At first glance, we wanted to go very far together. Normal, it’s an ultraportable. Asus, during the press presentation, immediately stuck this label, “1 kg, 1 cm” on the back of its new high-end Zenbook S13 OLED PC, to draw our attention to its light weight and thin thickness.
Ph. Moctar KANE/Zdnet France
Another thing that caught our eye was its design. The screen is covered with “ceramic plasma aluminum”, a material obtained, the manufacturer told us, by immersing the metal in a special bath through which electricity passes. The result is a surface that would be very resistant to wear and corrosion. Surprising, to the touch, we really have the impression of being in contact with ceramics. It’s very pleasant, we are far from the usually cold contact of a metal.
Ph. Moctar KANE/Zdnet France
Like other current competitors, the Asus Zenbook S13 OLED incorporates the latest and thirteenth generation i5 and i7 processor (depending on configuration). The graphics card, from the same founder, is dedicated, it’s the Iris Xe, but certainly the machine is not dedicated to gaming. This does not deprive it of a top-of-the-range OLED screen and in addition of a definition of 2880×1800 pixels and a high gamut (capacity of reproduction of the variety of colors) of class DCI-P3. Logically, in order to guarantee full ultraportability, the storage is completely in SSD, up to the capacity of 1 TB in the higher version. For a maximum of 32 GB of RAM in the highest configuration too.
The connection is also top notch, since the USB-C sockets (placed side by side to the left of the keyboard) are Thunderbolt 4. There is obviously an HMDI socket (2.1). The other USB port, type A, is on the right, very close to the audio jack. And on the wireless side, in addition to Bluetooth, the machine will be able to communicate with the top of the range of Wifi 6E standard routers.
A very mobile ultramobile
After having checked its weight (1048 g) and its thickness (between 15 mm at the top, 11 mm at the bottom), we wanted, for this grip, to embark the beautiful machine, to make it move. We took her by train, by metro. Started making her work. In connection sharing with a smartphone, we had it download and install a browser, Firefox.
We started surfing and working in a mobile situation, in public transport. In the backpack, indeed, it is a featherweight. Very nice surprise, the typing of the keyboard. Not only are the keys also very pleasant to the touch, but they respond very well to the percussion of the fingers. All the text of this article is written on the keyboard of this Asus Zenbook S13 OLED. Only downside, only annoying defect of this keyboard, it is its Enter key.
It is relatively small and above all it is long, it has the same useful height as all the other keys. When you are in the habit, whether on a Mac or another PC, of hitting a higher Enter key, it creates a problem. This is how many times, too often, the finger went to hit the key
placed just above… Very annoying. Maybe in time we will get used to it and accept this flaw.
Ph. Moctar KANE/Zdnet France
Like the nose on the face of a famous literary character, this Zenbook has a very large touchpad. Overall it’s comfortable, even if it’s not worth that of a Macbook.
Ph. Moctar KANE/Zdnet France
Packed up
In short, this tour in town and on public transport partially validated the ultraportability qualities of this Asus Zenbook S13 OLED. A little word all the same on the screen. Several years ago, there were, especially for professionals, many more matte screens on laptops, which had the advantage of reflecting less light and therefore reducing the quality of the display. So, like many other laptops, this Zenbook also has a brilliant display. On which was reflected the artificial light in the wagon. Imagine in the sun!
Otherwise, in the absence of stray light, the display of images, both photos and 4K videos, is remarkable! What a contrast! The depth of black, typical of OLED panels, is present. A treat overall for what is actually the reproduction of colors.
The sound sent by the loudspeakers, located at the front, on one side and on the other of the chassis, is also remarkable, for its great clarity, especially in the reproduction of the treble. Too bad there aren’t a few more low frequencies.
Ph. Moctar KANE/Zdnet France
Ph. Moctar KANE/Zdnet France
A quick word on the packaging of the Asus Zenbook S13 OLED: it is completely recyclable and made of cardboard, including the handle of the box. There are two pieces of cardboard used to wedge the computer. The good idea is that each of these elements is a support on which the laptop can be placed (at an angle). Certainly, on a smooth surface, the assembly slides easily. It’s a bit gimmicky, but it can help.
This grip does not allow us to know if the Asus Zenbook S13 OLED will be sufficiently resistant to the shocks and wear imposed by the ultraportable computer function. The manufacturer claims that its machine has undergone 12 tests of the military standard MIL-STD-810H without specifying which ones. The question should be explored.
In terms of autonomy, it is mentioned that the Zenbook S13 OLED can work 14 hours in video streaming. On our side, roughly speaking after at least 7 hours of work on the computer, Wifi activated, there were about 31% of batteries left. Which would give at least 10 hours of battery life, at a minimum. A minimum for an ultraportable that wants to be seen. Overall, the overall rating at the end of this grip is very satisfactory. Nice machine, good machine. The Asus Zenbook S13 OLED does not lack air or asset, even if it is expensive. But wouldn’t it still be the PC capable of competing with Apple’s ultraportable?
Technical specifications of the Asus Zenbook S13 OLED
- Processor: Intel Core i7 1355U or i5 1335U
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
- Screen: Lumina OLED 13.3”, 16:10 format with 2880×1800 pixel definition, at 550 nits and DCI-P3 standard
- RAM: 32 GB
- Storage: PCIe Gen 4 SSD up to 1TB
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home/Pro
- Wired connectivity: 2 Thunderbolt 4 type USB-C sockets, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 type USB-A socket, an HDMI 2.1 socket and an audio Jack socket.
- Wireless connectivity: Wifi 6E, Bluetooth up to 5.2
- Touchpad: 12.9cm x 8.1cm
- Camera: Full HD
- Battery: 63Wh
- Power supply: adapter (with USB-C socket) 65 W (5V~20V in voltage input)
- Weight: 1048 g (on the scale) Price
: from 1800 €.
- Highlights of the Asus Zenbook S13 OLED
- The dimensions
- The weight
- Touchpad comfort
- Keyboard typing
- The very high quality of the OLED screen
- The right connection
- The clarity of sound
- The very beautiful design
The all-cardboard packaging, as well as the two supports
- Weaknesses of the Asus Zenbook S13 OLED
The shape and size of the Enter key