Testing the FIRST Intel 14th Gen Laptop! [ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED | Intel Ultra 7 155H]

Summary

Tom Tech reviews the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, highlighting its significant upgrades from its predecessor. The laptop features Intel's new 14th generation Meteor Lake processors, with the Core Ultra 7 155h providing impressive performance. It also includes Intel's Arc integrated GPU and an AI boost with a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU). The device is more compact, lighter, and slimmer, with a 14-inch OLED touchscreen boasting a 3K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Benchmark tests show substantial performance improvements, especially in multicore tasks and gaming. The Zenbook 14 OLED offers a sleek design, good portability, and powerful graphics performance at a reasonable price.

Takeaways

• 💻 The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED has received a significant update with a new design and improved internals.
• 🚀 It is one of the first laptops to feature Intel's 14th generation Meteor Lake processors, specifically the Core Ultra 7 155h.
• 🎨 The laptop includes the new Intel Arc integrated GPU, which focuses on enhanced graphics performance.
• 🧠 It also has a new neural processing unit (NPU) for AI acceleration, which can offload tasks from the CPU and GPU for improved efficiency.
• 📦 The laptop is more compact and lighter than its predecessor, with a reduced weight from 1.39 kg to 1.2 kg and slimmer dimensions.
• 🖥 The 14-inch OLED touchscreen has been upgraded with a higher refresh rate of 120 Hz and improved brightness levels.
• 🔌 Despite its slim profile, the Zenbook 14 OLED retains a good range of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full-size USB, and an HDMI 2.1.
• 📈 The 14th generation CPU shows significant performance improvements in benchmarks, with up to a 33% increase in single-core and up to 113% in multicore performance.
• 🕹 Integrated graphics performance allows for playing AAA titles at decent settings, which is a notable advancement for integrated GPUs.
• 🔋 Battery performance is surprisingly close to that of when plugged in, with only a 5-10% drop in performance, which is impressive for gaming and video editing tasks.
• 💰 The new Zenbook 14 OLED is competitively priced, starting at £1099 in the UK for a base model with an Ultra 5 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is the review of the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, highlighting its updates, including the new Intel 14th generation Meteor Lake processors, Intel Arc integrated GPU, and the neural processing unit (NPU) for Intel AI boost.

What new features does the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED have in terms of size and weight compared to its predecessor?

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED has been made lighter and more compact. The weight has been reduced from 1.39 kg to 1.2 kg, and it's slimmer, going from 16.9 mm to 14.9 mm.

What are the display specifications of the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED?

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED features a 14-inch OLED touchscreen with a 3K resolution of 2880 x 1880 and a refresh rate increased from 90 Hz to 120 Hz, making everything smoother and brighter.

What kind of ports does the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED offer?

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full-size Type-A USB, a headphone jack, and an HDMI 2.1 port. However, it lacks an SD card reader.

What is special about the keyboard on the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED?

The keyboard on the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is backlit and features Asus' ultra-quiet keys, which are designed to minimize noise while typing, making it considerate for those around you.

What is the significance of the new Intel Core Ultra 7 155h processor in the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED?

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155h is a part of Intel's new 14th generation Meteor Lake processors. It is a 16-core, 22-thread processor with new Intel Arc graphics, supporting features like DirectX 12 Ultimate, hardware ray tracing, and mesh shading.

How does the new Zenbook 14 OLED perform in terms of graphics compared to its predecessor?

The new Zenbook 14 OLED shows significant improvement in graphics performance. In games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Rainbow Six Siege, it delivers almost double the frame rates compared to its predecessor with the previous 13th Gen processor.

What is the starting price of the new Asus Zenbook 14 OLED in the UK?

The starting price of the new Asus Zenbook 14 OLED in the UK is £10.99, which gets you the Ultra 5 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage.

What is the role of the NPU or neural processing unit in the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED?

The NPU, or neural processing unit, is part of the new Intel AI boost technology. It allows for on-device AI acceleration, which means lower latency, faster performance, and fewer privacy concerns as tasks are processed locally without needing a cloud connection.

How does the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED handle thermals under load?

Under load and in performance mode, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED can get quite hot, with temperatures easily reaching the '90s degrees Celsius both inside and outside the laptop.

What are the battery performance characteristics of the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED when compared to its predecessor?

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED shows a significant improvement in battery performance. Unlike typical laptops where there's a noticeable drop in performance when running on battery, this model only experiences a 5 to 10% drop in performance when unplugged.