With the rise of Arm processors in laptops, x86 chip manufacturers are not sitting idly by while market share is being stolen. AMD is demonstrating its capabilities with the new Kraken Point series, offering impressive battery management, comparable to MacBooks.
Thanks to improvements in power technology, chips, and other components, a 1.2 kg laptop like the ZenBook 14 can still offer 8-10 hours of continuous use. On the other hand, it remains a "traditional" Windows machine, compatible with and running smoothly with millions of applications and games, so there are no compatibility concerns.
x86 prejudice
When Apple introduced the M-series processors using the Arm architecture in laptops, users first learned about the energy-efficient potential of this technology. The way it handled individual calculations allowed laptops to operate efficiently even on low battery power for extended periods. From then on, x86 was considered an outdated, weak, and power-hungry solution.
However, the potential of this long-standing architecture remains largely untapped. The newly released Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 chip, can still play videos continuously for 15 hours. With mixed tasks, it lasts 8-10 hours before the battery runs out. These figures are achieved with a basic 75 Wh battery, in a slim body less than 2 cm thick and weighing 1.2 kg.
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The Zenbook 14 uses an AMD chip, which has energy efficiency comparable to the Arm architecture. |
Compared to when plugged in, this machine achieves almost unchanged performance with the first 25% battery capacity. This is something not many Windows laptops can do. It demonstrates careful optimization from Asus and AMD. Under these conditions, the performance per watt of the Zenbook 14 is comparable to the MacBook Air M4.
Furthermore, somehow, even on tasks requiring multi-threading like video rendering, the machine automatically reduces power consumption to 8 W or even as low as 5 W. This allows the Asus ultrabook to achieve nearly 7 hours of battery life on demanding tasks, an incredible figure for Windows.
In terms of overall performance, the AI 7 350 has better multi-threaded performance than Lunar Lake since Intel has abandoned hyperthreading. The single-core performance of this chip is also no longer a weakness. However, overall, the Apple M4 still leads in the Cinebench R24 benchmark with only 12 W. The AI 7 350 ranks lower but higher than Lunar Lake in the same segment.
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The 50 TOPS AI core helps the machine run Recall, the new artificial intelligence tool on Windows, smoothly. |
However, AMD still has some issues optimizing Adobe apps. Video rendering or running batch tasks in Photoshop Lightroom on the Zenbook 14 is still not as stable as with Intel processors, despite significantly better performance. Gaming is also not the manufacturer's target for this model. However, the Radeon 860M GPU runs eSports or AAA games smoothly enough at appropriate settings.
However, heat dissipation is a point to consider, as the product only has one fan and its thin body is not optimal.
Ultrabook standards
At 30 million VND, the Zenbook 14 is more premium than the Vivobook S but lower-end than the Zenbook S series. However, the build quality of this product is not inferior to other Windows competitors. The chassis is made primarily of aluminum, with the palm rest surface also made of magnesium alloy.
My only issue with the black version is that it easily shows fingerprints, requiring frequent cleaning to maintain a clean appearance. The product is sturdy, although the screen still wobbles a bit due to the hinge's soft design.
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Asus' Zenbook 14 features an OLED display and a magnesium chassis. |
The OLED screen is a major plus for this product. At a price under 30 million VND, users get 3K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Even without gaming, everyday tasks like mouse movements and app opening are smooth. The product's OLED panel meets HDR standards, and the blacks are deeper and more vibrant than its competitors.
However, the maximum brightness isn't very high, and the lack of a matte finish makes outdoor viewing suboptimal. This is also a common weakness of many laptops using OLED screens: they look great and are very impressive indoors, but the quality degrades significantly outdoors.
The laptop has deep, responsive keys, a small but glass-covered trackpad that supports direct volume and brightness controls. The webcam also supports FullHD resolution and can be unlocked using Windows Hello.
Overall, Asus's model targets office and business users who need a product with good performance, a minimalist design, and stable battery life. Compared to MacBooks or Snapdragon laptops, AMD's processor is still not as power-efficient. The outstanding advantage of the Zenbook 14 lies in its ability to run applications without being picky about which new architecture it uses.
Source: https://znews.vn/laptop-windows-gio-pin-trau-nhu-macbook-post1563852.html
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