Intel’s Lunar Lake processors make this one merely unimaginable

Pros:
– Strong efficiency
– Massive improve graphic efficiency
– Gorgeous OLED show
– Excellent battery life
– Solid port choice
– Premium design
– Strong constructed high quality, regardless of thin-and-light type issue
– Solid Harman Kardon audio system

Cons:
– Slightly costlier that it must be
– Web cam will be disappointing at occasions
– Trackpad lacks haptic suggestions, and may be very tight

Price: Starts at Rs 149,990/-
Rating: 4.5/5

The Asus Zenbook S14 is likely one of the first ultrabooks to pack Intel’s new Lunar Lake processors, also referred to as the Core Ultra 7 200 sequence chips. These are the successors to final 12 months’s Meteor Lake processors and convey some large enhancements, particularly round effectivity. Intel has made these new chips extra battery-friendly, with higher CPU efficiency, a giant graphics increase by way of the built-in Arc GPU, and a slight improve in AI efficiency due to the NPU.

Intel has a reasonably intelligent technique right here, particularly when you think about Qualcomm’s deal with battery life. Intel has been making processors for ages, and x86 has confirmed itself over time. Nearly all software program is constructed round x86, so it’s a stable alternative for many individuals. ARM, alternatively, provides distinctive battery life and portability, however it nonetheless struggles with compatibility for sure video games and productiveness apps — particularly in company settings. While the scenario’s enhancing, ARM isn’t fairly there but for everybody.

Intel is positioning itself as the higher alternative for individuals who want these apps to work effectively, promising that its newest Core Ultra 200 chips supply comparable effectivity and performance-per-watt to ARM. In some instances, the x86 route is solely the smarter alternative.

That brings us to the Zenbook S14. This laptop computer is tremendous slim — simply half an inch thick — and weighs round 1.2 kg, making it extremely moveable. And that 3K OLED show? Gorgeous.

But does the Zenbook S14 dwell as much as the hype? Is x86 actually nonetheless the best choice, or is ARM the way in which ahead? Let’s discover out.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Design and construct high quality
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED stands out with its modern portability, due to Intel’s new Lunar Lake processors. This ultrabook combines a 14-inch show with an impressively slim profile, making it a great companion for anybody who wants a strong but light-weight laptop computer.

Weighing simply over 1.2kg, it’s straightforward to slide right into a bag, so carrying it round doesn’t really feel like a chore. Whether you’re engaged on the go or just want a compact machine for on a regular basis duties, the Zenbook S14 delivers with out weighing you down.

When it involves design, the Zenbook S14 retains issues fascinating with its daring, angular strains. Asus has gone for a extra distinctive look in comparison with the extra minimalist designs from opponents like Apple and Microsoft.

The keyboard options sharp, squared-off keys, and the warmth grille above the keyboard provides a pleasant contact of character. The total impact is a contemporary, utilitarian look that’s not afraid to face out.

A spotlight of the Zenbook S14 is its hinge. It’s stable, clean, and really easy to open that you are able to do it with only one finger. Plus, it stays regular even when bumped, making certain that the display doesn’t wobble uncontrollably.

Another notable function is the Ceraluminium end on the lid, combining ceramic and aluminium to create a modern, geometric design that feels premium to the contact. The floor has a delicate, nearly paper-like texture, including a tactile layer to the laptop computer’s elegant look. It is available in Scandinavian White and Zumaia Grey, although the matte end can present fingerprints, particularly within the darker colors.

We additionally just like the geometric grille design of the vents on the high of the laptop computer, simply above the keyboard. Asus tells us that it’s made utilizing CNC machining, and tremendously helps with the thermals. The cherry on high of the improved thermal administration could be how aesthetic it seems.

Despite its slim body, the Zenbook S14 is constructed to final. It’s MIL-STD-810H military-grade licensed, so it might deal with just a few knocks throughout journey with out worrying about injury. The laptop computer’s development feels stable, and whereas there’s a tiny quantity of flex when making use of strain to the centre of the keyboard, the display stays largely inflexible, a testomony to its sturdiness.

Connectivity-wise, the Zenbook S14 covers all of the necessities with one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1 for exterior shows, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It would’ve been good to see an SD card slot for individuals who depend on it for pictures or video modifying, however in any other case, the port choice is spectacular for such a slim design.

On the wi-fi entrance, you get dual-band WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, making certain clean, high-speed web and gadget connections. We additionally don’t get any LTE choices.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Keyboard and trackpad
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED incorporates a keyboard and touchpad that really feel premium but sensible. The keys have a delicate, barely textured end that’s satisfying to kind on, providing simply the correct amount of suggestions.

The keyboard’s low-profile design doesn’t really feel hole, due to the stable decrease casing that enhances the typing expertise. The keystrokes are quick however deep sufficient to make typing snug. Plus, the keyboard has an extremely vibrant backlight, making it straightforward to see in numerous lighting circumstances.

Surprisingly, the journey is respectable, particularly given the Zenbook’s slim construct. In phrases of typing consolation, I’d say this is likely one of the higher ultrabooks round.

However, the trackpad is a little bit of a letdown. While it’s a very good measurement, glass, and clean to the contact, it feels a bit sluggish and stiff in motion. On the plus facet, it handles gestures effectively, and Asus has added just a few further options, like quantity and brightness management, in addition to video scrubbing, utilizing edge gestures. While the trackpad works, it’s not as fluid or responsive as I’d like, particularly in comparison with the remainder of the laptop computer’s modern design.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Webcam and Speakers
The Asus ZenBook S14 OLED comes outfitted with the ASUS AiSense Camera, a full HD digital camera with an IR sensor that helps Windows Hello. Positioned on the skinny high bezel, this digital camera provides clean 1080p decision for digital conferences, making certain clear video high quality. It additionally options auto-reframing, which mechanically adjusts the sector of view, an excellent addition for individuals who have a tendency to maneuver round throughout calls.

Thanks to the highly effective NPU, the laptop computer totally helps Windows’ AI-powered Studio Effects, a part of Copilot+, bringing enhanced video high quality and real-time changes.

While the Windows Hello-compatible webcam provides handy logins, the 1080p digital camera doesn’t present the sharpest element. It seems considerably grainy, particularly in low gentle, which could be a draw back if you happen to’re used to high-end cameras.

As for audio, the ZenBook S14 OLED doesn’t disappoint. Equipped with Harman Kardon-branded audio system and Smart Amp Technology, it provides surprisingly good sound high quality for a skinny ultrabook.

The 4 drivers produce stable quantity, with respectable bass and minimal distortion, even when a number of audio tracks are taking part in. By default, the audio system have dynamic loudness, however you’ll be able to fine-tune them for a extra refined sound. Whether you’re on a name, listening to music, or watching a video, the sound is obvious and full, making it one of many better-sounding Windows laptops on this class.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Display
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED’s 14-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED touch-enabled show is actually spectacular, providing sharp, vibrant visuals that make it stand out within the ultrabook class. With a 16:10 facet ratio and a 120Hz refresh charge, the display gives a clean expertise, whether or not you’re shopping, engaged on paperwork, or streaming motion pictures.

Its 500 nits peak brightness makes it vibrant sufficient for many indoor environments, although it struggles a bit in direct daylight. While it may not be your best option for outside work on sunny days, it’s actually not a dealbreaker for many customers.

The standout function of this show is its color accuracy. The Zenbook S14 OLED is Pantone-validated, which means the colors are true-to-life, making it excellent for individuals who want exact color copy for duties like picture modifying. The show can also be TUV Rheinland-certified

With a 100 per cent P3 color gamut and VESA HDR True Black certification, the show covers a large shade vary, making certain vibrant photographs, deep blacks, and crisp whites. Watching movies or engaged on spreadsheets feels extra immersive with such wealthy and detailed visuals. Plus, with its sRGB 100 per cent color house protection, the Zenbook S14 OLED is a wonderful alternative for anybody who enjoys media consumption or wants color accuracy for skilled work.

Thanks to extensive viewing angles of the show, you received’t lose color consistency even when viewing from the facet. However, the shiny touchscreen floor can typically choose up reflections from surrounding gentle, which can be a bit distracting in some settings. The touchscreen itself is clean and responsive, making navigation straightforward and intuitive, whether or not you’re scrolling by way of paperwork or utilizing gestures to swipe between apps.

The 16:10 facet ratio additionally provides helpful vertical house, which is very useful for productiveness duties. Whether you’re engaged on a big spreadsheet or going by way of a prolonged PDF, the additional display actual property is extremely helpful.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Performance
The Asus ZenBook S14 OLED is supplied with Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V chip, a stable mid-tier processor from the brand new Core Ultra 200 sequence. Though it’s not the top-of-the-line chip, it provides an excellent stability of efficiency, effectivity, and energy financial savings. The chip is constructed utilizing TSMC’s N3B lithography and packs 4 Performance-cores and 4 Efficiency-cores, providing a complete of 8 cores and eight threads.

This setup doesn’t embody hyper-threading, which limits multitasking barely, however the chip makes up for it with wonderful single-core efficiency. The base clock is 2.2GHz for each P-cores and E-cores, with the P-cores turbo-boosting to 4.8GHz and the E-cores reaching 3.7GHz. This makes the ZenBook S14 quick and environment friendly for on a regular basis duties.

In phrases of RAM, the ZenBook S14 comes with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM clocked at 8533 MT/s in our take a look at unit. For storage, we get 512TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD, though you have got an choice for 1TB SSD as effectively. Because the Intel Core Ultra 200 processors are an SoC, the RAM, iGPU NPU and controllers are all designed into the Chip. That is why, we are going to solely see a restricted variation in reminiscence configurations accessible to the consumer. Our recommendation could be to all the time go for the best RAM variants you could accommodate in your funds.

This is greater than sufficient for many workplace purposes, gentle inventive work, and even gaming, because the laptop computer runs easily with no noticeable slowdowns. The Intel Smart Cache, with a capability of 12MB, additionally helps velocity up duties by retaining ceaselessly used knowledge available.

When it involves AI efficiency, Intel’s onboard Intel Arc 140V iGPU delivers 64 TOPs, whereas the NPU provides one other 45 TOPs, giving the ZenBook S14 a complete of 115 TOPs. While not the perfect measurement for total efficiency, this setup makes the laptop computer a powerful contender in AI-related duties, particularly for machine studying and processing.

In phrases of real-world efficiency, the ZenBook S14 handles typical enterprise duties with ease. Intel has prioritized single-core efficiency and built-in graphics, leading to higher effectivity and battery life than earlier generations. The chip performs constantly whether or not the laptop computer is plugged in or operating on battery energy, making it nice for customers on the go.

For gaming, the Intel Arc GPU proves its value. Games like F1 23 and Cyberpunk 2077 run easily at Full HD decision with Intel’s XeSS upscaling enhancing the visible high quality. While it’s not a substitute for a devoted gaming laptop computer, the ZenBook S14 can deal with informal gaming effectively sufficient, with environment friendly energy utilization as well.

Even throughout gaming periods, the laptop computer maintains an affordable 28W energy draw, making certain higher efficiency with out sacrificing battery life. During video games, it will go as much as 35W however for should of the day, throughout irregular use, it will keep round 18W.

And all this whereas, the laptop computer stays cool, due to Asus’ intelligent thermal resolution that makes use of a mix of bi-layer graphite sheet, and vapour chambers.

Although we did run just a few benchmarks, we’ve to say that at this cut-off date, they’re fairly pointless for one easy cause — Intel’s major goal with the Core Ultra 200 sequence is Qualcomm and ARM processors. In some benchmarks, Intel outscored Qualcomm, and in some Qualcomm got here out on high.

We additionally get just a few nifty AI options from Asus. For instance, StoryCube is a good media organising instrument that makes use of AI & ML to type, tag and discover your media from throughout gadgets and purposes into one neat window.

What exacerbates this sentiment extra is the truth that ARM nonetheless can’t a number of the mostly used software program with out main glitches goes to be a sore level for some. The Intel Core Ultra 7 200V processors, in that case, develop into a no-nonsense engine for a laptop computer that may simply work — all the time.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Battery
Intel clearly designed the brand new Core Ultra 200 sequence of processors with effectivity in thoughts, and it actually exhibits in our battery exams. The ZenBook S14 OLED packs a stable 72WHr, 4-cell Li-ion battery, which performs admirably throughout our typical use. In reality, the ZenBook S14 lasted almost 15 hours — 14 hours and 50 minutes to be actual — whereas we have been dealing with emails, writing, and leaping between video calls.

While it could not fully outpace the MacBooks or Qualcomm-powered gadgets that boast 18+ hours, the ZenBook remains to be remarkably shut and delivers unbelievable outcomes for a Windows laptop computer.

In phrases of charging, this laptop computer doesn’t disappoint. It comes with a 65W quick charger within the field, and the velocity at which it juices up is spectacular. In nearly half-hour, the battery expenses to 50 per cent, and inside an hour, it’s totally topped up. This means you received’t should waste a lot time ready for a cost while you’re in a rush.

One of the perfect options right here is the minimal battery drain in sleep mode. Close the lid with out totally powering down, and also you’ll barely discover any drop in battery proportion. This is a big improve in comparison with older Windows laptops that used to empty numerous battery whereas in sleep. With the ZenBook S14 OLED, you’ll be able to relaxation assured that your battery will last more and cost shortly, making it a dependable companion for lengthy hours of labor and play.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Verdict
The Asus ZenBook S14 is an actual standout, providing an excellent mixture of efficiency and elegance. Powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V processor, this ultrabook is all about delivering stable efficiency whereas retaining issues environment friendly. Even although it’s not the top-of-the-line chip from Intel’s Core Ultra 200 sequence, it’s greater than able to dealing with on a regular basis duties with ease. Thanks to 32GB of RAM and the built-in Arc GPU, the ZenBook S14 doesn’t break a sweat with electronic mail, net shopping, video calls, and light-weight productiveness work.

While the laptop computer may not crush multicore-heavy benchmarks, it excels in single-core efficiency, making it fast and responsive for many makes use of. It’s additionally not designed to be a gaming machine, however for informal gaming, it does simply nice, dealing with video games like F1 23 and even Cyberpunk 2077 with just a few tweaks. And with the onboard NPU, you get entry to some neat AI options that improve your total expertise, even when they’re nonetheless a piece in progress.

The 3K OLED show is beautiful, providing crisp visuals and vibrant colors. Whether you’re working, watching content material, or simply shopping, the display is a pleasure to make use of. The keyboard is snug, and the Ceraluminum chassis offers the entire laptop computer a premium, sturdy really feel.

The trackpad may use slightly extra responsiveness, and the digital camera isn’t the perfect, however these are minor complaints. Overall, the ZenBook S14 is a unbelievable ultrabook that checks all of the containers for efficiency, design, and usefulness. It’s an excellent alternative for anybody in search of a well-rounded, environment friendly laptop computer.