Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you come across a laptop that leaves you speechless. And for which the only word that comes out of your mouth is simply “Wow”. That’s the reaction I had when I first opened Asus’ Zenbook 14 Flip OLED, worth €1,210.
It has, by far, the nicest OLED screen I’ve seen all year. Some have come close to this level of visual quality, but this laptop stands well above the rest, in my opinion.
When I first turned the device on, I was greeted with an explosion of color. I was amazed at how beautiful they were. This richness of color is the direct result of several factors. The Zenbook 14 Flip covers the entire DCI-P3 color gamut with a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1.
Reproduce the level of detail our eyes can see in life
This figure is remarkable because it allows the 14-inch screen to reproduce the level of detail that our eyes can see in everyday life. The display is so clear that I can see every pixel on the screen. They look like fish scales pressed together.
As you can imagine, watching content on this laptop is second to none. The glow it offers is fantastic. But of course, you can’t enjoy a good movie without good sound, and this computer has what it takes in its trunk. The Harman Kardon audio brand provides powerful speakers whose performance is further enhanced by the Dolby Atmos system. The result is an immersive sound bubble that engulfs you.
I tested the laptop by watching a few episodes of the Netflix anime Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, a series that gives pride of place to colorful gore. The rainbow of zombie bodies flooded my eyes with its saturated hues. The backgrounds are vibrant.
The trackpad may be a little small for some people
And the speakers delivered details I hadn’t noticed before. For example, I heard zombies gurgling in the background that I didn’t know existed. A truck speeding down a street in one scene seemed to be coming from outside my apartment. And the jingle of a piece of samurai armor sounded realistic.
Of course, the Zenbook 14 Flip is not limited to its screen or its audio performance. The keyboard is nice and roomy, taking up a large portion of the bottom half. The trackpad may be a little small for some people. It is limited in height, but it is quite wide. As the name suggests, the touchscreen can be flipped completely backwards, transforming the laptop into a tablet. What I found interesting is that the hinges that connect the two parts of the machine are not fragile. On the contrary, they are robust.
As cool as the Zenbook 14’s flexibility is, I wonder about the possible damage. Folding the screen places the keyboard outside, so you’ll have to pay attention to what’s around it. The case is made of aluminum, which gives it a form of solidity and lightness: it weighs 1.4 kg.
Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET
For an everyday work and entertainment laptop, this setup is perfect
When it comes to other internals, the Zenbook 14 Flip won’t win any awards. It is equipped with a 13th generation Intel Core i5-1340P processor and an Iris Xe graphics card. The RAM is pegged at 16GB, which is enough for most casual and some demanding tasks.
For an everyday work and entertainment laptop, this setup is perfect. I don’t recommend it for most creative activities, however. The screen would be perfect for drawing or work requiring accurate colors, but I don’t see the use of this laptop for high-level 3D graphics rendering or video editing. It just doesn’t have the power it needs.
Not everything is limited on this side, however. The storage capacity is 512 GB, which is a good amount for a work laptop. Battery life is around eight to eight and a half hours before you have to plug the charger back in, which will last you through the day. It’s even equipped with a decent number of ports: a USB-A input, two USB-C inputs, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. I expected ASUS to only install a single USB-C port for charging and leave it at that, so I’m pleasantly surprised that the company decided to include all five ports.
ZDNET’s purchasing advice for the Zenbook 14 Flip
If you are looking for a laptop to accompany you for business or during your entertainment times, I don’t think you can get better than this machine. I really enjoyed my week using the computer and would definitely recommend it to others around me.
However, there are several configurations. To find from the manufacturer Asus itself on its site or on those of commercial sites where we found the same configuration as that of the laptop tested here. Priced at €1210. Among the competition, there is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano, whose screen is a little worse and which has fewer ports. I defy anyone to find me a $1,210 computer that has the same value as this one.
I honestly think the Zenbook 14 Flip has the potential to become my favorite laptop of the year. At least he’s in the top 5.
Source: “ZDNet.com”