The Asus Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode has been one of my favorite laptopsto recommend for budget under $ 1,000 . It ’s one of the few that has comparatively few compromises despite its low-priced toll .
In 2024 , Asus has brought an update model with Intel ’s latest Meteor Lake Core Ultra chips , making it among the first you may buy . This new model is n’t quite the same value , switch to Intel from AMD and maxing out the conformation , but it remains a strong competitor among thebest 14 - inch laptopsyou can purchase .
Specs and configurations
Asus has just one configuration of the Zenbook 14 OLED ( 2024 ) usable , and it ’s a second of an impractical one . Priced at $ 1,300 , it come with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H , 32 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , Intel Arc artwork , and a 14 - inch 3 kilobyte OLED display . The previous Zenbook 14 OLED start at just $ 700 , with a more ingress - level configuration of 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of computer storage .
While this new Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode may stand for a minor cost increase , it remains an affordable pick to some competitors . The newfangled Dell XPS 14 , for lesson , start at $ 1,699 despite come with half the RAM and storage . However , it can be configure with fast components for more money , include a discrete GPU . TheApple MacBook Airis less expensive at the low end , $ 1,099 for 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD , but ramps up to $ 1,899 for 24 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD .
That stool the Zenbook 14 OLED 2024 an attractively - price laptop computer by comparison , but without entry - storey configurations presently useable , it ’s not quite the deal that the 2023 model represent . We can hope that those cheaper model will come finally , but Asus has not sustain this in public as yet .
Design
Asus has created a distinct and attractive aesthetic with its late laptop , boast sleek , minimalist lines and a geometrical design on the show with a subdued logo in the recession . The 2024 Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode maintains that invention in a Powder Blue color strategy , and it ’s a good - look laptop . The Apple MacBook Air is a little more elegant , and the Dell XPS 14 is a little more futuristic , but the Zenbook holds its own .
The same is lawful with its build quality . The all - aluminum chassis is upstanding , while remaining light at 2.82 pounds , and the hat is incredibly stiff . That compare to the MacBook Air , which has a solid chassis but a eyelid that ’s a bit waxy . It ’s surprising to say that the Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode might even be a more solidly built laptop . The Zenbook is n’t as incredibly thin as the MacBook Air , which come in at 0.44 inches compare to the Zenbook ’s 0.59 inches , but the MacBook is almost as heavy despite having a smaller video display .
The Dell XPS 14 has a show that ’s half an inch larger , and it has slender bezel than the Asus — although the Zenbook ’s bezels are quite slim compare to some other 14 - column inch laptops — but it ’s thicker at 0.71 inch and a pounding great .
The Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode enjoys a keyboard with magnanimous keycaps and ton of spatial arrangement , and its switches are tripping and spanking with batch of travel . I find it quite comfortable for longer typing session , and while I still favor Apple ’s Magic Keyboard , the leeway is pretty thin . The Zenbook ’s keyboard is good than theHP Spectre x360 14‘s version , and I have n’t judge out the new XPS 14 . Asus also designs the hinge to prop up the build slightly in the rear , making for good flow of air and a more ergonomic typing angle .
The Zenbook ’s touchpad is a mechanical edition , though , while some of its competition — including the MacBook Air , the XPS 14 , and the Spectre x360 14 — is move on to tactual touchpads . The Zenbook 14 OLED ’s touchpad is fine as far as mechanically skillful touchpads go , but it ’s a fiddling disappointing in 2024 . Also , Asus dropped the NumberPad 2.0 lead numeral keypad that was present in the previous generation . That will be dissatisfactory for act crunchers . Interestingly , the showing is pen - enabled , and Asus let in an active pen in the loge — an odd choice for a grapple laptop .
Connectivity is hearty , with a mix of modern and legacy ports . Many laptop , including the MacBook Air and XPS 14 , are Thunderbolt 4 - only . Dell does let in a microSD card reader , while the Zenbook does not . In addition , Asus is only proffer Wi - Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 , whereas the Intel Meteor Lake chipset defend Wi - Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 . The Spectre x360 14 plump for the cutting - boundary wireless technology , although it will likely be some time before Wi - Fi 7 is wide fend for .
The webcam is a 1080p version , which has become the new banner . It has an infrared camera supporting Windows 11 Hello facial recognition , which work well in my testing . As with other laptops using the Meteor Lake chipset , Asus gasconade the AI processing capabilities yield by the new Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) , such as better performance tuning . Unlike Dell and HP , Asus has n’t offer much information yet on precisely how much AI functionality will be supported by the NPU .
Performance
The Zenbook 14 OLED 2024 uses Intel ’s latest 14th - gen chipset , specifically the 28 - watt Core Ultra 7 155H , with 16 cores ( six Performance , eight Efficient , and two Low Power Efficient ) and 22 threads . We ’ve tested three laptops with the same chipset , so our sample sizing is limited . So far , the Core Ultra 7 155H slots between the 28 - watt 13th - gen Core i7 - 1360P and the more power - thirsty 45 - watt Core i7 - 13700H.
The Zenbook is the faster of the three laptops we ’ve tested , though , particularly when its carrying out mode is engaged . In that mode , the Zenbook is as fast as laptops like the Zenbook 14X OLED with the Core i7 - 13700H and the HP Pavilion Plus 14 with the Ryzen 7 7840U. That makes it a very fast laptop computer for the most demanding productiveness substance abuser . The Zenbook is also faster than the MacBook Air , which is presently deposit on the M2 chipset . That will alter when the MacBook Air is upgrade to the young M3 .
It only has Intel Arc graphics , though , which are libertine than the premature - gen Intel Iris Xe graphic but not as fast as an entering - point discrete GPU like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 . That means the Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode wo n’t be as fast in originative program program that can utilise a more sinewy GPU . And it wo n’t be a very good laptop computer for gamers .
Battery life
Intel ’s Meteor Lake chipset is intended to cater better efficiency while being more muscular . So far , the termination have been assorted , and the Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode does n’t do much to elucidate matters .
The Zenbook handle seven hours in our web browsing test , a lilliputian less than average and below the HP Spectre x360 14 , which lasted an hour longer . But it hit almost 14.5 hour in our television iteration test , intimately an hour and a one-half longer than the HP . Neither score keeps up with the MacBook Air M2 , a class leader by a full gross profit margin .
It ’s possible that Intel needs to clean up the firmware it ’s providing to manufacturers , and we ’ll eventually see better battery life in more CPU - intensive tasks . The Asus has a 75 - watt - hour barrage fire , which is a lot for a 14 - inch laptop , and a high-pitched - resolution OLED showing . These are n’t big battery life results , but they ’re not slap-up , either . The Zenbook likely wo n’t last near a full day ’s work unless your workload is very faint .
Display
In a veridical twirl ( not ) , the Zenbook 14 organic light-emitting diode ’s exhibit is excellent , with bright and dynamic colors and inky black out of the corner . I ’ve been queer by reviewing so many fantabulous showing recently .
agree to my colorimeter , this is a distinctive OLED show , meaning it has very spacious coloration at 100 % of sRGB , 98 % of AdobeRGB , and 100 % of DCI - P3 , with brilliant accuracy at a DeltaE of 0.70 ( less than 1.0 is consider excellent ) . Its black levels are perfect , promising incredibly deep direct contrast , while its brightness of 387 nits is solid for an OLED panel . The OLED control panel is n’t as bright as the mini - LED displays on recentMacBook Pros , but you ’ll still savour significantly better HDR television than with IPS panels , thanks to the incredible dividing line .
The Zenbook ’s video display is , therefore , a great choice whether you ’re a productiveness user , a creator ( minus higher GPU performance ) , or a media consumer .
Audio is o.k. , with two down - firing speakers provide enough volume to satisfy my small post with just a tinge of overrefinement . Mids and highs were clear , but there was n’t enough basso to handle rumbling detonation or mystifying voices . You ’ll want a dyad of headphones for music and action pic and television appearance .
An excellent laptop, but not as good a value
The 2024 Zenbook 14 OLED leveraging Intel ’s former chipset to provide fantabulous productivity operation with a very self-coloured habitus and an spectacular OLED display . It ’s a very upstanding choice for a 14 - inch laptop computer if you are n’t a creator who needs a distinct GPU .
At $ 1,300 , the Zenbook is a good economic value but not a cracking one . But here ’s the catch — you may desire to wait and see if Asus launch a tinny configuration . This is believably not a laptop you ’ll take 32 GB of RAM for , and if Asus eventually roll out a 16 GB model , that ’ll be the one to purchase .
