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 kind situation
– Solid Harman Kardon audio system

Cons:
– Slightly costlier that it should be
– Web cam shall be disappointing at events
– Trackpad lacks haptic options, 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 closing 12 months’s Meteor Lake processors and convey some giant enhancements, significantly spherical effectivity. Intel has made these new chips additional battery-friendly, with larger CPU effectivity, an enormous graphics enhance by means of the built-in Arc GPU, and a slight enhance in AI effectivity because of the NPU.

Intel has a fairly clever approach 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 various for a lot of people. ARM, alternatively, offers 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 various 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 situations, the x86 route is solely the smarter various.

That brings us to the Zenbook S14. This laptop computer pc is large 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 truly nonetheless your best option, or is ARM the best way 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, on account of Intel’s new Lunar Lake processors. This ultrabook combines a 14-inch present with an impressively slim profile, making it a fantastic companion for anyone who needs a powerful however lightweight laptop computer pc.

Weighing merely over 1.2kg, it’s simple 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 need a compact machine for frequently 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 additional 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 offers a nice contact of character. The complete impression 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 pc’s elegant look. It is out there in Scandinavian White and Zumaia Grey, though the matte finish can current fingerprints, significantly inside the darker colours.

We moreover similar to the geometric grille design of the vents on the excessive of the laptop computer pc, 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 could possibly be how aesthetic it appears.

Despite its slim physique, the Zenbook S14 is constructed to closing. It’s MIL-STD-810H military-grade licensed, so it’d cope with only a few knocks all through journey with out worrying about harm. The laptop computer pc’s growth 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 rely upon it for footage or video modifying, nonetheless in another 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 smart. The keys have a fragile, barely textured finish that’s satisfying to type on, offering merely the right amount of options.

The keyboard’s low-profile design doesn’t actually really feel gap, because of the secure lower casing that enhances the typing experience. The keystrokes are fast nonetheless deep ample to make typing cosy. Plus, the keyboard has an especially vibrant backlight, making it simple 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 probably 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 side, 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 pc’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 digital camera with an IR sensor that helps Windows Hello. Positioned on the thin excessive bezel, this digital digital camera offers 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 generally tend to maneuver spherical all through calls.

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

While the Windows Hello-compatible webcam offers helpful logins, the 1080p digital digital camera doesn’t current the sharpest aspect. It appears significantly grainy, significantly in low light, which could possibly be a draw again should 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 offers surprisingly good sound top quality for a thin ultrabook.

The 4 drivers produce secure amount, with respectable bass and minimal distortion, even when various audio tracks are collaborating in. By default, the audio system have dynamic loudness, nonetheless you’ll have the ability to fine-tune them for a additional refined sound. Whether you’re on a reputation, listening to music, or watching a video, the sound is apparent and full, making it certainly 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 side ratio and a 120Hz refresh cost, the show provides a clear experience, whether or not or not you’re procuring, 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 might not be your only option for outdoor work on sunny days, it’s truly not a dealbreaker for a lot of prospects.

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

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

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

The 16:10 side ratio moreover offers useful vertical home, which may be very helpful for productiveness duties. Whether you’re engaged on a giant spreadsheet or going by means of a chronic PDF, the extra show precise property is extraordinarily useful.

Asus ZenBook S14 OLED Review: Performance
The Asus ZenBook S14 OLED is equipped 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 offers 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 frequently 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 could possibly be to on a regular basis go for one of the best RAM variants you could possibly accommodate in your funds.

This is larger than ample for a lot of office functions, light creative work, and even gaming, as a result of the laptop computer pc 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 offers 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 pc a strong contender in AI-related duties, significantly for machine finding out 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 continuously whether or not or not the laptop computer pc 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 faithful gaming laptop computer pc, the ZenBook S14 can cope with casual gaming successfully ample, with setting pleasant power utilization as nicely.

Even all through gaming durations, the laptop computer pc maintains an reasonably priced 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 preserve spherical 18W.

And all this whereas, the laptop computer pc stays cool, on account of 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 aim with the Core Ultra 200 sequence is Qualcomm and ARM processors. In some benchmarks, Intel outscored Qualcomm, and in some Qualcomm obtained 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 kind, tag and uncover your media from all through devices and functions into one neat window.

What exacerbates this sentiment additional is the reality that ARM nonetheless can’t various the largely used software program program with out major glitches goes to be a sore degree for some. The Intel Core Ultra 7 200V processors, in that case, develop right into a no-nonsense engine for a laptop computer pc that 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 truly 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 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 pc.

In phrases of charging, this laptop computer pc doesn’t disappoint. It comes with a 65W fast charger inside the subject, and the rate 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 acquired’t ought to waste quite a bit time prepared for a value whilst 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 in addition you’ll barely uncover any drop in battery proportion. This is a giant 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 have the ability 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 better than in a position to coping with frequently 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, internet procuring, video calls, and lightweight productiveness work.

While the laptop computer pc might 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 get admission to some neat AI choices that enhance your complete experience, even once they’re nonetheless a chunk in progress.

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

The trackpad might use barely additional responsiveness, and the digital digital camera 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 various for anyone in quest of a well-rounded, setting pleasant laptop computer pc.