Verdict
The Asus Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode is one of the best laptops I ’ve ever critique . Its cutting off - edge AMD chip is super - rapid , even open of playing games , while the high - resolution OLED display is breathtaking for video . Its fans can get irritatingly forte under strain , and the lack of USB - A ports is irksome – but those are minor blemishes on an otherwise fantastic all - libertine laptop .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED is a cutting - border laptop in more ways than one .
First , it comes pack a processor from AMD ’s newRyzen 6000family . AMD claims its novel chip offers improved processing stop number while also delivering a strong upgrade to the integrate graphics performance .
However , Asus is n’t swear solely on the specs here , since this laptop computer also sports a top - class purpose . The Zenbook S 13 OLED is marvelously slender , weighing just 1 kilogram for an ultraportable invention . And last but not least , Asus has whack in anOLEDpanel for good mensuration . It ’s toilsome to think of a modern feature that has n’t been include .
Even more impressively , Asus has confirmed the starting price to be a very low-cost $ 1099 , make this a cutthroat contender to theMacBook Air M1andDell XPS 13 OLED . But is the Zenbook S 13 OLED good enough to be consider one of the absolutebest laptopoptions around ? Here are my thoughts .
Design and Keyboard
The Asus Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode has a very simple invention , with the only middle - catching feature on the lid being Asus ’ new triangular logo – which gives me serious Star Trek vibes .
The master chassis flaunts the same simplistic elan , with a patent metal deck prefer over the more eye - catching , model excogitation of the Dell XPS 13 OLED , for example . You could accuse the Zenbook of lacking personality , but there ’s no deny that it looks sharp .
It is at least uncommitted in a compass of colour options , including Ponder Blue , Aqua Celadon , Refined White and Vestige Beige ( pictured here ) . That ’s arguably an even better extract than what Apple tender with the new MacBook Air , allowing you to at least bring a niggling personalisation .
But the most impressive aspect of the Zenbook ’s figure is how slender it is . Sporting just a 14.9 mm skeletal system , it ’s about the width of my digit . Such a slim build has assure this laptop is ludicrously lightweight , weighing a goody 1 kilogram ; it ’s over 200 g lighter than theMacBook Air M2 .
I can comfortably pick it up in one deal , and I have barely noticed it in a bag during the commute . Asus has used a Mg atomic number 13 alloy to achieve this lightweight invention ; but that does mean it is n’t quite as sturdy as a consummate aluminium build . in person , I did n’t find out this problematic – it ’s a compromise I can take on for this level of portability .
Asus has also added its ErgoLift hinge , which pushes the laptop ’s buttocks up off the table to better airflow beneath , while also creating a more well-heeled typing angle . It may sound like a minor feature , but it makes a significant difference .
The port selection is arguably the Zenbook S 13 OLED ’s greatest feeble pointedness – you get three USB - carbon ports and a headphone jack , and that ’s it . I ’d have welcome at least one USB - A larboard for wired peripherals , but Asus would in all likelihood indicate the laptop computer is too thin for such an inclusion body , while also providing a USB - C to USB - A adapter in the box .
On the bright side , the keyboard is amazingly rattling . Key offer mysterious and satisfy presses , and are chunky enough to cut back the endangerment of misprint . You also get a fingerprint detector embedded into the force button to make the contract - in process pleasingly brisk , as well as a camera kill switch to extend peace of thinker that someone is n’t view you .
The only blemish on the keyboard is the lack of a number pad of paper , but Asus makes up for this with a practical phone number pad that flashes up on the trackpad when pressing a button in the top - ripe corner . It ’s an ingenious gain that will be a life - saver for those who function with number . The trackpad is of a decent size , too , being sensitive and antiphonal enough for a unlined experience .
Display
OLED screen are in vogue right now , delivering perfect black blacks to ensure a dazzling line that elevate the overall scene quality . I ’ve tested a few OLED laptop now , including the Dell XPS 13 OLED andAsus ZenBook Pro 14 couple organic light-emitting diode , and it ’s absolved that they offer a substantial upgrade on the standard LCD screens typically found on a laptop computer .
The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED is no different in this regard , with vivacious colours shining spectacularly on the 13.3 - in screen . I watch Better Call Saul on this laptop computer , and I was enchant by the Albuquerque desert backdrops , with the cloudless blue sky looking shiny than ever .
Of naturally , the mellow resolution ( 2880 x 1800 ) plays a part in this brilliant picture quality . Video looks sharper , with less obvious pixellation in supported subject – of which there is plenty available on the like of Apple Plus , Disney Plus and Netflix .
To back up my thoughts , I used a colorimeter to hoard some benchmark information . I immortalize a 361.31 - nit brightness level , which is a distance off Asus ’ own claim , but still easy bright enough for enjoyment indoors . But I ’m a small implicated about the screen ’s glossiness ; it ’s so pensive that it could become tough for out-of-door habit .
The colorimeter also shows the panel to have admonitory colour reporting , achieving 100 % in sRGB , 96 % in Adobe RGB and 97 % in DCI - P3 . This essentially means that this laptop computer is capable of producing enough colours to present any photo , image or video accurately – you should n’t see any detectable distortion here , stimulate it an ideal laptop computer for professional - grade content creation . The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED performed well in this regard than laptop computer twice as expensive .
This Zenbook is also usable with a touchscreen and stylus support . All in all , this is as good as it gets for a laptop screen . Asus could have hiked up the resolution to 4 K , but that would have made it more expensive and reduced its battery life . So my only real gripe with the laptop computer screen is the calendered surface .
Performance
The Asus ZenBook S 13 OLED is the very first laptop I ’ve tested that have a processor from AMD ’s previous Ryzen 6000 generation . My review modeling is powered by AMD Ryzen 7 6800U with 16 GB of RAM , which is the most powerful shape . The laptop is also available with a Ryzen 5 6600U and 8 GB of RAM .
The carrying out was splendid during testing , displaying a clear , noticeable improvement over other laptop I ’ve reviewed recently . I had multiple entanglement web internet browser windowpane unresolved at the same time and various apps running in the background , and I did n’t detect any retardation . The laptop ’s terrific nontextual matter performance even allowed me to splash around with gaming and photo editing , although I ’ll turn over deeply into that later .
The raw Ryzen processor secure fantastic final result in our bench mark trial , with its multi - core Geekbench 5 account flap both the Intel Core i7 - 1185G7 and Apple M1 processors . That ’s a jaw - dropping outcome , especially considering theApple M1 chipwas previously considered the fastest Ultrabook processor .
There ’s a big caution with these record speeds , though – both Intel and Apple are in the process of launching even more potent notebook computer check . I ’ve already bug out testing the Intel Core i7 - 1260P inside the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 , and it reach an astounding multi - core Geekbench 5 result of 9178 . And while I have n’t reviewed the unexampled MacBook Air yet , theM2 chipis enunciate to provide a 18 % CPU performance cost increase compared to the M1 .
This all means that the Asus Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode will before long be leapfrogged as the most powerful Ultrabook laptop computer that we ’ve look back . But that should n’t be a business , since this is still well powerful enough to shell through twenty-four hours - to - day tasks and more .
The one country where AMD may hold an advantage over Intel is with wish to incorporated artwork performance . The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED excel here , enabling me to act big - budget secret plan without the demand of a discrete GPU .
With balanced / medium art preferences , I was able to go Horizon Zero Dawn at 28fps and Dirt Rally at 72fps – this means that as long as you ’re happy to pluck the artwork background , the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED is more than able of being a substitute for a certified play laptop computer , or even take on lowering nontextual matter workloads for contented creation such as video editing .
It ’s deserving note that the laptop computer ’s fans will become distractingly loud when the laptop is asked to do any heavy - lifting , while the chassis surrounding the keyboard will become spicy to the pinch , too . Asus has made certain the laptop computer does n’t become too affectionate anywhere that your hands will naturally rest while type , but it may make you waffle to stay this laptop on your lap .
The fact that the new Ryzen chip also tolerate PCI Express 4.0 means Asus can make habit of more thinning - edge SSDs . This has ensue in a big operation hike , with read and write scores of 6693MB / s and 3967MB / s respectively . The former is bivalent the stop number of your average laptop SSD , which means this laptop is fabulously tight at bring up up and launch download software and apps . Storage capacity is good , too , with Asus offering both 512 GB and 1 TB shape .
Battery Life
With the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED flaunting such excellent performance and a high - resolution display , I was concerned that this laptop would struggle to pass the target 10 - minute mark . It turn out my worry were misplaced .
During our benchmark test ( which sees us telephone dial down the screen light to 150 nit and run a PCMark 10 benchmark ) , the laptop handle to keep on chug for a remarkable 13hrs 26mins .
In the same test , the Dell XPS 13 OLED managed only 7hrs 22mins , which shows just how efficient the new AMD chip is . The Asus laptop easy lasted the working daylight , so you wo n’t require to vex too much if you draw a blank to institute the charger into the spot one twenty-four hour period .
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Should you buy it?
The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED may not be a proper gambling laptop , but it ’s more than up to of playing modern titles after fine-tune the graphics configurations . This is a nifty choice for those who require a lightweight productivity laptop on which they can also play games on the side .
The big issue with this laptop is the deficiency of porthole options . None of the USB - C connexion support Thunderbolt 4 , and there is n’t a USB - A or HDMI porthole in vision . You ’ll have to rely on the bundled dongle to use the likes of USB sticks and old wired computer peripheral .
Final Thoughts
The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED is the first laptop I ’ve seen in old age to earnestly take exception the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Air as the very best ultraportable productiveness laptop . The new AMD buffalo chip is a fully grown ingredient here , boosting the processor performance , GPU public presentation and electric battery life to new elevation . The in high spirits - resolution OLED screen is also impressive for rain buckets television and scroll through Instagram photos .
This laptop computer is n’t perfect : the port oblation is poor , while the fan dissonance can become teasing under intensive work load . But it ’s difficult to be too critical of a laptop that ’s take with so many top - class features , and that come flaunting even better carrying out than the MacBook Air M1 . If you want an all - rounder Ultrabook , the Asus Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode is one of the absolute best options available .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a serial publication of uniform chit plan to gauge key thing including build quality , performance , filmdom tone and battery life .
These let in formal synthetic benchmark and scripted test , plus a serial publication of existent world checks , such as how well it runs popular apps .
FAQs
Yes , a touch screen is available and it even hold up a stylus .
Zenbook laptops usually offer a greater numeral of features and a more premium innovation – but they also run to be more expensive .
Test Data
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Sustainability
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