ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 First Look (UX3404) – Awesomely Slim Ultraportable with RTX 3050 graphics

Ahead of its deployment in Malaysia, ASUS managed to pass us a sample of their wunderkind ultraportable fresh from its foundries in Taiwan a couple of weeks ago and we’ve managed to give it a quick once-over. Here’s our ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 first look (UX3404) where we broadly cover its design and specifications.

ASUS has managed to carve out quite a reputation for itself with a host of unique laptop form factors like their dual-screen Zenbook Duo series laptops along with constant refinements of their popular clamshell Zenbook series.

Originally unveiled at CES earlier this year, the Zenbook 14 OLED 2023 is a refinement of their classic form factor with a host of unique enhancements on top of its customary hardware upgrade to a 13th Gen Intel Core processor and the addition of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card in certain variants without compromising on weight or size.

@hitechcentury A firsthand look at the new ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 model UX3404 that’s now available in Malaysia. The new ultraportable costs from RM4,999 and has a 14.5-inch 2.8K 120Hz OLED display, up to a 13th Gen Intel Core CPU, up to 32GB RAM, either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 or Iris Xe graphics, 90W fast charging via a USB-C charging brick. #zenbook #ux3404 #fyp #malaysia #unboxing #tech #techtok #hitechcentury #EffortlessStyleProductivity #2023ASUSZenbook #ASUSMYLaunch ♬ Dreamers [Music from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack] – Jung Kook & BTS

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 First Look (UX3404) – Design Improvements

One particular fact that was stressed to us when we were handed the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 first look (UX3404) sample was the fact that it was fresh off the production line from Taiwan and while it is ultimately aesthetically similar to the units available in Malaysia, it differed slightly in terms of specifications which we’ll get into later.

At first blush, the 2023 incarnation of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED looks somewhat akin to its immediate predecessor the Zenbook 14 OLED from 2022 with a similar clamshell form factor, though it has significant enhancements under the hood. 

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 First Look – Belying its size, the laptop has slimmer bezels to allow for a larger 14.5-inch 2.8K OLED display into a 14-inch form factor which is quite a feat of engineering. More so for the fact that they’ve even crammed in an NVIDIA RTX 3050 GPU in selected models.

Aesthetically speaking, the laptop has a unique looking top lid that has a matte black finish with geometric lines embellished with chromed inlays with the Zenbook logo subtly emblazoned in the corner that they’ve dubbed as Inkwell Gray.

Dubbed ‘Kintsugi’ in recognition of the Japanese practice of using gold to repair pottery with artistically pleasing results – alas there’s no gold here in the top lid – the Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 is visually quite different from their prior offerings that usually have a concentric circle design centred on the Zenbook logo but is nonetheless quite attractive in its own right. 

The Asus ZenBook 14X OLED 2023 First Look – You can alternatively acquire the laptop in a nifty looking Sandstone Beige finish

Also available is a more neutral sand brown finish with a unique texture that they’ve designated as Sandstone Beige which uses a new Plasma Ceramisation coating process.

Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 First Look – Our early sample has a Inkwell Gray finish that has a matte black colourway overlaid with geometric lines that have a chrome finish across the top lid

Like its predecessor, the Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 has a 14-inch form factor that’s 16.9mm thin while weighing about 1.5kg on average made of machined aluminium and polycarbonate with a robust MIL-STD810H rating for drop and temperature resistance. This means that it is able to survive a modest waist-height drop to the floor without undue damage and continue working in extremes of heat or cold in the off chance you’re stuck hammering out text on top of Mount Kinabalu or having to crank out a report at high noon right in the middle of Bukit Bintang. To wit, it’s as tough as its predecessors and a good deal tougher than competing designs.

Where it differs from the prior 2022 version is that ASUS has managed to thin the bezels even further without compromising on durability to offer more screen real estate such that the Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 actually has a 14.5-inch 2.8K 120Hz NanoEdge display that comes in both non-touch and touch-capable variants, with our sample being the latter though units in Malaysia are the former; both versions are identical in terms of display quality. 

Unlike conventional LCDs, OLEDs are brighter, have faithful colour reproduction to the tune of 100% DCI-P3 which endears them to content creators and are able to offer beautifully deep blacks. To make it easier for paperwork, the display has a taller 16:10 aspect ratio which makes reading documents and web browsing a good deal easier. Perched just up top is a 1080p webcam for video calls.

In terms of port selection, the Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 is sparse but covers the bases with the left side packing a USB Type-A 3.2 port with the right featuring a HDMI 2.1 port to output to a 4K display, a 3.5mm audio jack and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports to power the laptop with the spare port allowing users to output to another 4K display for a grand total of two should the need arise.

The underside of the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 first look sample features a raised rubber strip near the underside of the hinge assembly to tilt the laptop slightly and offer some space for ventilation from the underside grilles and cooling fan array along with a pair of slits for the downward firing speakers.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 First Look – The laptop features an array of ports that cover the basis including a HDMI port, a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB Type-A port and a pair of USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, one of which is used for charging duties.

Unfortunately the bottom plate is held in place by a series of pentalobe screws which makes it harder for the average user to access but to be fair ,there isn’t much that can be modified with the laptop as the RAM has been soldered in and there’s only one SSD bay available which is already in use.

Overall build quality is superb with a sturdy chassis, minimal give in the top lid and, of note, exceptionally sturdy hinges that can fold completely flat at a full 180-degrees while remaining wobble free.

Bar the provided 100W charger, ASUS has provided little else in the box with our Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 first look sample though local units will come with a laptop sleeve.

Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 First Look (UX3404)- Specifications

For Malaysia, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 can be acquired in three different configurations with all of them featuring the same 14.5-inch 2.8K 120Hz OLED non-touch display. 

The top of the line variant that costs RM6,999 features a 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H processor, 32GB LPDDR5 4,800MHz RAM, a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card  which is the first for a Zenbook series laptop. This configuration is capable of handling light to moderate video editing and gaming which is typically not what a Zenbook is designed for but which is nonetheless quite a feat seeing its slim 16.9mm thin form factor.

Asus Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 First Look – The laptop features hinges that are capable of folding completely flat to 180-degrees in the off-chance you need to share the view with someone

The midtier version which costs RM5,999 ditches the GPU for Iris Xe graphics and downgrades the CPU to a 13th Gen i7-13700H CPU, paired up with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The base version further downgrades the CPU to a 13th Gen i5-13500H with a 512GB SSD for RM4,999.

Both the base and midtier versions are primarily intended for paperwork crunching and general computing but the decent loadout of RAM crammed in does give it some leeway for light video editing. Common to all variants of the Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 are fast WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and a 70Wh battery juiced by a bundled 100W USB-C charging brick.

Our ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 first look sample more closely resembles the midtier model with a Gen Intel Core i7-13700H processor, 16GB DDR5 RAM though it has a smaller 512GB SSD and Iris Xe graphics along with a touch capable 2.8L 120Hz OLED display though as far as we know, Asus will not be bringing in touch-capable variants of to Malaysia for the immediate future. 

@hitechcentury Where the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 Where it differs from the prior 2022 version is that ASUS has managed to thin the bezels even further without compromising on durability to offer more screen real estate such that the Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 actually has a 14.5-inch 2.8K 120Hz NanoEdge display that comes in both non-touch and touch-capable variants, with our sample being the latter though units in Malaysia are the former; both versions are identical in terms of display quality.  Unlike conventional LCDs, OLEDs are brighter, have faithful colour reproduction to the tune of 100% DCI-P3 which endears them to content creators and are able to offer beautifully deep blacks. To make it easier for paperwork, the display has a taller 16:10 aspect ratio which makes reading documents and web browsing a good deal easier. Perched just up top is a 1080p webcam for video calls. Keeping it powered is a 70Wh battery. Prices start from RM4,999 and up. @ASUS Malaysia #zenbook #malaysia #malaysiatiktok #techtok #hitechcentury #fyp #EffortlessStyleProductivity #2023ASUSZenbook ♬ LIMBO – Sped Up Version – keshi

Setting the laptop up is a relatively straightforward process though it needed several updates to Windows 11 and MyASUS, ASUS’ own laptop management app that can regulate fan speed and processor clock speed as well as display settings and other minutiae as needed. Stay tuned for our full review after we put the Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 through its paces! For more details check out the official Asus Zenbook 14X OLED 2023 page at https://www.asus.com/my/laptops/for-home/zenbook/zenbook-14x-oled-ux3404/