot bigger without taking up that much more space. I now want 16:10 on all my laptops. As it makes a big difference. 120 Hz refresh makes it feel a lot more responsive and smooth when using, which again makes a noticeable difference. Arguably as good of trackpad as Mac and as good of keyboard. Same 6 - 7 hour battery life as the previous version. Great build quality.
I find the best bang for your buck will be the Q410 or M1, and could go either way. And think the biggest difference here would be the operating system and battery life. Making me lean Apple if you are going to be going to be constantly unplugged as the battery life is significantly longer making you have to worry about charging less often. Also, Apple’s performance is going to be the same plugged in or on battery where with Windows you will lose some performance while on battery over plugged in. If you have only Apple products the Macbook will play nicer
The M2 is a great laptop but find the bump in cost knocks it out of the reasonable price range for what you get and is more of a “luxury” item. Also, with all Mac’s they start too low on base specs. Almost all the laptops in this price range are 8 GB (which should be 16 GB but that’s another topic) and can’t be upgraded later on. But the storage is 256 GB of which is likely not enough for a primary computer. The Q410 comes with 512 GB which I think is adequate and may not need to be upgraded. But Apple’s pricing to upgrade RAM or Storage is beyond excessive and greedy. For perspective, to upgrade the Macbook Air M2 from $256 GB SSD to 2TB it is $800. Comparatively with Windows you can upgrade it yourself for significantly less. For a premium SSD (which will be faster than Mac’s) it will be $119 for 2TB or $300 (recently on sale for $269) for 4TB. Otherwise, you’re stuck with external storage. Which works but isn’t ideal as that is more stuff to buy, keep track of, and carry around. If you choose to upgrade that memory you are also bumping into a totally different price bracket which can change your choice of PC.
But in the end, taking money out of the equation, you can’t go wrong with any of these choices and I’d happily use any of them. But would choose the Q410 over the Q409 unless if money is very tight. I constantly go back and forth between using my Macbook M1 and Q410 and still can’t pick a winner as it really comes down to my mood that day. As everytime I use them I am just blown away at how good they feel to use. But with the Macbook’s being thinner, lighter, and having better battery life (baring storage) they just simply can’t be beat when it comes to on the go. But if I were watching a lot of content on them as well the Q410 will be the best followed by the M2.
Wow, that turned out to be a lot longer than I meant it to be. I’d love to hear your choice. Even if it isn’t one of the four I listed.
Is this the same as the UX3402? Seem very similar
I believe so. I think the one in this review has a different CPU, SSD, and RAM but otherwise is the same. Where the UX3402 comes with 16 GB of RAM 512 SSD, I7-1260P over 8 GB, 256 SSD, and I5-1240p. I'd personally go with the upgraded RAM and SSD. But that comes down to use case and price tag.
hello, my zenbook 14 oled always creaking if i open the lid, and carry the laptop, is ur laptop creaking the same way too? Thank you
If my lid is open then my base does creak. But I believe the creaking is due to the aluminum (or whatever the metal is) moving around and is not the actual motherboard or anything moving. When I move my hinge when it is open there is also some creaking as well. Which does give me more concern. But again, think this is just the aluminum as if I don't even move my screen and press on the back of it I get the same noise.
Hi, can you please tell me how is the keyboard? Is it too hard or loud?
I really enjoy the typing experience on it. It is quiet not loud. There is a good amount of travel but not too much travel. Keys don't require a lot of actuation force. They are also kind of concaved (very mildly) that helps you be more accurate when typing. It isn't quite as good as the my MacBook AIr but is very close. Definitely one of the better laptop keyboards I've tried. I don't think you'll have an issue.
@@ThomasMuehler Thank you so much Thomas for such a detailed answer. Really appericate your help.
@@nafees021 If you end up picking it up I'd love to hear your thoughts on the keyboard.
difference between UX3402ZA-KN278W and - UX3402ZA-KM216W?
I didn't look them up as I figured that is something you can do since your interested in them both. My assumption is sometimes based on region and/or retailer it can have different numbers. Along with different specs/colors.
Beautiful brother
Is 13th Gen more efficient than 12th gen intel? Is it comparable to ryzen 6000 series? I am planning to get this laptop with 13th gen i5 and I am worried about battery life. Any suggestions?
I'd verify this information just to make sure it is all accurate. But from my experience and research Ryzen continues to do better at power efficiency while providing similar performance. I’m going to be using fabricated numbers here to make my point. Every year, the newer generation chip on average tends to be more power efficient than the previous generation. However, they usually last just as long (say 6 hours on 12th and 6 hours on 13th gen). However, the 13th gen would be more powerful (say scores a 10,000 over 9,000 from the 12th). Which is where the “power efficiency” comes in. I get better performance for the same amount of time.
This laptop has 12th gen. I think the motherboard died on it (as it won't boot) so I went through the RMA process and got the newest one (Q409 vs Q410) which comes with the 13th Gen Intel i5-13500H (vs 12th gen i5-1240p). the “P” line tends to be higher end where the “H” line tends to be enthusiast. However, looking at specs they are essentially the same with the exception of “P” using 28 watts compared to 45 watt with the “H”. Basically, my point here is that this isn’t a “fair” comparison. As it not only is between two different generations (12th gen compared to 13th gen) but two different classes (“P” lineup vs “H” lineup). The increase in performance doesn’t seem to be all the significant (from my limited benchmarking or looking at the spec shet), maybe 5 - 25% depending on task (probably an average of 10%, but in normal real-world usage I don’t notice a difference). But battery life has continued to be the same. At about 6 hours give or take an hour based on what I am doing (with less if I am doing something highly demanding with high brightness or more if I am limiting brightness, what I’m doing, and power saving options). Which to me is “acceptable” battery life.
If you are truly wanting great performance and battery life MacBook’s are the way to go. As their energy efficiency along with power is nothing short of amazing. As they have the SAME performance when plugged in versus unplugged on battery. Whereas, Windows (whether AMD or Intel) tends to be about a 20 - 30% decrease in performance on battery compared to plugged in. Also, battery life is dramatically shorter (I think 6ish hours for Windows is pretty average with normal use - not the BS battery benchmarks that aren’t indictive of normal use or their spec sheets) whereas with my MacBook Air I easily get >10 probably closer to 15 hours. Honestly, it is so good that I charge it so rarely that I don’t even have a good grasp on how long it lasts because it is never plugged in. I just know I can use it all day without any issues. With that said the M1 compared to the 1240P is about the same performance. Whereas the 13500H has slightly better performance (about 5% on battery and maybe 25% on power multicore but same/similar single core). Graphics are going to be better on Mac over the Iris Xe which is really showing its age. With all that said, unless if you are a power user I don’t think you’ll notice the difference in power between any of the CPU’s. And the only time you would see a difference as a power user would be mostly during exporting or similar.
A quick summary of battery life from what I’ve noticed from my personal testing and what I see in reviews most of the time. Is that Ryzen tends to be better than Intel in TDP. Typically, I get about 6 - 7 with Ryzen and 5 - 6 with Intel at the same or similar performance. Whereas, Mac I get 12 - 15 hours. Which I think are also the averages most people get with their machines with normal use (not doing special things to increase battery life or video only tests, etc.). Which means if you are doing Windows that’ll you’ll need to top off during lunch or during a class if a student. If you buying a “gaming laptop” which is anything I consider coming with a dedicated GPU. Your battery life will be 3 - 4 hours if you’re lucky. But supposedly some of them allow you to turn off the dedicated GPU and just use the CPU which should put battery life to be the same as what I mentioned above as all these numbers are without dedicated GPU’s. However, I haven’t tried that personally as my gaming laptop doesn’t have that option (Dell G15).
@Thomas Muehler Thanks for your detailed answer. I think I better wait for 14th gen then. I would love to buy Zen 4 chips, but it's unavailable.
@@ZAPNEP I think the chip shortage we have been having globally is improving. So, fingers crossed that some of those will start to release here soon. A Dell Inspiron 2 in 1 i7435 (at Best Buy) is out with I think Zen 4 (AMD Ryzen 5 7530u).
@@ThomasMuehler I think 7530u is technically Zen 3 chip with a Vega gpu. I would at least expect 7535 (zen3+) or 7040 (zen4).
@@ZAPNEP That would make sense as it has got LPDRR4 RAM. I'm not as in the know for laptop CPU's. As I tend to focus more on Desktop. So, I appreciate the correction.
As I see laptops as more of a secondary computer. Where you buy a more affordable one that you can travel with and do more minor stuff. Then spend more money on the desktop as they are dramatically more powerful for a lot less money. But if you travel I could see the benefits of having a beastly laptop.
Hi, someone knows if the new version, with 512GB, i5 13 Gen, and more battery 90wh has issues ? The screen is bigger 14.5 , and it's heavier too 3.5 lbs against 3.0 lbs from the 12 gen version
I actually have the newest Q410 model. It's an improvement all around and I don't have any issues with it. I like it a lot better than the Q409. I will be doing a review on it here soon. I just need to write it up and record, edit, upload it. As for the battery. Unfortunately, it is about the same at around 6 - 7 hours with normal use. But the CPU is a good bump. Better build quality, they fixed a lot of the old issues, and the screen is better.
@@ThomasMuehler thanks for your feedback, I just purchased the $999 i7 13 Gen 16gb ram. Sorry my English, I am from Brazil here.
I was looking for samsung galaxy book 3 too , but it was 50% more expensive. It will be my first asus notebook. My last brands were lg, HP and huawei.
@@danilos7195 Your English is just fine. That's awesome that you're from Brazil!
We don't have Huawei in the US. But I've heard good things. LG and HP are also solid. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this guy once you get it in and try it out if you remember.
I still confuse which asus zenbook should i buy? I want to use for graphic design, editing, some gaming
If you are going for graphic design, editing, and gaming then you're going to want to go with a model that has a dedicated graphic card. Not one that is paired with the CPU. Also, you'll want at least 16 GB of RAM. Ideally an SSD with at least 1TB of storage. But you'll likely be sacrificing battery life for that. Currently the newest MacBooks (with one of the M1, M2, M1 Ultra, etc processors) tend to be great for this as they pair everything (trackpad, keyboard, screen, sound, heat, battery life, performance etc.) together better than almost all of the competition. But also expensive AF. But laptops in general these days are very expensive. But you can get away with a cheaper laptop assuming you aren't doing hardcore graphic design, editing, and gaming. It's hard to explain well. But there tends to always be a trade when it comes to laptops.
This Q409 model reviewed is the Best Buy exclusive version of the UX3402. I highly recommend the UN5401 Ryzen 6000 Series ASUS Zenbook Flip 14 OLED. That dual-fan 2-in-1 variant addresses almost all of the common complaints about the Q409.
You get 16GB of faster 6400Mhz LPDDR5 memory (vs. 8GB of 4800Mhz LPDDR5), 1TB of storage (vs. 256GB), touch version of the 2.8k 90Hz 16x10 OLED screen (vs. non-touch), a _much_ faster Radeon 680M iGPU (vs. Iris Xe 80EU on half of slower memory), more powerful/battery-friendly Ryzen 7 6800H CPU (vs. Core i5 1240P), far better cooling (vs. bare bone single fan solution), laptop sleeve, ASUS stylus, and USB-A to Gigabit RJ45 dongle included (vs. no accessories). It has the hardware for USB4, which will be enabled later via BIOS update when ASUS gets around to it. The hard gorilla class on the touch screen also makes the panel a lot stiffer than the Q409/UX3402 so there is less screen flex. I gladly pay the $450 difference for all that.
Dimensions and weight are identical to the Q409 except the UN5401 is slightly thinner. I got one at Amazon for my girl's birthday. It turns out to be so good I want one for myself. It's a superb general purpose machine.
@@stevenliu1377 Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention. Very helpful. Agree, assuming the same quality (as the specs compared to the actual product can differ when it comes to laptops) this would be the one that I would prefer to get. As the extra RAM, Storage, and Touchscreen would be an upgrade. Add that to Ryzen (now the 6000 series over the 5000's series) and that is even better. As AMD tends to be a lot less power hungry and better for the battery.
does the ssd slot fit a 80mm ssd?
Yes, it will fit a 2280 NVMe SSD. Which is what it comes with. Pretty sure I cover that (or at least you can see it under the metal shield) during my teardown of it during the review.
I just got mine with amd ryzen 5 series and amd radeon graphics, 16 ram, I hope amd is better than intel 5 or 7
In laptops I much prefer Ryzen. So, I think you got the right one.
Do you recommend it for editing videos?
No. Iris Xe graphics is showing it's age and isn't very powerful. For very basic editing it should suffice (1080p single timeline, no big edits, basic). But when I was trying to edit on it doing basic 4k it was slow, crashed multiple times, and export time was slow. Granted that was against my main gaming/editing desktop PC which is going to be significantly more powerful. But I found the Apple Macbook Air M1 did a lot better for editing. Along with my Dell G15 5515 with 3050 TI and Ryzen CPU (that I forgot the name of off the top of my head). But those don't have nice of screens. But otherwise I would say are superior. And around the same price especially when on sale.
Thanks, you helped me so much with your opinion, you got a new subscriber
I was actually doubting on buying this one or an m2 MacBook Air, but just saw that the m3 is coming out next month
@@galmitech Welcome to the family GalmiTech. I'm happy you are here.
If you remember whatever laptop you go with I'd love to hear which one and your thoughts on it, along with how it does with photo editing. As I get this question semi-often so getting good alternatives would be nice. I won't be buying the M3 as I just can't afford it. So getting your opinion if you get that would be greatly beneficial to me.
Do you think this is a good laptop for a new college student?
Yes, I do. I think it’s an excellent laptop as it does pretty much everything right. The only negative is the battery life is about 6ish hours meaning you may need to plug in during one of your classes (which isn’t a big deal). But 10/10 for multimedia. Excellent keyboard and trackpad. Lightweight, good design, thin, easy to travel. Definitely. Especially, at $500 at Best Buy (todays the last day)
bro, this is so hard choosing among this and macbook AIR m2,
what should i get as an uni freshman duddeeee, give me some words haha
I would hold off for now. And wait until the reviews come in for the new m2 MacBook Air. As it is a bit more expensive and currently I’m not sure if the upgrade is worth it. As the M2 MacBook Pro isn’t worth it. So the trend is concerning but will likely vary with the Air. As it tends to be. Since my channel is too small so i can’t buy it and test it myself. My MacBook Air M1 is simply the best laptop i’ve ever owned. I love it and highly recommend it if you like MacOS. So at the very least the M1 will be a stellar choice. The M2 may be better but will be a lot more expensive. As you can often find the M1 on sale for $800 or $900. I got mine for like $800. So is it worth the possible dramatic amount of money more? Only you can decide. I would love to hear what you decide.
Between this and the MacBook easy win to the MacBook. This is a fantastic machine but the MacBook is just simply better in almost every category except for the screen.
@@ThomasMuehlerI way appreciate it bro
MacBook all the way!
I may be too late depending on when you read this. But this PC is on sale at Best Buy (sale ends July 4) for $500 and for that price I don't think it can be beat. So depending on your finances and what you're feeling it may be worth picking it up for that price.
@@ThomasMuehler dude it stopped being on sale, i Almost copped it . Way excited for the mac and let see if i can be quick for the midnight or not
You know if the battery's replacable?
I know you can remove the battery. Which makes me assume that yes you could. But I didn't look to see if you could buy the battery. If you need the battery model you can hopefully see it during the "teardown" part of this video. Then google search it.
somehow this display has only around 9000:1 contrast ratio info sourced from many other reviewer, is that true mate?
Can I have a link or title for that? As I'd like to check it out myself.
I don't have anything to objectively measure so I could be wrong about this. But I think he measured incorrectly. As A. It's OLED. By definition it means it can turn on/off every pixel and should have "unlimited contrast". B. To my eyes the blacks are always PERFECT with zero blooming. Due to it being OLED. C. It has a ton of certifications which I don't think it could get if it was only 9,000:1. But I'd have to look more closely at the certifications and again could be wrong. I'll have to research it some more. But again that doesn't make sense to me based on what I know about OLED and tech.
I seeee you dude, look I also think that it is way shitty but I haven't been so aware of these display stuff so I asked you out
have a look at this, Vietnamese reviewers
czcams.com/video/07jJwda1tzI/video.html at 5:44
in addition, he said that he hadn't assessed the display as a high quality one at all experiencing 30000-40000 : 1 Oled before which sounds quiet weird to me asus says its 1mil:1 right?
@@nguyenvo6823 I checked out the video. Thanks for sharing. I'm a moron so I don't speak Vietnamese. I do have a friend that does that was nice enough to try and translate. But since she speaks a different dialect it wasn't the best translation. Looks like he said that the contrast ratio was 9401:1 but higher end OLED screens he has tested tend to be around 30,000 - 40,000. None of which makes sense to me. As that isn't how OLED screens work but is how other types of screen’s work. Since I can't watch the video from start to finish with a good understanding, I can't make a good opinion on his knowledge. From my research EVERY OLED panel that I've ever seen has "infinite" contrast ratio (inf:0) as the pixel itself turns off making it perfectly black with zero light bleed. Perhaps if the LED itself has a greyish color over a black color it could read differently and appear greyer over black. Asus does report 1 million to 1 ratio. Which I think is the same thing but with an actual numerical value attached. The screen also isn't "perfect" but I easily consider it higher end. IPS screens tend to be around 1,000:1, most VA screens are like 3,000 - 5,000:1. TVs tend to be a lot higher due to additional processing that I won't get into as we are already getting a bit complicated. Anyways, for QLED, LED, LCD, they all have different contrast ratios that vary greatly based on the quality of the panel and the tech that it is using. Where OLEDs are consistent (in contrast ratio, not so much brightness and color accuracy) where it is always unlimited/infinite. Regardless, even 9401:1 contrast ratio for a laptop would be considered great (in my opinion) as most laptops’ screens tend to be less than 1,000:1 being around 500:1 or 700:1. He also reported the max nits to be 400 where I believe it is actually closer to 500 - 550. Making me wonder if something is wrong with his panel. There was a lot of technical jargon in this comment that I apologize about. Watching his video his screen also appears to be a bit washed out. Not sure if that is due to the camera setting or if for some wild reason, he has a different panel inside it. Or if he has a defective panel or he changed settings on the panel itself where the OLED function (of turning off each pixel) isn't happening and instead producing a darker grey color for black which is messing up the contrast ratio. If that makes sense.
Last note. Manufacturer contrast ratios tend to be a massive stretching of the truth. In the case of Asus reporting 1 million to 1 is probably actually correct. Again, due OLED being infinite. But if you go to Samsung and look at most of their TV's since they are QLED they will put some ridiculous number that tends to not be correct in real world testing with settings someone would actually use. I mostly trust RTINGS . com in their measurements for TVs. They don't do laptops (as far as I'm aware) but they would be a good resource to check out if you are wanting to see more about all that.
@@ThomasMuehlerway good for an answer as you are fire bro, thanks, appriciate it
MBP 14" base model or this one?
I think the MacBook Pro is a better computer but it is also like 3x the price. So it isn't really a fair comparison. I think it also depends on what your use case is, how much exposable income you have, and how often you use it. As clearly the MBP is superior but that doesn't make it the best choice. As if all you do is search the web then the Zenbook will be more than enough.
The screen quality here is going to be a tough battle. As the Zenbook has a ton of certifications and is OLED. The Apple one is also no slouch. I think the Pro model has 120 Hz Promotion compared to 90 Hz.
Trackpad will be better on the Apple. As well... it's Apple and they have the best trackpads out of anyone. However, I still find the Zenbook to have one of the best I've tried on Windows and tend to be quite picky about them.
Speakers will be better on the MacBook.
Battery life will be dramatically better on the MacBook.
Overall build quality will be better on MacBook. Zenbook does have an aluminum frame and feels well put together but could be better.
Apple's silicone will also be more powerful.
@@ThomasMuehler Thank you very much for your detailed and professional answer! Thank you. The truth is that, after several months, I don't quite like the MacOs system. I suspected that the MBP 14" (I own one) is much better in several aspects and I know that I'll miss many things, and I have been looking for a Windows to match if for weeks.
@@hicks5828 Yeah MacOS can take some getting used to for sure. I recently got a MacBook Air M1 and have had to learn the OS and while I think I'm doing pretty good at this point it was rough going for a while and I still run into things that frustrate me seeing as I've used Windows for many years.
I haven't had the pleasure of testing out too many higher end Windows Laptops so don't have any specific recommendations. But do know a lot about the tech that runs them. I think this is an excellent windows machine that will work great for 90% of people. And the price is going to be hard to beat for the quality that you get. You can find more powerful windows laptops but it is hard to find the whole package which I think this laptop delivers on. Again, especially for the price.
If you end up getting it. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
lol i liked how you started praising the laptop in the first minutes of the video then roasting it 🤣
I try to keep things as unbiased as I can. lol
Can this play the sims 4? I’m looking for a laptop that will let me play sims 4 and won’t break the bank.
Just to be overly clear it certainly is not a gaming laptop. However, Sims is a pretty low resource game which means I think it could work. I'd imagine 30 - 40 FPS at low maybe medium settings.
I'd test it but I can't. As recently it had some critical failure and will not longer boot. That doesn't prevent me from recommending it (as it is covered under warranty) and also is an exceedingly rare thing to happen. I think the CPU broke which is the first time that has ever happened to me in my life. And I haven't seen anyone else with that issue. Plus that would be a Intel thing not an Asus/this laptop thing. But I'm still going through testing/RMA for it so cannot confirm. But wanted to let you know in case that makes you not want to go down this road.
Is this laptop good enough for 4k 8bit video editing?
No/Yes.
Will you be able to do it. Yes. Will it be a positive experience. No. Will you have frequent crashes. I certainly have with Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop. Along with a lot of slow downs and long export times.
Despite the screen. This machine isn't built for that. While the CPU is powerful enough for it. The integrated GPU is NOT. 8 GB is also not enough RAM. So you've got too many bottlenecks that make the experience poor. But again, if you are a masochist then yes it will technically work. I just don't recommend it.
@@ThomasMuehler I am curious, did you ever try any other video editing software besides the Adobe Premiere Pro since you were having such issues with it?
@@oprime Great question. I did NOT. As I don't have access to anything else and since I'm a poor CZcamsr money is very tight.
@@ThomasMuehler Thanks for answering. I was just was curious since there are free video editors out there(plus demo versions) which would help with any money issues. I wonder if it was ram issues, drivers, or something else that caused the crashes for you.
@@oprime Very good points that if I'm honest I didn't think of. lol
I honestly don't know. I think it is a RAM issue. As 8 GB for video editing just isn't very much. Also, the Iris Xe graphics is weak.
Soooo, stangely enough, I have a shitty Ryzen 3 laptop with 8 GB RAM and it handles like 4 to 5 open tabs on MS Edge well enough. Never tried doing that with Chrome, in fact, I don't like Chrome that much.
Maybe if you try using Edge you'll have better luck.
I appreciate the recommendation!
I've actually been using Edge a lot more because it uses less battery and is less resource intensive. Also, has some features that I really enjoy so I feel you.
This CPU is a beast and can easily handle everything I throw at it. Not like super hardcore stuff but normal stuff is easily doable.
The 8 GB isn't terrible either. Just these days 16 GB tends to just make things a lot more smooth. But with normal use I don't run into any issues.
Plus it has gotten a few updates since it came out which has improved it a lot. Battery life still isn't as good as Ryzen. But has improved a bit.
Anyone upgrade the SSD. I called Asus was was told max 512, 2nd call stated not upgradable.
They are incorrect. Someone in my comment section said they put in a 1 TB Gen 4 SSD in place of the original and it worked just fine and was supported. Which is also what I would guess as on the product page it says it goes up to 1 TB. But I didn't actually read that in any user manual so I could be wrong. But don't think I am but do think it maxes out at 1 TB.
I did put in a 1TB WD Black and it worked fine.
@@jamescronin5987 Appreciate the confirmation!
Please review on asus zenbook 14x oled 13500H q410VA 8gb ram 512gb ssd
I've actually got one and have been planning to do a review on it. Just haven't had the time to sit down and record the video. I'll try and get that done this weekend.
@@ThomasMuehler i want to buy that one as a it student for coding casual editing and no gaming. What's your suggestion?
@@ashim844 I like it a lot. It takes everything that I liked about this laptop and improves on it. The processor is faster. The screen is nicer. Better cooling. But it continues to have a lot of the same issues. Such as 8GB to me is just not acceptable in 2023. As at the desktop with nothing running I'm sitting at 5.9 GB. Which makes me slightly concerned about longevity. If you can get the 16 GB RAM version I would. You can always upgrade the SSD at a later point. Otherwise, I really don't have any complaints off the top of my head. It also comes with a touchscreen. So excluding the RAM it would be great for coding, casual editing, and limited gaming (as cooling isn't made for heavy gaming, nor is the included Iris Xe graphics that are on the one in this review). But yes, I think it would be a great choice for you but would spend the little bit extra and get teh 16 GB ram version which I think they offer.
@@ThomasMuehler thank you for your suggestion.
And what's your view onACER SWIFT 3 SF314-512-518J i5 1240p processor 16gb | 512ssd.
Personally, I find that laptops are more than their specs. As if I'm being frank the mass majority of laptops (in associated price brackets and even then) are going to perform relatively the same. As the CPU, GPU (sorta), tend to be about the same. With more expensive laptops tending to have better touchpad, keyboard, build quality, ports (sometimes), screen, weight, and other quality of life improvements. Over increased performance. There is some naunce here. But I think that nuance only becomes important for power users or those who have a very specific niche that they need filled. My point here is that I haven't tried this laptop. I don't know how it feels to use which to me is a huge component on what makes a good laptop. Which is why I like the Asus Zenbook Q409 and Q410 as they feel great to use. As does the Macbook Air.
But to go more in-depth. The i5-1240p I think is the same that comes in this laptop in this review. It's a solid CPU. The 13500 in the Q410 is better. Same Irix Xe graphics. The display on this is going to be a lot worse. 1080p LED instead of OLED. Worse colors, not as good of brightness (probably, didn't look specifically), way worse contrast. I don't think it is 120 Hz instead 60 Hz. Definitely a big difference there. Yes 16 GB of RAM is good. 512 GB SSD is about the same. Same wireless. Personally, I'd go with the Q409 or Q410.
This is the spec bump of the Q410. Has improved processor, 16 GB of RAM. $200 bump is a lot. Which is frustrating. But I do think getting a laptop that is really good and that you'll like a lot is worth the premium. It is DDR5 memory (compared to the Acer you sent me) which is going to be faster.
www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-zenbook-14x-14-5-2-8k-oled-touch-laptop-intel-evo-platform-i7-13700h-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-inkwell-gray/6543526.p?skuId=6543526@@ashim844
The soldered RAM and lack of ports are a dealbreaker for me
Unfortunately, that is the way the entire market is trending. Where it is hard to find laptops (especially, in this price range) that have more or better ports. Or non-soldered RAM. I think the port selection is acceptable personally. But I'll take the minor performance hit for non-soldered RAM 10/10 times. As that is really the only thing that holds this laptop back from being amazing is only having 8 GB of RAM.
watching video on my shtt screen laptop "WOW! that screen looks amazing!"
Lol I can totally sympathize. That’s why I was so impressed with this guy. It really is gorgeous.
@@ThomasMuehler it's interesting how you can tell even while watching from a crap screen 😂
@@eonreeves4324lol
Unable to buy i7+16+512 in the US now?
I have not seen it available anywhere yet. I'm not sure if that is due to supply chain issues due to COVID or not. But I know that has been a big issue in the past year or two.
@@ThomasMuehler thanks for replying
@@ArrivalheRe Happy to try and help. I'm hopeful it will be available soon.
just nabbed one of these for 550 - literally an insane deal
I'm excited for you. That is an insane deal. Can't go wrong at that price.
Why is the battery life that worst..I mean 75wh capacity is huge! Maybe win11 has still battery issues
Excellent point. I totally agree. I think with 12th Gen being BRAND NEW that they are still working out a bunch of kinks. As that tends to be the case when you are working with brand new architecture. As it happens every time a new architecture releases. So, I'm sure as time goes on the battery life will improve as the software/firmware improves. I don't think it is necessarily Windows 11 (as my Ryzen laptops have great battery life) but more Intel 12th Gen. Intel has also been known to use a lot more energy than Ryzen (which is where they get a lot of their performance increase from among other things). It could also be a mixture of Intel 12th Gen and Windows 11. Also, not sure if the OLED screen plays a part. If anything I would expect an OLED panel to give you more battery life as it can turn off or dim individual pixels. But maybe that takes more energy? I don't know enough about the nuances of the tech to be sure.
Thomas Muehler Thanks for the fast reply. Hopefully they gonna fix this Problem.
@@elementx8046 Totally agree. As 6 hours of battery life is acceptable. But this laptop would be even better if it were closer to 10 - 12.
@@ThomasMuehler I decided to pick up a p16s 6850U Thinkpad after trying out a Dell Inspiron 5420 that seemed as hot as a toaster due to its 1255U i7. My new Thinkpad has a 2560 x 1660 IPS display that uses less power than an OLED screen. note: I made this choice because I love my MacBook Pro M1's display a lot; it's an IPS screen that rocks; thus, I forgot about OLED. I also went AMD since there seems to be general agreement that AMD rocks at low TDP; Intel rocks at higher TDP and, yeah, AMD graphics (680M) leave Intel in the dust!
@@mn1233 Solid reasoning. I would agree that AMD appears to be able to run at a lower TDP while still providing similar performance yet at lower power which is definitely better when it comes to battery life. I would love to hear what you think about the thinkpad once you get it in and test it out.
Nothing like Crab Rave to really test computer speakers
If it is good enough for Linus Tech Tips it's good enough for me. lol
Сколько держит заряд?
Около 5-6 часов обычного использования. Это с экраном на 50%, подсветкой клавиатуры, сбалансированным профилем для батареи. С несколькими открытыми веб-страницами, электронной почтой, просмотром видео и исследованиями.
Should i go for zenbook 14 16 gb ram or m1 air 8 gm ram?
Personally, I also have the MacBook M1 and I use it 95% of the time as it is just better. It feels more premium all around, better trackpad, better keyboard, no fan so it is silent all the time, battery life is unreal, screen isn't as good but still better than most laptops, thin profile, lightweight, USB charging, attractive design, and plenty of power for my tasks (web browsing, media watching, writing/word documents, other work stuff. It can do video and photo editing as well but not as good as some of the other competition which isn't to say it is bad just that there is more to the equation there). I don't run into any RAM issues with the M1 despite me having multiple things open all the time. I think MacOS deals with it a bit better (since it is built as a whole to work with each other perfectly where Windows isn't). But I'd also say I'm not doing highly demanding tasks on it as that is what my Gaming/Editing Desktop machine is for. But while I love this Zenbook, I much prefer my MacBook M1. Especially, becuase I have a lot of other Mac products so am pretty deep in the Apple Ecosystem. I also don't mind MacOS.
But with all that said, laptops come down to personal preference and can depend highly on what YOU are using it for on a regularly basis. I think for most users a MacBook Air is easily sufficient. If you are a power user still arguable as the M1 chip is impressive and I think the CPU/GPU combo of the M1 beats most Windows based CPU/GPU combos (but I'd research this more depending on use). But the RAM could become an issue.
@@ThomasMuehler thank you for your response
I want to use it for pramming and college
Would you recomand it even tho i m not in the apple ecosystem?
@@stelicarostogol5264 Don't need to be in the Apple Ecosystem. It just adds some functionality.
I think you'll notice a lot of people tend to use Mac's for Programming/College. Which means I think it would be a great option.
I was using this laptop last night to watch some videos and do some basic work. And the screen is truly amazing on it. Especially, for media. The text is super crisp which would be good for programming. I'm not sure if the Zenbook you are talking about with 16 GB has the same OLED screen or not. As this only comes with 8 GB and if it doesn't come with the OLED screen for sure MacBook. I will say though that the MacBook is still the overall winner. I used that for a short while last night as well and definitely enjoyed everything else a lot better other than the screen. Meaning I think the MacBook is still the best buy as you get the whole picture. The Zenbook if you plan on doing a lot of media watching will be a better choice. But the biggest con of the Zenbook is the build quality isn't as good (body creaks) and battery isn't as good.
@@ThomasMuehler So the zenbook oled doesn t worth the extra 400 euros ?(1200 euro zenbook,800 macbook)
@@stelicarostogol5264 Can I get the link of the laptop you're looking at? The OLED.
Damn I’m too late for the 500$ deal , does anyone know when it will be 500 again?
I'm not sure when it will happen. But I've seen it go on sale for $500 - $600 on a semi-regular basis. Like several time since I've done this review. With the most recent being like two weeks ago.
Just FYI on sale for $550 at Best Buy as of me checking today (01/06/23).
@@ThomasMuehler hey I bought it a few days ago thx for the review btw it’s been good laptop
@@KAB-43 I'm glad you were able to pick it up and you are enjoying it.
great
Love your name!
MX550 version of this is like.... 2-3x as good as Iris XE. There's also an i9 version.
Of this particular computer? Or are you talking about a different one? As I haven't seen any info on the I9 or it coming with a discrete GPU.
@@ThomasMuehler see the Space edition of this one, it does infact have i9
@@kiyoshimatsutsuyu1931 Ah yes, the space edition I would consider to be a different model. But it does have higher end specs for sure!
MX450 in last year's model absolutely blows away current Iris Xe graphics; now we have the MX550 in both the space model (i9) and some i7/512gb versions... Wish they'd have put the MX570 with 3gb or 4gb of VRAM, though.
These laptops have 90 hertz displays, so halving resolution to 1440x900, you should be able to get 60 to 90 frames per second with normal settings on some lower games
@@kiyoshimatsutsuyu1931 Yeah, I was incredibly disappointed with Iris Xe. Especially, with how much hype was around 12th gen which has mostly been disappointing (mainly due to the extreme power draw).
That is one thing I really like is that it is 90 Hz. Along with OLED which makes them excellent for gaming. Except for the GPU and lack of cooling which is gamings kryptonite.
Its not Aluminum chassis ??
I think I made a mistake in my review. It didn't appear to be aluminum but I DO believe that it is.
@@ThomasMuehler Thanks 🙏 one more question, since this review is a month old, so my question is, Is it running smoothly now or are you facing problems? I am asking this because it is selling on BestBuy for $499
@@Dr.Souvik I just updated the Pinned comment on this review that I suggest you check out. But no, it's running incredibly well and I absolutely love it. It's simply the best Windows Laptop I've ever used (and I'm highly critical). Especially, for $500 you won't find a better machine. Period. Buy it NOW as that sale is coming to an end today and is worth every penny (and I almost NEVER say that). If you pick it up I would also LOVE to hear your opinion on if you think I was on the mark or not. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Again, especially for that price.
@@ThomasMuehler Thank you for the reply, I have also read the pinned comment and I have decided to wait for a 2 in 1 on prime day deals. 🙏
Can i play forza horizan on this laptop ?
No. It isn't a gaming laptop and I doubt Iris Xe graphics are powerful enough to even run at minimum settings.
Thanku🫶🏻
Dude, are you serious ? The i5 1240p is as powerful as an i7 8700k ! it was a flagship 6 core 12 threads from 2018. And it is among the most powerful cpus in single core performance.
Don't tell me a flagship cpu in 2018 was problematic regarding slowdowns. Since windows 7 era and ssd's, nothing low down anymore.
Your issues came from the RAM for sure. I have the same version with 16 gigs of ram and it absolutely never slow down.
My SKU also came with a 512 gigs samsung 980 pro OEM ssd. But my SKU also cost as much as a macbook air M1 for around the same performance but less battery.
Also, it is made out of alluminum. Only the screen bezels are made of plastic.
First, I appreciate the callout. Looking forward to our conversation. I wish I would have gotten your spec. Not that I can complain. But the 16 GB would have been SWEET!
Also, you have the same one as me so you're saying both of ours is made out of aluminum? As I was almost leaning that way, but it never felt cool to the touch to me. But was also wondering if the flex was due to that.
Yes, it has great single core performance and quad core but for 64 applications (while still solid) it lags behind. When comparing it to my Ryzen I7-3800x the 1240p beats the single core performance (when plugged in and set to high performance) by a good margin. The quad core score is close but goes to 1240p but the 64 bit goes to the 3800x by nearly 200 - 300 points. Which is the main thing used for video and photo editing and more aggressive workflows. Additionally, the Iris Xe graphics when compared to a 2070 gets demolished (rightfully so, not saying that should be a fair competition). Further solidifying that while this CPU is powerful for certain workflows. It is not great for Video or Photo editing. As two of the main components don't perform all that well in that scenario. And that is before we get to the RAM.
I also stressed in my review that I didn't think it was the CPU itself holding back the performance but the Iris Xe and RAM. Arguably since the Iris Xe is tied to the CPU they are one and the same though. As the Iris Xe isn't all that impressive compared to dedicated GPU's. But the power you get from an integrated graphics chip is when comparing Apples to Apples. However, that holds you back severely when video and photo editing (seriously I was at 100% the entire time). Also, 8 GB of RAM for that is also not good. As you mentioned. 16 GB would have been much preferred all around. Ideally 32 GB. The 8 GB of DDR5 RAM at 4800 Mhz is super fast but still limited at 8 GB. And me not doing anything and sitting at 7/8 GB isn't a good sign. That means something is filling it up when it shouldn't be. Which is likely a firmware issue that will be fixed with BIOS updates.
Last, just because something scores well on a bench doesn't mean that equates to real world performance. It is good for taking a nice high level overview of what the potential is there. But isn't the whole story. As you also have to keep in mind is it plugged into power, or on battery, what is the power draw, what is temperature, etc. All of which are highly volatile on a laptop. So you could score out of the park on a benchmark when the computer is cold straight from boot. But if you've been working on a project for 5 hours it could be a completely different story. Even if you're plugged in. Which is why Desktop performance is still SOOO much better. As you can cool much better while providing consistent power. I run into slowdowns on this laptop which is why I mentioned it. I'm not trying to take pot shots. I think you're probably correct that it isn't the CPU that is holding me back (but I'm stilling eyeing the Irix Xe) but likely the RAM and some BIOS issues (seeing as 12th gen and this RAM is brand new and going through growing pains) but regardless slowdowns are still happening no matter what the cause is. However, it is a VERY impressive machine. I REALLY like it. But video editing is a bit too painful for me. As is photo editing. Which is a real shame as the screen is perfect for it. Which is why I stressed that depending on what you are getting this laptop for make sure to spec it out correctly. For $750 this thing is an absolute banger. I honestly can't believe the value. But it isn't perfect. My Ryzen 4700U did just as well with video editing. My Ryzen 5800H with 3050TI did almost as good as my main PC. The MacBook Air handled video and photo editing (and honestly everything else I've thrown at it) the best out of the four laptops I own. But none of them keep up with my Desktop PC which is practically an old man with a 3800x, 2070, 32 GB of DDR4 RAM.
@Garrus Vakarian Their main page makes it seem like there should be upgradeable versions of this laptop (over the space edition). I think in other countries you can get it with 16GB/512SSD but I just haven't seen in the US. Also, with how things have been going in the world Laptops (and different variants) seem to be extremely hard to come by and vary wildly on availability.
No touchscreen which sucks!
Agreed. But the new Q410 does. Along with some other upgrades/improvement and the one that I would recommend getting. It is a bit more expensive. But still goes on great sales. Recently it was $600.
is this guy sure the speakers are better than macbooks?
Great question. I would say both of them are great. I found that they constantly traded blows, making it hard to call an official winner. From my general understanding of what people look for in a laptop speaker wise I found that most would probably prefer the sound on the ZenBook over the MacBook which is why I said that. As I see this being more of a multimedia computer (as the screen is so nice) that watching movies is great and likely something people will do. And the speakers on the ZenBook excel in that and are better than the MacBook in that regard. But of course sound is highly personal and depends a lot on use case. So, something that sounds good for me could be different for you.
I would say the MacBook was best for music. As it has great treble and is very accurate. Making it great for listening or focusing on vocals. But it lacks bass and overall volume. Also soundstage is limited. Whereas the ZenBook gets a lot louder, has better bass response (which again is great for movies and media and something the average layman holds in high importance) with a more expansive soundstage. But you need to make sure that Dolby Atmos is on in the sound settings. As it doesn't sound nearly as good with that turned off.
Both laptops I would say have great sound. You can't go wrong with either. I still think the MacBook is the overall winner as the better laptop. As I think the computer you're getting overall is superior. But if MacOS isn't an option for you and you are looking for the best screen (while also doing great in other categories) the ZenBook is an easy choice. Especially, if you get the model up (1260p processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 SSD).
Once you take the Asus off a desk the speakers blow
@@raulespinoza8668 To be fair, most laptops utilize down firing speakers to bounce off the desk to improve sound. So, yes you will notice a decrease in sound when you take it off a reflective surface. But technically your legs can also do the same thing (by working as a reflection for the sound). Additionally, these have more of side/downward speakers so if you cup your hands along the sides near the front of the PC it will dramatically increase sound. I wouldn't go as far as to say they "blow". But you do notice a decrease in how loud they are. But they are still considerably louder than the MacBook Air's speakers which utilize up firing speakers which have their own weaknesses.
@@ThomasMuehler Hey your are right I have to apologize, just picked up this laptop yesterday for $500 @ best buy, and the speakers are definitely louder than my 2020 MacBook air m1, and the screen is SO MUCH NICER, better keyboard too, good trackpad for a Windows laptop too.
@@raulespinoza8668 Man that's nuts! You got it for $500?! Insane value. Definitely louder. But I still have a hard time deciding which is better sounding. As I think they trade a lot of blows. I prefer the keyboard on the MacBook, but both are excellent. Trackpad definitely goes to the MacBook but dang I swear this is the best Windows trackpad I've ever tried. I'm glad you are enjoying it as much as I am. As I just can't get over how nice the screen is.
Is this touchscreen?
Unfortunately, it is NOT a touchscreen device. But I believe some other models do have it. Just not this particular one.
Thanks
I can confirm that other models do have it.
@@TheHUhelps That is correct. Other model DO have a touch screen. But this particular version does not. Which is a shame. Thanks for backing me up.
@@TheHUhelps I have the UK model with touch but no NumberPad
Real question is can I run tarkov
Absolutely not. lol.
The real question, can it play minecraft well?
Always the realist of questions... I honestly couldn't tell you. Those Iris Xe graphics leave me highly disappointed and I don't own it so I can't test it. Lol.
What about fortnite on this?
With it not being a gaming laptop and with how terrible Iris Xe graphics are I don't recommend it. As even if it does play it (likely closer to 30 - 60 fps) it wouldn't be a good experience.
Eh kind of lying or greatly exaggerating here. A lot of the screens in the $500-$800 range is IPS these days NOT TN panels.
I may have been incorrect if I said TN panels. As you are correct that IPS panels have gotten a lot more affordable and therefore more common. However, while IPS monitors are better than TN they can still be a bad screen. Which most of them are due to low sRGB (and getting 100% shouldn't be hard these days) with even worse DCI-P3 and Rec 2020 values (which I wouldn't expect to be great on a budget display). Along with poor contrast that completely crush blacks but does alright for whites. And low brightness (usually 250 - 300 nits). And they usually have limited if any types of adjustment outside of software options. They have gotten better at making them APPEAR to look fine (which some would argue is the only thing that matters and I don’t disagree with that opinion, but don’t fully agree with it either). But when you objectively test them the mass majority of them are not high-quality and if you do A-B comparison between a high-quality panel you notice a huge difference in everything.
Regardless, the screen on this laptop competes with even the high-end ones. Which may come with mini LED and FALD. As OLED is still one of the best panel types. Will beat any other panel type on contrast level. Last, it has Pantone validation, 100% DCI-P3, and 600 nits of brightness. Which again, for a budget laptop is unheard of. Apple laptops tend to have excellent screens as well due to having good sRGB, DCI-P3, Rec 2020, contrast, and brightness and tend to be IPS. With their higher end ones being Mini/Micro LED. But they start at $1000 and quickly go way past that mark with any type of RAM or SSD upgrades.
So, no I don’t think I’m lying or greatly exaggerating here. But if I’m wrong or you disagree please help educate me so I can be correct next time around.
@@ThomasMuehler at sale for $549 which I just paid for this laptop( I also am part of the best buy tech insider but didn't get this laptop) this is great. I am also a fan of OLED panels but for laptops I still think an ok IPS panel with at least 300 nits is a better deal for most people if they're planning on using this for more than 3 years . Because of the lifespan of OLED panels idk. If you depend on color accurate panels yes but for most people who's spending $500-$800 most people wouldn't care as long as it's punchy. My Lenovo Legion slim 7 only covers 80% of the P3 and I find it good enough for me 🤷♀️
As far as lying you stated TN panels which I've stated is a lie .. most panels as I said in this price range is IPS.
@@elliekim6666 That's awesome to meet another TIN member!
I’m not sure if I fully agree about “an ok IPS panel with at least 300 nits is a better deal for most people”. But do understand where you are coming from. As longevity of OLED isn’t as long as LED. But from the testing I’ve seen is longer and more robust than we may think. Also, understand that if you are making a trade for a better panel over something else, depending on individual they may prefer something else. But the reason I disagree is that while an ok IPS may be acceptable, the reason it is acceptable is because they don’t know any better or have alternatives to watch stuff on. From my experience most people buying a laptop in this range it tends to be their main device that they do everything on. Due to that I think having a higher quality display adds a lot of enjoyment with media watching along with daily work. As it makes it clearer and less eye fatiguing. As for example I use Notion with color coding. On my work laptop which I would say has the usual laptop screen of being fine but not good. I have a hard time seeing the difference between a lot of colors. I come home and on my Macbook Air or this laptop it is extremely easy to tell the difference between colors which makes my workflow faster, easier, more enjoyable, and less fatiguing.
As for your Lenovo. I find that to be a higher end laptop in general which is probably why the screen looks so good. As they prioritized that. I have 6 other laptops at home and the laptops at work are all around
I bought this shit for 990 in Uruguay fk
Noooooo. Outside of the price how are you liking it?
Can I finish my novel on this?
Absolutely. I actually greatly enjoy writing scripts and stuff on this laptop. As it is light, has a good trackpad, good feeling keyboard. But most importantly the OLED screen paired with 16:10 ratio makes it so reading text is exceedingly crisp and easy to read. If you wait for a sale and get it for $500 it is definitely an excellent price for performance and what you get.
trash cooling system. economy 2-3$ and we got hight noise level
Definitely not the best cooling system. But that tends to be a regular and significant hurdle for any laptop. For mine the fan rarely turns on.
power user lol. close your browsers bro
Over my cold dead body.
Does it support dolby vision? And what resolution netflix plays on it?
Honestly, I'm not exactly sure how Dolby Vision and Netflix works on PC. As there are a lot of components to it. Netflix will play at 4K in the application for it assuming you have the correct Netflix plan.
As for Dolby Vision I'm not sure if that is supported on PC or not. You'll have to research yourself, and if you do I would love to hear your findings.
In the Netflix app it does say "HDR" but doesn't specify which kind. In the overlay in the app when playing an HDR title I wasn't able to confirm which HDR, just that HDR was playing. But can say the display/laptop itself supports HDR and when I was testing it for this comment it looked to be in HDR (as I have that Netflix plan, was in the app, and had HDR turned on in the display settings, which is sometimes greyed out when on battery power but you can change that with a setting).
They also have a new model Asus Zenbook 14x OLED Q410 over the Q409 which would be my recommendation over the older variant. As there are small but worthy upgrades all around. If you were to buy.
Dont buy oled laptops if you dont plan to change screens every 2-3 years
Modern age tech regarding burn in has dramatically improved in recent years. So, I'm not sure how true or not true this is. It seems like most peoples OLED TV's are doing well against time so I'd imagine laptop screens would be similar (again assuming you aren't being reckless and have those settings on).
@@ThomasMuehler i wanted to buy asus vivobook 15x oled and comments in all videos all say the same they are experiencing screen issues 1 year in.
@@Riftmaker17 Interesting. I'll have to look into that more. As I know about the shortcomings of OLED but haven't actually seen any complaints on that recently. Haven't had any in my comment section that I can recall outside of a broken hinge. Also, we always have to keep in mind that comment sections are snapshots, as are reviews. That often times will be the extremes as testing will either be limited or they will be overly negative as something will be defective and they will post about it where people who don't have problems are less likely to post about it. Mine is fine, but I don't use it all the time, and am still just one person. I'm also very careful with what I do on it to prevent issues from occurring.
Basically, I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I'll have to do more research before I come down on a decision on where I think OLED screens take in regards to time.
@@ThomasMuehler the most common issue i kept reading from users was flickering at 100% brightness
@@Riftmaker17 Interesting.
Just FYI I've been using this laptop all night at 100% brightness, and I haven't had any flickering whatsoever. Granted that is a sample size of 1. I also, don't remember reading any reviews of that for this particular model or seeing it in my comment section.
What laptops have you been looking at that have had this issue? As I'd love to look them up and read them myself. Not that I'm doubting you by any means. Just want to try and get a better understanding. As I like to be educated with stuff so I can more fairly recommend things to my audience.