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ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED, when less (size) is more (performance)

I admit it, after seeing the size of the new ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED for the first time, the first thing that crossed my mind is that we were talking about a device more designed for mobility than performance. There would be nothing wrong with this, of course!, but after reading its technical specifications I had to rethink that initial impressionWell, at present it is possible to find much thicker and heavier computers, with specifications notoriously lower than those of this Zenbook, with which ASUS returns to curl the loop.

As a general rule, when I talk about devices I always start by focusing on their technical specifications, but in this case I’m going to make an exception so that your first contact with the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED is similar to what I’ve had. . So, I will start by telling you that we are talking about a 13.3-inch device, with dimensions of 296.2 x 216.3 x 10.9 mm and a weight of 1 kilogram. Yes, you read correctly, its thickness is around one centimeter., making it the world’s slimmest 13.3″ OLED laptop. Remember, to establish a comparison with a reference device in this sense, that the MacBook Air (M1) is 1.61 centimeters thick.

And how have they achieved it? Well, in reality, there are several design decisions of this ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED that have allowed us to reach this milestone. As you may have already imagined, the layout of the components, as well as their choice and integration, plays a key role at this point, but it poses a complex challenge, as space management must be combined with thermal management of the device. Thus, in the absence of knowing more details about it, we can already imagine the enormous work that the engineers of the house have had to carry out to achieve this level of optimization.

ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED, when less (size) is more (performance)

Another key point is found on the screen. For the same ASUS has opted for an ultra-thin OLED panel specially designed, and which means that the screen and cover assembly is 30% less thick than usual. At this point you may be wondering what happens with the integrated camera, right? Well, to ensure that the reduction in size does not negatively affect it, a slimmer, but full-featured FullHD IR camera has been mounted directly on the CNC-machined cover.

Weight is also important, one kilogram. At this point, the choice of materials has played a key role, as you may have already imagined. Thus, for the keyboard platform, a magnesium aluminum alloy, a combination that has already proven lightness, resistance and durability, making it the most appropriate choice for a device like this. For its part, the touch panel is protected by a thin glass cover, which reduces both weight and thickness, actively collaborating in the final result. For the cover, a material of plasma ceramic aluminum exclusive to ASUS, for which it has been necessary to carry out an exclusive and complex production process.

Now that we have given a good review of its shapes and materials, which is complemented by the images that you can find in this news item, it is time to give a good review of its technical specifications, which, as you will see, are well above what we might expect, in principle, from such a thin and light system.

ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED, when less (size) is more (performance)

Little mystery regarding the panel used, since the full name of this ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED already indicates what ASUS’s choice has been. Specifically, we find an ASUS Lumina OLED screen from 13.3 inches with 2.8K resolution (2,880 x 1,800 dots in a 16:10 aspect ratio) with Dolby Vision certification, a response time of just 0.2 millisecondscolor reproduction Pantone Validated and VESA DisplayHDR certification True Black 500.

Let’s go now with its interior, to verify that this new Zenbook is commanded by processors Intel Core up to 13th generation accompanied by up to 32 gigabytes of LPDDR5 RAM and storage 1 terabyte PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD. This whole set is powered by a battery of 63 watt hours which, thanks to the efficiency of the components and the design of the laptop, will provide remarkable autonomy, something that will allow us to get the most out of its size and weight.

Connectivity is also an important aspect of the ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED. In the wireless section we find Wi-Fi 6E enhanced with ASUS WiFi Master Premium, complete with Bluetooth 5.2. And in terms of connectors, we will find two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 type A port, an HDMI 2.1 connector and an audio minijack.

The ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED will arrive in Spain during the month of May, and its price will start at €1,399.

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