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Asus’ new Zenbook 14 OLED gets new CPUs and a stylish lid design

Having already unveiled new TUF gaming laptops, an all-AMD Zephyrus G14, and a 42-inch OLED gaming monitor, Asus is now ready to unveil the latest in its high-end Zenbook line at CES 2022.

The new Zenbook 14 OLED gets updated specs, and a slightly new chassis, and keeps the gorgeous OLED screen from previous offerings.

A top down view of the Zenbook 14 OLED.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The first thing you’ll notice is the neat “monogram design” on the lid of the Zenbook 14 OLED, a departure from the concentric circles of the previous Zenbook. It gives it a bit of personality and helps it stand out from other similar notebooks in the class.

Asus says the chassis itself is made of aluminum alloy and comes in different colors depending on the CPU inside. Overall, the Zenbook 14 OLED retains the “Ergolift” hinge that props the bottom of the laptop slightly up to improve thermals and ergonomics as well as the ScreenPad 2 that turns the trackpad into a number pad.

The screen is a 14-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) touchscreen display that can show 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and DisplayHDR 500 certified. Interestingly, though this isn’t a gaming laptop, the screen features a 0.2ms response time and a 90Hz refresh rate. That should make moving around the operating system much more fluid and responsive.

Inside, Asus says that the Zenbook 14 OLED will offer the “latest generation Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors,” but doesn’t specify exactly which CPUs will be inside. In fairness, the press material may have been written before both Intel and AMD announced their respective mobile CPU lineups.

You’ll be able to choose up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory on the Intel version and up to 16GB of LPDDR4X on the AMD version, both non-replaceable. Storage is up to a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD that is blessedly upgradable.

The usual complement of updated wireless specs is also there, including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. Harman Kardon audio is onboard which Asus says is able to drive maximum volume without long-term damage to the speaker coils. The port selection is interesting between the Intel and AMD models.

Both models get one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, HDMI 2.0, a microSD card reader, and a combo audio jack. However, the Intel version gets two Thunderbolt 4 ports while the AMD version gets two USB 3.2 ports (both USB Type-C).

We have a soft spot for the Zenbook lineup here. We called the Zenbook 13 OLED the “best laptop under $1,000” and recommended the Zenbook 14X OLED for its amazing OLED display, keyboard, and build quality. It seems that Asus will keep the good times rolling with this updated model of the Zenbook 14 OLED.

David Matthews
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David is a freelance journalist based just outside of Washington D.C. specializing in consumer technology and gaming. He has…
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