Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: An Affordable Gem with a Premium Display and Strong Performance

The budget and mid-range laptop segment has evolved significantly in recent years, and Asus has positioned itself as one of the strongest players in this category. Its new Zenbook 14 OLED (UM3406) stands out not only for its attractive price point but also for offering well-balanced hardware and features typically found in higher-end models.

Thanks to the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, this version of the Zenbook sets itself apart from many Intel-based competitors—not just in terms of raw performance, but also in energy efficiency. But is this laptop really one of the best value-for-money options for users looking for solid performance, portability, and a good display? Let's take a deep dive into this full review.

Quick Look at the Specs

Before getting into the details, here’s a summary of the laptop’s core specifications:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS (8 cores, 16 threads)

• RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5x

• Graphics: Integrated Radeon

• Display: 14-inch OLED touchscreen, 1920×1200 resolution, 60Hz

• Storage: 512 GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

• Webcam: 1080p with IR sensor for Windows Hello and a physical privacy shutter

• Ports: 2 USB-C (one USB4), 1 USB-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm combo audio jack

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

• Battery: 75 Wh

• Weight: 2.82 lbs / 1.28 kg

With this setup, the laptop firmly places itself in the mid-range category while offering features typically seen in premium models.

Subtle Design, Solid Build

The Zenbook 14 OLED opts for a discreet aesthetic, featuring a matte black chassis with subtle etched patterns on the lid. While long-time fans may miss the iconic concentric circle design of older Zenbooks, the new design looks clean, professional, and modern.

Its compact size—just over 12 inches wide and under 0.6 inches thick—makes it ideal for users on the go. Weighing just 2.82 pounds (1.28 kg), it’s extremely portable without sacrificing durability.

The chassis is impressively rigid for such a lightweight device. There’s very little flex when handling the laptop, which is impressive given its thin form factor. The screen hinge extends nearly the full width of the device, adding stability, and you can open the lid one-handed—an uncommon convenience in budget laptops.

Keyboard and Touchpad: Decent, Not Exceptional

The Zenbook’s keyboard is perfectly adequate for daily work. Key spacing is good, although some keys—like the backspace—are slightly undersized. Typing feels comfortable overall, with enough travel and decent tactile feedback. However, the bottoming action is a bit abrupt, giving it a slightly rigid feel. It won’t win any awards, but it’s better than average for this price range.

The white LED backlight is functional, offering several brightness levels without being overly harsh or too dim—great for working in low-light conditions.

The touchpad measures roughly 5 inches wide and 3 inches deep, providing ample room for gestures and navigation. That said, the depth could be slightly better—three inches is just enough for comfortable two-finger scrolling. Asus could potentially expand the pad in future models by utilizing unused space around it.

Display: OLED Brilliance at a Budget Price

One of the Zenbook 14 OLED’s biggest selling points is, unsurprisingly, its OLED screen. While the 1920×1200 resolution doesn’t compete with the 2.8K or 3K displays seen in more expensive laptops, it still offers a premium visual experience thanks to the OLED technology.

Expect excellent contrast, deep blacks, and vivid color reproduction. Watching movies, editing photos, or even just web browsing is a treat on this screen. The fact that it’s also a touchscreen is a major plus—especially since many competing models save touch functionality for convertible devices only.

However, it’s not perfect. The glossy finish makes it prone to reflections, especially in bright environments or under direct sunlight. And although it supports HDR, the screen’s peak brightness doesn’t quite hit the mark for a truly spectacular HDR experience. Still, compared to most IPS panels in this price range, this screen is far superior.

Surprisingly Good Audio

Audio quality is often where budget laptops cut corners—but not here. The Zenbook 14 OLED delivers surprisingly rich and loud sound, thanks to its downward-firing Harman Kardon-tuned speakers.

Mids are clear, the volume reaches satisfying levels, and there's a decent amount of bass, especially for such a thin chassis. Only in very complex tracks or at max volume does the sound get slightly muddy. For casual listening, video calls, or streaming content, these speakers are more than capable.

Webcam, Microphone, and Biometrics

The 1080p webcam embedded in the top bezel offers sharp image quality with natural colors and balanced exposure. It doesn’t break new ground—most modern laptops now include 1080p cameras—but it performs well for video conferencing and casual recording.

Asus adds AI-enhanced features such as background blur, eye contact correction, and auto-framing, which work well and add a professional touch to video calls.

There’s a physical privacy shutter too, which is bright red when engaged, so there’s no mistaking whether it’s on or off. Note: the shutter only blocks the camera, not the microphone.

Speaking of the mic, it captures voice clearly and effectively, even at lower speaking volumes. AI noise cancellation is included, with three different modes: solo speaker, multiple speakers, and 360-degree pickup. Switching modes significantly alters how the mic performs, so using the right one is essential.

The Windows Hello facial recognition feature works flawlessly, quickly unlocking the device once set up. However, the Zenbook lacks human presence detection, a feature in some competitors (like Lenovo’s Slim 7 14) that automatically wakes and logs you in when you approach.

Ports and Connectivity: Just Enough

The Zenbook 14 OLED includes a basic but functional selection of ports. You get two USB-C ports (one supporting USB4 and the other USB 3.2), both capable of charging and video output. There’s also a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

While that’s a decent mix, we’d like to see one or two additional USB-A ports—especially since there’s physical space for them. Ethernet is also missing, so wired internet will require a USB adapter.

Wireless connectivity is more impressive, with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Wi-Fi 7 would have been a nice future-proof bonus, but it’s still rare in this price range. In real-world usage, the Wi-Fi performed admirably—even in a detached office 50 feet and several walls away from the router.

Performance: Ryzen Power Shines

At the heart of the Zenbook 14 OLED is AMD’s new Ryzen 7 8840HS, an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on a 4nm process. It includes Radeon 780M integrated graphics, currently AMD’s top-tier integrated GPU offering.

Benchmark performance is impressive across the board:

• In PCMark 10, it scores 6,772—better than most comparable laptops except the Dell Inspiron 14 7440.

• In Cinebench R20, it holds its own against similarly priced Intel laptops and shows a notable performance leap over the older Ryzen 7 7730U.

• Handbrake, a test of sustained multi-core performance, gives mixed results due to thermal constraints—but still ranks the Zenbook solidly in the middle.

• On 3DMark Time Spy, the Zenbook scores 3,160—a solid number for integrated graphics, though slightly behind Intel’s Arc iGPU. In real-world gameplay, this gap is hardly noticeable.

This is not a gaming laptop—but you can comfortably play older or less demanding titles at low to medium settings. For everyday work, content creation, and multitasking, it’s more than capable.

Most notably, the Zenbook runs quietly. Fans only kick in under heavy load, making it a good choice for quiet work environments.

Battery Life: Simply Outstanding

The 75 Wh battery gives the Zenbook 14 OLED incredible longevity. In our standard battery test (looping a 4K short film), it lasted over 16 hours—far ahead of many competitors.

In daily use—writing, browsing, light photo editing—it only consumed about 15% battery every two hours, meaning a full workday drains only about half. In practice, this means you could easily go two to three days without needing a charge, depending on usage.

Of course, running resource-heavy applications (like video encoding or gaming) will reduce battery life significantly—but for typical usage, it’s excellent.

Final Verdict: A Perfectly Balanced Machine for Its Price

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED UM3406 is one of the best-balanced laptops in its class. It may not boast flashy looks or high-end gaming performance, but it delivers where it matters most:

• A beautiful OLED touchscreen

• A powerful and efficient AMD Ryzen processor

• Outstanding battery life

• Lightweight and portable design

• Excellent speakers and webcam

Its few downsides—such as limited port selection or average keyboard feel—are minor trade-offs at this price. If you’re looking for a reliable, fast, and affordable Windows laptop with premium touches like OLED and facial recognition, this Zenbook is extremely hard to beat.