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Asus ZenBook 14 UX425JA (2020) In-Depth Review – Something is Missing

September 14, 2020 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The daddy of the modern Microsoft Windows based UltraBook that is supposed to compete with the likes of a MacBook Air was the ZenBook, if you can remember it. Asus introduced their first ZenBook line-up in 2012 to be ultra-efficient, ultra-long battery life, ultra-portable notebooks like a Windows PC never was. It brought out a whole slew of things that we thought we will never see from a Windows platform. It kick-started a few races toward the longest possible battery life, the smallest possible package, and even the lightest packages with different display sizes.

It was their most premium consumer product as well at that moment. A Windows notebook PC that would be as expensive as a MacBook was quite unheard of at that time. The ZenBook, in that sense, was a pioneer.

Fast forward to 2020 though and we have a new family of premium UltraBooks from ASUS, and it is the ASUS ZenBook 14 and 13. The numbers are an indication of sizes, technically. So the 14 refers to the 14-inch display while then 13 refers to the 13-inch, quite obvious really.

Like many of the manufacturers, ASUS likes to claim that their stuff, especially the ZenBook, is the thinnest or lightest at something. It is all sort of marketing gibberish to be honest. With the new classic ZenBook though, they claim that they have the thinnest 13-inch and 14-inch notebooks with full I/O ports.

While this is not the thinnest 13-inch or even 14-inch notebooks you can find in the market, there may be some truth to ASUS’ marketing blurb. In short, you cannot find an ultrabook today that has a full USB Type-A and full HDMI port. So, this claim of the thinnest with full I/O ports must be true right? It is true, but is this claim enough to win over your MYR 4,699? Is it enough to keep you away from other lighter, smaller, and more compelling ultrabooks in the market like the Acer Swift 5, for example? We find out.

Design

Like any other review, we start with the design. Yes, it is important, you are going to be looking at your notebook PC almost on a daily basis now that we are working from home on a near permanent basis. Okay, we are lying if we say our team is working from home full time. Most of us are already back in the office. But we have also always championed remote working and we rely on our notebooks plenty.

In that sense, we look at our notebooks on a daily basis no matter where we are. Because of that, we would want our notebooks to look pleasing too for us. Somehow it makes us feel good about what we do on a daily basis.

Back to the ZenBook 14 that we have here (not the 13). It is an MYR 3,999 full aluminium package that is way smaller than almost any 14-inch notebooks that I know of. It is not lighter than most ultrabooks though. It is quite hefty for its size, to be fair. Then again, full aluminium and metal construction does that to your notebook.

The ZenBook 14 still retains that swirling brushed aluminium look that made it so popular when it first launched in 2012. Instead of the swirl starting from the middle though, it is now pushed third away toward the right side, if you are viewing the notebook with the letters facing you. We admit that we said that the brushed aluminium was a timeless look. In this one, we do feel that it is getting a little aged. Even the colour feels quite old school, the Pine Grey colour option is quite a classic colour. We might prefer the Lilac Mist colour variant though, that looked good in photos and renders. Yes, we are men and we are proud of that colour choice.

We are not saying that you would not like the colours. Just because we do not like the colour, does not mean you would not like it too. It is just a matter of personal preference. We would appreciate a slightly different design and look from the ZenBook by now though. A little effort goes a long way, we are looking at you too, Porsche.

The ErgoLift hinge design that was championed again and again by ASUS these two years makes it into the design language of the ASUS ZenBook 14 here. We have mentioned that we are not ultimately fond of the ErgoLift design, but we also recognise the language and its benefits. At the right angles, it does help with typing comfort and fatigue. At some angles, it becomes kind of useless. It does benefit greatly on the cooling side though, we will talk about the ErgoLift more later on.

Hardware

The ASUS ZenBook 14 (UX425JA) you see here is not the lightest ZenBook you can get. That has to go to the 13-inch (UX325JA) variant of the ASUS ZenBook. There is also a variant of the ASUS ZenBook 14 (UX434FLC) where they fit a ScreenPad on the touch sensitive mousepad. Unfortunately, this is not that either.

The mousepad on this ASUS ZenBook 14 has a little trick up its sleeves too, just not in the way you think. It doubles as your numpad as well, which is a nice touch, since you are not getting a full-sized keyboard with numpad on it.

The variant we have for review packs a powerful 10^th Generation Core i7-1065G7 processor clocked at 1.3GHz. While that may not sound like much, it is powerful enough for plenty of work that we are accustomed to. It does bump the price up to MYR 4,699 though if you opt for the Core i7 variant. At MYR 3,999, you get an Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor.

8GB of RAM for this thing is quite ample and you do not really need to add too much more to it. That is also because you cannot really add another RAM stick in there. It is an ultrabook, after all. At the same time, you should not expect to be using the ASUS ZenBook 14 as your main gaming rig or video editing rig; 8GB is enough. It does pack an SSD though, for that extra speed when you need it.

Specifications

Asus ZenBook 14 UX425JA (2020)	As Tested
*Processor (clock)*	10th Generation Intel Core i7-1065G7 (six-core@1.30GHz)
*GPU*	Intel Iris Plus
*Display(s)*	14-inch IPS (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare NanoEdge 400nits
*Memory*	512GB NVME M.2 SSD 8GB DDR4 RAM
Networking and Connections (I/O)	1 x USB Type-A 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 1 x Standard HDMI 1.4 1 x MicroSD card reader Intel Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
*Battery*	67Wh 4-cell Li-Polymer 65W USB Type-C Charger
*Operating System*	Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
*Miscellaneous*	Harman Kardon Audio 3D IR HD camera with Window Hello

Features

Is it as thin as you think it is? Especially when they claim it to be the slimmest with a Full HDMI and USB port? This would beg another question that you have to ask yourselves. Have you seen the size of a full HDMI port? They are not that thick, but they are not exactly paper thin either.

In that case, it is not as thin as you think it should be. At 14-inch, it is not exactly the lightest notebook around either. But you have to appreciate the premium touch of the completely metal constructed body.

Full I/O Ports and an MicroSD slot

One thing that we hate about the more modern ultrabooks we use for work, especially in our line of work, is the fact that none of them comes with full USB ports anymore. In that sense, having a full-sized USB Type-A port is a breath of fresh air, something we can really appreciate. At the same time, there is only one full-sized USB port, which is occupied by a USB dongle for my wireless mouse most of the time.

Of course, because of that one USB port, you can put in normal sized thumb drives to work with. That also means you, or whoever you work with do not have to spend extra money just to buy a USB Type-C thumb drive or USB Type-C to USB Type-C cables. You do not need to spend on a USB Type-C dongle as well for that matter. Of course, if you already do have a USB Type-C dongle, you can use them still via the two Thunderbolt USB Type-C ports on the other side with the full HDMI port.

Full HDMI is a big welcome with any notebook, not because we thoroughly use them, just because it is nice to be able to go home and plug your TV to your notebook to watch Netflix or just work on a bigger display. In our line of work as well, we do travel to other parts of the world and work out of hotel rooms from time to time. In that case, having a full HDMI port that we can use to plug the provided TV in the room is nice as well.

There is also a MicroSD card reader that proved to be useful from time to time. We heavily rely on MicroSD cards in our work thanks to the compact camera we use. In that case, when we need to quickly transfer data, we simply pull out the MicroSD card from the Sony RX0ii that we heavily rely on for most of our production use case and just transfer out the data from the card to an external HDD we plug into the full-sized UBS port.

We would appreciate if they could fit another full-sized USB Type-A port though. Also, if they could include a 3.5mm audio in/out jack in the next iteration of the ASUS ZenBook 14, that would be great. We found this to be a little bit of an annoying pickle because of the lack of that audio AUX port.

We still do not agree with the decision of phone makers around the world when they decided that the 3.5mm AUX jacks are obsolete. Imagine our dismay then, when we found that we could not use our 3.5mm AUX earphones or headphones with this notebook. In that case, we have to dig up our bags for a USB Type-C earphone, or connect a Bluetooth enabled wireless earphone or headphone. With Bluetooth headphones, you might want to prepare to wrestle with Windows a little bit.

ErgoLift Comfort and Discomfort

The ErgoLift hinge that is championed by ASUS is technically nothing new. They introduced it a few years ago and the design is still stuck until this day. It is not exactly something that should win ASUS any style points though. In that case, while the design does create for some very interesting and seamless look on the outlook part, it serves a more practical purpose than you think.

Of course, every other person that has gone through the marketing blurb from ASUS knows that the ErgoLift hinge is designed for typing comfort. It raises the keyboards a little bit to make it a little more natural for you to type on. The angled keyboard is supposed to relieve some of the pressure on your wrists and ensure that you do not get fatigued while working on the notebook or even Carpal Tunnel syndrome. Trust me, it is not fun.

Thing is, the Ergolift hinge also means that the keyboard tends to sit at different heights in different angles. It is not that big of a deal in most cases, since the changes to the angle is quite minimal. But this also means that your viewing angle changes the way you work with the keyboard, which could very well be in a weird angle after you change your own seating position and then the display angle.

There are two rubberized legs on the ErgoLift hinge’s edge. That is to prevent the ASUS ZenBook 14 bodywork to be touching the surface it sits on and scratch itself to bits. It is also to prevent the notebook from slipping away from you while you type on it or work on it. It is to plant itself on that surface.

However, working with the ZenBook 14 on your thighs could be a small annoyance. That is because the naked parts of the hinge would be resting on your thighs. It might not be an issue if the notebook rests on your pants, but it might be a little annoying if the hinge rests on your bare thighs.

While they have managed to design an edge that is blunt enough that it does not dig into your skin, it is still a little uncomfortable as typing and resting your palms on the notebook means that you are still putting pressure on a smaller contact patch. In that sense, we do not recommend putting it on your lap when you are working, find a proper table. You would be more productive that way too. Of course, if you have no choice but to put your notebook on the lap, you are not going to bleed from the experience.

Blowing Hot Air, At the display

The ErgoLift had posed another problem for ultrabooks though. It has posed a cooling problem for ultrabooks. With the sides plugged up by plugs, the only way heat could travel out of the notebook is through the back. The ErgoLift hinge means that most of the heat is dissipated via fans blowing the display.

The cooling fans draw cool air from the bottom of the device. ErgoLift also means that there is a bigger gap at the bottom allowing for bigger airflow. The exhaust air is blown to the back of the device that is now part of the display, so hot air will travel on the display panel.

Thankfully, there is not that much heat that needs to be transferred out on normal use cases. You do not want to constantly blow hot air into the display else you might risk some damages from the display panel itself that might lead to discoloration or worse still, glue coming apart from the plastic panels, effectively disintegrating your notebook.

Backlit Keyboard for the Dark Times

There is no RGB here, thankfully. It is not a gaming device, after all, so why would you want RGB? But that also means that you can only get white colour backlighting on the ASUS ZenBook 14.

We do have to admit though that the keyboard on the ASUS ZenBook 14 is one of the best you can find on an ultrabook. It has enough travel and feedback for that extra smooth workbench feel. Typing on it is comfortable and typing fatigue is minimized with decently sized keys as well.

We do suspect that the extra thickness they had on the baseplate allows for better keyboard fitting and therefore slightly more key travels. That also means it does not feel like you are typing on a hardboard with ‘touch sensitive’ keys. Instead, you feel like you are typing on a keyboard, a proper keyboard.

We do find that we seldom put the illuminated numpad integrated in the touch sensitive mousepad to good use. It is a neat feature though to integrate a full keyboard into a form factor such as the ASUS ZenBook 14.

In a sense, working on the ASUS ZenBook 14 as a document, or email machine is a pleasure. The keyboard is silent even in the most silent working environment. It is not too mushy or too harsh on your fingers and every stroke of key feels properly solid.

Facial Recognition

Thanks to infrared sensors and webcam, the ASUS ZenBook 14 packs Windows Hello’s facial recognition. That is at the sacrifice of the good ol’ fingerprint sensor though. While it may seem counterintuitive to remove a secondary layer of security, the facial recognition of the ASUS ZenBook 14’s Windows Hello is what you need though. It is fast and accurate to the touch.

We did face some issues with facial recognition in our use, but that is more user error than the fault of the PC. You have to remember to take off your facemask before you start using the notebook. If you are wearing glasses, you should be fine. It is Windows Hello technology, which also means that it is a proven technology.

The lack of a fingerprint sensor is hardly missed though, since you still can use a pin number to secure your ASUS ZenBook 14. That is not to say that we dislike fingerprint sensors, or we do not want one. We do think that we should still have a fingerprint sensor just in case the webcam sensors failed to identify our faces when we need things done quickly.

At the same time, having a facial recognition webcam with Windows Hello also means that you have to keep the webcam free of tapes or webcam covers. Of course, you can leave a webcam cover in it. You Just need to remember to remove it or open it up every time you turn on your notebook.

Harman Kardon Audio

This ASUS ZenBook 14 comes with Harman Kardon tuned audio and speakers. That does not mean that it has all the bells and whistles that comes with certified sound bars. It is close though, without a sub-woofer that is.

Harman Kardon audio capabilities means that music sounds good. When we say good, we mean that its sound stage is nearly full and most frequencies are clear and crisp. Clear and crisp is what we will use to describe the top-end frequencies on the ASUS ZenBook 14. Since there is no sub-woofer elements packed into the compact body that is the ZenBook, low-end frequencies tend to be weaker.

That is not to say that it is a bad audio and music machine though. You still can appreciate good music through the speakers, just not something with a lot of low-end power. That also means EDMs might not cut it. Vocals do sound excellent on the speakers though, better than the ASUS ZenBook from before than does not come with Harman Kardon’s touch.

Performance

Of course, 10^th Gen Core i7 that it packs comes with plenty of expectations from us. It is 2020 and we can expect modern notebook PCs to be powerful enough to work and game lightly at the same time; especially an Intel Core i7. Of course, we cannot have a thin and light that does everything under the sun without any compromises. In that sense, this is an ultrabook with nearly zero compromise.

The Extra and Subtle Workhorse

In any angle, the ASUS ZenBook 14 exudes ‘premium’. At any touch, that is also the word that comes to mind. ‘Boring’, is another, as we have said in the design section.

These are not the only words available for the ASUS ZenBook 14 though. When you talk about taking a workhorse out for a trip out of town, the ultrabook of choice with the best value and performance is the ASUS ZenBook ultrabook. So, there is ‘Reliability’ in their repertoire as well.

The ASUS ZenBook 14’s body may not be the slimmest notebook you can find in the market. It may not be the lightest too in the market. If you are looking for those, you should be looking elsewhere.

A workhorse should have as little compromise as possible for its purposes. An ultrabook today will not pack a full-sized USB port for normal thumb drives and external HDDs. It will not pack a full-sized standard HDMI port for easy presentation modes as well. The ASUS ZenBook 14 is a workhorse that does not compromise on those. Hence, its extra heft.

It is mostly made for document processing, web browsing, and even scrubbing through emails too, which also means that there are some compromises in terms of other performance. In that sense though, the ASUS ZenBook 14 is more than adequate to handle everything and more. We mostly used it to play Music while we are working, reading through emails, typing through long articles and web browsing.

When we say we are listening to music, we did not connect a Bluetooth earphone or connect an earphone at all with the notebook, most of the time anyway. Which also means we are using the built-in speakers most of the time. When we say web browsing too, there are times where there are about 40 tabs open in each of the three Mozilla Firefox web explorer windows we have open on the ASUS ZenBook 14. Oh yes, we even had Microsoft Edge open from time to time to access a completely different thing. With Chrome, the notebook might not fare so well.

In those operations, the ASUS ZenBook 14 performs as silky smooth as you expect it to. Windows load up quite instantly thanks to Intel’s Optane memory included in the notebook. Apps also open at a near instant speed thanks to the 512GB SSD.

Video Editing is Possible

Everything sort of falls apart a little bit in video editing though. Iris Plus does help a little in reducing load and rendering times compared to the older generation Intel Core processors. We were only editing a 15-second timelapse that was supposed to be produced in 4K though. To be fair, we are processing 45-Megapixel photos that was stitched together to be post-processed as an 8K video file first. We were scrubbing through 136 photos in total for the time lapse.

Once stitched though, it took up to 50 minutes for the stitching to be post-processed into a 4K video. Scrubbing through the individual frames also took some time for the ASUS ZenBook 14. We had to wait a second or two to check through each of the 136 frames of the video.

Still, if you work with Full HD videos, you should have not trouble scrubbing through the video with ease on Adobe’s Premiere Pro. You might want to look into other more powerful products for smooth and quick 4K video productions. Still, a 3-minute Full HD render from a Full HD source should be done in about 10-15 minutes.

Gaming

Really? Do you really have to ask about gaming on a notebook designed to accompany you for work purposes? Redundant question that you might already know the answer to.

Gaming performance on the ASUS ZenBook 14 is pretty much as expected. It is not a gaming machine, so it is never going to do well in that regards. It is acceptable with certain games though, if you do not mind letting it run a little hotter than usual that is.

You can still play Football Manager, or Motorsport Manager, or even Cities Skyline on it smoothly with the fans going a little crazier than usual. You could, technically, play DOTA 2 with it too if you are into MOBAs. You might not be as competitive as if you are playing on a proper gaming rig though. That could either be your excuse for underperforming in a ranked match or kicked for being too incompetent, you have been warned. It is smooth enough with DOTA 2 though, so you might still be fine with a little bit of skill. We are never good in DOTA 2 anyway.

Even if you are thinking of playing the latest indie games like No Straight Roads, you would still be fine. The game will still load up smoothly and surely. You might just want to keep in mind to not push the graphics all the way up.

We are not saying that you should be playing games on the device. We are saying that you can if you want to. You might not be able to touch full-fledged AAA titles, but plenty of indie games like This War of Mine or Motorsport Manager never needed ultra-powerful rigs to run properly anyway.

Battery

A heftier body also has some benefit to a notebook’s battery life. You could technically fit a bigger battery pack into the body of the ASUS ZenBook 14 at the cost of more weight on it. In the body of the ZenBook 14 is a 67Wh 4-cell battery that is quoted to be good for 22 hours on a single charge.

To be fair, we have never hit anything that is close to the 22 hours claim in our usage. You do have to keep in mind that battery life is very dependent on use cases though. Battery life is affected by the ambient temperature, operating temperature, amounts of processes within the PC, use cases with the PC, and much more.

In our use case, where we have at least 20 tabs open on a web browser at any time, we got about 18 hours of continuous use before the PC tells us that we need to start charging the notebook. That is also with some music listening included with a mix of work and standby time. At some point too, the ASUS ZenBook 14 did not need a charge for a whole week. Of course, we were not continuously using the notebook.

ASUS Battery management

Technically you can fully charge the 67Wh battery of the ASUS ZenBook 14 within 2 hours with the included 65W charger. They claimed a 49-minute charge time to 60% with an empty tank, with the PC turned off.

We believe them though. We have only charged the ASUS ZenBook 14 while working on it once and while we are editing and rendering the odd video. Most of the time, charging is done while it is turned off, and we never left it charged for more than two hours at a time before we get going again with a fully charged battery.

We left the power management to let the charger to fully charge the batteries though, because we are on the go most of the time. But if you are going to let it sit on your office desk all the time, you can choose to restrict the battery charge to only 60% to prolong the battery shelf life. If not, there is a balanced battery preservation mode too in MyASUS app.

USB Type-C Charger

Having a universal charger is a very sensible thing to do. It also means that ASUS saves a porting hole just for a proprietary charger. Which still begs the question of their exclusion of the 3.5mm jack or another USB Type-A port. They clearly have space for the two mentioned ports.

Modern USB Type-C cables can also support up to 75W in output. That also means that you can even fast charge an ultrabook with a proper USB Type-C cable. But that also means that you can buy a high-output power banks wit proper 65W output too to charge your PC when you have no access to a charging port.

Since modern smartphones and other gadgets are making USB Type-C as a standard port these days too, having a high-output power adapter is also a bonus. You do not need to bring three different adapters and cables anymore to charge your devices when you travel. You only need one of ASUS’ USB Type-C adapter, and you are good to go.

Display – IPS and Iris Plus

The IPS Full HD display is a pleasure to look at though. It may not be the most colour accurate display in the world, it does not need to be. But it is a great looking display with highly saturated and bright colours. It should be good enough for the occasional movies that you might want to enjoy on the ASUS ZenBook 14.

That said also, 60Hz is not encouraging for games either, especially when you consider more competitive games like Valorant, or DOTA 2. It still works with games like This War of Mine and such, but you might even want your No Straight Roads to run at higher frame rates when possible. Iris Plus is plenty more powerful than the UHD graphics GPU that came before, but it is not a discrete GPU like an NIVIDIA GeForce MX250.

Again, the notebook is not designed with gaming in mind though. It is designed with portability, productivity, and practicality in mind. The display is designed for that too, technically with some clever blue light filtering software (Windows standard these days too). At the same time, the modern display panel is highly efficient with a 1-watt power draw rating. It is not exactly bright enough placed under direct sunlight in Malaysia, technically with 400nits. If you sit in a naturally lit café though, 400nits is enough for you to work with.

In this case, for its purpose, the display of the ASUS ZenBook 14 is not the most brilliant or highest resolution you can find. It is quite brilliant on its own though and does hold itself against any other notebooks of its standard. It is a brilliant looking display for a working-class notebook.

The ASUS ZenBook 14 – So Much, yet So Little

The package that you see here will set you back MYR 4,699. That is not exactly a budget notebook price. It is not exactly a premium as a Dell XPS 13 though. For that price you still get a full-aluminium body, a clever touchpad, an innovative hinge, Windows Hello’s brilliant webcam facial recognition, super-long battery life, some clever software, and fully sized I/O ports.

You do not get a lot of things for that kind of money either though. You do not get a proper, physical numpad (although, at this form factor, it is kind of impossible). You do not get a 144Hz display, or anything close to a colour accurate display as well. You are paying for slightly more heft with the ASUS ZenBook 14 and you get no fingerprint sensor with that, or even a 3.5mm AUX jack. You cannot even expect it to come with a discrete GPU too for that money, or even a full-sized SD card slot.

We are annoyed at the fact that they chose to hang us dry when it comes to audio solutions. To be fair, we were really annoyed at the fact that there is no 3.5mm jack on this piece of kit. We found the Grey colour option to be a little boring too, while the Lilac Mist colour to be tantalizing, but not very professional. WE are not saying that it is badly designed, it still looks sharp and very distinctively ASUS.

It was not as light as we thought it should be with the 14-inch trim. On a bright side though, it is lighter than most 14-inch notebooks you can find in the market today. It is also quite a little bit smaller than most 14-inch notebooks today too. Maybe, just not that much thinner in terms of thickness.

That extra girth though gives way to a full HDMI port and USB 3.2 Type-A port, which is always a welcome in ultra-portable machines that we know as our workhorse today. The extra girth also allows for a bigger fan in a sense to cool the PC adequately, and even house a slightly larger battery than you can expect an ultrabook to ever have. That extra sized battery gives you a longer battery life expectancy compare to its competition, and in that terms, more confidence in making it through a day with no battery anxiety. It gives you peace of mind, is what I am saying.

If you want the ASUS ZenBook 14 to be your daily driver for the next five years or so, you will want to invest in the more expensive Intel Core i7 variant. If not, even the Core i5 variant at MYR 3,999 will do you some good for the coming few years. You could even opt for a smaller display and more compact packaging with the 13-inch variant, if you really want. We always appreciate a larger display though, so the 14-inch is the one we will go for.

The ASUS ZenBook 14’s closest competitor technically comes at about the same price. You are getting the exact same display size with very similar packages. The only thing that differs from each product, other than thickness and weight, is their security features and one RAM size difference. The competition packs twice the RAM that the ASUS ZenBook 14 can offer for the same price. The competition lacks Windows Hello’s webcam facial recognition though and does not come with a USB Type-C charger (proprietary charger).

So, which would we buy? It is a difficult choice, to be fair. Considering the convenience of the ASUS ZenBook 14, we are leaning toward the fully sized ports. In truth though, we would be a little more comfortable using the other product because of ZenBook’s lack of weight, and an extra 3.5mm AUX jack. Ports? The competition has all the other ports too. Although we really like the idea of only carry a single charger for all our devices in the bag. Now we are in a pickle.

Computers, News

The New ASUS ZenBook 13 & ZenBook 14 Lands in Malaysia! Prices start from MYR3,999

August 12, 2020 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

ASUS’s ZenBook series has always been the company’s foremost when it comes to delivering solutions for workers on-the-go. The company has revitalised the line up with features that make working on-the-go easier, more ergonomic and less of a hassle. This year is no different with the new ASUS ZenBook 13 (UX325) and the ZenBook 14 (UX425).

The two new entries into the ASUS ZenBook line up make up the new ZenBook Classics line up which hold fast to the original ZenBook’s ethos of being portable and fitted for productivity. The ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 come with the 10th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors with Intel IRIS Plus Graphics which allow them to be more power efficient and more powerful – allowing on-the-go workers to get more done and keep up with the increasing demand for processing power. Paired with 8GB of RAM, the ZenBooks will be able to handle most anything you can throw at the laptops.

The new line is the lightest and most compact line up of ZenBooks ever. The 13.3-inch ZenBook 13 comes in at only 1.07kg and is an astounding 13.9mm thin. The ZenBook 14 maintains the thickness but gets a little bump in weight, coming in at 1.13kg. Both laptops come with Full HD LED displays with 1080p resolution. The slim bezels around the screen allow for up to 90% screen to body ratio for a more immersive experience when you’re consuming your multimedia while maintaining the compact size.

Built for Productivity

Keeping with their productivity focus, the laptops come equipped with The ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 come with a 512GB NVMe PCIe 3.0 solid state drive (SSD) for quick read and write performance. The SSD also allows you to boot into Windows in less than 10 seconds. In addition, ASUS NumPad 2.0 which turns the touchpad into a fully functional NumPad for all your number crunching needs. Together with NumPad 2.0, ASUS has also optimised the ergonomics of the laptop with it’s now ubiquitous ErgoLift hinge. The hinge raises the laptop slightly and angles the keyboard for a more natural typing experience and better cooling.

The new ASUS ZenBook Classic entries are not only optimising hardware for productivity, it also ensures that you don’t need to live the dongle life. The ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 both come with a full array of ports to make sure you’re ready to connect. It comes with two USB-C port complete with Thunderbolt 3 technology and ASUS EasyCharge. Also on the laptops is a USB Type A port, a HDMI port and a microSD card reader.

In addition to the numerous ports, the new ASUS ZenBooks also come equipped with WiFi 6 compatibility. The new WiFi technology allows up to three times more data to be communicated through WiFi for quicker data speeds and better latency. Your data isn’t the only thing that will be quicker than usual, you’ll also be able to login in a snap with the Windows Hello thanks to the IR webcam on the new ZenBooks.

Keeping productive can be a little bit frustrating at times, but the ZenBook 13 and 14 are tough with MIL-STD 810G ruggedness. So, you won’t need to worry about things getting a little bit rough with the laptops. This is complemented by up to 22 hours battery life thanks to it’s large 67Wh battery.

Pricing & Availability

The ASUS ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 will be available starting on August 11, 2020 for MYR3,999 (USD$953.25) for the version with the Core i5 and MYR4,699 (USD1,120.15) for the one with the Core i7.

Official Specifications

ASUS ZenBook 13 (UX325)

CPU	Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor
Display	13.3” LED-backlit FHD (1920 x 1080) 450 nits Slim 2.9 mm bezels with 88% screen-to-body ratio
Operating system	Windows 10 Home
Office Software	Office Home & Student 2019 included
Graphics	Intel^® Iris^® Plus Graphics
Main memory	8GB 3200 MHz LPDDR4x onboard
Storage	512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Connectivity	WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth^® 5.0
Camera	HD infrared (IR) webcam (supports Windows Hello)
I/O ports	2 x Thunderbolt^™ 3 USB-C^® with ASUS USB-C^® Easy Charge 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; 1 x Standard HDMI 2.0; 1 x MicroSD card reader
Touchpad	ASUS NumberPad 2.0
Audio	Certified by Harman Kardon ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system with surround-sound; smart amplifier for maximum audio performance Array microphone with Cortana and Alexa voice-recognition support
Battery	67 Wh lithium-polymer battery up to 22 hr battery life
AC adapter	65-watt power adapter Output: 20 V DC, 3.42 A; Input: 100-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
Dimensions	304 x 203 x 13.9 mm
Weight	Approx. 1.07 kg
Color	Pine Grey
Retail Pricing (MYR)	RM 3,999 (i5-1035G1) RM 4,699 (i7-1065G7)

ASUS ZenBook 14 (UX425)

CPU	Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor
Display	14” LED-backlit FHD (1920 x 1080) 400 nits Slim 2.5 mm bezels with 90% screen-to-body ratio
Operating system	Windows 10 Home
Office Software	Office Home & Student 2019 included
Graphics	Intel^® Iris^® Plus Graphics
Main memory	8GB 3200 MHz LPDDR4x onboard
Storage	512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Connectivity	WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth^® 5.0
Camera	HD infrared (IR) webcam (supports Windows Hello)
I/O ports	2 x Thunderbolt^™ 3 USB-C^® with ASUS USB-C^® Easy Charge 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; 1 x Standard HDMI 2.0; 1 x MicroSD card reader
Touchpad	ASUS NumberPad 2.0
Audio	Certified by Harman Kardon ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system with surround-sound; smart amplifier for maximum audio performance Array microphone with Cortana and Alexa voice-recognition support
Battery	67 Wh lithium-polymer battery up to 22 hr battery life
AC adapter	65-watt power adapter Output: 20 V DC, 3.42 A; Input: 100-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
Dimensions	319 x 208 x 13.9 mm
Weight	Approx. 1.13 kg
Color	Pine Grey
Retail Pricing (MYR)	RM 3,999 (i5-1035G1) RM 4,699 (i7-1065G7)

Computers, News

The New ASUS ROG STRIX gaming Notebooks with Liquid Metal Cooling Comes to Malaysia!

July 28, 2020 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Standing out in the world today is difficult. This statement cannot be truer in the gaming notebook PC segment. Everywhere you look, gaming notebooks look very similar to each other. At this point too, every gaming notebook have nearly the same design language – understated, simple, clean. Do not get us wrong though. We are not saying that they look bad, quite the opposite. There is nothing wrong too with the ‘blended in’ look and goal.

Still, we also understand that there are some who still wants something outrageous. There is still a market for a ‘different’ looking hardware. Something that stands out, but still looks decently fitting in a meeting room anyway. Something like an ASUS ROG STRIX.

The SCAR Edition

The ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR Edition has always been one of our favourite series of gaming notebooks. The new ROG STRIX SCAR 15 for 2020 comes with an Intel Core i7-10875H CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (up to) combination for raw horsepower in AAA titles. You get up to 16GB (8GB x 2) RAM configuration within the beastly body of the STRIX SCAR 15 as well for a crazy amount of Google Chrome tabs open at the same time.

Of course, as with the SCAR 15 naming scheme, you get a 15.6-inch Full HD display. It is an amazing display to work with though. 240Hz refresh means you can see everything clearly. 3ms response time means there is no noticeable delay from input to action. 100% sRGB means you get colours and depth like no other.

Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS

Of course, all these things combined will produce a vast amount of heat. In addition to ASUS’s cooling technology, ASUS have replaced the thermal paste for the CPU and GPU with liquid metal for better cooling efficiency and effectiveness.

STRIX G – for Gaming

The liquid cooling technology does not stop at the SCAR edition ASUS ROG STRIX notebooks though. The ASUS ROG STRIX G15 and G17 also gets the liquid metal treatment for better cooling in heavy usage. We start with the STRIX G15.

The ASUS ROG STRIX G series comes packing with plenty of power still. It is no SCAR, but it still has the power of an Intel Core i7-10750H hexa-core processor. The combination of the powerful CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is still plenty enough to run AAA games at higher settings. You still get 16GB (8GB x 2) of RAM memory too, to take advantage of the powerful CPU and GPU.

Storage comes in a 1TB SSD flavour. In case that is not enough, there is two more M.2 slots for upgrades. HDD tray? That is so last year.

Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS

The ASUS ROG STRIX G15 comes with a reasonably fast 15.6-inch Full HD display too. You get 144Hz out of it still. It is no pantone validated display though. Still, the IPS technology is known for its highly accurate and vibrant colours.

The ASUS ROG STRIX G17 on the other hand comes with a larger 17.3-inch Full HD display. It refreshes at 144Hz as well. It is a much faster responding display at 3ms response time though. This would be the one that you want to work with if you are into accurate colours too at 100% sRGB colour gamut rating.

Pricing & Availability

The ROG STRIX SCAR 15 starts at MYR 7,499 (G532L-VAZ069T) and tops out at MYR 7,999 (G532L-WAZ085T). The ASUS ROG STRIX G15 and G17 starts at MYR 6,699 (G512L-VHN146T) and MYR6,199 (G712L-UH7082T), respectively. The ASUS ROG STRIX G17 tops out at MYR 6,699 (G712L-VEV067T) though. The ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR Edition and STRIX G series is now available in Malaysia.

Computers, Gaming, News

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus S is Back – Priced from 13,999

July 28, 2020 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Think gaming PC and thing ASUS ROG. This brand that stems out of one of the largest PC makers in the world is quite a household name in the PC gaming industry. With the announcement of the ROG Phone 3 last week, they are not just cornering the PC gaming market anymore. They are now the producer of the most powerful smartphone money can buy so far with the ROG Phone 3.

Back to PC gaming though. They are also the makers of some of the most innovative and desirable gaming PCs in the market. Their gaming notebooks are especially tantalising. They make some of the best-looking stuff in the market and some of the most powerful too. Take this new 2020 spec of ASUS ROG Zephyrus S17 for example.

The Zephyrus line-up is known for their super thin body. The Zephyrus S17 is no different at a thickness of 18.7mm. Pair that to a total weight of 2.6kg, this 17.3-inch machine could be the perfect work and play companion anywhere, anytime. The 240w adapter that you would require to give it enough juice and power to game is also redesigned to be smaller and lighter than before.

Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS

The first thing that greets you when you open this puppy up is a Full HD display that kicks off at 300Hz and responds at 3ms. Thanks to modern display technology, fast display does not mean bad colours too. This is a pantone validated disokay with 100%sRGB and G-sync packed. No wonder, it costs so much.

That kind of display requires plenty of power to run though. That is handled by a combination of an Intel Core i7-10875H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q GPU (Up To). To ensure that these things do not fry themselves, ASUS has taken a step forward in cooling the PC. Liquid Metal now replaces the regular thermal paste in all ASUS ROG notebooks with Intel’s 10^th Generation Core processors.

Memory comes in the form of a 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage combination. Yes, not many notebook PCs come with a 16GB RAM out of the box. There is more good news with the 16GB RAM though, there is another free RAM slot for you to upgrade your RAM to make the Zephyrus S17 even more of a monster. There is even more good news on the front of storage, there is another M.2 SSD slot for you to upgrade your memory banks. No HDD slot though.

Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS

If 17-inch notebooks are not your cup of tea, there is a 15-inch variant. The Zephyrus S15 comes with everything that is great about the S17. You still get the same powerpacks that powers the Zephyrus S17 to life. You get the latest Intel Core i7-10875H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q GPU. You also get the large 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage to work with. The only difference, apart from the price tag, is the screen size at 15.6-inch.

Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS

Still a little too rich for your blood? But still want a powerful thin and light? What about the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M15. The 15.6-inch display is still a Full HD display with pantone validation and 100%sRGB colour gamut display. It does not refresh at 300Hz. 240Hz though should still be more than enough to handle for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti it packs. You still get a 10^th Generation Intel Core i7-10750H too with that and 8GB of RAM to work with. 1TB of memory is still plenty enough to work with.

Now the price. The ROG Zephyrus S17 and S15 is now available in Malaysia for MYR 13,999 (GX701L-WSHG043T) onward. For that money you are getting an ROG Zephyrus S17 packed with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 super instead of the RTX 2080 Super. Still powerful, but not as powerful as the MYR 16,999 (GX701-XSHG043T) packaged ROG Zephyrus S17. The ROG Zephyrus S15 (G502L-XSHF042T) with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super will set you back at MYR 15,999. On the other hand, the baby Zephyrus M15 (GU502L-UAZ087T) sets you back MYR 6,999.

Android, Mobile, News

ASUS ROG Phone 3 Launched – Third Time’s the Charm

July 23, 2020 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Before we go on; no, ASUS’ ROG Phone and ROG Phone 2 were not rubbish. They were amazing smartphones, if I might have to say. We really liked the first-generation ASUS ROG Phone and we think that it can still hold its own today. The ROG Phone 2 was not revolutionary per say but it was still a brilliant smartphone on its own. Its expanded arsenal of accessories made it something quite special to behold, if not expensive.

The third one we see today is not exactly revolutionary as well. It is more of a step up, an evolution rather, to the ROG Phone 2. To be fair though, following up on two brilliant smartphones is difficult even for the biggest brands in the world.

The ROG Phone 3 seems to do the job well enough though. Yes, it may just be an evolution, but it does not mean that the device is a boring one.

We start with the display, because that is going to be the first thing that will greet you when you open the box and unwrap the protective plastic cover. This thing packs the fastest display you can find on any smartphone today. While it only pushes Full HD 1080p resolution to your face, it refreshes at 144Hz. That is 20Hz more than the OPPO Find X2, just saying. All that and you still get HDR10+ and Delta E < 1 colours for a bright looking, fresh looking images on the 6.59-inch AMOLED display covered by a Corning Gorilla Glass 6. The display did not grow in size though, 6.59-inch is big enough. True to its gaming roots and purpose, the ROG Phone 3 boasts 270Hz in response rate too giving a super quick 25ms touch response and 18ms slide response. That is as fast as it gets at this point now.

No edge-to-edge nonsense with a cut out here. You still get a bottom lip and a forehead on the device big enough to fit a 24-Megapixel camera and a proper looking earpiece. The earpiece also doubles as a front-firing speaker. It is not just any speaker though. Paired with the bottom speakers you are getting a DTS:X speaker system with individual amplifiers for each speaker. Sadly, you do not get a 3.5mm AUX jack though.

Still, dig deeper and you find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ System on a Chip (SoC). This may just be the most powerful smartphone in the world currently since it packs something that is even more powerful than the outgoing Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. You get up to 3.1GHz in clock speed, 10% more performance than the Snapdragon 865 SoC. The SoC is rivalling most entry-level gaming PCs these days.

Plenty of power also means plenty of heat. The ROG Phone 3 packs a big heatsink that you can see from the partially transparent glass back. That heatsink is technically bigger than before, which means you get better cooling performance mechanically as well. If that is not enough, you get a fan dock thing out-of-the-box anyway (Aero Active Cooler 3). That fan dock thing now has a kickstand so that you can prop it up on a table. But the fan dock also allows the ROG phone III to be cooled more aggressively. Combine that with ASUS ROG UI’s X Mode, and you are getting a smartphone that rivals gaming PCs.

Of course, Air Trigger makes it back in the ROG Phone 3. This is probably the ASUS ROG Phone’s main party piece. The Air Trigger is in its third generation with the ROG Phone III. The third generation Air Trigger supports more gestures and input now. This also makes the ROG Phone III a highly competitive smartphone for eSports, if not unfair.

Move to the back and you will find a 64-Megapixel main camera flanked by a 13-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and another macro sensor to produce great photos. This is still a smartphone anyway; you want the cameras to be good. While this is a gaming smartphone, the camera functions are not getting sidelined though. You get four microphones for the best video recording experience. This is your all-in-one device.

Of course, you cannot have an all-in-one device without requiring some power draw. The SoC itself should be quite demanding on its own. That is why ASUS fits a large 6,000mAh battery pack within the svelte body. How is this device fitting a larger battery in the same sized body of the ROG Phone II? Sorcery perhaps, but we do appreciate bigger batteries in modern smartphones.

Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS

That should give you enough confidence to game with Google Stadia all day if you want. ASUS has partnered with Google Stadia for this device to ensure that there are enough contents for you to play with. It finally makes sense for you to get all the accessories that might come with the ASUS ROG Phone 3. So far, ASUS has only announced the Nintendo Switch-esque Kunai gamepad and a few cases.

Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS

The ROG Phone III will come in three variants. The cheapest will be the ROG Phone 3 STRIX (Qualcomm Snapdragon 865) variant will come with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for EUR€ 799 (approx. MYR3,934). For EUR€ 200 (EUR€ 999, approx. MYR 4,917) more, you get 512GB of memory and 12GB of RAM. The one you might want to get your hands on to rival your friend’s gaming PC though is the top-of-the-line 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage variant at EUR€ 1,099 (approx. MYR 5,409). These are not local pricing though. We are expecting prices to be around the same as the older ASUS ROG Phone 2 on all its variants. That is MYR 2,499, MYR 3,499, and MYR 4,499 for the ROG Phone 2 Strix and two other ROG Phone 2 variants. ASUS Malaysia is touting a Mid-September release locally for the ASUS ROG Phone 3. In that case, all we can do is wait for a while more.

Editorial, techENT Download, Video

techENT Download || FCC Bans HUAWEI & ZTE

Video July 7, 2020 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

In this week’s TechENT Download, we see a whole lot happening including things going back to normal when it comes to Malaysia with more measures being relaxed and the techENT team heading back to our offices.

ASUS has also been busy releasing many laptops including new additions to the ZenBook series as well as a new ExpertBook B9 which is powered by Intel’s vPro processors. The ASUS VivoBook S series also got 2 new entries bringing more colour and functionality.

Telcos in Malaysia are extending their 1GB of free data to everyone with no time limitations. Subscribers can redeem their 1GB via their respective apps.

HUAWEI and ZTE face more problems as the American Federal Communications Commission goes on the record saying that they pose a threat to national security and privacy. This new development comes after more than a year of sanction placed against the companies by the current U.S. Administration. The new move will be hurting HUAWEI and ZTE’s 5G business as more countries take the notion seriously. What does this mean for smartphones?

Computers, Editorial, Reviews

The ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 (2020) In-Depth Review – You Pretty Thang

June 30, 2020 Darwin Sucipto 3 Comments

By now you are probably quite familiar with the name ‘VivoBook’. That is mostly thanks to the fact that we have been reviewing the namesake or each iteration of the same notebook for quite sometime now. We hope that you have not grown bored of the same notebook though, because we have not. Also, because there is a new one in the block.

It seems like just yesterday that we were reviewing a new ASUS VivoBook S notebook PC. It seems like yesterday too that we gave quite high praises to ASUS’ value offering of a notebook PC. That said, we have always liked the ASUS VivoBook series. They are relatively inexpensive offering of notebook PCs that are always outperforming our expectations. They are also always very well built, for the kind of material they employ on the VivoBook.

Because of the wholesome package that is the ASUS VivoBook, it has become one of our most recommended notebook PCs so far. While it is a serious contender for ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, the designers have never taken a too serious approach to the notebook too. That is also why the ASUS VivoBook notebooks have always been lookers.

The new one? Well, for one I think it is no different from the old recipe of making an attractive looking PC with great internals. They approached the VivoBook with the same ‘one-size-fits-all’ philosophy as before. Somehow, they have managed to make it even better in certain aspects. How? Let us delve deeper.

Design

Like before, the ASUS VivoBook is built with a mix of plastic and aluminium. We suspect that the outer shells are mostly aluminium and the keyboard tray is also aluminium. The only part that is not made from the lightweight metal is the bezel surrounding the Full HD display.

Unlike the previous ASUS VivoBook S too, the new 2020 variant seems to be a bit more scratch resistant. This is mostly due to the aluminium construction and what we think is an anodized surface instead of a paint coating. Anodizing has been a common practice in getting colours on metallic surfaces, and they last a whole lot longer.

Anodizing also has another benefit, you can get really interesting colours on the surfaces. Which is what ASUS has gone for with the 2020 variant of the ASUS VivoBook S. The one we have here is green in colour. Specifically, Gaia Green. It is a stunning colour, in our humble opinions.

Personally, I have always liked green, Emerald Green or British Racing Green especially. Those are great colours, and I have always dreamt of a Bentley Continental GT in Emerald Green shade or a 1961 Jaguar E-Type in British Racing Green. We are getting a little side-tracked.

The point is, it is a very pretty Green that we are getting on the ASUS VivoBook S15. Finally, someone bothers to go with another green coloured notebook. This makes Red shades look over-rated and overly loud. There isn’t a big difference in the branding layout otherwise.

Open the ASUS VivoBook S15 up and you will be greeted with a very familiar full keyboard layout with backlighting. Oh, let us not forget the accented enter key with a lime outline and wording. We may not completely understand why that is included in the design, but it does help distinguish the keyboard itself from its competitors. The numpad is largely similar on the side with a nice layout too.

The trackpad is a little larger compared to what we could remember, but that is not a bad thing. Unlike the more popular wide pad designs, the new one looks more traditional and with additional height. That allows your two palms to rest on the palm rests on either side of the trackpad properly without accidentally touching the trackpad for extra inputs or accidental clicks.

There is no more fingerprint sensor on the ASUS VivoBook S15 anymore though. We are testing the Intel Core i5 variant of the ASUS VivoBook S15. Usually you would find the fingerprint sensor on the top right corner of the trackpad. Not this time though. Although you still get the same on/off button nestled at the top right corner of the whole keyboard layout.

There is a shiny chromed out chamfers on the side of the keyboard tray. That somehow adds to the premium look when its new. The shiny chromed ring surrounding the keyboard is what made us think that the whole top is aluminium. Thing is though, they will smudge a little from the oils from your skin. While that may not be too big of a deal if you keep it clean with constant care, it will not be the case for most people. Still, we feel that that is a nice touch. At least you know when you need to give your laptop a quick wipe down.

Hardware

As we have mentioned, this ‘go-anywhere-do-anything’ machine is made mostly of aluminium. Which is always a nice touch, in our opinion. It also helps with the overall feel and rigidity of the device, which is always nice.

There is more that just an aluminium body with nothing to show for it inside though. While it is not very heavy, it is still quite a powerful package. As we have mentioned, this is powered by an Intel Core i5, the one we have. We also have NVIDIA’s GeForce MX250 to work with, which is no slouch if you are not after outright gaming performance.

Specifications

ASUS VivoBook S15 S533	As Tested
*Processor (clock)*	10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210U (1.6GHz ~ up to 4.2GHz)
*GPU*	NVIDIA GeForce MX250
*Display(s)*	15.6-inch LED -backlit IPS Full HD (1920 x 1080) NTSC: 45% NanoEdge
*Memory*	512GB NVME M.2 SSD + 32GB Intel Optane 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
Networking and Connections (I/O)	1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A 2x USB 2.0 1 x Standard HDMI 1.4 1 x Audio combo jack 1x MicroSD card reader Intel Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
*Battery*	50Wh 3-cell Li-Polymer Fast Charging (60% in 49 minutes)
*Operating System*	Windows 10 Home
*Miscellaneous*	Audio certified by Harman Kardon Certification 1.8kg

Features

Do not think for a second that ‘one-size-fits-all’ means that there is nothing that makes this thing special though. There is still a few things that makes this the perfect notebook PC that can do everything you need.

Back to Basics

So instead of the whole ErgoLift technology that ASUS was raving about a year ago, this has a regular hinge that tilts the display as normally as you would expect a normal notebook PC. You still get a similarly styled hinge, it is just that the VivoBook does not stand on the hinge. That also ensures that your keyboard remains at the same height on any surface, at any given time. You are not going to move your display and have your keyboard shift a few mm away from out or what not.

Not to say that the ErgoLift hinge was a bad thing. It really did improve typing positions when you set it on a proper surface to work with. On normal café tables, working on an ErgoLift hinged notebook is a little bit more comfortable than usual. Because your whole set up moves as the display moves though, it is a little inconsistent for my liking.

On the new 2020 line-up of the ASUS VivoBook S, ASUS is saying or listening to the consumers who say; “what was ever wrong with the normal typing position of notebook PCs”? After all, ASUS was one of the only players pushing that that kind of hinge design.

The loss of the supporting body part that extends from the display does create a little bit of an added opportunity in terms of rigidity too. If you turn the laptop around to its bottom, there is an extra rubber nub in the middle of the back part of the notebook PC. While it may not do much, it does add some body rigidity on the ASUS Vivobook S15, especially in the middle of keyboard which is usually where the older ASUS VivoBook S flexes. There is no visible or perceived crease here even when you put a little bigger pressure on the top part of the keyboard. That is really nice.

There is also another plus point with the regular flat-footed approach to the base of the notebook PC. It is much more comfortable using it on your lap. That is exactly the position of this notebook PC as I am typing this review.

The VivoBook S15 (2020) is missing a fingerprint sensor though, which is quite an unpleasant surprise. It was one of the better fingerprint sensors in a position that we thought made a lot of sense. While some may think that having a fingerprint sensor on the trackpad could be a little distracting, we like where it is positioned. It is one of the more intuitive designs and placements we found in the market. We want the fingerprint sensor back – ASUS, take note.

Clickety Clackety

Notebook PCs have improved on their keyboards tremendously over the past few years. The ASUS VivoBook series over the years, in our opinions, has some of the best keyboard feels among ASUS’ other offerings. We feel that they could use a little more travel and softer feedback, but honestly, they are some of the best keyboards we find on an ASUS notebook.

The ASUS VivoBook S15 technically still has the sort of same keyboard as the slightly older VivoBook S of 2019. It feels somewhat similar as well. There seems to be a little more travel this time around, but that could just be me. We still think that it could use with a little more feedback with the keys though, and more travel. But still, travel would be sacrificed in making notebook PCs lighter and thinner.

Still, that comment of ASUS VivoBook series offering the best keyboard experience from ASUS still stands true with the ASUS VivoBook S15. We suspect also that is mostly due to the fact that this product is targeted mostly to students who types long essays. We feel that this could still be perfect for businesspeople too who needs something reliable and affordable to work with.

There is a small complaint on the keyboard though. The backlight still leaks from the sides of the of island keys. That is a very small tolerable issue though. What is slightly a bit more annoying is that the white backlight makes the keys harder to read in bright conditions. Under the light of the display for example, you cannot read the keys. It still helps when you are typing in darker conditions though. This is basically nit-picking already though as that only happens at certain angles.

We find the highlighted ‘enter’ key a little odd as well. We do not really know why it is in a different colour accent compared to all keys. While it helps us find the enter button, it is still rather odd. It could just be a design decision to help you find the enter key in the dark, to differentiate it from the ‘shift’ key maybe.

Harman and Kardon’s Magic Touch

Yes, the previous ASUS VivoBook S was also fitted with audio by Harman Kardon. Yes, the new one is also fitted with audio by Harman Kardon. Is there a difference? Not really. Both sounds great still.

The sound profile, on speakers at least, is similar to the older VivoBook S. With Harman Kardon, audio sounds crisp and clear. Not to forget, it can get quite loud. There is still a lack of bass or low frequency strength from the speakers. Still, that is quite understandable when they have not fitted a subwoofer into the svelte body of the ASUS VivoBook S15. You would need proper headphones for that needed thump from your music.

Still, even if you do not have any good pair of headphones to work with, the audio is plenty usable and enjoyable. That is the case for both movies and music, which is pleasant. Of course, you would want more low frequencies for action movies with plenty of explosions. In terms of music though, if you are not too big into Hip-Hop, you should do more than fine actually. The high frequencies and mid frequencies are great and clear.

Again though, there are still notebook PCs that packs better audio than the ASUS VivoBook S15 (2020). At the same time though audio for notebook PCs have evolved quite a bit and progressed further than anyone would have thought these days. You can hardly fault modern notebook PCs when it comes to audio quality these days – save for weaker low frequencies.

While Harman Kardon is nothing new for the ASUS VivoBook S15, we do think that having that backup from a large audio brand like Harman Kardon is still an exciting feature to have. It means that ASUS can handle what they do best while allowing one of the best in the business to do what they do best.

Plus the Magic of ICESound by ICE Power

Added to the prowess of Harman Kardon’s know how in making great sounding speakers, or tuning them to sound good. But a good speaker is nothing without good software to articulate and equalise sound. Here is where ICE shines.

ICE Power is known to make some professional grade amplifiers and audio equipment. They are one of the world’s best when it comes to studio monitoring and production grade audio solutions. No, that does not mean that ASUS worked with them to fit an amplifier that is made by them within the VivoBook S15. Not quite, those are still a third party developed part and then Harman Kardon would add their clever know how to make the speakers capable.

What ICE Power makes here is quite unique. It is a software based tuning kit that adjusts the frequencies of the media played through the speakers. Yes, in other words, they made a custom equaliser software for ASUS here.

Unlike plenty of other notebook PCs, the equaliser that is given by ICE Power, more known as ICESound that is built into ASUS’ existing Audio Wizard(cheeky) is a lot more comprehensive. You can tune the audio output to however you might like your music to be. You can have different settings for different software too. They are all saved under presets so you can just quickly get a different tuning and EQ in different conditions within a click.

There are preset settings, of course, for those who are not familiar with tuning software or equalisers adjustments. They simply label them as ‘Music’ and ‘Movies’. Both give you different experiences in both instances too.

Even in those settings, you can customise them further if you want your music to sound a certain way, like how professionals work with live audio, you can too with ICE Power, or at least at the default settings, they do the magic work and you just turn it on to work with. I suggest just going with their default setting though.

While to many, this may not sound like a huge difference with no treatments or equalisers; to any trained ear, you can notice differences straight away. Even with Spotify, the sound profile changes dramatically. Vocals sound clearer with that trailing afternote that you always hear when someone talks to you or in live concerts. The instruments sound a little more alive than they really are somehow. All these in just a simple arrangement of different frequencies. It is pleasantly surprising.

Of course, there is still the problem of not enough low-frequency strength from smaller speakers fitted on the ASUS VivoBook S15. Still, for a notebook PC to have audio like this is plenty amazing. If you are a little picky with audio, this could be the notebook that you might want to have.

There is some caveat though. While it does transform your audio experience a little bit, the speakers at times might seem that it hardly copes with the changes in frequencies, especially the higher ones. There are minimal tears in audio if you pay attention. Still, they can be quite negligible in most cases. To be fair, it could be Spotify too.

Performance

Of course, there are some limitations to what the ASUS VivoBook S15 can do. After all, the test device we have here only packs Intel’s Core i5. While it is the 10^th Generation processor, it is not the most powerful in its range too. It is made to be power efficient and durable. It is made to be a workhorse instead of a powerful all conquering device with short bursts of power. This is made to last all day and more. This VivoBook S15 is made to stay away from the wall plugs as long as possible.

Still Quite Powerful

That is not to say that the ASUS VivoBook S15 is a weakling though. With the 10^th iteration of Intel’s powerpack, it is more powerful than ever. It scrubs through Full HD 1080p videos on Adobe Premier Pro with ease. It renders the video quite fast too. Well, of course, this coming from a modern PC and at 1080p, you can expect as much. The NVIDIA GeForce MX250 does help things trundle along in video editing purposes too, especially when you need to do any extra stabilisation of your footage.

While your gaming rig can render Full HD videos much faster, this is not too far off. We were able to render 2minute Full HD videos in a few minutes. Provided the video does not feature plenty of complex animations, or too many added footages, or generally that much in complexity. It is just a simple cut, join and render from two different Full HD videos.

Where this should shine though is in simple Adobe Illustrator works and even Adobe Photoshop. Thing is, you might be left a little bit wanting from the display a little bit though. You are not getting the most colour accurate display available to you. Still, it is an IPS display; which means you still get best in class viewing angle and colours still look good.

We also appreciate the fact that this comes out-of-the-box with 8GB RAM. We have always said that 8GB should be the minimum RAM size that any notebooks come in. ASUS listened and fitted 8GB into this thing. Of course, you can upgrade it or add another RAM stick on your own if you want to.

Of course, with 512GB of SSD, you are not going to think too much about wanting for more speed out of your storage. 512GB is also plenty to work with when you are just going to work with documents, some light video or image editing, and even looking through endless emails. Trust me, it is enough. If not, you still can add a 2.5-inch HDD if you want to.

Gaming

Obviously the first part of any performance gauge on almost any notebook PC. Well, that is barring the creator grade stuffs. So, gaming.

Before we go on though, we are not going to install or test AAA titles on this notebook PC. Let’s face it, no one will buy this type of PC to run AAA titles in even close to high settings. You might be able to run older AAA titles still though.

We are not very good DOTA 2 players, but we are pretty sure this still can run that. Then again DOTA 2 runs on nearly any machine on the market these days. So DOTA may not be a good marker anymore.

We ran Two Point Hospital and Motorsport Manager on this thing. We relied on Two Point Hospital more than Motorsport Manager to work with though. Motorsport Manager is buggy at best, and does not require super high performance from GPU as well.

In that light, we are delighted to report that this runs Two Point Hospital healthily. As in, we have not complaints on it. We did not fiddle with the settings, for obvious reasons. We are pretty sure we could push the VivoBook S15 to higher settings on Two Point Hospital, but it might make the frames a little choppy, so we did not bother.

No, you will not get anything higher than 60 fps. This display only refreshes at 60hz. Nope, not a competitive esports contender here. Just a regular PC.

Going the Distance – Battery Life

The older VivoBooks have allowed us to work remotely quite efficiently in the past. There is no specific battery life quote from ASUS really for the new ASUS VivoBook S15. The 50Wh battery built into the ASUS VivoBook S15 (2020) though allowed us to stay on the move and work for at least 4 hours. This is considering that we left it at default power mode. You could improve that a little bit by changing your power consumption model like any other Windows notebook.

We got about 6 hours in battery life with no more than 10 tabs open on both Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge, plenty of typing on Microsoft Word (we typed this review entirely on the ASUS VivoBook S15), constantly having audio at various levels of volume with Audio Wizard on full time. Oh yes, we were downloading some things from Steam too. Screen brightness were kept to half though.

Still, we managed to get this review written on the ASUS VivoBook S15 in two full charges. Which is not ideal if we are away from ports for 8 hours or more in a single period. We are not though, so it still works. We are also thinking in terms of the buyers of this notebook PC. It should be more than adequate to work with between charge points if you are a student especially. Unless, of course, your class goes on for more than 5 hours at a time.

Display

We are not going to lie; the display is not the best. This is not some notebook PC that you might want to use to edit photos or images with super accurate colours. Might I suggest you get a secondary monitor that might cost as much?

No, this is not made for super accurate colour reproduction. This is also not made for gaming, so you do not get anything close to 120Hz. It stops at 60Hz, which is quite terrible in today’s gaming standards.

Does it matter though? This is not a PC that is made to be a creator’s tool. It is made to be a reliable workhorse for the likes of students, or some working adults that is looking at a budget. This is made for Word processing, Excel sheet crunching, and PowerPoint creation. This is made to browse through endless research papers and a mindless amount of web pages.

In that sense, the display is great enough for web browsing and reading. It is adequate to work with; you do not need 120Hz or even Pantone validation to process videos or get through an Excel sheet. You only need to protect your eyes. Windows and ASUS has you covered with blue light filter built-in of course.

The ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 (2020) – The Best VivoBook

That should go without saying. Every new device should be the best of its series. But the ASUS VivoBook S15 (2020) managed to do even more than that though. We admit, it lost some great stuff. It lost the highly acclaimed ErgoLift design (somehow, I am personally glad though). Then there is the fact that you do not get the fingerprint sensor with Windows Hello anymore, a mild annoyance. There is also no significant improvements in battery life too.

The ASUS VivoBook S15 (2020) is a mild progression from the older 2019 variant, rather than a revolution. It does everything a little better. Sure, we do not get some things that we have come to expect from the ASUS VivoBook line-up. But a notebook PC at this segment is not made great by those things.

You still get the same sort of great looking design that can stand out anywhere or blend in anywhere. That is up to your colour choices, by the way. It remained at the same great price too at MYR 3,199. That while having slightly better rigidity, which in turn improves durability and overall typing experience (thank you, little nub). The product still feels great but is made better with the slightly more powerful new generation Intel Core i5 processor (the only one we are getting in Malaysia, by the way). Audio by Harman Kardon is still much of the same thing, but the discovery of Audio Wizard by ICE Power made exclusively for ASUS PCs made it slightly better; just the right amount to change the experience.

Everything points to very slight increments in the experience of the ASUS VivoBook S15. All the increments are made at the same price too. Yes, that means that you must give up some good stuff too. But remember, that is not the point. The point of the ASUS VivoBook S15 is to be a great all-rounder. In that, it does well. We would describe it as the perfect all-rounder. It’s 15.6-inch display is large enough, but also light at 1.8kg. It has all the power you need too, and still lasts longer your meetings or classes. Of course, the Harman Kardon and ICE Power combination is a winner in the audio aspect. Music is enjoyable on this, really.

It is like that friend that you hang out with all the time, the one that goes to the ‘mamak’ with you to discuss world issues, and to the bar with you to watch Liverpool winning the 2019/2020 season; the all-around swell and reliable friend. This is that friend. Oh, as a bonus, this ‘friend’ might look better than that friend; whatever you may think, the Gaia Green is gorgeous. Definitely the one I would spend my MYR 3,199 on.

Computers, News

New ASUS VivoBook S Debuts in Malaysia

June 30, 2020 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

ASUS’s VivoBook has come a long way since it’s first debut. The line up which started out by carving a unique niche for affordable laptops with respectable specifications, has evolved to one of the most personalisable ultrabooks available on the market. The line up has become known for its bold, bright colours, gorgeous finish and rather feature rich package.

The new Vivobook S continues this ethos. It comes in bright, vibrant colours that bring a renewed vigour to the line up with updated specifications and new colours. This year, the VivoBook S line up is bringing a whole new range of colours including the Resolute Red, Gaia Green, Dreamy Silver and India Black. These colours allow users to express themselves from the get go while infusing a pop of colour in any mundane environment.

That said, the VivoBook S has never been just about the looks; it has also been about pushing technology and design. The slim, 1.59cm silhouette of the line up belies its technical prowess. The new VivoBook S line up comes equipped with 10th generation Intel processors which promise faster performance and longer battery life. This paired with the NVIDIA GeForce 250MX and WiFi 6 capabilities allows the VivoBook S series to stride a fine line between performance and portability. This is further bolstered by the 512GB of M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD with 32GB of Intel Optane memory and 8GB of RAM out of the box.

Pricing & Availability

The new ASUS VivoBook S series will be available starting today, 30 June 2020 in retail stores with prices starting at MYR3,199 for the VivoBook S14 and MYR3,699 for the VivoBook S15. Both come with 2 years global warranty from ASUS.

If you are interested in getting one yourself, ASUS is offering an MYR100 discount with the voucher code ASUSVS100 on their official stores on LAZADA and Shopee. The offer is valid on a first come first serve basis on 30^th June 2020 from 12pm till 11:59pm.

Official Specifications

ASUS VivoBook S14 (S433F)[1]

CPU	Intel^® Core^™ i7-10510U Processor 1.8 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.9 GHz)
Display	14” LED-backlit Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 Frameless four-sided NanoEdge display with 85% screen-to-body ratio 178° wide-view technology; anti-glare IPS panel display; NTSC: 45%
Operating system	Windows 10 Home
Graphics	Intel® HD Graphics 520 Integrated GPU NVIDIA^® GeForce^® MX250 Discrete GPU
Main memory	8GB 2666 MHz DDR4 on board
Storage	Intel^® Optane^™ Memory H10 with Solid State Storage (32 GB Optane^™ + 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD)
Wireless	Intel^® WiFi 6 GIG+ (802.11ax) Bluetooth^® 5.0
Camera	HD camera
I/O ports	1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C^™ 2 x USB 2.0 1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x Audio jack combo 1 x Micro SD card reader
Audio	Array microphone with Cortana voice-recognition support 3.5 mm headphone jack Certified by Harman Kardon
Battery	Fast charging: 60% in 49 minutes 50 Wh 3-cell lithium-polymer battery 65 W power adapter Plug Type: ø4 (mm) (Output: 19 V DC, 3.42 A, 65 W) (Input: 100-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal)
Keyboard	Backlit Chiclet Keyboard
Fingerprint Reader	Yes
Colors	Dreamy Silver / Indie Black / Gaia Green / Resolute Red
Dimensions	Height: 1.59 cm (0.62”); Width: 32.49 cm (12.79”); Depth: 21.35 cm (8.40”)
Weight	1.4 kg (3.08 lb)
Retail Price	RM 3,699 (available on 30^th June onwards)
Bundle in Box	ASUS Backpack, Limited Edition VivoBook stickers
Warranty	2 years global

[1] Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.asus.com

ASUS VivoBook S15 (S533F)

CPU	Intel^® Core^™ i5-10210U Processor 1.6 GHz (6M Cache, up to 4.2 GHz)
Display	15.6″ LED-backlit Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 Frameless three-sided NanoEdge display with 86% screen-to-body ratio 178° wide-view technology; anti-glare IPS panel display; NTSC: 45%
Operating system	Windows 10 Home
Graphics	Intel® UHD Graphics Integrated GPU NVIDIA^® GeForce^® MX250 Discrete GPU
Main memory	8GB 2666 MHz DDR4 on board
Storage	Intel^® Optane^™ Memory H10 with Solid State Storage (32 GB Optane^™ + 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD)
Wireless	Intel^® WiFi 6 GIG+ (802.11ax) Bluetooth^® 5.0
Camera	HD camera
I/O ports	1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C^™ 2 x USB 2.0 1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x Audio jack combo 1 x Micro SD card reader
Audio	Array microphone with Cortana voice-recognition support 3.5mm headphone jack Harmon Kardon Certified
Battery	Fast charging: 60% in 49 minutes 50 Wh 3-cell lithium-polymer battery 65 W power adapter Plug Type: ø4 (mm) (Output: 19 V DC, 3.42 A, 65 W) (Input: 100-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal)
Keyboard	Backlit Chiclet Keyboard
Fingerprint Reader	No
Colors	Dreamy Silver / Indie Black / Gaia Green / Resolute Red
Dimensions	Height: 1.61 cm (0.63”); Width: 35.98 cm (14.17”); Depth: 23.38 cm (9.2”)
Weight	1.8 kg (3.97 lb)
Retail Price	RM 3,199 (available on 30^th June onwards)
Bundle in Box	ASUS Backpack, Limited Edition VivoBook stickers
Warranty	2 years global

Business, Computers, Gaming

ASUS ROG Collaborates with Alan Walker for the Future of Gaming

June 29, 2020 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) is one of the world’s foremost brands when it comes gaming. The brand has always been pushing the boundaries when it comes to gaming technologies and even lifestyle. This year, the brand is pushing boundaries even further with collaborations including Malaysian streetwear design house, Stoned & Co.. To add another notch to their belt, ROG is now collaborating with renown DJ and producer, Alan Walker.

Alan Walker is no stranger to the gaming industry. The artist has been featured in multiple games including the critically acclaimed Death Stranding to popular mobile battle royale shooter, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile. His music has made the English born, Norwegian DJ has shot to stardom from his roots as a content creator on YouTube. That said, he isn’t just a DJ, producer and Youtuber, he’s also a gamer. The partnership with ROG marks a bold move by Walker to merge his two passions together.

ASUS ROG, on the other hand, is looking to address the growing diversity of the gaming community which has grown tremendously in recent years. The brand recognises the growing proportion of gamers who have become content creators and vice versa.

To that end, as a kick off to the partnership, ASUS is creating a special edition of it’s recently launched ROG Zephyrus G14. The brand’s new Ryzen 9 powered laptop brings a unique x factor to the table when it comes bridging the world’s of a content creators and gamers. It’s also one of the laptops in its line up that is able to deliver on audio with Dolby Atmos certified sound. The unique AniMe Matrix also brings a unique feel and expression that is quintessential for content creators.

The special ROG x Alan Walker edition of the Zephyrus G14 is just the beginning when it comes to the collaboration. Beginning in August, ROG and Alan Walker will be releasing videos which give audiences an early look at the DJ’s new music. In addition, fans will be able to take a behind the scenes look at his music and get to know the renown DJ even better.

Gaming, Lifestyle, News

ASUS ROG Malaysia Partners with Stoned & Co. for AniMe Inspired Streetwear Line

June 29, 2020 Nur Jeevan 2 Comments

ASUS’s Republic of Gamers (ROG) has always been about being a gamer and with gaming and gamer culture going mainstream, the brand has been branching out over the years to include ROG branded apparel in their line up. This year, ASUS Malaysia is partnering with Stoned & Co. to hit the streets with it’s apparel.

The new collaboration is drawing its inspiration from the AniMe Matrix dot matrix that emblazons the top of the recently released ROG Zephyrus G14. The dot matrix on the laptop allows users to customise their laptop with retro, cyberpunk style dot matrix designs that light up when enabled. The monochromatic accent to the Zephyrus G line up is a touch of personalisation which made waves at CES 2020.

Hence, it comes as no surprise that ROG would want to bank on the head turning feature to inspire it’s streetwear line with Stoned & Co. The line up will be consisting of four pieces: two t-shirts, a bomber jacket and a hoodie. The designed emblazoned on the apparel will share the monochromatic AniMe Matrix feel.

The new apparel line up will be available first to ROG fans who purchase the new Zephyrus G14 laptop. Purchases of the new Ryzen 9 touting G14 will be entitled to a free Stoned X ROG bomber jacket while those purchasing the Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 5 models can stand a chance to win the same. The promotion comes as part of ROG’s ROG My Style campaign. However, if you’re not eager to get a brand new laptop, you’ll be able to get the apparel in Stoned & Co. outlets starting in August.

Design

Hardware

Specifications

Features

Full I/O Ports and an MicroSD slot

ErgoLift Comfort and Discomfort

Blowing Hot Air, At the display

Backlit Keyboard for the Dark Times

Facial Recognition

Harman Kardon Audio

Performance

The Extra and Subtle Workhorse

Video Editing is Possible

Gaming

Battery

ASUS Battery management

USB Type-C Charger

Display – IPS and Iris Plus

The ASUS ZenBook 14 – So Much, yet So Little

Built for Productivity

Pricing & Availability

Official Specifications

ASUS ZenBook 13 (UX325)

ASUS ZenBook 14 (UX425)

The SCAR Edition

STRIX G – for Gaming

Pricing & Availability

Design

Hardware

Specifications

Features

Back to Basics

Clickety Clackety

Harman and Kardon’s Magic Touch

Plus the Magic of ICESound by ICE Power

Performance

Still Quite Powerful

Gaming

Going the Distance – Battery Life

Display

The ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 (2020) – The Best VivoBook

Pricing & Availability

Official Specifications

ASUS VivoBook S14 (S433F)[1]

ASUS VivoBook S15 (S533F)

Tech Your Way