The year 2022 marks a significant milestone in the history of ASUS as 25 years ago, ASUS launched its first laptop, the P6300. That same year, two ASUS P6100 laptops were chosen for the MIR Station, which lasted 600 days in space with zero defects.
In commemoration of that event ASUS launched its newest breed of premium Zenbook OLED laptops consisting of the Zenbook 14X OLED (Space Edition), Zenbook 14X OLED, Zenbook 14 OLED, and the Zenbook 14 Flip OLED. These productivity devices are equipped with world-leading technology, innovative features, an all-new modern look and powered by the 12th Gen Intel Processor.
I’ve always been interested in getting a laptop with an OLED screen, so I was quite excited when our friends from ASUS sent over the Zenbook 14X OLED (UX5401) for us to review.
As its name suggests this stylishly compact laptop comes with a 14-inch OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3, a Pantone Validated panel, and a 12th Generation Intel Core i7 H-series processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics, promising a speed of up to 2.7x faster than the previous generation.
Here’s our unboxing and first impressions on the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED (UX5401)
UNBOXING:
The Zenbook 14X OLED arrived in a black box with the ASUS branding and swirl design on top. It has a plashandle which doubles as a lock to the box as well. Lifting up the lid reveals the Zenbook laptop which also rises thanks to a unique cardboard platform at the bottom. On the right is a a compartment that contains the power cable while on the left is another compartment where you’ll find the charging adaptor.
Removing the laptop you’ll find a warranty card and user guide underneath. Look at the box cover and you’ll find a free laptop sleeve.
BUILD AND DESIGN:
Unlike the usual black shade, the Zenbook 14X OLED comes in Pine Grey color which is usually associated with peace and wisdom with a sense of pondering. In reality this gives it a classy calm, professional and stylish look accentuated by the eccentric spun-metal finish on the lid.
The ZenBook 14X OLED retains the series thin profile with a chassis that measures only 15.9mm thin. It is made of aluminum making it still lightweight at around 1.30kg. This small and light profile makes it easy to fit in your bag and be carried all day wherever you need to do some work.
Despite its size you get a full-sized keyboard that doesn’t feel to cramped. ASUS ErgoSense keyboard and touchpad are engineered to enable an unrivaled input experience that’s in harmony with how you move, feel and touch. The full-sized 19.05 mm key pitch is the same as a desktop keyboard you can type with comfort and accuracy.
The 0.2mm key-cap dish meanwhile is designed to match the shape of your fingertips and the smooth-edged indetnt is carefully crafted for a comfortable yet precise feel so your fingers will be guided to the ideal contact point with keys. Lastly good tactile feedback is important to let you know that your key press has been registered. The long 1.4mm key travel is just right to let you type without having to use too much force.
The ErgoSense keyboard has an incredibly satisfying feel, with the optimum bounce and travel calculated with fine-tuned precision. While scrolling via the touchpad is smooth thanks to a special low-friction coating that’s also fingerprint resistant.
This is my first Zenbook so I find the integration of the Number Pad into the touchpad a very cool and ingenious concept. NumberPad 2.0 makes it a dual-function touchpad with an integrated LED-illuminated numeric keypad. Even when NumberPad is activated, the touchpad can be used for cursor control. As for the fingerprint scanner, just like many laptops, it shares the same space as the power button.
Unique however is its “ErgoLift Hinge that tilts the rear of the laptop slightly when opened to make typing more comfortable. It also allows you to position the screen 180-degrees should you need to share content with your colleagues around the table.
The Zenbook 14X OLED is packed with all the I/O ports you need for easy connectivity to your devices and peripherals.
There are two ultrafast Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports support that support fast charging, 4K UHD external displays and up to 40 Gbps data transfers, and there’s also an HDMI port and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port alongside a microSD card reader. For communications and audio there’s an audio combo jack.
DISPLAY AND SOUND:
Lets start off with the audio first since it blew me away. The Zenbook 14X OLED has a Dolby Atmos stereo sound system that’s certified by the audio experts at Harman Kardon.
Yeah I know that Dolby Atmos certification is just about everywhere, but the Zenbook 14X OLED puts to shame my other laptops making them sound like a tinny transistor radio compared to a pricey bluetooth speaker. It delivers powerful, immersive sound that’s crystal-clear, with the multi-dimensional soundscape of Dolby Atmos.
My partner actually thought I was using a separate speaker while I was watching YouTube on the ZenBook. There is depth and bass making your viewing and listening experience even more immersive. The volume-enhancing, distortion-suppressing dual-channel smart amplifier is equipped with a powerful DSP chip that can drive the twin speakers at the maximum volume possible while preventing long-term damage to the sensitive speaker voice coils. If you love watching movies on your laptop you don’t have to reach for your fave earphones to enjoy great sound.
Now for the headline feature of this laptop–the display.
Simply put the display is amazing. Hands down one of the best displays I’ve seen in a laptop.
The 16:10 2.8K UHD OLED NanoEdge display on Zenbook 14X OLED delivers stunningly detailed and realistic visuals, with ultra-vivid colors. With a cinema-grade 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, colors reproduced on the display are richer and more vivid.
This makes it ideal for color-intensive projects, and also enhances any kind of content.
ASUS OLED laptops maintain a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut at both high and low brightness levels, compared to a standard LCD laptop where the color gamut is reduced dramatically at low brightness levels.
The four-sided “Frameless” NanoEdge Display likewise gives you a bigger workspace, with the side bezels measuring 3 mm while the top bezel measures just 5.86 mm and the bottom bezel a mere 8.02 mm.
Asus also mentioned PANTONE Validated color accuracy, and TÜV Rheinland-certified eye care protection. We know that Blue light can cause visual discomfort and disrupt sleep quality, but due to the nature of the special organic lighting materials in an OLED display, ASUS OLED laptops emit 70% less harmful blue light.
PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is equipped with Intel’s 12th Generation Alder Lake-based CPU and our unit has an Intel Core i7-12700H processor and 16GB RAM.
In the first days of our testing, everything was running smoothly but we’ll have to see once we install some more programs games and applications.
As for the battery it comes with a 63Whr battery that should last for around 7 hours doing light work and at least 4 hours when used to watch movies and play games. You don’t have to worry though as charging only takes about an hour.
INITIAL VERDICT
So far, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is living up to the hype and the perception of the series–both in terms of looks and its performance. We’ll be running some benchmarks to further test it and I’ll be sure to include the results when our full review comes out in the Business Mirror.
The ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED is now available at a starting price of PhP 74,995for the Intel Core i5-12500H and PhP 89,995 for the Intel Core i7-12700H model.
You can get them through ASUS’ official Lazada and Shopee flagship stores as well as their concept stores and participating retailers nationwide.
