Asus just announced the ZenBook S 13 OLED and the Zenbook Pro 15 Flip OLED, finally bringing some competition to the Apple’s latest MacBook Pro lineup.
Asus announced two new laptops to join the Zenbook family, which is known for its ultra-portability and low bulk build at a digital press briefing attended by Trusted Reviews. Both come with OLED panels, with one featuring a hinge, meaning it can be used as a tablet or a traditional laptop.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the Zenbook S 13 OLED and the Zenbook Pro 15 Flip OLED.
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED
This laptop can be configured up to Ryzen 7 6800U processor and comes with AMD Radeon integrated GPU. This laptop isn’t built for gaming, but the processor should allow for speedy productive and creative work, based on our experience testing similarly specced products.
It weighs 1kg and is 14.9mm thin, with Asus claiming it is the lightest 13-inch laptop in the world. The magnesium-aluminium alloy unibody should be robust and durable, making it a great choice for on the go workers. We’ll test this when we get it in for review.
It comes with up to 16GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 1TB PCle 4.0 SSD, as well as a 16Wh battery that should last for 19 hours, according to the company. The RAM and premium SSD should let it do key things, like open apps, load files and games very fast.
The 13.3-inch screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 2.8K OLED panel, which Asus claims have a 0.2ms response time. The resolution sits at 2880×1800 with 100% DCI-P3 coverage and Corning Gorilla Glass to prevent the screen from scratching. The DCI-P3 coverage is a direct pitch to creatives. This is because higher DCI-P3 coverage is a solid indicator how accurately the screen is rendering colors, compared to how they will look when printed and displayed in the real world. This a market traditionally dominated by the MacBook Pro. The current MacBook Pro 14-inch, which we awarded a perfect 5/5 score when we reviewed it last year.
The NanoEdge design means the bezels are slimmed down, which should make for a great experience while binging Netflix, even if the refresh rate is slightly disappointing, at 60Hz. As a rule we like any gaming laptop to have at least a 120Hz refresh rate. Refresh rate refers to how many images per second a screen shows, a higher figure is good for reaction based tasks, like gaming, as it reduces the gap between each new frame appears.
This laptop features the Asus Ergonomic keyboard as well as the ErgoLift hinge, which allows you to rotate the display 180-degrees, which could come in handy if you’re using the laptop at an awkward angle.
There is also the NumberPad 2.0, which is Asus’s LED-illuminated numeric keypad that sits on top of the touchpad when enabled. There is no Thunderbolt 4 support here, but three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports as well as a headphone jack.
The Zenbook S 13 Pro OLED comes in four colours: Ponder Blue, Refined White, Vestige Beige and Aqua Celadon.
Asus Zenbook Pro 15 Flip
The Zenbook Pro 15 Flip features the same 2.8K display with 2880×1620 resolution as the Zenbook S 13. But this laptop comes with a 15.6-inch display and has a refresh rate of 120Hz.
As the name implies, the Pro 15 Flip features a hinge that allows it to be bent back and used as a tablet, thanks to its touchscreen. It comes with a 12th-Gen Intel Core i7 H-Series processor, alongside 16GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD.
In terms of the GPU, it packs an Intel Arc A370M graphics card, which means that users should be able to play most games at 1080p, though it won’t be able to compete with dedicated gaming laptops with AMD or Nvidia parts.
This laptop supports the new Asus Pen 2.0 and has a single-zone RBG keyboard. Asus didn’t give any information on the battery life, but we will be sure to update this article once we find out.
In terms of ports, there are two Thunderbolt 4 inputs, an HDMI 2.0 connection, a USB-A port and a headphone jack.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
