Best Asus Vivobook S 14 OLED 2024 review
Table of Contents
Introducing the Asus Vivobook S 14, a sleek and powerful laptop designed to meet the demands of modern life. Combining cutting-edge technology with stylish aesthetics, the Vivobook S 14 is not just a device but a statement of sophistication.
Whether you’re a student, professional, or creative enthusiast, this laptop offers a perfect balance of performance and portability.
Featuring the latest Intel or AMD processors, a vibrant 14-inch Full HD display, and a robust battery life, the Vivobook S 14 ensures seamless multitasking and immersive entertainment.
With its ergonomic keyboard, precision touchpad, and comprehensive connectivity options, the Asus Vivobook S 14 is your ideal companion for both work and play.
Design and first look
The VivoBook S 14 is a highly adaptable mid-range ultrabook that stands out for its solid construction and ergonomic design.
It incorporates most of the features and capabilities found in high-end devices like the Asus ZenBook 14 and 14X models, though there are some distinctions to consider if you’re in the market for a new laptop.
To begin with, this laptop is relatively compact and lightweight, though it isn’t quite as small or as light as some other 14-inch models available.
The construction features metal components, including a sturdy lid and a well-built main chassis. However, it isn’t quite as robust as the deck found on the ZenBooks.
Asus provides the VivoBook S 14 series in several color options, and the unit reviewed here is the darker Midnight Black variant, which actually appears as a dark gray.
It has an attractive look, though it tends to show smudges quite easily. Additionally, other colors might not be as readily available, so potential buyers may not have many choices in terms of color.
The VivoBook S 14 features several distinctive branding elements, including a name plaque on the lid, an Asus VivoBook engraving beneath the display, and an audio engraving on the right side of the armrest. These elements are more prominent compared to the subtler branding on the ZenBooks, resulting in a somewhat busier design.
Certain features on the VivoBook S 14, such as the rubber pads at the top and bottom of the display and the double-edged front lip and corners, are less refined than on the ZenBooks and can occasionally be uncomfortable on the wrists.
Additionally, Asus has incorporated some graphical elements into the keyboard and rubber feet of this series.
The rubber feet provide excellent grip on the desk, and the chassis supports comfortable input with a spacious armrest.
The hinge is well-designed, allowing smooth one-handed operation and the ability to lay flat at 180 degrees.
Additionally, the status LEDs are positioned on the side, keeping them out of your line of sight, and the power key does not have a distracting light, unlike other Asus ultrabooks.
When it comes to ports, this device offers an abundance, albeit primarily concentrated on the right side. However, this concentration may lead to clutter if you connect numerous peripherals to that edge.
This notebook falls short in a few areas, notably lacking a card-reader and a lock. Additionally, it doesn’t feature an IR camera, but it does compensate with a finger sensor embedded within the power key.
The ports predominantly occupy the right side of the device to leave the left side designated for cooling exhaust. This model is equipped with two radiators, one positioned on the left side and another discreetly situated behind the hinge, as you’ll discover in more detail below.
Keyboard and trackpad
The keyboard design of this VivoBook resembles the outstanding keyboards found on recent ZenBooks, with a unique touch in the form of an orange-colored Escape key and a visually emphasized Enter key. While these graphical additions aren’t personally to my liking, they might appeal to your aesthetic preferences.
The majority of keys on this keyboard are full-sized and appropriately spaced. However, the top row of keys is slightly smaller, and the arrow keys are half-sized for efficient use.
The feedback may feel a tad soft and somewhat mushy, but once you acclimate to it, the typing experience proves to be quite dependable and satisfactory.
The keys feature backlighting, illuminated by white LEDs, offering three adjustable brightness levels. After 30 seconds of inactivity, the system enters a timeout mode, reactivating with a simple swipe over the clickpad. Overall, the LEDs provide sufficient brightness for their intended purpose.
It’s worth noting that all other color options for this laptop feature the same black keyboard design showcased here. This consistency ensures that the contrast on the keys remains excellent, regardless of the color variant you choose.
The clickpad is a spacious glass surface that seamlessly responds to swipes, gestures, and taps. It maintains a solid feel and doesn’t produce any rattling with firmer taps. While the physical clicks in the lower corners are functional, they do feel a bit clunky.
Additionally, this clickpad serves as a virtual NumberPad, a feature commonly found in modern ZenBooks. Moreover, for biometric authentication, there’s a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button, supporting Hello, although an IR camera is notably absent.
Display.
This laptop offers a 14.5-inch 16:10 glossy OLED 2.8K panel, available in a non-touch variant.
Featuring a stunning 10-bit display with HDR 500 support, it boasts around 600 nits peak HDR brightness during supported activities, along with full 100% DCI-P3 color coverage and remarkable blacks/contrast.
However, with normal content, the panel’s brightness is limited to about 400 nits, making it less suitable for bright environments or outdoor use, particularly considering the potential glare and reflections. Despite claims of a 600-nits panel in advertisements, this is only applicable to peak HDR brightness and can be considered false advertising.
Unlike its glass-covered touch counterparts, this non-touch screen variant lacks a layer of gorilla glass, reducing reflections to some extent. However, it still falls short of a matte finish.
One notable advantage of this non-touch OLED panel is its avoidance of the graininess effect often associated with touch-enabled OLED screens.
This effect, caused by the digitizer layer common in touch OLEDs, is absent here due to the panel’s non-touch nature. Therefore, for those seeking an OLED laptop without grainy images, this option stands out among the available choices.
Straight out of the box, this panel arrives well-calibrated, boasting uniform luminosity and color rendition. Additionally, being OLED, there’s no need to worry about light bleeding on black backgrounds.
While panel quality is essential, it’s also crucial to consider the unique aspects of OLED panels when making your decision. These factors are extensively covered in a separate article focusing on OLED laptops, their technologies, and available options.
Regarding PWM and flickering, the situation is somewhat intricate. By default, lower brightness settings may utilize PWM, which can strain your eyes and potentially lead to headaches.
However, Asus provides an alternative solution via the MyAsus app, offering flicker-free dimming options. Utilizing this feature for brightness adjustments should mitigate any concerns about flickering. Nevertheless, this method may not be as straightforward as using traditional controls or key shortcuts for brightness adjustments and might not be widely known among users.
Technical Specifications and System Speed
The model we’re evaluating is the high-end variant of the 2023 Asus VivoBook S 14, known internally as K5404VA. It features an Intel Core i7-13900H (Intel Evo) processor, accompanied by Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16 GB of LPDDR5-4800 memory, and a standard 1 TB gen4 SSD.
Please note: Asus provided this review unit for assessment purposes. Our testing was conducted using software available as of mid-May 2023, including BIOS version 204 and MyAsus app version 3.1.14. Since then, a BIOS update to version 301 has been released, which may introduce changes to settings and potentially impact our findings.
In terms of specifications, this series is built upon the 2023 Intel 13th-generation Raptor Lake Core H hardware platform, featuring Iris Xe graphics. Some configurations also offer the option of a dedicated GPU for enhanced performance.
Our configuration boasts the top-tier Core i9-13900H processor from the series, featuring a hybrid design with 4 Performance and 8 Efficiency Cores, along with a total of 16 threads. Despite its compact form factor, this processor can sustain a power output of 45W under demanding workloads, as we’ll demonstrate shortly.
Graphics duties are handled by the integrated Iris Xe chip, boasting 96 Execution Units and frequencies reaching up to 1.50 GHz.
Additionally, our configuration is equipped with 16 GB of LPDDR5-4800 memory, operating in dual-channel mode. However, it’s worth noting that the memory is soldered onto the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.
As for storage, Asus has opted for a mid-level PCIe gen4 Micron 2450 drive, suitable for everyday use but prone to slowdowns during sustained data transfers.
The SSD and WiFi chip are the only components that can be upgraded in this system. Accessing them requires removing the back panel, which is secured by a couple of Torx screws of varying sizes.
Upon opening the laptop, you’ll notice the redesigned motherboard featuring a thermal module, two heatpipes, two radiators, and a single fan positioned on the right side of the chassis. This layout closely resembles the motherboard found in the ZenBook 14 series.
However, it’s worth observing that the SSD and Wi-Fi chip are positioned around the fan, distanced from the heatpipes. Additionally, there’s space on the motherboard allocated for a dedicated GPU in certain configurations of this laptop, although such variants are not currently available for purchase.
It’s possible that they may become available in the future.
In terms of software, the VivoBook comes equipped with the standard MyAsus app, offering control over various settings such as power profiles, battery management, screen settings, and updates.
There are three performance and thermal profiles available:
- Performance: Allows the hardware to operate at approximately 45W sustained, with the fan reaching around 45 dB.
- Balanced/Standard: Limits the hardware to 35W during sustained loads, with the fan noise capped at around 40 dB.
- Whisper: Caps the CPU at 15W to prioritize fan noise below 30 dB.
While Whisper mode may suffice for light usage, I recommend keeping the laptop on Standard mode for most tasks to avoid potential sluggishness and stuttering.
The Performance profile offers faster processing capabilities in sustained workloads but comes with significantly higher noise levels. We’ll delve into the noise profiles in more detail later in the review.
Before we delve into that, let’s discuss the expected speeds and temperatures during everyday tasks such as streaming video, text editing, or web browsing.
System Performance and Evaluation
Moving on to more demanding tasks, we initiate our evaluation by testing the CPU’s performance using the Cinebench R15 loop test.
Under the Performance mode, the Core i9-13900H processor initially peaks at approximately 70W of power for several loops before stabilizing at around 45W.
Temperatures hover in the mid to high 80s Celsius, accompanied by fan noise levels of around 44-45 dB. These conditions result in sustained Cinebench scores of approximately 2200 points.
Switching to the Standard mode, the system moderates fan noise to around 40 dBA. The CPU stabilizes at 35W, with temperatures ranging from 78 to 80 degrees Celsius, yielding scores of around 2050 points—equivalent to 90% of the scores achieved in Performance mode.
In Whisper mode, the CPU gradually settles at 15W, accompanied by barely audible fans and temperatures in the mid-60s Celsius. At this power level, the i9 processor achieves scores around 900 points, representing roughly 40% of its Performance mode scores.
Lastly, our sample exhibited commendable performance on battery power, stabilizing at around 40W of power consumption under the Performance mode.
THE GOOD
- fair design and functionality for the mid-tier segment
- good inputs and IO
- beautiful OLED display, non-touch, with 180 hinge
- fast every day and multitasking performance, for the class
- 75 Wh battery and long runtimes
THE BAD
- some design and ergonomics particularities could be further refined
- the CPU runs very hot with sustained loads
- only available in an i9 + Iris Xe configuration for now
price : $277.38
