Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition review – a combination of interesting design and solid performance

• Asus has launched the premium Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition laptop in India.
• The device has been launched to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the company’s laptops that were launched in space.
• Here’s our review of the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition that will help you decide whether you should buy the device or not.

Asus recently launched a limited-edition laptop to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Asus P6100 and P6300 laptops that were sent to space as part of the Soviet-built Mir space station, the first inhabited long-term research station in space.

The laptop, dubbed as Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is a tribute to the laptops that lasted 600 days in space and returned in working condition. The device comes in a specially space-inspired package and depicts the Mir space station.

I received the top-end Intel i9 12th gen variant with 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD and here’s my review of the latest notebook from Asus.

Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition price and availability

The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is priced starting at ₹1,14,990 in India. The company has launched three variants of the device, allowing customers to choose between i5, i7 and i9 processors.

The laptop is available in Zero-G Titanium color option from Amazon, Flipkart, Asus online store and authorized retailers across the country.

Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition design

The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition stays true to its name and the design is heavily inspired by the Mir space station. Asus has managed to include several space-related design elements into the device.

The laptop features a thin and lightweight design. It is just 15.9mm thick and weighs 1.4 kg. I was able to easily carry it with me in my bag and the weight is barely noticeable. You don’t have to worry about getting a new bag for the laptop as it can easily fit any bag that supports a 14-inch laptop.

The first thing that you will notice when you see the laptop is the secondary display at the back. Asus has dubbed this display as ZenVision. It is capable of showing the time, battery status, your business card and other animations. While it does not add much to functionality, it is a nifty addition that helps the laptop stand out among the crowd.

The laptop is built using aluminum alloy with a Zero-G Titanium finish, which is similar to the material used on space crafts. Essentially, sturdy and lightweight. The arched lines on the back are morse code that reads “ad astra per aspera”, which is Latin for “through hardships to the stars”.

The space theme is carried on to the palm-rest area. The left side comes with a pattern that is based on the Mir space station and the two lines on the sides are inspired by a cockpit’s design. The different colored space bar is a nice touch.

In terms of connectivity, the Asus 14X OLED Space Edition offers two Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, a USB 3.2 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a 3.5mm audio jack and microSD card support.

Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition display

The display is easily one of the best features of the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition. It features a 14-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED touchscreen with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 92% screen-to-body ratio and HDR support.

The 10-bit OLED panel on the device displays sharp images, even in direct sunlight, making it an excellent choice for users who travel a lot and have to work outdoors. During my usage, I found that the viewing angles are good.

The display comes with Pantone validation for colour accuracy and is TUV Rheinland certified for safety and quality standards.

The color accuracy makes it a good option for content creators and designers who need accurate colors while working. Watching movies and shows and gaming on the laptop is an excellent experience thanks to its resolution and high refresh rate that ensure good quality, even in fast-moving scenes and games.

Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition keyboard and trackpad

The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes with the company’s ErgoLift hinge design which is aimed at making it easier for the user to type. Essentially, the keyboard is slightly raised when you open the laptop.


The laptop comes with an edge-to-edge keyboard and the keys offer a 1.4mm key travel, which Asus claims to be the longest in this class of laptops. The space bar and the power button come with copper hue while the other keys retain the Zero-G Titanium finish. The power button comes with an integrated fingerprint sensor that supports Windows Hello.

I found that typing on the device is a good experience and the ErgoLift hinge does help a bit while typing. So, if you are a writer who uses the keyboard a lot like me, you don’t have to worry about issues with typing as the laptop offers a comfortable typing experience, even if you are working for extended hours at a time.

Coming to the trackpad, it comes with the company’s NumberPad 2.0 design. The touchpad comes with a number pad integrated in it, which can be enabled with the tap of a button. This is useful when you have to enter a lot of numbers regularly, making it a good option for users in the finance and accounting field.

Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition performance

The Asus ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition is equipped with the 12th gen Intel H series processors. The top-end variant that I tested is powered by the 12th gen Intel i9-12900H processor coupled with 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, a 1TB PCIe NVMe 4.0 SSD and Intel Iris Xe graphics.

Performance is one area where you will have no chance to complain as the laptop performs extremely well. The lightweight design is likely one of the reasons why Asus has skipped out on a dedicated graphics card.

The absence of a dedicated GPU means that gaming will be difficult on the device, however, we were able to run PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on low settings without any issues. If you are looking for a gaming laptop, the Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is not the device for you as you will not be able to run any of the recent AAA titles.

Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition benchmarks

The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is equipped with powerful hardware and this reflects in the benchmarks.

The laptop scored 1689 points on the single-core Geekbench 5 test and 10,756 points on the multi-core test.

In the PCMark 10 test, the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition scored 11,195 in Essentials, 7,467 in Productivity and 7,168 in Digital Content Creation.

Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition battery life

The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is equipped with a 63 Whrs battery and in regular usage with some browsing and videos, we noticed a battery life of around 5-6 hours, which should be enough for most people. The laptop supports 100W Type-C charging which can fully charge the device in 2 hours.

If you are someone who works hours at a stretch without charging the device, you will have to make sure that battery life of around 5 hours is sufficient for you.

Verdict

The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is a sleek and powerful laptop that features a good design and stands out among traditional laptops. At the end of the day, the price tag reminds us that it is a limited-edition device, mainly aimed at space enthusiasts and collectors.

If you are someone who is interested in space and are looking for a thin and powerful laptop, the Asus 14X OLED Space Edition might be a good option for you. However, if you are looking for a laptop to play games or a great battery life, you should skip this laptop.

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