I’ve noticed this ZenBook 14 Q407IQ model that’s exclusively available in the US at Best Buy a while ago, and have been meaning to tell you guys about it. Well, this laptop is on sale for $549 right now, down from its normal list price of $699, and that makes it even more interesting as one of the most affordable Ryzen U models of the moment.
That kind of money gets you a Ryzen 5 4500U + Nvidia MX350 configuration, 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, and 256 GB of storage, plus a 50Wh battery and a 300-nits 80% sRGB matte screen.
In fact, the Q407IQ is pretty much a Best-Buy exclusive variant of the ZenBook UM433IQ that we’ve reviewed a while ago, which is available in stores over here in Europe.
However, it’s more affordable. In fact, at $549, this is a steal.
AMD did an excellent job with their Ryzen 4000 hardware, providing a faster and more efficient alternative to the wide-spread Intel Core U platforms of this generation. And even if this only gets the 6Core/6Thread Ryzen 5 processor and not the 8Core Ryzen 7, that’s still plenty fast for everyday use and some multitasking or medium-intensity work-loads. At just under 1000 points in Cinebenh R15, this is 25-30% faster than a Core i5-10210U.
Sure, Asus bundles the ZenBook Q407IQ with a small capacity and middling-performance SK Hynix SSD, but you can easily upgrade it. Accessing the internals requires removing the back panel, and careful that there are some screws hidden behind the rear rubber feet.
There’s no way to upgrade the RAM, though, which is a potential deal-breaker for this configuration. 8 GB are OK for daily use, but more demanding loads and heavier multitasking would benefit from 16 GB. Up to you.
As for the GPU, that’s the 10W efficient implementation of the Nvidia MX350 chip, a significantly faster follow-up of the MX250 lineup previously included in this sort of a form-factor. We’ve reviewed the exact same chip on the UM433IQ. This can handle older or casual games at FHD resolution and lower graphics details, but it’s not the most capable implementation of this hardware, as the minimalistic thermal design limits the performance in games and combined CPU+GPU tasks in order to keep temperatures and noise levels down.
Nonetheless, I find this Q407IQ competitive even at its list price of $699, not to mention at $549. And that’s because there’s more than just the hardware to consider here.
The laptop is fairly well built and nice looking, with a silver metallic exterior, includes most of the required ports you’d expect from a 14-incher (not USB-C video or SD card reader, though), includes an IR camera with Hello support at the top of the screen, and a pretty good display. It’s FHD and matte, with 300+ nits of brightness, 1000:1 contrast, and alright color coverage, at 80% sRGB. That’s not amazing by any means, but better than you’d normally find on other laptops in this price-range.
For comparison, the Acer Swift 3 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 both get more washed out sub 60% sRGB colors. And if you’re wondering if you’ll notice the difference from 60 to 80%, the answer is a big yes. Pretty much all the colors are skewed and muted on those sub-60s panels, while on this one they’re OK, almost natural, albeit still not as rich as on a 100+ sRGB implementation, the kind you’ll find on more expensive laptops.
Screen aside, Asus also put a backlit keyboard on this laptop, but the difficult to read kind with silver keys, white writing, and white illumination. Down beneath there’s a reliable and spacious plastic-made clickpad, and on the inside, a big chunk is reserved for the 50 Wh battery that allows this to last for 5-7 hours of daily use and 7-9 hours of video. As a side note, this ZenBook does not charge via USB-C, again, something you’ll get with the higher tier devices.
All in all, while not without its quirks, this ZenBook 14 Q407IQ is an interesting pick, especially at $549. This deal might not last for long, but it might also periodically resurface, so I’d keep this on your shortlist in the near future if you miss it this time around.
The major deal-breaker remains the only 8 GB of non-upgradeable RAM, 16 GB would have made this a clear recommendation for school and everyday use. However, if you don’t plan to run demanding applications on your notebook, 8 GB should suffice. Barely. What do you think?
william blake
July 3, 2020 at 3:23 am
nah, this is unbeatable. i dont care about 8gb or cheap silver color or not the biggest battery, this combination of hardware and design/look/build quality for 549?
cpu, gpu, memory, ssd, wifi, even screen, are the best or close to the best you can get in below 1k usd, 14 inch category. too good.
Hannah
July 3, 2020 at 5:03 pm
I just got it and I love it so far. It's a good deal for the price and has seemed really fast so far.
Marco
July 9, 2020 at 2:24 pm
Will this have a 15 inch version? and will it also come with a Ryzen 7 4700u cpu?
Andrei Girbea
July 9, 2020 at 2:25 pm
Haven't heard of a 15-inch option so far, but migth happen. 4700U model might happen as well in the next months, but so far that's the only available version.
Vamso
August 8, 2021 at 4:01 pm
Yes I'm loving it.
I use it for running my Premiere Pro CC2017 and Adobe Ae 2020 and Darktable for AV and photo editing. Little baby copes up quite well & reliably delivers. Only issue is you need to connect to mains if using both PP and Ae simultaneously when bty is below 40%.
Planning to upgrade to 2TB SSD soon..
Bob
July 4, 2020 at 8:42 pm
Does the USB-C port support display out?
What version is the HDMI port?
Andrei Girbea
July 5, 2020 at 9:44 am
It doesn't as far as I know, and HDMI is 1.4 b
John
July 30, 2020 at 7:08 pm
Just got this laptop yesterday and I love it. It's for my 6 year old kid so he's not doing anything crazy other than zoom or YouTube. The build is fantastic for the price. For casual use I prefer this over my Asus g14 which I know sounds nuts but it does everything I need at a third of the cost, as quiet and is cooler. Yes I benefit from a better rig for gaming but for simple work this is great. I think this thing is the best bang for
For your buck at $550.
DC
August 8, 2020 at 3:26 am
Hey.. did anyone bother running benchmarks on theirs? Mine was running way slower than my HP ENVY with same specs. Passmark was 2300ish .. with the MX350 enabled… I turned it off and Passmark jumped to 4300.. ram,2d, ssd scores all jumped. 3d went down some but didnt matter on the score. Kinda odd, eh?
Andrei Girbea
August 8, 2020 at 10:30 am
passmark isn't the most reliable benchmark. Cinebench\geekbench are OK for testing performance and 3dmark/superposition for GPU
community
November 30, 2020 at 6:02 pm
I bought this laptop a few months ago and upgraded the ssd to a nve 1tb drive on day one. It is fast and lets me get most of my task done on the go. I own a dedicated gaming pc at home but this is nice for when I want to game in bed or at a friends house. It gets the job done and is a excellent laptop for this price.
It's silly to say that 8gbs isn't enough in 2020.
IgoZoom
December 6, 2020 at 11:28 pm
It's currently on sale for $499 at Best Buy! I couldn't resist at that price. Definitely looks and feels (and performs) like it costs twice that.
IgoZoom
December 6, 2020 at 11:33 pm
There is a 15" version available now called the Q507IQ. It's also at Best Buy for $799 but I'd watch for it to go on sale soon. It has the Ryzen 7 4700U and it's a 2-in-1 with a touchscreen.
shaun
December 16, 2020 at 1:45 am
Will zenbook make one like this with the 5000 series coming though with a type c charger?
That way i can get a magnetic adapter for power, and hopefully not break a charger again.
Andrei Girbea
December 16, 2020 at 11:06 am
Most likely yes.
Ron
April 17, 2021 at 12:04 pm
Just purchased at Best Buy and love it so far. I used your review before I made the final decision. I basically use my laptop for word documents, some web browsing, not much of a gamer. 8gb RAM didnt really scare me away. For the price it is hard to beat. Thanks for the review.
David
May 1, 2021 at 11:40 pm
Is this laptop comfortable for typing?
I'd be interested in doing some coding and light gaming
David
May 1, 2021 at 11:42 pm
And also how small is it compared to other 14 inch laptops.
I learned its a 14 inch laptop in a 13 inch chassis.
How does that work?
Andrei Girbea
May 2, 2021 at 1:43 pm
The keyboard is alright. As for the size, they put a 14-inch screen with smaller bezels around, so that's why they are claiming it's a 14-inch in a 13-inch chassis. You'll find pictures and videos online, just search for Zenbook 14 vs something else that you might be accustomed to for reference.
yo
May 22, 2021 at 11:08 pm
There is no version with 16 ram?
Guilherme
June 30, 2021 at 9:35 am
Good review! I have been using the Zenbook 14 UX431FA for a few months, but I came across an opportunity to own a Q407I. From both of the reviews posted here, Q407I seems to have better specs, but I wonder if there would be any issues or downgrades i'm not noticing in this switch that could make it not worth it.
Fil
August 21, 2021 at 1:08 pm
Why ram isnt upgradable? In asus official website say 8 or 16 GB
Nate
October 31, 2021 at 9:29 pm
There’a a photo in the review showing that the RAM is soldered to the motherboard. That’s why you can’t upgrade it.
Nate
October 31, 2021 at 9:27 pm
I bought this open box, and while I initially loved it, there are some drawbacks. The biggest one for me is that when I play Rimworld, the battery only lasts an hour or so. Also, the trackpad is a bit finicky.