Asus unexpectedly today dropped two new laptops in its ZenBook family. In a sign of neutrality, one notebook, the ZenBook S 13 OLED, features the latest mobile processor and GPU technology from AMD, while the other, the ZenBook Pro 15 Flip OLED, pulls from Intel's 12th generation mobile CPU and Arc GPU inventory.
The ZenBook S 13 OLED, as its name implies, features a 13.3-inch display. In this case, Asus opted for a 2,880 x 1,800 (2.8K) OLED touch panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio (which is becoming increasingly popular in the laptop space) and a 0.2 ms response time. In addition, the panel is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass NBT, and the OEM promises 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space.
(Image credit: Asus)
The system is powered a 6 nm Rembrandt (Zen 3+) based processor, the Ryzen 7 6800U. This is an 8-core/16-thread processor with a 2.7GHz base clock and a turbo frequency of up to 4.7 GHz. This refreshed Zen 3+ processor supports DDR5 memory, and Asus takes full advantage of this capability by installing up to 16GB of LPDRR5-6400. The Ryzen 7 6800U includes an RDNA 2-based GPU, the Radeon 680M. It features 12 CUs with a maximum GPU clock of 2.2GHz.
Other features include up to a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD (up to 6,500 MB/sec reads), Dolby Vision and Atmos support, Harman Kardon sound and a Wi-Fi 6E radio. In addition, Asus fitted the ZenBook S 13 OLED with three USB-C ports, and a single 3.5 mm audio jack. Everything is inside a lightweight magnesium-aluminum alloy unibody chassis (2.2 pounds). Asus also promises up to 10 hours of battery life from the 67 WHr battery.
(Image credit: Asus)
Moving over to the Intel side of the equation, we have the ZenBook Pro 15 Flip OLED that opts for a 12th generation Core i7-12700H processor (6 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores) with a maximum boost clock of 4.7GHz. The ZenBook Pro 15 Flip OLED also comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory but operates at slower 4800MHz speeds.
On the graphics front, the 2-in-1 convertible uses Intel's brand new Arc A370M discrete GPU (6 Xe cores, 6 RT units, 6GB GDDR6). Asus' spec sheet says "up to Arc 370M," so we'd imagine that integrated Intel Xe or Arc 350M GPU options might also be on offer.
(Image credit: Asus)
Up to a 1TB SSD is included, albeit with read speeds of up to 3,200 MB/sec (half that of the ZenBook S 13 OLED). The ZenBook Pro 15 Flip OLED features a 2.8K display, albeit in a 16:9 aspect ratio (2,880 x 1620). You'll also find 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage and an added bonus: up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Other features include an IR camera, single-zone RGB keyboard, Dolby Vision and Atmos support, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port and Wi-Fi 6E. Finally, Asus boasts that the 3.96-pound convertible comes with a hefty 96 WHr battery.
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Both machines come preinstalled with Windows 11 Pro and Asus Pen 2.0 support. Unfortunately, Asus has not provided us with pricing or availability for these new laptops just yet.
Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.
This looks good to me, i need to replace my aging laptop.
I am just concerned about the mediocre brightness (325 nits) and the high reflection of the screen. I read a review in my native language that say the screen is overly reflective, what is your take on that? can you use it next to a bright window or something?
Maybe I could apply a anti glare screen protector but I dont want the screen to look blurry.
that sucks, i'll wait and get whatver comes first between the mabook air m2 and that I guess.
The market is unpredictable. Could come out this year or something similar. I took my ZenBook on a trip recently and the screen is pretty cool! Love OLED.
