ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304) Review

The Art of the Impossible: ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED Review

In the fiercely competitive world of ultrabooks, the pursuit of “thinner and lighter” often feels like a race to the bottom, where crucial features are sacrificed at the altar of portability. Every so often, however, a device arrives that challenges this notion, suggesting that you can, in fact, have it all. The ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304) is that device. Touting the title of the world’s slimmest OLED ultrabook, it measures a scant 1cm thick and weighs just 1kg. This isn’t just an iterative update; it’s a bold engineering statement. But does this radical commitment to svelteness come with compromises that are too big to ignore? Let’s find out.

A Design That Bends Physics, Not Principles

Picking up the Zenbook S 13 OLED is a genuinely surprising experience. It feels almost impossibly light, yet it avoids the flimsy, plasticky feel that can plague ultra-light laptops. The secret lies in its construction. ASUS has employed a magnesium-aluminum alloy for the chassis and a new, eco-friendly “plasma ceramic aluminum” for the lid. This material gives the lid a unique matte, stone-like texture that is remarkably resistant to fingerprints and feels distinct from the cold, metallic touch of typical aluminum. While some may miss that traditional premium feel, the unique texture and impressive rigidity are a testament to its quality. Coupled with a MIL-STD-810H durability rating, this Zenbook is built to travel. The 180-degree ErgoLift hinge is smooth and functional, and the overall aesthetic is one of minimalist, modern sophistication.

Performance: The Ultra-Portable Balancing Act

Inside this razor-thin frame beats the heart of a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-1355U processor, paired with up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a speedy 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. As an Intel Evo certified laptop, it delivers on the promise of instant wake, snappy responsiveness, and respectable battery life. For the target user, this is the perfect setup. It chews through everyday productivity tasks—web browsing with dozens of tabs, office applications, streaming, and light photo editing—without breaking a sweat.

However, we must be realistic. The U-series processor is designed for efficiency, not raw power. When pushed with sustained, heavy workloads like 4K video rendering or compiling large codebases, the thermal constraints of the ultra-slim chassis become apparent. The fans will spin up, and performance will inevitably be throttled to manage heat. This isn’t a flaw but a deliberate trade-off. The Zenbook S 13 OLED prioritizes marathon-running endurance and portability over sprint-speed power, and it makes no apologies for it.

A Feast for the Eyes and Fingers

The undisputed star of the show is the 13.3-inch, 2.8K (2880×1800) ASUS Lumina OLED display. It is, in a word, breathtaking. With the infinite contrast and per-pixel lighting inherent to OLED technology, blacks are truly black, and colors pop with incredible vibrancy and accuracy, covering 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut. It’s a PANTONE Validated, Dolby Vision-certified panel that makes everything from spreadsheets to HDR movies look phenomenal.

This premium experience extends to the input devices. The keyboard offers a surprising 1.1mm of key travel, providing a comfortable and tactile typing experience that defies the laptop’s thinness. The large ErgoSense touchpad is smooth, accurate, and a pleasure to use. In a stunning move for a 1cm-thick laptop, ASUS has also managed to include a highly practical port selection: two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full-size HDMI 2.1, and even a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port. This negates the need for a dongle for most common scenarios, a huge win for usability and a clear advantage over its key competitors.

Final Verdict: The New Pinnacle of Portability

The ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304) is a masterclass in purposeful design and intelligent compromise. It pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in a thin-and-light laptop without gutting the core user experience. The performance is more than adequate for its intended audience, the build quality is excellent, and the port selection is shockingly good. But it’s the spectacular OLED display housed in a chassis you can barely feel in your bag that truly sets it apart.

This is not the machine for power users who need sustained performance for demanding creative work or for gamers. Instead, this is the ultimate device for the frequent traveler, the mobile executive, the digital nomad, and anyone who demands supreme portability without sacrificing a premium screen and typing experience. If you live your life on the move and your backpack is your office, the Zenbook S 13 OLED isn’t just a great choice; it’s arguably the new standard.

Where to Buy:

Check it out on Amazon