ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED Review – Compact Yet Powerful

Unboxing the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED

Kicking off the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED review with the unboxing, there are two primary boxes with the outer cardboard one holding the laptop and accessories boxes. The inner box has a cool wave pattern to it, giving it a touch of class. After taking out everything, you should be able to find the following items:

• 65W charging brick
• UK plug adapter
• USB-C cable
• USB-C to USB-A adapter
• ASUS Pen 2.0
• Protective carrying case
• MyASUS leaflet
• User guide
• Quick start guide
• The ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED laptop itself

Specifications

CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (8C/16T, 2.7GHz, boost up to 4.7GHz, 28W TDP)
RAM	16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz
Graphics	AMD Radeon iGPU
Storage	1TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 Performance SSD (Samsung PM9A1)
Connectivity	3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support display / power delivery 1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack
Display	13.3″ 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED 16:10 aspect ratio, 0.2ms response time, 550nits HDR peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 1,000,000:1, VESA CERTIFIED Display HDR True Black 500, 1.07 billion colors, PANTONE Validated, Glossy display, 70% less harmful blue light, SGS Eye Care Display, touchscreen with stylus support, 89% screen-to-body ratio
Audio	Smart Amp Technology Built-in speaker Built-in microphone harman/kardon (Premium) Cortana and Alexa voice-recognition support
Power	67Wh 4-cell lithium-ion battery 90W Type-C power adapter
Dimensions	296.7 x 210.5 x 14.9 mm
Weight	1.1 kg

Performance

Starting off the benchmark suite with CrystalDiskMark, you can see that they really meant it when they said “Performance SSD” in the specifications. The speeds are quite high up there and it’s great. In case you’re wondering, it’s the Samsung PM9A1.

In Cinebench R20, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U powering it is showing great numbers but I personally feel that it’s not displaying its full potential just yet. I say that mostly because the laptop does heat up quite a bit, and thermal throttling was present as I looked deeper into it. Regardless, it’s still pretty solid figures nonetheless.

The ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED doesn’t have a strong showing in Unigine SuperPosition’s 4K Optimized benchmark. This shouldn’t be a surprise as it only has an AMD Radeon iGPU, and you’d need a discrete GPU to have anything better than that.

A similar pattern can be seen in 3DMark Time Spy, albeit not as bad as most other laptops with just an iGPU has noticeably lower scores. Either way, do temper your expectations if you plan on gaming with this laptop.

On an overall level, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED is a pretty solid as seen in PCMark 10, with its weakest point being digital content creation. If it had a discrete GPU, we would see a significant boost across the board but in all honesty, this is pretty good for what you’re getting.

Lastly for battery life, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED is rather decent as it lasted 9 hours and 10 minutes (550 minutes) in PCMark’s Modern Office endurance test. It does well on standby time but the battery drains noticeably as you continue using it, not to mention the heat. I’d say it’s reasonable enough but if you plan on bringing it out with you, do bring a charger along unless you’re not gonna use it much.

If you want something with two screens instead, check out our review of the ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED by clicking right here.

The Good

The ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED is a 13-inch laptop that is very lightweight. Unsurprisingly, it’s strongest point is its portability because at just 1.1kg, it really feels like you’re not really adding weight to your bag. You can just chuck it in a small bag and forget it’s even there. Thanks to its magnesium-aluminum build, it manages to be this light and still have great build quality.

Another major highlight is the OLED display, which is capable of showing some really punchy colours. If you want something more vibrant for creative work or media viewing, this is a pretty solid choice. The added benefit of touchscreen with stylus support and 180° ErgoLift hinge (which also improves airflow) makes it even better. Keep in mind that this does come with ASUS Pen 2.0, so creatives will enjoy this right out of the box.

As far as laptops without a discrete GPU goes, the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED is one of the strongest laptops we’ve tried so far. Benchmark figures aside, it’s really fast and works smoothly for me overall for the most part. The use of the Ryzen 7 6800U and DDR5 RAM certainly helps a lot.

Lastly, you get a decent-sized keyboard with short travel distance that can give you a comfortable typing experience. Furthermore, the use of ASUS’s Numberpad feature ensures that you won’t be missing anything despite using such a compact laptop. I can’t emphasize enough how well-spaced the keyboard is given how small it is. Just be mindful that the arrow keys are really small but it’s not a dealbreaker.

The Bad

There isn’t really much to complain about the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED, but it does have some drawbacks you need to be aware of. For starters, the laptop does heat up quite a bit, and it can get a bit uncomfortable to use. If there are any sudden slowdowns or battery drain issues, this is likely the cause. And yes, thermal throttling is present during the benchmarking process from our tests.

The other issue is the ports as it only comes with three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports and a combo audio jack. You will likely need to bring adapters to make full use of it. I would have given it a pass if it came with at least one USB-A port just for the mouse. Do remember that this isn’t Thunderbolt, so keep that in mind if you’re buying a USB hub.

ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED Verdict

The ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED is a great laptop, and there isn’t much bad things about it either. If you’re looking for a lightweight laptop with high performance capabilities, then look no further. Anything more than that and you will need to find one with a discrete GPU.

At the end of our ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED review, I award this laptop with our Silver Pokdeward.

Big thanks to ASUS Malaysia for sending us this laptop for the purpose of this review.