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Overall, the Ryzen 7 5800U inside the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED UM325S looks to be an excellent choice for ultraportable 13” class laptops especially in this low power mode. You get superb performance at constricted power levels, strong battery life, and solid platform capabilities.
Performance is where AMD wins convincingly. Even in a very comparable low power allocation mode, the Ryzen 7 5800U comprehensively destroys the Core i7-1165G7 in any form of demanding CPU workload.
AMD’s GPU-side performance is also strong for raw frame and processing horsepower. However, Intel arguably has better media consumption capability with even 8K60 from YouTube being a breeze for the Core i7’s iGPU. That's especially true with the glorious 4K OLED touch display of the ASUS ZenBook Flip S UX371.
AMD does need to address a glaring lack of Thunderbolt support, though. And we’d like to see improved media consumption capabilities from the iGPU going forward.
In terms of pricing, the Intel-based ZenBook Flip S UX371 is somewhere around £1500 in the UK for our tested specification. That's actually quite reasonable for an Intel Evo laptop with a 4K OLED panel, 2-in-1 capability, and superb design quality. The ASUS ZenBook Flip S UX371 certainly has an aura of quality and a premium feel to it.
Our ASUS contact highlights that the UM325S version of the Ryzen 7 5800U ZenBook 13 OLED is not coming to the UK yet – despite being listed on Amazon. But we have seen that the Intel version is around £1100, and we expect the AMD version with a bigger SSD to be roughly similar or a little more given its OLED display.
Don’t put too much weight on pricing though as these aren’t technically direct laptop competitors given the 4K touch screen and 2-in-1 design differences. They have, however, given us a good opportunity to compare AMD and Intel low powered processors head-to-head.
ASUS deserves credit for deploying AMD’s new chip in a premium device that realistically offers many of the same fundamental features and design traits as its Intel competitor. That is quite the change in market conditions and spells a strong vote of confidence in AMD.
Just a few generations ago, the AMD chips would have been reserved for lower cost, second tier devices. Now, ASUS deploys the Ryzen 7 5800U in a quality device with minimal corner cutting and it makes the ZenBook 13 OLED an alluring premium option based around the AMD silicon.
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ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED UM325S (Ryzen 7 5800U):
Pros:
- Ryzen 7 5800U is incredibly fast given its power usage.
- Battery life from the Ryzen 7 5800U ZenBook 13 OLED is superb.
- AMD’s single-threaded performance has caught and surpassed Tiger Lake.
- The integrated Vega 8 GPU is actually decent for some low-IQ 1600×900 gaming.
- Credit to ASUS for deploying AMD’s top U-series chip in a premium design with a good OLED display.
Cons:
- The Vega graphics architecture is starting to feel old.
- Media consumption capabilities for Ryzen 7 5800U are severely lacking versus Intel Tiger Lake.
- Intel Tiger Lake offers superior connectivity to AMD, especially with respect to Thunderbolt 4.
KitGuru says: The Ryzen 7 5800U is quick, efficient, and packs a hefty punch. We like AMD’s eight-core APU very much and ASUS has done a superb job in deployment via the ZenBook 13 OLED UM325S laptop.
ASUS ZenBook Flip S UX371 (Core i7-1165G7):
Pros:
- Absolutely stunning 4K OLED touch display with superb colours.
- Very attractive, sleek, and premium design.
- Thunderbolt 4 support and Intel’s Tiger Lake platform connectivity is strong.
- Excellent media consumption capabilities thanks to the Core i7-1165G7 CPU.
- The 2-in-1 design is deployed well and is perfectly functional.
Cons:
- Core i7-1165G7 really struggles versus Ryzen 7 5800U in terms of performance.
- Neither cooling mode really stretches the Core i7 power allocation – slightly disappointing for a premium, 13” 2-in-1.
- Battery life is weak, though the 4K OLED display may be a worthwhile compromise.
KitGuru says: Design-wise, the ASUS ZenBook Flip S UX371 is about as sleek as it gets. The screen is gorgeous, the rose-gold tint works well, and the metal housing feels premium. Core i7-1165G7 performance and the laptop’s battery are disappointments, but you may be willing to ignore those factors.
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