Asus is known for delving into unconventional form factors, and its latest experiment is no exception. The VivoBook 13 Slate OLED is a 13.3-inch Windows tablet with an OLED screen and a detachable keyboard which starts at $599.99.
OLED screens are unusual, though not unheard of, in the detachable form factor. Asus claims that this one is capable of displaying 1.07 billion colors, covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and has a 0.2-millisecond response time. It’s said to have blue-light levels “up to 70 percent lower than an LCD display” (although many modern LCD PCs also have technology to reduce blue light).
Rather than framing the Slate as purely a tablet for artists, though, Asus seems to be pushing it as an entertainment device. The company emphasizes that the tablet’s 16:9 aspect ratio “provides a full-screen viewing experience” (which is basically the only thing 16:9 screens are good for).
The Slate OLED also ships with a stylus, the Asus Pen 2.0, which attaches magnetically to the chassis.
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Certainly, $599.99 is an affordable price as OLED products go. It’s also a refreshing one for detachable Windows laptops. A decent model of the Surface Pro 8 or iPad Pro would be close to twice that price, and that’s not including a keyboard and stylus (which are bundled in the VivoBook 13 Slate OLED’s price).
OLED screens are becoming more common on 13-inch and 14-inch laptops across the board. Samsung announced in January that it would soon begin mass-producing laptop-sized OLED panels and actually started that production in September. The new Samsung panels are featured on a number of 2021 Asus releases. Shoppers can now find smaller and more affordable OLED devices from other manufacturers as well, including Lenovo’s Duet 5 detachable Chromebook.
The VivoBook 13 Slate OLED will be available in December.
