If any weirdo billionaires invite you on a space flight anytime soon, Asus has got you covered with the brand-new Zenbook OLED 14X Space Edition — unveiled at CES 2022, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Asus P6300 laptop’s 600-day presence on the Mir space station.
Alongside this, Asus has also refreshed its regular non-space Zenbook OLED 14 too, with both now coming with 12th Gen Intel CPUs and 2.8k OLED touchscreens, which sets the pair of them up to be properly productive powerhouses.
Asus Zenbook OLED 14X Space Edition: To infinity and beyond
The new Zenbook OLED 14X Space Edition channels a unique design flair with sci-fi-esque markings all over the shell that are actually morse code for “Ad Astra Per Aspera” (“Through the hardships to the Stars” in Latin).
Alongside this, for personal expression, you’ll find a customizable 3.5-inch “ZenVision” OLED screen on the lid, which can be customized to show whatever you want. But of course, the pièce de résistance comes from its durability.
This complies with the US Space Systems Command Standard SMC-S-016A testing protocols, to withstand extreme vibrations — specifically, up to four times more than standard military-grade testing. Add in temperature resistance from -24°C to 61°C and you’ve got a system that you could use to get stuff done in orbit, because in space, no one can hear you check your emails.
Up top, you’ll find a 14-inch OLED touchscreen with 2880 x 1800 resolution, Pantone-validated color, HDR and a 90Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, Asus has packed this with 12th Gen Intel CPUs with either integrated graphics or a GeForce MX550 GPU, up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD.
Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB 3.2, HDMI 2.0, MicroSD Card reader, a 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 round out the I/O and connectivity on this machine, which is set to launch in Q2 2022. No price information yet, but given the fact it’s a limited edition, don’t expect it to be cheap.
Asus Zenbook OLED 14: A little more grounded
If you’d rather not channel your inner Buzz Lightyear, Asus has got you covered with the more refined Zenbook OLED 14.
The aluminum alloy shell is available in three colors with a distinctive monogram finish on the lid, and the same 2.8k OLED touchscreen display you’ll find in the 14X.
Specs-wise, this is where things get a little complicated. You can get an AMD model with one of the latest Ryzen chips, up to 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD storage and two USB Type-C ports. But, the one to keep an eye on is the 12th Gen Intel variant with the latest Alder Lake CPU, up to 16GB DDR5 RAM, the same SSD storage and two Thunderbolt 4 ports.
With an identical release window as the 14X Space Edition of Q2 2022 and no pricing info either, expect to hear a lot more specifics about both of these soon.
