It’s not every day that we get to discover how a new gadget can make our lives easier. Thankfully, I was able to experience that with the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED

As a creative professional who has been writing for two years now, I’m almost never seen without a laptop, even on the occasional weekend or family trip. Having a laptop that can cater to both work and play is crucial for me, especially when I know I have quite a few things on my plate, whether that’s a deadline I have to meet or the release of a new show I’ve been waiting for—and that’s exactly what happened just last week.

I was recently given the opportunity to get my hands on the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3402), which is equipped with the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor that’s optimized for multi-tasking, and it unexpectedly took me by surprise as it ticked a lot of what I consider to be non-negotiables when it comes to a gadget investment.

In with the times

Right off the bat, I found the overall look of the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED appealing with its minimalist and modern design. The Aqua Celadon design is clean, sleek, and can totally match any aesthetic we’re going for, which holds even just a sliver of importance nowadays. Meanwhile, the Ponder Blue even features an anti-fingerprint coating, a huge plus for everyone who’s more meticulous about the cleanliness of their gadgets.

Being lightweight also makes it so easy to carry around. Weighing only 1.39kg, and with a side profile of less than 16.9mm, it’s a perfect on-the-go partner whenever I feel like working elsewhere apart from home.

A different kind of flatlay

Another feature that I was obsessed with was its ability to lay completely flat, even the screen! Thanks to the 180° lay-flat ErgoLift hinge, I could sit however I wanted to on my bed when I was binge-watching Amazon Prime’s The Summer I Turned Pretty. To say I was completely comfortable is an understatement since I could confidently adjust the screen every time I wanted to switch positions.

Personal movie screen

I also realized as I was watching even just the first episode of the show was that the display screen provided much better colors than my usual laptop. It gives it a lot more life with its exceptionally detailed and realistic visuals, thanks to the ultra-wide color gamut of 100% DCI-P3. This ASUS laptop is also PANTONE Validated, which simply means precise color accuracy is expected.

ASUS OLED laptops also emit 70% less harmful blue light by calibrating the spectrum. Unlike traditional blue-light filters, shifting the spectrum means color accuracy is uncompromised. Meanwhile, the displays have about a 60% higher color volume, offering better color performance at any brightness level. As someone with pretty bad eyesight, using a laptop that can provide great color without having to put the brightness on max is a huge sigh of relief.

Unstoppable action

Apart from writing and watching for days on end, I also had a few meetings here and there. The laptop’s glorious 75-hour watt battery handled everything with ease. The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED provided more than enough battery life that covered everything I had to do for days since it’s co-engineered with Intel. This makes it meet the requirements of an Intel Evo™ platform that guarantees a certain set of hardware specifications and key experiences, including instant wake, long battery life, and fast charge. It also provides great connectivity, as well as image and sound quality on a multi-person video call, which made it perfect for all my online meetings.

A modern touch

Perhaps one of the things that surprised me with this laptop was that a built-in numpad was already part of its smooth and easy-to-use touchpad. The NumberPad 2.0, an LED-illuminated numeric keypad, has a single-touch sensor at the upper right of the touchpad to turn it on and off, while the icon on the upper left presents two different brightness levels. Given that many laptops now don’t carry the numpad like before, it was refreshing to see it in a more modern way.

Overall, with its distinct and effortless features, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED gave me a taste of how easy and comfortable my daily routine could actually be.

To figure out how the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED can work with your own lifestyle, visit their website for more information. They even offer complimentary Adobe Creative Cloud membership to those who need it. Get your own hands on this unique laptop by visiting your nearest ASUS Concept Store.

Godzilla vs Kong manages to deliver in terms of the action and set-pieces, as long as you don’t take the human aspect too seriously.

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Godzilla and King Kong are considered two of the most iconic movie monsters in film history. Even if you have not seen any Godzilla or King Kong movie, you probably have heard of these monsters or seen them in other pop culture media. Their last fight was in the early 60s and ever since the start of the modern MonsterVerse with 2014’s Godzilla, the succeeding movies in the series have been building up to the inevitable showdown of two of cinema’s iconic monsters. Godzilla vs Kong, for the most part, succeeds at what it does best, mind-blowing action that is best seen on the biggest screen possible. Yet it also has the same problem that has plagued the other MonsterVerse movies, the human characters feel one-note and are not that fleshed out.

An Underwhelming Story From Two Angles

The filmmakers manage to give a credible excuse as to why these two would fight one another. This is because Godzilla vs Kong splits itself into two different narratives, one concerning King Kong, and the other concerning Godzilla. Though both aren’t particularly exciting.

For King Kong, the main players are Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), and her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle). The two scientists are not particularly memorable as they mainly serve to give backstory and exposition to what is happening. The least interesting character is Skarsgård’s Lind since he is a new character for the movie, and the audience is given little to no motivation to care for him. Hottle’s Jia stands out out the most though as her character manages to humanize Kong’s character. She is the only one in the movie who can communicate effectively with Kong and they form a bond with one another which brings out “humanity” in Kong. King Kong has a pretty active narrative arch here since he does quite a bit in this movie and even grows as a character—figuratively and literally.

Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown), former Apex employee Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), and Madison’s friend, Josh Valentine (Julian Dennison) follow Godzilla’s story. The three of them are trying to find out why Godzilla is acting the way he is in the movie and for the most part, they are the more enjoyable team to follow. This is largely in part Brian Tyree Henry’s fun performance as the off-beat conspiracy theorist Hayes. He is quite a dynamic character that delivers a few laughs and serves as a counterweight to the more stoic characters.

Crowd-Pleasing Action

But the story is not why people watch these movies, it’s the monster fighting, and Godzilla vs Kong delivers that in spades.

At just under two hours longs, it does not take long for Kong and Godzilla to duke it out and their first fight is impressive. The two of them are not pushovers, but the fight scene greatly demonstrates Godzilla’s destructive powers. Each punch and kick hit with force as if you could feel the impact. Their second fight is even more impressive thanks to a change of setting and a few upgrades. The smash and mash of their fights make for some exhilarating action scenes that will make you want more. They are also not just randomly fighting each other. Their fights have an organized chaos to them. The fight scenes tell a story thanks to well-choreographed action.

Excellent CGI and VFX aid their fights as it makes the set pieces feel real and stand out. You can see the individual strands of hair on Kong’s body while you can notice the scales all over Godzilla’s body. Godzilla using his atomic breath in the middle of the night is a sight to behold while Kong’s facial features and movement look believable and convincing. Add to that an exhilarating score from composer Tom Holkenborg (more commonly known as Junkie XL), Godzilla vs Kong offers some of the best battles in the MonsterVerse franchise.

Epic Entertainment

When the filmmakers of Godzilla vs Kong sat down to plan this movie, they knew exactly what the audience wanted and gave it. This is not a think-piece movie that you will think about long after the credits roll. This movie is a textbook example of a big-budget blockbuster and there is nothing wrong with that. The human characters are not that interesting, but the film makes up for that with some excellent fight scenes between the two monsters and the rush that they give. Godzilla vs Kong is the first movie of 2021 that offers fun escapism to be enjoyed with a side of popcorn and soda. Sit back and enjoy the monster-fighting action.

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