The Asus ZenBook Flip S OLED (UX371) is currently the world’s thinnest 13-inch 4K OLED Convertible laptop. Yes, that is quite a mouthful, and oddly specific. But those are definitely the key selling points of this laptop, built right into the name itself. So if you’ve been searching for a convertible laptop that has a beautiful 4K display that saves battery, and doesn’t skimp on hardware performance, the ZenBook Flip S might be something you want to consider. But first, let’s go through the specs, shall we?
Specifications
| CPU | Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 4 cores) |
| Display | 13.3″ OLED 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) 16:9 slim-bezel NanoEdge touchscreen 3.9 mm-thin side bezel; 178° wide-view technology; 100% DCI-P3, 400 nits |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Home |
| Graphics | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| Main memory | 16 GB 4266 MHz LPDDR4x |
| Storage | 1 TB PCIe® NVMe™ 3.0 x4 M.2 SSD |
| Connectivity | Intel WiFi 6 with Gig+ performance (802.11ax) Bluetooth® 5.0 (Dual Band) |
| Camera | IR webcam with Windows Hello support |
| I/O ports | 2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C® (up to 40 Gbps) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (up to 5 Gbps) 1 x Standard HDMI |
| Keyboard & touchpad | Edge-to-edge design, full-size backlit keyboard with 1.4 mm key travelTouchpad / ASUS NumberPad 2.0 |
| Audio | Dual-speaker Harman Kardon-certified audio system ASUS SonicMaster stereo audio system with surround-sound Smart amplifier for maximum audio performance Array microphone with Cortana voice-recognition support 1 x USB-C® to 3.5 mm audio jack dongle |
| Battery | 67 Wh 4-cell lithium-polymer battery |
| AC adapter | Plug Type: USB-C® (Output: 19 V DC, 65 W)(Input: 100-240 V AC, 50 / 60 Hz universal) |
| Dimensions | 1.39 x 30.5 x 21.1 cm |
| Weight | Approx. 1.2 kg with standard display |
| Retail Pricing | MYR 6,799 |
| Local Availability | 12 March 2021 onwards (authorized dealers, ASUS e-Stores) |
What’s In The Box?
- Asus ZenBook Flip S
- Charging Adapter
- ZenBook Laptop Sleeve
- USB-C to 3.5mm Audio Jack Adapter
Design
First off, I must say the ZenBook Flip S is a true work of art, and really lives up to the ‘Zen’ moniker. It still retains that signature Zen brushed metal design, with the chassis and the lids made out of lightweight, Red Copper diamond-cut aluminum alloy. What that essentially means is that the laptop was built with durable materials that are both lightweight and adds style points, that’s all you need to know. But that being said, the laptop is still prone to fingerprint smudges. With it being a convertible laptop, you are going to touch it a lot, so you might want to keep a wipe cloth with you just in case.
Not only does the ZenBook Flip S looks good, it weighs only 1.2KG, which is still a decent amount of weight to lift, hold, and stash into your backpack or handbag. It’s not too light that I always wonder if it’s still in my bag, but heavy enough to give me that assurance I am still carrying it.
On the left, you have the full-sized HDMI port, and two USB type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, which is also another Intel EVO requirement. On the right, there’s the USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 port for easier connectivity with devices that still use the USB-A interface.
Display
Once you’re done being fascinated with the design of the laptop, the next thing to be fascinated by is the ZenBook Flip S’ display. This laptop features a 4K resolution screen with an OLED panel that has NanoEdge bezels, as well as a touchscreen interface. Think about it, gorgeous colour, extreme clarity, touchscreen panel, where battery life isn’t a concern.
The panel can get extremely bright, even under direct sunlight. Visuals come off crystal clear with vivid colours, which makes Netflix movies and TV shows look much more alive and immersive. I definitely enjoyed watching the entire season one of Wandavision on this laptop. The viewing angles are great with no distortion from the sides, and the touchscreen is fairly responsive too.
In terms of colour accuracy, the ZenBook Flip S is indeed PANTONE validated, supports VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black, and it also has TUV Rheinland Eye Care certification. So if you have a PS5 and you’re using Remote Play on the laptop, you bet the HDR can kick in even on the laptop’s screen.
Watching a YouTube video in 4K resolution, comparing the ZenBook Flip S’ OLED screen with another laptop brand’s FHD display, you can really see the difference in terms of picture clarity and colour reproduction.
User Experience
Asus made it clear that the convertibility and flexibility of the ZenBook Flip S was the main key selling point. With the 360-degree ErgoLift hinge design, it allows the laptop to be put into any angle, rotating as the name suggests – 360-degrees. However, I did find a couple of issues. In normal position, and easel position, the display does feel wobbly when you interact with the touchscreen.
It wobbles with every screen press you make, and when you rotate it all the way into tablet mode, the laptop doesn’t quite flush all the way. You’d have to press it down a little further for both surfaces’ internal magnets to come in contact with one another. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s just my OCD acting up that the bottom isn’t flushed.
The front of the laptop lid also has a decent groove that allows you to easily lift open the laptop lid with one finger. But unfortunately, it doesn’t pass the one-finger lift test.
Being an Intel EVO certified laptop, the ZenBook Flip S lives true to the Instant Wake feature. Everytime I open up the laptop, the display instantly turns on, and I’m immediately signed in with the webcam that supports Windows Hello facial recognition. This is immensely helpful as it gets me back to work faster, allows me to continue my tasks before I lose my train of thought.
The ZenBook Flip S’ keyboard layout is one that I can somewhat accept. The top function row keys are fairly large, although not similar-sized as the alphabet keys. The right shift key is elongated, so that makes typing easier, but the arrow cluster is still smushed together to make it fit the perfectly rectangular layout. The typing experience is commendable, as the key isolation is great, and each press has a nice tactility to them.
On the other hand, the numpad is something I really love about the ZenBook Flip S too. It features Asus’ NumberPad 2.0, which isn’t new, but still something great to have. It’s large in size (horizontally), and has a smooth matte surface, which makes navigating on the laptop great. With a short-press on the top right corner, you can activate the number pad to key in numbers faster too.
Another interesting point is that Asus also included a stylus within the packaging. This means you can fully take advantage of the touchscreen panel with added versatility and style points too. Tracking is fairly responsive, and there seems to be no spotting when you’re tracing lines or signing off on a PDF. The stylus is powered by one AAA battery, which can be easily replaced by unscrewing the top part (where the logo is).
Just like other Asus laptops, the ZenBook Flip S does come with the MyASUS software too. This allows you to run system diagnosis, link your phone to your laptop, change battery charging settings, tweak fan profile, change display profiles, and more. It’s an all-in-one software suite that really enhances the laptop’s overall user experience.
Performance
Running on the latest 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor, paired with Intel Iris Xe graphics, the ZenBook Flip S performs excellently for all types of daily tasks. Doesn’t matter if it’s web browsing, document processing, light photo and video editing, or even light gaming, the laptop can handle it no problem. It’s fitted with 16GB of LPDDR4X 4,266MHz RAM, and if you’re worried about storage, there’s 1TB of PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD storage onboard for you to store all your documents and multimedia.
Both the Thunderbolt 4 and full-sized HDMI ports allow for you to connect external displays, should you ever need one. Because I do understand, sometimes it does get tiring to look at a 13-inch screen for the entire day.
On top of having dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, the ZenBook Flip S also comes with Wi-Fi 6, that’s paired with Asus’ proprietary WiFi Master Premium technology. This essentially boosts your network speed for faster downloads, smoother streaming, greater range, and a more overall stable connection. Doesn’t matter where I’m working with the laptop in my house, the network signal has almost never dropped below full bar (at least I’ve never seen it).
We’ve also tested some Dota 2 and Genshin Impact on the laptop, and it ran the games just fine at High settings. Although, the laptop did get mildly warm after about an hour playing those games.
Here are some of the benchmarks that we ran on the ZenBook Flip S:
Audio
Where audio is concerned, nothing much stands out from the ZenBook Flip S’ speakers, except for its USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack dongle. The laptop itself sounds fine with Harman Kardon tuning – volume can get really high with minimal distortion, decent highs, great mids, but subpar lows. It does get better when you flip it into tent mode, because the audio then gets fired upwards.
That being said, the dongle provided actually has Hi-Res Audio certification. So if you have a Hi-Res certified pair of headphones, just plug them in and you’ll hear no less when it comes to audio quality.
If you’re using your laptop for a lot of conference calls, the ZenBook Flip S actually has AI noise-cancelling audio built in. This enables the built-in mic to clearly capture your voice, and you can even set it to capture multiple presenter’s voice should there be a need for it.
Battery
Even with the ZenBook Flip S having such a thin and light body, Asus did not cut back on the battery life. You’d think with the slim profile and the 4K resolution OLED panel, the laptop might have subpar battery life. But again, being an Intel EVO certified laptop, the Flip S managed to last me the entire day, which holds true to the company’s claim of up to 10 hours of battery life (Intel EVO requires at least 9 hours on FHD).
Recharging the laptop from zero to 100% takes about 1 hour and 25 minutes, and that’s more than enough for a quick charge to last you the rest of the day. The best part is, the charging brick is but a mini square size that fits easily into any bag and doesn’t take up much space or weight.
Conclusion
The Asus ZenBook Flip S is an amazing laptop, and while the RM6,799 price tag might seem a little high, it’s definitely worth the investment if you’re upgrading from an Intel 8th gen or below laptop. The hardware jump is more significant, and justifies the price point even more.
You’re getting a 4K touchscreen display with an OLED panel that saves battery life. While a higher refresh rate would’ve been nice, but I’d still go with the clarity aspect of the screen. The hardware is the latest the market has to offer, connectivity ports are decent, and the flexibility of the laptop truly allows you to work/play anyway you want, anywhere you want.
If there is one laptop that I’d want to save up for to purchase this year, the Asus ZenBook Flip S is definitely at the top of my list. But if it’s a gaming laptop you’re looking for, why not check out our review of the ROG Strix SCAR 17 and Strix G17 here?
