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Asus Zenbook 14 OLED evaluation: excellent display, outrageous worth
MSRP $700.00
“The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is not only a killer laptop computer for the cash — it is a killer laptop computer.”
Professionals
Glorious worth
Competent productiveness efficiency
Nice battery life
Comfy keyboard and NumberPad 2.0 touchpad
Stable construct and enticing aesthetic
Excellent OLED show
Cons
Inventive efficiency is missing
As a reader, I typically get fairly far right into a laptop computer evaluation earlier than I see the value. I’m not typically shocked, although, as a result of I’ve written sufficient critiques to have a way of a laptop computer’s doubtless value vary. However the latest Asus Zenbook 14 OLED threw me for a loop with its beginning value of $700 for a tool with a high-res OLED show on board.
That’s an outstanding value while you get probably the greatest show applied sciences going. Sure, the entry-level configuration is comparatively low-end, however for simply $170 extra, you will get higher-end elements. That’s nonetheless an OLED-equipped machine with a strong construct, beauty, and first rate productiveness efficiency for properly below $1,000. Spectacular.
Specs and configurations
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED
Dimensions
12.34 inches x 8.68 inches x 0.67 inches
Weight
3.06 kilos
Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 7530UAMD Ryzen 7 7730U
Graphics
AMD Radeon graphics
RAM
8GB16GB
Show
14.0-inch 16:10 2.8K (2,880 x 1,800) OLED, 90Hz
Storage
256GB SSD512GB SSD
Contact
Sure
Ports
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 21 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 21 x HDMI 2.01 x 3.5mm audio jack1 x microSD card reader
Wi-fi
Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2
Webcam
1080p
Working system
Home windows 11
Battery
75 watt-hours
Worth
$700+
Asus sells two variations of the ZenBook 14 OLED. There’s my evaluation unit, which prices $700 for an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 14.0-inch 2.8K OLED panel operating at 90Hz. Or for $870, you get an AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and the identical attractive show. I like to recommend that you simply go for the latter mannequin, which can present sooner efficiency and twice the RAM and storage for not much more cash. Each configurations are bargains, although.
A greater-than-budget design
Mark Coppock/Digital Developments
Minimalist designs have come to dominate laptops during the last a number of years. There’s simply not a variety of bling on fashionable machines, and to my eyes, that’s a very good factor. There’s no cause to decorate a laptop computer with a bunch of pointless accents. The Zenbook 14 OLED follows that philosophy with just some accents to face out. Its strains are modern, its logos are delicate, and the one factor that actually units the aesthetic aside is a rounded hinge that appears nice from the aspect. Asus has just about deserted the once-iconic concentric circles on the lid, and the Zenbook 14 OLED has a strong black chassis that appears nice.
It’s additionally constructed pretty properly, with an all-aluminum alloy chassis that resists flexing on the underside and the keyboard deck. The show is a little bit bendable when you exert sufficient power, which makes it barely much less inflexible than, say, the Dell XPS 13 Plus. But it surely’s additionally a lot inexpensive, and certainly, it’s a top quality construct for the value.
The ZenBook 14 OLED’s show bezels aren’t the smallest round, but it surely nonetheless manages to be properly sized. It’s simply 0.67 inches thick and weighs an inexpensive 3.06 kilos. It’s not the thinnest or lightest 14-inch laptop computer, but it surely stays fairly moveable.
Mark Coppock/Digital Developments
You’ll love the keyboard, which has massive keycaps and nice key spacing. The switches are gentle and snappy, with possibly only a tiny little bit of suggestions separating them from one of the best Home windows keyboards on Dell’s XPS line and HP’s Spectre machines. It can also’t match the best possible, Apple’s Magic Keyboard on its newest MacBooks, but it surely’s not going to sluggish you down. The touchpad is massive and has assured button clicks which can be just a bit loud. Asus integrated its NumberPad 2.0 know-how into the touchpad, which reveals an LED numeric keypad with the contact of a button. When you enter a variety of numbers, then you definitely’ll admire it, and when you don’t, then it doesn’t get in the way in which. But it surely’s one other good function to have at such a sexy value.
There are a variety of ports, with a mixture of USB-C and extra legacy connections like USB-A and HDMI. The microSD card reader is welcome, though a full-size reader is all the time preferable. And its wi-fi connectivity is updated. Its one weak spot is the shortage of Thunderbolt 4, however that’s a limitation of the AMD chipset.
The webcam is 1080p and gives a top quality picture. The Zenbook 14 OLED doesn’t have an infrared digital camera for Home windows 11 Howdy through facial recognition, however the fingerprint reader constructed into the ability button works properly.
Low-power CPU restricted to productiveness work
Mark Coppock/Digital Developments
My evaluation unit featured one among AMD’s low-power CPUs, the 6-core/12-thread Ryzen 5 7530U operating at 15 watts and as much as 4.5GHz. It’s the primary laptop computer we’ve examined with this processor, and it compares properly in opposition to the Intel Core i7-1355U, a 15-watt chip with 10 cores (two Efficiency at 5GHz and eight Environment friendly at 3.7GHz) and 12 threads. As normal, Intel’s single-core efficiency was higher, whereas AMD’s multi-core prowess took the lead. The Zenbook additionally carried out properly in opposition to the Apple MacBook Air M2 in CPU-intensive benchmarks, though the MacBook was sooner in inventive benchmarks the place the GPU is concerned.
The Zenbook 14 OLED isn’t the speediest laptop computer round, however it should deal with demanding productiveness duties. Its Radeon graphics scored notably poorly within the 3DMark Time Spy take a look at at simply 1,221 (1,226 in efficiency mode), so it’s definitely not a gaming machine.
Geekbench 5(single / multi)
Handbrake(seconds)
Cinebench R23(single / multi)
PCMark 10Complete
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED(Ryzen 5 7530U)
Bal: 1,457 / 7,527Perf: 1,458 / 8,207
Bal: 123Perf: 121
Bal: 1,457 / 7,527Perf: 1,458 / 8,207
5,817
HP Dragonfly Professional(Ryzen 7 7736U)
Bal: 1,530 / 11,158Perf: N/A
Bal: 84Perf: N/A
Bal: 1,530 / 11,158Perf: N/A
6,059
Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i(Core i7-1355U)
Bal: 1,797 / 6,926Perf: 1,804 / 7,815
Bal: 181Perf: 118
Bal: 1,681 / 6,303Perf: 1,758 / 7,576
5,514
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023(Core i7-1355U)
Bal: 1,829 / 6,893Perf: 1,836 / 6,908
Bal: 157Perf: 135
Bal: 1,629 / 6,005Perf: 1,827 / 6,962
5,423
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8(Core i7-1360P)
Bal: 1,843 / 8,814Perf: 1,835 / 10,008
Bal: 122Perf: 101
Bal: 1,846 / 8,779Perf: 1,906 / 9,849
6,102
Apple MacBook Air M2(M2)
Bal: 1,925 / 8,973Perf: N/A
Bal: 151Perf: N/A
Bal: 1,600 / 7,938Perf: N/A
N/A
Selecting a low-power CPU wouldn’t be a really sensible selection if it didn’t supply nice battery life. Happily, the Zenbook 14 OLED does simply that. The massive 75 watt-hour battery doesn’t damage, I’m positive.
Mark Coppock/Digital Developments
In our battery checks, the Zenbook did fairly properly in opposition to its low-power Intel options. It couldn’t sustain with the class-leading longevity of the Apple Macbook Air M2, but it surely got here nearer than most. The rather more costly HP Dragonfly Professional with a low-power AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and IPS show additionally lasted longer in two of our checks.
The Zenbook 14 OLED is more likely to final a full day of labor so long as you don’t push issues too arduous.
Internet looking
Video
PCMark 10 Functions
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED(Ryzen 5 7530U)
12 hours, 13 minutes
17 hours, 19 minutes
14 hours, 23 minutes
Lenovo Yoga E-book 9i(Core i7-1355U)
8 hours, 53 minutes
9 hours, 53 minutes
11 hours, 20 minutes
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED 2023(Core i7-1355U)
9 hours, 47 minutes
15 hours, 14 minutes
12 hours, 50 minutes
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8(Core i7-1360P)
7 hours, 41 minutes
13 hours, 25 minutes
9 hours, 40 minutes
HP Dragonfly Professional(Ryzen 7 7736U)
14 hours, 40 minutes
15 hours, 57 minutes
16 hours, 31 minutes
Apple MacBook Air M2(Apple M2)
17 hours, 59 minutes
21 hours, 9 minutes
N/A
A superb, if not class-leading, OLED show
Mark Coppock/Digital Developments
The Zenbook 14 OLED’s show seems glorious out of the field, with vivid colours that aren’t oversaturated and the same old OLED inky blacks. That’s true of all OLED shows we’ve examined.
In response to my colorimeter, the panel is excellent, but it surely’s not one of the best OLED show we’ve examined. It’s vivid sufficient at 369 nits, however the OLED show on the Acer Swift Go 14, for instance, hit 523 nits. Colours had been huge at 100% of sRGB, 96% of AdobeRGB, and 100% of DCI-P3, however accuracy was simply good at a DeltaE of 1.44. Many OLED shows are below 1.0 (which is the place the human eye can’t inform the distinction). Lastly, its distinction got here in at 25,660:1, which is round common for an OLED show and thus vastly superior to IPS shows.
The isn’t only a nice show for the cash, it’s a terrific show, interval. It’ll please productiveness customers, creators, and media shoppers alike, the latter due to its VESA DisplayHDR 500-True Black excessive dynamic vary (HDR) assist. HDR content material seems nice, though not as nice because the extraordinarily vivid mini-LED shows on Apple’s MacBook Professional machines.
There’s not significantly better for lower than $1,000
When you’re trying to spend lower than $1,000 on a laptop computer and aren’t on the lookout for a bargain-basement machine, then I’m unsure you’ll discover a higher laptop computer than the Zenbook 14 OLED. It’s quick sufficient for many customers, has glorious battery life, is well-built with a terrific keyboard and touchpad, and its OLED show is superb.
In truth, you possibly can spend a whole bunch extra on a laptop computer and never get a greater machine. The Zenbook 14 OLD is a real discount, and it ought to be on everybody’s shortlist until you want much more energy.
Editors’ Suggestions
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