ASUS Zenbook Professional 14 OLED evaluate: A robust and well-rounded laptop computer

ASUS Zenbook Professional 14 OLED evaluate: A robust and well-rounded laptop computer

ASUS’ laptop computer division is a busy lot. From laptops that cater to players and enterprise of us proper down to highschool children, the tech firm has a laptop computer actually for everybody. Take their Zenbook 14 Professional OLED that I’m reviewing at the moment for instance: it’s a laptop computer that’s geared towards content material creators and comes geared up with an Intel Core i9-13900H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop computer GPUa 2,880 x 1,800 16:10 OLED touchscreenand a 2TB SSD. This machine is a good alternative for these searching for a mix of portability and efficiency, particularly in case you are into artistic endeavours equivalent to photograph enhancing and 3D modelling.

Oh, and the beautiful OLED show. ASUS appears to be carving out a distinct segment for itself within the OLED laptop computer market, particularly within the business-grade class. Different fashions just like the Zenbook 14 Flip, Zenbook 14Xand ProArt Studio 16 have additionally garnered optimistic consideration for his or her OLED show high quality. Nonetheless, it is price noting that the Zenbook 14 Professional OLED faces stiff competitors, not from one other OLED laptop computer, however from Apple’s MacBook Professional 14. The MacBook, in its 12-core variant, is equally priced and options a formidable 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR show with a 3,024 x 1,964 decision, though it lacks touchscreen capabilities.

The TL;DR model right here is that this: Having personally spent a while with the Zenbook 14 Professional OLED, courtesy of NVIDIA, I can attest to its sturdy efficiency and vibrant show. But, it is not with out its quirks. The OLED display screen, whereas gorgeous, like all OLED screens generally is a battery drain, and the machine does run heat underneath heavy hundreds. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re out there for a laptop computer (that isn’t from Apple) that provides a very good stability of options and efficiency, the Zenbook 14 Professional OLED deserves a spot in your shortlist.

If in case you have 10 to fifteen minutes to spare, why not proceed studying a extra in-depth model of my impressions?

Aesthetics overview

In a market saturated with modern and slim laptops, the Zenbook Professional 14 opts for a extra utilitarian aesthetic. Its angular and industrial design could not win magnificence contests, particularly when in comparison with its extra trendy sibling, the Zenbook 14X. Nonetheless, what it lacks in aptitude, it greater than makes up for in sturdiness. Crafted from aluminium, the laptop computer is powerful, displaying no indicators of flex in both the lid or the keyboard deck, even underneath appreciable stress.

Regardless of its 14.5-inch showthe Zenbook Professional 14 manages to take care of a compact and light-weight profile, measuring 321.8 x 223.9 x 17.9mm and weighing in at 1.65Kg. It additionally boasts the US MIL-STD-810H military-grade normal certificationguaranteeing resilience and giving house owners extra confidence in opposition to bodily shocks and particle ingress.

Relating to connectivity, the Zenbook Professional 14 is well-equipped and has just about each sort of I/O port {that a} content material creator will want. The left facet homes an HDMI 2.1 video output, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 knowledge port and a 3.5mm audio jack. On the best, you will discover two USB-C ports – one with Thunderbolt 4 spec and the opposite with USB 3.2 Gen 2 spec – together with DP Alt Mode Video output, assist for PD charging, and an SD card reader.

After spending a while with the Zenbook Professional 14, it is clear that ASUS has put thought into the person expertise, albeit with just a few caveats. The keyboard, as an illustration, is sturdy, however I believe there can be some (like me) that discover the 1.4mm key journey leaving one thing to be desired. Whereas it is not uncomfortable, it would not supply the tactile satisfaction that you just would possibly count on from a premium laptop computer.

The Zenbook Professional 14’s dimensions do not enable for a numeric keypad, which is not stunning. What’s stunning, nonetheless, is ASUS’ resolution to incorporate half-height arrow keys when there’s clearly house for full-sized ones. On the plus facet, the three-stage white backlighting is efficient, particularly in low-light situations, due to an ambient mild sensor that adjusts the brightness robotically.

The touchpad is one other space the place the Zenbook Professional 14 reveals promise however falls wanting perfection. Measuring 130 x 82mmit presents ample house for navigation and is extremely responsive. Nonetheless, the click-action feels considerably heavy, making it lower than very best for prolonged use.

One distinctive function is the ASUS DialPadactivated by sliding your finger in from the top-right nook of the touchpad. Whereas some could dismiss it as a gimmick, I discovered it to be notably helpful when paired with Adobe Photoshop, permitting for fast changes to settings. Even in its most elementary kind, it serves as a handy option to management system settings like quantity and brightness.

The laptop computer comes geared up with a 1080p webcam that delivers crisp visuals. Nonetheless, it lacks a bodily shutter, a function out there in even among the extra budget-friendly Zenbooks. That is fairly an odd omission and might be some extent of concern for many who prioritise privateness, particularly in a enterprise setting. On the upside, the webcam helps Home windows Hey facial recognition, compensating for the absence of a fingerprint reader.

Gaming & Content material Creation efficiency

The Zenbook Professional 14’s OLED panel is equipped by Samsung and whereas it would not fairly match the MacBook Professional 14’s Liquid Retina XDR by way of pixel density – 234dpi in comparison with the MacBook’s 254dpi – the distinction is hardly noticeable to the bare eye. It is usually protected by a layer of Gorilla Glasslending it a shiny end, and including to the rigidity of the laptop computer’s lid.

The show itself is impressively vibrant, boasting gamut volumes of 171.6% sRGB, 118.2% Adobe RGBand 121.6% DCI-P3. The laptop computer gives the pliability to toggle between 4 color profiles: ASUS’ personal Native and sRGB, DCI-P3, and Show P3. Moreover, the display screen has acquired Pantone validation.

Switching to discrete GPU mode through the MUX change disables the choice to alter color profiles, a limitation attributed extra to Home windows and NVIDIA than to ASUS. That is one space the place the MacBook Professional’s seamless integration has an edge. It’s additionally price noting that the Zenbook Professional 14, as a result of it’s not constructed for peak gaming efficiency, lacks assist for NVIDIA’s G-Sync. Whether or not that is necessary to you or not, is determined by how heavy of a gamer you might be and what sort of video games you play, and whereas the GeForce RTX 4070 is greater than able to working many video games, this laptop computer is constructed extra for the likes of Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Professional than for Counter-Strike 2 or Trendy Warfare.

Outfitted with a 14-core Intel Core i9-13900H processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and NVIDIA Studio drivers powering the RTX 4070 GPU, the Zenbook Professional 14 is a formidable laptop computer. Whereas the RTX 4070 GPU begins with a default TGP of 35Wit may be cranked as much as 110W. Throughout my time with laptop computer, I discovered no cooling points to talk of; even underneath my gruelling 3D Mark GPU Excessive Stress take a look at, the temperature stayed under 70-degree Celsius.

Talking of gaming, I made a decision to run Cyberpunk 2077 with the most recent Replace 2.0 to see the place the laptop computer stands. At 1080p decision with “Excessive” element settings and ray tracing switched on, the sport achieved a constant 68fps with DLSS 3.5 in “Balanced” setting. Shadow of the Tomb Raiderone other of our common take a look at titles carried out at 65fps with DLSS setting at “Balanced” as nicely. These are spectacular figures for a machine that is not primarily designed for gaming and never even utilizing NVIDIA’s Recreation Prepared optimised drivers.

On the productiveness and content material creation fronts, the Zenbook Professional 14 ran the SPECviewperf 3dsmax 3D modelling (Area Clay) benchmark at 93fps whereas scoring 7789 on PCMark 10’s Prolonged benchmark. These are fairly good scores for a 14-inch, 1.6Kg laptop computer.

ASUS claims the the Zenbook Professional 14’s 76Wh battery can last as long as 10 hours in a single cost. In my PC Mark 10’s Trendy Workplace battery benchmark, which imitates the drudgery of the common workplace and artistic job, the laptop computer lasted 8 hours and 11 minutes. It’s not near what ASUS claims, however I do assume that’s adequate for many customers to get their work executed in a day with out having to lug the 200W energy brick alongside.

Impressions

In my hands-on expertise with the Zenbook Professional 14, I discovered two variants to contemplate: the RTX 4070 (UX6404VI) and the RTX 4060 (UX6404VV). The previous, which I had the chance to check (a reminder that this unit got here from NVIDIA), is a sku that’s not out there for buy in Singapore (I don’t see it on the ASUS e-store nor at native retail shops). The latter, curiously, is, for S$2,996 at Harvey Norman. The important thing distinction aside from the GPUs is that the native sku comes with 16GB of reminiscence and 1TB SSD storage. Given the minimal efficiency hole in non-gaming duties between the 2 GPUs, the RTX 4060 mannequin might be the extra good choice for native shoppers.

Now, if you happen to’re prepared to half with that type of cash, the MacBook Professional 14 can also be inside attain. It boasts an extended battery life and a extra vibrant Mini LED show able to superior HDR content material dealing with. Nonetheless, the selection between the 2 is not nearly {hardware}; it is also about your software program preferences. The Zenbook Professional 14 has an edge for players, due to the RTX 40 sequence GPU and its compatibility with platforms like Steam and Xbox Recreation Cross.

In my time utilizing the Zenbook Professional, I discovered its gaming capabilities to be a big benefit, particularly for many who need a machine that may deal with each work and play. Whereas the MacBook Professional 14 could outshine it in sure features, the Zenbook Professional 14 holds its personal, providing a well-rounded expertise for a wide range of customers.