ASUS definitely caught the attention of many with the recent release of their Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition– a special-edition laptop made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first ASUS laptop sent into space.

While most eyes are drawn to this fancy device, its more consumer-friendly counterpart, the Zenbook 14 OLED, also deserves some attention with its exceptional performance, sophisticated design, stunning display, and more nifty features to boot!

ASUS has given us the chance to try the Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3402ZA) in Aqua Celadon. Here’s our hands-on experience with this new laptop from the multinational tech brand.

Out of the box

The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is simple yet elegant in its design. Its metallic, anti-fingerprint surface has a nice sheen to it, and the lines on the lid inspired by the Japanese kintsugi really add character to the device. The base of the laptop also implements a rigid theme underneath, opting for origami-like folds rather than the smooth curves in its protrusion.

Its 12.35″ x 8.69″ size is not the smallest in the market, but it does translate to a large display. When folded, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is about 16.9mm thick while it remains lightweight and very portable with its 1.39kg weight.

When opened up, the display’s 16:10 ratio (2880×1800 resolution) really catches your attention, especially if you’re used to consuming content on landscape screens. But it is something that’s easy to get used to, and the advantages of such a generous OLED display would soon become apparent.

The device is also highly-flexible with its 180° lay-flat hinge, allowing for easy adjustments, whatever type of workspace arrangement you have when you’re on the device.

An immersive OLED display that draws you in

What really makes this laptop stand out is its 14-inch 2.8K OLED HDR display. The display is really eye-popping, delivering a vivid burst of colors and crisp details perfect for both work and entertainment purposes.

The size and ratio of the display also offer the user a more immersive and intuitive experience. For one, viewing videos with such striking display specs is even better with this expansive screen, while multitasking and using applications with crammed UIs become a bit easier to handle when using this device.

Adding to the immersive experience are the laptop’s NanoEdge 2.8 mm bezels, giving us a 90% body-to-screen ratio on the display. It also has a 90Hz refresh rate with a 0.2ms response time, allowing for smoother viewing and usage. Meanwhile, its brightness ranges from 0.0005 nits to 550 nits– highly adaptive to whatever your environment’s lighting may be. In my experience, 50% brightness is just right in a room with ample lighting.

When it comes to color accuracy, the Zenbook 14 OLED also delivers with its ultrawide color gamut of 100% DCI-P3. Plus, it is PANTONE Validated, assuring you that it provides the most precise color accuracy.

With our daily use of gadgets, blue light that could cause visual discomfort and reduced sleep quality has become a concern for many, especially parents. But there’s no need to worry. ASUS also safeguards the eyesight of its consumers as its TÜV Rheinland Eye Care certified OLED laptops emit 70% less harmful blue light compared to your typical LCD.

Exceptional performance & long-lasting power

The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is powered by a 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 P-series processor and Intel IRIS Xe graphics. It supports up to 16 GB of onboard memory and a 512 GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 SSD. The laptop runs smoothly when working on productivity tasks such as writing documents and surfing the web, even with more than ten tabs open.

This laptop also qualifies for the Intel Evo platform, which means that it has met Intel’s high bar on hardware specifications and key experience targets that really make up a premium laptop.

While it is not really a gaming device, the Zenbook 14 OLED is still a treat for casual gamers, as I was able to run games like Valorant and Little Nightmares without a hitch. I also ran some tests on the device with the following results:

Cinebench R23 – 7,243 points (CPU Multicore); 1,453 points (CPU Single Core)
Geekbench 5 – 7,973 (Multi-core); 1,623 (Single Core)
CPU-Z – 4932.7 (Multi-Thread); 682.7 (Single Thread)

The cooling system also works well. It does not heat up that fast, and it also feels like the heat easily dissipates as it spreads from the bottom of the laptop.

As for its battery life, the Zenbook 14 OLED’s 75Wh battery promises to power your productivity for up to 18 hours. When I was working on the laptop’s browser with 50% screen brightness and Balanced power mode, the battery only decreased by 10% in 30 minutes.

When streaming online at 50% brightness and 50% volume, the battery decreased by 14% in an hour, and 20% each on the 2-hour and 3-hour mark. While playing Valorant under the same brightness and volume, the battery decreased by 18% in 30 minutes. When it comes to charging, the Zenbook 14 OLED was able to juice up pretty fast, charging from 3% to 52% in an hour while on Sleep Mode and being fully charged in about 2 hours.

An ergonomic keyboard and a number-crunching touchpad

The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is also equipped with an ErgoSense keyboard that offers a pleasant typing experience. Clicking the buttons feels just right to the touch while producing minimal sound. When turned on, the keyboard backlight has three brightness levels to cater to your working needs.

Another factor that makes typing with this device more comfortable is the ErgoLift hinge that tilts the keyboard towards the user. This feature also helps keep the device cool as the bottom part does not lie flat on the surface giving it room to breathe.

The Zenbook 14 OLED also gives generous space to its touchpad with some bonus functions. It doubles as a Numpad, complete with a backlight that you can toggle on and off, plus it also serves as a shortcut to the calculator– making this laptop really ideal for number-crunching tasks.

To make this laptop even more ideal as your next professional device, the Zenbook 14 OLED also comes pre-installed with a lifetime license to Microsoft Office apps.

Strong speakers, clear calls

Another impressive key feature of the Zenbook 14 OLED is its Dolby Atmos stereo sound system which is also certified by the audio experts of Harman Kardon. This laptop’s so-called Smart Amp feature allows its sound to be 350% louder with zero distortion and upon testing, it actually delivers!

Even at 50% volume, the sound is already pretty loud and clear when you’re in front of the laptop. At 100% volume, the sound could really fill a spacious living room and you could still hear the dialogues clearly. When it comes to calls, the AI Noise-canceling microphone and speaker which reduce unnecessary noises provide a much clearer communication for both ends of the call.

As for the webcam, while the Zenbook 14 OLED’s 720p camera is pretty average, the laptop’s 3DNR (3D Noise Reduction) algorithm really helps produce clearer image outputs. Through the MyASUS app, users can also further improve their videos through Lighting Optimization, Background Blurring, Eye Tracking, and Motion Tracking effects.

Seamless connectivity & ports

This new laptop from ASUS also comes with the latest and fastest WiFi 6E, further enhanced by the ASUS WiFi Master Premium technology, which stabilizes your connection while filtering out interference. The WiFi SmartConnect also automatically selects the best WiFi or hotspot source to ensure that you’re connected to the fastest internet available.

As for the ports, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED also offers a lot. On the left side, you have a microSD card slot, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, an audio combo jack, and an HDMI 2.0, while placed on the right side is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port.

Conclusion

The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED really pushes the boundaries when it comes to display and sound, making it the ideal laptop for content and media consumption. Moreover, it does not compromise on battery and performance, and it even adds some special touches that are perfect for professionals who often work with numbers and documents, or are always in a Zoom call. So if you’re on the lookout for the next laptop that could cater to your productivity and entertainment needs, the Zenbook 14 OLED is definitely worth considering as it ticks all the boxes and more.

The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is now available at ASUS authorized stores, with a price that starts at P72,995.

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