Asus, known for launching a wide range of devices, including phones and laptops, every year, has come up with yet another product from its renowned product lines — the Zenbook.
With its origins dating back to 2011, Zenbook has consistently delivered thin and light laptops, reflecting the “Zen philosophy” proposed by Asus chairman Jonney Shih.
Fast-forward to 2023, the Zenbook 14 OLED continues this legacy by offering numerous features within its 1.4kg chassis. In this comprehensive review, we will delve into the details and provide a complete analysis of this laptop.
Design, Build Quality, and Display
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED offers a sleek and usual “Asusish” design that is elegant yet attractive. The matte finish and angular pattern on the back of the device create a visually appealing look, especially when light reflects off it.
However, the downside is that the back is prone to collecting fingerprint smudges and dirt, requiring regular cleaning.
The Zenbook 14 OLED is categorised as a notebook and measures just 16.9 mm slim and 1.39 kg light. However, it is safe to say it looks premium and offers a solid feel.
The port selection covers the basics 1- USB-A port, 2- USB-C ports (all USB 3.2), an HDMI 2.1 port, a headphone jack, and a micro-SD slot. Unfortunately, it is a disappointment that both USB-C ports are located on the same side of the laptop.
It would have been preferable to have the convenience of being able to plug the laptop in from either side.
The keyboard and trackpad on the Zenbook 14 OLED are top-notch.
It is spacious and comfortable to use, and each key provides a satisfying click and responsiveness. Like its predecessor, it also comes with a virtual number pad integrated into the trackpad, activated by a long press in the top-right corner.
The Zenbook 14 OLED doesn’t have an infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello through facial recognition, but has a fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button.
While it works as intended, it feels unnecessary and less convenient compared to a physical number pad.
The Zenbook 14 OLED offers a 1080p resolution camera, making it ideal for video calls. If you are a heavy video-call user, it is Zenbook 14 OLED is a better option to consider.
Here’s where the Zenbook 14OLED truly shines — display. It boasts a gorgeous 14-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED touchscreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio.
The device comes with a 90Hz refresh rate of 90Hz, providing smoother movements and enhanced fluidity.
While the difference may not be as noticeable as on smartphones, the display remains impressive even without the higher refresh rate. The OLED technology delivers vibrant colors, deep blacks, and exceptional detail, making it perfect for immersive content consumption.
However, the brightness could be a drawback, as the advertised peak brightness of 550 nits may not be sufficient for outdoor usage on sunny days.
Performance and thermals
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is powered by Intel Core i7-1360P Processor 2.2 GHz (18MB Cache, up to 5.0 GHz, 12 cores, 16 Threads) with 16GB LPDDR5 onboard RAM. Well, the specification is not the most powerful, particularly in this price segment.
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED features Intel Iris Xe making it unsuitable for high-end gaming. In terms of storage, the notebook comes with 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 Performance SSD.
The device is capable of effortlessly handling a wide range of everyday tasks, including web browsing, word processing, email management, and video streaming.
Thermal management is excellent in the Zenbook 14 OLED, remaining cool even under heavy load.
Despite having stereo speakers located at the bottom of the device, the Zenbook 14 OLED surprises with good audio quality.
While it won’t replace dedicated audio equipment, the speakers are more than capable of providing an enjoyable experience when watching movies or TV shows.
Battery
In terms of battery life, the Zenbook 14 OLED houses a 75Wh battery.
During my usage, it lasted for nearly 8 hours with normal usage with WhatsApp, Google Chrome, and Spotify open mostly.
In terms of system settings, I kept the backlight on the keyboard turned off and the brightness of the display was set to around 70 percent.
Conclusion
If you’re in the market for a high-quality laptop that excels in various tasks and offers an outstanding display, impressive hardware, excellent sound, and reliable battery life, then the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is worth considering.
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is priced starting at Rs. 89,990 and is available both online and in-store.