The Asus ZenBook 13 is an ultraportable laptop that is very light, powerful, and bright. It has the latest AMD Ryzen processors and a beautiful HD OLED display, but its Radeon graphics don’t perform as well as Intel’s Iris Xe, and it makes some unfortunate trade-offs with its ports.
The lid of the Zenbook S 13 OLED has the new stylized Asus logo, which I like despite (or maybe because) it looks like the Star Trek symbol. But it doesn’t have the pattern of concentric circles that so many other Zenbooks do.
Specifications
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz
- Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD
- Weight: 2.43 pounds (1.1kg)
- Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.59 inches (296.2 x 210.8 x 14.99mm)
- Battery: 67Whr
- Display: 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED touchscreen, 0.2ms response time
- Wi-Fi: Dual-band Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) 2×2 LAN
Where to buy ASUS ZenBook 13 Laptop?
Instead, the lid is a matte colour called “Ponder Blue,” which is a dark blue that looks black in some lighting. This colour scheme is used all over the laptop, with the only bling coming from a new chrome bar that connects to the chrome hinges and runs along the back of the chassis. The Zenbook S 13 OLED looks conservative because its lines are simple and straight.
The chassis of the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED is made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy, which helps keep the laptop’s weight down to just 2.2 pounds (with the touch version coming in at 2.43 pounds). Even though that is a strong alloy, the Zenbook’s lid could be bent with enough force, and the keyboard deck had a little bit of give. It’s not a big deal, though, and the laptop feels solid overall.
The XPS 13 is a little less deep than the Zenbook because its display bezels are smaller all around and its screen-to-body ratio is more than 90%. The Zenbook has an 89% screen-to-body ratio because its bottom chin is a little bigger. But they are both small and light enough to carry around.
In terms of specs, this is the same as the previously reviewed ZenBook 14 UX425JA. It has the same Intel Ice Lake processor, type of RAM, and storage. Everything except the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. To get inside, you have to take off the back panel, which is held on by two Torx screws you can see and two Philips screws that are hidden behind the rubber feet on the back.
Like the 14-inch model, the SSD is right next to the CPU and heats up to average levels when used every day, when playing games, and when storing data.