Last Updated: 17 December 2020 3:11:03 pm
Asus ’ZenBook Flip S is a high-end version with Intel’s latest 11th gen processor. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
When you do a Google search for a laptop that is both powerful and slim, very few options come up. Although there is a section for ultrabooks that meets the needs of many people but not all notebooks in that category have focused on “entertainment. “Surprisingly, Asus’ new ZenBook Flip S seems to be among a handful of ultrabooks that showcase Tiger Lake’s CPU capability in a slim form factor. Not to forget, this 2-in-1 has a 4K OLED screen as well as good audio. But do you throw Rs 149,990 on a notebook when the new MacBook Pro with the M1 chip will cost the same? We will find out that and more in our in-depth review.
Price of Asus ZenBook Flip S in India: Rs 149,990
Asus ZenBook Flip S Review: Design and build
The ZenBook Flip S features a high-end notebook. You can feel how high the laptop is in the way it was designed. The laptop is made of aluminum alloy and the construction is solid. At 1.2Kg, the ZenBook Flip S is very light and I had no issues fitting this laptop in the back compartment or my laptop. The top is black with Asus close-up circles, and it’s impossible not to get caught up in the notebook.
Being a customizable 2-in-1 laptop, the ZenBook Flip S lets you turn the screen to a full 360 degrees. In addition to using the Flip S as a standard laptop, you can rewind the screen or put it in tent mode. It can also be turned into a tablet with touch and pen support (Asus stylus is included in the box) but is best used as a laptop, sitting on a desk or lap.
The laptop is made of aluminum alloy and the construction is solid. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Asus ZenBook Flip S Review: Ports and biometric authentication
The ZenBook Flip S has a better port selection than many notebooks in the same category. On the left, you will find an HDMI connection, two USB-C ports with support for Thunderbolt 4. On the right, there is one USB-A port and a power button. Unfortunately, the notebook doesn’t have a 3.55mm headphone jack, though you can get a USB-C dongle with a 3.5mm port in the box.
The notebook does not have a physical fingerprint scanner; instead, the webcam comes with Windows Hello face recognition. That means you no longer need to type in a long password or PIN to unlock your laptop. I found that Windows Hello face recognition verification method was largely reliable. He had no issues accessing me to the notebook, even without my glasses on. Unfortunately, the 720p webcam is average. Now that everyone works from home and video calling is the basic medium for communicating with messengers and colleagues, a laptop as expensive as the ZenBook Flip S should come with a 1080p webcam.
In addition to using the Flip S as a standard laptop, you can rewind the screen or put it in tent mode. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Asus ZenBook Flip S Review: Display and audio quality
The screen is probably the ZenBook Flip S’s favorite. No standard LCD screen is found in 98 percent of high-end notebooks. Instead, it’s a 13.3-inch 4K OLED panel with touchscreen capability. Although the screen is OLED type, it does not extend from edge to edge. That’s not a bummer, of course. The 4K OLED screen is above the notch, with deep blacks, rich colors, and right viewing angles. With the adoption of OLED screens becoming smartphones and cheap TV, I would expect laptop manufacturers to use OLED panels extensively for an immersive experience on high-end notebooks. That makes a lot of sense, especially now when a lot of users like myself spend more time watching TV shows and movies on a laptop than on their TVs.
The stunning 4K OLED display is enhanced by excellent speakers. While they don’t get as loud as those seen on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the speakers feel rounded and full. When I played “Rehab” at Amy Winehouse on the Flip S, I could hear the calls clearly and there was no movement at higher volumes.
The keys are medium sized and the backlit keyboard is comfortable to type on. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Review Asus ZenBook Flip S: Keyboard and trackpad
Despite the ZenBook Flip S’s small footprint, its keyboard doesn’t feel limited. The keys are medium sized and the backlit keyboard is comfortable to type on. I had no problem with the ZenBook Flip S responsive trackpad, which includes Numberbad 2.0. All you have to do is tap an image in the top right corner of the touchpad, a touch-based LED Numpad pops up. The Numpad works well for a laptop of this size.
The Numpad works well for a laptop of this size. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Asus ZenBook Flip S Review: Performance and Battery
Flip S’s famous application is Intel’s latest Tiger Lake processor. My review unit came with a quad-core Core i7-1165G7 with Xe integrated graphics, along with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. So it’s a fairly powerful device but I haven’t seen much difference between the 10th generation processors and 11th gen processors. I was able to open several Chrome tabs; edit images; play music on Apple Music; stream my favorite show on Amazon Prime Video and edit the Google Doc file all at once. The Flip S is a powerful device… but this is not a laptop designed to run professional programs and AAA titles like Forza Horizon 4. People like me will never have problems with the Flip S, because I can do most everyday tasks without any issue.
One thing I didn’t particularly like about the Flip S is its battery life. Even though the notebook comes with a 67Wh battery, I got about four and a half hours. This was when I set the resolution to 3840x2160p – but you can convert the resolution to 1080p to boost the battery. The Flip S laptop costs a quick fix, though. It takes 60 minutes to fully charge the battery.
Asus ZenBook Flip S Review: Should You Buy It?
The Asus ZenBook Flip S is a hardware device with an 11th-generation Intel processor, 4K OLED display, brilliant speakers, advanced style, and a keyboard that is comfortable to use in a slim and thin form factor. But I’m not sure if the Flip S is able to compete with Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro that comes with the recently launched M1 processor. This could be an option for most people who want a laptop with all-day battery life and good performance. You won’t get an OLK 4K screen, though.
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