Review: ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition (UX5401)

It is only once in a blue moon that we get a product that truly delivers an outstanding unboxing experience and that holds true for the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition.

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Let me tell you, the unboxing experience was as phenomenal as the product itself. But before we dive deeper into what comes inside the packaging and my experience with the laptop, here’s an intriguing design story about the Space Edition.

In 1997, ASUS launched its very first laptop, the P6300. That same model was later chosen for a mission to the MIR space station.

Victor, one of the astronauts on that mission, reported that ASUS notebooks were the most reliable of those taken on the mission, with zero issues during more than 600 days in space. To celebrate that historic moment, ASUS has produced this lineup of ASUS Zenbook 14X Space Edition.

OK! Enough with history lessons. Let’s move forward. The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes packed in a metallic-finished box, which is inspired by a metal spaceship door. There is a window on the lid of the box, allowing you to see the ZenVision display before opening it. It is similar to a window on a space capsule. In addition, when users open the lid, the bottom of the box raises the laptop up, similar to the way the ASUS ErgoLift hinge design lifts the chassis, allowing you to easily pick up the laptop.

In addition, ASUS has done something mind-blowing! The secondary box that contains the accessories, can also be used as a stand for the laptop, allowing you to get a comfortable typing experience! You may ask, what’s with all the exclamation marks? Bear with me – this review is probably going to be a review with the most exclamation marks I have ever used!

Inside the box, you get the ASUS ZEnbook 14X OLED Space Edition, along with a silvery carry case, the Space Edition stickers and memorabilia, a tiny power brick and the charging cable, and an ASUS Pen. The design elements of the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition are heavily influenced and inspired by the history of space travel! The Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is made of aluminum alloy and has a finish that is the Zero-G Titanium colour.

Design elements draw from the MIR Space Station and include hints of morse code! The arched lines on the lid symbolise the look of a space capsule, and one of the lines is a symbolic morse code of the Latin proverb “ad astra per aspera,” which means “Through Hardships to the Stars.” The design of the palm-rest area continues the space-capsule and morse-code themes.

The pattern on the left of the palm-rest is the MIR space station pattern comprised of multiple lines and two lines added on both sides of the touchpad is inspired by a cockpit. The lid of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition also comes with an exclusive ZenVision display, with a layout that’s inspired by a datasheet of a spaceship. The ZenVision display is a 3.5-inch OLED panel that supports 256-by-64 resolution and 150-nit brightness.

The ZenVision display can be customised as per your liking, using the MyASUS software. Using the software, you can also activate smart notifications, which will display the time, date, and how much battery life the laptop has left. The display can also show a business card, an animation, or a custom message!

The laptop also comes packed with a top-notch 14-inch 2.8K OLED HDR touchscreen display that offers an aspect ratio of 16:10. The display supports a resolution of 2880-by-1800 pixels, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a 0.2 ms response time, and up to 550-nit peak brightness. You also get 0.0005 nits of deep black brightness, support for an ultrawide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3 and HDR content.

The display on the laptop has also been VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black certified and is also PANTONE Validated, assuring content creators an accurate colour and high dynamic contrast reproduction. And the OLED panel has been certified by TÜV Rhineland and hence, it emits 70% less harmful blue light than LCD panels, thus keeping your eyes protected at all times.

Under the hood, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes packed with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H processor running at a clock speed of 2.30GHz. You also get 16GB of LPDDR5-4800 MHz RAM and 1 TB of PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 internal storage. The laptop also supports faster connectivity through the Intel Wi-Fi 6E spcification and it comes with reliable Thunderbolt 4 ports for faster data transfers.

Even though the laptop is very thin, you get a wide range of I/O ports to choose from! On the left edge, you get the HDMI port and Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. On the right edge, you get a USB 3.0 Gen 2 Type-A port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a microSD card reader.

Since the laptop offers both Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI ports, you can easily connect multiple external monitors to it, for a multi-screen setup.

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition comes with a ScreenXpert tool that allows you to switch the selected window quickly to a designated display. When the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is connected to multiple displays, the ScreenXpert UI will appear when a you move a window. You can then select the display icon on ScreenXpert UI and switch the selected windows to the designated display seamlessly!

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition does not only look pretty. It has also been tested for reliability and durability using the MIL-STD-810H U.S. military standards. The laptop also comes with an ErgoLift hinge design which results in the ErgoSense keyboard automatically tilting when the laptop is opened. This design allows you to type more comfortably and increases the ventilation space under the chassis for improved heat dissipation!

The audio system of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition has been certified by Harman Kardon to ensure the very best sound for all kinds of content.

It outputs louder volumes, richer depth and better surround-sound effects compared to other laptops of a similar size. The laptop also features dual speakers with Dolby Atoms support. The mic on the laptop also features ASUS AI Noise-Canceling Audio, for efficient and clear communication.

The overall performance of the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition is brilliant. The powerful specs make sure you have a butter-smooth experience, even during demanding conditions. The design and build quality is top-notch. For a starting price of AED 6499, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition isn’t really meant for everyone. It is meant for those that appreciate special edition devices, but also want performance and top range specs, which the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition delivers.

Price: AED 6499 onwards