Asus Zenbook 13, an ultraportable while discreet

Construction

The Zenbook 13 largely takes over the design of the recently tested Zenbook 14, in a more compact format. We thus find an aluminum chassis which benefits from a "circular" brushing effect of the most beautiful effect, highlighted by the sober logo of the brand. When you open the Zenbook 13, the first good surprise comes from the hinge which allows the keyboard to lift slightly, thus offering better comfort of use. The level of finish is excellent, the whole is impeccably assembled and exudes solidity. Only downside: the large grid at the back which swears a little with the rest.

If the ratio "screen / chassis" beats records (we talk about it in detail below), Asus still managed to install a webcam on the upper part, but which remains almost invisible. The input area is particularly compact, but lacks optimization somewhat. If the keyboard keys offer a long enough stroke, they are however quite small and it takes a while for our fingers to find their place. Although not very pleasant, the typing remains precise. However, this PC will be better suited for taking notes or writing emails. It would have been interesting to take advantage of the entire width of the chassis to enlarge this input area.

The touchpad is very efficient, quite large compared to the format picked up, and very pleasant under the fingers. Like the Zenbook 14, it is possible to switch to "Numpad" mode with a simple press in the upper right corner, and thus benefit from a virtual numeric keypad. Note also a small disappointment related to the absence of fingerprint reader, here replaced by a facial recognition system via the webcam, but which is less effective.

On the connection side, the Zenbook 13 is doing well given its format: there is a USB 2 port, a USB 3.1 port, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, an HDMI output, a jack, as well as '' a microSD card reader. Too bad the power is not supplied by a second USB-C port, as is now the case on many ultraportables.

With a low-consumption Intel Core i7 processor, our test model proved to be a good student in terms of noise and heat management: impossible to exceed 37 dB after an hour of benchmarking under Unigine Heaven, an observation joyful which is accompanied by controlled heating (44.3 ° C at the front, just above the keyboard and 45.2 ° C under the chassis).

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Screen

The Zenbook 13 is equipped with a 13.3-inch IPS panel, displaying a Full HD definition. Of "mat" type, it largely limits reflections and thus offers good readability.

The first thing that strikes you when you discover this screen is the excellent optimization of the frame, which is almost invisible here. With 5 mm on the sides and 7 mm above, these very fine contours particularly highlight the screen and allow a frame occupancy rate of 92% to be achieved. A record.

A well-presented screen is not much without a good adjustment of the screen. On this point, the Zenbook 13 is almost flawless. We thus note a contrast ratio of 1430: 1 and a maximum brightness which goes up to 290 cd / m2. This last figure is a bit light, but offset by the fact that we are dealing with a matt slab. The gamma curve is impeccably stable, a sign of a very good gray gradient.

contrast 1430: 1 Delta E 2.6 temperature 7440 K

On the colorimetric side, there is very good and not so good. First, note the impeccable Delta E which does not exceed 2.6, a sign of great fidelity in the display of colors. The temperature is however somewhat high (7.440 K) and betrays a gray gradient which will tend to turn blue. This is difficult to see with the eye, but it is unfortunate that the Delta E is also treated, but not the temperature.

Finally, let's finish on a last negative note, by evoking the very high persistence of this slab. It goes up to 27 ms, which, even for an ultraportable, is quite disappointing.

Ultimately, the screen of the Zenbook 13 is very impressive at first, but suffers from several flaws that prevent it from reaching 5 stars.

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Performances

Our Zenbook 13 test version includes an Intel Core i7-8565U processor (4 cores, 8 threads, frequency ranging from 1.8 to 4.6 GHz), 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD for storage. Note also that the product exists in a Core i5-8265U version, for around € 150 less.

The Zenbook 13 is in any case at the top of the basket in terms of performance on an ultraportable, without however achieving excellence. The Zenbook 14, previously tested and with the same configuration, displays a slightly higher power index and, in any case, the difference with a Core i5-8265U is quite small. Our various benchmarks (3D calculation, photo editing, file compression, audio and video conversion) allow it to reach a score of 85. In practice, the vast majority of applications show themselves to be fast and launch quickly. For advanced office automation, surfing the web and a little creation (light video editing, photo), the Zenbook 13 is up to the task.

Be aware, finally, that the Intel UHD Graphics 620 iGPU does not launch recent games in good conditions, but will accommodate older titles or 2D games.

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Mobility / Autonomy

Thanks to the excellent occupancy of the screen, the chassis of the Zenbook 13 is particularly compact, and we are dealing with one of the most portable 13-inch ultraportables on the market. With 30 cm long, 19 cm wide and 1.7 cm thick, it is less bulky than all its competitors and can be transported very easily in a bag, especially since it comes with 'a small charger. Its weight of 1.14 kg is also very satisfactory.

Regarding autonomy, the Zenbook 13 is not the champion of its category, but still offers a working day of use. Our streaming reading test (Netflix in Chrome, screen brightness at 200 cd / m2, headphones plugged in, keyboard backlight off and Numpad off) thus reached 7 hours 42 minutes.

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Audio

The Zenbook speakers are located between the keyboard and the screen, on the edges of the chassis. The sound reproduction therefore seems a little more natural, because it is close to the screen. It also benefits from a relatively wide stereo given the reduced size of the PC. Basic, and without any correction coming from the AudioWizard software installed by default, the sound rendering is extremely centered on the mediums. Admittedly, the power is good and the intelligibility of the voices is assured, but the timbres are really altered (very nasal sound) and the distortion very audible when you push on the listening volume. The intervention of the software by the activation of certain presets (music, among others) does not radically change the whole, but it brings a little more balance to the whole and extends a chouia the response on the mediums. And even if you sacrifice a little power in passing, listening becomes clearly pleasant.

The headphone output, for its part, displays correct results, but which could have been better (results above). Indeed, there is a little high crosstalk and a power that will not be enough to power a gourmet Hi-Fi headset. It will therefore be necessary to settle for a nomad helmet.

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Conclusion

The Zenbook 13 is an excellent ultraportable PC, undoubtedly one of the most compact that we have seen so far, despite its 13.3 inch screen. Impressive by its very thin screen frame, it also delivers a very good level of performance, offers a day of autonomy and benefits from impeccable manufacturing quality. A great success.

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