Review of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition: Unique Space-themed Design, Powerful Configuration

25 years ago, ASUS sent its first laptop, the P6300, to the MIR space station. To commemorate this achievement, the Taiwanese tech giant has introduced the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition (UX5401ZAS). Essentially, it's a version of the regular Zenbook 14X OLED (UX5401) with a space-themed design, accessories, and packaging. Let's review ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition in the article below!

Note: The article has been translated and referenced from GSMArena.

Read more: ASUS ExpertBook P2451F Review: Beautiful Design, Adequate Performance

Design and Build Quality of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition measures 15.9 mm in thickness and weighs 1.4 kg. The device is crafted from aluminum alloy and features a Zero-G Titanium finish, a material ASUS claims is used in spacecraft.

The design lines of the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition are influenced and inspired by the history of space exploration, including the MIR space station and the control module of space shuttles.

The lid of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition features curved lines reminiscent of a spacecraft, including one of the lines being the Morse code for the Latin proverb 'Ad Astra Per Aspera,' loosely translated as 'Through hardships to the stars.' The device also boasts the ZenVision display, considered one of the standout features of the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition.

Looking at the underside of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, once again, we see the Latin proverb 'Ad Astra Per Aspera' placed above two rows of ventilation holes. ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is surrounded by more ventilation holes as we also observe them along the edges, alongside speakers tuned by Harman Kardon.

The underside of Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition also features rubber feet to provide grip on surfaces. Beneath this panel is the Dual-fan IceCool cooling system, consisting of two heat pipes (each 6mm and 8mm) and two 87-blade fans, allowing the machine to maintain a continuous 45W TDP in performance mode.

On the left side of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is the HDMI 2.0 port, paired with two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports for data transfer and charging (also supporting 4K/8K display output). On the right side is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port along with a combined 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card reader slot (placed near the LED indicator).

The author appreciates ASUS for including an HDMI port but wishes the laptop had at least one more USB-A port since using a mouse with the device often occupies the USB-A port with the mouse's signal transmitter. Consequently, when data needs to be transferred via USB-A, the author has to disconnect the mouse's transmitter and resort to using the mousepad for navigation, which is less than ideal.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition employs the ErgoLift hinge, lifting the laptop frame by 3° when the lid is open at 150° (the standard variant opens at 180°) for two purposes. First, it creates an inclined angle for the keyboard, enhancing the typing experience. Second, it provides better ventilation under the laptop frame to improve cooling and deliver a superior audio experience.

The hinge of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is robust, maintaining stability even after months of use, effectively preventing screen wobbling. This hinge design also facilitates one-handed lid opening without the need to hold the base.

Upon opening, you're greeted by the 14-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen, surrounded by slim bezels with the webcam attached at the top. Looking downward, you'll find the touchpad and ErgoSense backlit keyboard.

In the upper right corner is the power button with an integrated fingerprint reader. This sensor works swiftly and accurately, allowing you to log in directly to the system after startup if you press the power button with a registered fingerprint.

The power button features a red accent matching the Space Bar with a planet icon. These red accents add emphasis to the overall keyboard layout. However, the planet icon doesn't illuminate like the numbers, letters, and symbols on the remaining keys, which raises a bit of confusion. The author wonders if ASUS may have overlooked it.

The area surrounding the keyboard of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition has a finish resembling the laptop lid, effectively resisting dirt. ASUS claims that heat is directed towards the upper keyboard area to keep the palm rest cool, providing a comfortable typing experience.

However, the palm rest area tends to heat up, albeit not as much as the upper keyboard area, especially during charging when the fan doesn't spin faster to maintain a cool device, even in Performance Mode. It seems ASUS has programmed them to start spinning at a higher speed only when the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition performs demanding tasks. It would be great if ASUS utilized the dual-fan cooling system during charging, as heat is heat, regardless of the source.

The design language seen on the lid of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition continues in the palm rest area. The lines on the left evoke memories of the MIR Space Station and the P6300 laptop. You can also find a diagram of the MIR Space Station on the left side of the wrist rest area, while the lines on the right side are reminiscent of the Zenbook 2011.

However, when sold, ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes with stickers on both sides of the touchpad, inadvertently spoiling the manufacturer's idea as they cover almost the entire palm rest area. Of course, you can still remove them, but it would be better if ASUS placed them on the back of the machine so users don't have trouble removing them and cleaning up any remaining adhesive residue.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition meets durability standards MIL-STD-810H. The laptop is named the Space Edition not just for its space-inspired design but also for its compliance with the United States Space Command System SMC-S-016A standards for space mission devices. This means the laptop can withstand intense vibrations up to 2,000 Hz and temperatures ranging from -24°C to 61°C.

Overall, the author is genuinely impressed with the excellent design and structure of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition. This device easily stands out as one of the best laptops in the market today in these aspects.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition screen delivers an extremely satisfying display experience

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition features a 14-inch OLED touchscreen produced by Samsung with a 2K+ resolution (2,880 x 1,800 pixels), stylus support, and a measured brightness of 550 nits. This display boasts a 90 Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, and 10-bit color support.

The display of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and its color accuracy is Pantone-certified. The screen's HDR support is certified with VESA's DisplayHDR 500 True Black.

The Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition's panel has a 16:10 aspect ratio, with the screen-to-body ratio at 92%, thanks to slim bezels on the top (5.86 mm) and the remaining edges (3mm) for a vibrant visual experience. This combination provides more display space compared to 16:9 screens, making ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition more suitable for productivity-related tasks by reducing the need for scrolling.

ASUS claims that the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition's screen emits less than 70% blue light compared to an LCD screen and is TUV Rheinland certified for low blue light emission.

In real-world usage, this is an impressive OLED panel with excellent viewing angles. ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition delivers vibrant colors, crisp text, and HDR videos on YouTube look stunning. However, you should calibrate the screen if you plan to use this device for photo and video editing as its built-in calibration is not exceptional.

Notably, the HDR playback feature is not immediately enabled; you have to manually activate it from the Windows settings (similar to changing color depth from 8-bit to 10-bit through the Intel Graphics Command Center because the control panel is configured at 8-bit depth by default).

The brightness of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition's screen increases when playing HDR video. Indoors, under artificial light, the author found the screen brightness to be sufficient, never needing to move the slider beyond 15%. However, if you intend to use the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition outdoors, you might want higher brightness, especially as it is a glossy display, making it quite reflective.

The 90 Hz touchscreen of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is highly responsive and smooth, with a noticeable difference between the 60 Hz and 90 Hz refresh rates. However, the screen is set to a default refresh rate of 60 Hz, so you'll need to change it to 90 Hz from the Windows settings or the MyASUS app, which also provides an automatic refresh rate option.

Switching to the secondary screen of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, known as ZenVision Display and a standout feature of this special edition. It's a 3.65-inch PMOLED screen with a resolution of 265x64 pixels and brightness of 150 nit.

This monochromatic screen can be customized to display animations, text, and personal space-themed widgets. You can also configure it to show smart notifications, including time, date, battery life, or display music controls, custom alerts, Microsoft Teams status, and even business cards.

The ZenVision display makes the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition look more appealing, although the author doesn't find it very useful. For instance, you won't check some information like time, date, and battery status using this feature since you can see that on the main screen.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Keyboard and Trackpad Decent

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes with a chiclet-style keyboard, labeled by ASUS as the ErgoSense keyboard. The keys have a spacing of 19.05mm and a key travel of 1.4mm, with a concave key surface of 0.2mm.

The author finds the keyboard layout of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition very comfortable. The keys with a matte finish resist dirt beautifully, coupled with impressive key feedback, providing a delightful typing experience.

Although the keyboard is quite compact, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition still includes the Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys, which the author personally finds very useful for their workflow. Additionally, the laptop features an inverted T-arrow layout, ensuring you don't accidentally press nearby keys when navigating without shifting your eyes from the screen to the keyboard.

Like most other laptops, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition's keyboard has function keys at the top with shortcuts assigned to them by default. For example, pressing the F5 key will increase the screen brightness instead of refreshing the system or website, so you need to press the ‘Fn’ key placed between the Ctrl and Windows keys along with the F5 key to refresh. However, some Windows shortcuts like Alt+F4 still work without the ‘Fn’ key.

Therefore, if you want a more consistent experience with the shortcuts, you can customize the functions of these keys from the MyASUS app. ASUS deserves praise for that because you don't have to go through the complex BIOS input process to switch the behavior of the Function keys.

Despite praising the ErgoSense keyboard of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, the author still has some minor complaints. Firstly, the keyboard backlight allows for easy typing in dim conditions or in the author's dark room, but the lights aren't always bright. They automatically turn off after a minute of inactivity, which is quite inconvenient as it happens regardless of the power mode and whether the laptop is charging or not.

Furthermore, some keys also have unevenly distributed LED lights, which is not something the author expected from a laptop in this price range. This significantly diminishes the device's premium feel.

The author also wishes the power button was placed a bit farther from the Delete and Home keys as they can be accidentally pressed at times. Fortunately, the power button is flat and positioned lower than the other keys, so this doesn't happen too frequently.

Similar to the ErgoSense keyboard, the touchpad of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition works well. With ample space, precision, smoothness, and quick feedback, this touchpad also supports multi-touch gestures and operates seamlessly.

The touchpad of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition does not have distinct left and right buttons, but you can press the left and right areas at the bottom of the touchpad to perform corresponding left and right clicks.

ASUS claims to have applied a water-repellent coating to the touchpad with a high Water Contact Angle (WCA) to provide smooth scrolling. This touchpad is also coated with a premium PVD fingerprint-resistant layer, making the surface easy to clean and enhancing its resistance to wear and tear.

The author had positive experiences with the smoothness and accuracy of the touchpad, but the standout feature is the ASUS NumberPad 2.0. This integrated backlit numeric keypad compensates for the lack of a dedicated numeric keypad. You can toggle this feature on/off by tapping the icon at the top right corner of the touchpad.

On the opposite side, another icon allows you to adjust the brightness of the numeric keypad in two levels and serves as a shortcut to quickly launch the Calculator app when you swipe from left to right on that icon. This illuminated numeric keypad is something the author would like to see on all laptops without a dedicated numeric keypad.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition outstanding hardware and performance

Before delving into the configuration of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, let's summarize a few configuration details below for your easy reference:

• Display: 14-inch size, utilizes OLED panel, 2.8K resolution, 90 Hz refresh rate.
• CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i5, Core i7, Core i9 processors.
• GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics.
• RAM: Configurable up to 32 GB LPDDR5.
• Storage: Options include 512 GB or 1 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD.
• Operating System: Windows 11.
• Battery: 63 Wh.

Learn more: Latest Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Chips - Powerful and Efficient Performance

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes with up to 32 GB of RAM, storage options up to 1 TB, and three CPU choices - Core i5-12500H, Core i7-12700H, and Core i9-12900H. The author evaluates the highest configuration variant with Core i9-12900H, 32 GB RAM, and 1 TB storage. However, none of the models feature a dedicated GPU; you only get Intel's integrated Iris Xe Graphics.

The Core i9-12900H boasts a 45 W TDP and comprises 14 cores - six Performance (P) cores designed to maximize performance for tasks like gaming and 3D design, along with eight Efficiency (E) cores to conserve power during low system stress.

ASUS opted for LPDDR5 RAM for the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, operating at a frequency of 4,800 MHz. While some hardware diagnostic tools indicated the Taiwanese brand used eight 4 GB sticks, totaling 32 GB of RAM, this laptop actually houses two 16GB RAM sticks under the hood.

For storage, ASUS equipped the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition with a 1 TB Samsung-manufactured M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD (MZVL21T0HCLR-00B00), advertised to deliver read speeds up to 6500 MB/s. The drive comes with a single partition like most laptops today, but the author wishes ASUS provided at least two disk partitions.

For optimal multitasking performance on the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, it is advised to choose the Performance Mode. In operation, this mode spins the 87-blade fans at their fastest speed to efficiently cool the system during demanding tasks and sustain performance. This has proven highly effective in maintaining performance under continuous load. However, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition becomes noisy when the fans are at their maximum speed.

It's worth noting that the Performance Mode is only available when the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is plugged into AC power and is not active when the laptop is running on battery.

In Standard Mode, the TDP drops to 35W. While the fans spin slower than in Performance Mode, they are still audible in a relatively quiet environment. The author didn't notice any significant performance difference between Standard Mode and Performance Mode in daily use, but some synthetic benchmark scores showed a slight improvement when Performance Mode was activated.

True to its name, Whisper Mode provides the quietest experience as the fan speed remains at its lowest. However, this also means that the performance you get is not as good as the other two modes, as the clock speed is reduced as the temperature rises.

Now let's see how the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition performs in synthetic benchmarks.

CrystalDiskMark:

GFXBench:

Geekbench, Cinebench R20/R23, 3DMark, PCMark 10, and PugetBench Scores:

After examining the benchmark scores, let's talk about the real-world performance of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition. The author used the laptop for office tasks, including multitab browsing in Google Chrome, editing documents in the Office suite, basic photo editing, and watching YouTube videos.

Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition performs well in the mentioned tasks but encounters occasional freezes, especially while using Notepad and Google Chrome. Fortunately, this doesn't happen frequently enough to pose a significant issue, but it's not something the author expected in the day-to-day use of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition after reviewing its technical specifications.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition will handle regular gaming and basic editing tasks well. However, if you plan on advanced photo/video editing or playing heavy games, you might want to consider a different device as this product doesn't come with a dedicated GPU. According to the author, that's the only missing element in this version.

The author inquired with ASUS about the reason for omitting a dedicated graphics card on Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, and the company mentioned that space constraints were the primary reason for not equipping a dedicated GPU, citing the need for a larger power regulator as well.

The Taiwanese brand also states that a dedicated GPU would increase the weight and price of the laptop. However, when you've already spent so much on a device like the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition, especially the top-tier model, the author wonders how many people would be concerned about spending a bit more for an overall better package.

ASUS recommends its Zenbook Pro or Vivobook Pro series for those wanting a dedicated GPU. The Space Edition is not intended for photo/video editing or gaming, raising questions for the author about the decision to use an Intel H-series CPU designed for gaming.

Overall, ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition performs well in daily use. The laptop occasionally gets a bit warm even with the fans running at full speed in Performance Mode, but fortunately, the keyboard and palm rest area remain cool enough for comfortable use when placed on a flat surface. However, you may not have a comfortable experience when placing the device on your lap.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition Long-Lasting Battery

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes with a Li-Ion 3-cell 63Wh battery with 100W Type-C fast charging support. ASUS hasn't advertised any specific durability figures for the battery, but based on the author's daily habits, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition averages four hours on a single charge with the power mode set to Best Performance.

The author used ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition for office tasks, including working inside Google Chrome with an average of at least 10-15 tabs open across multiple windows, editing documents in the office suite, and some basic photo editing. During this time, the author had the keyboard backlight set to the highest brightness, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi always on. The screen resolution was set to 2,880×1,800 pixels with the screen brightness at 15%, and the refresh rate set to 90 Hz. The author also had Windows Author mode enabled.

However, actual usage time will vary depending on your usage patterns and other settings, including power mode, screen resolution, and screen refresh rate.

After running out of battery, you can fully charge the battery with the included 100W Type-C fast charger. ASUS also doesn't market any specific charging time figures, but in the author's test, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition could go from 3% to 40% battery in 30 minutes, 50% in 42 minutes, 65% in 1 hour, and 100% in 2 hours and 32 minutes of use.

ASUS informed the author that ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition can also be charged using a power bank, as long as that device supports USB PD 3.0. The MyASUS app allows you to limit the charging level of Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition to 60%, 80%, or 100% depending on your usage scenario. ASUS recommends choosing Maximum Lifespan mode or Balanced mode to extend the laptop's battery life.

Conclusion

The author evaluates ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition as an impressive device. It's a truly outstanding laptop but not for everyone, as ASUS notes that this is not a mainstream product. The Zenbook 14X Space Edition caters to enthusiasts who want to own a collectible item related to space.

How about you? What's your review of ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition? Leave your comments below to let us know!

If you're an ASUS fan, The World of Mobile is currently offering many other ASUS laptop models at attractive prices. You can click the orange button below for more information!

BUY ASUS LAPTOPS AT ATTRACTIVE PRICES HERE

Explore more: Hands-on with ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition: The universe within reach