I ’m run down . Years of reviewing laptops and I still eavesdrop on Best Buy employees telling client to either corrupt very unknown Windows laptops or to “ just go with the MacBook and Surface . ” Part of the trouble is competition . Hold on now , no reason to start sharpen pitchfork – I’m all for have alternative , something the laptop industry has in spades . It ’s just that finding the good gimmick in a crowded field can be a dizzying task for mundane consumers .
It ’s also why the Asus Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode wo n’t get the aid it deserves . This 13 - inch laptop is , in most ways , every fleck as open as the XPS , MacBooks , and Yogas of the diligence , lacking only the household name . It is clear and sleeker than those competition , its AMD locomotive engine provides excellent performance , and despite suffer a stunning 2.8 K OLED display , the Zenbook lasts a full solar day on a mission .
The Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode is pretty damn close to the arrant notebook — so close that if I were in the market for a laptop today , this one would be it .
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED
In the Zenbook S 13 OLED , Asus has crafted a tremendous portable laptop with an radical - lightweight chassis , a beautiful 2.8 kibibyte video display , and an astonishingly farsighted battery life story .
What is it ?
10 hours of suffocation. Luckily, the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED just about fit on my lap.Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
An ultraportable Windows laptop
damage ?
$ 1,499 ( as review )
10 hours of suffocation. Luckily, the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED just about fit on my lap.Photo: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Pros
slender , ultra - lightweight design ; unspoilt carrying out ( but not the immobile ) ; retentive battery life ; Gorgeous 2.8 K OLED display ; Lovely color alternative
Cons
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Lacks facial recognition , Average 720p webcam , Runs warm , Only USB - C
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED price and configurations
This is one difficult laptop to find at the time of writing . Asus state the Zenbook S 13 OLED should start around $ 1,099 when it becomes available ( which was speculate to be in June ) . Our reappraisal unit of measurement , equip with a Ryzen 7 6700U CPU , 16 GB of RAM , and a 1 TB SSD should cost $ 1,499 . Asus also sells a translatable model powered by Intel 12th Gen CPUs .
As pretty and light as a feather
Over the years , my reliance on my laptop computer has waned . Grabbing a smartphone to quickly check email or watch over a short video is less of a burden , and as a result , my larger rectangular sandwich lies dormant until it ’s time for some serious work . However , with the Zenbook S 13 OLED , my subconscious mind stopped pine for the immediateness of a more mobile twist — I could grab this lightweight wafer , pry the screen open , and quickly search for something online or write a spry Slack message to a coworker .
That behavioural geological fault is for the most part due to the Zenbook S13 OLED ’s diminutive size ( 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.6 ) and 2.2 - Cypriot pound weight — convey this notebook from elbow room to way require no drive and Windows bring up up with immediacy when the system come alive . For linguistic context , the Zenbook weigh considerably less than the XPS 13 ( 2.8 pounds ) andMacBook Air(2.7 lb ) . I should also note that the Zenbook was tiny enough for me to use on a cramp Lufthansa trajectory , made more uncomfortable by the to the full reclined individual sit in front of me .
This is a pretty little thing , too — especially in the dark patrician hue . Asus calls it Ponder Blue , but no amount of thrifty thinking will clarify that name to me . Let ’s just go with “ Navy . ” Not a devotee ? The Zenbook is also offered in Aqua Celedon ( pastel metal mint ) , Refined White , and Vestige Beige ( rose Au ) . Apple get prop for tote up two unique hue to the novel Air , but Asus has always offered advanced color options , and I get hold those on the Zenbook S 13 OLED to be more eye - catching .
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
The Zenbook S 13 solves the portability versus lastingness conundrum . Where most other options give you one or the other , this atomic number 12 - Al alloy notebook is staggeringly lightweight yet surprisingly sturdy . Those qualities made it the thoroughgoing laptop for me to take on a long - overdue trip to Germany . slew the Zenbook into the tablet pocket of my backpack did n’t sense like it added additional weight . My shoulder survived a long commute with the S 13 in towage , so I decided to take it on an eight - stat mi hike in the Dolomites of South Tyrol — again , the laptop computer spared my spent organic structure , never make its presence felt .
Lacking a few small touches
This laptop computer has an excellent build , but technical school journalists must nitpick and so I will — begin with the lack of an IR photographic camera . The fingermark sensor is quick and reliable but not as convenient as the facial recognition institute on most other premium laptop computer . And as much as I love the bracing Star Trek / Space Force - esque monogram logo , the laptop computer ’s open gather fingerprint and some rouge has fret off in the corners ( mind you , this review unit has been through rigorous testing ) .
Then there are the ports : three USB 3.1 Type - snow and a headphone knave . Less offensive than contender forcing you to go Bluetooth ( see : Dell XPS 13 ) or only giving you two inputs ( see : MacBook Air ) , but still only “ practiced enough ” in my book . And just to elucidate , there is no Thunderbolt here ; that ’s an Intel x Apple technology , so AMD gets left out in the rain .
A powerful right hook for a featherweight
Powering the system is a Ryzen 7 6800U CPU couple with 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM . With 8 cores/16 threads and a max boost clock of up to 4.7 GHz , this is one high-pitched - octane chip for such a compact organisation . Loading dozens of Chrome tab , edit in Affinity Photo , streaming music on YouTube Music , and look out YouTube videos did n’t stimulate any slowdowns as the Zenbook juggled these chore with vigor . Heavy workloads did wrick the underside into a mini Coleman grille , but one that was graciously silent .
I ’m felicitous with the performance of the Zenbook S 13 , even though it fell little of the competition . On the Geekbench 5 overall carrying into action mental test , the Zenbook score 7,498 , frame it behind the Acer Swift 5 ( 9,585 ) , Apple MacBook Air M2 ( 8,975 ) , and Lenovo Yoga 9i ( 9,516 ) . That might sound cutting , but the Asus matched the MacBook Air with M1 and outmuscled just about every last - gen equipment we tested .
The Zenbook also lagged behind on our TV transcoding test , converting a 4 K time to 1080p in 9 minutes and 47 seconds . The Yoga 9i ( 9:02 ) and Swift 5 ( 8:56 ) were a tad faster , while the MacBook Air embarrassed the field with a metre of 4:33 .
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
The mesa turned on the Blender test , when the Zenbook rendered a 3D figure in a respectable 4 minutes and 19 seconds , a few seconds ahead of the Swift 5 ( 4:36 ) and MacBook Pro 13 with M2 ( 4:35 ) . The Yoga 9i ( 6:00 ) require nearly two extra minutes to complete the same labor .
No surprisal : one thing you wo n’t be doing on the Zenbook is playing advanced game . Relying on desegregate Radeon Graphics , this slim wedge played Sid Meier ’s Civilization VI ( 1080p , high ) at 23 frame per secondly . No pauperization to liken that to the competition . The bottom rail line is percipient : less demanding games will run at medium configurations at 1080p and that ’s about it .
Once you go OLED
Asus committed to adopting OLED across its 2022 laptop computer portfolio , and the Zenbook S 13 OLED did n’t miss out . Dazzlingly rich color kill off the 13.3 - inch , 2.8 K OLED ( 16:10 ) panel as I watched Season 4 of Stranger Things and some not - so - airplane - friendly instalment of The Boys on my flight to Europe .
Unlike miniskirt - LED , which benefit from HDR content , you do n’t need to be watching Planet Earth to glean the benefits of OLED . Everything count better : icons , webcam double , and those snazzy new Windows 11 backgrounds . My family members ( who are unskilled photographers ) were awestruck seeing how gorgeous their mirrorless television camera photos looked when showcased on the Zenbook .
One oft - cite shortcoming of OLED is limited brightness . These panels just do n’t glitter as burnished as others , and that was true of the Zenbook S 13 , which maxed out at 340 nits . While above my “ 300 + nit or bust ” doorsill , the sieve is outshone by the LCD or mini - LED panel on other premium laptops , which often get through up to 500 nit . compensate for this shortcoming is an unnumbered contrast ratio that makes white background and colour stand out and text seem crisp so nothing gets washed out in direct sun or when viewed at an angle .
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Master of only some
Less notable are the keyboard and touchpad . They are absolutely fine , neither enhancing nor detracting from the overall package . That ’s middling of a reliever , give the tendency toward ultra - grim - visibility keys on portable laptops . There is some bounce to these and their adequate size of it and space should accommodate most folks . My hand felt mighty at home on the Zenbook ’s traditional layout and I strike an above - medium 117 words per second on a standardized typewriting trial .
The touchpad is also stock menu . The smooth crank control surface was a cushy pillow under my skin , though I could have done without the slight stickiness . Erratic swipes were tracked with precision and windowpane - switching gestures were a one - take affair . One party trick unparalleled to Asus model is the illuminated numpad overlaying the Zenbook ’s touchpad when activated via a minuscule icon in the top - right-hand turning point . The hidden feature article works astonishingly and could be quite useful to number crunchers .
Average speaker system are one of few misfires from the Zenbook S 13 OLED . The dual bottom - firing drivers are all right for YouTube video or podcasts , but struggle when playing certain euphony genres . The tuning is in reality quite good depending on the birdsong , but this Zenbook is beg for another set of driver to inflate certain part of the soundstage .
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
When listening to Glockenbach ’s “ Brooklyn , ” the powerful vocals pack center microscope stage while the electronic instruments fell behind . The bass tonus were punchy but much too absent and certain tones became puddle and chintzy as they arise in complexity . Simpler ballads like Frightened Rabbit ’s “ 400 clappers ” were a pleasant listen despite a rather offputting falseness to the midrange and a qualified Georgia home boy volume .
Upgrades needed
On to the webcam , and the Zenbook once again bring in mediocre district . 2022 has welcomed a unfeigned push to make 1080p a received resolution ; sadly , the Zenbook S organic light-emitting diode was n’t cc’d on the grouping e-mail . The 720p webcam housed in the slender top bezel is fine by today ’s standards but could — please technical school God get this be true — shortly look antediluvian .
The video I shot on this laptop computer was good enough for the flying group discussion call but I ’d resort to my trusty Logitech C920 for job interviews or when speak in a practical conference .
OLED isn’t a battery death sentence after all
Perhaps the best thing about the Zenbook S 13 is its farseeing stamp battery life . Until now , opt for an OLED video display think of sacrificing runtimes . I was , therefore , awestruck when the Zenbook S 13 OLED live for 11 hours and 10 minutes on our battery test , which consists of video playback with the screen set to 200 nits . That is long than the Swift 5 ( 8:39 ) and the Yoga 9i ( 8:41 ) but ca n’t match the MacBook Air ( 14 60 minutes ) .
Should you buy the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED?
Yes . When I return the Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode , it will feel as if I ’m lose a trustworthy companion . all right , I ’m being melodramatic , but the point is that I ’ve seldom fear send back a recap unit as much as I am this Zenbook . Though it does n’t of necessity bring major instauration to the tabular array , the Zenbook S 13 organic light-emitting diode sense like a modern , cutting off - bound simple machine that showcases some of the best engineering — namely an OLED display and Ryzen 6000 CPUs — within a featherweight chassis . And against all odds , the S 13 OLED can last an entire working day , or in my case , the duration of a transcontinental escape .
Asus is only a few ingredients away from make this recipe even more luscious . Something as simple as upgrading to a 1080p IR webcam would address what is arguably the Zenbook ’s bighearted fault . If that ’s my main worry , then you make out the Zenbook S 13 OLED is a top - social class product — one that deserves a fundament at the mesa beside the likes of the XPS 13 and MacBook Air .
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Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLEDPhoto: Phillip Tracy/Gizmodo
