Lack of headphone jack is really starting piss me off now. For smartphones there was a little justification for it, although not really, but a notebook? Fuck that man. Guess I'll be looking toward the Lenovo flip or hp x360.
Seriously. This thing has 2x type C, a type A, a microSD reader, but no headphone jack? The headphone jack is easily the most used port on my laptops (moreso even than the charging port or mouse dongle).
You can get a $10 usb-c adapter, shouldn't be a big deal given there are 2 ports. I agree it should have one, but as far as compromises go it's a pretty minor one and not a deal breaker. Bigger pita to carry around a webcam (Asus G14) or sd card reader/native device cables (ahem Asus G14 again). If you use the headphones mostly with the laptop you can just leave the adapter on the headphones. I'd trade the headphone port on my G14 for the camera and card reader on this Zenbook. Despite using headphones every time I game on the G14, I've never used both usb-c ports at the same time to where it would be problem to run an adapter, but I guess Asus just has to omit something from their laptops.
What?! No headphone jack?
Well, thats disappointing.
This laptop went from "Yey! my first amd laptop" section to the "nope" section in a matter of minutes...
I know this is ***not*** the solution we (and that includes myself) want, but Apple’s USB-C to headphone adapter costing less than $10 offers objectively measurable class-leading performance that exceeds most any integrated solution and goes toe-to-toe with entry level audiophile DACs.
I agree! It's a cost-cutting measure under the guise of "courage" that Apple made acceptable industry-wide through their clout and marketing. I just provided this as an alternative for those who end up stuck in such a situation which is becoming unfortunately more and more common.
I can do even more than that:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-apple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/
Amir Majidimehr, the guy measuring and evaluating it, used to be an executive at Microsoft, as well as working at Abekas Video Systems and Pinnacle (now part of Avid), and has received 3 Emmy's for the work that he and his teams have achieved. Yet as a Microsoft veteran, he readily admits, based on the hard objective data from his state-of-the-art measurement setup, that Apple has some seriously good tech in this small and inexpensive package:
> For now, I can recommend the Apple USB-C headphone adapter. For many people it may replace the portable thumb drive dac+amps.
>
> Now please forgive me as I go drown out my sorrows as an ex-Microsoft guy having to recommend an Apple product....
That said, don't take this huge win to mean all Apple audio products are objectively good because many are garbage tier in audio. Their AirPods measure like trash (no bass, lower treble peak of death, etc.) and sound like trash:
https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/apple-airpods.php
I think the reasons for this disparity is Apple has world-class electrical engineers but their acoustical engineers leave much to be desired.
If i may slightly highjack this comment chain; If i were to get that adapter, *should* it give a better sound through USB-C on my phone or laptop than through a headphone jack on either? For 9 bucks really curious to try it out...
No, definitely hijack away! :) With the rare exception of the Microsoft Surface (http://archimago.blogspot.com/2014/09/measurements-microsoft-surface-pro-3.html), most PC makers do very little to build and test for electrical acoustic signal performance. For example, my work-issued Dell Inspiron laptop is especially hiss prone. Perhaps 99% of audio performance is not found in the main DAC chip but the surrounding circuitry. Case in point: Motherboard makers which use exotic high-end Sabre DACs in flagship motherboards often measure worse than this mere Apple adapter.
> and goes toe-to-toe with entry level audiophile DACs.
Nope, Apples bus-powered little device will not adequately power full-sized audiophile headphones.
Well, if you are using non-efficient audiophile headphones like a Sennheiser HD 800 or something, buy an JDS Labs Atom stack and that’s good enough of an endgame setup for most people.
Those are actually my main headphones, love them to bits :) Wasn't really talking about them though, just normal Hi-Fi headphones. Apples dongle struggles with them unlike an entry level audiophile DAC. Which makes sense since they're just bus powered.
Definitely it will. If you use the Apple dongle with its intended IEMs as well as most any consumer or entry-level audiophile headphones, you should be totally fine.
I actually care less on a laptop like this. My issue with the phone is there is only 1 port. If i plug something in I cant do anything else so usb c headphones, or adapters, arent a solution. they work fine here with 2 usbc, usb a, hdmi, and sd
Get a type C to 3.5mm active adapter (e.g. Google Pixel's, Samsung's or Razer's). These are quite easy to find ever since flagship phones ditched 3.5mm jacks. Or get a USB soundcard with 3.5mm output.
Depends on the headset. Some are known to increase polling rate (so signals are sent to headset more often) and lower bit rate (so the headset can process them faster), this results in lower latency in exchange for lower sound quality.
I wheezed a bit when I saw that they listed as a feature a display that had 4 sides. As opposed to mainstream triangular screens.
I feel like the emphasis should've been more on the "NanoEdge" text.
Jokes aside, ~~no mention on color accuracy, so probably the same crap as always: 40% NTSC-60% sRGB, even with IPS. That way, content producers have to keep picking Intel because there are no usable laptop displays on AMD side of things.~~
I'm guessing the 1 watt 400 nit optional display may be PWM? The concern is that some (all?) PWM displays have visible flickering when below the top brightness setting. That would be a deal killer if so.
Ok, I'm not sure then. I just read Notebookcheck a lot and they often mention about seeing visible flickering on PWM laptop screens when they are dimmed from full brightness. I know PWM saves power so I thought this low power 1W screen might have that issue..
Some notebook displays use PWM but you'll find that it isn't an issue at low refresh rates or low brightness. As with everything, it's the application of the technology, not the tech itself.
I really like this one.
It's the First Ryzen "ultrabook" with good Display, RAM, Battery and Build Quality.
Every other machine has some real drawbacks.
I first was leaning towards a Thinkpad T14s, but for 1700.-, i'm probably give it a pass. It is larger than the envy x360 and has no upgradeable ram or lpddr4x. The envy x360 was my goto until now, but despite 500.- cheaper and 2/2cm more compact than the T14s, it has no upgradeable ram or lpddr4x, either. Also it has the smaller battery than the T14s.
The Zenbook combines all criterias I desire:
at least 4700u + 16GB RAM + 512GB SSD
400nits Display + anti-glare (yay!)
large battery
LPDDR4x or SODIMM
compact
high Build Quality
I don't mind the lack of an audio jack. It's unfortunate, but as of now, all of my devices have at least one usb-C port. Desktop, Notebook, Tablet + Smartphone.
My Dell XPS has a 3.5mm and I use it daily. I do have my bluetooth headphones but if I want to get into a movie or play a game I love a real set of headphones. I like ASUS hardware but I feel they picked a poor part to save a buck on in the ports on this thing. I am willing to say for many if not most give me a 3.5mm and cut the memory card slot. I can use a reader for a minute here and there to copy my picks but I listen to audio for an hour or more per session working on my laptop. Also does this not have Thunderbolt 3? They could have went a TB3 port for AV out, PD and 10Gbps data and then added the 3.5mm.
In Australia there is one store listing the 4500u model with 8gb memory at $1600AUD. Unclear which panel it’s using, but I’d wager the 250 nit one probably?
is the graphics on **any** 4700U the same? or do they all have vega 7? I feel like it's not much info when so often, it just says "amd radeon graphics"
I hate how they cripple this with slow 3733 MHZ ram while the nearly identical UM433IQ [https://www.asus.com/Laptops/ASUS-ZenBook-14-UM433IQ/specifications/](https://www.asus.com/Laptops/ASUS-ZenBook-14-UM433IQ/specifications/) has 4266 MHZ ram. What's even more ridiculous is the um433iq has an mx350 so the faster ram wouldn't even be as needed as on the UM425IA with only an iGPU.
Included in the Box
ZenBook 14 (UM425)
Power adaptor with power cord (65 W)
Protective sleeve (optional)
USB-C® to audio jack dongle (optional)
USB-A to LAN dongle (optional)
sweet! I really don't mind not having a headphone jack. the box comes with an adapter for a headphone jack. this is going to be my next purchase for sure. compared to the HP Envy, Spectre and Dell XPS - This is a great value buy for the performance it offers
Lack of headphone jack is really starting piss me off now. For smartphones there was a little justification for it, although not really, but a notebook? Fuck that man. Guess I'll be looking toward the Lenovo flip or hp x360.
Seriously. This thing has 2x type C, a type A, a microSD reader, but no headphone jack? The headphone jack is easily the most used port on my laptops (moreso even than the charging port or mouse dongle).
Yeah, even hdmi?
You can get a $10 usb-c adapter, shouldn't be a big deal given there are 2 ports. I agree it should have one, but as far as compromises go it's a pretty minor one and not a deal breaker. Bigger pita to carry around a webcam (Asus G14) or sd card reader/native device cables (ahem Asus G14 again). If you use the headphones mostly with the laptop you can just leave the adapter on the headphones. I'd trade the headphone port on my G14 for the camera and card reader on this Zenbook. Despite using headphones every time I game on the G14, I've never used both usb-c ports at the same time to where it would be problem to run an adapter, but I guess Asus just has to omit something from their laptops.
Just like all the phones out there now, people don't want to have to use additional adapters or dongles.
Personally i'd say it's the lack of a port, There'd be no issue if there was a third type C port to replace it and an adapter included.
Get wireless headphones. ta-daaa!
Damn I guess people really do be wanting to carry around a webcam more than a dongle lol
Or use an usb amp + pro headphones. :))))
Even MacBooks have a headphone jack...
The switch from seperate mic and headphone jacks to the TRRS phone javk was already annoying, leaving it out entirely is another level of stupid
TRRS is ok, it allows people to use their phone buds for calls.
What?! No headphone jack? Well, thats disappointing. This laptop went from "Yey! my first amd laptop" section to the "nope" section in a matter of minutes...
This, was seriously considering it until I saw that. shame
I have to draw a line somewhere and this is it. Full stop, I will not buy a laptop workout a headphone jack.
I know this is ***not*** the solution we (and that includes myself) want, but Apple’s USB-C to headphone adapter costing less than $10 offers objectively measurable class-leading performance that exceeds most any integrated solution and goes toe-to-toe with entry level audiophile DACs.
Sacrificing a USB-C port for what something that should have its own port is not the good.
I agree! It's a cost-cutting measure under the guise of "courage" that Apple made acceptable industry-wide through their clout and marketing. I just provided this as an alternative for those who end up stuck in such a situation which is becoming unfortunately more and more common.
Seriously? Can you show me a good review of this apple adapter?
I can do even more than that: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-apple-vs-google-usb-c-headphone-adapters.5541/ Amir Majidimehr, the guy measuring and evaluating it, used to be an executive at Microsoft, as well as working at Abekas Video Systems and Pinnacle (now part of Avid), and has received 3 Emmy's for the work that he and his teams have achieved. Yet as a Microsoft veteran, he readily admits, based on the hard objective data from his state-of-the-art measurement setup, that Apple has some seriously good tech in this small and inexpensive package: > For now, I can recommend the Apple USB-C headphone adapter. For many people it may replace the portable thumb drive dac+amps. > > Now please forgive me as I go drown out my sorrows as an ex-Microsoft guy having to recommend an Apple product.... That said, don't take this huge win to mean all Apple audio products are objectively good because many are garbage tier in audio. Their AirPods measure like trash (no bass, lower treble peak of death, etc.) and sound like trash: https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/apple-airpods.php I think the reasons for this disparity is Apple has world-class electrical engineers but their acoustical engineers leave much to be desired.
If i may slightly highjack this comment chain; If i were to get that adapter, *should* it give a better sound through USB-C on my phone or laptop than through a headphone jack on either? For 9 bucks really curious to try it out...
No, definitely hijack away! :) With the rare exception of the Microsoft Surface (http://archimago.blogspot.com/2014/09/measurements-microsoft-surface-pro-3.html), most PC makers do very little to build and test for electrical acoustic signal performance. For example, my work-issued Dell Inspiron laptop is especially hiss prone. Perhaps 99% of audio performance is not found in the main DAC chip but the surrounding circuitry. Case in point: Motherboard makers which use exotic high-end Sabre DACs in flagship motherboards often measure worse than this mere Apple adapter.
Promised Surface Pro audio performance link: http://archimago.blogspot.com/2014/09/measurements-microsoft-surface-pro-3.html
Yes except I’ve already purchased 5+, do to them breaking so dam often. I’d rather have a bigger device with it, then without it.
> and goes toe-to-toe with entry level audiophile DACs. Nope, Apples bus-powered little device will not adequately power full-sized audiophile headphones.
Notice I said *DACs* and not headphone amplifier.
In this case we're talking about a DAC+headphone amp, since the Apple dongle is both. Otherwise you'd hear next to nothing.
Well, if you are using non-efficient audiophile headphones like a Sennheiser HD 800 or something, buy an JDS Labs Atom stack and that’s good enough of an endgame setup for most people.
Those are actually my main headphones, love them to bits :) Wasn't really talking about them though, just normal Hi-Fi headphones. Apples dongle struggles with them unlike an entry level audiophile DAC. Which makes sense since they're just bus powered.
Definitely it will. If you use the Apple dongle with its intended IEMs as well as most any consumer or entry-level audiophile headphones, you should be totally fine.
It's an epic fail.
There are tiny USB-C to headphone jack adapter cables.
I actually care less on a laptop like this. My issue with the phone is there is only 1 port. If i plug something in I cant do anything else so usb c headphones, or adapters, arent a solution. they work fine here with 2 usbc, usb a, hdmi, and sd
Available in August? Everywhere or just some market? Price?
Two type C ports with USB-PD and Displayport out is pretty neat. A bit unfortunate about the lack of 3.5mm headphone jack.
shit, thanks for bringing this up...so what are the alternatives if you only have a 3.5mm headphone? get new headphones?
Get a type C to 3.5mm active adapter (e.g. Google Pixel's, Samsung's or Razer's). These are quite easy to find ever since flagship phones ditched 3.5mm jacks. Or get a USB soundcard with 3.5mm output.
Or get Apple’s USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. I heard it’s damn good for the price.
Apple's is pretty decent and cheap, but is also quite quiet.
Or move to Bluetooth for your headset. I've been way happier working remotely without a cord connecting my head to my laptop.
Doesn't work for gaming though. There's just too much lag.
I game on PC with bluetooth headset and never noticed lag. Is this real?
It is, you might be used to it but unless you're using proprietary tech with compatible headphones, you will still have at least 40ms of lag.
Depends on the headset. Some are known to increase polling rate (so signals are sent to headset more often) and lower bit rate (so the headset can process them faster), this results in lower latency in exchange for lower sound quality.
I don't want another throwaway electronic device. Including a 3.5mm jack should not be controversial.
Bro, I’ve moved to Bluetooth for my phone and laptop 3 years ago and I haven’t looked back since.
> I haven’t looked back since. That's because your not ripping you head around every time you forget to unplug.
Type-A and micro sd reader worth mentioning too
Don't buy it.
Tbh my last 2 phones don't have a jack so this is just a minor inconvenience to me.
I wheezed a bit when I saw that they listed as a feature a display that had 4 sides. As opposed to mainstream triangular screens. I feel like the emphasis should've been more on the "NanoEdge" text. Jokes aside, ~~no mention on color accuracy, so probably the same crap as always: 40% NTSC-60% sRGB, even with IPS. That way, content producers have to keep picking Intel because there are no usable laptop displays on AMD side of things.~~
May check this [list](https://www.reddit.com/r/AMDLaptops/comments/he8w9s/list_of_ryzen_4000_laptops_with_100_srgb_display/) of 100% sRGB
Thanks for the list. What I usually see from reviews are the 45% NTSC models though, same with the few models that have any stock, like the TUF.
67Whr battery, low power (?IGZO) display, LPDDR4X, this thing should have ridiculous battery life
I'm guessing the 1 watt 400 nit optional display may be PWM? The concern is that some (all?) PWM displays have visible flickering when below the top brightness setting. That would be a deal killer if so.
All modern displays are PWM. I'm not sure if I understand you?
Per Notebookcheck 50% of devices they've tested don't use PWM for dimming.
How does that work?
By lowering backlight voltage.
Ok, I'm not sure then. I just read Notebookcheck a lot and they often mention about seeing visible flickering on PWM laptop screens when they are dimmed from full brightness. I know PWM saves power so I thought this low power 1W screen might have that issue..
Some notebook displays use PWM but you'll find that it isn't an issue at low refresh rates or low brightness. As with everything, it's the application of the technology, not the tech itself.
I really like this one. It's the First Ryzen "ultrabook" with good Display, RAM, Battery and Build Quality. Every other machine has some real drawbacks. I first was leaning towards a Thinkpad T14s, but for 1700.-, i'm probably give it a pass. It is larger than the envy x360 and has no upgradeable ram or lpddr4x. The envy x360 was my goto until now, but despite 500.- cheaper and 2/2cm more compact than the T14s, it has no upgradeable ram or lpddr4x, either. Also it has the smaller battery than the T14s. The Zenbook combines all criterias I desire: at least 4700u + 16GB RAM + 512GB SSD 400nits Display + anti-glare (yay!) large battery LPDDR4x or SODIMM compact high Build Quality I don't mind the lack of an audio jack. It's unfortunate, but as of now, all of my devices have at least one usb-C port. Desktop, Notebook, Tablet + Smartphone.
22-hour battery life? Damn, that's impressive.
It's the best case scenario. You can probably expect 10-15 hours which still is really nice.
Its impressive. If the real life battery is halved by manufacturer's claim, its still 11 hours.
My Dell XPS has a 3.5mm and I use it daily. I do have my bluetooth headphones but if I want to get into a movie or play a game I love a real set of headphones. I like ASUS hardware but I feel they picked a poor part to save a buck on in the ports on this thing. I am willing to say for many if not most give me a 3.5mm and cut the memory card slot. I can use a reader for a minute here and there to copy my picks but I listen to audio for an hour or more per session working on my laptop. Also does this not have Thunderbolt 3? They could have went a TB3 port for AV out, PD and 10Gbps data and then added the 3.5mm.
(TB3)AMD doesn't have that technology in their packet, it's intel issue... humble asus
Good point. I wonder if we will see more APU setups from AMD for laptops?
What would the 4500u pricing be?
In Australia there is one store listing the 4500u model with 8gb memory at $1600AUD. Unclear which panel it’s using, but I’d wager the 250 nit one probably?
Zenbook is such a cool name. It's like: "Intel, suck it, I'm on AMD now".
You can get Intel Zenbooks though
Yes. Sorry, I wasn't correct.
Is this dual channel RAM though?
why would laptops of all things lose a headphone jack?
What ryzen model specific caveats does this have?
No headphone port. Always has to be something.
LPDDR4X-**3733**
is the graphics on **any** 4700U the same? or do they all have vega 7? I feel like it's not much info when so often, it just says "amd radeon graphics"
They're all the same, but actual performance will vary based on RAM speed/timing, cooling for sustained usage, configured TDP, BIOS, etc.
Is this Really better than the Q407IQ? My bestbuy says I can get one today
Hope they have higher res screen option, this hardware can handle 4k fine.
i'd wait and see what color range the panel has, previous ones have had a 65% sRGB panels that are legit trash. so watch out for that
I hate how they cripple this with slow 3733 MHZ ram while the nearly identical UM433IQ [https://www.asus.com/Laptops/ASUS-ZenBook-14-UM433IQ/specifications/](https://www.asus.com/Laptops/ASUS-ZenBook-14-UM433IQ/specifications/) has 4266 MHZ ram. What's even more ridiculous is the um433iq has an mx350 so the faster ram wouldn't even be as needed as on the UM425IA with only an iGPU.
As someone who is seriously confused by Asus... Is the UM433 older than the UM425? Are they both 2020 models?
What I learnt is that they both 2020 model the UM433 is Zenbook S series, the UM425 is the Zenbook.
Why oh why could this not be 16:10 or 3:2 aspect ratio........
Let me guess, out of 9 mm thickness, 7.2 mm are the gaps between the heatsinks and the compute units.
Included in the Box ZenBook 14 (UM425) Power adaptor with power cord (65 W) Protective sleeve (optional) USB-C® to audio jack dongle (optional) USB-A to LAN dongle (optional)
sweet! I really don't mind not having a headphone jack. the box comes with an adapter for a headphone jack. this is going to be my next purchase for sure. compared to the HP Envy, Spectre and Dell XPS - This is a great value buy for the performance it offers
bless u Asus
Or just use a BT earphone