It is difficult for brands to stand out in the 13/14 inch ultrabook market. The latter most often embed identical configurations, and apart from the design, or even the price, few elements allow them to be differentiated. But some exceptions are always possible.
This Asus ZenBook 13 UX325EA is currently available. It offers an interesting configuration/price ratio for its category. It is one of the few to benefit from an OLED screen, such as a large amount of RAM, a keypad module, an infrared webcam as a Thunderbolt 4 connection.
Asus, which recently offered a ZenBook equipped with an OLED screen. The technology is nothing new, but it has been reserved for high-end and therefore expensive laptops until now. There, Asus is satisfied with a Full HD OLED panel and can therefore display an affordable price. But this is not the only advantage of this ZenBook UM325, which can also count on its AMD Ryzen Octo-Core processor to stand out from the competition.
General Info
| ZenBook 13 OLED UX325 | ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | ASUS | ASUS |
| Model | ZenBook 13 OLED UX325 | ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 |
| Weight | 1.11 Kg | 1.1 Kg |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Display | OLED | OLED |
| Dimensions | 13.3 inches | 13.3 inches |
| Type | Laptop | Laptop |
Display
| ZenBook 13 OLED UX325 | ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 | |
| Display Type | OLED | OLED |
| Display Size | 13.3 inches | 13.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Display Features | 13.3 “Full HD OLED 100% DCI-P3 400cd / m² thin edge 4.4mm NanoEdge | 13.3 “Full HD OLED 100% DCI-P3 400nits NanoEdge |
| Dimension | 304 x 203 x 13.9 mm | 304 x 203 x 13.9 mm |
ZenBook 13 OLED UX325
The screen will appeal to many users, especially creatives, because it benefits from 100% DCI-P3 OLED technology. As a result, the colors displayed are much more faithful than the average, while the blacks are intense, and the viewing angles are important, both horizontal and vertical.
Here the treatment is brilliant: the colors are even brighter than the average, but this implies a sensitivity to reflections in a bright environment (e.g., outdoors), greater than with an anti-reflective panel.
ZenBook 13 OLED UM325
One of the peculiarities of this ZenBook UM325 is its screen. No LCD panel like on 99% of laptops on the market but an OLED screen. A technology rather reserved for high-end televisions and smartphones.
The main advantage of an OLED screen is an infinite contrast ratio, i.e., in practice, deeper colors. A contribution especially visible with dark colors and more particularly with really black blacks and not more or less gray, as is sometimes the case on conventional LCD screens (for example, when playing a video).
Specification
| ZenBook 13 OLED UX325 | ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake (2.4 GHz, 4 cores, TDP 15W) | AMD Ryzen 7 5800U Cezanne (8 cores – 1.9 GHz) |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe integrated into the processor | AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR4x (soldered) | 16 GB LPDDR4X 3733 MHz (soldered) |
| Storage | 512 GB M.2 SSD (NVMe PCIe 3.0) | 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD |
Performance
| ZenBook 13 OLED UX325 | ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 | ||
| CPU Base frequency | 1.7-3.0 GHz | 2.1 GHz | |
| Turbo frequency | 4.1 GHz | 4 GHz | |
| Cores | 2 | 6 | |
| Threads | 4 | 12 | |
| L3 Cache | 8 MB | 8 MB | |
| Integrated GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics G4 | Radeon RX Vega 7 | |
| GPU base clock | 300 MHz | 0 MHz | |
| GPU boost clock | 1100 MHz | 1600 MHz |
ZenBook 13 OLED UX325
This Asus ZenBook 13 UX325EA is a compact and lightweight laptop computer designed for everyday versatile use on the go.
Despite everything, this versatile ultraportable delivers good overall performance that is suitable for many users because it integrates a good amount of 16 GB RAM associated with a Tiger Lake low power Quad Core i5-1135G7 Intel processor.
The latter houses the Iris Xe graphics part (which we tested), which is significantly higher than those of the traditional Intel UHD 620.
As a result, you can watch photos and videos and play titles that are not too greedy in 3D resources.
However, to often carry out heavy work in terms of processor and/or graphics resources, it is better to opt for a PC based on a non-low consumption processor and/or an appropriate dedicated graphics card.
There is a 512 GB SSD on the storage side, a capacity in phase with the standard of hard disks. But if you need more, you can obviously use an external storage unit such as a USB-C / Thunderbolt / USB 3.0 device to benefit from fast transfers.
In any case, the SSD offers several advantages compared to a hard drive: it is silent, less energy-consuming, more robust, and much faster.
Concretely thanks to the SSD, responsiveness and fluidity are much better daily than with a simple hard drive. This implies in practice starting/stopping, processing, launching software, or even a faster arrival on the cards of online games.
ZenBook 13 OLED UM325
In addition to the OLED screen already mentioned, the other singularity of this ZenBook UM325 lies in the presence of an AMD Zen 3 platform with its Ryzen 7 5800U chip. A low consumption processor, of course, but with 8 cores and 8 threads.
There is no room for debate; this Ryzen 7 5800u crushes its Intel counterpart. It is undeniable under Handbrake to convert a video sequence. But also with synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench or Cinebench.
CPU power is no longer as important. More and more software also relying on the graphics chip, whether integrated or dedicated. And there, it is clear that the Core i7-1165G7 is picking up colors. The two processors are thus on an equal footing (under Davinci Resolve, for example) or even turn to the advantage (admittedly light) of Intel (Capture One Pro).
A trend in the game where the Core i7-1165G7 and its Intel Iris Xe chip are ahead of the Vega by 5 to 10 FPS. Not enough to change the situation since the orders of magnitude are similar within the practice, around 30 – 40 FPS in Medium on recent titles not too demanding. Something to suit casual gamers. And again, if the game is a frequent use, we can only advise you to opt for an ultrabook equipped with an Nvidia graphics card and MX50, or better, a GeForce GTX 1650 to have more latitude.
Multimedia
| ZenBook 13 OLED UX325 | ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 | ||
| Web-cam | Above the display | Above the display | |
| Webcam Resolution | 1280 x 720 | 1280 x 720 | |
| Microphone Jack | No | No | |
| Network | Wi-Fi ax (2×2) | Wi-Fi ax (2×2) | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 | |
| Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
| Keyboard Numpad | No | No | |
| Connectivity | 1 USB 3.0 + 2 USB 4 Type-C Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.0a | 1 USB 3.2 + 2 USB 3.2 Type-C (Gen2; video, power), HDMI 2.0, microSD |
ZenBook 13 OLED UX325
Rugged with compliance with the US military resistance standard MIL-STD-810G, this Ultrabook rechargeable to 60% in 49 minutes sports a sober and elegant design with its dark silver Pine Gray case.
Thin and light, this versatile laptop has good connectivity, including 2 USB 4 Type-C Thunderbolt 4 (against 1 USB-C maximum usually) guaranteeing high-speed transfers, Bluetooth 5.0 wireless modules, and Wi-Fi ax ( more recent and efficient than Wi-Fi ac) for remote communications and connections, a useful HDMI video output to easily connect it to a TV or monitor, for example, as well as 1 USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 compatible) ensuring transfers made up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 if USB 3.0 peripherals are plugged in.
While Ethernet and audio are absent, you can use a USB-C to Ethernet or USB-C to audio adapter if necessary.
The chiclet keyboard can be backlit, which is very practical to distinguish its keys in case of limited ambient light.
As with any laptop with a format less than 15 inches, it does not have a numeric keypad on the right for lack of space.
However, Asus also offers its NumberPad (NumPad) technology to transform the touchpad into a tactile numeric keypad when you need to enter numbers more easily.
ZenBook 13 OLED UM325
Despite a contained thickness, Asus has retained a varied connection. On the left, an HDMI output, two USB-C ports, one of which is dedicated to the mains supply. AMD platform requires no Thunderbolt. But unless you want to use an eGPU or already have a docking station based on this standard, this absence should not be a problem.
On the right, a USB-A port, and a micro-SD reader. Some will regret the absence of a jack to connect a headset or a microphone. An adapter is provided, but it then occupies a USB-C port.
Asus has chosen to favor the width of the keys (16.2 mm) at the expense of the height (13.5 mm) and spacing (3 mm). A wise choice because, in practice, the handling is immediate. Therefore, the strike should appeal to the greatest number with the bonus of a soft touch and a fairly long stroke (1.3 mm).
In contrast, the layout with keys positioned to the right of the Enter key is somewhat confusing, especially for those juggling multiple keyboards. Some people will also probably find that certain wrist rest areas tend to bend a little too much for their liking when pressed a little too hard.
The white backlight offers 3 intensities to adapt to different environments and periods of a day. Finally, like other laptops of the brand, it benefits from an Ergolift hinge. Behind this term, a system intended to slightly raise the keyboard to promote air circulation and offer a slightly inclined typing position.
Battery
| ZenBook 13 OLED UX325 | ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 | |
| Battery Type | Li-Polymer 4 cells | Li-ion 4 cells |
| Battery Life | 10 hours | 13 hours |
| Power | 67Whr | 67Whr |
ZenBook 13 OLED UX325
It can indeed last about 10 hours on battery in light use in terms of autonomy, which is all the more appreciable as this Ultrabook is easy to transport thanks to its compactness, thinness, and lightness.
ZenBook 13 OLED UM325
Lightweight, compact format, this ZenBook UM325 had to have decent battery life. It’s done with about 12 hours of the current use (web browsing, active WiFi, brightness set to 140 cd / m2). By way of comparison, the ZenBook UX425EA, based on an Intel Tiger Lake processor and a 14-inch LCD screen, offers 12h40 hours of battery life under the same conditions.
The 65W can easily forget the power supply of a bag (63x63x29 mm – 220g).
