Intel’s Lunar Lake processors make this one merely unimaginable

Pros:
– Strong effectivity
– Massive enhance graphic effectivity
– Gorgeous OLED present
– Excellent battery life
– Solid port alternative
– Premium design
– Strong constructed top quality, no matter thin-and-light sort subject
– Solid Harman Kardon audio system

Cons:
– Slightly costlier that it have to be
– Web cam will probably be disappointing at events
– Trackpad lacks haptic solutions, and could also be very tight

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

The Asus Zenbook S14 is probably going one of many first ultrabooks to pack Intel’s new Lunar Lake processors, additionally known as the Core Ultra 7 200 sequence chips. These are the successors to remaining 12 months’s Meteor Lake processors and convey some giant enhancements, significantly spherical effectivity. Intel has made these new chips further battery-friendly, with larger CPU effectivity, an enormous graphics improve by the use of the built-in Arc GPU, and a slight enhance in AI effectivity as a result of NPU.

Intel has a fairly clever method proper right here, significantly when you consider Qualcomm’s cope with battery life. Intel has been making processors for ages, and x86 has confirmed itself over time. Nearly all software program program is constructed spherical x86, so it’s a secure different for a lot of people. ARM, alternatively, gives distinctive battery life and portability, nonetheless it nonetheless struggles with compatibility for certain video video games and productiveness apps — significantly in firm settings. While the state of affairs’s enhancing, ARM isn’t pretty there however for everyone.

Intel is positioning itself as the upper different for people who need these apps to work successfully, promising that its latest Core Ultra 200 chips provide comparable effectivity and performance-per-watt to ARM. In some cases, the x86 route is solely the smarter different.

That brings us to the Zenbook S14. This laptop computer laptop is super slim — merely half an inch thick — and weighs spherical 1.2 kg, making it extraordinarily moveable. And that 3K OLED present? Gorgeous.

But does the Zenbook S14 dwell as a lot because the hype? Is x86 really nonetheless your best option, or is ARM the way in which wherein forward? Let’s uncover out.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Design and assemble top quality
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED stands out with its trendy portability, resulting from Intel’s new Lunar Lake processors. This ultrabook combines a 14-inch present with an impressively slim profile, making it an incredible companion for anyone who needs a robust however lightweight laptop computer laptop.

Weighing merely over 1.2kg, it’s easy to slip proper right into a bag, so carrying it spherical doesn’t actually really feel like a chore. Whether you’re engaged on the go or simply desire a compact machine for regularly duties, the Zenbook S14 delivers with out weighing you down.

When it includes design, the Zenbook S14 retains points fascinating with its daring, angular strains. Asus has gone for a further distinctive look as compared with the additional minimalist designs from opponents like Apple and Microsoft.

The keyboard choices sharp, squared-off keys, and the heat grille above the keyboard gives a pleasing contact of character. The complete affect is a recent, utilitarian look that’s not afraid to face out.

A highlight of the Zenbook S14 is its hinge. It’s secure, clear, and very easy to open that you’ll be able to do it with just one finger. Plus, it stays common even when bumped, ensuring that the show doesn’t wobble uncontrollably.

Another notable operate is the Ceraluminium finish on the lid, combining ceramic and aluminium to create a contemporary, geometric design that feels premium to the contact. The ground has a fragile, almost paper-like texture, together with a tactile layer to the laptop computer laptop’s elegant look. It is on the market in Scandinavian White and Zumaia Grey, though the matte finish can current fingerprints, significantly inside the darker colours.

We moreover identical to the geometric grille design of the vents on the excessive of the laptop computer laptop, merely above the keyboard. Asus tells us that it’s made using CNC machining, and tremendously helps with the thermals. The cherry on excessive of the improved thermal administration might be how aesthetic it appears.

Despite its slim physique, the Zenbook S14 is constructed to remaining. It’s MIL-STD-810H military-grade licensed, so it’d cope with only a few knocks all through journey with out worrying about damage. The laptop computer laptop’s improvement feels secure, and whereas there’s a tiny amount of flex when making use of pressure to the centre of the keyboard, the show stays largely rigid, a testament to its sturdiness.

Connectivity-wise, the Zenbook S14 covers the entire requirements with one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1 for exterior exhibits, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It would’ve been good to see an SD card slot for people who depend upon it for footage or video modifying, nonetheless in every other case, the port alternative is spectacular for such a slim design.

On the wi-fi entrance, you get dual-band WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, ensuring clear, high-speed net and gadget connections. We moreover don’t get any LTE selections.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Keyboard and trackpad
The Asus Zenbook S14 OLED incorporates a keyboard and touchpad that basically really feel premium however wise. The keys have a fragile, barely textured finish that’s satisfying to form on, offering merely the right amount of solutions.

The keyboard’s low-profile design doesn’t actually really feel gap, as a result of secure lower casing that enhances the typing experience. The keystrokes are fast nonetheless deep ample to make typing comfortable. Plus, the keyboard has an especially vibrant backlight, making it easy to see in quite a few lighting circumstances.

Surprisingly, the journey is respectable, significantly given the Zenbook’s slim assemble. In phrases of typing comfort, I’d say that is possible one of many larger ultrabooks spherical.

However, the trackpad is slightly little bit of a letdown. While it’s an excellent measurement, glass, and clear to the contact, it feels a bit sluggish and stiff in movement. On the plus aspect, it handles gestures successfully, and Asus has added only a few additional choices, like amount and brightness administration, along with video scrubbing, using edge gestures. While the trackpad works, it’s not as fluid or responsive as I’d like, significantly as compared with the rest of the laptop computer laptop’s trendy 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 digicam with an IR sensor that helps Windows Hello. Positioned on the thin excessive bezel, this digital digicam gives clear 1080p resolution for digital conferences, ensuring clear video top quality. It moreover choices auto-reframing, which mechanically adjusts the sector of view, a superb addition for people who tend to maneuver spherical all through calls.

Thanks to the extremely efficient NPU, the laptop computer laptop completely helps Windows’ AI-powered Studio Effects, part of Copilot+, bringing enhanced video top quality and real-time adjustments.

While the Windows Hello-compatible webcam gives useful logins, the 1080p digital digicam doesn’t current the sharpest component. It appears significantly grainy, significantly in low light, which might be a draw again in the event you occur 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 gives surprisingly good sound top quality for a thin ultrabook.

The 4 drivers produce secure amount, with respectable bass and minimal distortion, even when numerous audio tracks are collaborating in. By default, the audio system have dynamic loudness, nonetheless you’ll be capable to fine-tune them for a further refined sound. Whether you’re on a reputation, listening to music, or watching a video, the sound is clear and full, making it considered 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 present is definitely spectacular, offering sharp, vibrant visuals that make it stand out inside the ultrabook class. With a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh cost, the show provides a clear experience, whether or not or not you’re purchasing, engaged on paperwork, or streaming movement footage.

Its 500 nits peak brightness makes it vibrant ample for a lot of indoor environments, though it struggles a bit in direct daylight. While it will not be the best choice for out of doors work on sunny days, it’s really not a dealbreaker for a lot of prospects.

The standout operate of this present is its colour accuracy. The Zenbook S14 OLED is Pantone-validated, which suggests the colours are true-to-life, making it glorious for people who need actual colour copy for duties like image modifying. The present may also be TUV Rheinland-certified

With a 100 per cent P3 colour gamut and VESA HDR True Black certification, the present covers a big shade fluctuate, ensuring vibrant images, deep blacks, and crisp whites. Watching motion pictures or engaged on spreadsheets feels further immersive with such rich and detailed visuals. Plus, with its sRGB 100 per cent colour home safety, the Zenbook S14 OLED is an excellent different for anyone who enjoys media consumption or needs colour accuracy for expert work.

Thanks to intensive viewing angles of the present, you obtained’t lose colour consistency even when viewing from the aspect. However, the shiny touchscreen ground can usually select up reflections from surrounding light, which generally is a bit distracting in some settings. The touchscreen itself is clear and responsive, making navigation easy and intuitive, whether or not or not you’re scrolling by the use of paperwork or using gestures to swipe between apps.

The 16:10 aspect ratio moreover gives useful vertical home, which could be very helpful for productiveness duties. Whether you’re engaged on an enormous spreadsheet or going by the use of a protracted PDF, the extra show precise property is extraordinarily useful.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Performance
The Asus ZenBook S14 OLED is provided with Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V chip, a secure mid-tier processor from the model new Core Ultra 200 sequence. Though it’s not the top-of-the-line chip, it gives a superb stability of effectivity, effectivity, and power monetary financial savings. The chip is constructed using TSMC’s N3B lithography and packs 4 Performance-cores and 4 Efficiency-cores, offering a whole of 8 cores and eight threads.

This setup doesn’t embody hyper-threading, which limits multitasking barely, nonetheless the chip makes up for it with fantastic single-core effectivity. The base clock is 2.2GHz for every 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 fast and setting pleasant for regularly duties.

In phrases of RAM, the ZenBook S14 comes with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM clocked at 8533 MT/s in our check out unit. For storage, we get 512TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD, although you’ve got an alternative for 1TB SSD as successfully. 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’re going to solely see a restricted variation in memory configurations accessible to the patron. Our suggestion might be to on a regular basis go for the very best RAM variants you can accommodate in your funds.

This is larger than ample for a lot of office functions, light ingenious work, and even gaming, as a result of the laptop computer laptop runs simply with no noticeable slowdowns. The Intel Smart Cache, with a functionality of 12MB, moreover helps velocity up duties by retaining ceaselessly used information out there.

When it includes AI effectivity, Intel’s onboard Intel Arc 140V iGPU delivers 64 TOPs, whereas the NPU gives one different 45 TOPs, giving the ZenBook S14 a whole of 115 TOPs. While not the right measurement for complete effectivity, this setup makes the laptop computer laptop a strong contender in AI-related duties, significantly for machine learning and processing.

In phrases of real-world effectivity, the ZenBook S14 handles typical enterprise duties with ease. Intel has prioritized single-core effectivity and built-in graphics, resulting in larger effectivity and battery life than earlier generations. The chip performs consistently whether or not or not the laptop computer laptop is plugged in or working on battery power, making it good for purchasers on the go.

For gaming, the Intel Arc GPU proves its worth. Games like F1 23 and Cyberpunk 2077 run simply at Full HD resolution with Intel’s XeSS upscaling enhancing the seen top quality. While it’s not an alternative choice to a loyal gaming laptop computer laptop, the ZenBook S14 can cope with casual gaming successfully ample, with setting pleasant power utilization as properly.

Even all through gaming durations, the laptop computer laptop maintains an inexpensive 28W power draw, ensuring larger effectivity with out sacrificing battery life. During video video games, it’s going to go as a lot as 35W nonetheless for ought to of the day, all through irregular use, it’s going to hold spherical 18W.

And all this whereas, the laptop computer laptop stays cool, resulting from Asus’ clever thermal decision that makes use of a mixture of bi-layer graphite sheet, and vapour chambers.

Although we did run only a few benchmarks, we’ve to say that at this closing date, they’re pretty pointless for one straightforward trigger — Intel’s main objective with the Core Ultra 200 sequence is Qualcomm and ARM processors. In some benchmarks, Intel outscored Qualcomm, and in some Qualcomm bought right here out on excessive.

We moreover get only a few nifty AI choices from Asus. For occasion, StoryCube is an efficient media organising instrument that makes use of AI & ML to sort, tag and uncover your media from all through devices and functions into one neat window.

What exacerbates this sentiment further is the reality that ARM nonetheless can’t numerous the largely used software program program with out major glitches goes to be a sore stage for some. The Intel Core Ultra 7 200V processors, in that case, develop right into a no-nonsense engine for a laptop computer laptop which will merely work — on a regular basis.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Battery
Intel clearly designed the model new Core Ultra 200 sequence of processors with effectivity in ideas, and it really reveals in our battery exams. The ZenBook S14 OLED packs a secure 72WHr, 4-cell Li-ion battery, which performs admirably all through our typical use. In actuality, the ZenBook S14 lasted virtually 15 hours — 14 hours and 50 minutes to be precise — whereas we’ve got been coping with emails, writing, and leaping between video calls.

While it couldn’t totally outpace the MacBooks or Qualcomm-powered devices that boast 18+ hours, the ZenBook stays to be remarkably shut and delivers unbelievable outcomes for a Windows laptop computer laptop.

In phrases of charging, this laptop computer laptop doesn’t disappoint. It comes with a 65W fast charger inside the discipline, and the speed at which it juices up is spectacular. In almost half-hour, the battery bills to 50 per cent, and inside an hour, it’s completely topped up. This means you obtained’t ought to waste lots time prepared for a value when you’re in a rush.

One of the right choices proper right here is the minimal battery drain in sleep mode. Close the lid with out completely powering down, and likewise you’ll barely uncover any drop in battery proportion. This is an enormous enhance as compared with older Windows laptops that used to empty quite a few battery whereas in sleep. With the ZenBook S14 OLED, you’ll be capable to rest assured that your battery will final extra and price shortly, making it a reliable companion for prolonged hours of labor and play.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Verdict
The Asus ZenBook S14 is an precise standout, offering a superb combination of effectivity and class. Powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V processor, this ultrabook is all about delivering secure effectivity whereas retaining points setting pleasant. Even though it’s not the top-of-the-line chip from Intel’s Core Ultra 200 sequence, it’s higher than capable of coping with regularly duties with ease. Thanks to 32GB of RAM and the built-in Arc GPU, the ZenBook S14 doesn’t break a sweat with piece of email, web purchasing, video calls, and lightweight productiveness work.

While the laptop computer laptop could not crush multicore-heavy benchmarks, it excels in single-core effectivity, making it quick and responsive for a lot of makes use of. It’s moreover not designed to be a gaming machine, nonetheless for casual gaming, it does merely good, coping with video video games like F1 23 and even Cyberpunk 2077 with only a few tweaks. And with the onboard NPU, you access some neat AI choices that enhance your complete experience, even after they’re nonetheless a bit in progress.

The 3K OLED present is gorgeous, offering crisp visuals and vibrant colours. Whether you’re working, watching content material materials, or just purchasing, the show is a pleasure to utilize. The keyboard is comfortable, and the Ceraluminum chassis provides the whole laptop computer laptop a premium, sturdy actually really feel.

The trackpad could use barely further responsiveness, and the digital digicam isn’t the right, nonetheless these are minor complaints. Overall, the ZenBook S14 is a unbelievable ultrabook that checks the entire containers for effectivity, design, and usefulness. It’s a superb different for anyone looking for a well-rounded, setting pleasant laptop computer laptop.