an ultraportable with very good value for money

The ZenBook PC range plays the card of elegance and performance this year. After a successful S13 Oled, this 15-inch Oled model takes comfort a notch higher for a price that remains reasonable.

Last July, the Asus ZenBook S13 Oled passed into our hands. An elegant ultraportable PC, small in size, but powerful enough to carry out the majority of office tasks armed with its thirteenth generation Intel Core i7 processor (read our review). This time, it’s the turn of its big brother equipped with a 15-inch panel to take a little spin on our grill. This is not simply an “extended” version of the 13-inch model, but indeed a different ultraportable PC. If it retains a design in line with the S13 as well as an Oled panel, under the hood it is distinguished by the presence of an AMD Ryzen 7 7735U processor associated, for the graphics part, with an AMD Radeon 680M circuit. A configuration which, on paper, appears rather promising. Good surprise also on the bill. In the 16 -512 GB version, this Asus ZenBook costs less than 1000 euros. The version we are testing here is a little muscular with 32 GB of RAM and an SSD with a capacity of 1 TB. A configuration whose price remains quite reasonable, being set at 1199 euros. We were able to test this ZenBook 15 Oled for several weeks. Here is our verdict.

Asus ZenBook 15 Oled: a design as remarkable as ever

For this ZenBook 15 Oled, Asus uses the design inaugurated with the ZenBook S13. Metal chassis, elegant and atypical cover to the touch and appearance of the slate rather pleasant and not too flashy… A good way to differentiate yourself from the majority of ultraportable PCs that you come across on the shelves and which most of the time try to get closer with more or less success to the timeless design of Apple’s MacBooks.

Despite the presence of a 15.6 inch panel, this ZenBook maintains the line with its size of 35.48 x 22.66 cm and above all a thinness of 1.49 cm at the thinnest point (1.58 cm at the hinge level). Enough to easily slip it into a backpack to carry it everywhere, especially since its weight remains quite contained with its 1.4 kg, i.e. only 400 g more than its little brother S13. Small difference however: Where the hood of the S13 allowed to raise the device in the open position to ensure good ventilation, the ZenBook 15 does without this process.

The design remains very neat and well thought out except for the arrangement of the connections. Most of the ports are thus grouped on the right side of the PC. There is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port supporting power and display, a USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C with monitor support and Power Delivery, a full-format HDMI 2.1 port and a jack, 3 .5mm.

On the other side, a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port lines up alongside small vents for ventilation. We would have appreciated the presence of a USB-C port allowing you to choose which side to plug the power cable into. Damage.

Once opened, the ZenBook 15 Oled reveals a large keyboard equipped with a numeric keypad (take note Apple, it’s possible). It is very comfortable while typing. The key travel is just the right length. A good point.

Asus also corrected a defect present on the S13. The power button is well positioned at the right end of the first row and not in the penultimate position, which avoids false manipulations.

The trackpad is large enough to navigate with your fingertips and we still appreciate the reassuring presence of the physical click. Still no fingerprint reader, however, on this ZenBook. Biometric recognition is entrusted to the Windows Hello camera placed at the top of the screen associated with an infrared sensor. It is extremely effective in unlocking the device even when the ambient light is not optimal.

Note that the screen can tilt up to an angle of 180°. This allows you not to be afraid to tilt it to the most comfortable position where other laptops have a stop limiting the viewing angle.

Asus ZenBook 15 Oled: a flattering Oled screen but too bright

For the display, this ZenBook uses a 15.6-inch Oled panel. Obviously, Oled offers the particularity of benefiting from infinite contrasts with very deep blacks that LCD screens, even the most efficient, cannot achieve since a black pixel is an off pixel. Oled therefore provides very appreciable comfort throughout the day, whether working or relaxing while watching a film or series. In this context, the ZenBook adopts the right format with the 16:9 ratio for a 2.8 K definition or 2880 x 1620 pixels and a refresh rate at 120 Hz. For working, however, 16:9 is not the format the most suitable but you get used to it quite quickly.

In terms of brightness, it’s a little disappointment. The panel climbs to 400 nits in normal mode and 600 nits when the ambient light is very strong. In addition, the surface of the screen is very shiny, even too shiny. We had already observed this phenomenon on the S13. As a result, working outside is not really comfortable given the amount of reflections present that maximum brightness struggles to compensate for.

Asus ZenBook 15 Oled: a sound that lacks breath

The audio component of this ZenBook is entrusted to specialist Harman Kardon. However, this is not a success. The speakers are placed on either side of the chassis but pointed downwards.

The sound then escapes through small grilles nestled below. So much so that when the PC is placed flat, the rendering is muffled. Bass is also conspicuous by its absence. The sound can be quite powerful but there is no point in pushing it very hard since it can quickly become very unpleasant to the ear with a very metallic tint. It’s quite disappointing.

Asus ZenBook 15 Oled: very satisfactory performance

Technical sheet

To power this ultraportable, Asus has relied on an AMD Ryzen 7 7735U processor. A chip that has 8 multi-threaded cores with a frequency that can climb to 4.75 GHz. It is supported in its task by 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD in the configuration we had in our hands. An accessory which seems ideal to us for looking towards the future with peace of mind, especially since, as in most PCs of this type, if we can change the storage unit, the RAM, it is soldered to the motherboard. Once the configuration is defined, it is impossible to change your choice.

Thus armed, this Asus ZenBook 15 Oled does not disappoint. The various benchmarks to which we submitted it reflect very good performance. It can tackle the entire range of office tools without flinching, of course, but also video editing and image retouching without suffering or exhibiting exaggerated latency. Above all, this ZenBook knows how to work silently. If the task entrusted to him is not too arduous, no breath is perceptible. This is very appreciable. And when the heat starts to rise and the fans turn on, it’s also very controlled. Asus has worked very well on cooling its device.

As for gaming, if this ZenBook 15 is not a gaming machine, it nevertheless allows you to relax in good conditions. Its AMD Radeon 680M chip delivers enough power to comfortably play recent games (without pushing the level of details very high of course). Enough to easily reach 30 frames per second (or more) with good rendering and therefore good fluidity in Full HD.

Asus ZenBook 15 Oled: very decent autonomy

To keep up the length, the ZenBook 15 Oled has a 67 Wh battery. This is more than enough to allow you to forget to take the 65 W charger provided with you and not to worry about running dry during the day… provided you don’t be too demanding on the brightness of the screen. Our model lasted a little over 10 hours of streaming video playback on Netflix. A score which does not break the ceiling but which turns out to be very correct. To refuel, allow a little over an hour of charging with the supplied charger.

Asus ZenBook 15 Oled: should you go for the large format ultraportable from Asus?

With this ZenBook 15 Oled Asus has created a very good ultraportable PC. We appreciate its elegance which is largely based on the atypical design of its hood. The device also remains quite light despite its size (without reaching the featherweight of the LG Gram 16, however). However, the connectivity would have deserved a better distribution so as not to complicate the task of making connections. In terms of performance, the choice of the Ryzen processor is also judicious enough to provide the power necessary to work and relax, all in silence. Finally, the Oled panel provides real comfort when spending several hours in front of the screen. Too bad this comfort is limited to the eyes. We would have appreciated Asus paying the same attention to the audio aspect, which is a big disappointment. The fact remains that this ZenBook gives complete satisfaction throughout the day. Especially its price set at less than 1000 euros in its 16 – 512 GB version and 1200 euros for the 32 GB – 1 TB configuration tested here, is also an attractive asset. Excellent value for money.