Asus zenbook 15 ux534ftc review in Spanish (full review)

Asus' ZenBook range has undergone a major update since the 2017 versions in which the ScreenPad debuted. As a result we have this new Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC, the most compact version with a 15.6-inch screen in the world according to the brand, with an exquisite design and highly portable. It comes bundled with 13- and 14-inch versions in addition to the impressive dual-screen Duo series.

In this model we have the new ScreenPad 2.0 with a 5.65-inch screen where we can extend our work desk with new functions. Inside it debuts 10th generation Intel Core i7-10510 CPU, as well as Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU, so it will also be a full-range mid-range gaming device.

We started our review not without first thanking Asus for always trusting us and giving us this laptop to do our review.

Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC technical characteristics

Unboxing

The Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC uses a high-end presentation of its own, with a beautiful and elegant thick cardboard box with a case-type opening, which also does not lack a handle for transport. On the outside we only have the distinctive Asus ZenBook shining and a sticker with the model that it keeps inside.

We open the box and find the laptop placed in the most accessible area of ​​the bundle, with a plastic protector that wraps it. With a system of cardboard compartments it is separated from the rest of the included elements.

The bundle in this model has the following accessories:

• Asus ZenBook 15 laptop Warranty book and stand Charger and power cord Carrying case

It is usual to have a laptop carrying case in this ZenBook family, although it is rather a case. It has a fairly sober and concise design, being made of fabric and synthetic leather. It is of the envelope type, and it does not have a carry handle, and also the laptop gets into one of the sides, which does not generate much security when transporting it.

Very neat and compact design

This is how we see this Asus ZenBook 15 laptop, an aspect that if it was already refined, it is now even more refined, and the final appearance in aluminum and ScreenPad make it very striking.

Starting with its exterior appearance, it is a laptop made entirely of aluminum. It presents a casing painted in beautiful bright navy blue and another version in aluminum silver. In both cases with brushed metal finish on the outer cover with a circular pattern. In the central area we have the Asus logo in silver mirror type, giving an elegant, sober design and above all with a high quality touch feeling.

The edges are very well finished, being slightly curved at the front and rear, although the latter is distinguished by its Ergolift hinge design. It offers an opening of 145 ^o of the screen and they raise the equipment in the back to place it with a tilt of 3 ^o and thus improve the writing position. It is not as extreme as that of the ZenBook Duo, rather it is similar to that of the new VivoBook, with the corresponding rubber supports so as not to scratch the aluminum surface.

This equipment measures 354 mm long, 220 mm deep and only 18.9 mm thick, clearly being a Max-Q design. It has a weight of only 1.55 kg, which is quite light considering that it has an 8-cell battery. That is why Asus classifies it as the most compact 15.6 ”laptop in the world, having NanoEdge frames of just 4 mm on the sides and 7 mm on top to house the camera. All in all it is up to 12% smaller than the 2017 ZenBook versions.

Like other Asus laptops, this Asus ZenBook 15 has an on-screen Anti-Glare finish to enhance the glare-free viewing experience. The lower frame is almost entirely hidden in the back due to the hinge system, which improves the useful surface by 90%. In general it is a thin panel, but with enough rigidity to open it with a finger from the central part. We never recommend doing it from the corners .

On the basis we have a usual configuration with the new Asus chewing gum keyboard and backlight that works wonderfully. The NumPad could have been saved for the benefit of a better separation of letters as have the brand's gaming equipment, for example, the Strix Scar III, whose distribution I loved. The touchpad occupies a 5.25-inch diagonal and of course includes ScreenPad 2.0. We see the typical bevel on the edge behind the touchpad to improve access and sober and elegant edges for the equipment finishes.

We only have the bottom part, which is still made of aluminum, with a smooth and curved design on all edges including the rear. 4 round legs have been used for its support on the desk, as well as a very small grille for the air intake to the fans. We think it is very small, and it never hurts to open the equipment to facilitate cooling. Right at the bottom corners we have the two openings for the dual speaker sound system.

Ports and connections

Before moving on to see the screen, we must see the ports and connections of the Asus ZenBook 15, although we do not have too many news regarding previous models in the count.

Starting from the right side we have:

• USB 3.2 gen2 Type-CUSB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A HDMI port SD card reader DC-In power port

And on the left side have been installed:

• 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-AJack 3.5mm audio combo + microphone

A total of 3 USB ports of which one of them works at 5 Gbps and the other two at 10 Gbps. In neither case do we have Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, that is saved for the Pro range. Although technically it fits, we do not have an RJ45 Ethernet port for wired network, although it is not a very relevant loss when having WiFi 6.

We liked that at least one ventilation grille has been brought to the left side. Thus the rear grilles will not send all the hot air to the screen, although it does. Then we will see with thermal captures how it affects.

15.6-inch screen and ScreenPad 2.0

The next stop we make is on the screen of the Asus ZenBook 15 2019. We analyzed the 15.6-inch version as it offers the largest desk and, consequently, the largest workspace. But the family has versions in 13.3 and 14 inches with the same ratio of screen use and a priori the same quality of the panel.

Well, this version has a native resolution of 1920x1080p in standard 16: 9 format. The NanoEdge design serves to give us a useful surface of 90% in these devices. It is an IPS LCD type panel with LED backlight that will offer us a standard 60 Hz refresh rate and a fairly good brightness of 300 nits. As always, its viewing angles will be 178 ^or both vertically and horizontally, well carried out and with perfect color representation.

As for color performance, it is an 8-bit panel as is logical and that offers coverage of 100% sRGB and 72% NTSC. Unlike the Pro and Pro Duo versions we have neither Pantone certification nor verification, so we should expect a more discreet calibration. We will see below if this is the case.

And with respect to the ScreenPad 2.0 screen, we have a 5.25-inch diagonal, which has been that of a normal-size touchpad and offers a resolution of no less than 2160x1080p, even higher than that of the main panel. It is of the IPS type as in the previous case, although in it the brightness or viewing angles will be less relevant.

Calibration

We've run some calibration tests for the Asus ZenBook 15's main IPS panel with our X-Rite Colormunki Display colorimeter, and the free DisplayCAL 3 and HCFR programs. With these tools we will analyze the color graphics of the screen in the DCI-P3 and sRGB spaces. About the ScreenPad screen we will not provide data of this type.

Brightness and Contrast

Brightness Max.	Contrast	Gamma value	Color temperature	Black level
315 cd / m 2	1122: 1	2.20	6912K	0.2809 cd / m 2

We can see that the general adjustment of the panel is good in almost all the main sections, easily exceeding 300 nits as well as the standard contrast of 1000: 1 that IPS panels generally have. The gamma value is adjusted to the ideal, that is, 2.2 and the black level is quite good, although in this case the screens of the Pro versions are a little better. The color temperature is slightly above the D65 point (6500K), which will show the colors somewhat bluish.

In brightness uniformity we see that 300 nits are not reached in all sections of the screen, since the backlight is a little lower in the lower area. Between the brightest point and the least point there is a difference of 33 nits, a very good value that ensures perfect uniformity.

SRGB space

And already with the results that it has given us in this color space we can say that this panel is a small step behind that analyzed in the ZenBook Duo. The average Delta E is 1.61, which is certainly very good, and that shows its best results in the gray scale, but it can be improved in the warm and green tones, due to the color temperature surely.

The coverage in this space is much lower than promised, with 81.8%, while in Adobe RGB it borders on 60%. About the color curves we do not have too many complaints, being generally well adjusted except in the white tones, which are a little away from what the program considers ideal for this space.

DCI-P3 space

Regarding DCI-P3, the average Delta E rises to a value of 3.01, still acceptable, although higher than 2, which would be the right thing to say. The coverage of this space is logically lower with 66.3%. The graphics are an extension of the previous ones, and we only see improvements in blacks and whites as is also usual in IPS panels.

Regarding calibration and profiling, we do not have any manufacturer's own application to modify the RGB color temperature, so we should resort to third-party programs, as the screen supports this. We think that Asus should implement a function in MyAsus or through its own program to make these kinds of changes on the screen.

IR webcam with facial recognition

We now continue with the rest of the multimedia and peripheral sections of the Asus ZenBook 15, specifically we will focus on the Webcam and the sound system.

Starting with the Webcam system, Asus concludes it in the upper frame of the computer as it should be. In this we have the camera with standard HD 1280x720p resolution that is capable of recording video at 30 FPS. Added to this is the dual microphone array that will record in an omni-directional pattern with a wide distance and with standard clarity for use in chats and video conferences.

The novelty or not so novelty that we have in the entire ZenBook family is now the Windows Hello compatible 3D IR sensor for facial recognition. As in other cases we have tested it and it has given us good results provided the lighting conditions are favorable. It seems that finally the manufacturers opt for this solution only and remove the fingerprint sensor, almost the same thing that happens in the Smartphone market.

The sound system is made up of two 2W rectangular type speakers and exactly the same as those used in most Zen and VivoBook family computers. With the extra that they have SonicMaster technology that allows them to be managed from MyAsus and with the App available in the Microsft Store.

For audio quality purposes, they are at the same level as for example the ZenBook Duo or the new generation VivoBook 15. They have a fairly high volume, although they distort to their maximum. The presence of bass is enough to enjoy videos and movies, as well as music, but do not expect high quality in them. Finally, the mid and treble detail is good enough for an integrated system.

ScreenPad 2.0

Regarding ScreenPad 2.0, we will go through its review a little faster, since you have an article specially dedicated to it where we thoroughly test all its functions. In any case, it should be noted that it is the same as the entire ZenBook range except the Duo and Pro Duo, which use a larger screen with more functions.

In this case we have those provided by version 2.0 with ScreenXpert, with launcher functions such as that of its main screen where we can enter as many applications as we think appropriate to run them from there. This screen of course has touch input, although it does not seem to be compatible with the Screen Stylus type that the Zen Duo brings.

Standard comes with integrated Power Point, Excel and Work extensions, as well as a handwriting mode, calculator and Quick Xpert, to perform quick editing functions such as copy and paste, among others. When a user gets used to using it properly, it becomes one more extension of the screen in which it places applications to avoid having them in the background, palettes of design or video programs, with special integration with the Corel suite.

Touchpad and keyboard

And continuing directly from ScreenPad 2.0, we are going to describe the keyboard and touchpad capabilities that have been installed on the Asus ZenBook 15.

Starting with the keyboard, we have a chewing gum type in full configuration, that is, with NumPad included on the right. We already had it with the ZenBook Duo, and it is that this keyboard seems to be a little more refined than that of the previous versions and that of the VivoBook 15. The membrane feels smoother and more direct, with a 1.4 mm travel and excellent rigidity of the assembly without sinking through the central part.

The size of the keys is the standard, as well as their separation and interleaved between rows, to give us better access than on gaming keyboards. Yes we would have liked a somewhat clearer distribution, for example, removing the NumPad and slightly separating the F keys, arrows and others, just like for example the Strix Scar III.

They are only small personal criticisms that do not tarnish the experience at all, it is also a keyboard that one gets used to very quickly. Nor does it renounce the white LED backlight, a detail that is appreciated for dark environments and that we can only modify in brightness power.

On the part of the touchpad, we have already commented on the diagonal of it, being quite standard and that includes the click buttons on the panel itself. As it has an integrated screen, it shows more rigid and with less sag, which is very good in the final sensations, being perfect and without any complaint in the basic gestures and everything else it offers.

Internal features and hardware

Without further comment on the external elements, let's now focus on the hardware of the Asus ZenBook 15 before reaching the testing phase.

Network connectivity with WiFi 6

Referring again to the entire ZenBook range, all of them have the new Intel WiFi 6 AX201 network card. Basically it is identical in performance to the AX200 only that it is a directly soldered on-board chip and exclusively for platforms assembled by Intel.

This card has the new 802.11ax standard, so it offers dual-band connectivity in 2.4 and 5 GHz with OFDMA, 1024-QAM and 160 MHz of carrier frequency. This provides a maximum bandwidth of 2.4 Gbps at 5 GHz. In addition, the chip offers Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity as usual.

The Max-Q design condition means that we do not have wired connectivity through Rj45, although we do not consider it as a disadvantage as it is a clear future trend in all manufacturers except gaming equipment.

Main hardware

After the network it is time to see the characteristics of the Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC in GPU, CPU, Memory and storage.

We will start with the GPU for being one to consider even for gaming. It is the Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q, a new version for laptops of the most discreet Turing graphics card of all and that comes to replace the GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti. This chipset has 1024 CUDA Cores working at a frequency between 1020 MHz as a base, 1245 MHz in boost mode for this specific model.

Its graphics memory is made up of 4 GB GDDR5 manufactured by SK Hynix. They work at 8 Gbps on a 128-bit bus at 128 GB / s . All this gives us a performance of 32 ROPs and 85 TMUs with a TDP of only 50W. A very interesting GPU for mid-range gaming laptops, aimed at content creators and advanced users, since it is well above the MX250 and, of course, those integrated in the CPU.

The CPU that has been installed is the Intel Core i7-10510U, a new processor with 10th generation Comet Lake architecture and low consumption with a TDP of only 25W configurable up to 10W. The manufacturing process is still at 14nm, consisting of 4 physical and 8 logical cores that work at a base frequency of 1.8 GHz up to 4.9 GHz. An L3 cache of 8 MB is included, support for 64 GB of maximum memory and integrated GPU UHD Graphics 620. We will see how it behaves with the integrated heatsink.

RAM is the weakest aspect in the hardware of the Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC, since it is of the LPDDR3 type, and consequently they are installed directly on the board without the possibility of expansion. The good thing is that we have 16 GB taking advantage of the Dual Channel and working at 2133 MHz, which is its maximum capacity. It would have been positive to have SO-DIMM slots to leave more freedom for the user, since this thickness supports them without problems.

And last but not least we have quite acceptable storage on this Asus ZenBook 15 that we review. Specifically, it is a 512 GB Intel Optane Memory H10, which works with NVMe and a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface. It is not exactly a Samsung PM981 but, its performance is going to be acceptable.

Refrigeration system

In the Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC we have a cooling system without a doubt more interesting due to the presence of a graphics chip with a remarkable performance such as the GTX 1650 from Nvidia.

Asus has pulled logic by putting in a turbine-type double fan system. One of them expels the hot air from a lateral area and the other from the rear. The system is completed with two copper heatpipes, both taking both GPU and CPU and transferring the heat to both ends.

What we did not like is that the base of the laptop is not even open in the air intake of the fans, possibly reducing the efficiency of these considerably. The reason for doing this is surely to reduce noise to a minimum when closed.

Autonomy with 8-cell battery

And finally we deal with the autonomy of the Asus ZenBook 15, which has seemed extremely good for the hardware we have.

The battery that has been installed is an 8-cell built in lithium polymer with a power of 71 Wh, and a capacity of 4614 mAh. Being quite high and even superior to many teams with normal design.

With a balanced performance profile, 50% brightness, sound, backlight, ScreenPad and WiFi 6 activated we have achieved a autonomy of 6 hours without major problems doing basic tasks such as editing this review article with background music. Surely if we choose a more aggressive echo mode from MyAsus and deactivate the ScreenPad we will even arrive at 8 hours or more.

Test of performance

We move on to the practical part where we will see the performance offered by this Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC. As always, we have carried out synthetic tests and tests in games, and in this case with a configuration exactly the same as other gaming equipment with high-end RTX GPUs.

All the tests that we have submitted this laptop have been carried out with the equipment plugged into the current and the power profile at maximum performance.

SSD performance

Let's start with the benchmark to the unit in this solid 512 GB Intel Optane H10, for this we have used the CristalDiskMark 7.0.0 software.

Intel Optane SSDs are distinguished from the rest by having a high-capacity cache memory that allows speeding up file transfers quite effectively. This helps you achieve a very good 2300 MB / s in sequential read. But in writing the truth is that it stays very low, as much as if it were a SATA SSD with 520 MB / s. On the other hand, random operations do show good results in general with figures between 400 and 600 MB / s in Q32T16 and more than 100 MB / s in Q1T1.

Benchmarks

Let's see below the synthetic test block. For this we have used:

• Cinebench R15Cinebench R20PCMark 83Dmark Time Spy, Fire Strike and Fire Strike UltraVRMark

In this unit if we see a little better the improvements of this CPU compared to the Intel Core i7-8650, although the Cinebench scores are a little conditioned by the core temperatures, as is usually the case. This CPU is theoretically capable of working at 4.9 GHz, although in reality we are reaching around 3.5 - 4 GHz until temperatures rise and the system decreases the frequency.

As for the graphics card, it is obviously not at the level of its desktop version, but now we will see that the FPS results are good enough to be the smallest of the Turing.

Gaming performance

Now we go to see the performance that we will get with the Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC and its Nvidia GTX 1650 card with Turing architecture. For this we have used these titles with the following configuration:

• Final Fantasy XV, standard, TAA, DirectX 12 DOOM, Ultra, TAA, Open GL Deus EX Mankind Divided, Alto, Anisotropico x4, DirectX 12 Far Cry 5, Alto, TAA, DirectX 12 Metro Exodus, Alto, Anisotropico x16, DirectX 11 Shadow of the Tomb Rider, High, TAA + Anisotropic x4, DirectX 12 Control, High, without RTX, DirectX 12

In these tests we have preferred to keep the same graphics settings in the games that we use for the most powerful graphics cards. This makes this GTX 1650 go a little fair, but in all cases we are around 40 FPS even slightly more. Which means that with a graphics setting in Medium we could easily reach 60 FPS or in low exceed them.

Temperatures

The stress process that the Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC has undergone has lasted around 60 minutes, in order to have a reliable average temperature. This process has been carried out with Prime95 on CPU and Furmark on GPU, and temperature capture with HWiNFO.

Asus ZenBook 15	Repose	Maximum performance	Peak
CPU	49 o C	79 o C	89 o C
GPU	46 o C	73 o C	78 o C

In this model we have seen somewhat elevated temperatures at rest with the power connected, since they touch 50 ^o C in both GPU and CPU, or the same is that for the space of time it has been doing work in the background. In any case, it is nothing to worry about, since they fall within the normal range.

What interests us are the temperatures under stress, and the behavior has been quite correct throughout the process with these two programs. Thus we see that the average temperature does not exceed 80 ^o C, although we do see quite high peaks as usual in a laptop. This is because after a few minutes the system performs thermal throttling on the CPU to lower those 90 degrees to a constant 70-80 working at 2.8 GHz in this model. It is not too steep a drop, since for example in the ZenBook Duo it dropped to 2 GHz for having a much smaller heatsink.

Finally, in the team's thermal captures, we see that the heat is concentrated on the right side of the screen, due to the rear grille in this area, reaching almost 50 ^o C, which is no small feat. The keyboard has a comfortable 33 degrees that will not disturb at any time to work and play.

Final words and conclusion about Asus ZenBook 15

We come to the end of this in-depth review of the Asus ZenBook, a 15-inch version whose performance and overall design have delighted us. A team that will cover the needs of almost any user, both university students and designers and inclusive gamers thanks to its hardware.

It has proven to perform well and across the board, thanks to a dedicated GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU and the new 4C / 8T Core i7-10510 CPU . Showing more than 40 FPS in last generation games in high quality and Cinebench scores higher than the i7-8650U as expected. We would have liked the RAM to be interchangeable in SO-DIMM, and DDR4 slots, but at least we have 16 GB working at 2133 MHz.

The cooling system is solvent against high stress processes, giving fairly good average temperatures even if it means lowering the CPU frequency to about 2.8 GHz when things get raw. The drawback we see is that one of the grilles expels all the hot air towards the screen, a lateral location would have been better.

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One of its great differential aspects compared to the competition is the ScreenPad with a 5.25 ”screen integrated in the touchpad that supports enough functions and integration with applications as if it were a second screen. ScreenXpert has evolved in the right direction and is now not merely an aesthetic resource, but rather a functional one.

To this we add a design that we have loved, less than 2 cm thick, entirely made of aluminum and a beautiful elegant and sober blue color. The keyboard has also evolved very well, with a quality membrane and good layout in black, although the NumPad is disposable for the benefit of the position of the keys. We also value the Webcam with facial recognition, although the sound is somewhat fair in this model.

To finish, we will find the Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC for a price of 1600 euros in the main online stores, while in the official Asus store it is on sale for 1439 euros in its silver version. The cost is more or less similar to a gaming device, in fact it has similar hardware. It is a cost somewhat higher than the MSI Prestige, but includes better cooling and ScreenPad, being a highly recommended model almost for anyone who wants a medium / high-end equipment for any task.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ MEASURES OF A 14 "WITH 15" DISPLAY	- HOT AIR OUTLET TO THE SCREEN
+ ALUMINUM DESIGN	- SOLDERED RAM AND LPDDR3
+ SCREENPAD 2.0 AND GOOD CALIBRATION OF THE MAIN SCREEN	- LOW CAPACITY TO EXPAND STORAGE
+ 10TH GEN AND GTX 1650 CPU
+ VERSATILE AND PERFORMANCE IN ANY TASK
+ GOOD QUALITY / PRICE RATIO

The professional review team awards you the gold medal and recommended product:

Asus ZenBook 15 UX534FTC

DESIGN - 93%

CONSTRUCTION - 91%

REFRIGERATION - 88%

PERFORMANCE - 87%

DISPLAY - 86%

89%