Asus is one of many laptop manufacturers that are making a serious investment in AMD’s latest CPUs and the Taiwanese company has announced two new thin and light laptops the ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 and the ZenBook 14 UM425 at the all-digital CES 2021.
These laptops are powered by AMD Ryzen 5000 U-series APUs and feature largely similar specifications, with the primary differences being concerning the displays and available CPU options.
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED UM325
Asus hasn’t provided many details on the new ZenBook 13 OLED UM325, but we do know that at just 2.51 pounds and a 13.3-inch OLED FHD NanoEdge, it’s among the lightest OLED AMD-based laptops on the market. It sports an all-metal construction and utilizes a Full HD OLED high dynamic range (HDR) display that covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and is VESA DisplayHDR True Black certified and it also boasts an 88% screen-to-body ratio. Instead of the more popular aspect ratio, 16:10 (or 3:2 in some cases), that most new laptops being introduced at CES have, the ZenBook 13 OLED uses the old-school 16:9 aspect ratio.
Connectivity is provided by Wi-Fi 6, and the laptop offers several Ryzen 5000U APU options starting from the Ryzen 5 5500U all the way up to the Ryzen 7 5800U. According to NoteBook Check, “This means buyers will have to specifically look out for Cezanne Zen 3 parts if desired. Up to 16 GB RAM and up to 1 TB NVMe storage can be configured.”
Asus ZenBook 14 UM425
Like the ZenBook 13 OLED UM325, Asus has not revealed major details on the newest ZenBook 14 UM425. However, it will also utilize AMD CPUs, specifically up to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU and up to NVIDIA GeForce MX450 graphics, which means there are only Lucienne APUs on offer here. It will come with the company’s ErgoLift hinge that props up the keyboard and provides more room for air to move underneath the chassis, and it will make use of a dual-fan cooling system to keep the laptop working at full performance.
The laptop sports a regular 14-inch IPS-level FHD display and with a 0.56 inches thick chassis, it is one of the thinnest AMD-based 14-inch laptops you’ll find. Wireless connectivity will be provided by Wi-Fi 6, and the laptop will offer up to 16 hours of battery life.
For both the laptops, Asus has implemented AI-based noise-canceling audio technology for clear communication and also sport a 4-cell 67 WHr battery. Both the ZenBooks have passed MIL-STD 810H testing for long-lasting durability. The Asus ZenBook 13 OLED UM325 and the ZenBook 14 UM425 are expected to be available in North America from February with no pricing information revealed yet.
