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For its new machine (or the refresh of its Zenbook 14 OLED that we tested here, a matter of point of view), Asus is teaming up with Intel to offer a PC 100% powered by the American brand. The promise here is to offer a PC that would be more powerful than its predecessor, but also have an overall greater autonomy.
To verify this, we tested this ultrabook Asus Zenbook 14 OLED from 2024, in its UX3405M version, equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 32 GB of RAM, a touch screen and a 1 TB SSD of storage.
Available immediately, the configuration we tested is priced at 1799.99 euros. There is also a version without touch screen and with 16 GB of RAM for 1499.99 euros.
Asus is taking advantage of this new version to slightly improve the design of the Zenbook 14, which loses weight, size and overall bulk. Thus, the new 2024 version of the Zenbook 14 measures 312 x 220 x 14.9 mm, for only 1.2 kg, a real featherweight that we can take away without feeling it as a constraint.
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© Presse-citron < p>The premium quality felt about the design of the machine is undeniable, even if the air vents located under the PC still seem a little thin to offer complete confidence in the resistance of the Zenbook in the face of possible pressure. If the possibility of opening the hinge 180° had previously unimpressed us with its lack of usefulness, the fact of having a touch screen here offers new perspectives for this rather interesting functionality to be as close as possible to the screen .
The quality of the keyboard typing is still there, with greater stroke than on other usual chicklet keyboards, we will also appreciate the fact that the keyboard is backlit with 3 possible levels.
As for its touchpad, Asus offers an original functionality supposed to replace the touchpad which is not included on this 14-inch Zenbook. By pressing the calculator icon for 1 second, a numeric keypad appears on the touchpad. In practice, this turns out to be the best possible compromise for a PC that does not have a numeric keypad, a rather clever feature.
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Our biggest regret about the Zenbook's design surely concerns its connectivity. The new Zenbook 14 offers on its right edge an HDMI port, a headphone jack and two USB-C ports with which it is possible to charge the machine. The left edge only offers 1 USB-A port, where we would have liked at least another USB-A port or an SD card reader which can be very useful in the ultrabook category.
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© Presse-citron < p>The presence of the two USB-C ports only on the right edge means that it is obligatory to pass your cable there to charge it, which is not always the most practical, to quibble a little.
That's it, the long-awaited moment for Intel fans has arrived, the first computers equipped with processors based on the Meteor Lake architecture are here. Asus gets the ball rolling with its Zenbook 14 equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, with an Intel Arc graphics part with much more power than the previous generation.
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We tested Team Fortress 2 on the Zenbook 15 equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7735U with the video settings pushed to the maximum on its native resolution to obtain an average of 80 FPS in game. Here, superior performance is felt with an average of 160 FPS under the same conditions! Suffice to say that the performances are truly the appointment. During our use of the Zenbook, no programs such as Photoshop or Lightroom posed any problems for the Intel Core Ultra 7, a real pleasure to use.
The stunning aspect is that this performance gain is also accompanied by a gain in autonomy, the new Intel processor making a point of being the less energy consuming as possible. With its 75 Wh battery, our tests reveal an autonomy of 7 to 8 hours of office use such as word processing, internet browsing with the brightness of the screen at 100%, the same for the keyboard backlight.An excellent result which will allow you to work all day without necessarily having the charger nearby.
In this working environment, we will appreciate its golden silence when browsing the Internet, since the fan does not need to start in this type of condition. Overall, the Zenbook 14 has good heat management, also benefiting from the large size of its pads which raise the machine.
Asus persists in the OLED path with a magnificent touch screen with a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels with a glossy finish. This 2024 version also offers a refresh rate of 120Hz , ideal for gaming with games that are not too demanding. Not much to add on this OLED panel which remains quite similar to what was done on the Zenbook 14 apart from this higher refresh rate. The screen calibration still seems just as accurate, and it's a feast for the eyes.
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© Presse-citron < p>As for the audio part, the Zenbook 14 has quite powerful sound with acceptable bass for an ultrabook, surprising for the small size of the computer and its thin thickness. On the other hand, the speaker openings are not particularly well placed, being located at the bottom. Thus, the sound is more muffled than it could be with better placement of these.
Equipped with the latest processor Intel Core Ultra 7, the 2024 Zenbook 14 OLED is one of the best in its category. A magnificent OLED panel, a good alternative to the numeric keypad, decent sound, the ability to play low-power games in excellent conditions and its extended battery life makes it a must-have.
We would have liked to have one or two more ports on the left edge of the machine, but this new Zenbook is still a PC of choice for those who would like to work without the fear of quickly falling through the cracks. This Asus model shows us the possibilities offered by Intel's Meteor Lake architecture, and indicates a bright future for it on future laptop models.
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