Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED Review: Dripping with features and value

OLED everything! This has been the mantra that Asus has stuck to since 2021 for its entire lineup of non-gaming notebooks. The OLED treatment along with a clever choice of powerful AMD processors and improved build quality make Asus’ ZenBook lineup one of the most desirable Windows laptop lineup in the country. And adding to that portfolio is the updated Asus ZenBook 14 FLIP OLED — a convertible Windows laptop that packs is almost everything you can think of. In fact, those looking for a Dell XPS 13 could be tempted to try this out.

On paper, the ZenBook 14 Flip OLED is a great laptop. The unit that I got for the review came with the top-of-the-line AMD Ryzen 9 5900H CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 2.8-inch OLED display, and Windows 11 pre-loaded. This one will set you back by Rs. 1,34,990, which is some price considering a lifestyle Windows notebook. But is it worth that price? To find out, I used the ZenBook 14 Flip for a few weeks and here are my observations penned down.

Asus ZenBook 14 Flip Design

Similar to the previous ZenBook Flip models, the updated model doesn’t change much to its design and build quality. You still get a slim notebook with sleek edges and smartly designed sides that cleverly mask the ports and overall bulk. In that slim profile, you get all the basic ports such as a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with support for display / power delivery, an HDMI 2.0b port, a 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, and a Micro SD card reader.

Despite the all-metal construction and a glass display, the ZenBook 14 Flip weighs only 1.4Kg, which translates to a featherweight laptop. The Jade Black finish looks and feels luxurious, and the well-appointed keyboard deck with the large trackpad is spacious and comfortable to work on. Note that the Asus ScreenPad resides in the trackpad, which means you get a virtual Numpad — a clever way to utilise the limited space of this 14-inch laptop.

Asus ZenBook 14 Flip Display

Being a convertible laptop, this is bound to have a touchscreen display and Asus has given it the very best of its kind. You can choose from a LCD and OLED panel on this model. Mine came with the 14.0-inch, 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, a 90Hz refresh rate, up to 550nits peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, Display HDR True Black 500 certification. In layman’s English, this means you get a very colour accurate and lively display on this laptop. Hence, whether you are doing basic computing stuff or watching movies, the experience is great on this display. The high contrast and boosted saturation make it a pleasure to work on this laptop.

Asus ZenBook 14 Flip Performance

Those concerned with performance on this ZenBook 14 Flip won’t be disappointed at all. This Windows 11 laptop runs fast and fluid. Whether I was subjecting it to my regular office workloads, or using it on weekends to catch up with my Netflix and Hotstar, the ZenBook 14 Flip kept its cool and handled all the loads with ease. On the busiest of days, the laptop was able to handle up to 12-13 Google Chrome tabs with ease, while it ran MS Word and WhatsApp in the background.

The reason behind this swift performance is the AMD Ryzen 9 5900H processor paired to 16GB RAM and 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD storage. There’s no dedicated graphics card but you get an integrated AMD Radeon graphics. This doesn’t make it a gaming laptop but if you want, it can do some basic gaming with ease. In fact, I was able to play F1 2021 with low-medium graphics settings at 1080p resolution with 30-40 fps.Asus ZenBook 14 FLIP OLED

The ZenBook 14 Flip OLED all gets a decent pair of stereo speakers. The harman/kardon speakers are decent for watching videos but the lack of volume and a decent soundstage.

Lastly, with its 63Whrs battery, the ZenBook Flip 14 OLED can manage up to 7 hours of battery life under regular office workloads. I would have liked to see the laptop breach the 10-hour mark considering the price of this laptop but considering the Ryzen 5000 series processor, this is on par with expectations.

Verdict

The Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED is a great option for someone who wants a premium Windows convertible laptop experience. The 14-inch 2.8K OLED display and the Ryzen 9 5900H processor certainly make for compelling reasons to consider this over its rivals from Dell and HP at this price. The overall build quality as well as the choice of I/O ports add to the appeal as well.

However, Asus is launching this laptop at a time when the AMD Ryzen 6000 series processors are making their way to high-end Windows laptops. Hence, investing this much money into a laptop offering a last-gen processor does not seem sensible. Asus could have offered this laptop with the latest generation Ryzen 6000 series processor.

On the whole, those seeking a great viewing experience and fast performance with a solid build and design should check out the Asus ZenBook 14 Flip OLED once.