a versatile ultraportable powered by Core Ultra

Intel’s new Core Ultra processors are here! And this Asus ZenBook 14 Oled is one of the very first laptop PCs to benefit from it with the promise of high performance, particularly in graphics, excellent autonomy, and AI capabilities.

Meteor Lake. This is the name of the architecture of the new Intel Core Ultra processors dedicated to laptops and mini PCs and officially unveiled today by the founder. On the program, increased performance, better energy efficiency, better graphics thanks to the Intel Arc circuit and a particular affinity for artificial intelligence since the chip embeds two neural cores. An arsenal which, on paper, should allow Intel to catch up with its eternal rival AMD.

For the ZenBook 14 that we had in our hands, Asus chose an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, a mid-range chip but which, as we could see, puts heart into the work. And to honor it, Asus has pampered its case particularly well. Thin size, featherweight and Oled screen are there, faithful to the premium characteristics that are usually found on the ZenBook range but with a rather attractive price. We were able to test this ZenBook 14 Oled for a few days. Here is our verdict.

Asus ZenBook UX3405: ​​a design as elegant and neat as ever

The ZenBooks are one of those ultraportable PCs that we like to handle because Asus has taken care of their appearance. And this new model is no exception. We find a fine finish with an all-metal chassis (midnight blue in the version we had in our hands) in aluminum alloy which is very successful even if it picks up fingerprints quite easily. A criticism that we were also able to make against Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air also sporting this attractive but messy color.

This 14-inch model has a fairly slim size: 31.2 x 22 cm and only 1.49 cm thick. Suffice to say that it fits very easily into a bag to carry it everywhere. Especially since the weight is also quite light at 1.2 kg.

On the right edge, Asus has placed two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, one of which is used for power, a full-format HDMI 2.1 port and a 3.5 mm jack socket.

On the opposite side, a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A socket lines up next to the vents for ventilation. So much so that you have to accept that you can only connect the power cable on one side. Not practical for right-handed people who like to use a mouse.

Once opened, this ZenBook 14 presents a keyboard without a numeric keypad (the space is too tight for a 14-inch model) but Asus has the solution. The trackpad can actually turn into a touchscreen numeric keypad. Practical and it always has its little effect.

Typing on the keyboard turns out to be rather comfortable but we once again regret the questionable choice of placing the power key in the penultimate place in the first row, leaving the Delete key occupying the last location. We still don’t understand the reason.

No fingerprint reader on this keyboard. Biometric recognition is entrusted to the Windows Hello certified webcam and placed at the top of the screen. She is very responsive. Asus has chosen an FHD+ infrared camera which allows the device to be unlocked even in a dark room and, to ensure good confidentiality, has added a small sliding cover which hides the lens on demand. Good idea.

Asus ZenBook UX3405: ​​a successful Oled screen, subdued sound

The ZenBook range is also known for systematically embedding an Oled touch screen or not. On this model, we find a 14-inch panel (non-touch) in 16:10 format offering 3K definition or 2880 x 1800 pixels for a resolution of 243 ppi. Oled obliges, we benefit from infinite contrasts which proves very comfortable both for working and for having fun watching a film or a series. In terms of brightness, Asus indicates a maximum peak at 600 nits. This is again very appreciable and more than sufficient in most cases. But it’s still a bit tight outdoors, especially since the panel has a shiny coating. Reflections therefore quickly become legion and the brightness produced by the screen does not always succeed in compensating for them. The fact remains that this screen is an eye-catcher with accurate and well-calibrated colors as soon as the PC is taken out of the box.

Sound side; the ZenBook is based on an audio system from Harman Kardon and features the Dolby Atmos logo. Despite this, the lack of bass makes listening to music not always pleasant. The result remains quite metallic. The speakers are placed on either side of the PC and send sound to the bottom and sides. The stereo is well rendered but we will prefer to use a Bluetooth or wired headset to benefit from better immersion.

Asus ZenBook UX3405: ​​astonishing performance

Technical sheet

Obviously, it is also and above all in the area of ​​performance that we expect this ZenBook powered by the brand new Intel Meteor Lake processor. In this ZenBook, it is the Core Ultra 7 155H which is in charge. It relies on 16 cores/22 threads and an integrated Arc GPU equipped with 8 Iris Xe cores. On paper, this new processor, unveiled this very day by Intel, therefore has serious advantages to demonstrate with also controlled energy consumption on the agenda. We subjected this new Intel processor to the usual benchmarks. It is helped in its task by 32 GB of RAM in our configuration.

First observation, the graphics circuit seems quite comfortable. The scores obtained with the 3DMark Time Spy and Night Raid tests are very convincing. In reality, this translates into very fluid animations in game. Intel is therefore catching up with AMD on this point and it’s quite pleasant.

The scores obtained on the CPU are a little less exciting than we hoped. The test with Cinebench R23 thus presents a score of 10797 points in multi-core and 1675 points in single core, where the ZenBook 15 that we tested a little earlier, powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7735U processor and a Radeon graphics circuit 680M displays 11737 points and 1550 points respectively for the same exercise. On the other hand, the results recorded in Geekbench favor Intel’s Core Ultra.

As for the PassMark results, they place both Intel and AMD processors almost on an equal footing. Surprising.

Let us rest assured, however. This ZenBook powered by the Core Ultra 7 155H does not shy away from the task. We found it to be quite effective and alert in the vast majority of situations to which we subjected it. It did not disappoint us even if we noticed a few Windows crashes – outside of the testing phases – with an unresponsive mouse pointer, a taskbar that disappears or several bugs in File Explorer. No blue screen but a restart required to put things back to normal. However, it is difficult to point the finger at Intel’s new processor. The multiple twists and turns of Windows 11 updates also contribute to the lack of stability.

Finally, note that this Core Ultra 7 155H also has neural cores. Objective: to more easily manipulate tools that take advantage of local artificial intelligence in order, for example, to create images without going through the Web and remote servers. We would have liked to see how Copilot, Microsoft’s AI based on ChatGPT and integrated into Windows, performed on this ZenBook. Unfortunately, we will have to wait a little longer since it has not yet arrived.

Asus ZenBook UX3405: ​​convincing autonomy

To power its PC, Asus relies on a rather comfortable 75 Wh battery on a 14-inch model. The brand also relies on the energy efficiency of Intel’s Core Ultra 7 to ensure good battery life. Winning combo? We subjected our ZenBook 14 to the same battery life test in video playback with the Netflix app, keeping the screen brightness at 50% and the audio volume also at 50%. As a result, this ZenBook lasted a little over 16 hours before requiring a recharge. A good performance which ensures you can work all day without keeping an eye on the battery gauge. And which brings this PC closer to the Apple MacBooks, the champions of autonomy.

For recharging, Asus provides a 65 W charger. Allow 1 hour and 45 minutes to recharge to 100%. It is possible to recover 40% charge in 30 minutes.

Asus ZenBook UX3405: ​​should you go for the new ultra portable from Asus?

Armed with this new Intel Core Ultra processor, the Asus ZenBook 14 opens up new horizons. It allows you to tackle more difficult tasks, particularly in terms of graphics processing, and it’s a nice progression. We also appreciated its autonomy which allows us to carry it around throughout the day without necessarily having to carry the charger. Finally, its general aesthetic with its aluminum chassis (although a little messy) and its very beautiful Oled screen gives this PC a great look. All that remains is for Asus to refine a few details such as the distribution of connections, the layout of the keyboard and the improvement of the audio system to make this ZenBook 14 an excellent ultraportable PC. But let’s not shy away from our pleasure. At 999 euros in the 16-512 GB version, 1299 euros for the 16 GB – 1 TB version, 1499 euros in the version tested here (32 GB-1 TB) and finally 1799 for the version equipped with a Core Ultra 9, 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, this ZenBook 14 remains a very good deal for the tasks of today and tomorrow.