ASUS has taken the wraps off its latest gem, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 OLED (UX6404). This sleek and compact 14.5-inch laptop marks the zenith of the creator-friendly Zenbook Pro series, catering to the needs of users who demand sophistication, portability, and robust performance for their creative endeavours and productivity tasks.
The ZenBook Pro 14 OLED comes with a 16:10 3K 120Hz OLED NanoEdge display, complete with Dolby Vision and HDR technology, which delivers an unparalleled visual experience. It’s PANTONE® Validated for colour accuracy and encompasses a cinematic 100% DCI-P3 gamut.
Under the hood, the Zenbook Pro 14 OLED is powered by the latest 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i9 H-series processor, coupled with studio-grade NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4070 graphics, a hefty 32 GB of high-speed DDR5 RAM, and a copious 1TB SSD.
The ASUS DialPad which was once only available with the ProArt Line makes its ZenBook debut on the ZenBook 14 Pro OLED allowing more intuitive control within creative apps. The laptop boasts a full set of I/O ports, including Thunderbolt 4™ USB-C®, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C®, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, HDMI® 2.1, and an audio combo jack. Moreover, the laptop provides a top-tier audio experience, thanks to the Harman Kardon-certified Dolby Atmos® speaker system and ASUS AI noise-cancelling audio technology, ensuring crystal-clear conference calls.
Furthermore, the laptop supports the optional ASUS Pen 2.0, an MPP 2.0 stylus with 4096 pressure levels and interchangeable tips, offering an unparalleled drawing and writing experience.
To keep these powerful components cool, ASUS has implemented the highly efficient ASUS IceCool Pro cooling system, featuring a dual-fan design and four external exhaust vents. Additionally, the laptop features WiFi 6E enhanced with ASUS WiFi Master Premium technology, ensuring rock-solid WiFi connections.
The ASUS ErgoSense keyboard, boasting a full-size 19.05 mm key pitch, 1.4 mm key travel, and 0.1 mm keycap relief, ensures a comfortable typing experience. Additionally, an anti-fingerprint and hydrophobic coating makes the ASUS ErgoSense touchpad easy to clean.
Pricing & Availability
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 OLED (UX6404V) is set to make its debut in Malaysia, starting on September 19, 2023, with a price tag of RM10,999.
It will be available through all authorized ASUS dealers and the official ASUS e-store.
(2 May 2023) Update – Pre-order details for Malaysia added to the post.
Thin and light laptops have never been more relevant. In the wake of the pandemic, we’re often finding ourselves working remotely. This has changed what we’re looking for in a laptop. ASUS has decided to embrace this reality with its thinnest-ever laptop with the Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304). But that’s not all for the new Zenbook S 13 OLED, it’s also the most sustainable laptop yet from ASUS.
Redefining Thin & Light with a 1cm Profile complemented by a 1kg Weight
The Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304) isn’t ditching the premium build and materials we love from ASUS. It ups the ante with a precision CNC-machined lid and keyboard deck. The magnesium-alloy lid is designed and machined to hold a Full HD, IR camera while reducing the thickness by 30%.
Source: ASUS
ASUS has also optimised the internal components of the new Zenbook. Using circuit boards with fewer layers and higher wiring density and more transistors, they have successfully reduced the bottom half of the laptop by 25%. However, they’ve kept performance in mind and have included an ultrathin fan that increases airflow for better cooling.
Even the keyboard deck has been slimmed down by 25%. This is done with a precision machined alloy and a super thin glass layer for the mousepad.
More Sustainable than Any ASUS Laptop
ASUS’s new Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304) is also upping the ante when it comes to sustainability. The magnesium-aluminium alloy used in the laptop is a sustainably sourced post-industrial recycled (PIR) alloy. Post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics are also incorporated in the laptop’s build. This is primarily seen in its keycaps and speakers. The latter specifically uses ocean-bound plastics.
ASUS has also created a special manufacturing process that they claim is greener than ever before. Their exclusive plasma ceramic aluminium material is made with pure water and electricity and omits the use of harmful organic compounds, strong acids and heavy metals. Instead, they use a low-impact bath-based method which gives similar results to harmful chemical treatments. These manufacturing choices have been recognised with the EPEAT Gold certification.
The Zenbook S 13 OLED is still sturdy and has increased wear resistance, corrosion protection, thermal management and hardness. It’s even certified with MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability.
Performance on-the-go with Intel Core Processors & a Complete set of I/O
The Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304) isn’t just resting on its laurels. It comes with the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. These 13th Generation Intel Core processors bring impressive performance while being more power efficient with up to 20 watts of boosted performance. These processors are complemented with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and an ultrafast PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD. The SSD comes in 512GB and 1TB configurations.
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
ASUS isn’t ditching critical I/O ports for clout with the Zenbook S 13 OLED. The laptop comes with a full complement of I/O ports. These ports include two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB Type-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port and a 3.5mm audio jack. The USB-C ports are also used for charging the slim laptop and support connectivity with 4K external displays. This comes in addition to the Windows Hello-enabled FHD IR camera and WiFi 6E support with ASUS WiFi Master Premium.
Completing the Zenbook S 13 OLED offering is a 16:10 ASUS Lumina OLED display. The 2.8K display comes with a 0.2ms response time and a Delta E value of less than 1 which guarantees colour accuracy. It also covers 100% if the DCI-P3 gamut is Dolby Vision and VESA DIsplayHDR True Black 500 certified. Completing the multimedia package is a Harman Kardon-certified audio system with immersive Dolby Atmos sound and a smart amplifier combined with ASUS Audio Booster which can boost the volume by up to 5.25x.
Pricing & Availability
The ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED will be retailing internationally with prices starting at USD$1,399. It will be available in Basalt Gray or Ponder Blue.
In Malaysia, the laptop will be available in two variants:
Model
Specifications
Price (MYR)
ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304)
Intel Core i5-1335U 16GB LPDDR5 RAM 512GB storage
4,999
ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304)
Intel Core i5-1355U 16GB LPDDR5 RAM 1TB storage
5,999
Pre-orders for the Zenbook S 13 OLED are available open from 2 May 2023. Pre-orders of the laptop will be entitled to a free ASUS ZenScreen worth MYR1,099. The offer is available for the first 20 pre-orders of the Zenbook S 13 OLED.
The ASUS Zenbook line-up must be one of the most innovative, if not the most innovative thin-and-light notebook names in the industry. The namesake is also the first in the industry to pioneer what Intel and ASUS called the Ultrabook segment in modern computing. Before the Zenbook, Windows laptops with Intel processors were clunky, heavy, and lasts no longer than 3 hours away from the sockets. They were not very fast too back then. If you wanted a notebook that could be a working PC away from home without too much fuss, you needed a MacBook.
Fast forward to 2023 and we have their latest Zenbook thin-and-light to boot. Welcome to the latest Zenbook 14X OLED and Zenbook 14 Flip OLED laptops. While they look similar, they are built different and for slightly different things.
ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is the next evolution of the Zenbook line-up for 2023. It is the most powerful 14-inch thin-and-light from ASUS so far, which should not come as a surprise. As with any new laptop announced in 2023, it carries the latest and greatest from Intel and NVIDIA.
To start with, the new thin-and-light “ultrabook” packs Intel’s most extreme processor to date for mobile computing. It comes with Intel’s 13th generation Core i9-13900H (up to) CPU alongside up to 32GB of LPDDR5-4800 RAM, which is sort of a CPU reserved for only the most powerful and extremes of laptops. As with any laptop with this kind of CPU fire power, you want a discreet GPU to run along with it. The Zenbook 14X OLED packs NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3050 entry-level GPU. That is not a bad thing; it is still a powerful GPU, but its power requirements means you do not need a chunky heat management solution to work with.
The result is a thin chassis that only measures 16.9-inch at the thickest. It is an all-metal chassis that ensures rigidity and durability like no other, it feels premium too. It does not weigh all that much too at just 1.5kg. At this point, you start to also wonder how it still packs so many features.
The Zenbook 14X OLED comes with a Full HD webcam. Alongside the webcam, there is an IR (infrared) blaster and an ambient light sensor for facial recognition and eye protection purposes. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB Type-C) with a full-sized USB type-A 3.2 Gen2 port alongside a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port. They have learned from their mistakes a little bit; it has an AUX jack on the side. It even comes with 1TB of SSD storage, if you need it to. Within the svelte chassis also is a 70Wh battery that should last you all day.
As with its namesake, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED comes with a large 14.5-inch OLED display. That OLED display is not a plain Full HD display you get out of so many laptops its size. It is a 2.8K high-resolution display you can show off to all your graphic designer and content creator friends. It offers DisplayHDR 600 with TrueBlack certification colours and Delta E<2. That means you get an almost lifelike colour reproduction and representation on your display that could be useful not just for your enjoyment, but for your work as well. The panel even boasts 120Hz, which might be good for gaming (which you totally can do).
Other than just colour grading on the nice display, you would want to watch movies on it. You can Netflix at high-resolution with little issue with the built-in WiFi 6E connectivity. The speakers in this are powerful too with ASUS’ latest Smart Amplifier technology, harman kardon tuning, and Dolby Atmos certification. If you are using it for video conferences, there is also a dual-mic array that comes with AI noise-cancelling technology.
ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED
If you need something more flexible there is the convertible laptop that is the Zenbook 14 Flip OLED. It comes with the same 2.8K resolution as the Zenbook 14X OLED. But it is not an expansive 14.5-inch. Instead, it is a slightly smaller 14-inch. It still offers up to 90Hz in refresh rate and offers DisplayHDR500 with TrueBlack certification. You also get up to 100% in DCI-P3 colour gamut, which is plenty accurate. The best part is that it swivels up to 360-degree to make it a 1.5kg tablet you can carry around and work with in any form you like.
Inside, you will find an Intel Core i5-1340p mid-range processor alongside 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and Intel’s own Iris Xe integrated graphics. It may not sound like much, but this is enough for you to not just enjoy movies with. You can get plenty of browsing and even other work done with it. You can edit photos with it as well, if you want. To ensure that you have enough storage for all your photo work, you have 512GB in SSD storage too.
Alongside all that, you get a nice Full HD webcam with IR blaster for Windows Hello security. You have speakers with Smart Amp technology, tuned by harman kardon, and Dolby Atmos certification. Underneath all that you still get WiFi 6E connectivity and a large 75Wh battery pack that should keep your convertible running all day.
Price and Availability
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is now available in its Intel Core i7-13700H + 16GB LPDDR5 guise at MYR 5,999. It comes in two attractive colours – Inkwell Gray or Sandstone Beige. It will also be available in an Intel Core i5-13500H flavour and an extreme Intel Core i9-13900H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 combo for MYR 4,999 and MYR 6,999 respectively in April 2023. If you prefer the convertible form factor, the ZenBook 14 Flip will be available later in the month in Foggy Silver colour option for MYR 5,499. For more information on ASUS’ latest laptops, you can head over to their website.
Hot off their global announcements of brand new Zenbooks and Vivobooks, ASUS is bringing an out of this world lineup of Zenbooks to Malaysia. Spearheading the new lineup is the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition which celebrates the anniversary of the first ASUS laptop to break the stratosphere.
ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition
The new Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition celebrates the 25th anniversary of the ASUS P6300 laptop being launched into space. The P6300 spent 600 days in orbit aboard the Mir Space station. The laptop managed to stay in orbit and remain functional amidst power outages and fires aboard the Mir.
To commemorate the feat, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is getting a make over. Aesthetically, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition will be sporting a Zero-G titanium colour and is emblazoned with etchings which hearken back to the Mir space station. In addition to the unique design, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is also getting a durability update. It’s got SMC-S-016A durability which is 4 times stronger than the military standard we are now accustomed to.
The ZenVision Smart Display also makes its debut with the space themed Zenbook. The interactive 3.5-inch screen on the cover of the chassis allows you to express yourself in new ways. You can display custom messages and designs on the ZenVision Smart Display.
Powering the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is Intel’s 12th Generation Core i7 H-series processor with Intel® Iris® Xe graphics. Complementing this is 16GB of RAM and PCIe Gen4 compatible SSD Storage. It comes with a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The display is also PANTONE validated and has a 90Hz refresh rate.
Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED
Together with the Space Edition, ASUS is also bringing a new Zenbook 14 Pro experience with two screens. The new Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED brings the dual screen experience that was once reserved for larger laptops to a more accessible size. The new Intel EVO certified laptop comes with a 14.5-inch OLED display with a 2.8K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. Together with this screen is a next-gen 12.7-inch ScreenPad Plus secondary display with touch capabilities. ASUS also incorporates a new AAS Ultra auto-tilting design that helps with cooling and makes working on the dual screen setup more ergonomic.
Powering the new Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is Intel’s 12th Generation Intel Core i7-12700H. This is complemented by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti and 16GB of RAM. Completing the setup is a 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD.
Zenbook Pro 16X OLED
ASUS is also debuting its first creator focused Zenbook with the Zenbook Pro 16X OLED. The supersized Zenbook comes in a 2.4kg unibody carved out from aerospace grade 6000-series aluminium alloy. It’s also only 16.9mm thin. It’s also equipped with a PANTONE Validated, 16-inch 16:10 4K OLED display with a 60 Hz refresh rate, HDR and touch capabilities. It covers 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut.
The NVIDIA Studio certified laptop is equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU. This is paired with a 12th Generation Intel Core i7-12700H and 16GB of RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4 SSD storage. ASUS is also introducing their IceCool Pro cooling system to keep things chilly for the best performance. The two IceBlade fans cool the vapour chamber. Hot air is then vented to the exterior via the AAS Ultra mechanism.
The Zenbook Pro 16X also brings the creator centric ASUS Dial rotary controller. This feature was reserved for their ASUS ProArt lineup until now. The dial allows creators to easily access their brushes, settings and more with simple, intuitive controls for finer control of functions. In addition, it also has the all new White-RGB ASUS Intelligent Lighting System that allows interactive indicators for power or performance status.
Zenbook 14 OLED
Rounding up the new lineup is the Zenbook 14 OLED. The new Zenbook 14 OLED brings an elegant, lightweight design which features ergonomic, productivity focused features for the go-getter.
The Zenbook 14 OLED is running on Intel’s 12th Generation Core i7 and Core i5 processors with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of PCIe Gen4 storage. All versions of the laptop come with Intel Iris Xe Graphics. It’s also fully equipped with a full array of ports including an HDMI and microSD card slot.
ASUS Numpad 2.0 also makes a return to the Zenbook 14. In addition, ErgoLift makes typing on the keyboard a more ergonomic experience keeping carpal tunnel syndrome at bay. Display wise, the Zenbook 14 comes with the same display as the Zenbook 14X OLED.
Pricing and Availability
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition will be available in two configurations. The i7 version will be retailing at MYR6,499 while the i5 version will be retailing at MYR5,599.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED will be available in two colours: Ponder Blue and Aqua Celadon. The i7 version of the 14 OLED will only be available in Ponder Blue and will retail for MYR5,599 while the i7 version will be priced at MYR4,399.
The Zenbook Pro 16X OLED will be available for MYR11,999 while the smaller Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED will be priced at MYR8,999.
All the laptops will be on display at the ASUS roadshow which is happening at MidValley Megamall until 29th May 2022. You may also be able to walk away with free gifts with every purchase made at the roadshow.
It’s not every day that we see something new and interesting when it comes to laptops. We’re so used to seeing the mundane clamshell form factor with new insides, displays and ports. However, ASUS has been on a roll lately with a slew of laptops that bring fun, new features as well as new hardware that is truly revolutionary. Over the past year, they’ve been adamant about equipping their laptops with OLED displays which are certified for their colour accuracy.
With their Zenbook Duo lineup, they’ve brought an interesting approach to multiscreen productivity. But what happens when you take multiscreen productivity and fit it into a space once exclusively reserved for the trackpad? You get the hallmark feature of the ZenBook 14X’s hallmark feature: the Screen Pad. Does this new approach make sense? Is productivity enhanced or deterred by the feature and is it here to stay?
We’re looking to answer those questions and also the most pertinent one when it comes to any piece of tech, “Is it worth my money?”, in our in-depth review of the ZenBook 14X OLED.
Design
The ZenBook 14X OLED has its origins in the ZenBook’s early days as a flagship. It’s equipped with a machined aluminium body with a brushed finish and made of premium build materials; like any other ZenBook. However, the thing that makes the laptop stand out is the sheer sleekness and miniature form of the laptop overall. ASUS has made the ZenBook 14X OLED one of the smallest and sleekest laptops in its lineup. However, its minute stature isn’t where the story ends.
When it boils down to it, the ZenBook 14X OLED distinguishes itself with its brushed aluminium top. However, it doesn’t give in to the incessant need to be thin as paper. Instead, it’s thicker and more substantial than its predecessor and competition. Coming in at just under 17mm, the laptop strides the line of being just thin enough and being thick and chunky in this day and age. That said, the added thickness and sturdy build materials provide the top lid with added stability and rigidity. This also prevents the display from flexing which can be detrimental to the laptop.
That said, the ZenBook isn’t only sturdy, but it’s also well designed. ASUS has made sure that while the ZenBook 14X OLED is slim and light, it’s also well equipped for working on the go. It comes with a good range of ports – which we will elaborate on later in the review. That said, these ports don’t break the overall aesthetic of the laptop. Instead, ASUS has made them flush seamlessly into the aluminium chassis. The thickest point of the laptop is also used to house the largest ports: USB-A and HDMI ports.
The small body of the laptop doesn’t hinder ASUS from equipping the laptop with a tactile keyboard that emblazons the entirety of the main body. It’s only complemented by the chamfered dip which adds to the aesthetic of the laptop. That same aesthetic dip also highlights a change in materials as the top plate of the keyboard and ScreenPad isn’t made with the same aluminium. Instead, it feels a little more like plastic. That said, the plate is still encased within the aluminium frame.
Hardware
The ZenBook 14X OLED isn’t just about the aesthetics, it’s built for productivity. To achieve this, ASUS has packed the laptop with rather commendable insides which allow the ZenBook to stride the fine line between battery life and performance.
Specifications
ASUS ZENBOOK 14 | UX5400E
As tested
Processor (clock)
Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 processor 2.80 GHz quad-core with Turbo Boost (up to 4.70GHz) and 12MB cache
GPU
Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics NVIDIA GeForce MX450
Display
14” OLED 2.8K (2880 x 1800) resolution 16:10 aspect ratio Touch Panel anti-glare screen 550nits brightness
Memory
16GB LPDDR4X 512GB PCIe® NVMe™ 3.0 x2 M.2 SSD
Networking and Connections
Intel WiFi 6 with Gig+ performance (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0 2 Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C® 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 1 Standard HDMI 2.0 1 MicroSD card reader 1 Audio Combo Jack
Battery
63Wh lithium-polymer battery Up to 8.3 hours of battery life 100W Type-C power adapter (Output: 20V DC, 100W, Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz universal)
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Miscellaneous
HD camera ScreenPad Backlit Keyboard Stereo Speakers Microphone DisplayPort over USB-C Thunderbolt 4 MIL-STD 810H Durability
Features
The mainstay of the ASUS ZenBook OLED 14X is undoubtedly going to be its ScreenPad. However, it’s not the only feature that comes with the laptop. It comes with a slew of software and hardware features that make this laptop a real contender if you’re in the market for a new one.
Almost everything you want for connectivity
ASUS has proven time and time again that compact, thin laptops need not be handicapped when it comes to connectivity. The Zenbook 14X OLED comes with all the connectivity options that you need – well – unless you’re looking to take over the internet. It comes with two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, a single high-speed USB 3.2 Type A port, an HDMI 4.0 port, a combo audio jack and even a micro USB card slot. With these essential ports, you’re pretty much covered when it comes to plugging in. That said, you also charge with USB-C ports, so, if you’re charging the laptop, you’ll have one less USB-C port. The only physical port missing is an ethernet port but you have WiFi 6 connectivity with a high enough throughput that you can even do online gaming.
Since we’re already on the topic, the Zenbook 14X does come with all the bells and whistles when it comes to wireless connectivity on laptops. Aside from WiFi 6, it also comes with Bluetooth 5.0. So you’ll be able to stream and connect to your wireless keyboard, mouse or even headphones without much hassle.
ASUS ScreenPad
ASUS’s novel ScreenPad is definitely a unique feature of their Zenbook series. It brings a whole new level of productivity. You’re presented with an additional screen from the get-go when you purchase it and given the norm of having more than one screen nowadays, it’s a welcomed addition to a laptop purchase.
The ScreenPad brings an additional 1080p screen albeit a little smaller than we’re used to. It allows you to use apps on the track pad which makes so much sense especially if you’re working with a mouse. The extra screen real estate allows you to use the calculator more naturally, refer to a website or document or even control your media while keeping productive. ASUS has also integrated their multiscreen setup with Link to MyASUS more deeply. A lot of the functionality that we’ve come to expect from the Link to MyASUS app is now natively integrated into ScreenPad with the Screen Xpert software. You can get prompts for messages and phone calls on the ScreenPad while you work and even use the ScreenPad to mirror your smartphone.
While all that is fine and dandy, the ScreenPad comes with a steep learning curve. It brings a layer of complexity to functions that many people expect to “just work” on Windows. One of the most irritating issues that we faced during our time with the Zenbook 14X OLED was the fact that the ScreenPad added an additional screen when it came to projecting displays. This was due to Windows recognising it as a display but it not showing on the display setup in Windows’ settings menu. To make things work as you would expect, we had to put the ScreenPad into trackpad mode which turned off the screen functionality.
In addition to this, you also need to get used to a new set of gestures that allow you to use the ScreenPad more effectively. The most essential is a three-finger swipe that will allow quickly toggle the track pad function. However, this toggle is only temporary – a fact we found out in the most annoying way. Due to the track pad function being temporary, we would be toggling apps unintentionally. This became an irritating occurrence particularly when we were trying to get urgent work done.
While it does seem like a deal-breaker, we have to keep in mind that the Zenbook is one of the only laptops with the ScreenPad. This also means that we have a little bit of learning when it comes to the novel features of the laptop. After using the laptop for a week, the gestures and extended functionality became second nature.
That said, when it came to working on the go, we found ourselves turning the ScreenPad off all together. This was due to the fact that having it on while on battery had a significant impact on battery life. We noticed about 20-30% less battery life with it on. That equated to about 4-5 hours of battery but without it, we got about 8 hours.
AI Powered Clear Voice, Quick Sign In with Windows Hello & Linking Up
Hardware aside, ASUS has also bolstered the laptop with a whole bunch of AI enhancements. One of our favourites is the ClearVoice mic. With ASUS’s ClearVoice, the integrated microphones can intelligently suppress background noise and detect and enhances the speaker’s voice. So, you won’t be cut off by a passing vehicle or even a crying baby when you’re taking your video call. Given the work from anywhere reality that is quickly becoming mainstream, this is definitely a welcomed feature. In fact, during our review time with the laptop, the feature was so good that people didn’t realise that we took a call from a café as the background noise was so minimal.
The Zenbook 14X OLED also comes with an integrated fingerprint sensor in its power button. This has to be one of the most welcomed features on the laptop. With the integration, the laptop seamlessly powers on and signs in with one click. This is bolstered by the SSD in the Zenbook 14X OLED. It boots and is ready for use in a matter of seconds.
Of course, with the Zenbook 14X, you get multiple options when it comes to keeping connected with your smartphone. You have Windows Phone Link (previously Your Phone) and Link to MyASUS. The latter provides even more functionality in our opinion. The Link to MyASUS app not only integrates seamlessly with the ScreenPad, but it also allows you to use tablets and large phones as an external display. This allows you the flexibility of being able to have multiple screens on the go. The wireless connection does have a little lag when it comes to interactions but if you’re simply using it to refer to documents or even to play media while working, you won’t even notice it.
PERFORMANCE
ASUS’s commitment to creating powerful, versatile, thin and light laptops shines through in the Zenbook 14X OLED. The laptop doesn’t perform like your typical thin and light. The thought that ASUS put into the design and feel of the laptop allows it to be one of the most sturdy and powerful small form factor laptops out there. While it’s no gaming laptop, it’s able to handle nearly workloads we don’t typically expect from a thin and light.
During our review period with the Zenbook 14 OLED, we were editing video and even doing some light gaming on the laptop without much hassle. When it came to editing video, we had source footage at 1080p resolution. The edit had about 3 layers with subtitles and effects and it was exported to a 1080p video for YouTube. While it did send the fans into overdrive, the laptop was able to handle it without overheating. In fact, aside from a longer export time, it was very seamless.
Gaming on the Zenbook 14 OLED is best left for proper gaming laptops. It goes without saying that AAA titles really taxed the processor and the NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU of the laptop. However, if you’re playing games like City Skylines or even Star Craft 2, the Zenbook 14 can definitely handle the load. You may not be able to play on maxed out settings, but you will definitely have a good experience playing it.
Other than those taxing activities, the Zenbook 14 OLED was able to handle everything else. Word processing and even large Excel files were a breeze for the laptop. Even if there was some slowdown, it was only with active tasks. Once those were over, the laptop performance was seamless and back to being smooth as butter. It could even handle Firefox and Chrome with multiple tabs open at the same time. It didn’t slow down but it did get a little warm which kicked the fans into overdrive.
Battery life on the laptop is typical of one as small and power packed as the Zenbook 14 OLED. It lasted about 8 hours on a single charge without the ScreenPad on. However, when the ScreenPad was turned on, this generally dropped to about 4-5 hours. This is partially due to the extra power drawn by the ScreenPad’s screen. That said, the high resolution and luminance of the main display are also factors. However, if you’re running low on charge you’ll be able to use a USB PD compatible charger to get the charge up to about 50% in forty minutes. The Zenboook picks about its chargers, more often than not, it will ask that you plug it into its original charger, however, GaN (Gallium Nitride) chargers with about 85W capacity seems to work as well – keep in mind, that the original charger in the box is rated at 100W.
Display
The focus that ASUS has on bringing colour accurate OLED displays is really apparent in the Zenbook 14 OLED. This is partially because of the contrast between the screen quality of the main display and the ScreenPad’s IPS panel. However, the differences were mainly apparent when it came to viewing content and content creation.
The main display produced vibrant and saturated colours. While being saturated and vibrant, they were also relatively accurate colour reproductions. The accuracy was spot on and allowed us to colour grade video and photos when we were using the laptop on the go. The high resolution also gave us more visual real-estate when it came to doing programs like Adobe Illustrator. That said, the effect of this was relatively minute considering the 14-inch size of the display.
While 14-inches may seem like a very small screen, it actually strikes a balance when it comes to size and productivity. It feels close to what we can consider a goldilocks zone for compact laptops. It’s just enough real estate that you have enough detail and clarity while keeping the size of the laptop portable.
The ability to use touch to navigate brought an added simplicity to interacting with the PC. The touch input allowed us to scroll through websites in what felt like a more natural way and also interact directly with links and the like. It also complemented the ScreenPad as you didn’t need to have it in trackpad mode to get things done.
Taking Multitasking to a Whole New Level with a Steep Learning Curve to Boot
The Zenbook 14 OLED is a machine built for multitasking and for productivity. It excels at being a machine for productivity and creativity. It’s one that allows you the freedom of multitasking in a way that makes sense to you while having a beautiful screen and a complementary ecosystem with Screen Xpert 2 and Link to MyASUS. All in all, it’s a machine that dedicates most of its resources to enabling its users to be creative, productive and even let loose with some light gaming.
The ASUS ZenBook name is one of icon. We say that because the ASUS ZenBook name goes back to 2011. You can trace the ZenBook at the birth of Windows UltraBooks as well. In fact, the ASUS ZenBook of 2011 was the first Windows PC UltraBook that is introduced to the world.
The ASUS ZenBook line-up has expanded to not just ultra-portable notebook PCs. It now covers ASUS’ premium line-up of lightweight notebooks that are made at the highest standards possible, it covers their convertible notebooks too. There are even dual-display notebooks within the line-up now.
For 2021, ASUS’ is bringing another innovation to their new ZenBooks – the power of OLED displays. They start with the ASUS ZenBook Flip S OLED (UX371), ZenBook Flip 13 (UX 363), and ZenBook Duo 14.
ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 Flip OLED (UX363)
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
True to its name, the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 OLED comes with an OLED display measuring 13.3-inch to be precise. It boasts Full HD in resolution. Thanks to OLED technology, colours pop on the glossy display with 100% coverage on DCI-P3 colour gamut. Because it is OLED also, it is bright at 400nits. Of course, because this is a convertible, the 13-inch display is a touch sensitive display.
The Flip 13 packs some punch as well though to keep the OLED display happy. There is an 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 (up to) to boot within the svelte all-metal body. The processor is supported by Intel’s Iris Xe Graphics integrated GPU as well, to ensure that you still can edit videos on the go. You get up to 8GB of RAM as well to work with and up to 512GB of SSD for speedy data reads and transfers. SSD also means that Windows can boot up near instantly. It also comes with ASUS’ innovative and compelling ASUS NumberPad 2.0 technology which allows for a full-sized edge-to-edge keyboard without squeezing the keys to fit the number keys (not like there are any extra spaces for it anyway).
Small and light does not mean limited though with the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 OLED. You still get full I/O ports like the USB Type-A power and a standard HDMI port alongside two Thunderbolt 4 enabled USB Type-C ports. You get big audio too with Harman Kardon certified audio system on ASUS’ SonicMaster stereo speakers. Of course, you get the latest networking technology in the WiFi 6 connectivity and dual-band Bluetooth 5.0.
ASUS ZenBook Flip S OLED (UX371)
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Full HD may not be enough for you. You can get your hands on 4K in that case with the ASUS ZenBook Flip S OLED. You still get OLED on the 13.3-inch display convertible. Only this one is a 4K UHD display with up to 100% DCI-P3 coverage and up to 400nits in brightness too.
The internals are just as impressive as the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 too. You get the latest Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor as well with Intel’s Iris Xe Graphics to power the 4K UHD display. On top of that though you get 16GB of RAM, twice more than the regular ZenBook Flip. You also get up to 1TB in SSD storage space.
You still get full connectivity with a full-sized USB Type-A and standard HDMI ports as well besides the two Thunderbolt 4 enabled USB Type-C ports with charging capabilities. Of course, you also get Harman-Kardon certified ASUS SonicMaster stereo dual speakers to work with. On top of all of that, ASUS claims a battery life of 15 hours, which is impressive if you can actually get that much battery life.
ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 (UX482)
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
For even more flexibility in work, you need two displays. Rather than buying a notebook and a high-resolution external monitor, you could get yourself a notebook with two displays. That is the ASUS ZenBook Duo 14. The main display pushes 1080p Full HD resolution at 14-inch. You get 100% sRGB colour gamut as well as Pantone validation on the IPS display for the highest level of colour accuracy on the display. Of course, it is also a touch sensitive display like the secondary display that tilts to you. The secondary display is also a high-resolution Full HD 12.6-inch display. Obviously, you are not getting full height on the display, it covers the usual spot for the keyboard.
To keep the two displays running happily is an Intel Core i7-1165G7 (up to) 11th Generation processor and a powerful NVIDIA GeForce MX450 discrete GPU. You also get u to 16GB of RAM to keep the two screens happy with multiple windows running at the same time. For all your storage needs, there is a 512GB SSD storage to keep things trundling along smoothly and quickly. Of course, in the interest of speed and stability you also get WiFi 6 connectivity as standard alongside Bluetooh 5.0.
In terms of utility, this workhorse needs to offer maximum flexibility in working ports. There are two Thunderbolt 4 enabled USB Type-C ports accompanied by one USB 3.2 Type-A port, a 3.5mm audio combo jack, a standard HDMI port and a microSD card slot. Its speakers are Harman Kardon certified units too, so you can rely on the notebook’s speakers to edit your videos and audios. This one is a content creator’s dream tool.
Availability and Pricing
The ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 OLED (UX363) will be available today onward from ASUS authorised dealers and all ASUS official online stores retailing at MYR 6,799 onward. The ASUS ZenBook Flip S OLED (UX371) will be available today onward as well from ASUS authorised dealers and all official online stores retailing at MYR 4699 (Core i5) and MYR 5,199 (Core i7) onward. The ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 will also be available today onward from ASUS authorised stores and all online stores for MYR 5,499 (Core i5 + 8GB RAM) and MYR 6,499 (Core i7 + 16GB RAM) onward. For more information on the new 2021 ZenBook line-up you can head over to ASUS’ website.
The daddy of the modern Microsoft Windows based UltraBook that is supposed to compete with the likes of a MacBook Air was the ZenBook, if you can remember it. Asus introduced their first ZenBook line-up in 2012 to be ultra-efficient, ultra-long battery life, ultra-portable notebooks like a Windows PC never was. It brought out a whole slew of things that we thought we will never see from a Windows platform. It kick-started a few races toward the longest possible battery life, the smallest possible package, and even the lightest packages with different display sizes.
It was their most premium consumer product as well at that moment. A Windows notebook PC that would be as expensive as a MacBook was quite unheard of at that time. The ZenBook, in that sense, was a pioneer.
Fast forward to 2020 though and we have a new family of premium UltraBooks from ASUS, and it is the ASUS ZenBook 14 and 13. The numbers are an indication of sizes, technically. So the 14 refers to the 14-inch display while then 13 refers to the 13-inch, quite obvious really.
Like many of the manufacturers, ASUS likes to claim that their stuff, especially the ZenBook, is the thinnest or lightest at something. It is all sort of marketing gibberish to be honest. With the new classic ZenBook though, they claim that they have the thinnest 13-inch and 14-inch notebooks with full I/O ports.
While this is not the thinnest 13-inch or even 14-inch notebooks you can find in the market, there may be some truth to ASUS’ marketing blurb. In short, you cannot find an ultrabook today that has a full USB Type-A and full HDMI port. So, this claim of the thinnest with full I/O ports must be true right? It is true, but is this claim enough to win over your MYR 4,699? Is it enough to keep you away from other lighter, smaller, and more compelling ultrabooks in the market like the Acer Swift 5, for example? We find out.
Design
Like any other review, we start with the design. Yes, it is important, you are going to be looking at your notebook PC almost on a daily basis now that we are working from home on a near permanent basis. Okay, we are lying if we say our team is working from home full time. Most of us are already back in the office. But we have also always championed remote working and we rely on our notebooks plenty.
In that sense, we look at our notebooks on a daily basis no matter where we are. Because of that, we would want our notebooks to look pleasing too for us. Somehow it makes us feel good about what we do on a daily basis.
Back to the ZenBook 14 that we have here (not the 13). It is an MYR 3,999 full aluminium package that is way smaller than almost any 14-inch notebooks that I know of. It is not lighter than most ultrabooks though. It is quite hefty for its size, to be fair. Then again, full aluminium and metal construction does that to your notebook.
The ZenBook 14 still retains that swirling brushed aluminium look that made it so popular when it first launched in 2012. Instead of the swirl starting from the middle though, it is now pushed third away toward the right side, if you are viewing the notebook with the letters facing you. We admit that we said that the brushed aluminium was a timeless look. In this one, we do feel that it is getting a little aged. Even the colour feels quite old school, the Pine Grey colour option is quite a classic colour. We might prefer the Lilac Mist colour variant though, that looked good in photos and renders. Yes, we are men and we are proud of that colour choice.
We are not saying that you would not like the colours. Just because we do not like the colour, does not mean you would not like it too. It is just a matter of personal preference. We would appreciate a slightly different design and look from the ZenBook by now though. A little effort goes a long way, we are looking at you too, Porsche.
The ErgoLift hinge design that was championed again and again by ASUS these two years makes it into the design language of the ASUS ZenBook 14 here. We have mentioned that we are not ultimately fond of the ErgoLift design, but we also recognise the language and its benefits. At the right angles, it does help with typing comfort and fatigue. At some angles, it becomes kind of useless. It does benefit greatly on the cooling side though, we will talk about the ErgoLift more later on.
Hardware
The ASUS ZenBook 14 (UX425JA) you see here is not the lightest ZenBook you can get. That has to go to the 13-inch (UX325JA) variant of the ASUS ZenBook. There is also a variant of the ASUS ZenBook 14 (UX434FLC) where they fit a ScreenPad on the touch sensitive mousepad. Unfortunately, this is not that either.
The mousepad on this ASUS ZenBook 14 has a little trick up its sleeves too, just not in the way you think. It doubles as your numpad as well, which is a nice touch, since you are not getting a full-sized keyboard with numpad on it.
The variant we have for review packs a powerful 10th Generation Core i7-1065G7 processor clocked at 1.3GHz. While that may not sound like much, it is powerful enough for plenty of work that we are accustomed to. It does bump the price up to MYR 4,699 though if you opt for the Core i7 variant. At MYR 3,999, you get an Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor.
8GB of RAM for this thing is quite ample and you do not really need to add too much more to it. That is also because you cannot really add another RAM stick in there. It is an ultrabook, after all. At the same time, you should not expect to be using the ASUS ZenBook 14 as your main gaming rig or video editing rig; 8GB is enough. It does pack an SSD though, for that extra speed when you need it.
14-inch IPS (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare NanoEdge 400nits
Memory
512GB NVME M.2 SSD 8GB DDR4 RAM
Networking and Connections (I/O)
1 x USB Type-A 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 1 x Standard HDMI 1.4 1 x MicroSD card reader Intel Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
Battery
67Wh 4-cell Li-Polymer 65W USB Type-C Charger
Operating System
Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
Miscellaneous
Harman Kardon Audio 3D IR HD camera with Window Hello
Features
Is it as thin as you think it is? Especially when they claim it to be the slimmest with a Full HDMI and USB port? This would beg another question that you have to ask yourselves. Have you seen the size of a full HDMI port? They are not that thick, but they are not exactly paper thin either.
In that case, it is not as thin as you think it should be. At 14-inch, it is not exactly the lightest notebook around either. But you have to appreciate the premium touch of the completely metal constructed body.
Full I/O Ports and an MicroSD slot
One thing that we hate about the more modern ultrabooks we use for work, especially in our line of work, is the fact that none of them comes with full USB ports anymore. In that sense, having a full-sized USB Type-A port is a breath of fresh air, something we can really appreciate. At the same time, there is only one full-sized USB port, which is occupied by a USB dongle for my wireless mouse most of the time.
Of course, because of that one USB port, you can put in normal sized thumb drives to work with. That also means you, or whoever you work with do not have to spend extra money just to buy a USB Type-C thumb drive or USB Type-C to USB Type-C cables. You do not need to spend on a USB Type-C dongle as well for that matter. Of course, if you already do have a USB Type-C dongle, you can use them still via the two Thunderbolt USB Type-C ports on the other side with the full HDMI port.
Full HDMI is a big welcome with any notebook, not because we thoroughly use them, just because it is nice to be able to go home and plug your TV to your notebook to watch Netflix or just work on a bigger display. In our line of work as well, we do travel to other parts of the world and work out of hotel rooms from time to time. In that case, having a full HDMI port that we can use to plug the provided TV in the room is nice as well.
There is also a MicroSD card reader that proved to be useful from time to time. We heavily rely on MicroSD cards in our work thanks to the compact camera we use. In that case, when we need to quickly transfer data, we simply pull out the MicroSD card from the Sony RX0ii that we heavily rely on for most of our production use case and just transfer out the data from the card to an external HDD we plug into the full-sized UBS port.
We would appreciate if they could fit another full-sized USB Type-A port though. Also, if they could include a 3.5mm audio in/out jack in the next iteration of the ASUS ZenBook 14, that would be great. We found this to be a little bit of an annoying pickle because of the lack of that audio AUX port.
We still do not agree with the decision of phone makers around the world when they decided that the 3.5mm AUX jacks are obsolete. Imagine our dismay then, when we found that we could not use our 3.5mm AUX earphones or headphones with this notebook. In that case, we have to dig up our bags for a USB Type-C earphone, or connect a Bluetooth enabled wireless earphone or headphone. With Bluetooth headphones, you might want to prepare to wrestle with Windows a little bit.
ErgoLift Comfort and Discomfort
The ErgoLift hinge that is championed by ASUS is technically nothing new. They introduced it a few years ago and the design is still stuck until this day. It is not exactly something that should win ASUS any style points though. In that case, while the design does create for some very interesting and seamless look on the outlook part, it serves a more practical purpose than you think.
Of course, every other person that has gone through the marketing blurb from ASUS knows that the ErgoLift hinge is designed for typing comfort. It raises the keyboards a little bit to make it a little more natural for you to type on. The angled keyboard is supposed to relieve some of the pressure on your wrists and ensure that you do not get fatigued while working on the notebook or even Carpal Tunnel syndrome. Trust me, it is not fun.
Thing is, the Ergolift hinge also means that the keyboard tends to sit at different heights in different angles. It is not that big of a deal in most cases, since the changes to the angle is quite minimal. But this also means that your viewing angle changes the way you work with the keyboard, which could very well be in a weird angle after you change your own seating position and then the display angle.
There are two rubberized legs on the ErgoLift hinge’s edge. That is to prevent the ASUS ZenBook 14 bodywork to be touching the surface it sits on and scratch itself to bits. It is also to prevent the notebook from slipping away from you while you type on it or work on it. It is to plant itself on that surface.
However, working with the ZenBook 14 on your thighs could be a small annoyance. That is because the naked parts of the hinge would be resting on your thighs. It might not be an issue if the notebook rests on your pants, but it might be a little annoying if the hinge rests on your bare thighs.
While they have managed to design an edge that is blunt enough that it does not dig into your skin, it is still a little uncomfortable as typing and resting your palms on the notebook means that you are still putting pressure on a smaller contact patch. In that sense, we do not recommend putting it on your lap when you are working, find a proper table. You would be more productive that way too. Of course, if you have no choice but to put your notebook on the lap, you are not going to bleed from the experience.
Blowing Hot Air, At the display
The ErgoLift had posed another problem for ultrabooks though. It has posed a cooling problem for ultrabooks. With the sides plugged up by plugs, the only way heat could travel out of the notebook is through the back. The ErgoLift hinge means that most of the heat is dissipated via fans blowing the display.
The cooling fans draw cool air from the bottom of the device. ErgoLift also means that there is a bigger gap at the bottom allowing for bigger airflow. The exhaust air is blown to the back of the device that is now part of the display, so hot air will travel on the display panel.
Thankfully, there is not that much heat that needs to be transferred out on normal use cases. You do not want to constantly blow hot air into the display else you might risk some damages from the display panel itself that might lead to discoloration or worse still, glue coming apart from the plastic panels, effectively disintegrating your notebook.
Backlit Keyboard for the Dark Times
There is no RGB here, thankfully. It is not a gaming device, after all, so why would you want RGB? But that also means that you can only get white colour backlighting on the ASUS ZenBook 14.
We do have to admit though that the keyboard on the ASUS ZenBook 14 is one of the best you can find on an ultrabook. It has enough travel and feedback for that extra smooth workbench feel. Typing on it is comfortable and typing fatigue is minimized with decently sized keys as well.
We do suspect that the extra thickness they had on the baseplate allows for better keyboard fitting and therefore slightly more key travels. That also means it does not feel like you are typing on a hardboard with ‘touch sensitive’ keys. Instead, you feel like you are typing on a keyboard, a proper keyboard.
We do find that we seldom put the illuminated numpad integrated in the touch sensitive mousepad to good use. It is a neat feature though to integrate a full keyboard into a form factor such as the ASUS ZenBook 14.
In a sense, working on the ASUS ZenBook 14 as a document, or email machine is a pleasure. The keyboard is silent even in the most silent working environment. It is not too mushy or too harsh on your fingers and every stroke of key feels properly solid.
Facial Recognition
Thanks to infrared sensors and webcam, the ASUS ZenBook 14 packs Windows Hello’s facial recognition. That is at the sacrifice of the good ol’ fingerprint sensor though. While it may seem counterintuitive to remove a secondary layer of security, the facial recognition of the ASUS ZenBook 14’s Windows Hello is what you need though. It is fast and accurate to the touch.
We did face some issues with facial recognition in our use, but that is more user error than the fault of the PC. You have to remember to take off your facemask before you start using the notebook. If you are wearing glasses, you should be fine. It is Windows Hello technology, which also means that it is a proven technology.
The lack of a fingerprint sensor is hardly missed though, since you still can use a pin number to secure your ASUS ZenBook 14. That is not to say that we dislike fingerprint sensors, or we do not want one. We do think that we should still have a fingerprint sensor just in case the webcam sensors failed to identify our faces when we need things done quickly.
At the same time, having a facial recognition webcam with Windows Hello also means that you have to keep the webcam free of tapes or webcam covers. Of course, you can leave a webcam cover in it. You Just need to remember to remove it or open it up every time you turn on your notebook.
Harman Kardon Audio
This ASUS ZenBook 14 comes with Harman Kardon tuned audio and speakers. That does not mean that it has all the bells and whistles that comes with certified sound bars. It is close though, without a sub-woofer that is.
Harman Kardon audio capabilities means that music sounds good. When we say good, we mean that its sound stage is nearly full and most frequencies are clear and crisp. Clear and crisp is what we will use to describe the top-end frequencies on the ASUS ZenBook 14. Since there is no sub-woofer elements packed into the compact body that is the ZenBook, low-end frequencies tend to be weaker.
That is not to say that it is a bad audio and music machine though. You still can appreciate good music through the speakers, just not something with a lot of low-end power. That also means EDMs might not cut it. Vocals do sound excellent on the speakers though, better than the ASUS ZenBook from before than does not come with Harman Kardon’s touch.
Performance
Of course, 10th Gen Core i7 that it packs comes with plenty of expectations from us. It is 2020 and we can expect modern notebook PCs to be powerful enough to work and game lightly at the same time; especially an Intel Core i7. Of course, we cannot have a thin and light that does everything under the sun without any compromises. In that sense, this is an ultrabook with nearly zero compromise.
The Extra and Subtle Workhorse
In any angle, the ASUS ZenBook 14 exudes ‘premium’. At any touch, that is also the word that comes to mind. ‘Boring’, is another, as we have said in the design section.
These are not the only words available for the ASUS ZenBook 14 though. When you talk about taking a workhorse out for a trip out of town, the ultrabook of choice with the best value and performance is the ASUS ZenBook ultrabook. So, there is ‘Reliability’ in their repertoire as well.
The ASUS ZenBook 14’s body may not be the slimmest notebook you can find in the market. It may not be the lightest too in the market. If you are looking for those, you should be looking elsewhere.
A workhorse should have as little compromise as possible for its purposes. An ultrabook today will not pack a full-sized USB port for normal thumb drives and external HDDs. It will not pack a full-sized standard HDMI port for easy presentation modes as well. The ASUS ZenBook 14 is a workhorse that does not compromise on those. Hence, its extra heft.
It is mostly made for document processing, web browsing, and even scrubbing through emails too, which also means that there are some compromises in terms of other performance. In that sense though, the ASUS ZenBook 14 is more than adequate to handle everything and more. We mostly used it to play Music while we are working, reading through emails, typing through long articles and web browsing.
When we say we are listening to music, we did not connect a Bluetooth earphone or connect an earphone at all with the notebook, most of the time anyway. Which also means we are using the built-in speakers most of the time. When we say web browsing too, there are times where there are about 40 tabs open in each of the three Mozilla Firefox web explorer windows we have open on the ASUS ZenBook 14. Oh yes, we even had Microsoft Edge open from time to time to access a completely different thing. With Chrome, the notebook might not fare so well.
In those operations, the ASUS ZenBook 14 performs as silky smooth as you expect it to. Windows load up quite instantly thanks to Intel’s Optane memory included in the notebook. Apps also open at a near instant speed thanks to the 512GB SSD.
Video Editing is Possible
Everything sort of falls apart a little bit in video editing though. Iris Plus does help a little in reducing load and rendering times compared to the older generation Intel Core processors. We were only editing a 15-second timelapse that was supposed to be produced in 4K though. To be fair, we are processing 45-Megapixel photos that was stitched together to be post-processed as an 8K video file first. We were scrubbing through 136 photos in total for the time lapse.
Once stitched though, it took up to 50 minutes for the stitching to be post-processed into a 4K video. Scrubbing through the individual frames also took some time for the ASUS ZenBook 14. We had to wait a second or two to check through each of the 136 frames of the video.
Still, if you work with Full HD videos, you should have not trouble scrubbing through the video with ease on Adobe’s Premiere Pro. You might want to look into other more powerful products for smooth and quick 4K video productions. Still, a 3-minute Full HD render from a Full HD source should be done in about 10-15 minutes.
Gaming
Really? Do you really have to ask about gaming on a notebook designed to accompany you for work purposes? Redundant question that you might already know the answer to.
Gaming performance on the ASUS ZenBook 14 is pretty much as expected. It is not a gaming machine, so it is never going to do well in that regards. It is acceptable with certain games though, if you do not mind letting it run a little hotter than usual that is.
You can still play Football Manager, or Motorsport Manager, or even Cities Skyline on it smoothly with the fans going a little crazier than usual. You could, technically, play DOTA 2 with it too if you are into MOBAs. You might not be as competitive as if you are playing on a proper gaming rig though. That could either be your excuse for underperforming in a ranked match or kicked for being too incompetent, you have been warned. It is smooth enough with DOTA 2 though, so you might still be fine with a little bit of skill. We are never good in DOTA 2 anyway.
Even if you are thinking of playing the latest indie games like No Straight Roads, you would still be fine. The game will still load up smoothly and surely. You might just want to keep in mind to not push the graphics all the way up.
We are not saying that you should be playing games on the device. We are saying that you can if you want to. You might not be able to touch full-fledged AAA titles, but plenty of indie games like This War of Mine or Motorsport Manager never needed ultra-powerful rigs to run properly anyway.
Battery
A heftier body also has some benefit to a notebook’s battery life. You could technically fit a bigger battery pack into the body of the ASUS ZenBook 14 at the cost of more weight on it. In the body of the ZenBook 14 is a 67Wh 4-cell battery that is quoted to be good for 22 hours on a single charge.
To be fair, we have never hit anything that is close to the 22 hours claim in our usage. You do have to keep in mind that battery life is very dependent on use cases though. Battery life is affected by the ambient temperature, operating temperature, amounts of processes within the PC, use cases with the PC, and much more.
In our use case, where we have at least 20 tabs open on a web browser at any time, we got about 18 hours of continuous use before the PC tells us that we need to start charging the notebook. That is also with some music listening included with a mix of work and standby time. At some point too, the ASUS ZenBook 14 did not need a charge for a whole week. Of course, we were not continuously using the notebook.
ASUS Battery management
Technically you can fully charge the 67Wh battery of the ASUS ZenBook 14 within 2 hours with the included 65W charger. They claimed a 49-minute charge time to 60% with an empty tank, with the PC turned off.
We believe them though. We have only charged the ASUS ZenBook 14 while working on it once and while we are editing and rendering the odd video. Most of the time, charging is done while it is turned off, and we never left it charged for more than two hours at a time before we get going again with a fully charged battery.
We left the power management to let the charger to fully charge the batteries though, because we are on the go most of the time. But if you are going to let it sit on your office desk all the time, you can choose to restrict the battery charge to only 60% to prolong the battery shelf life. If not, there is a balanced battery preservation mode too in MyASUS app.
USB Type-C Charger
Having a universal charger is a very sensible thing to do. It also means that ASUS saves a porting hole just for a proprietary charger. Which still begs the question of their exclusion of the 3.5mm jack or another USB Type-A port. They clearly have space for the two mentioned ports.
Modern USB Type-C cables can also support up to 75W in output. That also means that you can even fast charge an ultrabook with a proper USB Type-C cable. But that also means that you can buy a high-output power banks wit proper 65W output too to charge your PC when you have no access to a charging port.
Since modern smartphones and other gadgets are making USB Type-C as a standard port these days too, having a high-output power adapter is also a bonus. You do not need to bring three different adapters and cables anymore to charge your devices when you travel. You only need one of ASUS’ USB Type-C adapter, and you are good to go.
Display – IPS and Iris Plus
The IPS Full HD display is a pleasure to look at though. It may not be the most colour accurate display in the world, it does not need to be. But it is a great looking display with highly saturated and bright colours. It should be good enough for the occasional movies that you might want to enjoy on the ASUS ZenBook 14.
That said also, 60Hz is not encouraging for games either, especially when you consider more competitive games like Valorant, or DOTA 2. It still works with games like This War of Mine and such, but you might even want your No Straight Roads to run at higher frame rates when possible. Iris Plus is plenty more powerful than the UHD graphics GPU that came before, but it is not a discrete GPU like an NIVIDIA GeForce MX250.
Again, the notebook is not designed with gaming in mind though. It is designed with portability, productivity, and practicality in mind. The display is designed for that too, technically with some clever blue light filtering software (Windows standard these days too). At the same time, the modern display panel is highly efficient with a 1-watt power draw rating. It is not exactly bright enough placed under direct sunlight in Malaysia, technically with 400nits. If you sit in a naturally lit café though, 400nits is enough for you to work with.
In this case, for its purpose, the display of the ASUS ZenBook 14 is not the most brilliant or highest resolution you can find. It is quite brilliant on its own though and does hold itself against any other notebooks of its standard. It is a brilliant looking display for a working-class notebook.
The ASUS ZenBook 14 – So Much, yet So Little
The package that you see here will set you back MYR 4,699. That is not exactly a budget notebook price. It is not exactly a premium as a Dell XPS 13 though. For that price you still get a full-aluminium body, a clever touchpad, an innovative hinge, Windows Hello’s brilliant webcam facial recognition, super-long battery life, some clever software, and fully sized I/O ports.
You do not get a lot of things for that kind of money either though. You do not get a proper, physical numpad (although, at this form factor, it is kind of impossible). You do not get a 144Hz display, or anything close to a colour accurate display as well. You are paying for slightly more heft with the ASUS ZenBook 14 and you get no fingerprint sensor with that, or even a 3.5mm AUX jack. You cannot even expect it to come with a discrete GPU too for that money, or even a full-sized SD card slot.
We are annoyed at the fact that they chose to hang us dry when it comes to audio solutions. To be fair, we were really annoyed at the fact that there is no 3.5mm jack on this piece of kit. We found the Grey colour option to be a little boring too, while the Lilac Mist colour to be tantalizing, but not very professional. WE are not saying that it is badly designed, it still looks sharp and very distinctively ASUS.
It was not as light as we thought it should be with the 14-inch trim. On a bright side though, it is lighter than most 14-inch notebooks you can find in the market today. It is also quite a little bit smaller than most 14-inch notebooks today too. Maybe, just not that much thinner in terms of thickness.
That extra girth though gives way to a full HDMI port and USB 3.2 Type-A port, which is always a welcome in ultra-portable machines that we know as our workhorse today. The extra girth also allows for a bigger fan in a sense to cool the PC adequately, and even house a slightly larger battery than you can expect an ultrabook to ever have. That extra sized battery gives you a longer battery life expectancy compare to its competition, and in that terms, more confidence in making it through a day with no battery anxiety. It gives you peace of mind, is what I am saying.
If you want the ASUS ZenBook 14 to be your daily driver for the next five years or so, you will want to invest in the more expensive Intel Core i7 variant. If not, even the Core i5 variant at MYR 3,999 will do you some good for the coming few years. You could even opt for a smaller display and more compact packaging with the 13-inch variant, if you really want. We always appreciate a larger display though, so the 14-inch is the one we will go for.
The ASUS ZenBook 14’s closest competitor technically comes at about the same price. You are getting the exact same display size with very similar packages. The only thing that differs from each product, other than thickness and weight, is their security features and one RAM size difference. The competition packs twice the RAM that the ASUS ZenBook 14 can offer for the same price. The competition lacks Windows Hello’s webcam facial recognition though and does not come with a USB Type-C charger (proprietary charger).
So, which would we buy? It is a difficult choice, to be fair. Considering the convenience of the ASUS ZenBook 14, we are leaning toward the fully sized ports. In truth though, we would be a little more comfortable using the other product because of ZenBook’s lack of weight, and an extra 3.5mm AUX jack. Ports? The competition has all the other ports too. Although we really like the idea of only carry a single charger for all our devices in the bag. Now we are in a pickle.
ASUS’s ZenBook series has always been the company’s foremost when it comes to delivering solutions for workers on-the-go. The company has revitalised the line up with features that make working on-the-go easier, more ergonomic and less of a hassle. This year is no different with the new ASUS ZenBook 13 (UX325) and the ZenBook 14 (UX425).
The two new entries into the ASUS ZenBook line up make up the new ZenBook Classics line up which hold fast to the original ZenBook’s ethos of being portable and fitted for productivity. The ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 come with the 10th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors with Intel IRIS Plus Graphics which allow them to be more power efficient and more powerful – allowing on-the-go workers to get more done and keep up with the increasing demand for processing power. Paired with 8GB of RAM, the ZenBooks will be able to handle most anything you can throw at the laptops.
The new line is the lightest and most compact line up of ZenBooks ever. The 13.3-inch ZenBook 13 comes in at only 1.07kg and is an astounding 13.9mm thin. The ZenBook 14 maintains the thickness but gets a little bump in weight, coming in at 1.13kg. Both laptops come with Full HD LED displays with 1080p resolution. The slim bezels around the screen allow for up to 90% screen to body ratio for a more immersive experience when you’re consuming your multimedia while maintaining the compact size.
Built for Productivity
Keeping with their productivity focus, the laptops come equipped with The ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 come with a 512GB NVMe PCIe 3.0 solid state drive (SSD) for quick read and write performance. The SSD also allows you to boot into Windows in less than 10 seconds. In addition, ASUS NumPad 2.0 which turns the touchpad into a fully functional NumPad for all your number crunching needs. Together with NumPad 2.0, ASUS has also optimised the ergonomics of the laptop with it’s now ubiquitous ErgoLift hinge. The hinge raises the laptop slightly and angles the keyboard for a more natural typing experience and better cooling.
The new ASUS ZenBook Classic entries are not only optimising hardware for productivity, it also ensures that you don’t need to live the dongle life. The ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 both come with a full array of ports to make sure you’re ready to connect. It comes with two USB-C port complete with Thunderbolt 3 technology and ASUS EasyCharge. Also on the laptops is a USB Type A port, a HDMI port and a microSD card reader.
In addition to the numerous ports, the new ASUS ZenBooks also come equipped with WiFi 6 compatibility. The new WiFi technology allows up to three times more data to be communicated through WiFi for quicker data speeds and better latency. Your data isn’t the only thing that will be quicker than usual, you’ll also be able to login in a snap with the Windows Hello thanks to the IR webcam on the new ZenBooks.
Keeping productive can be a little bit frustrating at times, but the ZenBook 13 and 14 are tough with MIL-STD 810G ruggedness. So, you won’t need to worry about things getting a little bit rough with the laptops. This is complemented by up to 22 hours battery life thanks to it’s large 67Wh battery.
Pricing & Availability
The ASUS ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 will be available starting on August 11, 2020 for MYR3,999 (USD$953.25) for the version with the Core i5 and MYR4,699 (USD1,120.15) for the one with the Core i7.
13.3” LED-backlit FHD (1920 x 1080) 450 nits Slim 2.9 mm bezels with 88% screen-to-body ratio
Operating system
Windows 10 Home
Office Software
Office Home & Student 2019 included
Graphics
Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
Main memory
8GB 3200 MHz LPDDR4x onboard
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Connectivity
WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth® 5.0
Camera
HD infrared (IR) webcam (supports Windows Hello)
I/O ports
2 x Thunderbolt™ 3 USB-C® with ASUS USB-C® Easy Charge 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; 1 x Standard HDMI 2.0; 1 x MicroSD card reader
Touchpad
ASUS NumberPad 2.0
Audio
Certified by Harman Kardon ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system with surround-sound; smart amplifier for maximum audio performance Array microphone with Cortana and Alexa voice-recognition support
Battery
67 Wh lithium-polymer battery up to 22 hr battery life
AC adapter
65-watt power adapter Output: 20 V DC, 3.42 A; Input: 100-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
14” LED-backlit FHD (1920 x 1080) 400 nits Slim 2.5 mm bezels with 90% screen-to-body ratio
Operating system
Windows 10 Home
Office Software
Office Home & Student 2019 included
Graphics
Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
Main memory
8GB 3200 MHz LPDDR4x onboard
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Connectivity
WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth® 5.0
Camera
HD infrared (IR) webcam (supports Windows Hello)
I/O ports
2 x Thunderbolt™ 3 USB-C® with ASUS USB-C® Easy Charge 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; 1 x Standard HDMI 2.0; 1 x MicroSD card reader
Touchpad
ASUS NumberPad 2.0
Audio
Certified by Harman Kardon ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system with surround-sound; smart amplifier for maximum audio performance Array microphone with Cortana and Alexa voice-recognition support
Battery
67 Wh lithium-polymer battery up to 22 hr battery life
AC adapter
65-watt power adapter Output: 20 V DC, 3.42 A; Input: 100-240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal
The
PC that we know today has evolved leaps and bounds from the old days.
These days, while PC towers are still around, and you can buy a decent
one for less than MYR 2,000, portable PCs are kings. They offer
unrivalled portability and yet still offer you the power to work like
you have never left the office, or your desk. Powerful enough notebook
PCs are even able to allow you to not only work on graphic heavy
applications, they allow you to play games at a level of immersion that
has never been seen before. They are as powerful as your desktop tower
PC at home.
Still, there are some limitations to a notebook PC. The keyboard for one, you cannot change that, and most will never get the benefit of mechanical keyboards, thanks to the bulk in most mechanical keyboard designs. So you end up with less-than-stellar keyboard most of the time. Then there is cooling. A notebook PC will always have the same cooling issues because you try to fit powerful, aluminium melting processors into a space that is not even big enough for your pinky to fit into. Of course, there are going to be heat management problems. Of course, technology have negated those issues and caught the notebook PCs up to the traditional desktop towers.
There
is however, one problem that can hardly be solved when it comes to
notebook PCs – display, or should I say; displays. There is only one
display on a notebook PC, and you cannot upgrade it once you get one. On
a desktop tower, you can choose to get one large display, or two, or
three, or four; depending on your budget and set up requirements. On a
notebook PC you only can have one, thanks to the size. Or is it?
Not according to ASUS though. This is the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, a dual-display wieldinng
piece of hunk that you call a notebook PC. It has two displays and
still folds the same way any notebook PC does. No this is not some kind
of an e-ink display paired to a normal display like the Lenovo YogaBook
C930. This is a proper coloured LCD display that you get alongside a 4K
resolution OLED display. It is not a concept like the Razer that we saw
a few years ago too. It is real, and it is in our hands. Is it any good
though? Should you spend your money on this? Oh wait, we have not told
you how much it is just yet.
Design
On
the outside, it looks just like any other notebook PC. It is none of
those super slim, super light notebook PC though. It is a properly heavy
notebook PC packing some metal in its sculpted body. Well, then again,
its body is made up of metal as well.
There
is plenty aluminium everywhere, not a lot of plastic; very unlike any
other ASUS notebook PCs that we are used to. While using plastic sounds
cheap, the ones on most ASUS notebook PCs I know are quite high in
quality. The benefit of weight is also a good encouragement for the use
of plastics.
Of course, aluminium and other metal materials are more premium. That is exactly the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, premium in both feel and build. The downside to that is weight, but you are going to want this to sit on your desk most of the time anyway, it weighs 2.5kg; reminds you of the old days of notebook PCs no?
Still, the ZenBook Pro Duo looks unique. In line with ASUS Anniversary design language, the ZenBook Pro Duo looks sharp, with acute angles and powerful lines. You have the iconic brushed aluminium on the top clam, and multiple grilles on the sides and the edges to cool the rig. It looks, cool in that its metallic blue finish. It looks like a spaceship; otherworldly. It looks cool.
To
be fair though, this is a hate it or love it design. At first, I was
struggling to like the look of the odd notebook PC. It is aggressive in
looks, and if I am being honest, I like more flowy designs with softer
lines. Still, it grew on me.
Open
it up and you see the dual displays. The regular display is a beautiful
OLED, glossing in your eyes. Look down and you see another LCD display
that is put right above the keyboard, a familiar layout (ehem Zephyrus ehem). Oh, and there is an LED outlet too at the bottom part of the clam, under the keyboard. That is strangely cool.
Because typing on this kind of layout can be awkward, there is a palm rest included in the box of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, which extends the bottom part of the notebook PC a little bit. No, it is not aluminium just like the rest of the PC, it is plastic constructed with some faux leather top and rubberised strips for better grip on the table and comfortable typing. There is a prism thing going on in the palm rest too reflecting the LED below the keyboard. It glows green when the PC is fully charged, and red while charging. Pretty cool if you ask me.
Unlike the ASUS notebook PCs of the previous generation, you do not get an indented display hinge. It is now a completely seamless hinge that goes from one end to the other end. It does make the notebook PC look cleaner than before. But there is another reason for this completely streamlined hinge. The display part of the notebook PC also acts like the stand to angle the notebook the PC’s bottom part. The benefit of that is the better ergonomics on your keyboard. The downside is cooling because the vents at the back is now pointing to the display. The ZenBook Pro Duo’s cooling though is on the sides, so your main display is not going to be overheated.
Hardware
The premium ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo is built with aluminium mostly, not as cold and heavy as steel but still very sturdy and high quality. That aluminium build, that we may not be very used to on an ASUS notebook PC, while makes it 2.5kg heavy, makes it a little more special. Yes, it has two displays.
To power two displays though you need some real processing ang GPU power. That is the 9th
Generation Intel Core i7 you find under the hood. That processor is
also paired to a NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060 for good measure. Yes, they
could have gone for an RTX 2080, but that would bring the cost up and
complicate the whole heat management issue. Remember, they have to deal
with dissipating heat from the other display too.
Specifications
ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581GV
As Tested
Processor (clock)
9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H (2.6GHz ~ up to 4.5GHz)
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB DDR6 VRAM)
Display(s)
Primary 15.6-inch OLED 4K (3840 x 2160) touch sensitive 100% DCI-P3 Secondary (ScreenPad+) 14-inch 4K (3840 x 1100) touch sensitive
Memory
1TB NVME M.2 SSD 32GB 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
Networking and Connections
1 x Thunderbolt™ 3 USB-C™ (up to 40Gbps and DisplayPort) 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A (up to 10Gbps) 1 x Standard HDMI 2.0 1 x Audio combo jack Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ performance (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
Battery
71Wh 8-cell Li-Polymer
Operating System
Windows 10 Home
Miscellaneous
ASUS SonicMaster Audio with Harman Kardon Certification Detachable Palm Rest Detachable Laptop Stand ASUS Pen
Features
Its good looks are not all show, no go. This thing packs plenty of tasteful goodies. For starters you see the dual displays.
Doubling Down
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, true to its name, packs two displays. One is a full 15.6-inch display with 4K resolution on board. The other is also 4K in resolution, in width anyway. In height, it is half the size of the 15.6-inch display. It is not the same OLED panel as the main 15-incher display too. It is an LCD panel amd we are guessing that the decision to go LCD was also because of cost. An OLED panel would have made sense though with its minimal heat production and accurate colour reproduction. It would have added quite a little bit to the cost, yes.
Still,
dual displays built into a notebook PC; not the first time we see it
but it is the first that is commercially available. The first we saw of
this was a prototype that came from Razer a few years ago. While that
was an interesting concept, it was not viable mainly because of its
massive weight and estimated cost. It was stolen as well, a day or two
after it was displayed on the biggest electronics show floor.
So,
this the first commercially available and viable dual display notebook
PC for the market. It will still set you back more than MYR10,000 and
that is still a lot of money to be fair. But hey, where eles can you find a notebook with two displays built into it.
The
LCD display on top of the keyboard is mostly used as a control panel
for whatever applications you might think of. Things like Adobe’s
Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and what not can support a
multi-window workflow and the dual display surely benefits users from
that. For example, you can control your timelines and what not on Adobe
Premiere Pro on your secondary display. That way, your preview panel can
be bigger and fuller. I would still be recommending anyone to downscale the preview to half the resolution if they are planning to edit 4K videos though for smoother workflow.
For
gaming, we hardly see the point. But other form of entertainment like
movies, or Spotify, or YouTube, maybe. For Spotify especially, you can
just leave the Spotify window to open on the secondary display and
control music on the secondary display via touch. Yes, both displays are
touch sensitive, so there is that. Of course, you may not extend your
movie watching to go all the way into the secondary display, but you can
pull out your controls and use it on the secondary display.
The
secondary display can also act as your alternative web browser just in
case you need to refer to anything for other things on your main
display. If you do use the pen that comes in the box (we did not have
ours) you can even use the secondary panel as a drawing pad. There is
one thing about the PadScreen (as they call it) though that is a little annoying; its placement.
While
the secondary display is functional, its placement can be a little bit
of a literal pain in the neck. You are craning down on the secondary
display most of the time when you are looking at it. If you are not
using any palm rest for it the keyboard, you are going to have to
prepare yourself for carpal tunnel syndrome too, your wrist is going to
get injured in that kind of prolonged usage. Yes, they have included a
stand out of the box which you can use to raise the keyboard and ScreenPad panel a little bit, which helps; not a lot.
Still, there is definitely use for the ScreenPad. While we do think that you will not miss out that much if you do not have a ScreenPad,
it is a nice thing to have on the go. Still, we would recommend you to
pack the palm rest as well in your bag when you want to work offsite.
Still, it is a heavy piece of kit to be carrying around so you might
want to leave it behind and pack something lighter.
OLED Forever
The
15.6-inch main display is a 4K OLED unit, which also means
ultra-accurate colours with ultra-high contrasts. The numbers speak for
itself though; 100% DCI-P3. You get HDR with this display too for even
better contrasts. Well, it is an OLED panel after all.
Still,
the OLED display is not just important when you want to sit back, kick
back, and enjoy a good movie, or play a video game. It is important for
you as a creator as well. You need highly accurate colours to do colour
correction and editing. You need HDR to correctly tell where your
content is. You need OLED for everything. Yes, we really like OLED
technology.
Still,
beyond your creator and editing duties, you would like to be able to
enjoy contents too. In that case as well the OLED on the ZenBook
Pro Duo does not disappoint. Playing Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon:
Breakpoint definitely highlights the super accurate and vivid colours
that the OLED boasts. Even the slightest in light changes can be noted
on the display thanks to HDR on OLED. Watching Netflix with HDR and 4K
enabled shows is breathtaking and immersive, especially with a good pair of headphones.
Harman Kardon
While it is not the loudest speakers you can find on a notebook PC, it is actually quite good. Thanks to some magic from Harman Kardon, the speakers fires very balanced audio with very clear highs and mids.
The bass needs a little working but it is quite normal for notebook PCs
with no built-in woofers. Then again, not many notebook PCs come with
subwoofers.
Still,
it is loud enough if you are not sharing the speakers with a room full
of people. It is good enough for personal listening and entertainment
purposes. Spotify on the speakers sounds plenty than good enough.
Watching movies with it though is awesome.
Gaming with the Harman Kardon
speakers is a little weak though, mostly because the lows are not that
great here. Still, it is not that you cannot use it for gaming; you can.
Maybe play games that does not include a lot of explosions?
Performance
Power Power Power
The weighty ASUS ZenBook
Pro Duo is bound to be a powerful notebook PC. Especially its packing
of an Intel Core i7 paired to at least 16GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce
RTX 2060 GPU. You can spec this with a Core i9 by the way if you really
wanted, of course you have to pay more for it if you do. The maximum
that they will do for GPU is the RTX2060 though, as we previously
mentioned and as per specified by ASUS; cooling issues.
That
is not to say that the Intel Core i9 produces the same heat as the Core
i7. The more powerful CPU obviously runs hotter than the less powerful
Core i7. Still, the Core i9 does not produce a significantly larger
amount of heat that the fans within the ASUS ZenBook
Pro Duo cannot manage. It is a different story with the GPU though.
While the heat produced from an NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 is not that much
bigger than an RTX2060 too, it is about choosing between using a lesser
CPU or a more powerful one. In the case of ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo – it is the matter of pure processing power.
The
result, at least on our unit (Intel Core i7), is a fast machine, very
fast with the SSD installed in the machine. While you can expect a
bigger performance to come from the Core i9, we do think that the Core
i7 is plenty capable enough and you may not need to fork out an extra
MYR3,000 price tag that the Core i9 comes with. Yes, the Intel Core i9
option sets you back MYR3,000 more than the regular Core i7 option. You
only need that kind of power in certain situations.
Still,
our Core i7 can cope with plenty that we can throw at it. It handles
video editing without major issue, we pushed 4K videos on it mind you
and downscales it to 1080p. It renders the preview with no more issue or
render time than usual.
Gaming
We seldom push games to extend all the way to the secondary display. Why? What for?
Most
of the time, if you do want a multi-screen gaming experience, you want
to extend the displays horizontally; not vertically like the ZenBook Pro Duo’s dislpay arrangement. In this case, I cannot really think of any use case for the secondary display.
Still, you can game with it and as I have mentioned, the 4K OLED display will not disappoint you. Any games will look gorgeous on the 4K OLED display with great contrast and vivid colours.
Of
course, the powerful Intel Core i7 helped with the generously adequate
NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060 helps with the extra smooth gaming performance
when we play Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: BreakPoint
and The Shadow of the Tomb Raider. While we may not be able to push the
graphics all the way to ultra, we are still able to render them at high
settings at the minimum. We did not try Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on
it yet, but we are pretty sure it will look good.
Would we like to see better GPUs in the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo? An RTX2070 perhaps? Yes. Would it make sense if we spec it at a mere Core i7? Maybe? Would it make sense cost wise? Maybe not. On its own, we think that the MYR 12,999 asking price is already quite steep if you are just looking to game. We admit that games look really good though.
Still,
if you wish to go all the way to the RTX2080, just remember that the
behemoth of a thing called the Acer Predator Helios 700 with their slide
down keyboard just for more airflow to keep the big GPU from
overheating or melting your hands.
Bringing in the Heat
With any PC build, especially a notebook PC, there is always the consideration of heat management. This is always true when you are trying to have a powerful build. In the case of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, there is the problem of powerful internals. Imagine the thought of fitting in an ultra-powerful Intel Core i9 to pair it to a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060.
While that may not be that much of a scary thought; you have to also think about the extra display that the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo packs. Not only that, ASUS is stacking the display on top of the CPU and GPU placements. That adds a whole slew of cooling problems in itself.
Still,
ASUS manages the heat with their new designed fans to dissipate the
heat mostly from the sides. That is why you see large grilles on the
side of the notebook PC, instead of the usual exhaust toward the back of
the device. In this case, if you aim all the heat to the back of the
device, it will heat up the 4K OLED display instead; not ideal.
Firing
the heat to the sides then is the most ideal way to dissipate the heat
generated by the internals and the additional LCD display; both the left
and right side for the ASUS. You will not believe the heat that is
produced by this thing though. I left a glass of chilled Coke with some
ice in it about 1 meter away from the left side of the notebook PC and
the ice melted within the 10 minutes I left it there. The drink got warm
a little later after that; so, I was left to drink a warm Coca-Cola
after that. To be fair, I was on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint at
the time.
On normal operations though, you still feel a little bit of the heat coming down to your hands when you use a mouse right next to the notebook PC. While the fan may not be running at full chat, you can still feel the gush of air come out the side exhaust ports when the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo is on. If you have anything that is taxing on the GPU and CPU, you will hear the fan spooling faster and feel more heat on your hand; your mouse hand.
The Workhorse
The main function of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo though is mostly for an added productivity. Thanks to the dual displays, at least, it should be quite something at that. Of course, with an included stylus, it should be even more intuitive and productive. We did not get to test it with the stylus though, sadly.
Still,
the dual displays do help a little with our video workflow. We use
Adobe’s Premiere Pro quite a lot in our video work process. As we have
mentioned we used the main AMOLED display for previews. The secondary
display is where all our timelines sits. You can put all the assets
there too and use that to enhance your workflow that way; we did
anyway.
Thanks to the colour accuracy of the main AMOLED display and 4K too, colour correcting is much easier to do with the ASUS ZenBook
Pro Duo. Of course, all the controls are pushed to the secondary
display to give more real estate for the preview screen. Larger display
real estate also means you can see more.
It is not all sunshine with the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo though. We do not like the keyboard
too much, we feel that the keyboard travel was a little too short;
uncomfortable to type on. The discomfort is pushed even further with the
keyboard placement; especially when you do not use the palm rest
provided in the box with the notebook PC.
The kind of keyboard layout the ZenBook Pro Duo has does not give us the possibility to use the notebook PC comfortably on our laps too. That, and the heat produced from the Zenbook Pro Duo just makes it uncomfortable after a while. The 2.5kg does not help too, it makes it feel like you are using your legs as ironing boards. You could toast a sandwich there too.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo – Unportable Productivity Machine
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo will set you back MYR 12,999. If I am being completely hoinest,
I would tell you not to buy this notebook PC for that kind of money.
For that kind of money, you might get a better deal if you look
elsewhere even in ASUS’ extensive stables. For that kind of money, you
could easily get a large sized gaming notebook with a fast 17-inch
display that is powered by the same sort of CPU and an even more
powerful GPU to work with.
You
lose the AMOLED display, sure. But you get bigger display, lighter
build, and more power. You might not get 4K resolution, but the trade-off is still quite big.
You do not get the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo for gaming though. You get it for the productivity appeal of it. You get it for the dual displays; not because it is practical to bring around. You are most likely to just leave it on your work desk, or home desk, and go to a meeting with a piece of print out or thumb drive you can work with. You really do not want to carry it much, you might break your back with it.
You
get it for work mostly; creative work. You get it because you need
extra flexibility that you get with the dual display. You get it for the
beautiful 4K AMOLED display that you would use to watch movies and make
films out of it. You get it for the touch screens that you would use to
draw something with. You buy it as a creator, you buy it as a creative
professional. Except, you might still not.
If
you are a creative professional and have MYR 12,999 to spend on a
powerful work notebook PC that you will not carry around, why not spend
on a PC tower that you will not even move from your work place? What
about getting two other full-sized monitors with highly accurate colours
as well?
So, who, in their right mind would get this? We still do think that this ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo is made for professionals and those are the guys that would get their hands on this device. Most likely though they might not get it on their own account. The most probable scenario for this is that the companies that they work for get one for them out of whatever necessity they have out of it. Hey, that is still one way to get a notebook PC.
