The new Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED was launched in India final month at a beginning value of Rs. 1,42,990. The top-end variant we acquired for assessment comes with 32GB RAM + 1TB storage and is priced at Rs. 1,49, 990. Both choices in India can be found with the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Series 2) CPU and Intel Arc 140V GPU. The chipset additionally has a devoted NPU for AI duties.
Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED (UX5406S) Design: Unique
- Dimensions – 31.15 x 21.39 x 1.19 ~ 1.29cm
- Weight – 1.20 kg
- Colours – Zumaia Gray, Scandinavian White
Asus has used a brand new materials for the lid of the Zenbook S 14 OLED. It’s referred to as ‘Ceraluminium’, and it is supposedly the perfect of two worlds – ceramic and aluminium. Without going into an excessive amount of element, the fabric is each powerful and withstands scratches/smudges. And actually, the lid hardly attracts any fingerprints. The lid additionally options silver traces working throughout with the Asus Zenbook emblem on the highest left nook. It actually stands out amongst all of the boring laptop computer lids on the market.
The laptop computer additionally has a geometrical grille above the keyboard, which has 2,715 CNC machined vents that boast a singular design. This can also be claimed to enhance airflow effectivity.
The remainder of the laptop computer options an all-metal construct and comes with US MIL-STD 810H certification. There’s no flex anyplace on the laptop computer. The hinge additionally appears sturdy, and you’ll open the lid with one finger. However, the hinge would not go 180 levels. You’ll discover the consumption vents on the backside and two slits on the edges for two of the 4 audio system. Meanwhile, the exhaust ports are on the again.
Despite being simply 1.2cm thick, Asus has managed so as to add an HDMI 2.1 port, twin USB Type-C ports, a USB Type-A port, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack.
Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED (UX5406S) Display: Great for enterprise and pleasure
- Size and sort – 14-inch OLED (Touch and non-Touch)
- Resolution – 3K (2,880 x 1,800), 16:10
- Refresh fee – 120Hz
The 14-inch OLED show on our assessment unit has contact assist, and you can even get a non-touch panel should you go for the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage variant. Touch assist is a pleasant characteristic, however I hardly used it throughout my two weeks utilizing the laptop computer. It’s not likely very helpful on a standard laptop computer.
The show is sort of good although, and you will have a good time watching content material in addition to working. Being an OLED panel, you get nice colors, deep blacks, and good brightness (400 nits, as claimed by Asus). It additionally affords HDR, Dolby Vision, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut protection, and is Pantone Validated. You can select between totally different color gamut within the MyAsus app.
Overall, it’s a nice show for every kind of labor. However, working open air isn’t best because the show will get a shiny coating. Viewing angles are on level, although.
Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED (UX5406S) Keyboard, Touchpad, audio system, and webcam
- Keyboard – Backlit Chiclet model, Copilot key
- Speakers – 4 x Harman/Kardon with Dolby Atmos
- Web digital camera – 1080p IR digital camera
The keyboard is one space the place Asus might’ve accomplished higher, however I should not be complaining as a result of it is not straightforward to have an important keyboard in such a slim chassis. The laptop computer has a chiclet-style setup with a good way between keycaps and first rate journey. It can also be backlit with three ranges of brightness management, and it will get a lot shiny at evening. There’s a devoted Copilot key as effectively. It’s a pleasant typing expertise however nothing distinctive.
The touchpad on the laptop computer is quick, clean, and helps multi-touch gestures. Click suggestions can also be good. Asus has additionally included edge controls on the touchpad that allow you to simply alter quantity brightness, and search by a video. Once once more, it could’ve been nicer if Asus additionally included the contact keypad perform on the touchpad.
The Zenbook S 14 OLED audio system additionally turned out to be fairly good. I’m very hardly ever impressed by audio system on Windows laptops, and the four-speaker setup (though going through downward) managed to wow me. The audio system are loud and crackle-free, and there is first rate bass as effectively. It’s nonetheless nothing just like the audio system on the Dell XPS 13 or a MacBook Air/Pro, however it’s shut.
Lastly, the webcam state of affairs isn’t the best and I believe Apple’s MacBook nonetheless has an higher edge. The high quality is sweet in daylight situations, however issues get uneven in low-light conditions. You do get Windows Hello assist due to the included IR sensor, however it generally would not work if the lighting situations aren’t beneficial.
Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED (UX5406S) Software: Useful apps included
- OS – Windows 11 Home/Pro
- Apps – MyAsus, ScreenXpert
Our assessment unit got here pre-installed with Windows 11 Home and the standard Office suite. There’s additionally the kinda helpful Copilot chatbot, which I solely used about 5 instances in two weeks. Apart from the Windows suite of software program, you get some AI options comparable to Live captions, and Studio Effects.
Asus has additionally included StoryCube, which is actually an organiser that leverages AI to group and type media, make looking for photographs or movies simpler, and create or edit spotlight movies. There’s additionally the MyAsus app for managing laptop computer settings and altering energy profiles and the ScreenXpert app for customising multi-window use.
It’s additionally price noting that since that is an Intel-based laptop computer, you will don’t have any hassle with app assist. Everything will merely work effectively collectively.
Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED (UX5406S) Performance: Great for work and light-weight gaming
- CPU – Intel Core Ultra 7 258V
- RAM – Up to 32GB LPDDR5X
- Storage – Up to 1TB M.2 NVMe
- GPU – Intel Arc
Talking about every part working effectively collectively, the Intel Core Ultra 200V chipsets use a SoC design, which signifies that the RAM is built-in into the bundle. The benefit right here is that it communicates higher with the CPU, NPU, and the GPU. However, there is no solution to improve the RAM. The Core Ultra 7 258V chipset on the Zenbook S 14 is paired with the brand new Xe 2 GPU, which may now really play some video games and the brand new NPU 4, which is claimed to ship as much as 47 TOPs for AI options.
While total efficiency throughout fundamental duties is superb, the chipset didn’t do higher than the Snapdragon X Elite chipset and even the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX collection processor in CPU benchmarks.
Benchmark | Asus Zenbook S 14 | Dell XPS 13 9345 | Asus TUF Gaming A14 |
---|---|---|---|
Geekbench 6 Single | 2,520 | 2,795 | 2,775 |
Geekbench 6 Multi | 10,688 | 14,478 | 14,765 |
Geekbench AI Quantised Score | 3,678 | 22,200 | 12,742 (GPU) |
PCMark 10 | 6,836 | N/A | 8,165 |
3DMark CPU Profile | 5,161 | 8,459 | N/A |
3DMark Night Raid | 34,727 | 25,732 | 59,649 (GPU) |
3DMark Steel Nomad Light | 3,243 | 1,931 | N/A |
However, working in Balanced or Full Performance mode is not going to discover any lag. The energy draw is managed effectively, and the warmth is minimal to non-existent underneath regular utilization. The followers solely ran at full blast throughout gaming or when working benchmarks. The laptop computer bought scorching underneath these eventualities, together with the world above the keyboard. You may also allow the Full Performance mode when working on battery.
Talking about gaming, the improved Intel Arc GPU left me impressed. I used to be capable of play Forza Horizon 4, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, and some different related titles with first rate body charges (45-55 fps). When it involves built-in GPU efficiency, the Intel chipset does significantly better than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC.
Connectivity choices on the laptop computer are additionally strong. There’s Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7, each of which labored with none points.
Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED (UX5406S) Battery: Keeps on going
- Capacity – 72Wh
- Charger – 65W
For a laptop computer working an Intel chip, the battery efficiency is on par with what Apple offers with its M collection chips and even the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors. It’s not there but, however I used to be simply capable of handle a full 10-12 hour work day on the Zenbook S 14. This included working Chrome with a number of tabs, desktop apps for WhatsApp and Slack, Outlook mail, some YouTube, and many modifying.
The new Intel Core Ultra Lunar Lake sips battery, and Asus has additionally supplied a big 72Wh cell to supply lengthy utilization hours. Charging can also be quick due to the 65W quick charger, and 20 to 100% of the cost takes about 50 minutes.
Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED (UX5406S) Verdict
I have not been this impressed with a Windows ultrabook in a very long time. A skinny and light-weight, compact laptop computer that checks most bins is a rarity, however that could be a factor of the previous with the brand new Asus Zenbook S 14 OLED. The new design is catchy, you get sufficient efficiency for work in addition to gentle gaming, and the battery life is definitely extremely for an ultrabook. Pricing is not too dangerous both, seeing how different equally specced ultrabooks from Dell, HP, Samsung, or Microsoft value about the identical.
If you are on the lookout for a light-weight, compact, and highly effective ultrabook with glorious battery life, the Asus Zenbook S 14 is an effective alternative and definitely worth the cash. You is not going to be upset.