Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED (UM5302) Review: Superb Little Ultralight Laptop

It’s not straightforward to seek out an ultralight laptop computer that also feels sturdy however Asus pulls it off with the Zenbook S 13 OLED. At 1 kilogram (2.4 kilos), the 13.3-inch laptop computer is lighter than the MacBook Air (M1 and M2) — perfect for tossing in a backpack or shoulder bag with no second thought. Regardless of its compact footprint, Asus squeezed in a spacious keyboard and an enormous touchpad that doubles as a quantity pad if you want it. The two.8K-resolution OLED contact show is beautiful for productiveness, leisure and artistic pursuits, too. And though OLED screens sometimes put an enormous harm on battery life, that is not the case right here with the Zenbook S 13 OLED getting greater than 12 hours throughout our streaming video check. 

Total efficiency is robust from its AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor backed with 16GB of quick DDR5 reminiscence and an equally speedy 1TB SSD, maintaining it aggressive with others in its class such because the MacBook Air M2, Dell XPS 13 Plus and Acer Swift 5. (Try the benchmark check outcomes on the finish of this evaluate.) The factor is these parts put out plenty of warmth when the laptop computer will get cranking. Even with the followers blowing full bore, the underside of the Zenbook S 13 will roast your lap. While you want the laptop computer’s full energy, apply it to a desk. 

The ultralight magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis design, the OLED show and high-quality parts imply the Zenbook S 13 is not low cost; the configuration I examined is $1,300 (£1,300, AU$1,661). Take into account the 14-inch HP Pavilion Plus when you do not thoughts buying and selling some further dimension, weight and fewer battery life to save lots of a number of hundred {dollars}. The larger situation is that even if you wish to spend the cash for the Asus, you may not be capable of discover one. As of this evaluate, the laptop computer is listed on Best Buy, Amazon and B&H however solely the final one appears to have inventory. 

Asus all the time does an amazing job of packing some further options into its laptops to assist them stand out. You could be drawn to the sensible and shiny OLED, the 1kg weight and speedy parts, nevertheless it’s issues like Asus’ NumberPad 2.0 that make the distinction. Faucet on the calculator icon within the touchpad’s higher proper nook and a quantity pad seems on the touchpad so you may rapidly enter numbers or bang out a calculation or two. Plus, the software program can inform the distinction between getting into numbers and utilizing it as a touchpad, so you do not have to show the function on and off.

Then there’s Asus’ GlideX app, which mirrors or extends the Zenbook’s show onto an Android pill or telephone, or an iPhone or iPad — wired or wirelessly. Set up the complementary Android or iOS app in your telephone or pill and after a easy setup, your cell gadget is now an additional display screen for the laptop computer. The mirroring possibility makes it attainable to make use of cell apps on the Zenbook’s display screen, too.

The Zenbook S 13 OLED additionally has perform row hotkeys for taking screenshots and immediately killing the built-in mics and webcam to assist defend privateness. Talking of, the webcam is simply 720p as an alternative of the 1080p cams present in most premium laptops now. Nevertheless, whereas it provides you much less element than a higher-resolution digital camera, the general image high quality is kind of good. The audio system sound surprisingly full, too, helped by Dolby Atmos. 

Different good touches embrace a fingerprint reader constructed into the facility, assist for utilizing Asus’ lively pen on the touchscreen and, although the laptop computer solely has three high-speed USB-C, Asus features a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter in addition to a laptop computer sleeve. Even the ultracompact 65-watt USB-C fast-charge adapter is sweet (although just like the laptop computer it will get fairly scorching whereas charging). 

The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED is only a very good little laptop computer. If you would like one thing lighter than a MacBook Air with a large coloration gamut show, good efficiency and battery life and a smattering of handy options, it is a simple advice. This is hoping Asus can get provide up so individuals can extra simply discover it.