Testing: Asus ZenBook UX3402ZA-Pure4 – Digi.no

On the outside, the Asus Zenbook is very similar to the Pro Duo, but without the dazzle factor of the additional screen. did not comply our hopes And they lost a little in their concessions. By comparison, this model looks like a more refined machine, with an emphasis on several important elements, although compromises remain here as well.

The laptop is beautiful in appearance and at the same time cool but elegant. It’s a little heavier and thicker than a traditional Ultrabook, but not by much. This provides room for both the standard USB port and HDMI. Thus, my USB-C adapters are usually unnecessary to find while I’m using this computer. So it’s disappointing that it’s only a micro-SD card reader and not the standard size.

Zenbook’s design is reminiscent of previous generations — and other models in this generation — in that the screen raises the back of the device when opened and gives a slight tilt of the keyboard and more air space for cooling. However, this is more accurate than in previous versions, and you don’t get an equally powerful tilt on the keyboard. This is probably because the monitor has to be able to tilt the back completely and the laptop has to be flat on the table.

Speaking of raising the screen: this can be done with one hand without any problems, and the bottom is left on the table. Unfortunately, the initial force required to start opening is somewhat greater than desired, and I witnessed several times that the laptop was pushed back quite a bit before it started opening. It took some getting used to, but it was a nuisance that was quickly forgotten.

Almost perfect

The keyboard on this computer is the same as on the Duo laptop version. This means, for example, that the enter key is shorter, and the asterisk/apostrophe key is located where the top of the enter key would normally be, below the normalization key. For me, who regularly hits the top of the enter key, this has become a very annoying problem to deal with. There is no shortage of keyboard space, so here they were able to look for a standard keyboard solution.

Otherwise, the keyboard is comfortable for typing, and the keys are good enough. It’s perfectly fine resistance when I’m writing, but with a bit of a flex in the laptop. In addition, there is a reasonable distance between the keys, so that you can easily feel where your fingers are. So it’s disappointing that the keyboard layout detracts from the experience and regularly makes me lose focus on typing.

Great trackpad, but the extra feature falls off

Unlike the Duo model, this Zenbook has room for a decent trackpad. It doesn’t have dedicated mouse buttons, but requires pressing the entire surface with one or two fingers to click, or having one or two fingers touch the surface, like when you press something on a smartphone. The trackpad can also be set in the settings on the device.

The deck fell into good taste with the undersigned. Although I prefer to use a computer mouse, many times I didn’t think that I hadn’t disassembled a computer mouse. I had no accidental movements or mouse clicks while typing with the keyboard. There is also a good response to the various three and four finger gestures available. It can also be configured as desired.

The mouse pad can also be used as a numeric keypad, where the various number keys on the pad light up and can be clicked. This was a practical function the few times I had to calculate numbers in a calculator, for example, but it was hard to get used to. But if you normally use a numeric keypad and have lost it on a laptop, this might be for you.

The job could still be done in a better way. There is no tactile response when the different numbers are pressed, nor is there any way to tell the difference between the different keys on the surface. Because of this, the task of searching goes up and down the trackpad and the screen to verify that I’m tapping in the right place and that the number I want is actually registered. I never found any bugs with this feature, but it could have been more intuitive.

Color calibrated OLED screen

One of the most prominent features of a laptop is a laptop screen. Equipped with a beautiful 14 inch OLED screen, with high resolution and refresh rate. The screen is slightly higher than the standard 16:9 screen, in 16:10 format. This gives a little more vertical space, for example, lines of text or Excel rows.

The resolution is 2880 x 1800, which is equivalent to 2.8 kilobytes. It produces twice as many pixels as a standard 1080p screen. Given the clarity of the image and how much you can fit on the screen, this is a good resolution. The monitor is also approved by color reference company Pantone, and therefore can be used for professional design work, according to Asus.

Although this model doesn’t have touch features or other bonuses, I don’t miss it yet. For my requests in the home office or branch office, this meets my requirements. The screen was seen as too bright, and we measured it at 647 lux – very high. So the brightness rarely went more than half way up.

entertainment machine

A good screen satisfies anyone who likes to watch movies or series on their laptop, and fortunately the computer also has very good sound. For music, entertainment, and digital meetings, this device performed well. There is good clarity in the sound picture, and at the same time this can provide a very high volume without deteriorating the quality. You do not need external speakers for this.

Just forget about the charger at home

After two weeks of use at home and in the office, I still only had to charge this laptop when it was connected to the charger and the equipment at work. Even after an evening of vigorous laptop use with browsing and watching Netflix, I still had 40 percent energy when I got back to work the next day. This machine lasts a long time.

Even though I’m usually near an electrical outlet and have a charger in my backpack, it’s so convenient that I don’t have to think about having to charge it. Again unlike the Duo version, this is a much more portable laptop, with almost three times longer battery life – 9:49 vs 3:34.

Balanced performance

This laptop delivered comparable hardware performance in our tests. In normal use, there was a good balance between performance and cooling needs. I seldom notice that the device has become too hot, nor that the fan is too loud. Our version with the i7 processor requires less cooling and battery compared to the Duo version, which is a positive for the user experience, although this affects some performance.

Here are some of the performance tests we ran:

conclusion

This laptop isn’t a breakthrough on any fronts, but it doesn’t look like it’s trying to be. There are many pluses and minuses to highlight. The screen, speakers, and general user experience were very positive. The Enter key on the keyboard will probably be something you get used to eventually, but this quickly became annoying to me. Battery life and the balance between performance and cooling needs make this laptop very flexible and portable, which you can use for an entire day even if you forget the charger at home.

However, there is nothing in the laptop that does not surprise and does not break any boundaries. What would have been decisive for me if I decided to buy this myself, would ultimately be the price – and the price of similar machines. Since it has not yet been published, it is not good to say how it will affect a potential recommendation. But this model, perhaps with lower specifications, is another machine that will meet most of the requirements for many. Whether it is for leisure, business, study or creative use – wherever you are.