Asus Zenbook 14 OLED review: An affordable laptop with great battery life

The vacation procuring season is at all times a wonderful time to purchase a brand new Windows laptop computer, however buyers trying to spend in 2023 appear particularly spoilt for alternative. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402 tries to face out from the pack with an AMD processor and OLED show. It principally succeeds, although its CPU and GPU efficiency fall behind some options. Read on to be taught extra.

Looking for extra choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops in the present day.

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Specs and options

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor. It has eight cores and 16 threads, which appears like lots, however purchaser beware: it is a rebadge of the older Zen 3 structure, not the Zen 3+ or Zen 4 structure present in dearer AMD-powered machines.

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7730U
• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5
• Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics (built-in)
• Display: 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Webcam: 1080p 
• Connectivity: 1x HDMI, 2x USB-C 3.2, 1x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm audio, 1x MicroSD card reader
• Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
• Battery capability: 75 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 12.35 x 8.69 x 0.67 inches
• Weight: 3.06 kilos
• MSRP: $869.99

Asus despatched me the full-fat model of the Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402, which pairs the Ryzen 7 7730U with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB strong state drive for $869.99. An entry-level mannequin with AMD’s Ryzen 5 7530U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB strong state drive is on the market for $699.99. I count on that mannequin to considerably lag the efficiency of the variant I examined, however the inexpensive configuration retains the OLED touchscreen. 

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Design and construct high quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

Asus’ Zenbook laptops, which as soon as stood out thanks to their flashy “concentric circle” design, went again to fundamentals in recent times. That’s a bit disappointing. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402 doesn’t look unhealthy, however it doesn’t look nice, both. It’s simply one other black laptop computer with a delicate metallic luster when the sunshine hits it excellent.

Whether the design is enticing is subjective, however it results in extra tangible issues. The laptop computer’s lack of texture makes it troublesome to determine the laptop computer by contact and extra more likely to slip out of your fingers. Asus consists of a big rubber foot alongside the bottom-front fringe of the chassis, no less than, which offers a grip when selecting up the laptop computer from the entrance.

The ho-hum design is a disgrace, as a result of the Zenbook 14 has an edge over its friends in construct high quality. The chassis makes use of thick metallic throughout the outside to beef up rigidity, and it really works. Display flex is minimal and the laptop computer feels rock-solid when dealt with from a nook or edge. Most options from Acer, Dell, and HP endure extra show wobble, and those who use a plastic chassis usually permit seen flex when held by one nook.

The Asus’ dimension is sort of equivalent to options just like the Lenovo ThinkBook Gen 6, Acer Swift 14, Dell Inspiron 14, and HP Pavilion Plus 14. All of those laptops use skinny show bezels on three sides to attain a slim, svelte profile just like older 13-inch laptops. Weight is an identical story, although the Zenbook 14’s 3.06 kilos of heft does place it in direction of the lighter finish of the spectrum of sub-$1,000 laptops. It’s straightforward to slot in a backpack or messenger bag, and also you’re unlikely to note its presence as soon as stowed.

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Keyboard, trackpad

My fingers instantly discovered a snug move throughout the Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402’s keyboard. While some keys (resembling Tab and Backspace) could possibly be bigger, the alphanumeric keys are straightforward to search out and have good spacing between them. There’s loads of house alongside the palm relaxation, too, which makes the keyboard snug to make use of for hours at a stretch. 

Key journey isn’t as spectacular. There’s wholesome key journey and a great sense of key activation, however the bottoming motion feels imprecise. It works, however it’s not crisp, and it’s one side of the laptop computer that doesn’t really feel as premium because it might. 

Asus’ touchpad is typical for a reasonable Windows laptop computer. It measures nearly precisely 5 inches throughout and roughly three inches deep. That’s sufficient house to make use of most multi-touch gestures comfortably, although the depth felt a bit limiting whereas scrolling.

The touchpad serves double-duty as a numpad, a characteristic the Zenbook 14 shares with many Asus laptops. A protracted press of the numpad icon on the touchpad prompts a backlight which shows numpad keys. 14-inch laptops aren’t bodily giant sufficient to incorporate a numpad, so this characteristic is a bonus over Asus’ rivals, however it’s not an alternative choice to an actual touchpad. 

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

Asus was fast to undertake OLED panels once they turned extra extensively obtainable in 2021, and the Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402 isn’t any exception. It has a 14-inch OLED touchscreen with a decision of 2880×1800 and HDR help. 

It’s a beautiful show that punches properly above the Zenbook 14’s modest price ticket. OLED’s successfully infinite distinction ratio offers deep, convincing shadows that draw your eye into the show. That’s paired with top-notch colour efficiency and a large, vibrant colour gamut. 

The show appears nice on the Windows desktop, and in day-to-day productiveness apps like Word, however actually stands out in leisure like Netflix or your favourite PC sport. Content creators may even discover lots to love within the show’s colour gamut, which achieves 100 p.c of DCI-P3 and 94 p.c of AdobeRGB. It’s appropriate for all kinds of novice {and professional} content material creation.

Sharpness is one other perk. The show’s decision of 2880×1800 works out to roughly 243 pixels per inch. That’s greater than a MacBook Air 13 and vastly outperforms rivals that keep on with 1080p or 1200p decision (which pack  in roughly 160ppi). Small fonts are straightforward to learn and high-definition video appears crisp.

Brightness is the one notable draw back. The Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402 achieved a most SDR brightness of 357 nits. That’s sufficient for snug use in most conditions, however the show’s shiny end permits important glare. The show is tough to view in a vivid room or outdoor on a sunny day.

HDR is supported and performs fairly properly for a price range laptop computer. I measured a most sustained brightness of 549 nits in HDR, which is a big enchancment over SDR and sufficient to offer some sense of added element in HDR movies and HDR video games. It could possibly be higher, however bear in mind: it is a sub-$1,000 laptop computer. I’ve examined $1,000 displays with much less spectacular HDR. 

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

Asus crams a 1080p webcam within the Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402’s high bezel. It achieves a crisp picture with good colour replica, but additionally permits loads of noise into the image. The result’s usable for video conferencing however can seem grainy and busy. 

I used to be even much less impressed by the microphone. It recorded my voice with ample quantity however had a hole, compressed high quality. I additionally observed the microphone’s noise rejection decreased the amount of my voice once I tilted my head too far-off from the middle of the show. 

You’ll discover a fingerprint reader constructed into the ability button. It’s a handy and fast different to typing in a password or PIN however, like most fingerprint readers, it’s unreliable in case your finger is barely moist or soiled. Cheeteo followers needn’t apply. 

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

USB-C offers the majority of the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402’s connectivity by a pair of ports on the laptop computer’s proper flank. Both help USB Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate mode, which means each can be utilized to cost the laptop computer or hook up with an exterior show. The laptop computer ships with a USB-C energy brick to cost the laptop computer by these ports.

The Zenbook 14 additionally had an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a microSD card reader. It’s an inexpensive vary of connectivity, although I might have preferred to see one other USB-A port. Ethernet is lacking, however that is typical for a lot of laptops offered in 2023—and Asus offers a USB-A to RJ45 (Ethernet) adapter within the field.

Wireless connectivity consists of the most recent Wi-Fi commonplace, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. Support for each is boilerplate for a contemporary laptop computer at any value level, however it’s good to see Asus doesn’t reduce corners right here. Wi-FI efficiency was strong in my testing with no surprising dropouts.

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Performance

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402 I examined had AMD’s Ryzen 7 7730U processor, an eight-core, 16-thread processor with a most Turbo Boost pace of 4.5 GHz. It’s paired with 16GB of reminiscence, a 512GB strong state drive, and built-in AMD Radeon Graphics with eight Compute Units.

These specs set the stage for a showdown between AMD and Intel. The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED, which I reviewed a number of months prior, shares many specs with the Zenbook 14 UM3402 however as an alternative equips Intel’s Core i5-13500H. The two are equally priced, as properly (the 14X OLED has an MSRP of $799, whereas the 14 UM3402 is $869.99).

IDG / Matthew Smith

PCMark 10, a holistic system benchmark, turns in a good rating of 5,812. That simply outpaces the Zenbook 14X OLED with an Intel Core i5-13500H, which solely scored 5,089. However, there’s an vital caveat. The 14X OLED solely has 8GB of reminiscence, and this does appear to hurt its rating on this benchmark. The Zenbook 14 does very properly right here, however it’s not clear if AMD’s Ryzen 7 7730U deserves the credit score.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Cinebench R20, a closely multithreaded CPU benchmark, once more locations the Zenbook 14 OLED mid-pack with a rating of 4,289. This time, nevertheless, the Intel-powered different squeezes forward with a rating of 4,724. I discovered this a bit shocking, as Intel’s Core i5-13500H has simply 12 bodily cores—4 lower than AMD’s competitor.

IDG / Matthew Smith

It’s an identical story in Handbrake, the place the Ryzen 7 7730U turns in a comparatively lackluster efficiency. It required over 31 minutes to transcode a 1080p film from .mp4 to .mkv utilizing the H.264 codec, which is sort of two minutes longer than the Intel-powered different. The AMD-powered Zenbook additionally lands fairly in need of different small laptops although, to be truthful, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9, Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, and HP Dragonfly Pro are dearer.

The CPU benchmarks present the Ryzen 7 7730U is a succesful processor, however does fall a bit in need of Intel’s Core i5-13500H. It additionally tends to underperform the Intel Core i7-1360P. This doesn’t sink the Zenbook 14’s forturnes, as this degree of efficiency is ample for a sub-$1,000 laptop computer. 

Why is that this the case? It’s as a result of the Ryzen 7 7730U is constructed on AMD’s older Zen 3 structure, not the Zen 3+ or Zen 4 structure present in more moderen AMD chips. Don’t get me unsuitable: the Zenbook 14 OLED feels a lot quick whereas searching the net or working in Microsoft Office. However, buyers hoping to snag superior CPU efficiency on a price range ought to contemplate another.

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Zenbook 14 falls brief in graphics efficiency, too. That might sound unusual given the hype behind AMD’s built-in Radeon graphics however, as soon as once more, the small print matter. The Ryzen 7 7730U depends on AMD’s Vega GPU structure, which is now a pair generations old-fashioned. It additionally has simply eight Compute Units, 4 lower than the 12 Compute Units present in top-shelf Ryzen cell processors. 

Real-world video games battle, too. Shadow of the Tomb Raider was unplayable at 1080p settings, because it achieved a median of simply 15 frames per second (FPS) even with element set to Low. Reducing the decision to 720p improved efficiency to a barely-passable 31 FPS however, even then, the sport took prolonged detours beneath 30 FPS.

Put merely, the Zenbook 14’s graphics efficiency is poor, and it makes the laptop computer a nasty alternative for PC players.

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Battery life

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UM3402 combines a power-sipping Ryzen 7 7730U processor with a surprisingly giant 75 watt-hour battery. That appears like a recipe for robust battery life—and it’s.

IDG / Matthew Smith

I noticed a wonderful 15 hours and 20 minutes of endurance in PC World’s commonplace battery take a look at, which loops a 4K file of the brief movie Tears of Steel. That’s nearly 5 hours longer than the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED with an Intel Core i5-13500H processor!

This is a light-load take a look at, and I might usually count on real-world battery life to be a bit shorter (10 to 12 hours of common Microsoft Office productiveness and internet searching is truthful). Still, because the graph exhibits, the Zenbook 14 clearly outlasts many rivals.

The Zenbook 14 OLED’s portability is additional enhanced by its tiny 65-watt USB-C energy charger, which measures simply 2.25 inches huge and an inch thick. It’s straightforward to toss in a bag and, when you do overlook it, the laptop computer could be charged by all kinds of USB-C energy adapters. 

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: Should you purchase it?

Asus Zenbook 14 UM3402 is a strong entry into the sub-$1,000 laptop computer enviornment. It feels extra sturdy than many rivals, packs a beautiful 14-inch OLED touchscreen, and achieves over 15 hours of battery life. These perks are hampered by mediocre CPU and GPU efficiency, boring design, and a mediocre touchpad. Whether it’s for you is determined by your priorities. Those looking for battery life and a stupendous show ought to completely snag it, whereas buyers targeted on efficiency ought to move it by.