ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED

amazon ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED reviews

Super light laptop

As the name suggests, the device has a brilliant OLED display, along with an AMD Ryzen 7-5800U processor and integrated Radeon Vega graphics, massive memory, and storage capacity.

ASUS has released many ZenBook 13 laptop models (similar to ZenBook 14), with both AMD and Intel processing platforms. The particular product we are going to show you here is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7-5800U 8-core 16-thread processor that can boost up to a clock speed of up to 4.4 GHz. Integrated Radeon Vega graphics card combined with 16GB LPDD4X-3733 memory (solder on board).

Other details of the ZenBook 13 OLED include a 512GB NVMe PCIe Gen 3 SSD (SK Hynix), Wi-Fi 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0, and an HD webcam, with an IR sensor that fully supports Windows Hello. Harmon Hardon speakers, keyboard, and touchpad are all backlit.

ASUS ZenBook 13 has a stunning 13.3″ OLED display. The hinge is firm but just enough for you to open the lid with one hand. When the lid is opened, the bottom of the machine is automatically raised at an angle to help better air circulation into the space below the system.

The keyboard has a slight bend, the keys have good sensitivity, and tactile feedback and the key travel is quite long (1.4mm). Unless you’ve been impressed with the Lenovo ThinkPad’s keyboard, we think you’ll like the ZenBook 13’s keyboard, though it will take you a while to get used to the key placement. For example, the row of navigation arrow keys in the lower right is a bit weird, and the power button is located where on other machines the Delete key is located.

Regarding the touchpad, there are no problems. Smooth and responsive, multi-touch gestures work well, moderate size and balance to the overall machine, with the feature of refusing to accidentally touch the palm to the touchpad. In addition, the touchpad is also integrated with the Numpad number pad; just press and hold the keyboard icon at the top right of the touchpad, wait for the numbers/buttons to light up and you can use this Numpad assembly. If you love a laptop that is as compact as possible, but still suitable for using Excel software, you may be very interested in this product or laptop models with built-in like this.

Speaking of the excellent HDR FullHD (1920×1080) OLED display again, the display on the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED is truly stunning. 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, PANTONE standard for color accuracy, TÜV Rheinland-certified Low Blue Light mode for minimal vision damage, and mode support HDR. However, the maximum brightness is only 400 nits.

The display has thin bezels all around (ASUS calls this the NanoEdge bezel) with a glossy finish, which makes the OLED display look dark and deep, but also prone to reflections. Just above the screen is an HD webcam with an IR sensor and a pair of microphones, which can be used for online meetings, or online broadcasts, but not so great. The Full HD screen resolution is just enough for the 13.3-inch size, making everything displayed from Word software to watching movies a very good experience.

In terms of the overall aesthetic of the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED, we don’t appreciate it very much. The entire device has a metallic blue finish, with the glossy ASUS logo on the lid. The edges are subtly beveled, but generally don’t leave much of an impression. The lower part has some relatively large foot pads to help keep the device in place, along with holes for the bottom speaker and a series of tiny holes to draw air into the internal heatsink, allowing air to escape out through the long, thin heatsinks along the back.

Despite being a thin and light device, measuring only 12.0″ x 8.0″ x 0.5″ and weighing about 1.2 Kg, ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED still has quite adequate connectivity. The right side has a USB-A port and a microSD card reader, the left side has an HDMI connector and a pair of USB-C ports, either of which can be used to charge the device.

ASUS also includes a USB-Ethernet adapter that comes with the device, a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter, a compact 65W USB-C charger, and a rather luxurious carrying bag.

As for the software inside, there’s not much to say. All Windows 10-related apps and utilities come pre-installed, along with a trial of Norton Internet Security and ASUS’ MyASUS app. Norton Internet Security was uninstalled by us right after a few minutes of using the device because it was quite annoying. But the MyASUS app is a handy, easy-to-use tool that keeps the machine up to date and tweaks performance and fan configurations. There is a diagnostic button, just one click will help the user to check all the hardware and control systems of the machine, very useful.

ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED (UM325S): Ryzen 5000U Performance and Benchmarks

We tested the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED as soon as it shipped from the company, pre-installed with the latest Windows updates, and automatically updated through the company’s MyASUS app, to ensure the most accurate reflections.

Many factors can affect performance, so our tests and comparisons are for reference only. We will start with memory, CPU, etc. tests to better understand how the machine runs AMD Ryzen 5000 in everyday tasks.

ATTO’s drive benchmark tells us how well the system’s SSD performs with sequential read and write operations of different sizes. The machine is equipped with a 512GB SK Hynix PCIe Gen 3 SSD.

As you can see, read peaks at ~3.34GB/s, with peak writes around ~2.88GB/s, varying by a few MB/s depending on file size and transfer speed. It’s not the fastest we’ve seen on a laptop, but it’s still very fast and better than any other standard SATA hard drive.

Check out Cinema 4D-based Cinebench rendering performance from Maxon. Cinema 4D is a 3D animation and rendering toolkit used by famous animation producers and producers such as Sony Animation and many others. Requiring a lot of system processor resources, this is a benchmark that recognizes multithreading, and multiprocessor renders and animates 3D scenes and tracks the duration of the entire process.

Cinebench R23 of the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED is in the pretty average segment. Its single-threaded score is in the top three, and its multi-threaded score outperforms any Intel 4-core processor (like the Core i7-1185G7) but falls behind other 8-core processors. Note, the Lenovo Ryzen-based system runs its processor in higher performance mode, so it scores better, despite having a similar core configuration.

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that simulates real processing workloads in physical image processing scenarios.

The ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED is near the top of the charts on Geekbench, with both single and multi-threaded scores. Intel’s latest processors hold the single-threaded advantage in this benchmark, but not as much as the Ryzen processors in the multi-threaded test.

The ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED completely excels in PCMark 10. The system gives the best overall score we’ve seen from any other similarly sized laptop to date. All the individual scores are very high, especially the Productivity score, where the ASUS machine blows other competitors off the charts.

We ran a few 3DMark tests on the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED to compare it to a range of similarly-styled laptops.

With the 3DMark Night Raid benchmark, the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED sits in the middle of the table, closely matching the Ryzen processors with integrated Vega graphics, but far worse than Intel’s higher-end 11th Gen Iris Xe graphics.

The 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark is essentially the same, with the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED and Lenovo Ryzen laptops on par, and the high-end Intel Iris Xe graphics taking the lead.

Although it is a thin and light laptop, and not a gaming laptop, the powerful processor and Radeon Vega graphics in the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED are fully capable of playing many games in high resolution. Let’s take a look at the performance in Middle Earth: Shadow of War.

In the first test with Shadow Of War, ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED ranked above Lenovo with a Ryzen 4000-series processor. However, the top-end Iris Xe-equipped laptop model was about 10% more powerful through all the different settings we tested.

The ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED struggled a bit with Gears Tactics. In this game, ASUS machines are behind all Iris Xe-equipped machines (and of course all machines with more powerful discrete graphics).

where can you get a ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED online

ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED Ultra-Slim Laptop, 13.3” OLED FHD NanoEdge Bezel Display, AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, NumberPad, Wi-Fi 5, Windows 11 Home, Pine Grey, UM325UA-DH51: Buy it now

ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED Ultra-Slim Laptop, 13.3” OLED FHD NanoEdge Bezel Display, AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, NumberPad, Wi-Fi 5, Windows 10 Home, Pine Grey, UM325UA-DS71: Buy it now

Ryzen 5000 battery life with ASUS ZenBook 13

Our battery life test was performed using a custom 1080p HD video loop test we developed at HotHardware. We conducted our tests with Windows 10 Quiet Hours / Focus Assist turned on, and the screen brightness was calibrated to be as close to 115 lux on the light meter as possible. Brightness calibration is important to ensure a fair comparison with other laptops, as it greatly affects battery life.

However, each laptop has a different brightness range, so it’s important to rely on a light meter, rather than a percentage of the Windows brightness setting, to level the playing field in terms of brightness. ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED requires around 40% brightness to achieve 115 lux.

ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED has great battery life. The combination of the Ryzen 5000U-series processor, with its 1080p OLED display and 67Whr battery, delivers uninterrupted uptime that beats every other laptop we’ve tested. The device continuously works for nearly 12 hours, enough for a working day.

Heat and Noise-Dissipation

ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED measures only 12.0″ x 8.0″ x 0.5″ and weighs about 1.2kg, so it’s also quite light the chassis is also relatively thin, 8-core processor with 16 threads with integrated GPU still works well, extremely cool, and quiet.

The hottest part is located on the back edge of the chassis, where the rear slit system blows air out below the screen. On the entire keyboard and touchpad area, the temperature is not worrisome. Using the laptop on your lap isn’t uncomfortable either. Although it is relatively small, there are rows of small ventilation holes at the bottom and along the entire rear edge, so a large amount of air will move through the system.

In terms of fan noise, the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED got close to 47dB on our meter, but it’s about 40cm away from the keyboard, which is almost the same position when using a regular desktop. Not too loud to be annoying, but loud enough to be heard clearly. When in low-performance mode or during light workloads, the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED’s fan is barely spinning, so there’s no need to worry about noise. But be aware that when the workload is heavier, running continuously, the system will produce a much louder sound than other thin and light laptops of similar form.

General review

We like the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED (UM325S) AMD Ryzen. The 13.3″ screen is my favorite factor, so from the start, this machine was really attractive. That said, if the display size and configuration of this machine appeal to you, there are a few downsides. ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED is thin, light, and attractive. The system performs very well, especially with multi-threaded workloads where the 8-core 16-thread processor works. The display is class-leading FullHD HDR OLED, although the glossy background may not appeal to everyone. It is also quite well equipped in terms of ports, with a combination of USB-A, and USB-C ports, and a card reader integrated. 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 wireless connectivity are also available, and ASUS has done a great job in terms of battery life.

Intel’s latest 11th-generation mobile platform offers better single-threaded performance with some workloads, more advanced I/O (PCIe Gen 4, Thunderbolt, etc.), and Iris Xe integrated graphics with higher performance with some configurations. Overall, however, we think the vast majority of users will be more than satisfied with the ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED Ryzen, especially since the Ryzen 7 5700U models are only $899. The device is selling very well, if you are interested, get it quickly.