Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED wants to redefine thin and light laptops
Just 1cm thick and 1kg on the scales
Asus is no stranger to svelte and skinny laptops, having been among the first manufacturers to launch an Ultrabook (back when those were a thing) with the original Zenbook. The new Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED carries on that legacy, being an incredible 10mm thick and weighing in at 1kg, yet packing in plenty of high-end hardware.
That includes 13th-gen Intel Core i7 CPUs, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 storage. The 10-core i7-1355U processor is a 15W chip good for 5GHz peak speeds, but a bespoke Performance profile lets it draw 20W for sustained desktop muscle when required. Intel also supplies the graphics with an integrated Iris Xe GPU. Everything is powered by a 63Wh battery, which Asus claims can deliver more than 14 hours of portable use. A 30 minute charge should be good enough for a 50% refuel, too.
The highlight has to be the 2880×1800 resolution OLED display, which has a 16:10 aspect ratio to squeeze more content onscreen – making it ideal for work as well as entertainment. It has a 120Hz refresh rate for silky smooth scrolling, 100% DCI-P3 colour coverage, and a peak 550 nits brightness. A set of Harman/kardon certified stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos should be a handy pairing for mobile movie nights.
The Zenbook S 13 OLED is made from magnesium aluminium alloy and lands in a choice of Ponder Blue or Basalt Gray colours. To keep the dimensions in check Asus has used a 25% slimmer keyboard than the previous generation Zenbook 13: the layout has been tweaked slightly, but still uses full-size keys. That also made more space for the touchpad, which has grown by around 10% over the outgoing model. The glass sheet has been given an anti-fingerprint coating, so shouldn’t smudge the instant you start swiping.
Despite the slim measurements, there’s still room at the sides for full-size HDMI 2.1 and USB-A ports, along with two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone port. You can expect super-fast Wi-Fi 6E inside, and a 1080p IR webcam for Windows Hello biometric security.
Asus is also making a big deal about its environmental improvements over last year’s effort. The firm’s plasma ceramic aluminium finish is a more eco-friendly alternative to anodised aluminium that doesn’t use any acids or heavy metals, yet is even more scratch- and stain-resistant. The entire carbon footprint is more than 50% lower, and even the box can be refolded to live a second life as a laptop stand.
The Asus Zenbook S 13 will hit the UK and Europe in the coming months, with prices set to start from £1500.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor