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.