Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (2023) review

Asus releases dozens of laptops yearly, though Zenbook is one among its most established product households. The road started life again in 2011, and it’s been one of many main names amongst skinny and lightweight laptops ever since. 

Properly over a decade later, the Zenbook 14 Flip continues that custom, packing a bunch of premium options into its 1.5kg chassis. However with a beginning value that places it among the many most costly 2-in-1s you should buy, the gadget has lots to dwell as much as. 

Sadly, regardless of loads of positives, it falls simply in need of these lofty expectations. Right here’s our full assessment. 

Design, construct & ports

• Premium matt end
• Nice convertible performance
• First rate port choice

Asus has performed it secure with the Zenbook 14 Flip design, but it nonetheless manages to face out from the group. That’s primarily because of the again of the gadget, which includes a matt end and distinctive angular sample. 

However it is a double-edged sword: it appears nice, notably when catching the sunshine, however fingerprint smudges and grime can rapidly accumulate. You won’t have considered cleansing the again of your laptop computer fairly often, but it surely’s one thing you’ll want to think about right here. 

I actually just like the futuristic design and so am blissful to simply accept it is a trade-off, however not everybody might be as obsessed with it. The impact is extra pronounced on the Jade Black model in comparison with Pine Gray, though the latter doesn’t stand out in the identical method. 

The 14 Flip definitely nonetheless qualifies as an ultrabook, though it’s not as skinny or gentle as I used to be anticipating. A 1.5kg chassis is heavier than loads of 14in laptops, whereas 15.9mm thick is nothing exceptional. 

Nevertheless, there are advantages to those design decisions. The load helps it really feel each premium and sturdy, so it’s no shock to see military-grade sturdiness right here. I didn’t see any indicators of fragility throughout my testing time, and it ought to imply the gadget holds up properly long-term. 

That is notably essential on a convertible laptop computer, the place you’re often bending the display screen nearly a full 360°. Regardless of two comparatively small hinges, the 14 Flip doesn’t really feel flimsy in any respect. There may be barely extra of a wobble than a daily clamshell laptop computer whereas utilizing the keyboard, but it surely doesn’t get annoying whereas typing. 

Deciding towards a razor-thin chassis additionally means there’s room for loads of ports. Each USB-C ports assist Thunderbolt 4 for quick knowledge switch, charging or connecting to an exterior show. 

They’re joined by a full-size HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB-A on the other facet. If I’m being actually choosy, a second USB-A port would’ve been good, however that is sufficient for many conditions. 

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Keyboard, trackpad & webcam

• Spectacular full-size keyboard
• Strong trackpad with digital quantity pad
• Underwhelming 720p webcam

A 14in show means there’s loads of room for a full-size keyboard, and it’s an excellent one. Regardless of comparatively little key journey, I may comfortably use it for a number of hours at a time. Every key feels clicky and responsive.

The keyboard gives three ranges of backlighting. The bottom setting is nice for a room that’s very darkish, whereas the utmost means that you can comfortably see the keys in a lot brighter environments. 

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Disappointingly, there’s no fingerprint sensor on the 14 Flip. It’d be good to have an alternative choice to the Home windows Howdy face unlock, though the latter is comparatively quick and dependable. 

The 14 Flip does have another trick: a digital quantity pad constructed into the trackpad. Activated through a protracted press of the top-right nook, it really works as marketed, however feels pointless and far clunkier than the same old bodily model. General, I discovered the digital quantity pad to be completely pointless, however fortunately, you possibly can simply overlook it’s there. 

Fortuitously, the trackpad is far more spectacular for its regular goal. A big floor space means you possibly can simply spotlight a lot of textual content in a single go, but it stays exact sufficient to pick out very particular areas of the display screen too. As an alternative choice to connecting a mouse, it positively does the job. 

Laptop computer producers are slowly transitioning to supply at the very least Full HD (1080p) high quality, however Asus has let the 14 Flip lag behind. It’s nonetheless frustratingly caught at 720p, and additional burdened by washed-out footage which struggles for publicity. Whereas usable, I wouldn’t advocate this laptop computer to anybody who needs to make use of a built-in webcam for video calls. 

Display & audio system

• Attractive 90Hz OLED show
• Helps contact and pen enter
• Above-average stereo audio system

Show is the place the Zenbook 14 Flip actually excels. It’s a 14in, 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen, giving it the 16:10 side ratio that’s frequent on trendy laptops. 

However a excessive refresh price display screen is much much less frequent. It’s a 90Hz panel right here, though you’ll want to show it on in Settings – 60Hz is chosen by default. As soon as activated, I noticed an instantaneous distinction in fluidity whereas transferring round Home windows 11. All the pieces feels that bit slicker, and I didn’t discover a drop-off in comparison with even quicker 120Hz laptop computer panels. The impact is much less noticeable than on smartphones, although. 

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Even with out this function turned on, the 14 Flip’s show is a pleasure to make use of. Being an OLED, it delivers each wealthy, vibrant colors and deep blacks, making content material consumption really feel genuinely immersive. That prime decision means there’s loads of element, too – I couldn’t ask for far more from a laptop computer show. 

I can’t confirm Asus’s declare of a 0.2 second response price, but it surely definitely feels quick. That’s related for each contact and stylus enter, with the Asus Pen 2.0 included within the field. The latter’s obvious 4096 ranges of stress sensitivity provides you an actual feeling of management, and it’ll be weeks earlier than you’ll want to make use of the USB-C charging. 

The one actual show disappointment is brightness. As much as 550 nits of marketed peak brightness is okay for nearly all indoor environments, however you possibly can overlook about utilizing it within the backyard on a sunny day. 

Audio is surprisingly punchy, regardless of the stereo audio system firing sound from the underside of the gadget. With a formidable quantity of element and an honest hit of bass, the 14 Flip can maintain its personal towards nearly any slim laptop computer. The audio system right here gained’t change devoted audio gear, however they’re nice for watching the occasional movie or TV present – particularly in tent mode. 

Specs & efficiency

• Intel Thirteenth-gen P-series CPUs
• Spectacular on a regular basis efficiency
• No discrete GPU or mobile connectivity

Convertible laptops are sometimes much less highly effective than equal common clamshell gadgets, and that’s the case right here. Efficiency on the 14 Flip is superb, however not fairly high notch.

Whilst you do get Intel’s newest 13^th-gen CPUs, the Core i5-1340P and Core i7-1360P are removed from essentially the most highly effective within the vary. You’ll usually discover P-series chips on skinny and lightweight gadgets, however the H-series is considerably extra succesful. 

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However the greater limitation on efficiency is the built-in graphics. The 14 Flip makes use of Intel Iris Xe slightly than a discrete GPU of any description, making it unsuitable for many content material creation and demanding video games. 

Alongside 8- or 16GB of DDR5 RAM, it could possibly deal with nearly each different common activity, although. My every day workflow consists of a lot of internet shopping, phrase processing, emails and the occasional video – with all usually working on the identical time.

The 14 Flip can deal with all these duties with out breaking a sweat. Mixed with that 90Hz refresh price, it’s an outstanding choice for many on a regular basis conditions.

In benchmarks, the 14 Flip retains tempo with a mannequin of the Dell XPS 13 Plus that’s round £500 dearer. However efficiency is much like each a daily clamshell Zenbook and 4 of the very best 2-in-1 laptops you should buy, all of that are round £200-£400 cheaper within the UK.

You possibly can select between 512GB and 1TB of SSD storage, though the previous might be a lot for most individuals.

There’s nothing exceptional right here when it comes to connectivity, with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5 however no 4G or 5G assist. The choice to remain linked whereas out and about would’ve been good, however you possibly can all the time hotspot out of your telephone. 

Battery & charging

• 75Wh battery
• All-day battery life for most individuals
• First rate charging speeds

Asus describes the Zenbook 14 Flip’s 75Wh battery as “class-leading”, though an analogous capability will be discovered in lots of rivals. 

The excellent news is that this laptop computer delivers above-average battery life that can fulfill all however essentially the most demanding customers. You need to have the ability to get a full working day from a single cost, though it’s value staying close to an influence supply from late afternoon onwards. 

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In our video loop battery check, the gadget lasted a good 13 hours and 18 minutes on a single cost. This merely serves as a measure of display screen on time, because the brightness was set to a comparatively low 120 nits and quantity muted. Nevertheless it means the 14 Flip ranks as one of many longer-lasting laptops we’ve examined. 

In the case of charging, each USB-C ports assist Energy Supply quick charging. Utilizing the equipped energy adapter (Asus doesn’t specify its wattage), I received 34% battery again in half-hour. A full cost took someplace between 1 hour 45 minutes and a couple of hours. Contemplating the dimensions of the battery, that’s fairly good. 

Software program

• Home windows 11 House
• Irritating further software program
• Well timed updates for the foreseeable future

The Zenbook 14 Flip runs Home windows 11 House, and it’s very near the model you’ll discover on Microsoft’s personal Floor gadgets. Nevertheless, the identical will be stated for nearly each Home windows laptop computer, with the software program tweaks nothing such as you’ll see on Android. 

And when it comes to further pre-installed apps, Asus is likely one of the worst. Undoubtedly essentially the most annoying is antivirus software program McAfee, which opts you right into a free trial after which repeatedly bugs you to pay for a subscription. Antivirus pop-ups are notably jarring when the free Microsoft Defender app gives every part most individuals want.

Frustratingly, there are additionally occasional pop-up adverts from the MyAsus companion app. It does at the very least provide instruments for managing show, sound, battery and followers, however isn’t essentially the most intuitive to make use of.

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ScreenXpert is genuinely helpful, appearing as a hub for capturing content material and transferring across the working system. However a lot of the instruments it gives are already accessible elsewhere in Home windows 11, and it in all probability gained’t change the way in which you employ the gadget. 

The bloatware can simply be eliminated, but it surely shouldn’t be there within the first place. 

The remainder of the Home windows 11 expertise might be acquainted to many individuals by now. Frequent updates since launch imply the touchscreen expertise is spectacular, whereas the choice to run desktop apps on such a flexible gadget is nice. It’s removed from excellent, however different shortcomings are constant throughout all Home windows 11 gadgets. 

Microsoft delivers software program updates to all gadgets at roughly the identical time, so that you gained’t have to attend lengthy after common availability. If Home windows 12 arrives as rumoured in 2024, the 14 Flip will nearly definitely meet the {hardware} necessities – even when they’re stricter than Home windows 11. 

Worth & availability

Worth is likely one of the large sticking factors of the Zenbook 14 Flip, though it varies relying on the place you’re primarily based. 

Within the US, solely the Core i5-1340P mannequin with 16GB of RAM is being offered for $999.99. 

Solely the Core i7-1360P model I reviewed might be accessible within the UK, costing £1,499.99. A web page for the gadget is dwell on the UK website, though Amazon is the one confirmed retailer, with availability anticipated later in April 2023.

However at that value, the 14 Flip goes head-to-head with a number of the perfect 2-in-1s you should buy. Most entries in our chart are considerably cheaper, whether or not you’re in search of a convertible laptop computer or pill with removable keyboard.

With the Floor Professional 9 (from $999.99/£1,099), Samsung Galaxy E book 2 360 (from $899.99/£949.99) and Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (from $1,149/£1,198) all delivering related efficiency for much less, the 14 Flip turns into tougher to justify.

The 14 Flip isn’t horrible worth for cash, but it surely’s not a simple buy both. 

Verdict

The Zenbook 14 Flip OLED impresses in lots of key areas, but it surely doesn’t stand out in the way in which you may count on from such a premium convertible. 

Its gorgeous 90Hz OLED touchscreen is an actual spotlight, particularly when mixed with convertible performance and the stylus included within the field. 

The keyboard and trackpad are additionally excellent, regardless of a few uncommon design selections. Battery life and charging speeds are strong, as is the plentiful port choice. 

Nevertheless, spectacular on a regular basis efficiency gained’t translate to essentially the most demanding workloads as a result of a scarcity of discrete GPU or Intel’s most succesful CPUs. You’ll additionally must put up with a poor webcam and annoying bloatware.

Specs

• Show: 14in, 16:10 AMOLED touchscreen, 2880×1800, 90Hz 
• Processor: Intel Core i5-12500H, Intel Core i7-1360P 
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe 
• Reminiscence: 8/16GB 
• Storage: 256/512GB SSD 
• Ports: 2x USB-C (each Thunderbolt 4), 1x USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack 
• Digital camera: 720p front-facing 
• Wi-fi: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5 
• Battery: 75Wh 
• Charging: 65W USB-C (included) 
• Working system: Home windows 11 House 
• Colors: Jade Black, Pine Gray 
• Weight: 1.5kg