ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED review: Your next ideal laptop

Recently ASUS has announced a lot of laptops in India to broaden its ever-growing offering and among them, you have this new ZenBook 14 OLED. If you are familiar with the ASUS’s ZenBook series then you will know how premium, compact, efficient and powerful these laptops tend to be.

Keeping that trend alive, ASUS has completely revamped the look of this new ZenBook 14 OLED and as it turns out, OLED-fying the industry. Now, even their Vivobooks and ZenBooks will feature OLED panels in their glory which is expected because the price of incorporating a high quality OLED panel has decreased over the years.

So, this is why ASUS has maintained its starting price of ₹89,990 while still bringing hardware upgrades like 12th Gen Intel processors, LPDDR5 RAM and PCIe Gen 4 SSD. So, obviously, we have lots to talk about the laptop as I had used this laptop for quite some time and for using it every day it feels more complete than ever.

I remember last year that I leaned towards the ZenBook 13/14’s AMD variant more than Intel because 11th Gen SKUs were very slow for my heavy usage daily. Now, with the 12th Gen P-series, things have changed a lot because these 28W drawing CPUs now come with up to 12 cores.

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So, as you are confused or maybe excited about this new ZenBook 14 OLED let’s talk in-depth about this new laptop as I share my experience of using it:

ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED Specifications

Design & Build

When the laptop was originally announced at CES 2022, I fell in love with the completely new design because it’s fresh and new, a lot better than the older shiny metal rear design. Being still made out of an aluminium alloy it retains its rigidity, making it one of the most durable laptops while still being very light.

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As you see on the back, it is adorned with simple lines that converge to form the new ASUS monogram logo and shines for contrast, looks very cool. There are two color variants of the laptop: a classy Ponder Blue with a dark tint and a refreshing Aqua Celadon with a pale green wash. We have the former one and though it looks more of a black design when in front of light you will notice its unique Ponder Blue tint.

With an anti-fingerprint coating, I did notice lesser fingerprints getting collected on the rear side and then you have a Zen-capped 180° hinge which feels more solid this time as you can bend the display all the way up to 180 degrees.

Though I think ASUS could have reduced the weight to 1.39 kg you won’t face any problems in carrying it and it’s only 16.9 mm thick.

Also, the ErgoLift hinge design elevates the laptop when opened, helping you to comfortably type on the keyboard, resulting in the ErgoSense keyboard automatically tilting when the laptop is opened.

Much like any other ZenBook, you have the US MIL-STD 810H military-grade protection here and that means if you are a heavy user you won’t face any issues in terms of durability. I do like the new ZenBook 14 OLED’s compactness and portability, overall both in terms of design & build quality I have no complaints here.

Display

As you know ASUS is on a mission to OLED-ify all its laptops, and this one too feels the same, the new ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED too sports a 14-inch OLED panel with 2.8K (2880 x 1800) resolution, a high quality display which is helpful for everyday work and entertainment. Now, bearing a higher 90Hz refresh rate really helps to smoothly hover around across the display and helps to make day-to-day tasks easier.

I did enjoy using the laptop’s display for my everyday writing, editing or watching casual shows and movies, the high contrast ratios with high color gamut and Pantone validation does make a difference. However, I did notice a difference in display quality from the more premium ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition in actual display tests.

Here are some of the display tests on this ZenBook 14 OLED we ran with our reliable SyperX Pro:

As you see the results are good but are not the same as ASUS claims to, note the color accuracy is 75% of the DCI-P3 color gamut than the advertised 100% which was true on the Space Edition laptop. The tone response is also good but the contrast ratio is far less than the advertised 1000000:1 which I felt to be a bit disappointing.

While the ZenBook 14 OLED’s display brightness has been limited to 405 nits but ASUS claims 550 nits of peak brightness which again is a bit disheartening. However, it’s still better than the Space Edition’s peak brightness, though the deeper blacks or the contrast ratio is good enough for everyday usage and entertainment as well.

One thing I really like about these new displays which most won’t highlight is the TUV Rheinland certification for hardware-based low blue light emissions. This actually helps a lot when you work for long hours, I tend to use a lens to reduce blue light but with this laptop sometimes when I did forget to wear I didn’t feel any headache or strain which generally happens with normal laptop displays.

I used the laptop intensely to watch my Netflix shows or YouTube sessions time and again, it’s very reliable actually. However, the bragging claims of ASUS are kind of a letdown for me as a lot of users won’t be able to measure it and a lot of media outlets don’t actually, so do consider this before buying.

Performance

The special thing about this ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED laptop is that it uses new 12th Gen Core processors, the P-series to be more specific that draw up to 28W and can be overclocked to 33W if needed. You get up to a 12 core Intel Core i7-1260P processor which can perform quite extraordinarily when required.

If you don’t know, this laptop also qualifies for the Intel Evo platform which is a set of hardware specifications, necessary to qualify Intel’s high standard for a key experience target for an exceptional mobile experience. So, things like an instant wake and long battery life are guaranteed because of this while Intel’s own new 12th Gen SKUs make these laptops even better.

Previously with quad-core 11th Gen laptops even the last-gen ZenBook couldn’t handle when I opened just 10 Chrome tabs and now I comfortably open 20 of them. The best fact is with the latest PCIe Gen 4 SSD and LPDDR5 RAM, the memory management is done so well that apps tend to stay even if you are working for long hours.

You will see in recent benchmarks how good this ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED with Core i7-1260P performs:

As you see for a thin & light laptop like this the scores touching the 10k mark in Cinebench mean a lot, do update all drivers and BIOS for better performance. Though always we don’t suggest you use the high-performance mode as fans get louder and also the laptop gets warmer, still having that kind of performance on such a thin notebook is quite good.

This is obviously not a gaming laptop but you can even play casual games like Valorant, PUBG or CS:GO effortlessly because of the Intel Xe graphics. Professionals who love their laptop to be slim, and powerful yet give long battery life tend to go for MacBooks but I think this ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED gives even better performance than the M1 chip and is a solid replacement for it.

Another thing to highlight is that ASUS has used high-performance PCIe Gen 4 SSDs across the entire ZenBook lineup and that means the speed of these SSDs is insane! Yes, you see up to 6200MB/s read and up to 4887MB/s write speeds, these are pretty good numbers and are very helpful because if the primary SSD is faster it helps Windows for those who plan to use it in the long run.

Overall, in terms of performance, you will have no complaints and if you are an Intel you will actually love what these new 12th Gen Intel CPUs bring to the table.

I/O & Connectivity

Good things should be appreciated and ASUS should be because this time around except for the budget laptops, even in the mid-range Vivobooks, the Taiwan giant has used two Thunderbolt 4 ports. So, undoubtedly, this ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED will also feature two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports which provide up to 40 Gbps data bandwidth, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery.

In spite of a thin profile, ASUS has managed to provide all the necessary ports like a full-sized HDMI 2.0 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, an audio combo jack, and a microSD card reader. Coming to connectivity, this ZenBook laptop features the latest Intel WiFi 6E 802.11ax connection and Bluetooth 5.2 support.

I like fast internet speeds always and only when the Wi-Fi antenna will be stronger you will get good speeds all across your home/office or anywhere. So, having good Wi-Fi hardware on your laptop is important and with this ZenBook 14 OLED, I was comfortably getting good speeds even when I was away from my router, because of its strong reception.

If you do love using a lot of Bluetooth devices with your laptop, then the new Bluetooth 5.2 is much better than the predecessor and you can connect multiple Bluetooth devices at once easily. I always keep my Logitech Bluetooth mouse connected and I never faced any issues, now connecting other devices like headphones, and controller parallel didn’t disturb me or my work at all. However, at first, had a few Bluetooth driver issues, but solved afterwards with updates.

Keyboard & Trackpad

The keyboard is also very comfortable to type on thanks to a subtle 0.2 mm dish-shaped
indentation and 1.4 mm key travel, I really enjoyed typing my everyday articles thoroughly. The quality of the keys are much like you expect or have seen on a ZenBook laptop but much improved as of 2022.

The keys spaced perfectly so that you can reach them comfortably and while still having a compact layout, it retains many commonly used function keys. The backlit keyboard is perfect to get your job during night and the trackpad in this ZenBook 14 OLED is quite bigger than the prior generations, much usable I feel.

You still have ASUS’s signature NumberPad 2.0, an LED-illuminated numeric keypad integrated in the touchpad for those who love to calculate stuff.

Thermals & Upgradability

Having a 12-core CPU inside means you have to have a proper cooling system to keep the ZenBook 14 OLED cool and here ASUS has done ok-ish job. Though the laptop remained cool during Whisper Mode but during Balanced or Performance mode the temps were pretty high especially at the bottom.

So, if you plan to use it efficiently then use it in Whisper mode you will get a a better experience I feel for working by keeping it on your lap. In terms of upgradability, you do not have much option here expect for storage, so better choose your wisely.

Audio & Webcam

Much like any other ZenBook laptop, the Harman Kardon tuned dual speakers god really loud and produce great output. From listening to casual music to movies, I used the laptop’s speaker pretty much always because of its high quality and loudness.

As the dual speakers come with Dolby Atmos support, you can hear the best sound tuned by Dolby and even tweak it yourself. Thanks to Smart Amp, you get 350% louder sound with zero distortion, so you do not need to carry a speaker anymore with your new ZenBook 14 OLED.

Also, if you use the laptop quite frequently for video or audio calls, the ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Audio features helps to reduce noise for efficient and clear communication. In terms of webcam though, you still have a 720p webcam with privacy shutter and it just gets the job done.

Battery Life

As you see I used the laptop for about 10 days and you can see my average battery life stood at 6-7 hours during work and could stretch up to 8 hours if you stream or watch something. So, I know it’s a bit less than the previous variants but considering the enormous performance upgrade, you have now I won’t complain about it.

With fast charge support, USB Type-C charging even via powerbank makes it a premium notebook for everyday usage. If you want to maximize battery life and you are a moderate user, do use the Whisper mode in the MyASUS settings to get good battery backup or used balanced if necessary.

Improvements in the MyASUS app deserve credit as well

One thing that ASUS has improved every year has to be its software and support, its MyASUS app has become one of the best in the market undoubtedly. With a plethora of useful feature, a place where you can upgrade your drivers or get warranty, you can also customize your laptop’s display, thermals and a lot more.

From System Diagnosis to Battery Health Charging or from ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology to WiFi SmartConnect, one app has a lot of useful features which I always love about ASUS laptops. Also, Link to MyASUS helps to seamlessly integrate your PC and your phone, expanding your productivity without any complexities.

Verdict

So, now should you buy this new ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED? Well, this depends on both your usage and the money you are willing to spend. For a business user who looks forward to use a Windows laptop with great performance without having to sacrifice about portability, display this is the laptop he or she should easily go for.

Now, with upgraded OLED display, having the same starting price, bearing new 12th Gen Intel processors, you cannot ask more though. However, do remember this ZenBook 14 OLED defies premiumness which asks price and finding flaws this time is very hard for we reviewers as well.

Now a 12-core CPU won’t be most efficient but if you ask performance, this is the best you can get for a thin & light laptop currently. The new ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED is a highly recommended laptop in 2022 and the major upgrades do make it even better with time for Windows fans to brag about.

These laptops are already available on Amazon India for purchase:

• Intel® Core™ i7-1260P / 16GB LPDDR5  / 512GB PCIe Gen 4.0 Performance SSD / 14.0-inch / 2.8K OLED 16:10  / 90Hz refresh rate / Ponder Blue / Intel® Evo™ Platform / FingerPrint / 75WHrs battery / Backlit Keyboard / Sleeve / MS Office : https://amzn.to/3yyAcmI
• Intel® Core™ i5-1240P /  / 16GB LPDDR5  / 512GB PCIe Gen 4.0 Performance SSD / 14.0-inch / 2.8K OLED 16:10  / 90Hz refresh rate / Ponder Blue / Intel® Evo™ Platform / FingerPrint / 75WHrs battery / Backlit Keyboard / Sleeve / MS Office : https://amzn.to/3M6Vb3Z

If you have any questions or doubts regarding this new laptop, do comment us down below…😁😊