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It’s not every day that you get to see a laptop that blends substance with style. There are lots of options in the market that look good. And then there are plenty of options that perform beyond expectations but don’t pay much attention to looks. But the Asus Zenbook S14 is in a good position in both cases. The laptop is just 11.9 mm thick and weighs only 1.2 kg. But don’t let the size fool you, as the machine is also powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H chipset.

I’ve been using the Asus Zenbook S14 as my daily driver for over a week, and with such a great price, it may not be for everyone. But, for those looking for a top-tier design, gorgeous display, and great performance, it has a lot to offer.

Without further ado, let’s find out what exactly the Asus Zenbook S14 has. Here’s my full review.

Asus ZenBook S14: Design and build

When you’re spending this kind of money on a laptop, design isn’t something you can ignore. It’s expected to impress, and the Asus Zenbook S14 gets it right from the start.

Even before you even see the laptop, the packaging sets the tone. It’s clean, concise and a reflection of what’s inside. And when you finally lift the lid of this box, the real deal is revealed.

The Asus Zenbook S14 is one of those devices that makes you wow as soon as you take it out of the box. My first words when I saw the laptop were ‘Hello, gorgeous.’ Because honestly, it really is. The overall look is sophisticated, the texture on the lid is subtle but noticeable, and the Antrim gray color gives it a very business-like look. There’s nothing fast or flashy about the laptop, yet it will definitely turn heads when you head to a business meeting.

And then there’s the Asus ZenBook branding. It sits firmly right in the middle and doesn’t try too hard to attract attention. Which honestly fits the overall look of this laptop perfectly. After all, less is more, right?

The build quality here is top notch, which is something you would expect from a laptop worth Rs 2.5 lakh. Asus is using a Ceraluminium chassis here, which aims to combine the lightness of aluminum with the durability of ceramic. As a result, you get a surface that is resistant to scratches and stains. During my usage, I didn’t notice any fingerprints on the chassis even when I was typing continuously for hours. I also remember that I accidentally kept the laptop in the same pocket of my bag as my house keys. But when I took it out, no scratches were found.

And one of the major attractions here is the weight and slim form factor. The laptop is just 1.1 cm thin and weighs around 1.2 kg. You can just put it in your bag and forget it’s even there. I certainly did.

The only complaint, and I’m really harping here, is that when you open the laptop quickly with a finger, the bottom lifts up. So, most of the times, I needed to use both my hands to open the machine. Either it’s a hinge problem here, or it has something to do with weight distribution, but it’s kind of annoying.

Asus ZenBook S14: Display

Lifting the lid, you get a beautiful 14-inch 3K OLED panel to display your content. I watched videos, played some casual games and the display didn’t disappoint at any point. And for my day-to-day tasks, the 120Hz refresh rate kept things fast and smooth.

In terms of color accuracy too, the display is excellent as it comes with 100 percent sRGB and DCI P3 color space coverage. So, if you’re someone who deals with visual content a lot, this is a reliable performer.

It’s also quite bright at a peak brightness of 1,100 nits. I used the laptop in various light settings without any major disruptions. However, one thing that bothered me was reflections, which is a common problem with bright OLED displays. Additionally, this is a touchscreen display on the ZenBook S14, which is something I haven’t found myself using much. And since the display collects fingerprints and smudges easily, I ended up using the trackpad and keyboard most of the time.

Asus Zenbook S14: Keyboard, trackpad and speakers

Now, once you actually start using any laptop, the keyboard is something you interact with a lot. And the ZenBook S14 comes with a keyboard that checks all the boxes. The keys are well spaced, have a fair amount of travel, and are extremely comfortable to type on. However, I think the fingerprint sensor should have made the cut. For a laptop at this price, it’s not only a nice addition but essential.

As far as keyboard feel and texture go, the keys here come pretty close to those found on a MacBook, even if the design itself is different. You also get a clear backlight here, which helps when working late at night. And it’s actually quite bright. I could see it clearly even while sitting at my desk during the day.

Below the keyboard is the trackpad, which is just the right size for casual use. Coming from a MacBook Air 15, I’m certainly used to much larger trackpads, but even the one on the ZenBook S14 didn’t feel big enough. However, the clicks here feel good, but not premium, as this is not a haptic trackpad.

Talking about the speaker, you get quad setup with Dolby Atmos. They speak loudly, there is no doubt about that. But there is no clarity at all. The sound sounds a bit flat, especially when you are watching movies or gaming. Basically, if you really care about audio quality, you’ll probably use headphones most of the time.

Asus Zenbook S14: Ports and other features

For such a thin laptop, the port selection on the Asus Zenbook S14 is actually quite solid.

You get one USB Type-A port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone jack. For my use, these ports were sufficient. You also get Windows facial recognition, and it works really well. It’s fast, accurate and unlocks the laptop almost instantly.

The front camera is absolutely great and works well for video calls. But at this price I expected better. When I turned on background blur, edge detection was not accurate. My hair kept blending into the background. Also, you notice some noise in the picture quality as soon as you turn on the camera.

Asus Zenbook S14: Daily performance and benchmarks

Perhaps the most important factor in any laptop: performance.

My unit of the Asus Zenbook S14 is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, paired with 32GB of RAM. And simply put, this combination is fast. really fast.

Apps launch instantly, multitasking is smooth, and the laptop doesn’t slow down even when multiple apps are running simultaneously.

And this real-world performance is backed up by some strong benchmarking numbers.

Now this is not a gaming laptop. But being an avid gamer, I tried some gaming on it and I was not disappointed. Lighter titles like Overcooked 2 and Phasmophobia ran smoothly without any issues. I even tried pushing it with heavier games like Forza Horizon 5 and Doom: The Dark Ages. And surprisingly, with slightly lower graphics settings, they were playable.

But of course, if you make it all the way, the integrated GPU starts to show its limits. So yes, you can play games on this laptop. But that’s a bonus, not the main purpose.

Asus Zenbook S14: battery and thermals

As with the ZenBook, the strongest point here is once again battery life. The laptop lasted for a full 14 hours in the PC Mark battery test. And this was when it was set to best performance mode. When I set the laptop to best power efficiency mode, it lasted a full 18 hours, which is again commendable.

So, the battery life here is not only reliable, but excellent. If you forget your charger on a Monday morning, you don’t have to worry.

Thermal is also managed well here. There are vents along the chassis that help vent heat, and they seem to do their job well. The fans kick on, but you won’t hear any noise from them.

The laptop remains cool during normal use. And even when I pushed it further with benchmarks and heavy tasks, it only got a little warm, nothing uncomfortable.

Asus Zenbook S14: Should you buy?

So, the Asus Zenbook S14 is a laptop that gets a lot of things right. It feels like it was made for business, is very convenient to carry around, and comes with a strong performance. The battery life and display are top notch, and the overall experience is simply great. But at this price, you start paying attention to the small things.

There’s no haptic touchpad, no fingerprint sensor, and the speakers and camera are average.

That said, if you’re on a budget and want a sleek and powerful laptop that can also run some games, the Asus Zenbook S14 is a great choice.

Also read: Asus launches ExpertBook Ultra laptop in India: All details