ASUS ZenBook 15 review: Deserving of a place among the elite

ASUS has been a leading laptop manufacturer for a long fourth dimension now, but information technology's fair to say that not everything the visitor has fabricated has been particularly good. Many instances in recent years of corner-cutting in displays or storage speeds, or even the amount of bloatware coming preloaded.

The Windows laptop space has been evolving at an incredible stride, and ASUS has certainly gone with it. Some of the Taiwanese manufacturers more than contempo products have been superb, and the latest, the refreshed ZenBook lineup looks to be no exception.

The ZenBook fifteen is the range topper, packed with the latest hardware, crammed into a graceful, elegant chassis. It looks incredible, and it'due south in no way a case of all bear witness, no go. This is a vivid laptop.

Admittedly Brilliant

ASUS ZenBook 15

$1,300

Bottom line: A fashionable, sophisticated and powerful laptop deserving of a place among the elite.

Pros:

• Gorgeous design.
• Thin. light and compact for a xv-inch laptop.
• Windows Hello.
• Defended graphics from NVIDIA.
• Excellent brandish.

Cons:

• Battery life could exist a little better.
• No Thunderbolt 3.
• Lackluster speakers.

ASUS ZenBook 15: Pattern and hardware

ASUS has kept with some of the aesthetics of the existing ZenBook line with the new fifteen-inch model, but given it a lilliputian 2022 flare. From the exterior, it's business organisation every bit usual. The company's trademark concentric circumvolve pattern is etched into the lid, with the aforementioned dazzling bluish and gilt color scheme seen on the likes of the ZenBook 3 and ZenBook Flip S.

In that location's cypher notably dissimilar most it compared to other recent ZenBooks, though it is MIL-STD-810G standard for reliability and durability in harsh environments. It's no Panasonic Toughbook, but if y'all're a frequent traveler, it won't let yous down. It just oozes fashion and course and continues to stand up out from the crowd of black and silver laptops. Open the hat, and that's where y'all kickoff to see some change.

Category	Spec
CPU	Quad-core Intel Cadre i7-8565U, 8 threads
RAM	16GB DDR4
SSD	512GB NVMe
Display	fifteen.vi-inch IPS, 1920 x 1080
Graphics	NVIDIA GTX 1050 2GB MaxQ
Ports	HDMI, USB-C, USB iii.0, SD menu, and three.5mm headset jack
Battery	Up to xv hours

For starters, you might believe at outset glance a soundbar-style speaker is running across the acme of the keyboard. I know I did. However, it'south purely decorative, and the speakers are down firing at the front of the laptop. But this gold ring does add a niggling fashion.

The hinge is also worthy of highlighting. As yous open the chapeau on the ZenBook 15, y'all reveal how information technology sort of hooks effectually the base of the laptop. When open, this raises the base slightly and angles the keyboard. Information technology's merely subtle, certainly not every bit much of an angle as you'd find on a Surface Pro Blazon Cover, but it does improve the typing position. A slight angle makes it more comfy to sit at typing for longer periods than a perfectly flat keyboard. Information technology'southward also supposed to give the speakers more than room to sound expert, merely, well they don't really. They're loud enough and fairly detailed, but for something with the Harman/Kardon badge y'all'd expect more than than a flat, slightly tinny audio.

This angle also provides a little more breathing room on the underside for ventilation, though the majority of the oestrus is exhausted through the sizeable side vent on the left. This, in turn, ways even during more intensive computing sessions, the ZenBook 15 rarely gets warm enough to be uncomfortable to apply on your lap. Nobody likes scorching hot metallic against their legs.

Despite the sleek form gene and almost not-real bezels, we nevertheless get a Windows Hello capable IR photographic camera, full-sized HDMI and SD menu besides every bit a couple of USB 3.ane ports and a USB-C. I'd have liked to see a laptop at this price betoken have Thunderbolt iii backside that USB-C connector too, alas that'south almost the just thing the ZenBook 15 doesn't have.

Skinny bezels but nevertheless room for a Windows Hello capable IR camera.

That and a touch display, if that'due south something that's important to you. What you do get is a 15.6-inch IPS anti-glare display that looks fantastic. I'd notwithstanding similar it to exist a little brighter, but dissimilar some previous ASUS laptops I've reviewed with anti-glare displays, this one isn't completely flummoxed past a bright room.

ASUS has made bully steps forward in including high-quality displays on its laptops of tardily, and it makes a deviation. Peculiarly to a laptop such as this, which would well suit creators.

ASUS ZenBook xv: Keyboard and trackpad

Another twenty-four hours, another solid ASUS keyboard. On the fifteen-inch ZenBook you get a total keyboard with number pad, which, honestly, I could have or leave. Information technology'southward a piddling squished on the side, and there's no calorie-free on the num lock central either, which is infuriating if you ever desire to use the number pad, but it's in that location if you desire it.

Personally, on a laptop this size I'd have been a little happier without it and had the whole keyboard a little more central. Typing is expert though, with a nice click to the keys and a sizeable wrist rest expanse. Coupled with the raised typing position, the ZenBook xv has been ane of the better productivity machines I've used in recent times, spending many, many hours cranking out words on this matter with joy.

The raised typing position makes for super-comfortable typing.

The touchpad is also pretty good if a little quirky. Importantly, it'due south a precision touchpad, then no bug there, but I have noticed a few phantom touches that for no apparent reason makes the mouse cursor dart off from where it'due south meant to exist. The right-click area is also very specific, if not right at the very bottom of the pad, it will register as a regular left click.

I do similar the adaptable backlight, though. Also just on or off, there are three dissimilar brightness levels for it. The lowest setting is perfect for working tardily at night.

ASUS ZenBook xv: Performance and battery life

Not only is it pretty special that you can get a 15-inch laptop in the form factor of a 14-inch, only it'southward likewise crazy how much hardware y'all can pack inside something like this in 2022. The ZenBook 15 comes with a quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD and an NVIDIA GTX 1050 2GB MaxQ GPU. Non that long ago nosotros'd take been getting a dual-core i7 and integrated graphics for similar money.

While this is no gaming laptop, you can certainly do a lilliputian gaming on it. More than and so, this is an excellent laptop for folks such as creators, who demand powerful hardware, just perhaps don't want to lug around a big gaming laptop. The ZenBook 15 only weighs 3.4lbs while pushing out a pretty solid amount of horsepower.

Allow'south expect at some numbers.

CPU SSD

CPU

Geekbench 4.0 benchmarks (higher is better)

Device	CPU	Unmarried core	Multi core
ZenBook xv	i7-8565U	5,242	17,360
VivoBook S510	i7-8550U	4,316	12,812
Surface Book 2 15	i7-8650U	five,036	14,237
Surface Book 2 13	i7-8650U	four,862	fourteen,694
XPS fifteen two-in-1	i7-8705G	v,015	16,094
Razer Bract 15	i7-8750H	4,872	17,910
Surface Laptop 2	i5-8250U	4,203	13,233
Surface Pro vi	i5-8250U	4,207	13,851

The quad-core i7-8565U in the ZenBook 15 performs extremely well in the Geekbench 4 CPU examination, beating out the 6-core i7 in the Razer Bract 15 on both single and multi-core performance hither. While the base of operations clock is one.8GHz, the 8565U will turbo all the way up to four.6GHz. But in the ZenBook 15, it'south bettering some of the superlative laptops we've had in contempo times on this benchmark.

SSD

CrystalDiskMark (higher is better)

Device	Read	Write
ZenBook 15	1,725MB/s	one,447 MB/due south
VivoBook S510	541 MB/due south	225 MB/due south
ZenBook UX331	509 MB/south	433 MB/s
Surface Book 2 1TB	1,411 MB/due south	1,202 MB/due south
Razer Blade 15	ii,722 MB/s	1,217 MB/southward

While not the absolute fastest NVMe SSD you'll discover, the drive in the ZenBook 15 is still fantabulous, besting the Surface Book 2 in the CrystalDiskMark test. It as well shows how much of a difference information technology makes when compared to the SATA SSD in ASUS' own VivoBook S510 and ZenBook UX331.

CPU and SSD performance then is starting time course, hanging with the very best that the Windows ecosystem has to offering on both fronts. But what nigh the GPU? The 2GB GTX 1050 inside the ZenBook 15 is one of NVIDIA's MaxQ designs, and it'south decidedly entry level. But and then, this isn't a gaming laptop.

You lot can even so game on it though.

In Geekbench's CUDA examination the ZenBook xv scored 69,085, which compares pretty badly to the 6GB GTX 1060 you discover in the Surface Book two, which clocked 138,758. Information technology'southward still better than the original Surface Volume, though. But you can certainly do a little gaming on information technology. I've enjoyed lighter titles similar The Long Dark with no problems, and even Forza Horizon iv is perfectly playable on the ZenBook 15.

At medium settings you're getting an boilerplate 38 FPS at 1080p, ascension to 43 FPS if yous dial back the resolution to 900p. Either way, it's very playable, and still higher frame rate than you lot'll get from the same game on the Xbox One S.

When you're pushing it, the bottom does get warm as I eluded to before, but the cooling organization does a fantastic chore at churning all that hot air out of the side of the laptop and away. If you use an external mouse left-handed, you'll not enjoy this, simply information technology does the task well.

It'southward no gaming laptop, but you tin game on it.

Yous won't, of form, be doing much gaming away from a power outlet, but assuming yous're doing pretty normal computing, you can expect a fairly decent battery life considering the hardware within. ASUS says you can become up to 15 hours, but that would be a massive stretch. I've been seeing seven-8 hours off the charger when using the ZenBook 15 for my regular work days. That'southward well-nigh good enough to be able to get out for the twenty-four hours without the charger and non get as well worried almost running empty.

I'd be lying if I said I was pleased with that because with a 15-60 minutes claim I'd be pushing to get ix hours without much of a sweat. Every bit it is, the battery life is decent without causing any existent business. But more is always better.

Should you buy the ASUS ZenBook 15?

Choosing a loftier-end Windows laptop is harder than ever correct now, and the ASUS ZenBook 15 is most certainly throwing its hat into the ring. Information technology doesn't accept everything since in that location'due south no touch brandish or pen support as you'll find on something like the Surface Laptop, but it's pretty close.

There's naught incorrect with what y'all get. For Surface Laptop money you get a GTX 1050 GPU, and while the display is 'only' 1080p, it'southward cute to look at with superb color accuracy. You tin fifty-fifty do a spot of light gaming on this affair.

This is my favorite laptop of 2022.

The ZenBook fifteen also stands out from the crowd in the aforementioned way previous ZenBooks have. The gold and blue colour scheme stand apart from the black and silvery you find in well-nigh places. And thanks to the super skinny bezels around the display it'south likewise much more compact than xv-inch laptops of old.

When the only real negative points nearly a laptop are fairly picky things, it's nothing but a winner. The ZenBook 15 is a fabled laptop, and during the couple of weeks I've spent using it I've fallen for it in a big fashion. If you like what yous come across, buy one and be happy. On remainder I call back this is my favorite laptop of 2022.

Most first-class

ASUS ZenBook 15

A please to look at and to use

The ZenBook 15 can do it all, with powerful hardware for work and play. And it looks pretty stunning, as well.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/asus-zenbook-15-review

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