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The initial reviews of the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED laptop came out a couple of months ago. I’ve left it until now to offer my thoughts for two reasons.
Firstly, I’ve only just been able to get my hands on a review unit and, secondly, I wanted to give it a proper try-out against the 13-inch MacBook Air.
Some context: I’m a massive MacBook Air fanboy. Huge. Irritatingly so; I’m one of those Mac guys Windows people laugh at.
But when I heard about the world’s lightest and slimmest OLED laptop, I had to check it out. Putting my misgivings about Windows and its eternally grey-walled, corporate number-crunching banality to one side, could this little marvel from ASUS tempt me away from macOS?
Spoiler: it doesn’t. Obviously. But I’ve made some fascinating discoveries along the way.
Specs and pricing
The Zenbook S 13 OLED is powered by the 10-core Intel Core i7-1355U, clocked at 1.7Ghz. The machine I was sent included 16GB of RAM (which can be configured up to 32GB) and a maximum 1TB of storage.
On graphics duties is the Intel Iris Xe, and the system is beefed up with both Dolby Vision and Atmos compatibility. As for the OLED display, it measures 13.3 inches, sports a resolution of 2880 x 1800, has a 16:10 aspect ratio, 60Hz refresh rate and DCI-P3 colour.
This is also the most eco-friendly Zenbook ever, thanks to a chassis made from post-industrial recycled aluminium, a keyboard cover made from post-industrial recycled magnesium-aluminium alloy, and the use of ocean-bound plastics for the speakers.
Everything is powered by Windows 11 Pro, and the spec I’ve just quoted weighs in at £1,499 currently if you buy directly from ASUS.
What I love about the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (as a Mac user)
There’s a lot to love about this Zenbook S – I’m not surprised that it scored so highly in those early reviews.
Firstly, there’s the price. This thing is £250 cheaper than a comparably specced 13-inch MacBook Air. In a world where everything seems to cost more than it once did, that’s important.
There’s also the size and weight. Although it’s roughly the same dimensions as the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, the Zebook somehow feels even more portable than Apple’s effort. That might be in part due to the weight (the ASUS weighs 2.2 pounds versus the MacBook Air’s 2.7 pounds) but there’s just something about this Zenbook’s form factor which is unbelievably tuned for serious travel.
I like the lid, too. It’s made from plasma ceramic aluminium that’s exclusive to ASUS. We’re promised top-notch wear resistance, thermal management, and corrosion protection, and due to the way they’re manufactured, no two lids are the same.
The port situation is also rather lovely. There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI port, and even a USB-A port. That’s endearingly old-fashioned but refreshing for the port-deprived MacBook Air owner.
The Zenbook S 13 OLED also features facial recognition for device security (I’m a big fan of that) and a 180-degree hinge, which feels somewhat useless for yours truly, but I’m sure will be a highlight for those who share their screens a lot.
But the crowning glory of this laptop is its display. It is beautiful – obviously; it’s in the product name. And ASUS is understandably making a big deal in its marketing efforts about the fact this is the thinnest OLED laptop on the market. The result is a crazily portable device with a display that feels every bit as premium as the price tag suggests it should.
What I DON’T love about the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (as a Mac user)
Now for the downsides if you’re considering this laptop having experienced the joys of a MacBook Air.
Firstly, it has cooling fans. They’re not super loud, and the Zenbook S 13 OLED doesn’t get particularly hot, but they do spin up now and again seemingly for no reason, and that is grating if you’re coming from the deafening silence of MacBook Air land.
Then, there’s the build quality. The Zenbook S 13 OLED doesn’t feel cheap, but when compared to the MacBook Air, it is noticeably less premium. I’m willing to give it a pass here, though, because those green credentials do hold a lot of weight, and the materials used on the Zenbook are doing all they can to support ASUS’s efforts in that regard.
The battery isn’t on par with the MacBook Air, either. Don’t get me wrong – the 63Wh unit in the Zenbook isn’t far off, and if you’re after in-depth battery tests, you’ve come to the wrong place. But trust me, the MacBook Air just feels like it has more stamina in everyday use and I definitely charge it less frequently than the Zenbook.
The trackpad is also unsatisfying to use. Compared to the mind-bindingly clever haptic unit on the MacBook Air, the Zenbook’s is clunky and frustratingly easy to accidentally drag windows around with.
Lastly, there’s the obvious: Windows itself. As I’ve explained on numerous occasions previously, I used to be a die-hard Windows user. I spent most of my youth and early twenties using that operating system. But when I eventually got my first Mac and experienced the joy of using macOS every single day, I never looked back. By comparison, Windows remains bloated, slow, convoluted, and as clunky to work your way around as the aforementioned trackpad.
However, my distaste for Windows shouldn’t cloud my judgement of the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED, because that’s just me being an annoying Mac fanboy.
Conclusion: is it a MacBook Air replacement?
For me, no. Obviously. I’m far too entrenched in the Apple ecosystem to make the switch, and I genuinely hate Windows.
But if those two things weren’t an issue, I’d buy the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED in a heartbeat. This is a beautifully constructed laptop with a simply stunning display. It’s a joy to look at, and carry around, and, despite the lower-quality materials on offer (when compared to the MacBook Air), it offers great value for money.
If your budget is big enough and you want the most portable, satisfying Windows laptop with a simply gorgeous display – I couldn’t recommend the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED highly enough. Go buy it.
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