With each new laptop, Asus’s fleet is getting diverse and full of options for users. Yet, at the same time, it might be confusing for the same user to narrow down on one option. The latest one to sit on my lap is the Asus Zenbook Flip 14 (UM462DA). This new incarnation embodies AMD Ryzen 7 processor inside. Aaaand it’s a convertible too.
So, a hybrid reiteration with Ryzen 7 power huh!? Yup. But, as they say, a laptop is more than the sum of its parts, Right? Well, let’s find out.
Page Contents:
- Asus Zenbook Flip 14 (UM462DA) Price and Specifications
- Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Review: Design and Build
- Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Review: Display and Keyboard
- Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Review: Performance and battery
- Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Review: Connectivity and Audio
- Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Review: Verdict
Asus Zenbook Flip 14 (UM462DA) Price in India and Specs
| Model | Asus Zenbook Flip 14 (UM462DA) |
| Display | 14” LED-backlit Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 slim-bezel NanoEdge display 4.3mm-thin1 bezel with 90% screen-to-body ratio Wide 100% sRGB color gamut 178° wide-view technology |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen R7-3700U |
| Graphics | Integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 Graphics |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe 3×2 SSD |
| Memory | 8GB 2400MHz DDR4 onboard |
| Ports |
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| Software | Windows 10 Home (64bit) |
| Battery |
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| Dimensions | 322.0 x 210.00 x 18.9mm; 1.6kg |
| Audio |
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| Keyboard and Trackpad |
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| Weight | 1.39Kg |
| Biometric unlock | Face unlock |
| Webcam | HD camera |
| India Price | ₹64,990 |
Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Design & Build
An ultrabook…you know what that means – Bend it, flip it, or fold it. The Zenbook Flip 14’s hinge lets you flex the lappy around a full 360 degrees with – 2 hands (boo!). This opens up four formats: Laptop, Stand, Tent, or Tablet. Flip 14 is also incredibly lite weighing at just 1.3 kgs. Still, shedding some more heft could make it a handier tablet to carry around.
It’s a metal stout and there’s no question on Asus’ engineering. However, I wish the designing department had put more thought into the looks. I felt even the ‘Zen-inspired’ spun-metal finish could’ve added some texture to the boring light grey. Hey, for what it’s worth, it ain’t a fingerprint magnet anymore. So, there’s that.
Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Display & Keyboard
The real beneficiary of a hybrid build is – display. You get to take it for a spin and use it in varied ways. Here you have a 14-inch touchscreen FHD panel, which claims to cover 100% sRGB color spectrum and 178° wide angle of view. The visuals were pleasing and the screen is no slouch in registering our swipes and taps. My only gripe is with its glossy screen, which is a glaring issue under scorch lights.
Dear Asus, on a side note, kindly bundle the stylus next time. The review would be incomplete without the full package. And speaking of the stylus, do consider a storage room for the same from next time.
Atop the display sits a front-facing HD camera for video calls. You can make do with skyping but it ain’t gonna lure you into video-chat more. This enables face unlocking, which hits mostly, but misses when you have some accessory on your head or face. Ladies, No scarf!
Coming downwards, the 1.4mm key travel is ideal to type on. That said, I felt the arrow keys were lil cramped and could have got a larger capsize. Even the backlit could’ve been brighter. On the bottom side, the Mylar-covered trackpad is smooth to touch and responsive to taps. Smart gesture support with up to four frickin’ fingers also works well.
Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Performance and Battery
When it comes to performance, the Zenbook Flip 14 doesn’t struggle at tasks such as opening emails, browsing the web, watching Netflix, and writing documents on Microsoft Word. All thanks to an AMD Ryzen 7-3700U processor inside. This is based on a 12nm architecture running at a base frequency of 2.3 GHz with a TDP of 15 W and a Boost frequency of 4.0 GHz. This is backed by AMD’s multithreading sorcery, Integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 Graphics and 8GB 2400MHz DDR4 RAM.
ALSO READ: Asus ZenBook 14 (UX434FL) review – That Dual Display though!
If you’re looking for numbers, here are the results from the various leading benchmark tests –
| Tests | Scores |
| 3DMark Cloudgate | 11380 |
| 3DMark Firestrike | 2052 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 853 |
| Cinebench R20 | 1402 |
| CrystalDiskMark Seq Read Speed | 1748.42 MB/s |
| CrystalDiskMark Seq Write Speed | 1461.60 MB/s |
| CrystalDiskMark Random Read Speed | 1122.64 MB/s |
| CrystalDiskMark Random Write Speed | 1125.19 MB/s |
| Geekbench 4 OpenCL | 32400 |
| Geekbench 4 Single-Core | 3732 |
| Geekbench 4 Multi-Core | 10470 |
| Geekbench 5 Single-Core | 870 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi-Core | 2440 |
| PCMark 8 Battery Life Test (Work Accelerated) | 3h 27m |
| PCMark 10 Extended Custom | 3706 |
The Asus Zenbook Flip 14 isn’t a gaming laptop, so don’t bother with heavy titles. The performance will be bottlenecked by the lack of a dedicated graphics card. You can still play casual games available in the Windows Store. For instance, Asphalt 9 drove fine on it.
But, even if you are in a mood for gaming, the battery is very likely to spoil your mood. C’mon an ultrabook must have better mileage. Else, it ain’t a legit pitch for a portable device. Asus vaunts the machine will run up to 9 hours in-between recharges. However, I noticed an average of 4 hours on incessant office work. Even the battery test shoots a half past3 battery life only. Anyway, when it asks for the charge, replenish with the bundled 45W power adapter.
Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Connectivity & Audio
The left side of the Flip 14 houses the charging port, followed by an HDMI port, USB 3.1 Type-A, and a USB 3.1 Type-C socket. On the right side, you’ll find the power toggle, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB 2.0 port, and a bin for the microSD card reader. Missing are the volume buttons, which would have been useful when using this Zenbook in Tablet, Tent, or Stand postures.
The Flip 14 sports speaker duo on the bottom of the casing which is frankly not ideal. Especially if they easily get muffled when using in our lap. As for loudness, I had to resort to VLC’s inbuilt amplifiers. You can get better sound when watching movies in tent mode, though. So sadly, the Harmon Kardon certified sound did no good to my ears, whatsoever.
Asus Zenbook Flip 14 Review: Verdict
True to its name, Zenbook flips and flexes fine. Granted, it feels too big to hold as a tablet but should serve you well for the most part. The Asus Zenbook Flip 14 is thin, light, reasonably tough, and powerful for everyday tasks with its Ryzen 7 – 3700U processor. Asus also gets brownie points for an ergonomic keyboard and touchpad combo. But, it ain’t without its flaws. Middling battery life on an ultrabook defeats the purpose. Audio quality doesn’t meet the expectation. Aesthetically, it’s a plain jane. So, for the asking price of Rs. 64,990, Asus Zenbook Flip 14 (UM462) has a lot to look forward to but kind of misses the mark.
ALSO READ: Asus Zenbook 14 UM431 Review
Maybe, if Asus irons out these issues in its next installment, it’ll be an easier recommendation. In closing, if you’re hard-pressed on buying a hybrid, then here are few options worth looking for – Lenovo Yoga 530 (Intel i7-8550U) and Lenovo Ideapad C340 (AMD Ryzen 5-3500U).
