IN 1996, Bill Gates wrote an essay that changed the course of digital marketing. Titled “Content is King,” he suggested most of the money generated on the Internet would come from content, much like broadcasting.
He wrote: “One of the exciting things about the Internet is that anyone with a PC and a modem can publish whatever content they can create. In a sense, the Internet is the multimedia equivalent of the photocopier…. The Internet also allows information to be distributed worldwide at basically zero marginal cost to the publisher. Opportunities are remarkable, and many companies are laying plans to create content for the Internet.”
But companies weren’t the only ones that created content for the Internet. Today, everyone can be, or already is, a content creator. The challenge is how to make your content stand out, and for that, you need to have a laptop that can execute your ideas and turn them into interesting blogs, photos, videos, or even audio. Call me spoiled, but ever since the ASUS Zenbook, I’ve never wanted to use another laptop that didn’t have an OLED screen. I also received quite a few inquiries after that article from readers who wanted to get an OLED laptop as well but wanted something with a slightly lower price tag.
That’s where the ASUS Vivobooks come in. The lineup is a more practical choice for students and young creative professionals who have found their calling and need a laptop that could help them pursue those dreams—without going bankrupt first.
DESIGN: The new ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED (K3402) has a thin and lightweight design with a side profile of less than 19mm and tips the scale at 1.5kg. The lid is made of aluminum alloy and comes in a Neutral Gray color. It’s not the thinnest or the lightest, but its sleek form factor makes it easy to handle or slip into your backpack.
On the lid is an embossed ASUS Vivobook branding that protrudes out of the chassis. It’s something new for the series and gives the laptop a bit of flair and looks like some sort of a futuristic badge.
The overall build quality of the chassis is exceptional as you’d expect from an ASUS device. Lift the lid open and you’ll see the narrow bezels around the screen that translates to an 87 percent screen-to-body ratio. Neatly tucked in the top bezel is a 720p HD camera for video calls and a microphone array. ASUS added a little switch that you slide to cover the camera with a thin bit of orange plastic. This bright-colored cover is a nice touch that makes it easy to tell if the camera is disabled, so you can work peacefully without that feeling of being watched.
Taking your video-calling experience to the next level is ASUS 3D Noise Reduction (3DNR) Technology. It significantly upgrades the webcam image clarity, with a unique algorithm that sharpens images and performs real-time de-noising to make sure everything looks crisp and clear during video calls. There are also several useful image-processing features, including background blurring for enhanced privacy; lighting optimization to keep faces out of shadow; motion tracking to always keep you center-frame; and eye tracking.
It offers all the ports you might need including a 3.5mm headset/microphone jack, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, 2 Thunderbolt display/power USB type C ports, and 1 HDMI 2.0a port. You can open the screen a full 180 degrees so you can lay it totally flat on the table which is great when presenting your ideas.
As for the keyboard, ASUS added a few splashes of color on the keyboard to make it look more exciting to use. These include a bright red ESC key, a striped strip across Enter, and some ruler markings (for quick measurements) along with the words “Ready to Explore” emblazoned across the bottom edge.
The ASUS ErgoSense keyboard on this Vivobook is large and intuitive with backlit keys to make it usable for typing even in dark environments such as flights. The keys are well-spaced and have a dish-shaped indentation to guide your fingers and provide ample travel and tactile feedback so you can really feel your touch-typing speed when composing those blog posts.
The trackpad is also large measuring 129.7 x 74 mm, making it 53 percent larger than the previous generation, and has an extremely smooth coating that supports multi-gesture.
So far, my only problem with the design/build of this laptop is that it can be quite a smudge magnet. If you are like me who hates seeing fingerprint grease on the keyboard (the touchpad can get much worse), you’d do well to bring a microfiber cloth to constantly wipe it off, otherwise, expect a mosaic of whorls and blotches that’ll make it look like a splotchy mess.
DISPLAY: As the name suggests, the headline feature of the Asus Vivobook 14x OLED is its OLED screen, and rightfully so. It has a gorgeous 14-inch, 16:10 OLED display with a 2.8K resolution (2800×1800 pixels), 0.2ms response time, and 90Hz refresh rate to make even the simplest motions appear fluid and smooth. It also comes with solid credentials with certifications like VESA DisplayHDR True Black, TUV, and Pantone. It has a color gamut of 100 percent DCI-P3 and HDR content support, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 0.2 ms response time, up to 600-nit peak brightness, and 0.0005 nits of deep black brightness, providing users with a brighter and more detailed viewing experience. OLED displays have an ultrafast 0.2 ms response time―50X faster than average laptop LCD displays. This ensures smoother fast-paced action scenes, low-latency gameplay, and subtle details like blur-free text scrolling.
The cinema-grade display is Pantone Validated assuring accurate color and dynamic contrast reproduction. All these translate into vivid, sharp visuals, with razor-sharp text, media that pops, and luxurious blacks. As I said earlier, I have been spoiled by the beauty of my Zenbook OLED and this is no different.
But more than just getting professional-grade true-to-life colors, an OLED display also benefits users who work on their laptops all day. ASUS OLED laptops are able to show great detail at lower brightness settings. This means you can see the content more clearly without having to turn up the brightness; therefore, your eyes are exposed to less harmful blue light. By calibrating the spectrum, ASUS says their OLED laptops emit 70 percent less harmful blue light. It is also certified by TÜV Rhineland to ensure that the device adheres to high safety and quality standards.
Moving on to audio, the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED packs Harman Kardon-certified speakers that has been carefully tuned to ensure the very best sound for all kinds of content.
POWER AND PERFORMANCE: Another highlight of the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED is its performance. Powered by Intel’s latest 12th Gen H-Series CPUs with Intel Evo, it houses a Core i7-12700H CPU, up to 16 GB DDR4 3200 Mhz RAM, and 512GB speedy SSD storage. This setup means it can easily handle the usual productivity-based tasks, multitasking, browsing through multiple Chrome tabs, or watching streaming videos during breaks. This ASUS Vivobook is cooler, quieter, and faster thanks to ASUS’ IceCool thermal technology. It features a 97-blade built-in fan with dual heat pipes and dual vents, allowing the processor to operate at 45 watts in Performance mode with zero throttling issues.
Finally, there’s battery life. This ASUS Vivobook comes with a 70Wh battery. It’s larger compared to other laptops at this price point and can provide approximately 6 hours of regular use. The bundled 90W Type C charger is a bit bulky but as long as you fully charge your laptop you don’t have to worry about leaving the charger at home.
FINAL WORD: If you are serious about creating a web site, a YouTube channel, or maybe establishing your brand via photos or videos, you’d definitely need a laptop to help you create and curate better content. With prices starting at P59,995, the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED is a worthwhile investment as you get an amazing OLED screen, powerful performance, good battery life, and a wide range of useful features that make it an excellent work and entertainment device.