Asus ZenBook S14 OLED review

Well, Intel’s answer to Qualcomm’s rapid momentum in the laptop world is this – this Asus ZenBook S14 OLED with Intel’s latest x86 architecture processor. The processor family is called Intel Core Ultra 7 200 series and the one inside this laptop is the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V. It’s Intel’s premium laptop chip for thin and light laptops and it’s hella efficient at running cool and fast for much longer than anything Intel has made before this.

Here’s the kicker, it doesn’t outright beat the Apple MacBooks and Qualcomm Windows laptops that have 18 or more hours of battery life but the Intel is close. Very, very close to the competition in terms of battery life. We clocked 13 to 15 hours of screen time with our regular email, writing and video conferencing use. We also were able to use all of Adobe’s software on this laptop unlike the Qualcomm laptop which we reviewed a few months ago. InDesign and other applications run smoothly and don’t sap battery as quickly as the Intel chips of yore.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V is also a SoC (system on chip) design which means your RAM, GPU and controllers are baked into a single chip. Yes, you won’t be able to upgrade the RAM in the future so it’s best to pick a 16GB or a 32GB RAM size based on your workload before pulling the trigger. In exchange, you get reduced latency within the system and it’s quite evident when you use the laptop.

The Intel ARC GPU has improved as well and it’s actually the real reason to pick the Asus ZenBook S14 OLED. Gaming is better, video renders are quicker and the overall power draw has reduced but performance is better. The Intel maintains a strict line of power draw to reduce your visits to the plug point. In our testing the PC never went above 35W while playing games. In regular office use, this thing is casually sitting at a 18W or lower power draw. The stronger iGPU along with unification of RAM and controllers onto one chip also make this very capable for creative tasks like moving photos and videos from our GoPro to Premiere Pro and Lightroom. We would open and shut the lid like the MacBook Air. Which is to say, the Intel chip on this thing runs almost like an ARM chip with solid sleep state and incredible battery management. I don't remember the last time I charged the laptop. It functions as efficiently as an ARM-based laptop.

The SoC has a 16GB shared memory for the Intel Arc GPU and it’s very impressive. Ghost of Tsushima and Sifu run at 45FPS with medium to high settings with Intel XeSS upscaling. We played all our games on FullHD. Like the MacBooks, the Asus ZenBook S14 OLED also runs at full power, when required, on battery. So no matter if you’re video editing or playing games, if the plug point is far away, you don’t have to flirt with it.

I won’t dive into the benchmark metrics because that’s as useful as wearing running shoes inside a swimming pool. There are some benchmarks where the Qualcomm chips outperform the Intel but since everyone uses their laptop with various software, it really boils down to whether your software will work or not work on the Qualcomm laptops. So objectively, the Asus ZenBook S14 OLED with Intel Core Ultra 7 200V processors is a no nonsense laptop that will just work regardless of the software you use and how long you wish to use. Especially when you’re dropping some serious cash for this thing.

The Asus ZenBook S14 OLED states its money’s worth by flaunting a never-before-seen ceramic texture on the lid. Asus says it’s a delicate fusion between Ceramic and Aluminum dubbed Ceraluminum. It’s also US MIL STD-810H military-grade certified which means it can take a few knocks inside your bag. But such elegant beauty must be stored with reverence and hence you also get a nice laptop sleeve in the box.

The overall fit and finish on this laptop can even put Apple to shame. It’s a beautiful laptop and very functional too. Sort of like a fashionista with a swiss army knife, the Asus ZenBook S14 OLED doesn’t skimp out on the port selection. There’s one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports with display support and power delivery, one HDMI 2.1 and one 3.5mm audio jack. Asus has put your money’s worth of design and function into this and the whole thing is Intel Evo certified that means the RAM, storage, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity are top notch meanwhile the support for Windows Hello face recognition is also included. Battery and fast charging speeds are also part of Intel Evo certification and you get a 65W fast charger in the box meanwhile the battery is tested for 10+ hours of use on a single charge.

There are more overarching features also included under the Evo umbrella. Like the quality of the display and stellar viewing angles. The Asus ZenBook S14 OLED passes here with flying colours. Our touch screen variant has a 14 inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED display with 16:10 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh. The 500 nits of peak HDR brightness is good too. The display is also Pantone Validated with TÜV Rheinland-certified. It also has a 100% P3 colour gamut and is VESA certified with HDR True Black. In short, this display is absolutely bonkers. You’ll love looking at it and you might end up downloading Netflix before Microsoft Office on this thing.

The speakers are also good by Asus’ standards. The brand has never been able to completely deliver quality audio like Dell and Apple but this time the clarity and detail are maintained so it doesn’t sound hollow. Although it doesn’t have the same punch in the bottom end and the energy as the MacBook speakers. We wish the speakers were facing upwards inside of the side firing setup.

This is one of the few Windows laptops that I enjoyed typing on. It doesn’t have impressive key travel because it’s still a thin and light laptop but the spacing and the actuation are done incredibly well. Even the trackpad is really nice to use. It also has shortcuts for volume, brightness and video scrubbing on the trackpad edges.

The webcam is not as premium as the Apple MacBooks. The microphone quality is good but the camera could’ve been better. There are a lot of artefacts. The Windows Hello feature also doesn’t work properly if you’re against a lightsource despite the camera having a IR lens too. The camera works 80% of the time to unlock the laptop using your face but in tricky light situations like a flight or low light place you will have to enter your passcode. The highlights are also bloomy in videos during calls.

The Asus ZenBook S14 OLED is a powerful and stylish laptop that offers a compelling blend of performance, battery life, and design. Its Intel Core Ultra 7 processor delivers impressive speed and efficiency, while the stunning OLED display and sleek Ceraluminum chassis make it a joy to use. Though the speakers could be better, the overall package is hard to beat, especially for those who need a versatile machine that can handle both work and play. The ZenBook S14 OLED is a testament to Intel's innovation and a worthy contender in the premium laptop market. Oh, and we finally have an Intel chip worthy of rivalling Apple’s M series chips.