Asus Zenbook S14 OLED Review: A Battery Life Champion with Solid Gaming Performance
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED is a sleek and portable laptop that showcases the prowess of Intel's second-generation Ultra chipsets. It combines excellent battery life with solid gaming capabilities, even on battery power, making it a great option for users who need a reliable, all-around machine. However, some may find the shallow keyboard and uninspiring webcam a drawback. Let’s dive into the details of this device and see if it’s the right fit for you.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Fantastic battery life in most situations
- Quiet fans
- Solid gaming performance on battery power
- High-quality build
Cons
- CPU performance doesn’t match some rivals
- Shallow keyboard
- Uninspiring webcam
Key Features
2nd Gen Intel Ultra CPU
This is one of the first laptops to feature Intel’s second-generation Ultra chipset, which brings significant improvements in battery life and gaming performance.
3K OLED Screen
The 14-inch OLED touchscreen is sharp and vibrant, offering perfect black levels. However, it doesn’t achieve the ultra-brightness seen in some HDR content.
Ceraluminium Lid
The lid is made of aluminium with a ceramic coating, giving it a unique look and feel. This “Ceraluminium” branding may be marketing jargon, but it does contribute to the laptop's premium feel.
Introduction
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED is a portable laptop that competes with high-end models from other brands. However, its standout feature is its battery life, which can last close to 20 hours in some scenarios. This laptop is one of the first to use Intel’s second-generation Ultra 7 processor, making it a significant upgrade over previous models in terms of battery life and gaming performance.
Starting at £1299, the Asus Zenbook S14 OLED offers an excellent balance of performance and portability. The reviewed model, which includes 32GB of RAM, costs £1599, offering a significant boost in multitasking performance.
Design and Keyboard
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED is designed to be slim, light, and durable. Its “Ceraluminium” lid gives it a unique appearance, with bright silver lines carved into the ceramic-based surface. The laptop maintains a professional look while also standing out from the crowd.
However, the keyboard may not appeal to everyone. It’s a typical ultraportable keyboard with shallow key travel, similar to the MacBook Air M3. While it’s fast to type on, the key depth may not satisfy those who prefer more tactile feedback. The touchpad, although made of textured glass, has slightly high resistance, which may take some getting used to.
Display and Sound
The 14-inch OLED display is one of the highlights of the Asus Zenbook S14 OLED. It offers superb color depth and accuracy, covering 99.9% of the DCI P3 color gamut. The 3K resolution (2880×1800) looks sharp, and the 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth visuals.
However, the display’s brightness is somewhat limited. While it can reach 600 nits for HDR content, it maxes out at 400 nits for everyday tasks, which may be insufficient for outdoor use in bright conditions.
The laptop also features a quad-driver speaker system. While the sound is impressive, the default Dolby processing mode may over-enhance the dynamic range, making it sound unnatural. Fortunately, you can turn this feature off for a more balanced audio experience.
Performance
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED is powered by the Intel Ultra 7 258V processor, which offers solid single-core performance but falls short in multi-core tasks compared to some competitors like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and Honor MagicBook Art 14.
Where this laptop shines is in gaming. The Intel Ultra 7 258V chipset allows you to play demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 at Full HD resolution with medium settings, and the performance remains consistent even when running on battery power.
Battery Life
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED’s battery life is exceptional. With a 72Wh battery, it can last up to 19 hours during video streaming or light productivity tasks. Even during gaming sessions, the battery holds up well, offering 2.5 hours of gameplay in Cyberpunk 2077.
This level of battery performance makes the Zenbook S14 OLED a strong contender for users who need a laptop that can last throughout the day without needing to be plugged in.
Final Thoughts
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED sets a new standard for ultraportable laptops, particularly for users who prioritize battery life and gaming performance. While it may not be the best choice for those who need top-tier CPU performance or a more tactile keyboard, it excels in most other areas.
If you’re in the market for a laptop that offers a long battery life, solid gaming performance, and a high-quality OLED display, this could be the perfect choice for you.
Where to Buy
You can purchase the Asus Zenbook S14 OLED from various retailers, including Amazon:
Buy the Asus Zenbook S14 OLED on Amazon
Looking for alternatives? Check out these popular models:
MacBook Air M3
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
Honor MagicBook Art 14
FAQs
How long is the battery life of the Asus Zenbook S14 OLED?
You can expect up to 19 hours of battery life for light productivity tasks.
Does the Asus Zenbook S14 OLED have a touchscreen?
Yes, it features a touchscreen and supports a stylus, although the stylus is not included.
Is the Asus Zenbook S14 OLED a CoPilot+ laptop?
No, it is not a CoPilot+ laptop, but it does support some AI features.
Overall, the Asus Zenbook S14 OLED is a fantastic choice for users who need a versatile laptop with excellent battery life and gaming capabilities.
