Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U laptop review: A duel between AMD and Intel
After having reviewed the ZenBook 14 with the Core i7-1165G7 from Intel's Tiger Lake generation some time ago, we now reviewed a version based on AMD's promising Ryzen 7 5700U. Our UM425UA test model, which currently costs a bit over 600 Euros (~$598), only has 8 GB of RAM, but its 8 CPU cores are certainly impressive for such a compact chassis. Other features include a 512 GB NVMe SSD and a matte Full HD panel.
The competition consists of other 14-inch laptops in the price range below 1,000 Euros (~$996), such as the HP Envy 14-eb0252ng and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6, which come with 16:10 and not 16:9 panels, though.
Possible contenders in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82.6 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2022 | Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U R7 5700U, Vega 8 | 1.2 kg | 15.3 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.2 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2020 | Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 13.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 85.6 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2022 | HP Envy 14-eb0252ng i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.5 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1200 | |
| 85.5 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2021 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 R5 5600U, Vega 7 | 1.5 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 2240x1400 |
Besides the ports (the AMD variant has to make do without Thunderbolt), the "internal color" and the keyboard language, the build of the case is identical to the already reviewed ZenBook 14 UX425EA. Therefore, we won't go into more details regarding the case, the ports and the input devices in this article. You can find the corresponding information in the linked review.
SD card reader
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (18.4 - 201, n=60, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 (AV PRO V60) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (25.8 - 266, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 (AV PRO V60) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng (AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Communication
Webcam
Display
Like the Intel model, the AMD edition is equipped with a matte 60 Hz panel featuring 1920x1080 pixels. According to our measurements, our review sample stands out with a significantly higher brightness. Instead of an average of 371 cd/m², the AMD model achieves around 434 cd/m², which is a very good value for an IPS panel that also makes the ZenBook 14 highly suitable for outdoor use.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 466 cd/m²
Contrast: 1195:1 (Black: 0.39 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.76 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91, calibrated: 0.56
ΔE Greyscale 4.7 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
65.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
96.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
63.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.128
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U CMN N140HCE-EN2, IPS, 1920x1080, 14" | Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA AU Optronics B140HAN06.8, IPS, 1920x1080, 14" | HP Envy 14-eb0252ng BOE0929, IPS, 1920x1200, 14" | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 LEN140WUXGA+, IPS, 2240x1400, 14" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 5% | 6% | 10% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 63.8 | 68.6 8% | 69.3 9% | 72.2 13% |
| sRGB Coverage | 96.1 | 98.3 2% | 98.5 2% | 99.5 4% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 65.9 | 69.8 6% | 70.4 7% | 74.3 13% |
| Response Times | -61% | -30% | -83% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 32.9 ? | 49.6 ? -51% | 44.9 ? -36% | 45.2 ? -37% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 15.4 ? | 26.4 ? -71% | 18.9 ? -23% | 35.2 ? -129% |
| PWM Frequency | ||||
| Screen | -11% | -0% | -27% | |
| Brightness middle | 466 | 375.1 -20% | 451 -3% | 310.6 -33% |
| Brightness | 434 | 371 -15% | 439 1% | 302 -30% |
| Brightness Distribution | 86 | 91 6% | 92 7% | 92 7% |
| Black Level * | 0.39 | 0.34 13% | 0.31 21% | 0.22 44% |
| Contrast | 1195 | 1103 -8% | 1455 22% | 1412 18% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.76 | 1.79 35% | 2.46 11% | 2.67 3% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.97 | 3.05 62% | 4.24 47% | 4.54 43% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.56 | 1.79 -220% | 1.32 -136% | 2.33 -316% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.7 | 2.3 51% | 3.5 26% | 3.7 21% |
| Gamma | 2.128 103% | 2.29 96% | 2.24 98% | 2.12 104% |
| CCT | 7284 89% | 6405 101% | 7289 89% | 6398 102% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 63.9 | |||
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 98.8 | |||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -22% /
-14% | -8% /
-3% | -33% /
-27% |
* ... smaller is better
The response time is also better compared to its Intel counterpart, although you shouldn't expect any top rates here. On the other hand, the contrast is at a very similar level due to the slightly worse black level (0.39 vs. 0.34 cd/m²); a ratio of almost 1,200:1 is appropriate for the price. The same is true for the color space: Both devices reproduce nearly 100% of the sRGB gamut.
When it comes to color accuracy, the Intel version's panel is slightly ahead out of the box. After calibration, however, the AMD model's display is a bit more accurate.
In general, the ZenBook isn't affected by strong backlight bleeding or PWM flickering. Overall, the image quality is more than satisfactory.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 15.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5.5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 9.9 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 33 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 32.9 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 15.3 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 40 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance
Thanks to the CPU's high core count, our review sample ranks in the mid-range despite its low TDP. This makes the ZenBook 14 an ideal all-rounder for diverse use cases as long as you don't expect high GPU performance and are content with 8 GB of RAM (which is unfortunately soldered and can't be expanded).
Test conditions
The preinstalled program MyAsus allows users to adjust various system settings. These include the battery behavior, fan control, microphone and speaker settings as well as image reproduction. Our tests were mostly performed without any adjustments. We only switched to the Performance profile for the fan mode because some 3D applications tended to crash using the Standard profile (the device simply shut down after a few minutes in our The Witcher 3 test).
Processor
As mentioned initially, the Ryzen 7 5700U is an octa-core model that can process up to 16 threads in parallel thanks to SMT. For comparison: The Core i7-1165G7 has to make do with 4 cores and 8 threads - and that with a marginally higher TDP (Standard: 28 vs. 25 watts). As a result, the AMD version scores well in the benchmark course. For instance, the ZenBook 14 with the Intel CPU is significantly outperformed in the Cinebench R15 loop. The Core i5-1135G7 in the HP Envy 14 is clearly beaten as well. When comparing the Ryzen 7 5700U with the Ryzen 5 5600U found in the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro, it becomes clear that the former could have performed even better. Nevertheless, when all the rates are considered, the AMD ZenBook is oriented towards the 5700U average that has been determined so far.
Cinebench R15 Multi endurance test
| CPU Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Average of class Multimedia | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 -2! | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA -2! | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Average of class Multimedia | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4906 - 36957, n=76, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (5798 - 12346, n=18) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Average of class Multimedia (14528 - 147248, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (45926 - 69580, n=18) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1529 - 6698, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (1103 - 2231, n=18) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Average of class Multimedia (21547 - 141074, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (57016 - 99178, n=18) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (6837 - 14169, n=18) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1240 - 19021, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (9903 - 75780, n=76, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (24053 - 36523, n=18) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (31432 - 169946, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (34176 - 64646, n=18) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Average of class Multimedia (454 - 1973, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (513 - 776, n=18) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Average of class Multimedia (2738 - 20608, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (3247 - 6784, n=18) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Average of class Multimedia (7419 - 53918, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (6903 - 25066, n=18) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
System performance
The Asus laptop ranks comfortably in the midfield of the comparison devices when it comes to system performance. 5,370 points in PCMark 10 is an extremely solid score for a compact 14-inch laptop. We also found the system to be smooth and responsive.
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4542 - 8670, n=72, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (4775 - 5518, n=13) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Average of class Multimedia (8480 - 12420, n=72, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (8347 - 10091, n=13) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Average of class Multimedia (6089 - 10742, n=72, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (7001 - 8457, n=13) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Average of class Multimedia (3651 - 13548, n=72, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (4583 - 5964, n=13) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 5370 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Average of class Multimedia (20549 - 104459, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (15867 - 39326, n=18) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Average of class Multimedia (22917 - 125604, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17632 - 47190, n=18) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Average of class Multimedia (20226 - 117933, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (11554 - 47048, n=18) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Average of class Multimedia (7 - 346, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (84.9 - 113, n=18) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latencies
Things aren't entirely optimal when it comes to latencies. Although the ZenBook 14 is much better than the HP Envy 14, for example, the LatencyMon tool still indicates limitations when it comes to real-time audio and video editing.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage
We didn't observe any issues with storage. While the built-in 512 GB SK Hynix SSD isn't one of the fastest NVMe models, the ZenBook 14 performs very well in the storage benchmarks and usually beats the SSDs of the competition.
| Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Average of class Multimedia | |
| Average SK Hynix HFM512GD3JX013N | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
* ... smaller is better
Continuous load read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
The Radeon RX Vega 8 that's integrated into the processor handles image reproduction. The DirectX 12 model offers 512 shaders and, according to our GPU benchmarks, it places itself between the Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 with 80 and 96 EUs, respectively. As with the CPU, the GPU's performance is in line with the expected average level.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 6025 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 106622 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 21698 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 3356 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1292 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming performance
The ZenBook 14 isn't intended for demanding 3D applications. While the RX Vega 8 can often handle older games if medium or high settings are used, you'll often have to settle for minimum details when playing more modern games, provided that the integrated GPU is even able to generate smooth frame rates in its native resolution of 1920x1080.
| The Witcher 3 | |
| 1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing | |
| Average of class Multimedia (23 - 327, n=39, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
| Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (19.6 - 55.2, n=35) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| 1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (11.2 - 290, n=73, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (8.7 - 26.8, n=46) | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (8 - 143.2, n=80, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ACN6 | |
| Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (7.07 - 17.6, n=49) | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UM425U | |
| Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA | |
| HP Envy 14-eb0252ng | |
There were no performance drops or the like in our 60-minute endurance test with The Witcher 3, and the frame rate remained pretty stable.