Editor’s Rating- 3.7/5 Display Performance Gaming Battery
Stunning designBeautiful DisplayQuick ChargingFast Processor
Disappointing webcamThe screen doesn’t lean back 180-degrees
The space theme laptop offers premium specs while carrying above one lakh rupees sticker price. Is its design so special that you can spend a lakh on it without considering anything else? Or does it have the specs to go with the design making it worthy of its price point? Read my review to find out.
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Review: Design
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is launched to celebrate a special occasion. Asus’ entire space edition design reflects just that. The Laptop is inspired by the Asus P6300 laptop’s trip to space for use on the Mir space station in 1997 and right from its packaging to aesthetics and build, everything reflects space. The charger’s box can be used as a laptop stand too if needed.
Price and availabilityUnboxingDesignDisplayKeyboard, Trackpad & NumpadConnectivity & PortsPerformanceBatteryShould you buy it?
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Review: price & availability
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes in 3 variants-
i5 12th Gen 16GB RAM+512GB SSD- Rs. 1,14,990i7 12th Gen 16GB RAM+1TB SSD – Rs. 1,34,990i9 12th Gen 32GB RAM+1TB SSD- Rs. 1,69,990
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Review: Unboxing
The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes in a black suitcase-type cardboard box that feels sturdy and firm. The box contains-
Zenbook 14X OLED unitPower AdapterWarranty documentsUser Guide
Dizo Watch S Review: Elegant companion for rough & tough useRealme Pad Mini ReviewRealme Buds Q2s Review: Basic Smart Buy for under 2k price point?
The laptop looks cool right from the first glance and has futuristic cum classic design elements. It has a zero-G titanium finish. The wrist rests and lid of the Zenbook has arc lines which make it look like a spaceship. The arced lines are morse code that reads “ad Astra per aspera” meaning “through hardships to the stars” in Latin. The build quality is exceptional. The space edition is made of aluminum and has no flex on the screen of the keyboard deck. The company claims that this special edition laptop can operate in extreme climates of the space as it complies with the ’US Space Systems Command Standard SMC-S-016A testing protocols. In real life, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is easy to carry around as it fits well into your bag and its power adapter is less bulky too. The device is compact and lighter than usual as it weighs 1.3kg. When one uses the laptop on his/her lap, it doesn’t feel heavy. The open laptop sees back of the screen a bit risen as it comes with an Ergolift design and angles keyboard at 5.5 degrees which makes long hour usage more comfortable. The laptop has a 720p webcam which is quite average and Harmon Kardon speakers provide an average audio experience. One thing that is unique in this laptop is a tiny 3.5-inch OLED display on the lid which shows various space-themed animations. It looks beautiful and when the lid is open, it shows a row of 3 portal windows where an astronaut is seen crossing it from left to right, against dreamy stars’ background. However, a secondary display is used to show the date, time, and battery capacity when the lid is closed. A secondary screen can be used to display custom messages, themes, etc. What stands out in the keyboard is the orange-colored spacebar which is different from all other buttons and gives a nice touch to the overall design. The laptop is 15.9mm thick which could have been a little less and there is a fingerprint sensor to unlock the device. ALSO READ: Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3402) Review: Never stops your hustle
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Review: Display
Zenbook 14X OLED has a 14-inch OLED touch-screen display. It has a 2.8K that is 2880×1800 pixel resolution, 92% screen-to-body ratio, and HDR support. The images and text look sharp and precise on the screen which is bright and vibrant. The blacks are deeper making the content watching experience good while the 16:10 aspect ratio gives a better space than the regular 16:9 ratio. It leads to lesser scrolling while going through articles and other documents. The 90Hz refresh rate makes it a better fit for gaming and streaming content as even on fast-moving screens, the picture quality is good whereas colors are enhanced as well due to the 100% P3 color gamut and VESA DisplayHDR 500 certification. The quality of the display felt like any smart TV, apart from the fact that the size of the screen is smaller. The visuals are easy on one’s eyes. The screen supports 550 nits peak brightness which is good for most times. Being touch screen helps in usability but there is no option to lean back 180-degrees which is available in the regular 14x OLED laptop.
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Review: Keyboard, Trackpad & Numpad
Being a writer, I need my keyboard to be comfortable and 14X OLED Space Edition’s keyboard did not disappoint me at all during my usage. The keys have a good feel and the look of the keyboard is different too. The power button which doubles as a fingerprint scanner and the space bar are orangish (some might call it red or copperish too) in color with the icon of a ringed planet. The other keys retain a Zero-G titanium finish. The keys are shallow and well-spaced which increased typing speed. The Ergo lift hinge design makes sure the keyboard is slightly raised when you open the laptop. The touchpad (5.1×2.9 inches) is huge, smooth, and super responsive. You might have to adjust if the cursor speed is too fast you may adjust it from windows settings. The touchpad doubles as Numpad 2.0 when you tap a small icon at the top corner of the touchpad, Numpad with LED lights appears. This functionality is seen on other Asus laptops as well and it is quite convenient.
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Review: I/O Ports & Connectivity
The Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition has multiple ports for better connectivity. On the right side sees an HDMI port and 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports. The left side houses a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A) port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Review: Battery
The battery of the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is strictly average. The 63Whr battery lasted for about 5.5 to 6 hours when I used the laptop for light tasks on a regular workday. On weekends, when I used it to stream content and play some online arcade games, the battery life was reduced to 4.5 to 5 hours only. So the battery life actually depends on the kind of usage you have. Maybe the better display or upgraded processor is eating up more battery than normal. Overall, the battery life is in line with other windows ultrabook laptops. Asus bundles a 100W Type-C charging support which charges the battery from 0 to 100% in about 2 hours and 10 minutes. ALSO READ: OnePlus Nord Buds Review: An affordable TWS for everyday audio needs
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Review: Performance
The Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is powered by 12th Gen Intel H-Series processors with Intel Xe graphics and up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM. The laptops have up to 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen4 SSD. I received the top-end 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and i9 variant for review purposes. My review unit worked as per my expectations. It was smooth and manage to handle most everyday tasks accordingly. Even when a dozen of browser tabs were open on the device, it never lagged or stuttered. My everyday use includes several Chrome tabs, Zoom calls, Google Meet, WhatsApp Web, Slack, a bit of lightroom, and many more. The laptop gets a little warm sometimes but that can be ignored. If you are into gaming, it is worth pointing out that it is not meant for gaming purposes. Some light games work fine but if you try and play games like GTA5, then settings need to be lowered and even then it doesn’t give a very smooth experience. The dual speaker system gives an ok performance, despite them being associated with Harmon Kardon. Considering the fact that the display is so good, the audio quality does not match up to it. The loudness level is good but there is no depth or bass in the sound that comes out of its speaker. The 720p webcam is of poor quality and is like a blot on the device’s otherwise decent performance. I performed the Geekbench test and here are its results-
Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Verdict: Should you buy it?
The Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition can be described as unique in terms of its design. The device will attract you if you are a fan of nostalgic appeal and love the world of space. Looking at its price and considering the basic specs it has, I feel the price is kept specifically due to the beautiful design that the company has given to it. It is sleek, lightweight, and meant for those who like to collect special editions and have the means to do so. In terms of specs, Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition resembles other Windows 11 laptops. It has a decent battery life, responsive touchpad, fast processor, beautiful display, and fast charging speak in its favor. On the negative’s the webcam and speakers are average at best. So if you are someone, who is willing to spend about one lakh and you are fond of a beautiful laptop, then Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition can be your choice.
Δ
