The Asus ZenBook 14 OLED Laptop Demonstrates the Potential of AI-Enhanced Computing
Asus is known for its high-end laptops, but the brand now wants to show its efforts in the AI arena, just like every other tech company is doing in 2024. Asus is taking help from Intel to launch the AI PC era and the ZenBook. The 14 OLED is one such model that will benefit from the upgrades on offer. The ZenBook lineup has generally performed well with its premium design, high-quality display, and performance retention.
The company has added durability to the series since 2023, and now all this muscular beauty seems to match the brains provided by Intel’s Ultra processor. We used the laptop for more than a few weeks to see if these Rs 100,000+ Windows laptops have enough to compete with Macs.
Functional planning
Most people would have a hard time telling the ZenBook 14 2023 model apart from this year’s model. The design looks the same, but that’s not a bad thing at all. You have a uni ultrabook with military grade protection. The company claims that the laptop will last for years without much wear and tear.
We didn’t try to test these claims by dropping the laptop, but while using the product we could sense that the durability is hard to doubt. The fact that the ZenBook models have a light body (1.2 kg and 14.99 thickness) means that you have an ideal work machine that can be carried without feeling its burden. That being said, the panel finish could probably use an upgrade as it easily picks up stains as you can see here.
The keyboard layout has been modified slightly to raise the keys, making the typing experience more comfortable, and we can vouch for the improvements after using the 2023 and 2024 models.
Screen update guaranteed
Asus continues to deliver on its promise with its OLED-ify lineup in the country, and the ZenBook 14 OLED is no different. It has a 14-inch touchscreen with 3K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. These numbers come together when you’re watching content and high-resolution videos on a screen that’s bright, vibrant and sharp thanks to color contrast. The OLED panel means that glare is unavoidable, but it seems like a minor drawback compared to the overall benefits.
Artificial intelligence hardware shows its promise
Intel’s AI journey has started with Ultra processors, focusing especially on the Ultra 7 version. Asus offers the ZenBook 14 OLED with 16GB of RAM as a base model, and we decided to see if this version is enough for a primary work machine and more. The definition of AI PC is clear, but the way it can be used is limited so far, and we have to wait for applications that can truly unleash the promise.
However, the AI processor has NPU and few cores which help to keep the battery life longer compared to previous versions. The laptop has all the basic ports you need, including Thunderbolt 4 USB C ports.
The laptop also has some interesting aspects. You get a shutter cover for the camera that offers privacy, but Asus has removed the laptop’s fingerprint sensor to meet the criteria for a Windows Hello laptop.
Improves battery life
And finally, it is important to highlight the advantages of the low-power cores of the ZenBook 14 OLED, which have increased compared to its predecessor. We’re not sure if it’s the AI or the new architecture, but the laptop can easily last more than 10 hours on a single charge without you having to make any major changes to your settings. We got the laptop to run three movies in a row at 60 percent brightness.
