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Asus Zenbook A14: Two-minute review
The Asus Zenbook A14 is a light and compact laptop that promises to be the ideal travel companion.
The device’s aesthetics are matched by its incredibly light and slender frame, making it one of the most portable laptops on the market.
The build quality of the Zenbook A14 is commendable, offering a solid feel with premium materials throughout. While the lid exhibits some flex due to its thinness, it remains incredibly stable once opened, ensuring a smooth user experience across various tasks.
(Image credit: Future)
The port selection on the Zenbook A14 is commendable, featuring two USB-C ports that support external monitors and charging. These ports are conveniently located on the left side along with a single USB-A port. However, having all ports on one side may hinder convenience depending on how you intend to connect devices.
In terms of performance, the Zenbook A14 equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite processor displays impressive capabilities. While handling multitasking and light gaming proficiently, it does generate some heat and fan noise, though neither is overly disruptive during use.
The 1200p OLED display is sharp and vibrant, although it falls just short compared to some more premium screens. Its brightness level is adequate to dissipate reflections effectively, yet it lacks the overall luminance of top-tier displays.
The keyboard experience is excellent, providing generous spacing and responsiveness that facilitates quick typing. The tactile feedback of the keys alongside their increased travel makes typing more enjoyable. The touchpad, while smooth, could be larger for more efficient navigation.
One standout feature of the Zenbook A14 is its remarkable battery life, lasting over 28 hours during movie playback tests. This duration surpasses even its larger sibling, the Zenbook A16, and many competing 14-inch laptops.
The Zenbook A14 is not the cheapest laptop available, but its performance and features make it a worthy investment for those seeking a travel-ready machine that excels in most areas.
Asus Zenbook A14 review: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Base | Review |
Price | $1,599.99 / £769.99 / AU$1,999 | $1,799.99 / AU$3,699 (about £1,300) |
CPU | Snapdragon X (X1-26-100) (2.97GHz, 8 Cores) Aus: Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42-100) (3.2GHz, 8 Cores) | Snapdragon X2 Elite (X2E-88-100) (4.0GHz, 18 Cores) |
GPU | Qualcomm Adreno (integrated) | Qualcomm Adreno (integrated) |
RAM | 16GB LPDDR5X | 32GB LPDDR5X |
Storage | 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD Aus: 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD | 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD |
Display | 14-inch WUXGA 3K (1920 x 1200) OLED, 16:10, 60Hz | 14-inch WUXGA 3K (1920 x 1200) OLED, 16:10, 60Hz |
Ports and Connectivity | 2x USB-C (4.0 Gen 3, display / power delivery support, 40Gbps) 1x USB-A (3.2 Gen 2, 10Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack; Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 | 2x USB-C (4.0 Gen 3, display / power delivery support, 40Gbps) 1x USB-A (3.2 Gen 2, 10Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Battery | 70Wh | 70Wh |
Dimensions | 311 x 214 x 16mm (12.2 x 8.4 x 0.6in) | 311 x 214 x 16mm (12.2 x 8.4 x 0.6in) |
Weight | 2.16lbs (0.98kg) | 2.16lbs (0.98kg) |
Asus Zenbook A14 review: Price & availability
(Image credit: Future)
- Starting from $1,599.99 / £769.99 / AU$1,999
- Available now
- Higher end of the market
The Asus Zenbook A14 starts at $1,599.99 / £769.99 / AU$1,999 and is available in gray and beige. While this pricing positions it at a higher end, several alternative laptops provide similar performance at lower costs.
For example, the HP Omnibook 7 offers competitive performance along with impressive battery life but does not quite match the Zenbook A14 in endurance. Alternatively, the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14, which transforms into a tablet, also remains within the same price range.
Asus Zenbook A14 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
- Very light and thin
- Unique finish and materials
- Sufficient port selection
The design of the Zenbook A14 is genuinely striking, with diverse finishes that stand apart from conventional laptops. Its minimalistic form eliminates unnecessary protrusions, and the lightweight construction enhances its portability without compromising build quality, thanks to the use of Ceraluminium, ensuring a smooth, premium feel.
While the display enclosure demonstrates some fragility, the Zenbook A14’s lid is easy to open and stable during use, enabling a seamless user experience.
(Image credit: Future)
The keyboard provides a premium feel with an excellent backlight, a feature that enhances usability in low-light settings. The port selection is practical, with two USB-C ports capable of supporting external monitor connections and a headset jack, although having all on one side can be a limitation for users.
Asus Zenbook A14 review: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
- Capable all-round performance
- Some heat and noise generated
- Not the brightest display
Asus Zenbook A14 benchmarks
3DMark: Night Raid: 44,546; Fire Strike: 9,579; Steel Nomad: 1,071; Solar Bay: 20,836; Solar Bay Unlimited: 22,429; Solar Bay Extreme: 2,157; Solar Bay Extreme Unlimited: 2,450
Geekbench 6.5: Multicore: 20,134; Single-core: 3,798
Cinebench R23: Multi Core: 14,476; Cinebench R24: Single Core: 90; Multi Core: 820
Crossmark: Overall: 1,920; Productivity: 1,731; Creativity: 2,157; Responsiveness: 1,848
Passmark Overall: 7,591; CPU: 30,623.6; 2D Graphics: 464.2; 3D Graphics: 6,547.8; Memory: 3,473.7; Disk: 44,120
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 4154MB/s; Write: 4698MB/s
HandBrake 4K to 1080p: 70.09fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1080p, Medium: 44fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1200p, Ultra: 23fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 28 hours and 25 minutes
With the Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, the overall performance of the Zenbook A14 stands strong. Its capabilities enable smooth browsing, streaming, and even some light gaming. Furthermore, I found it surprising during gaming sessions that it managed to deliver playable graphics even in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077, though not without some stuttering and frames dropping occasionally.
Nevertheless, tasks like gaming do generate noticeable fan noise and heat, but temperatures remain modest and localized, ensuring comfort during extended use.
(Image credit: Future)
The Zenbook A14’s display is quite good, with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. It delivers satisfactory clarity and decent color reproduction for various media. However, while the brightness level is sufficient to counter reflections, it doesn’t quite reach the brilliance of the leading OLED displays in the market.
As for the keyboard, it features satisfying key travel and spacing, enhancing the typing experience. Nonetheless, some layout compromises exist, like the absence of a number pad and several navigation keys, limiting full functionality for some users.
The touchpad, while smooth and responsive, lacks adequate size for optimal navigation, often leading to a feeling of running out of space during prolonged tasks.
Asus Zenbook A14 review: Battery life
(Image credit: Future)
- Best in class
- Outlasts larger model
The battery performance of the Zenbook A14 is remarkable; it lasted over 28 hours in video playback tests, solidifying its status among the best in its class.
This duration even surpasses the larger Zenbook A16 and various premium 14-inch laptops from competing brands, such as the HP OmniBook 7.
Should I buy the Asus Zenbook A14?
Scorecard
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Value | The Zenbook A14 is expensive in absolute terms, and there are laptops that perform almost as well for significantly less. | 3.5 / 5 |
Design | Incredibly light, thin, and good looking, with a unique and premium construction. | 4.5 / 5 |
Performance | Handles most tasks well, and is even capable of some light gaming. The OLED display is good, but not the best I’ve seen in a laptop. | 4 / 5 |
Battery Life | Among the best in its class; it can outlast most of its rivals. | 5 / 5 |
Final Score | The Zenbook A14 gets most things right. There are only a few drawbacks, chief among which is its high price tag. Certainly one to consider if you need a portable machine, though. | 4 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Asus Zenbook A14 review: Also consider
How I tested the Asus Zenbook A14
(Image credit: Future)
- Tested for several days
- Used for various tasks
- Experienced laptop reviewer
Over several days, I utilized the Asus Zenbook A14 for various tasks, including web browsing, productivity work, video streaming, and light gaming. Comprehensive benchmarking tests were also conducted to evaluate performance metrics across different areas.
My experience as an experienced laptop reviewer, along with years of using similar computing devices, allowed me to provide a well-rounded evaluation tailored to user needs.
For additional details and insights, you can check the full review Here.
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