Asus Zenbook UX430 vs UX410 vs UX3410 what sets

these apart
www.ultrabookreview.com /14533-asus-zenbook-ux430-ux410-ux3410/

Andrei Girbea

Asus have a long history of releasing multiple laptops with similar traits and as a result, most potential buyers have
a hard time setting them apart.

In this post were going to address the Zenbook lines of mid-range compact 14-inch laptops that include the
UX410UA/UX 410UQ models, the UX3410UA/UX3410UQs and the UX430UA/ UX430UQs. These are all laptops
with the width and height of a regular 13-inch ultraportable, but Asus decided to equip them with a larger screen,
which results in a narrower bezel. Theres another Zenbook with similar traits, the UX490UA, but well talk about this
premium option in another article.

The narrow bezel screen was made popular back in early 2015 by the Dell XPS 13 9343 and was later adopted by
other manufacturers as well. Its an approach that makes a lot of sense, as it gives users a larger screen while
keeping the overall size of the laptop compact.

Our article offers a full specs sheet of these laptops, then will take you through what they have in common and in the
second part well talk about each models own particularities.

Zenbook UX410 Zenbook UX3410 Zenbook UX430

Screen 14.0-inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS 14.0-inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS 14.0-inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS
matte matte matte

Processor Kaby Lake Core U Kaby Lake Core U Kaby Lake Core U

Video Intel HD 620, optional Nvidia Intel HD 620, optional Nvidia Intel HD 620, optional Nvidia
GT 940MX GT 940MX GT 940MX

Memory up to 16 GB DDR4 (1 x DIMM) up to 16 GB DDR4 (1 x up to 16 GB DDR4 (soldered)

DIMM)

Storage M.2 SATA 80 mm and M.2 SATA 80 mm and M.2 SATA

2.5 SATA 2.5 SATA

Connectivity Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth

Ports 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x 1x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1x
USB 3.1 Type C, HDMI, SD USB 3.1 Type C, HDMI, SD USB Type-C gen 1, micro-
card reader, mic/earphone card reader, mic/earphone HDMI, mic/headphone, SD card
combo combo reader

Battery 48 Wh 48 Wh 50 Wh

Size 323 mm or 12.71 (w) x 223 323 mm or 12.71 (w) x 223 323 mm or 12.71 (w) x 225 mm
mm or 8.78 (d) x 18.9 mm or mm or 8.78 (d) x 18.9 mm or or 8.85 (d) x 15.9 mm or 0.62
.75 (h) .75 (h) (h)

Weight 1.35 kg (2.97 lbs) 1.35 kg (2.97 lbs) 1.25 kg (2.75 lbs)

Price starts at $1299 starts at $1299 starts at $1299

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Before we proceed, there are two things I have to add here. First of all, these laptops are built on similar hardware
platforms, and as with most Zenbook lines, are each available in two versions: one that only gets Intel HD graphics,
ending in UA (ex: UX410UA) and another that also gets Nvidia GT 940MX graphics, ending in UQ (ex: UX410UQ).
In the US and Europe the UAs tend to be the entry level options and usually available with Core i5 processors, a
smaller SSD and less RAM, while the UQs tend to get Core i7 configurations and better specs. But this is not a rule,
so there might be different configurations in some regions.

Second, as far as I can tell, the UX410 and UX3410 lines are actually identical, yet for reasons unknown to me Asus
decide to sell them under different names in some countries. For instance, the UX3410s are available in Germany
right now, while the rest of Europe gets the same products as UX410s.

Similarities
With those out of the way, youll quickly notice from the specs sheet that these lines have much in common.

Theyre the same width and length, for one, albeit the UX430s are thinner. They also pack the same matte 14-inch
IPS screens, backlit keyboards and trackpads with fingerprint readers, which are all up-to-par with what one should
expect from a 2017 ultraportable, as you can tell from our detailed review of the Zenbook UX430 series. You can
also find our detailed review of the UX410UQ line over here.

Update: While it might seem that the keyboards on the two are the same, they actually provide different typing
experiences. The UX430 gets short stroke keys with nicer feedback, while the UX410 gets deeper strokes, but the
overall feedback is a little mushier. See the reviews for details.

These Zenbooks are also built on the same hardware platforms: Intel Kaby Lake Core U (i3-7100U, i5-7200U and i7-
7500U) processors, Nvidia GT 940MX graphics (on the UQ models), up to 16 GB of DDR4 memory and SSD
storage. But their inner architecture differs in a few ways, which leads to the next part of this article.

What sets them apart

The Zenbook UX430s are thinner and lighter than the UX410s, and thats what leads to all the aspects that set these
series apart.

On the inside, the UX410s offer a RAM DIMM and two types of storage options, an M.2 SATA right near the battery
and a 2.5 bay. The UX430s on the other hand require a larger cooling fan and wider heatpipe, so the RAM is
soldered and theres only enough space for the M.2 SATA storage slot. In other words, you can upgrade the RAM on
the UX410 and UX3410 lines, but you cant on the UX430s, plus you can add a 2.5 HDD/SSD in these former
models for extra storage space, while on the UX430s youd have to rely solely on M.2 storage.
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One other side effect of the thinner profile is the fact that the UX430s run hotter than the UX410s with demanding
loads, but even so both are perfectly fine with daily activities, where they can be comfortably use on the lap. On the
other hand, users would have to make due with their aggressive fans, which tend to spin all the time and never quiet
down, not even with the most basic tasks. Other laptops are able to run passively while light browsing or editing
documents, but these Zenbooks cannot and that is unfortunately a common flaw of all the Zenbooks Ive reviewed
recently.

The good news is Asus did not sacrifice the battery on the UX430s, which actually get a 50 Wh battery, as opposed
to the 48 Wh battery on the other models. The bad news is they did have to sacrifice the IO on the UX430s to some
extent, again due to the thinner profile: theres one less USB 3.0 port and only micro-HDMI for video output.

The build is the other major aspect that sets these lines apart. The UX410s and UX3410s are entirely made out of
aluminum sheets, with a plastic inner frame. The interior is solid and gets a matte finishing, while the lid-cover gets
a brushed metal texture, but due to the piece of metal used for the hood being thin, it shows a fair amount of flex.
Thats not unexpected from a mid-range ultraportable these days though. BTW, the UX410s are available in two
colors: Quartz Grey or Rose Gold.

The UX430s are a little thinner and as a result, their main deck is sturdier. You should be however careful about the
lid as well, as Asus offers the UX430s in two variants: one with a standard brushed aluminum finishing (the Quartz
Gray and Shimmer Gold colors), yet a little stronger than on the UX410s, and another with a NIL coating (the Royal
Blue and Rose Gold colors). NIL means nano-imprinting lithography and is a glossy surface that feels and looks like
glass, but is more durable and less prone to shock damage. These NIL coated variants are however flexible, as you
can read in our review, so Id treat them with care.

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One final aspect, while the keyboards might seem identical on these two, in reality the keys on the UX410s have a
slightly deeper stroke (1.6 mm vs 1.4 mm on the UX430). Despite that, personally Im a big fan of the keyboard on
the UX430 and wasnt as happy with the UX410s during the weeks Ive spent with that one. The trackpads are a
little different as well as far as I can tell, as the ones on the UX430s get a glass surface, while the ones on the
UX410s are made out of plastic.

Price and availability

The UX410s are available in most European countries, with prices starting at around 800 EUR for the Core i5
UX410UA configurations and going up to 1200 EUR for the top UX410UQ models, with a Core i7 CPU, 16 GB of
RAM, 256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD storage and Nvidia graphics. The UX3410s go for about the same in Germany.

The UX430s are only available in some European countries and Canada for the time being, starting at around 900
EUR, with the high end configurations including the same Core i7-7500U CPU, 16 GB of RAM, Nvidia graphics and
a 512 GB SSD, for roughly 1300 EUR.

None of these lines are available in the US as of late June 2017 though, and I cant tell when or even if Asus decides
to bring them over there.

Read the appropriate sections in our dedicated reviews for updates on availability: UX430 and UX410.

Finals thoughts
At the end of the day, the UX430s are more premium versions of the UX410 models, at least till the Zenbook
UX490s are going to be released.

Potential buyers going for an UX430 would sacrifice usability to some extent, as these offer less ports and upgrade
options, but on the other hand are compact, thin and light laptops that dont run into any issues with performance
and temperatures, like some other thin ultraportables do.

So while the UX410 and UX430 lines are mostly on par in terms of what they can deal with, the difference is made
in whether you value the slimmer profile, more distinguished design and overall more friendly keyboard and
trackpad of the UX430s, or the practicality and more affordable price tag of the UX410 and UX3410 lines.

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