With its sub-one-kilo lightweight magnesium structure, good-quality matte screen, uncompromised connection, and long battery life, the ZenBook 14 Ultralight UX435 series stands out among the myriad of ASUS ZenBooks available in stores these days. The ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultralight is equipped with Intel‘s latest Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 processor and NVIDIA MX450 GPU. Having discrete graphics usually equals good graphics performance, and the GeForce MX450 didn’t let us down.
The ASUS UX435EGL model is a compact and lightweight, but simultaneously, a quite productive ultrabook. When Intel debuted Tiger Lake, it made enormous performance claims, and the results were decent.
Design that is both compact and luxurious
As is customary for the ASUS ZenBook series, the ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultralight features a clean and attractive design. It comes in a Pine Grey shade with a little subdued Matte Grey finish that helps to keep smudges at bay.
The overall design language of the UX435 Ultralight series is similar to that of the conventional ZenBook 14 UX425, with the same Ergolift hinge mechanism, 14-inch matte display, and connectivity ports scattered along the edges.
There are no flaws in the workmanship on the 14-inch notebook. There are no protrusions of the materials, and the gap clearances are modest. The laptop’s stability and rigidity are satisfactory. It also fulfills MIL-STD 810H reliability standards, just as the rest of the contemporary ZenBook lineup.
The maximum opening angle is about 135 degrees. The lower edge of the lid acts as a foot when the lid is opened, raising the rear of the base unit toward the user. More air getting beneath the device for cooling is a favorable side effect.
The importance of connectivity is well understood. Many ZenBooks have suffered from this flaw — the ZenBook 14 UX434 didn’t support USB-C charging, and the ZenBook 14 UX425 didn’t have a 3.5mm jack.
A microSD card reader, combo headphone / microphone jack, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, HDMI video output, and two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 capability (up to 40 Gbps) with Power Delivery and indications are also included on the ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultralight UX435EGL.
Built to be ultra-portable for on-the-go work
Having to lug a laptop, charger, and other peripherals around the world or across campus, or from the kitchen table to the study area, may be a tremendous nuisance.
The ZenBook 14 Ultralight is ASUS’ most comprehensive ultraportable notebook to date. It has excellent build quality and is incredibly portable.
This laptop is the ultra-portable dream, all contained in a beautiful aesthetic shell. It’s super light, extremely slim, and delivers ultra-performance. The ultrabook is small and light, measuring 319.3 x 201.7 x 14.9 mm and weighing only 990g. It resembles a big magazine rather than a small computer, and it’s easy to carry about. The tiny form allows you to lift it easily with one hand, adding only a smidgeon of weight to your bag.
NumberPad 2.0 and an ergonomic keyboard
The keyboard on this model is not the same as the one found on Asus’s ordinary ZenBook 14s. The layout is a little more compact, although that’s primarily due to smaller function keys on the left and right sides, while the major keys are still full-size.
Overall, the keys are snappy and have a pleasant key travel that is not shallow and provides excellent tactile feedback. Although it may be a matter of personal preference, a shallow key travel makes typing seem uneasy and, to some extent, exhausting. The illuminated chiclet keyboard’s flat and smooth keys have a short stroke and a clear pressure point.
The trackpad, also known as NumberPad 2.0, is unquestionably the showpiece of the input setup. It functions as a trackpad and a number pad in general, but you can also use it as a calculator by swiping the top-left icon in either direction.
Tiger Lake Core put on a fantastic show.
The ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultralight is powered by a Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 quad-core processor with a maximum turbo frequency of 4.70GHz and a quad-core architecture.
Overall, the ZenBook 14 Ultralight outperforms previous ZenBooks, especially the ZenBook 14 UX434 with an Intel processor and discrete NVIDIA graphics.
A NVIDIA GeForce MX450 graphics card is also included for a smooth gaming experience and seamless video editing. Those concerned about battery life will like the fact that the GeForce MX450 graphic card includes NVIDIA Optimus technology, which automatically optimizes the notebook for the greatest performance or battery life depending on the application.
Despite the fact that the ZenBook is equipped with the weakest of the GeForce MX450 variants, the benchmark results are relatively respectable.
With this powerful configuration, the ZenBook 14 Ultra can handle almost any work you throw at it, as long as you’re not demanding the best graphics and frame rates when gaming. In addition, despite its powerful processing chips and thin design, which some users may be concerned about, there is no noticeable heating issue.
The verdict: ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultralight
The ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultralight’s featherlight weight and ultra-portability are what really set it apart from other notebooks. Its sleek and stylish style is also a great advantage, and it will go with any business suit you wear when meeting clients.
While this ZenBook 14 Ultralight feels and functions similarly to other ZenBook 14s from this generation, the evident difference in weight, with this model weighing under 1kg, is noticeable. Even while the normal ZenBook 14 is also fairly tiny and lightweight for a 14-inch, at 1.2kg, this aspect is important if you’re lugging your laptop to work or school every day.
On top of all of that, the Ultralight series gets a 3.5 mm jack. Aside from that, the features, performance, battery life, screen options, and general build quality for both the Ultralight and non-Ultralight ZenBooks of this generation are all excellent.
