Asus Zenbook 14 OLED review: Lightweight elegance on the go

Asus announced a brand new Zenbook laptop lineup at the CES 2022 earlier this year, with the powerful yet elegant Zenbook 14 OLED stealing the show.

The lightweight 14-inch laptop not only features a long-lasting high-capacity battery – among many other features – but introduced a modern new look to the existing Zenbook series.

Available with either a 12th Generation Intel Core i7 P-series processor or AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor, this particular device was made to impress.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an Intel review model (the Zenbook 14 OLED UX3402). Let’s take a look.

Watch: Asus Zenbook 14 OLED

Design

The Zenbook 14 OLED boasts, in Asus’ words, “a breathtaking new design that’s timelessly elegant yet totally modern”.

The elegance is on display from the get-go, with the aluminium alloy lid featuring the new geometric branding.

‘Portable perfection’

The Zenbook 14 OLED was created for that “on-the-go experience”, measuring only 16.9mm and weighing 1.39 kg, while still encompassing everything you might need on the road.

“Say hello to your new favourite travelling companion”.

The Zenbook 14 OLED packs premium specifications in an all-aluminium chassis “that is ready to go with you anywhere”.

I/O ports

The Intel model has two Thunderbolt 4 connectors with 40 Gbps DisplayPort mode, as well as one USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.0 video output, and Easy Charge support.

Photographers and music lovers rejoice, the Zenbook 14 OLED also comes equipped with a microSD card reader and an audio combo jack.

Screen and display

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED has a 14-inch 2.8K panel with a screen ratio of 16:10 along with a 90 Hz refresh rate. The cherry on the cake? It delivers up to 550 nit peak brightness.

The HDR NanoEdge touchscreen is also Pantone® Validated, which means you’ll experience nothing less than cinema-grade visuals

Performance

The Zenbook 14 OLED UX3402 model is powered by a 12th Gen Intel^® CPU, and you have the choice of an Intel Core i5 1.7 GHz or an i7 2.1 GHz

The Intel models also feature the Iris Xe iGPU coupled with up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD deliver a superb performance.

We need to have more discussions about PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express) advancements, and here’s why the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is remarkable:

The fact it supports the next-gen PCIe 4.0 – which doubles the throughput of PCIe 3.0 – means it delivers higher data transmission rates and lower latency.

So if you’re a content creator, for example, a laptop equipped with a PCIe 4.0 SSD would be the way to go. Who doesn’t want lightning-fast video editing capabilities?

Battery

Asus assures there is “no need to panic if power outlets are in short supply”.

That’s because the Zenbook 14 OLED’s has a long-lasting 75 Wh battery to keep you productive. In addition, the Easy Charge support means the laptop can be used with a wide range of chargers.

“You can enjoy ultrafast charging with any PD (Power Delivery) certified charger, including the 65-watt fast-charge adapter supplied with Zenbook 14 OLED”.

You can even charge your laptop on the go with airline chargers, portable chargers or power banks.

Other features

Other standard features in the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, as well as an ErgoSense keyboard with a fingerprint reader integrated on the power button.

Let’s not forget the Dolby Atmos system powered by a smart amplifier to produce 350%-louder distortion-free sounds.

The Zenbook 14 OLED has the NumberPad 2.0 for efficient multitasking and a 3NDR webcam for crisp and clear video calls.

The Zenbook 14 OLED will be available during the second quarter of 2022.

If you’re in the market for a 4K OLED, we recommend the Asus Vivobook Pro 14x OLED.

The Vivobook is the perfect workhorse for busy professionals and casual users alike.