Asus Zenbook A14 Overview: Featherweight battery champ

Asus’ new Zenbook A14 laptop computer, if it wasn’t clear from the title, is its reply to the MacBook Air. Sporting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chip, Asus’ fancy ceraluminum materials throughout the entire chassis, and a sub-1kg weight, the A14 is constructed from the best stuff to go toe-to-toe with the Air.

Not solely has it earned its place as one my favorite Home windows laptops, it additionally proved itself as a contender for the ultra-portable crown. The A14 has a battery that retains on chugging, strong efficiency, it’s tremendous simple to hold round and Asus managed to do all this whereas conserving the value ($1,299) cheap.

Positive, the A14 isn’t an ideal laptop computer, however Asus will get sufficient proper that the few missteps are simple to forgive, particularly in instances the place it helps hold the price down.

Specs

• Show: 14-inch 1920 x 1200 pixel OLED 60Hz panel with LED backlight
• Processor: Snapdragon X
• Reminiscence: 16GB
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Dimensions: 31.07 x 21.39 x 1.34 ~ 1.59 cm
• Weight: 0.98 kg (2.16 lbs)
• Digicam: FHD digital camera with IR for Home windows Hey
• Working System: Home windows 11
• Battery: 70WHrs
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A, 2x USB-4 Gen 3 Kind-C, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm audio
• Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno

Word: the above specs are for the particular A14 configuration I examined. All A14 spec choices can be found on Asus’ web site.

Design

I first received my palms on the A14 at a CES preview occasion in late 2024, and proper from the beginning, I used to be intrigued. I already actually appreciated Asus’ ceraluminum materials, which I wrote about at size in my Zenbook S 14 evaluation. The fabric combines ceramic and aluminum for what Asus says is a extra sturdy, wear-resistant end. Whereas the S 14 solely options ceraluminum on the lid, the A14 makes it a whole-body expertise, which pays off.

The laptop computer feels actually distinctive and it’s tremendous gentle, weighing in at simply 0.98kg (2.16lbs). The burden, mixed with the scale, makes the A14 really feel ultra-portable. I can slide it in my backpack and it’s prefer it’s not even there. It’s not the thinnest laptop computer on the market, however it’s slim sufficient that I don’t have any complaints. Plus, there’s the entire thinness versus battery life tradeoff – I’ll get into battery life extra beneath, however suffice it to say the A14 comes down on the best aspect of issues, providing a barely thicker chassis and wonderful battery life.

One gripe I’ve with the design is that there’s some notable flex within the laptop computer’s lid. It’s not the worst I’ve seen, however the flex contributes to a barely low-cost feeling and makes the show a bit bouncy. I think the wrongdoer right here is the laptop computer’s weight. As a result of it’s so gentle, Asus had to make sure customers may open the lid simply with out lifting the entire laptop computer. And whereas the corporate did a superb job tuning the hinges for a extremely clean opening, I think the corporate slimmed out the lid as effectively, probably inflicting the additional flex. Regardless of the trigger, it’s a minor situation total, however contradicts the premium ceraluminum end.

The Zenbook A14 sports activities an OLED panel, which is all the time welcome, however it’s not one of the best. It’s vibrant sufficient more often than not, however it isn’t tremendous high-res and maxes out at 60Hz. The colors and distinction are additionally each effective – the show didn’t precisely wow me, however it wasn’t disappointing both. Some folks may discover the show specs disappointing, however I’m not too bothered by them.

In my eyes, increased resolutions are wasted on laptop-sized screens and it may be robust to see the distinction between an FHD+ show like what’s on the A14 and QHD or UHD panels. Plus, the additional decision can harm battery life by drawing extra energy for all the additional pixels and by making the GPU work tougher. Equally, as a lot as I like 120Hz screens, the rise in refresh price attracts extra energy, so I’ve more and more saved my laptops locked to 60Hz to increase battery life. In the end, it comes right down to what you care about, however I believe Asus made cheap tradeoffs right here.

It goes on and on and on and on and on…

One other factor I actually like concerning the Zenbook A14 is it options Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chip, and the advantages are very clear. On the efficiency aspect, the whole lot feels snappy. I had no points working apps, and whereas some folks might need the odd app that doesn’t work nice on ARM, I believe the overwhelming majority of PC customers at this level can use Qualcomm’s chips with out worry.

However the advantages of Snapdragon X transcend simply good efficiency – these chips run nice on the go in addition to at dwelling. One in all my greatest points with x86 chips from Intel and AMD is that efficiency may be nice when the laptop computer is related to a charger, however it drops off when unplugged, particularly when utilizing the ‘finest effectivity’ energy mode to increase battery life.

However on the A14, efficiency was nice regardless if I had the laptop computer plugged in and whatever the energy mode settings. For instance, when testing Geekbench 6, the A14 put up very comparable numbers when unplugged on the ‘balanced’ mode (2,077 single-core, 10,222 multi-core) to ‘finest efficiency’ whereas plugged in (2,117 single-core, 10,220 multi-core).

The factor that basically offered me on the battery life was once I went over 24 hours with out plugging in and nonetheless had 30 % battery left. That 24-hour interval began round 4pm on a Monday, once I unplugged the laptop computer to go work on my sofa. I completed up my day at 5 and closed the laptop computer, however I by no means introduced it again to my workplace to cost. It spent the evening unplugged, then I tossed it in my backpack Tuesday morning once I left my place in Hamilton to move to MobileSyrup’s Toronto workplace. The A14 saved chugging all day – I labored on it throughout my 75-minute practice journey, after which I used all of it day on the workplace with out plugging in. After I wrapped up my day somewhat after 5pm, it nonetheless had somewhat over 30 % battery left, and it held that every one evening lengthy till I lastly plugged it in on Wednesday morning.

At this level, it’s more and more clear that anybody who cares about battery life in a laptop computer needs to be getting an ARM-equipped machine, whether or not that’s a Home windows PC with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X chip or a MacBook with an M-series processor. Intel and AMD nonetheless have their place, however I’ve but to strive an x86 PC with a battery life nearly as good as this.

Every little thing else

Asus nails many of the different options on the A14.

The keyboard is great and I totally loved typing on it, regardless that it’s barely much less tactile than I choose. The important thing journey is nice and it feels suitably premium.

Equally, the trackpad feels improbable. The dimensions is nice, it’s clicky and my fingers glide throughout it with ease. It additionally helps the identical gestures because the Zenbook S 14 should you’re into that sort of factor.

The webcam and audio system are effective. Neither are significantly nice, however they work effectively sufficient for conferences and watching the odd video.

Well worth the cash?

The A14 begins at $1,299 in Canada, which is a sexy value for what’s on provide. That value places the A14 on par with the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air and effectively beneath the M3 model. It’s additionally consistent with or just below most of the different Snapdragon-equipped Home windows laptops obtainable in Canada.

In the end what it involves is what trade-offs you’re keen to make. I discovered the Zenbook A14 match completely into my work model, providing nice efficiency and battery life, and I didn’t thoughts the lower-res show. However some may slightly have extra premium options like high-res, 120Hz screens. These choices are on the market, however they price somewhat extra.