ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 OLED (UX363)
RM5,199
Just last week, I reviewed the 4K sibling of the ASUS ZenBook Flip family, which is a great lightweight convertible which comes with an ASUS Pen that would serve artsy-fartsy people especially well.
Today, I'll be taking look at its junior cousin, the ZenBook Flip 13, which is a pared down version which also boasts an OLED panel, albeit with a more modest FHD resolution and a cheaper price tag.
Let's go!
Design and build
As an ultraportable, the ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 is every inch as thin and light as the Flip S. At just 1.3kg and 1.39cm thick, it fits easily into your bag so you can bring it on the go.
The exterior is made of aluminium alloy in a Pine Grey finish, and is unfortunately a super fingerprint magnet. You'll be wiping this down often if you can't bear having fingerprints on your device. It features the finely machined concentric circles which are the trademark of the ZenBook family, and has diamond-cut bevels for a subtle touch of glam.
The hinges open a full 360°, so you can position the laptop however you like, be it in laptop mode, tent mode, or even tablet mode. In terms of durability, the hinge feels solid yet smooth, and is rated for 20,000 open/close cycles.
ASUS' Ergolift has been retained, albeit with a smaller gap then usual. You'll still enjoy a slightly more ergonomic experience, although it is extremely subtle. The power button is located on the right edge of the laptop for easy access in tablet and tent mode, though I feel it could definitely be taller and more tactile.
Display
Although it doesn't feature the eye-poppingly gorgeous 4K display of the ZenBook Flip S, the Flip 13 also uses an OLED panel, which means you get a beautiful contrast ratio for a more vibrant viewing experience.
Apart from that, OLED panels can also conserve more energy by "switching off" pixels to produce the true black they are famed for. To complement this unique quality, the laptop ships with a dark theme out of the box to optimise battery life.
As for viewing experience, the colours are beautiful and accurate as well, boasting 100% sRGB coverage, which is great for people who are looking to do some creative work on this.
In addition, the touch display supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity; coupled with the included ASUS Pen, the ZenBook Flip 13 is looking more and more attractive for creators who want to do some light work on the go.
The pen attaches magnetically to the top of the display, which is convenient if you don't want it to roll off your desk or whatever, but I wouldn't say it's secure enough to be carried around without the fear of it being nudged off by accident, so it's better to just stow it securely for peace of mind.
Audio
Just like the Flip S, the Flip 13's audio surprised me as well. While they aren't the loudest speakers out there, it had great clarity and a decent amount of bass, which isn't all the common in laptops, in my experience.
Unfortunately, it also suffers the curse of the missing headphone jack. Although more and more users are migrating towards wireless solutions, the minor latency is definitely a bother when it comes to watching movies. It's still great for listening to music though (if you don't watch the music videos, that is).
There is a 3.5mm dongle in the package, however, so you do have a solution to the absent port (however inelegant it may be). You'll have to remember to bring it everywhere and try not to lose it though, not to mention that it also takes up one of two precious USB-C ports.
Webcam
A 720p IR camera located on the top bezel serves your conference call needs. While it doesn't have the crispest image quality around, it serves its purpose adequately.
What it does excel in is facial recognition. Flipping the lid open and logging into the Windows is seamless and works without a hitch most of the time, even in low light. Occasionally, it will ask you to move closer or further away, but that's mostly when I'm in an odd position such as standing up or slouching on the couch.
Keyboard
The layout is extremely familiar, being the same as the previous ZenBooks. On the right side you'll find a simplified home cluster which is repeated on the arrow keys. By the way, I love that the arrow keys have their own isolated cluster, which makes it easier to locate them without looking, as opposed to when they are nested within the main keyboard cluster.
While there is no space for a number pad, you'll get the same functionality from the ASUS Numpad 2.0, which I've always loved. You can switch it on by touching and holding the top right icon, adjust between 2 levels of brightness by touching and holding the top left icon, and open up the calculator app by swiping the latter.
As always, it can distinguish between swipes and taps flawlessly, so you can leave the Numpad 2.0 activated if you wish, and still browse the internet without disruption.
Ports
Ignoring the absence of the headphone jack, the ZenBook Flip 13 has a pretty good selection of ports. You'll get 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.0 support, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, and a HDMI 1.4 port. The new side-mounted power button has replaced the microSD card slot, so if that's something you use often, you'll miss it.
The ZenBook Flip 13 is charged via the USB-C slot, and that's where the 3.5mm adapter will go as well. So, if you need to charge it while listening to music with a pair of wired headphones, then you'll quickly find yourself out of slots.
Performance
Specs-wise, the Flip 13 features an Intel i7-1165G7 processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics, 8GB of 4266 MHz LPDDR4X RAM, and 512GB of PCIe 3.0 SSD storage.
The SSD speeds were decent, resulting in speedy boot-up and program loading times. On Cinebench R20, it scored 1735 on multicore performance and 512 on single core performance, which is comparable to the ZenBook Flip S with the same processor.
In general, the Flip 13 is more than sufficient for general productivity tasks and light creative work. If you enjoy gaming, you'll find that it is powerful enough to run games at low settings as well, though it definitely won't be buttery smooth like a proper gaming laptop.
As for lasting power, the 67Wh battery powered through an entire work day and then some, netting a total of roughly 12 hours of casual use. In any case, if you need an emergency top-up, the 65W charger is incredibly compact, so bringing it around won't add much weight or bulk to your bag.
Conclusion
The ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 is a compact little performer with a stunning OLED display. If you don't need the 4K resolution and slightly higher specs of the ZenBook Flip S, this model will serve you well AND save you RM1,600 to boot.
That said, colour accuracy and included ASUS Pen are definitely more geared towards the creative crowd, while boring ol' office workers like me would probably not find much use for the touchscreen.
Either way, depending on your needs, this is a solid creator's device to consider, especially if you're looking into entering the vibrant world of OLED.
It's priced at RM5,199 for this particular configuration, while the Core i5 variant is priced at RM4,699.
For more information, head on over to the official product page here. If you want to check out my review of the ASUS ZenBook Flip S OLED, then head over here.
