Laptops

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED review: Serious-looking champ

This serious looker made me want to skip work

Published

January 8, 2022

MJ Jucutan

When it comes to displays, OLED panels are usually considered the best of the best. Whether it’s a TV, monitor, smartphone, or even a laptop.

Hopping on the opportunity of bringing a visual spectacle, ASUS unveiled a full range of notebook computers — all sporting OLED displays. What came to my lap is the sleek-looking Zenbook 14X OLED, gearing up to be a machine for professionals on the go.

Looks that really mean business

The Zenbook 14X OLED looks like your familiar clamshell notebook, carrying a distinct style that screams ASUS. It evokes a serious vibe, parading a glossy shade adorned with an off-center version of the iconic ZenBook spun-metal finish.

It’s more evident in the Jade Black colorway. It’s not my cup of tea, but it projects a serious mood. Showing off this laptop can mean business for anyone who’ll see it.

Especially when you lay it flat with its 180-degree ErgoLift hinge — perfect for when you’re sharing information and presenting to your clients.

You can also conveniently type when you tilt the rear of the laptop a little bit. The arrangement of the keys, together with the slightly elevated platform, helped me in writing my stories and preparing documents.

Build that can take a beating

I haven’t been stuck to a desktop ever since I started working. It’s why I’ve always been fascinated with the desire to learn about laptops and other portable machines. I don’t want to be tied down in one place, ruminating over papers and a messy desk.

Before the pandemic, I used to work in airport lounges, restaurants, cafes, and even inside a car while I travel between provinces. For professionals on the go, having a thin and lightweight laptop means a lot.

While I barely work outside these days, the Zenbook 14X OLED — despite carrying a design that I find bland — still amuses me with its thin and light form factor. It weighs only 1.4kg and measures only 16.9mm. You can easily carry it in between your meetings, or fit it inside your everyday bag without straining your shoulder and arms.

The chassis and lid are made of military-grade diamond-cut aluminum alloy. That’s why it felt sturdy even if it is lightweight. The Zenbook 14X OLED is built extra durable, it can probably take a beating when it gets thrown into bins at airports during security checks.

Display that makes you want to stare at it all day

One of the most underrated parts of a laptop is the screen. Most people go after power and performance, and I can’t argue with that. But a good display can elevate your experience.

We spend a lot of time staring at our screens. The work we do, the shows we watch, the games we play — all of these activities can be made more fascinating if you have a display that brings out the best in whatever you do.

And that’s why I enjoyed using the Zenbook 14X OLED. Its 14-inch 4K OLED touchscreen display is perfect for accompanying me in my pursuit of a work-life balance.

The slim, 3mm bezels and 92 percent screen-to-body ratio made my favorite Netflix shows immersive. Games look expansive, as well

It’s like watching on an OLED TV but on a smaller machine. The colors reproduced are so rich and vivid, and I like how it exhibits the same amount of color detail even at a lower brightness setting.

If it’s easy switching gears, I could probably move back to a Windows laptop. Except, the display alone isn’t enough to make me switch, no matter how spectacular it looks.

Sadly, no secondary screen

Unlike the Intel version of the Zenbook 14X OLED, the Ryzen variant uses the proprietary NumberPad 2.0 instead of a second-screen built into the touchpad.

It would’ve been nice to get a secondary display, but it’s not necessary especially when the 4K OLED touchscreen takes so much battery life.

Lose yourself in that audio-visual experience

What I enjoyed the most is the audio-visual experience that the Zenbook 14X OLED brought me. When you parade a visually-stunning display together with a stereo sound system tuned by Harman Kardon, you could lose yourself in awe.

I had a pleasant time watching Single All The Way on Netflix, I forgot I was working. Sometimes, I end up zoning out when I play “La Vie En Rose” on YouTube Music. The experience is simply spectacular, it helps you enjoy a bit of life.

Professional laptop that lets you work and literally play

Like many guys out there, I care for power — especially when talking about a Windows laptop. Maybe it was me growing up tinkering with computers, but I have so many high expectations on Windows laptops.

When I got the Zenbook 14X OLED, I knew right away it’s a multi-tasking powerhouse. And it certainly did not disappoint despite having a unit that only has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of Internal Storage. My only gripe is how there’s a one- or two-second delay opening up important programs like the file explorer and anything related to the system settings.

It’s not the case when you’re browsing, switching apps, or even playing games. Yes, I did install Steam and re-downloaded my favorite games. My exact unit uses an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H clocking up to 3.3GHz, so it made me wonder if a professional-looking laptop can handle my desire to blow off some steam.

I played some of my favorite MMORPGs, Dota 2, and of course, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. I’d say the machine handled everything well — keeping up with graphics-intensive gameplay, high resolution, vivid colors, and staying lag-free.

Excessive heat and shorter runtime

What bothered me was the excessive heat the Zenbook 14X OLED produced when I was playing for only a few minutes. I guess I pushed it harder than what’s expected, but happy to report that you can balance work and play.

Its new, thermal design and smart sensors — like the ones in the ProArt Studio — helped maintain high performance at optimal power efficiency. No. Throttling. Involved.

Its heat pipes and 90-blade fan tried their best, so props to that. What’s funny though, is how the Zenbook 14X OLED promises up to 8.3 hours of work and play unplugged, but it actually has a shorter runtime. Much shorter when you play a game. My 100 percent battery went down to 51 percent in just 30 minutes of playtime.

It is, however, important to note that this laptop isn’t exactly built for gaming. So, if you’re looking to play, perhaps keep it to more casual games.

For everyday tasks, the laptop lasted me around five to six hours. That includes writing my stories on moderate brightness, watching videos, music playback, hopping on virtual meetings, and browsing on the web.

Charging it for one hour with its thick yet compact power brick gave me enough juice to power through the day. From 20 percent, I was able to fill the battery up to 82 percent.

Ready to keep you connected whenever, wherever

If you’re the type of professional who needs a lot of ports for different devices and peripherals, the Zenbook 14X OLED is packed with relevant input and output ports. There are two (2) reversible USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports, supporting up to 10Gbps of data transfers. There’s also your regular HDMI port and even a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port for your connectivity needs.

My favorite would be the 3.5mm combo audio jack and the microSD card reader — which I still deem essential for transferring confidential files obtained using my smartphones and cameras.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

If you’re a professional in need of a machine that lets you balance work and life, the Zenbook 14X OLED can surely keep up. And it’s probably the way to go, especially when you’re in the market for a new laptop.

The Zenbook 14X OLED simply means business from the way it looks. And it can carry its duties excellently whether it’s sharing presentations, a half-day worth of video meetings, or even doing creative work.

It can run hot when playing since it’s not really a gaming machine. But it can surely deliver the power, audio-visual experience, and performance that can keep up with your fast-paced lifestyle and go-getter personality.

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED (UM5401) retails for PhP 64,995 for the 8GB/512GB variant. Meanwhile, it costs PhP 66,995 for the 16GB/512GB configuration.

Gaming

HP OMEN Max 16 review: Gamer-maxxing in deep black

Peripherals deemed necessary to max this out

Published

October 23, 2026

Gab Orlina

It’s not every day that you come across a machine that looks good and plays even better. Oftentimes, subtle aesthetics take a back seat to sheer performance and power. Whenever a gaming machine looks sleeker, it seems to lack the power to push it forward. Simply put, you can’t have the best of both worlds these days.

But what if you could have it all? Not just money, fame, and other fortunes, but also a machine with everything you’re looking for! Gone are the days of wanting only power to keep you playing all day or wanting to look good while playing. On paper, this is what the HP OMEN Max 16 promises: the best of both worlds.

Unboxing a beast inside

When you first take it out of the box, the HP OMEN Max 16 looks unassuming in its overall design. It’s bulky yet sleek in its Shadow Black colorway, with nothing too fancy or flashy while powered down. From the outside, the machine screams premium, even though its dark color can attract more visible dirt than lighter finishes.

Opening it up reveals a 16-inch OLED display with a peak refresh rate of 240Hz, seamlessly connected to a base with a full-sized keyboard and a large trackpad. The bright, seemingly anti-glare display makes colors pop when watching or editing videos on the go.

Furthermore, HP places the ports in convenient spots along the rear and sides of the laptop. This makes it incredibly easy to set up and manage external peripherals while providing more room for ventilation under heavy loads.

Of course, the device’s biggest features lie in the hardware powering it from within. An Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, 32GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA RTX 5090 Laptop GPU should give you an idea of how well this machine can perform. It’s also a great combination for demanding productivity tasks and creative work!

Power that AI can only hope to replicate

The HP OMEN Max 16 lived up to many of our expectations in terms of performance. From startup to shutdown, it delivered on what its hardware promised. You can watch videos for longer, edit photos and videos to your heart’s content, and enjoy casual gaming without slowing down. Furthermore, the wide display gives you plenty of space to accommodate all these activities.

When you step up to more competitive gaming, the machine doesn’t miss a beat. Most titles deliver high frame rates regardless of the quality or performance settings you choose. With more advanced visual settings enabled, the RTX 5090 does a fantastic job of keeping supported games within a solid 40–50 FPS range. Pair it with a high-refresh-rate OLED display, and you get crisp details and faster input response to help you get ahead in ranked games all day long.

If there’s one thing to complain about, it’s the extra optimization required through the OMEN Gaming Hub. Features such as network prioritization, automatic power-mode switching, and system optimization are useful, but you’ll need to spend time configuring them during initial setup. The laptop also comes with OMEN AI, which promises to maximize FPS with a single click. However, it was only okay at best.

Runs longer, cools off smoother

Surely, a gaming laptop this bulky and powerful can’t last that long on battery, right? Well, the HP OMEN Max 16 averages around three hours of battery life during intensive gaming, which gives you a decent amount of playing time. For general use, battery life extends to around five and a half hours with Balanced power settings. It holds up reasonably well if you forget to bring your charger.

When you do have the massive 330W charger with you, charging doesn’t take too long either. During our tests, a full charge took two hours, with charging progressing slightly faster when we left the laptop idle. Charging the battery to 50% took around 20 minutes, giving you enough juice to squeeze in another game!

Another factor in prolonged use is how the device expels hot air through its sides and rear. We touched on this earlier, but it bears repeating: the laptop provides plenty of ventilation through its vapor chamber and multiple external vents. Instead of directing heat toward the keyboard, it pushes hot air through the vents, where it can hit your hands or peripherals. At least the keyboard stays cooler, right?

Is this your GadgetMatch?

At PHP 229,990, the HP OMEN Max 16 is a sleek-looking machine with incredible power under the hood. Despite its initial bulk, it delivers impressive performance for both casual and competitive gamers. Inside and out, it packs plenty of hardware and features to let you tailor the experience to your needs.

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop with decent battery life, this is a solid choice, but don’t expect it to last half a day. Of course, you wouldn’t use this machine entirely on its own, even if the unboxing experience might suggest otherwise.

Peripherals such as the HyperX Cloud Alpha Air and Solocast 2 Pro can further enhance the experience.

Overall, this is a Swipe Right for its features, performance, and premium design. However, if you don’t have an infinite money glitch to buy it right now, you’re better off saving up for this beast of a machine!

Laptops

ASUS ProArt P14, P16 laptops with NVIDIA RTX Spark now available

Powerful AI, wherever you create

Published

October 21, 2026

GadgetMatch

ASUS ProArt P16, P14 with NVIDIA RTX Spark

ASUS has introduced the ProArt P14 and P16, two creator laptops powered by NVIDIA RTX Spark. They combine high-capacity unified memory, RTX graphics, and AI tools to help creators and developers run demanding workloads locally.

The new laptops pair NVIDIA’s Blackwell RTX GPU and Grace CPU architecture with up to 128GB of unified memory. ASUS says the platform delivers up to one petaflop of AI performance, enabling users to run large AI models and generative workflows without relying entirely on cloud services.

Portable workstations for creators

The ProArt P16 measures 12.9mm thick and weighs 1.77kg, making it the thinnest 16-inch ProArt laptop to date. The ProArt P14 measures 13.9mm thick and weighs 1.48kg, making it the lightest ProArt laptop currently available.

Both models feature ASUS Lumina Pro OLED displays with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, Delta E<1 color accuracy, and peak brightness of up to 1,600 nits. The P16 supports up to 4K resolution with NVIDIA G-SYNC, while the P14 offers up to 3K resolution.

The P16 packs a 99Wh battery, while the P14 has a 90Wh battery. Both laptops also feature high-speed connectivity and haptic touchpads designed for photo editing, video production, and 3D modeling.

Run AI workflows locally

The ProArt P14 and P16 support local AI workloads through NVIDIA’s CUDA ecosystem and RTX acceleration. Their unified memory configurations allow users to run larger AI models and more complex generative workflows directly on their laptops.

ASUS also offers several creative and productivity tools. MuseTree supports local image generation using FLUX and WAN models, while StoryCube uses AI to organize media and manage creative assets. Zenni Claw provides an AI assistant for everyday productivity, content management, and ASUS device controls.

Users can also work with third-party tools such as ComfyUI and Hermes Agent. The laptops support hybrid workflows, allowing creators to switch between local processing and cloud-based services based on their performance, privacy, and project requirements.

Pricing and availability

The ASUS ProArt P14 and P16 are now available at select ASUS Exclusive Stores, including locations in Glorietta, SM Makati, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, and SM North EDSA.

Here are the available configurations and their suggested retail prices:

ASUS ProArt P14 (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD): PhP 224,995
ASUS ProArt P16 (48GB RAM, 1TB SSD): PhP 269,995
ASUS ProArt P16 (128GB RAM, 1TB SSD): PhP 429,995

The 128GB ProArt P16 configuration is available by special order.

Both laptops include three months of Adobe Creative Cloud and Google AI Pro with 5TB of cloud storage. Buyers also receive a lifetime license for Office 2024 Home, one year of Microsoft 365 Basic with 100GB of cloud storage, and up to 700GB of ASUS cloud storage.

ASUS includes a three-year local and international warranty with local on-site support, a 14-day extended replacement policy, up to six free device-cleaning claims, and one year of accidental damage protection.

Laptops

Lenovo expands Yoga lineup with new AI PCs and tablets

Lenovo unveils new AI devices

Published

October 19, 2026

GadgetMatch

Lenovo has expanded its Yoga portfolio with new AI-powered laptops, tablets, and cross-device experiences designed for creators and developers.

The latest lineup includes the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n (15-inch, Gen 11), Yoga 9n 2-in-1 (16-inch, Gen 11), Yoga Tab Plus Gen 2, and Yoga Tab Gen 2. Lenovo also introduced Smart Canvas Concept, a cross-device experience, and new features for its Qira ambient intelligence platform.

New Yoga laptops focus on local AI workloads

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n is designed for demanding creative and development tasks, including AI development, video editing, software development, and 3D rendering. Powered by NVIDIA RTX Spark, it offers up to 128GB of unified memory and supports local AI workloads alongside RTX gaming.

The laptop features a 15.3-inch 2.5K PureSight Pro OLED display with a variable refresh rate of up to 165Hz. It also includes Lenovo X Power thermal technology, a haptic Force Pad with pen support, and connectivity options for professional peripherals and external displays.

Meanwhile, the Lenovo Yoga 9n 2-in-1 combines NVIDIA RTX Spark with a convertible design. Its 16-inch 2.8K PureSight Pro OLED display supports a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

The convertible’s dual-surface pen experience lets users write or draw on either the display or the haptic Force Pad. Paired with the Yoga Pen Gen 2, it supports tasks such as illustration, annotation, and detailed editing. Its 360-degree hinge also allows users to switch between laptop, tablet, tent, stand, and canvas modes.

Yoga tablets add AI-powered creative tools

Lenovo also unveiled two tablets designed for note-taking, illustration, productivity, and collaboration.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus Gen 2 features a 13-inch 4K PureSight Pro display and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform. It supports up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, with an optional magnetic clamshell keyboard for productivity tasks.

The smaller Lenovo Yoga Tab Gen 2 uses a MediaTek Dimensity 9500s processor and an 11.1-inch 4K display. Weighing approximately 480 grams, it prioritizes portability while supporting pen-based creation and keyboard-based work through its detachable keyboard pack.

Both tablets support Lenovo’s native AI features, including Lenovo AI Vision, Smart AI Input, AI Creation Tools, AI Note, and Live Transcript. Their pen features include 8,192 pressure levels, tilt detection, and palm rejection. The Tab Pen Pro 2 also supports gesture-based controls for drawing, selecting, recording, and erasing.

The tablets launch with Android 17, with Lenovo promising seven operating system upgrades through Android 24 and up to seven years of security updates through 2033.

Lenovo introduces cross-device creative tools

Beyond its new hardware, Lenovo introduced Smart Canvas Concept, which aims to help users capture ideas and continue working across compatible devices. It combines voice, pen, camera, and touch input, allowing users to move between devices as projects develop.

Lenovo demonstrated the concept using the Yoga AIO i Aura Edition (32-inch, Gen 11) and Yoga Tab Gen 2 at Lenovo Innovation World.

Lenovo Qira also brings a context-aware AI experience to supported Yoga PCs and tablets. It is designed to help users capture inspiration, retain relevant context, and resume work across devices.

Together, the new products expand Lenovo’s Yoga lineup across high-performance computing, portable creative tools, and connected workflows.