Asus Zenbook 14" Laptop model: UX430UA-BH51-CB
Here's what I had to say the last time recommended this laptop
Watch the video above to hear why you should (or shouldn't) get it for yourself. This was recorded during the February 1st, 2019 live stream, so if you let the video run, you will also hear me talk about other devices you might be interested in as well.
I make new recommendations according to latest rebates every Friday, and you can see my latest picks here.
Quick Description
This laptop is worth considering, especially if you get a lot of work done away from your desk and need something stylish on your arm to dash from meeting to meeting.
This laptop stood out to me on 9 occasions while compiling the weekly Tech Worth Buying Newsletter. It was most recently selected 17 days ago, selling for $800.
Other Considerations
Here are a few things about this laptop which could come as a surprise. For each point, you will find how to fix it (if it's an issue) and how much to budget for it. Not every point below will be a concern, but hopefully, we can keep your surprises to a minimum.
Frequently Discounted. This device gets discounted on a regular basis (35.40% of the time to be exact).
No Optical Drive. If you still use CDs, DVDs, or Blu-Ray disks on a regular basis, you will need an external drive to read them with this laptop.$30-$150
No Number Pad. If you primarily work with numbers, the lack of a number pad on this laptop could be inconvenient. You have the option of using an external number pad to remedy that, especially if you only need it on occasion.~$20
Assuming you are starting over fresh, you can expect to spend $90 on accessories, for a total cost of $990.
Available at 2 locations, from $900
Based on 435 days of observation, the Asus Zenbook 14" Laptop usually costs ~$900 in Canada. If you were waiting for this laptop to drop in price, this could be the day you were waiting for.
Scroll down to find charts comparing the Asus Zenbook 14" Laptop to similar devices, to see how well it runs your favorite apps and to find where it can be bought from.
Pricing
History
Here's how this device has been priced up to now:
Here are a few Canadian retailers who currently sell this product:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Best Buy or Best Buy at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.Specs
Here's how the Asus Zenbook 14" Laptop ranks compared to similar devices. The more stars there are, the better (except for the price row).
| Bang for the Buck | |
|---|---|
| Versatility for the Price | |
| Price | |
| Durability | |
| Power | |
| General-purpose power | |
| Graphical power | |
| Memory | |
| Storage | |
| Portability | |
| Autonomy | |
| Ease of Maintenance |
| Bang for the Buck | |
|---|---|
| Versatility for the Price | |
| Price | |
| Durability | |
| Power | |
| General-purpose power | |
| Graphical power | |
| Memory | |
| Storage | |
| Portability | |
| Autonomy | |
| Ease of Maintenance |
| Bang for the Buck | |
|---|---|
| Versatility for the Price | |
| Price | |
| Durability | |
| Power | |
| General-purpose power | |
| Graphical power | |
| Memory | |
| Storage | |
| Portability | |
| Autonomy | |
| Ease of Maintenance |
The Meaty details
The Specs
The features
- Built-in Media Card Reader
- Webcam / Front-Facing Camera / Selfie Cam
- Built-in Microphone
- Built-in Speakers
- Bluetooth 4
- Wi-Fi a
- Wi-Fi ac
- Wi-Fi b
- Wi-Fi g
- Wi-Fi n
- USB 3
- 3.5mm Headphone+Microphone combo jack
- USB 2
- USB Type-C
- USB Type-A
- Multiple Monitor Support
- Fixed storage: Solid State (very fast)
- HDMI (Micro)
- USB 3.1
- Built-In Keyboard
- Paired Memory
- Fingerprint Sensor
Repair / Upgrade Options
| Score | Ease of Maintenance | |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Replacement | 6/10 | A technician can help you with that |
| Memory Upgrade | 0/10 | Can't be repaired or updated |
| Data Storage | 8/10 | Easy project for an enthusiast |
| Graphics Upgrade | 0/10 | Can't be repaired or updated |
What it's capable of
Here are the tasks this computer can handle and how easily it'll breeze through it. A 5-star rating means it should handle the task at a professional level, a 1-star rating means it can do it, but it likely won't be a pleasant experience.
Activities it will handle
-
Web & Communication
The basics Design Websites -
Audio & Visual medias
The basics Music Production Drawing and Illustrations Photo Editing Video Editing -
Texts & Numbers
The basics -
Video Games
Casual and Mobile Games Enthusiast Games Triple-A Video Games -
3D and CAD
The basics
Programs, Apps and Games it will handle
Activity ratings are good but sometimes, you want to be absolutely sure your next purchase will be able to run a specific piece of software.
A 1 star rating means the program'll be usable (according to the developer's own definition; some are more demanding than others); 3 stars mean recommended specs are met with this device; 5 stars will means you will have plenty of overhead to handle uncommon uses of that program like mods, plug-ins and more.
In the same price range
For roughly the same price, you could get one of these. Anything in there sounds like a better deal?
-
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 from US$68010% cheaper than usual
~$955 with accessoriesSpecsDevice Ratings
Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy by All Smart Devices standards
Bang for the Buck -50.95% inferior Versatility for the Price -55.35% inferior Power -44.02% inferior Storage -20.75% inferior Portability 22.78% better Autonomy 17.64% better by Large Smartphones and Phablets standards
Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy Processor: Qualcom Snapdragon 835Graphics: Qualcom Adreno 540Memory: 6.00 GBStorage: 64.00 GBScreen Size: 6.3"Screen Resolution: 1440×2960Dimensions: 16.25 x 7.48 x 0.86 cmWeight: 0.20 kgdetailed info from US$679.83 - US$679.83 from Best Buy (New)as of 2019-02-15 09:10:22, EST
- US$679.83 from Amazon (New)as of 2019-02-15 08:29:17, EST
- US$755.36 from Samsung (New)as of 2019-02-14 18:23:02, EST
- US$958.56 from Freedom Mobile (New)as of 2019-02-18 04:21:15, EST
- US$981.23 from Newegg (New)as of 2019-02-15 10:44:43, EST
- US$981.94 from Videotron (New)as of 2019-02-14 15:11:27, EST
- US$981.97 from Tiger Direct (New)as of 2019-02-18 04:29:35, EST
Pricing Accuracy
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the retailer's site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. × -
ME PC VT2000I Home PC from US$680;
~$1230 with accessoriesSpecsDevice Ratings
by Stationary Computers standards
Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy N/A by All Smart Devices standards
Bang for the Buck 16.98% better Versatility for the Price -16.98% inferior Power equivalent Storage 32.71% better Portability -50% inferior Autonomy -42.86% inferior Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy N/A Processor: Intel Core i5-8400Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 630Memory: 8.00 GBStorage: 1 TBDimensions: 9.60 x 37.00 x 33.40 cmWeight: 10.00 kgdetailed info US$679.83 from Memory Express (Built to Order)as of 2019-02-13 13:41:23, ESTPricing Accuracy
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the Memory Express site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. × -
HP Pavilion All-in-One PC from US$680;
~$900 with accessoriesSpecsDevice Ratings
by Stationary Computers standards
Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy N/A by All Smart Devices standards
Bang for the Buck -37.11% inferior Versatility for the Price -67.92% inferior Power -40.88% inferior Storage 47.8% better Portability -64.56% inferior Autonomy -42.86% inferior Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy N/A Processor: AMD A10-9630PGraphics: AMD Radeon R5 GraphicsMemory: 8.00 GBStorage: 2 TBScreen Size: 23.8"Screen Resolution: 1920×1080Dimensions: 70.48 x 17.01 x 70.48 cmWeight: 7.80 kgdetailed info US$679.83 from Best Buy (New)as of 2019-02-17 12:38:33, ESTPricing Accuracy
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the Best Buy site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. × -
Dell Inspiron 15" Gaming Laptop from US$6805% cheaper than usual
~$990 with accessoriesSpecsDevice Ratings
Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy by All Smart Devices standards
Bang for the Buck equivalent Versatility for the Price 19.5% better Power equivalent Storage 32.71% better Portability -33.54% inferior Autonomy -22.69% inferior Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy Processor: Intel Core i5-7300HQGraphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Memory: 8.00 GBStorage: 1 TBScreen Size: 15.6"Screen Resolution: 1920×1080Dimensions: 39.88 x 26.49 x 2.51 cmWeight: 2.57 kgdetailed info from US$679.83 - US$679.83 from Best Buy (Open Box)as of 2019-02-16 06:36:05, EST
- US$961.32 from Amazon (New)as of 2019-02-16 06:18:33, EST
Pricing Accuracy
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the retailer's site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. × -
Razer Phone (2017) from US$680;
~$955 with accessoriesSpecsDevice Ratings
Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy by All Smart Devices standards
Bang for the Buck -45.91% inferior Versatility for the Price -55.35% inferior Power -40.25% inferior Storage -20.75% inferior Portability 22.78% better Autonomy equivalent by Large Smartphones and Phablets standards
Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy Processor: Qualcom Snapdragon 835Graphics: Qualcom Adreno 540Memory: 8.00 GBStorage: 64.00 GBScreen Size: 5.7"Screen Resolution: 2560×1440Dimensions: 15.85 x 7.77 x 0.80 cmWeight: 0.20 kgdetailed info from US$679.83 - US$679.83 from Razer (New)as of 2019-02-17 14:56:08, EST
- US$853.55 from Amazon (New)as of 2019-02-16 07:56:43, EST
Pricing Accuracy
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the retailer's site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. × -
Asus Zenbook UX306 13" Laptop from US$68024% cheaper than usual
~$990 with accessoriesSpecsDevice Ratings
Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy by All Smart Devices standards
Bang for the Buck -33.96% inferior Versatility for the Price -41.51% inferior Power -27.67% inferior Storage equivalent Portability equivalent Autonomy 15.12% better Bang for the Buck Versatility for the Price Power Storage Portability Autonomy Processor: Intel Core i5-6200UGraphics: Intel HD Graphics 520Memory: 8.00 GBStorage: 256.00 GBScreen Size: 13.3"Screen Resolution: 1920×1080Dimensions: 32.40 x 22.60 x 1.39 cmWeight: 1.19 kgdetailed info US$679.83 from Amazon (New)as of 2019-02-17 13:25:12, ESTPricing Accuracy
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the Amazon site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. ×
