Asus Zenbook UX430 series review – compact 14-inch gaming ultraportable

137 Comments

  1. Danny

    July 16, 2017 at 10:01 am

    Can someone help me decide between Asus zenbook ux330ua which has intel i7, 16gb ram and 512gb ssd but no graphics card VS Asus zenbook ux430uq intel i5, 512gb ssd and 16gb ram with the Nvidia 2gb graphics card. I honestly don't need graphics card. How much of a difference will the intel i7 VS intel i5 make? I really don't like the bezel on the ux330ua but it has better specs. They both are the same price. $1299 Cad. What do I do?

    • Andrei Girbea

      July 16, 2017 at 3:15 pm

      Little to no difference at all with daily use, and the i5 will also run a little cooler.

      If they're the same price I'd get the UX430, imo it's a nicer laptop and the bigger screen makes it more comfortable to use.

      • Danny

        July 16, 2017 at 4:00 pm

        I see Everyone talking about the fan noise. Exactly how bad is it and does every laptop have it? Has Asus created a bios to fix it or do I still depend on the notebook fan control app? I feel like notebook fan control is a lot harder r to use. Is that right? Anyone made the fan control for ux430uq? Also has the fan noise helped with actually cooling the laptop?

  2. TRTB

    July 24, 2017 at 1:08 am

    Me again. Do you know if this one can be charged via USB-C? And does the screen use PWM flickering? Thanks in advance!

    • Sem

      August 28, 2017 at 3:31 am

      No pwm, no type-c charge.

  3. Richard

    July 27, 2017 at 5:12 am

    Thank you very much Andrei, really great work you are doing, your review helped me a lot when considering buying this Asus notebok. Finally ordered it and looking forward to try it. Thanks again,
    Greetings from Norway
    Richard

    • Andrei Girbea

      July 27, 2017 at 5:17 am

      Thanks. Please get back with your feedback if you have the time.

  4. A. M.

    July 28, 2017 at 1:31 pm

    Concerning the fan noise and thermal behaviour, notice that ASUS have released two BIOS updates: version 201 ("Update FW") on 10.02.2017 and version 300 ("Optimize system performance") on 13.07.2017: asus.com/us/supportonly/UX430UQ/HelpDesk_download .

    None of the two files has a clear description, but please notice that UX430UA has also received a BIOS update on 07.02.2017 (version 201) named "Update thermal policy". This suggests that "Update FW" for UX430UQ does the same thing, i.e. change the thermal behaviour: asus.com/us/supportonly/UX430UA/HelpDesk_download .

    In light of all this, could you please apply these updates and then test the laptop again only for fan and heat behaviour? I'd say that ASUS have listened to the users and tweaked the firmware, and I'd like to see whether this solves the problems and whether some throttling is involved in their fix.

    • Andrei Girbea

      July 28, 2017 at 11:54 pm

      i no longer have the laptop , but perhaps someone else can try these.

  5. beekey

    July 28, 2017 at 2:14 pm

    Hi there.thanks for review and comments in discussion.

    any owners of UX430 – do you have any issues with micro HDMI? is it durable enough for (almost) daily use connecting the beamer?
    thanks

  6. Jacob

    August 1, 2017 at 11:36 am

    Would you choose this or HP Spectre 13? Thanks

  7. Paul

    August 26, 2017 at 3:40 am

    Hey. I'm planning to buy asus zenbook ux530ux and I heard that 430 and 530 are basically the same. I'm an architect and use mostly autoCAD, photoshop and few rendering programs. My retailer offers ux530ux with i5, 8GB RAM, 512SSD and geforce 950m. Other variant is ux530uq with i7, 8GB RAM, geforce 940mx and 256 SSD. Both has the same price. Also it offers zenbook ux510 with geforce 950m, 16GB RAM, i7(7500), 1TB HDD + 128SSD with similar price tag. Which one would you recommend?

    • Andrei Girbea

      August 26, 2017 at 4:25 am

      The issue with the 430/530 is the non-upgradeable RAM, and for your needs 8 GB are probably not enough. I'd get something with at least 16. The Nvidia chip help a little bit, but the CPU matters much more.

      I'd also suggest two other aspects to consider:

      1. If you can't wait, perhaps consider a laptop with a quad-core Intel CPU and at least 16 GB of RAM instead, albeit it might be a little bigger and heavier.
      2. If you can wait, there's a new line of Intel Core U quad-core processors scheduled for the next weeks (details here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/17655-coffee-lake-laptops/ ), and those provide better multitasking performance and should be better fir to your needs then the i7-7500U and other dual-cores.

      • Paul

        August 26, 2017 at 5:01 am

        Then I'll probably wait, because two additional cores will help a lot in rendering process. There is zenbook ux430 mentioned in your list and I wanted to ask is there any chance that ux530 will also get updated?

      • Andrei Girbea

        August 26, 2017 at 5:06 am

        I'd reckon yes, but I can't tell for sure when or even if. I couldn't find anything on an updated UX530 with either MX150 or Coffee Lake processors yet.

  8. Ultrathin

    September 11, 2017 at 1:52 am

    I'm contemplating between buying Lenovo IdeaPad 720 and this. Any comments?

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 11, 2017 at 3:16 am

      Are they the same price and config? Not sure what I'd pick between the two. The Lenovo is bigger and heavier, but gets a bigger battery. Also gets the faster 940MX with GDDR5 memory. Had some issues with performance and wireless on my sample though: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/17425-lenovo-ideapad-720s-review/ .

      The Asus is thinner and lighter, gets slower graphics.

      If you could wait, I'd suggest waiting for the kabylake-R quad-core configurations with MX150 graphics, though. Those configs should be a major step-up both in terms of CPU and GPU performance.

      • Ultrathin

        September 11, 2017 at 5:03 am

        Thanks. I would prefer Asus then. The Lenovo screen is too reflective for usage.

        Would you know when will the kabylake-R quad-core configurations with MX150 graphics be out in Asia?

        I'm planning to get the laptop in mid of nov

      • Andrei Girbea

        September 11, 2017 at 12:30 pm

        Can't tell, try to get in touch with Asus on social media and ask about

  9. Andrei Girbea

    September 12, 2017 at 5:20 am

    Hi, I was wondering if any of you guys that have this laptop try to set the CPU cooling on Passive from Power Management, to see if it has any effect on the fan's behavior? I'd reckon it doesn't, but perhaps someone can check.

    • Richard

      September 12, 2017 at 7:42 am

      Hello Andrei, I have Ux430Ua model, and passive CPU cooling (both on battery or pugged in) has no effect on fan. Fancontrol program seems to be the only solution so long.

  10. Ultrathin

    September 14, 2017 at 1:53 am

    Hi, anyone can tell me the difference between Asus X405UQ and this model?

    I took a glance at the specs and found that Asus X405UQ is equipped with a graphic of 940MX DDR5.

    Thought the audio is sonic master

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 14, 2017 at 3:06 am

      I'll review this in a few weeks. There are a many differences, primarily in terms of build and design, but also the keyboard, screen panel, speakers, battery size. The Vivobook X is the entry line for Asus right now, while the Zenbook UX is the top of the line.

      • Ultrathin

        September 14, 2017 at 11:22 am

        Thanks. Are u saying that this model is better than x405UQ? The pricing is a whopping difference as well. With a better graphic card, x405uq is priced at least 400 dollars lesser.

      • Andrei Girbea

        September 14, 2017 at 1:29 pm

        Yes, it's better across the board. Still, whether it's worth that kind of a difference is a different thing though. If you can live with the smaller battery, large body, etc, the x405 should be a good laptop as well. Just make sure you get an IPS screen and not a TN screen.

  11. Julian

    September 19, 2017 at 3:18 pm

    Hi,

    I want to buy this laptop but I don't know if I should buy the i5 or i7 version.
    I'm planning on doing some photo editing with photoshop and some video editing (not on a professional level). Is it worth getting an i7 core? Is there any noticeable difference between the two when browsing the web (for example)?

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 19, 2017 at 3:48 pm

      Not with everyday use or with movies, but the i7 is faster in demanding multi core loads, and photo and video editing are such tasks. Are you going to use Photoshop or Premiere or Lightroom, or some simpler programs? Also, how much extra would you have to pay for the i7? Normally I consider the i7 a hard sell on its own, but makes sense if its paired with more RAM (16 with the i7, 8 with the i5 configs), which is going to matter a lot with those photo/video tasks too.

      • Julian

        September 20, 2017 at 6:24 am

        I'm going to use Photoshop and Premiere. I'd have to pay about 100 euros extra for the i7 core. The RAM is the same for both laptops

      • Andrei Girbea

        September 20, 2017 at 7:25 pm

        I'd get the i7

  12. Alex

    September 25, 2017 at 10:57 pm

    Hey, So after months of being in the comment section as I was among the 5 people who initially commented. I decided to buy the laptop despite the complaints on the fan noise. So I've had it for about a week or longer and I really enjoy using this. Yes everything is great and yes the fan makes noise, but its not a deal breaker for me. it acts like white noise for me. I did download notebook fan control with the 360ua version and im not sure what to do after. There was no way for me to change the settings to turn on fan at a particular temperature. I wasn't sure if it should be left in automatic. If there is anyone who can walk me through it or even upload a youtube link for this particular model it'd be great. There are also times when the fan noise stops for a brief second and its crazy how much quieter it gets, i guess thats because i got used to it. I highly recommend this laptop despite the fan noise. The keyboard and the sound is a pleasure.

  13. punlshd

    September 27, 2017 at 2:56 am

    Hi I'm considering this one (UX430UA) without the discrete graphics and with 8 GB Ram and i5 CPU and I'm pretty unsure about this one and its bigger brother Zenbook UX530UX that has the same ram but and i7, GTX 950M dGPU and 15.6" Screen, so will things differ between these in terms of cooling or fans especially that they fitted a better discrete graphics in this version? anyone have thoughts or tried it? it's also portable at 3.6 pounds as I need it mainly for a CS degree and some light gaming.

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 27, 2017 at 3:10 am

      Not sure about the cooling on the 950M version, but the UA model is definitely going to run cooler and probably quieter as well, as the amount of generated heat would be much lower. How much quieter though, that I cannot tell, but perhaps someone else could pitch in.

  14. Bahadır

    October 17, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    Hi everyone,
    I bought UX430UQ from Turkey. And i would like to change my SSD with in Samsung SM961 512GB 22x80mm PCIe x4 Gen 3.0 NVME SSD MZVKW512HMJP instead of Sandisk SATA 3 512gb SSD.

    I have four question that i must solved.

    1. Will 512gb samsung SM961(i wrote above) work on my ultrabook.
    2. Will 1Tb version samsung SM961 work on my ultrabook.
    3. If i change my SSD sata 3 to PCLe x 4 will my ultrabook work faster? How much faster will be?,
    4. Do you suggest different kind of brand or model SSD Pcle X4 instead of SM961

    Thanks for your answers.

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 17, 2017 at 4:46 pm

      I don't have the laptop anymore and I dont' know for sure of the Samsung 961 is compatible. Perhaps someone else can pitch in.

      WE do know this uses 4x PCIe 2.0 lanes, so you won't get the full capabilities of that Samsung SSD. Will be faster than the SATA drive included, but whether you'll be able to notice the difference in real use it's entirely up to you, what kind of computers you've used in the past and your everyday use scenarios.

      • Bahadır

        October 18, 2017 at 12:53 pm

        i used my pc for autocad and online games.

        i was searched every web site but i could not find anything about SM961 SSD that it is compatible or not.

        i read something about Samsung Pro 960 at forums, Pro 960 SSD is working on this computer, is it correct?

        If 960 pro 512gb SSD may work on pc i will buy it ?
        Also 1 GB version of 960 pro is it compatible ?

  15. George

    October 22, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    Costco has the ASUS ZenBook UX430UN 14" on sale for $999 with an I7 8th generation, 512 HB SSD and 16 GB DDR3 RAM though.

    still worth it? it sounds like a great piece of hardware for that price. but its still $1000 for a laptop, so any help to make up my mind is appreciated.

    • Andrei Girbea

      October 23, 2017 at 9:19 am

      That's a pretty solid configuration for 1G.

      • Amol Modi

        October 27, 2017 at 4:06 pm

        What are the alternatives to this Costco offer of the model with similar specs under 1G?

      • George

        October 31, 2017 at 7:32 pm

        many thanks I ordered it :)

      • Amol Modi

        November 2, 2017 at 2:04 pm

        Hi George,

        Any feedback or reviews about this model?

      • George

        December 9, 2017 at 3:44 pm

        I bought it, played with it for about a month and returned it last week. Very disappointed. My old laptop is a Lenovo yoga 2 pro with 8 GB RAM, I exchanged the wifi module to an AC and the 120 GB SSD to a 256 Samsung 850, so its a nice machine. I just thought the new Asus would fly away with its new I7, 16 GB RAM, dedicated garfic card and so on. Newer, faster, better. was very wrong.

        I liked the design, the keyboard, the screen. and that was it. it was not faster than my 5-6 years old Lenovo. and the fan was on most of the time, what a pain in the butt. so I could not justify to myself spending $100 for a machine I did not love and I returned it, thats the cool thing with costco, no questions asked, the take it back within 90 days.

        I have bought about 7 or 8 Asus laptops over the last years for my business and everybody who is working with them loves them. so I will keep an eye on them. But for me the next logical step will be a 15 inch Dell XPS, they just need to do something about their pricing :)

      • alejo099

        November 13, 2017 at 5:15 pm

        It looked like a great deal, but sadly the new UX430UN has pretty bad PWM:
        youtube.com/watch?v=uEMuuOUX4sg
        I was about to pull the trigger and this stopped me. There are some reports of people suffering headaches as a result

      • Andrei Girbea

        November 15, 2017 at 4:29 am

        Sucks. I hope to get my hands on the UN soon as well.

  16. Matthew Pollock

    October 26, 2017 at 10:24 am

    Seen in an Amazom UK review
    Problem fix for Asus Zenbook UX430
    BySpeedtek22on February 9, 2017
    Style: 7th Gen Intel i5|Verified Purchase
    Had this laptop for a few weeks now and it runs great.
    However, I found that the fan was making quite a lot of noise. I opened the laptop up and found that the noise was not the fan but a metal cable that runs over the fan causing the loud noise as it vibrates. After fastening the cable down, the noise no longer occurs.
    Removing the backplate is easy, just remove the visible screws and two screws under the rubber feet. You'll see the cable resting just above the fan.

    Any comments? It seems an easy fix. But if it works, it is really odd that Asus didn't do something about it, this issue has persisted over several generations of Asus laptops.

    • Matthew Pollock

      October 26, 2017 at 10:26 am

      Oh sorry my mistake this is a review of the UX330. But presumably they would have kept the same fan arrangement.

  17. Mali

    November 2, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    Hi!
    You are comparing the exact same computers I am trying to. I have the Dell XPS 13 with the 5th gen i5 and am wondering if I should upgrade to the UX430 with same specs 8th gen i5 and dedicated graphics. I am only holding back because I absolutely love the screen on the XPS and the battery time is decent. Will i see any improvement in battery life? Any setbacks in picture quality?

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 2, 2017 at 2:00 pm

      The XPS 13 gets a bigger battery, so you'll actually see a drop with the Zenbook.

      The Zenbook is much cheaper for a higher end config with an i7 processor and 512 GB SSD, plus you also get the graphics for games. The XPS 13 is a nicer laptop imo (it's also my ultraportable of choice), but not a match for gaming and definitely annoying if you end up a with a unit with coil whining. The FHD screen on the XPS is also a little brighter and richer, but you'll hardly notice that in real use and the screen on the Zenbook is also pretty good. You might notice the whole adaptive contrast thing on the XPS, not sure if they fixed it on the newer models.

  18. Sandy B

    November 7, 2017 at 3:06 am

    I can't decide between zenbook ux430ua and yoga 720 (both 13-14 inches and i found the same price). I like zenbook because it has i7 7500u, but what i have read that yoga 720 has i5 7300u but overall seems to be better. I like the idea of the ink pen. I'm going to study IT management next January. Do i really need i7 7500u? What do you think and recommend? I don't want to spend more than $900.
    Thank you in advance:)

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 7, 2017 at 5:11 am

      Normally I'd say no, the i5 is good enough for most everyday tasks. You should however get at least 8 GB of RAM on your configuration.

  19. alejo099

    November 11, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    Sadly the new UX430UN has pretty bad PWM:
    youtube.com/watch?v=uEMuuOUX4sg
    I really wanted to get it but they changed the panel they use in the laptop.

  20. Mahlet Birhanu

    November 15, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    is it true that the processor speed is 1.8GHz only?

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 15, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      For the i7-8550U? Yes, but it has Turbo and runs at higher clocks most of the time. Our latest review of the Spectre x360 with the same CPU explains that well.

  21. Andrew Han

    November 18, 2017 at 3:24 pm

    Should I get this or the Lenovo Ideapad 720S? Both of the configurations that I'm looking at have the Core i5-8250U and 8GB of RAM, and they're around the same price. Also, which laptop has a better screen? Thanks in advance.

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 20, 2017 at 5:44 am

      The UX430UQ has a better screen, but there are reports the UX430UN gets a different panel with PWM. I prefer the UX430 between the two, but if these newer models indeed come with a flickering screen, the Lenovo is the better choice.

      • Rhys

        November 20, 2017 at 2:31 pm

        Can confirm that the new model (8th gen) comes with PWM. Doesn't bother me but I know some people struggle with it.

      • Andrew Han

        November 20, 2017 at 10:47 pm

        Thank you, what about the UX430UA, the version without the discrete GPU? Would you still choose it over the 720S?

      • Andrei Girbea

        November 21, 2017 at 6:16 am

        Normally yes, but the screen concern comes back to mind, with the new panels on the 8th gen configurations. If they came with the screen tested on the version in this review, then yes, I'd choose the UX430 over the Lenovo

      • Andrew Han

        November 21, 2017 at 9:04 am

        OK, thank you for giving me your opinion!

  22. Andrew Han

    November 23, 2017 at 6:22 pm

    Hello again, I did a test on the Asus Zenbook UX430UA (Version without 940MX, only has HD620), and the display appears to be using PWM, even at 100% and 0% brightness, at 6000 Hz. Would you still recommend this over the Lenovo Ideapad 720S even though the UA version doesn't have a discrete GPU? Also, which laptop (in your opinion) has a better design and build quality?

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 24, 2017 at 10:50 am

      I can't tell for sure without actually seeing that screen in person myself. If it's noticeable and you think it would bother you, then it's safer to go with the Lenovo. They're both built well as far as I remember, and as far as design goes, it's up to you which you like best :)

      • Andrew Han

        November 24, 2017 at 5:18 pm

        Awesome, thanks for the advice, man!

      • alejo099

        December 4, 2017 at 12:08 pm

        According to this proper study its up to 500hz. nature.com/articles/srep07861

        "In the present study, we find that viewers can distinguish between modulated light and a stable field at up to 500 Hz, much higher than the widely reported rate".

        Problem is that both 8th gen UX430UA and UX430UN use a panel that flickers at 200Hz. I decided to go for another option.

      • Andrei Girbea

        December 4, 2017 at 12:34 pm

        Thanks for this, much appreciated

  23. Razvan

    November 29, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    Hi Andrei,

    I've read a lot of your reviews lately so I said why not give it a shot and ask you directly.

    Long story short, I've recently purchased an Acer Swift 3 (i5-8250u, MX150, 8GB DDR3L and 256 GB SSD) but unfortunately I have to return it, due to the following disappointments:
    – What I hate most! A lot of backlight bleeding all around the edges, some of it visible even on gray images with the lights turned on in the room
    – Poor contrast / blurry display on the native resolution (I have bad vision so the whole scenario resulted in a kickass headache)
    – Speakers sounded like they were at the end of a pipe somewhere below my desk
    – Very sharp edges, to the point that after a fairly normal browsing session my forearms look like I played with a tiger pet
    – Keyboard backlight is not 'contained' uniformly across keys of the same type, so it makes it look like some Sci-Fi movies acid rained on the keyboard and caused these light spots to come out

    The main aspects I want my new laptop to have are:
    – Decent build quality, premium materials etc.
    – No backlight bleeding! A lot of people say this is to be expected on IPS panels, but I dare say not really, I have a 7 years old Dell monitor with IPS and a 3 years old $300 Acer Aspire V3 laptop with IPS that have perfectly uniform screens and good viewing angles
    – New gen CPU (i5-8250u or i7-8550u)
    – Preferably the MX150
    – SSD and at least 8 GB of RAM
    – Something quiet so my missus doesn't throw a shovel at me at midnight when I work

    I will mainly use it for programming, VMs, browsing/reading, and sometimes testing games and graphics on which I work.

    The Asus UX430UN (pcgarage.ro/ultrabook/asus/14-zenbook-ux430un-fhd-procesor-intel-core-i7-8550u-8m-cache-up-to-400-ghz-16gb-512gb-ssd-geforce-mx150-2gb-win-10-home-blue/)

    Seems to tick most of these boxes, at least on paper.
    So please, tell me if this will this be a better purchase that will fit the profile? Unlike the Swift 3. Or feel free to recommend me another model, I couldn't find anything else with Coffee Lake and MX150.

    Thank you!

    • Andrei Girbea

      November 30, 2017 at 5:38 am

      Hi Razvan.

      The screen is pretty crap with the Swift 3, that's true. The other aspects are more or less subjective.

      Backlight bleeding is unfortunately a lottery these days with many laptops, not just those in the lower price ranges.

      That Zenbook should be OK, BUT, I've read reports about it having a different screen than the UX430UQ with lower brightness and PWM. You might want to look into that. You should also order online so you can easily return it, PCgarage don't deal with returns as easily as Emag does, as far as I know. You shoudl also try to check out a UX430 version in store, they should have it at showcased at MediaGalaxy or Altex, see how you like the keyboard, build, etc(they do in Bucharest, not sure where you're from).

      Overall the UX430 is one of the nicest options in the class imo, with the quirks mentioned in this article and that extra aspect regarding the screen on the UN variant.

      • Razvan

        November 30, 2017 at 6:42 am

        Thanks Andrei, and happy name day if you're celebrating!

        I'm a bit reluctant about the PWM as well… taking into account I'll be using it mostly at night.

        Do you have any recommendations for another brand? I noticed that the Lenovo 720s has similar specs but they don't sell it on our market, unfortunately.

        Or if you're aware of any good upcoming devices that are worth waiting for, I'm willing to wait up to late February or so.

        I'm from Brasov btw., will be checking the physical stores soon.

        All the best and thanks again,
        Razvan

      • Andrei Girbea

        December 2, 2017 at 5:12 am

        Hi, thanks. Most of the laptops in this segment have already been unveiled, except for the new Acer Swift 5, but that one is not worth getting imo. Best thing you can expect is for the IdeaPad to also be available here, there's usually a delay with Lenovos. Not sure how bad PWM is going to be for you. I doesn't bother me that much, perhaps you can give it a try and just return the laptop again if not OK with it.

      • Timberly Crunchberry

        December 6, 2017 at 1:21 pm

        Are you going to test the new UX430 with Kaby-R and MX150? I really want a 14'' display in a 13'' body but I can't find any tests for the new UX430 online.

      • Andrei Girbea

        December 6, 2017 at 1:33 pm

        I don't know but I'll see about that by the end of the week. Asus doesn't have a sample and I don't know if it's worth buying just for the review, especially since only the UX430UA without Nvidia graphics is available over here.

      • Nat

        December 31, 2017 at 3:29 am

        I'd also love to see your review of the UX430UN.

        In the meantime, there's a very detailed review at a Polish site that makes comparisons with the UQ version. The reviewer doesn't check for PWM but does note that the UN panel is slightly downgraded due to about 10% less sRGB coverage and a higher DeltaE. Brightness and contrast seem similar to the UQ panel.

        Other notable differences are about 4-5 C lower external heat than the UQ and about 10% lower battery life. I've seen redditors complaining about the ~75 C BIOS limit on the UN's GPU, which the Polish reviewer's data also confirms.

        It would be awesome if you eventually get a chance to make a direct comparison of the 8th gen + MX150 versions of the UX430UN and the Lenovo 720S.

        Here's the link: purepc.pl/notebooki/test_asus_zenbook_ux430u_core_i78550u_i_mx150_na_pokladzie

        Happy new year!

      • Andrei Girbea

        January 2, 2018 at 7:07 am

        I'm not surprised the GPU is somewhat limited, that seems to be the case with most ultraportables that get an MX150. Not sure where I'll be able to review the UN version though, because it's not yet available over here.

  24. Septimius

    December 19, 2017 at 5:43 am

    I bought the laptop and I find that it is a really good one. Except for the plastic case (not that bad, but I could have been better) and the cooler, which comes from hell and it's disturbing. I read about using Notebook Fan Control and I installed it – it works fine and it keeps the computer quiet. It keeps it at around 35-45 degrees C, which I guess it's quite decent. My question is if the cooler never starts, as it doesn't go beyond 40 or 50 C, would it not harm the CPU and maybe other components on a longer term?

    Thanks

    • Andrei Girbea

      December 23, 2017 at 6:50 am

      No, there's no issue if the CPU runs at around 50 C

  25. Titta

    December 19, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    I got my Ux430UN last week. When unwrapping it from postbox I noticed the laptop and screen were full of fingerprints! Do they not use cloves in manufature? When I got my fingers on the keyboard I remarked a clattering noice on the touchpad and a strace sound when pressing the down arrow. After a day s use I notice a touchpad corner had come 1/2mm off its socket plus additionally some keys are ad if they were not properly attaced (I coud get my fingernail underneath and lift the key surface a bit). Is this normal build "quality" of ASUS or did I get the monday morning model? I am sending the laptop back to the online store but now I keep thinking whether to stay with ASUS or find another brand with similar specs. Any suggestions?

    • Andrei Girbea

      December 23, 2017 at 6:52 am

      Send it back and ask for a replacement,it seems you just draw a short stick. Also, there should be no fingerprints on the device out of the box, perhaps you got sent a refurbished unit somehow?

    • Septimius

      January 2, 2018 at 7:30 am

      @ Titta – Is the fan noisy and running all the time, even though there are no programs running and the CPU is cool?
      Thanks

      • Titta Tapaninen

        January 5, 2018 at 6:28 am

        Hi Septimus,
        the fan is not on all the time, only few times I have heard it go on (when loading RAW therapy and GIMP), and very occationally other times. So no complaints there, the UN is really quiet.

        I finally got my second version and this machine did not have any fingerprints, the touchpad and keys seem to be properly fixed (can not get my fingernail under any of them :-) plus the update at launch only lasted about 1,5 to 2 hours opposed to the 5 + hours with the previous one.

        But the feel of the laptop is quite plastic and not very durable. I would not believe it´s made of some kind of metal if the product information did not state so. So guys if you move about with your laptop alot, twink twice. Or get a decent carrybag.

  26. alex

    December 24, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    hey, I was comparing the new gen asus ux430 with last year's model. last year they had 2.5ghz cpu speed and this year its 1.5ghz. how would the speed compare?

    • Andrei Girbea

      December 25, 2017 at 6:09 am

      That doesn't matter, stop looking at core-speed GHz. Processors have a Turbo Boost these days and can speed up when required, hence the newer generations are both faster in demanding loads, and a little more efficient in everyday use.

  27. hasan

    December 29, 2017 at 12:43 am

    Hi guys I just baught a Asus Zenbook UX430U, and I was wondering, what is the duration time of the battery on a single charge ?

    And for how long could this laptop last ? i'm a student and I want a laptop that will last me at least 4-5 years or even more it would be better ?
    On this link : asus.com/ca-fr/support/article/604/
    It says that after 1 year of using the laptop the battery retains 80% of it's original capacity …

    I've juste opened it from the box and it's my first usage, and the battery was at 66 %, and the remaining time said 9 hours, now it's at 59% and it says 4 hours … What's going ? I think I did a mistake and I should've baught a Macbook Air…

    • Andrei Girbea

      January 2, 2018 at 7:03 am

      Batteries are consumables these days so there's no way to estimate how well they will age. Not sure what you mean by 66%, use HWinfo to check for any battery wear.

    • Jacob D.

      January 8, 2018 at 12:11 pm

      Hello! You have not made a mistake. I have the same scenario with my laptop. I might be able to explain what is happening. This is because as the computer does more work, it uses more energy. Since it is using more energy, it drains the battery quicker. Therefore, Windows changes the estimate of how much longer your battery lasts based on what you are doing. Basically, I ignore the time it says. I know that an 80% charge will last me about 7 hours if I am doing schoolwork. In fact, this laptop has excellent battery life and is on par with top end competitors.

      I have also looked at the graph on the link provided. If you read carefully, it seems the laptop you and I have bought does not come with the 'Asus Special Battery Technology' that the graph is refering to. This is only put on older Asus business laptops. If it was on our laptop we would have a higher cell count, e.g. a 6 cell instead of a 3 cell battery. However, fret not. Both graphs are just estimates. Li-ion technology has been refined over the past couple years and is better than it was when those graphs were created.

      Here is what I recommend you do. Take care of your battery. Since you and I both plan on keeping our laptops for 4-5 years, we need to make sure we promote the longevity of our Li-ion cells. Here are some tips I have found through research.
      1) Do not let your battery temperature sustain at above 50 degree Celsius for extended periods of use.
      2) Try not let your laptop sit plugged in over night, every night. This is called Trickle Charging and it is bad because your laptop is constantly being charged at 98-100%. I have found this severely can decrease the life of the Li-ion cells in your battery.
      3) Do not let your battery drop past 15% often, and past 10% more than once a month. This also puts strain on your lithium – ion cells and decreases their ability to charge all the way full.

      These things should help, and there are other things that have been recommended but from what I can tell they are not as widely supported to be true. Also, if you had read your instructions manuel when you got the laptop you would have seen Asus says to protect your battery for the best battery life for the next few years, charge your laptop to 100% for 3 hours right out of the box. Oh well, and I bet your battery is still mostly fine. Hope this stuff helps you, and you enjoy your laptop :)

  28. Lawrance

    December 30, 2017 at 9:58 am

    Hello, a question about this sentence: "that causes the metallic body to get quite hot, to the point where playing games on your lap is not safe".
    What do you mean by "it is not safe"? I don't plan to regular gaming on this harware, but casual gaming will happen for sure.

    • Andrei Girbea

      January 2, 2018 at 7:05 am

      Well, not comfortable is probably the better way to put this.

  29. Raj

    December 30, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    Hi Andrei!
    Pretty detailed review, I have been keeping an eye on this comments space for a while, I was really interested to get this Zenbook with MX150 (since I do casual photo/video editing); here are some concerns I see, please let me know what do you think:
    1) I used PWM monitor before and it bothered me a lot. So, I guess, I won't be investing in any laptop with PWM. However, the model you reviewed is not available in the US, I believe. I am still trying to look for it. I did see the newer Zenbook 13" in person. Man, the display is simply gorgeous. Succinct color accuracy most of the times, very close to Dell XPS. 13" is too small for me. I am looking for either 14 or 15.6.
    2) I use a very 5 year old Sony Vaio, I have always been using my work laptop. So, does Intel HD graphics suffice for casual video/photo editing work? I am aware about the performance cushion that MX150 would offer but still, is it worth considering?
    3) Asus official website says the RAM is DDR4. Costco site says its DDR3 and Amazon.com as well. Can you confirm if the unit you reviewed is DDR4?
    4) Any plans of reviewing the MX 150 variant?
    Thanks for your time. Also if you would like to recommend any other laptop under $1000 USD range?
    Thank you. Happy Holidays!

    • Jacob D.

      January 8, 2018 at 12:22 pm

      Hello Raj,

      I bought the laptop from Costco in the U.S. I do not do photo or video editing so I cannot help you with that. Though it seems the MX150 is about double the performance of the integrated graphics and does not use much power, so it will help I assume. My laptop does have DDR3 low powered, as stated on Costco website. Hope this stuff about the US version helps.

  30. Jacob D.

    January 2, 2018 at 12:00 am

    So I bought the UX430UN about a month ago from Costco when it was on sale for $999. Have been super happy with the battery life and the laptop. The fans are fine and do not bother me at all. I am also relieved that it is ok to let it run hot, as I was worried the heat might damage the battery while I game or something. Hey, does anyone know if the battery is user replaceable? In a couple years I was thinking I would probably have to change it out because it is only 3 cell and over time Li-ion batteries degrade. Idk I have never had a device long enough to be able to tell, so I hope the battery keeps running strong.

    Also, I was thinking about getting a fan/cooling pad to help keep the laptop cool. Does anyone recommend a good brand/ model? I am just worried about the heat, even though I have been told it doesnt damage I am still worried. I know.

    • Andrei Girbea

      January 2, 2018 at 7:12 am

      The battery can be replaced and it's a fairly simple task, but you do need a little bit of knowledge to get inside and unscrew the right screws and detach the right connectors.

      About temps, you should also consider undervolting the CPU, that should help lowering them a little bit. This article explains how to do it: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/10167-laptop-undervolting-overcloking/

      As for your last question, I've never used any, but you should go through the listing on Amazon/Newegg and find one with good user reviews.

  31. adam

    January 5, 2018 at 12:37 am

    How do I apply your calibrated color profile file to my UX430, do I just click right and install ? If I do how do I revert back if my screen turns out to be different from your model number ?

    thanks

    adam

  32. Titta

    January 8, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    Hi again!
    No fingerprints on the replaced laptop and touchpad more firmly in its socket. This time the finishing touch lacked from the screen – with a residue of clue like substance framing the LCD screen. After a couple of day´s use I have noticed there is a ultra light sound (like friction or electromagnetic "sparkles") coming from behind the screen when scrolling up and down a webpage. Any idea what might be causing that?

    Thanks in advance. This is a great forum!

    • Laura

      June 12, 2018 at 4:29 pm

      I had the same problem of sound :/
      Did you find a solution?

  33. Herman Guen

    January 12, 2018 at 11:43 am

    I had this laptop and returned after 3 weeks due to overheating and severe fan loud hissing noise. I tried many software solutions but noise stayed.

    I won't suggest to buy it.

  34. Herman Guen

    January 12, 2018 at 11:50 am

    Now I have Lenovo T460s i7, 2k LCD, and very happy with it. Almost no fan noise and no overheating; When intensive job laptop's fan noise bearly noticeable. The keyboard of Lenovo T460s much better than Asus Zenbook UX430. Altogether I suggest Lenovo T460s over Asus Zenbook UX430 even though T460s may be a bit expensive.

  35. Daniel

    January 20, 2018 at 8:04 pm

    The coil whine some of you are hearing, I believe it comes from the SSD.
    At least in my model, the ux430ua i7 with 512gb ssd, the noise comes from that exact location..

  36. Xucong

    February 2, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    Hi, could you please do a calibration on the newer UX430UN model as I believe it is not the same Chi Mei panel. Much appreciated if a calibration file for the new panel can be shared. Many thanks!

    As for my model from Costco (i7 8550u, MX150, 512G/16G, $999), I use it mainly for development, and it is a great machine for my work. The keyboard feels comfortable for long typing as it feels kind of soft if you get used to it. The trackpad is excellent. Accurate and smooth and clicky. I don't need to use the mouse for most of the time. The specs support my work very well as I usually need to run a VM at the same time, so 512g of storage and 16g of ram really help. The screen is beautiful, as color coverage is decent and it's MATTE!!! Thank god. THE perfect combination for coding and text editing work! Again, it would be great if I can get the screen more accurate in color as I also do web design work. Many thanks!

    • Andrei Girbea

      February 3, 2018 at 5:21 pm

      Hi, I'll have an article about the UX430Un up soon with that file included.

      • Jacob D.

        February 3, 2018 at 8:01 pm

        Sweet! I am looking forward to it too!

      • Xucong

        February 4, 2018 at 2:16 pm

        Perfect! Thanks a lot!

      • J L

        February 16, 2018 at 2:22 pm

        looking forward to the ux430un review soon too as the biggest turn off for this from what i've read are the severe thermal throttling (73deg) on the mx150 and the PWM flicker on the screen. More bummed out about the 73 deg thermal limit on the MX150. Else, i would've gotten it in a heartbeat.

      • Tom Hanks

        March 12, 2018 at 6:57 am

        Hi, do you know when the article will be released? Best regards

      • amadeus

        March 18, 2018 at 9:07 am

        Yeah, I would like to know the released date too.

      • Zdravko

        August 23, 2018 at 5:24 am

        Hi Andrei,

        Did you ever get to finish the UX430UN review?

      • Andrei Girbea

        August 23, 2018 at 10:38 am

        I never got to publish it. I have all the test results, but postponed the article and then other topics became more of a priority. I can try to finish it up, but in the meantime, if you have any specific questions, just ask and maybe I can help

      • Andrei Girbea

        August 24, 2018 at 4:04 pm

        Update: I finalized the article on the UX430UN update, you can find my impressions in here: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/19141-asus-zenbook-ux430un-review/

  37. Karen

    February 23, 2018 at 6:01 am

    Really informative review, thank you for the detailed and thoughtful analysis!

    • Jay

      July 10, 2018 at 5:03 am

      I completely concur – well reviewed!

  38. Celiker BAHCECI

    February 26, 2018 at 12:04 am

    Screen, mouse and other specs are great, everything is good without 3 things :

    1. I often hearing the coil whine (a ultra light sound (like friction or electromagnetic "sparkles")) in a quite room or in nights. I cant find the source of noise with using Task Manager -> Performance tab.

    2. Fans really work loudly when CPU is busy (I closed Windows Update and using in battery saver mode, I preferred low performance on coding rather than fan noise. )

    3. Power cord and USB ports are so close to each other(on the left-upper side of notebook). Power cord connector is look like L and if you need to use USB port always, it makes a problem, because always you need to upturn your power cord connector.

  39. Hamza Hashim

    March 1, 2018 at 10:35 pm

    Hi, I recently bought two units of the UX430UA and both have different degrees of keyboard flex. I'm now thinking of returning one of them: would any of you have any advice with respect to which unit I should keep? The one with more flex (and keys that protrude higher from the chassis) or the one with the keyboard that has less flex and more recessed keys?

    I have no idea why the key travel on both units differs by a fairly noticeable amount. Guess Asus really does have quality control issues on this model. Disappointed to spend this much and get this in turn. Any help would be appreciated.

  40. Nathalie

    May 25, 2018 at 4:46 am

    Good evening Andrei,
    I just bought a ux430UA, not bad at all! I see an improvement over other Zenbooks and there fan noise levels. In the case of the x430ua, the fan is indeed much quieter than in other Zenbooks, although running a bit too much to my liking at times. I have tried to modify the % of cpu that is used, in the power parameters, but it looks that factory setting won't show a menu in the parameters to do that, to the contrary of many other laptops. I thought about using a program I can download to do this, but as I am careful with what I download from unknown sites, for obvious saftey purposes-trojan horses and the like with some downloadables- I am asking you if this is safe to download those? Am thinking of the hirshmann one, found at github.com/hirschmann/nbfc/releases. Would you recommend it? Thanks in advance for your reply! Best regards, Nathalie

    • Andrei Girbea

      May 27, 2018 at 12:51 pm

      Sry, I'm not familiar with that piece of software

      • Nathalied

        May 27, 2018 at 4:44 pm

        Hello Andrei,
        Thank you for your reply!
        Nathalie

    • Richard

      May 27, 2018 at 10:00 pm

      Hi,
      Iam using NoteBook FanControl since I bought this laptop,(mostly in read-only modus) and never had any problems with it.
      Greeting Richard

      • N

        May 28, 2018 at 8:08 pm

        Hi Richard,
        Thanks for the info, I will have a look at it.
        Greetings,
        N.

      • Zdravko

        August 22, 2018 at 6:40 pm

        Hi Richard,

        Would you care to elaborate a bit on how you set up Notebook Fan Control to work with your UX430. Mine seems to by default always at 12.5% fan speed, meaning its always on regardless of the temperature. This translates to <40C at typical use (its with the 7th gen 7100U processor). When I enable the custom profile the fan shuts down, but it doesn't seem to follow the profile when the temperatures raise, its always off. The read and read/write options have no effect on the fan, only the enable. I couldn't find any guides on how to set up the Notebook Fan Control app and its profiles. Thanks.

      • Richard

        August 23, 2018 at 12:22 am

        Hi Zdravko,
        I have UX430 with i5 7200 and using FanControl 1.5.3. In this version I have preselected configurations for differents notebooks models. Iam using config for Zenbook UX310UA and it works well for me (fan is staying off until 45C i think, than ) I dont know if this will be fine also for your processor but you have a plenty of models to choose between in this version, so you can try some of them.
        Hope this helps
        Richard

  41. N

    June 12, 2018 at 4:46 pm

    Hi,
    I guess Asus has improved the UX430ua, as mine I bought three weeks ago is very quiet. The fans starts from time to time, but this is not bothering, I can be working a whole day on the laptop without any fan activity. The only thing so far is that the battery is not that good for heavy use. Browsing a bit and using Word, for instance, can last for about six hours, which is ok. But using Netflix or youtube, it is more 3-4 hours. Well, we can expect some drawbacks at only 1000 $, but considering this low price, it's quite satisfactory

    However, I tried the Spectre X 360, supposed to be better on many levels, and returned it, I did not like it that much as I am sensitive to fan and background noises, there is most of the time that hissing sound, although faint, but very high pitch, and sound quality and image quality are not as good as on the ux430ua. Not trying to 'sell' the ux430ua, but I have the impression that ASUS has corrected that fan noise problem we see on so many Zenbooks, at least on this one.

  42. Nathalie

    July 11, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    What helps to increase battery life is to use the Microsoft Edge browser, not as hungry as Firefox or Chrome, for instance. Does make quite a difference, especially when watching videos or Netflix!

    • Andrei Girbea

      July 13, 2018 at 10:25 am

      Yep, that's why we run our browsing battery tests in Edge.

  43. Garnizonas

    September 5, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Hey UX430UA ZenBook users,
    Can anyone share their experience with plugging a 4K monitor to this laptop? From ASUS support I know that HDMI is 1.4 version which has a limit of 4K at only 30Hz. Since there is no Thunderbolt, I suspect that the USB type C (gen 1) port will also be not powerful enough to output 4k 60Hz to a monitor.
    I've seen the the same problem with similarly priced Lenovo IdeaPad 720s. Only a ~50% more expensive Dell XPS can offer Thunderbolts…

  44. William Stanaland

    February 7, 2019 at 11:13 pm

    Using the ASUS GPU TWEAK below will push the GPU temperature limit to 90 degrees Celsius when gaming mode is selected

    Regards
    WS

  45. Marie

    February 8, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    Don't buy this laptop! I got it last May, because at first, it was not noisy at all,one of my main criterias. Has become noisy since December, I tried so many solutions to slow down the processor and fan, but to no avail. And it is full of bugs, such as with the wifi and with regular blank screens that appear. I am getting a Mac soon, as it seems that no PC is really quiet, except by Microsoft, but is too expensive for me.

  46. Marie

    February 8, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    I have to add that also, the battery is rubbish. Lasted for a long time for the first months, but not anymore, even if I follow Asus' instructions on how to make it last longer, I also use Edge, less hungry. I won't last more than three hours even if I only use Word, not even the web! Very disappointed by this laptop, to say the least. Also, often, another bug make the keys completely mixed up, when characters that appear are not those I type! Light and compact laptop, but that's the only positive thing about it, what a crappy thing!

  47. Dheeraj Mulani

    November 28, 2019 at 3:20 am

    Hi, I’m a highschool student and I’m having a problem with my Asus UX430UQ. My laptop is stuck on the Bios page and will not boot or exit the page making my laptop essentially useless. Can someone help me with this problem?

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