Customer Ratings & Reviews

ASUS has done something genuinely impressive with the Zenbook S14. Instead of just trying to make the fastest laptop possible, they clearly focused on making a machine where the battery actually lasts all day and the laptop doesn't turn into a loud, hot fan on your lap. Packed with 32GB of memory, this sleek model makes a compelling case for a premium daily driver, but it comes with a few design and performance trade-offs that any everyday power user should consider before buying. For my workflow, these specific design choices mean it doesn't have to do absolutely everything. It fits perfectly into my dual-laptop setup as a dedicated work and productivity machine, allowing me to leave the heavy lifting and modern AAA gaming to my separate gaming laptop. Since the Zenbook handles almost every task outside of heavy video rendering with absolute ease, leaning into its strengths as a pure productivity tool is a no-brainer. Right out of the box, the first thing you notice is the lid. ASUS uses a unique ceramic-aluminum blend they call "Ceraluminum." Instead of the familiar smooth metal feel found on most laptops, it offers a distinct, matte, stone-like texture that feels incredibly durable and stays completely free of smudges throughout the day. At just half an inch thick and weighing a featherlight 2.65 lbs, the entire frame feels remarkably solid and premium when you pick it up. In fact, it is actually lighter than my previous daily driver, the 13-inch Microsoft Surface Pro, which tipped the scales at 2.72 lbs with its keyboard attached. While the Zenbook can't double as a tablet like the Surface, walking away with a larger display and even better battery life in an overall lighter package is a fantastic trade-off. Much like the Surface, the Zenbook's ultra-slim profile means the keys don't travel very deep when pressed. However, because it is a rigid, traditional clamshell base rather than a detachable fabric keyboard, the deck has absolutely zero flex. The tactile response feels crisp and incredibly stable, making it an easy adjustment if you are used to typing on a thin, highly portable device. The centerpiece of this machine is the 14-inch 3K touchscreen. Because it uses OLED technology, the colors are incredibly vibrant, the contrast is perfect, and blacks are genuinely black. It also uses a taller screen shape, which gives you extra vertical workspace, which is perfect for reading long documents, managing large spreadsheets, or keeping multiple windows open side-by-side. What is genuinely surprising is the audio. For a laptop this thin, the speakers deliver a full, rich sound with an unexpected amount of bass, easily beating out most standard Windows laptops. For day-to-day work, the laptop handles heavy multitasking, dozens of browser tabs, and photo editing with absolute ease. However, because of the way this computer is engineered to save power, there are several performance quirks to keep in mind. First, the 32GB of memory is permanently attached inside for maximum efficiency, meaning it cannot be upgraded later. Buying this specific version is the smartest move to ensure the laptop stays fast for years to come. Second, while it is lightning-fast for normal tasks, it will slow down compared to rival chips if you push it with sustained, heavy-duty workloads like rendering complex 4K video projects. The massive benefit to this internal design is the battery life. In real-world use like web browsing and streaming video, it easily lasts between 11 and 15 hours on a single charge while staying virtually silent and cool on your lap. Finally, while it handles casual games smoothly, it lacks the horsepower to run the latest blockbuster gaming titles, though that is a non-issue if you already have a secondary machine handling your gaming needs. Unlike many modern ultra-thin laptops that force you to carry around an annoying adapter just to plug things in, ASUS deserves credit for keeping a highly functional physical layout. The chassis manages to include a standard HDMI port to plug into a TV or projector, a traditional USB port for older accessories, two modern USB-C ports, and a headphone jack. Ultimately, the ASUS Zenbook S14 is a beautifully made, premium laptop that finally gives Windows users the luxury build quality and all-day battery life usually reserved for a MacBook Air. Realistically, you can't serious game on a MacBook Air either, and that is precisely the point. When you treat this machine as the ultimate thin and light companion for heavy office productivity, web work, media streaming, and light creative projects, the lack of gaming muscle completely fades away. It stands out as a phenomenal, highly portable package that easily gets you through a full workday without a charger, leaving the gaming to the hardware actually built for it.

5 Stars for ASUS solid metal build and cooling improvements and lite travel use for functionality. 5 stars for a well-built ultra lite travel laptop. 5 stars for looks. 5 stars for speed. 3 stars for one M.2 slot and a unknown drive. ASUS - Zenbook S14 14" OLED 3K Touchscreen - Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 2026 - 32GB RAM - 1TB SSD - Copilot+ PC - Scandinavian White Model: UX5406AA-ZB/S14_90 SKU: 6671015 This unit has significant improvements over most laptops. Examples are; very lite, extremely fast, compact, cooling, keyboard layout, and basic well designed laptop for functionality. Someone at ASUS has been good about pushing the quality up. Very nice! One drive is a definite downgrade. 1. Very sturdy all Aluminum white body! 2. Worked on first boot / no issues in updates 3. Twelve months parts and labor warranty 4. Complete printed manual with extended warranty options online and also in the MY ASUS APP 5. Side cooling/grip slots for back cover for removal (be sure you have all the 10 T4 screws removed/ one stays in but loose) See note below! Also, they have gone back to size T4 screws. Be sure to magnetize a bit in advance. 6. No heat shield for the M.2 4.0 drive. If you swap out/clone drives, be sure to turn off drive encryption in the settings. 7. Internal drive is fine the way it is! No upgrade needed but only one M.2 slot with no heat shield. Use the clone software that works for you. I could not get any software to recognize this drive. Samsung Magician could not recognize this drive even though it is a Samsung product (MIC). This is the second time I have had a M.2 4X4 drive that was not properly recognized. If you forget to turn off drive encryption before you start you will be in for a bad day at best. I discovered, by accident, that Acronis can wipe a drive if you select a data only un-encrypted drive to clone and stop it after 20 minutes. Also, there is a free software online (on initial use) that you can wipe the drive. 8. Small USB charger works great and fast 9. Never use additional security software with Microsoft built in complete security system 10. Keep MY ASUS (important FW update needed) and set up your account online/register for service. After warranty runs out consider delete if needed for space! Run the complete update in this APP! 11. Go into Microsoft settings and turn off everything you can live without. On initial setup say no to everything in life as you can always say yes later (exception security log ins). 12. Fully install XBOX and try to claim the 3-month pass. Having severe issues with 3- month free pass as it is broken as of today. If you are already a member this will not work. 13. Perfect business travel laptop 14. One USB A and 2 USB C make mouse, keyboard, and USB stick options easy 15. HDMI is a nice option but your 2 USB C (type 4) connections are a one place stop for everything. Full 3K external video with the ARK Intel video chip! 16. Installed 4 small stick-on furniture pads on the bottom for additional ventilation space! Be careful not to cover and vents. 17. WF 7 BE connections were perfect as I have a full WIFI 7 BE mesh network 18. Checked the WIFI 7 and it displays all my options and not just locked into one connection type. Extremely fast connection speeds. 19. Ten T4 screws and the clips are nicely weak. Don’t do this unless you have to. M.2 drive Philips screw in tight! 20. Cloning could not be done as the drive is not recognized as Samsung product. I had to remove the drive from the unit and do an external clone on another machine. Be careful! Turn off encryption! 21. The ASUS APP is a very nice product to keep you unit updated. 22. Sound is fine. 23. Battery life is phenomenal 24. Windows Hello is quick and accurate. 21. Most parts made in China. Installed XBOX Ultimate and played several games (Fight Simulator 2024, Minecraft Bedrock, Warcraft 3, etc). Fans were on the highest speed in auto mode for the high-end games. Cooling is sufficient. When completely finished setting the unit up, I updated the BIOS FW in the ASUS APP. Critical update for this unit. Windows update should catch all the rest. The 10 T4 head screws for back access panel were easy to find. If you are not an experienced hardware technician, you may want to skip this step. Fans came on at the right temperatures. Also, the keyboard FN keys allow you have multiple functionalities. Cloning software failed. XBOX-X controller is the best bet for games. The i9 CPU showed its strength in gaming mode as I was surprised how quick it was. The external mouse and keyboard were ok for some gaming with the lighted keys. I use an external XBOX controller for most games. For additional cooling, I bought an elevated laptop stand and can place a fan under it for extremely intense games (decided it was easier to place 4 furniture pads under the raised feet of the laptop). Not needed for 99% of the games. Read the manual on how to use the FN keys. The manual is your friend. Also, the keys are clearly tagged as to functions. No separate number key pad area (no issue). The sound worked perfectly on startup with no adjustments needed. The screen will open to 140 degrees. I could not find a function to turn on dedicated WASD key lighting Final thoughts! This a compact robust laptop. Fast and portable. Not being able to clone the drive without removing the 4X4 M.2 Stick was a significant setback. Wound up removing the drive and doing a very painful external clone on my desktop. Features! • Copilot+ PC on Windows 11 Home Copilot+ PC on Windows 11 Home brings you smarter search, quick summaries, and seamless task assistance—right when you need it. • Brilliance You Can See Experience brilliant visuals on a 14-inch OLED WQXGA+ 16:10 touch screen with vibrant color, deep contrast, and up to 1100 nit HDR brightness. • Effortless Performance, Elevated Powered by the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor with up to 50 TOPS, performance stays smooth and responsive through every task. • Smooth, Reliable Graphics Intel Graphics delivers smooth visuals and responsive performance for everyday work, play, and creative tasks. • Fast Memory for Smooth Multitasking With 32GB of high speed LPDDR5X RAM, apps stay smooth and responsive, letting you switch tasks, edit content, and work across multiple windows without slowdowns. • Spacious Storage for Everyday Files A spacious 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD ensures quick boot times, fast file access, and ample room for large projects, keeping heavy workloads feeling smooth and effortless. • Slim. Light. Effortlessly Luxurious. Remarkably slim at just 0.51″ and weighing only 2.65 lbs, Zenbook S14 delivers effortless elegance in every moment. Designed for true mobility, it’s the perfect balance of sleek sophistication and everyday portability. • Bright, Comfortable Typing Enjoy comfortable, precise typing with a sleek chiclet-style keyboard that stays clear and easy to use—even in low light environments, thanks to its built in backlighting. • See Clearly. Sign In Instantly The FHD front camera with IR support delivers crisp video quality and enables fast, secure Windows Hello facial login, making every call and sign in smooth and effortless. • Hear Every Detail Smart Amp speakers and an array microphone deliver rich, detailed sound and clear voice pickup, creating a more immersive audio experience whether you’re on calls, watching content, or working on the go. • Strength for Every Day US MIL STD 810H certification means it withstands rigorous durability testing, giving you confidence and reliability through commutes, travels, and everyday moments. • Connected with Ease Enjoy versatile connectivity with USB A, dual Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5 mm audio jack—ready for your displays, accessories, and everyday convenience. What's Included Zenbook S 14 14" 3K OLED Touch Screen Laptop - Copilot+ PC - Intel Core Ultra 9 - 32GB Memory - 1TB SSD, Power Cord, Power Adapter Specifications • Key Specs Screen Size 14 inches Screen Resolution 2880 x 1800 Touch Screen Yes Refresh Rate 120Hz Brightness 1100 nits Processor Model Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 3 CPU Base Clock Frequency 2.1 gigahertz Storage Type SSD Total Storage Capacity 1000 gigabytes System Memory (RAM) 32 gigabytes Graphics Intel Graphics Display Connector(s) 1 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Battery Chemistry Lithium-ion Backlit Keyboard Yes • General Brand ASUS Model Number UX5406AA-ZB/S14_90 Product Name Zenbook S14 14" OLED 3K Touchscreen - Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 2026 - 32GB RAM - 1TB SSD - Copilot+ PC Color Scandinavian White Year of Release 2026 • • Display Display Type OLED Screen Size 14 inches Screen Resolution 2880 x 1800 Touch Screen Yes Refresh Rate 120Hz Brightness 1100 nits • • Processor Processor Brand Intel Processor Model Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 3 Processor Model Number Ultra 9 386H CPU Base Clock Frequency 2.1 gigahertz CPU Boost Clock Frequency 4.9 gigahertz Number of CPU Cores 16-core Number of CPU Threads 16 Neural Processing Unit (NPU) Yes Maximum NPU Performance 50 trillions operations per second • • Storage Storage Type SSD Total Storage Capacity 1000 gigabytes Solid State Drive Capacity 1000 gigabytes Solid State Drive Interface PCIe 4.0 • • Memory System Memory (RAM) 32 gigabytes Type of Memory (RAM) LPDDR5X System Memory RAM Speed 8533 megahertz • • Graphics Graphics Type Integrated GPU Brand Intel Graphics Intel Graphics • • Compatibility Operating System Windows 11 Home • • Connectivity Display Connector(s) 1 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Number of HDMI Outputs (Total) 1 Number of Thunderbolt Ports (Total) 2 USB Ports 1 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 4 Number of USB Ports (Total) 3 Number of USB-A Charging Ports 1 Number of USB-C Charging Ports 2 Headphone Jack Yes Microphone Input Yes Wireless Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Wireless Standard BE Wireless Networking Standard Wi-Fi 7 • • Cooling C

The ASUS Zenbook S14 continues ASUS’s delivery of premium ultraportable AI laptops, lightweight, sleek in design, with strong everyday performance, and one of the best displays I’ve ever seen. As someone who has used ASUS products for years, (my last 3 laptops were from Asus), I was especially excited to see how the smaller 14-inch version of the Zenbook family would balance portability, power, and premium features. Guess what, it’s another success from Asus. The very first thing that stood out was just how thin and lightweight the Zenbook S14 feels. The laptop is incredibly easy to carry, making it ideal for commuting, travel, school, or working remotely throughout the day. ASUS continues using its durable Ceraluminum chassis design with military-grade durability standards, giving the laptop a premium feel while still being sturdy, even though it is only 1.1cm thick. I do like the matte finish on the S14 even though it is prone to smudges. The 14” 3K OLED touchscreen display is absolutely stunning. No matter what I did on it, streaming videos, browsing the web, or working on docs, colors were vibrant, and the image quality was razor sharp. The high refresh rate also makes scrolling and navigation feel exceptionally smooth and responsive. The touchscreen functionality is responsive and useful without feeling gimmicky, and the webcam performs very well for video calls and online meetings while supporting facial recognition login for added convenience and security. Another impressive thing about the S14 is its stellar performance. It’s powered by the Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor, 32GB of RAM, and a fast 1TB SSD, which all work harmoniously to handle multitasking effortlessly. As someone who typically runs multiple programs at once including, having a tonne of tabs opened in Chrome(iykyk), it’s a pleasure using this laptop. Everything on it moves instantaneously, applications launch quickly, and the system stays responsive under pressure. Additionally, I want to point out that even though this is not designed as a gaming pc, it can handle some light gaming. Battery life is excellent on the S14 even with a high-resolution OLED display, easily lasting through most of a workday under typical productivity use. Also, it’s pretty convenient how fast it charges with you needing only a few minutes to get atleast 1-2 hours if needed in a quick pinch. No complaints with the keyboard or touchpad, both felt comfortable and were very responsive. Also, the speakers were impressive for such a compact device. Overall, I really like the Zenbook S14. It’s a polished, premium ultraportable laptop that excels at everyday tasks. It has a stunning OLED touchscreen, strong performance, and a great build quality, what’s not to like? It’s one of the best laptops I’ve ever owned.

The new 2026 ASUS ZenBook S14 is a quality, well-designed 14” laptop that weighs only 2.65 lbs. At a wonderfully comfortable 12.22” x 8.45” for mobility, it is less than ½” thick. ASUS boasts Pro-Level Performance for this laptop, and it truly delivers on that promise. The laptop is well-designed from the inside out, as products should be. There is nothing here that does not add to its function and performance, and nothing is “fluff.” Pre-installed with Windows 11, the laptop is an all-metal chassis with a Ceraluminum® cover. This scratch-resistant, ceramic-like matte finish from ASUS is smudge- and fade-resistant. It is a ceramic-aluminum hybrid finish that is created through an electrolytic oxidation process. The result is durability without adding weight to the product. I particularly like the sleek, high-tech appearance that results, especially in the Scandinavian White model, which is not a true white, but a light greyish white. The appearance of this laptop is sleek and screams technology and design. The Intel® Core Ultra 9 Processor operates at 386 H (2.10 GHz). It has 32 GB of LPDDR6X memory, a 128 MB Intel Graphics card, a 954 GB 64-bit operating system, and, for storage and stability, a 1 TB internal SSD. ASUS has designed this laptop for now and the future to interact heavily with AI. Microsoft’s Copilot + PC is built into the operating system. Normally, I would prefer a larger screen, given years of computer experience, but this screen is so brilliant and has such a high refresh rate that it is not a problem for me at all. The screen is a 14-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) 120 Hz ASUS Lumina OLED display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It is PANTONE validated for true color, which means a great deal to me after years of working in architectural design and graphics. PANTONE sets the standard for true color in products and in color produced by various lighting sources in items all around us. Even more important to me, as my eyes age, is that this screen has been designed to emit 70% less harmful blue light. It is TUV Rheinland-certified and has been tested to be easier on your eyes, with less blue light and less flickering. This reduces eye strain, dryness, and fatigue during long hours of use. It carries the SGS Eye Care Display certification mark. It is a dream display for someone like me who spent years on the old CGA, EGA, or VGA CRT monitors, where the raster-scan tubes usually ran at 60 Hz, leaving the world around you flickering for hours after you left your workstation. This screen is so easy on my eyes, and the colors are so true to what I am working on and designing. It is the best computer screen that I have ever worked on, and I simply love it! I also love touch screens! I do so much infill work on the tablet that I find myself automatically trying to use my laptop the same way by touching items on the screen. Now, that is not a problem, as I can seamlessly move between the two without pushing on a screen that does not respond. It also supports a stylus, and the touch pad is very responsive. The laptop has four (4) speakers, a backlit Chiclet keyboard that is nice to the touch, and an FHD camera. The built-in array microphone, speaker, and FHD camera can be toggled on and off using the F10 and F11 function keys. For privacy, they do not have to stay on at all times, which is a nice feature. The laptop also has AI noise-canceling, live update, and Wi-Fi Smart Connect. Wi-Fi 7 is integrated into the design. The specifications indicate that the 4-cell, 77 Wh Li-ion battery is built to last all day. I cannot verify that yet, but I can confirm that the Type 3 - 68 W Ultra mini-AC adapter charges a low battery to full capacity very quickly when using the supplied power cable and a 110 W electrical source. This laptop includes all the connections you need to work, give a presentation, or do anything you wish. It does not have a memory card slot; it has a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt™ 4, a 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, and an HDMI 2.1 TMDS connection. I am extremely impressed with this laptop. ASUS has been building some fine computers during the last few years. I would definitely recommend this for college, work, or a home office, and also for its exceptional mobility. It is a very capable, powerful computer.

The Asus Zenbook S 14 is a premium ultrabook that truly excels in daily productivity. It combines high-end build quality with a stunning display, fitting perfectly into the ultra-thin category. The defining feature is the “Ceraluminum” chassis. A hybrid of ceramic and aluminum that feels unique and looks sophisticated. Internally, the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and powerful integrated graphics make for a capable machine that balances performance with long-lasting battery life. My impressions: • Design: The Ceraluminum finish is impressive. It resists fingerprints, feels durable, and is impressively lightweight at just 1.2kg (2.65 lbs). • Display: The 3K (2880×1800) OLED touchscreen is vibrant and fluid with its 120Hz refresh rate. It is excellent for any task, from media consumption to creative work. • Performance: The Intel Core Ultra processor is both powerful and efficient. It handles daily tasks like Office work, photo editing, and light video editing with ease. While the integrated graphics are capable for light gaming, this isn't a dedicated gaming rig. Regarding Copilot+, while the AI features are interesting, they still feel like they are in the early stages of development. • Battery: Battery life is fantastic. I can get through a full workday even with heavy applications and multiple browsers open. I have been testing the "Recall" feature, though I am still evaluating its long-term utility. • Thermal Management: I’ve pushed this laptop with heavy tasks, and while it does get a bit warm, it remains comfortable. The fans operate smoothly, and the chassis design does a great job of venting heat toward the rear of the machine, keeping the palm rest area cool. • Connectivity: The port selection is excellent for an ultrabook. You get two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port, a USB-A port, and a headphone jack. • Extras: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and webcam performance are all top-tier. The camera is great for video conferencing. It has smart features like background blurring, in frame centering, and locking eyes to camera. The AI features for the microphones provide excellent noise cancellation and speech tone filtering. The speakers are decent. Not the best in class, but certainly sufficient. • Input: The touchscreen is responsive, and the touchpad is large (proportional to the laptop size) and accurate; I particularly like the left side up & down swiping gesture for volume control. The keyboard is better than it looks. At first glance, it appears a bit "budget" but the typing experience is solid. The travel is shallow but manageable. My only real complaint is that the secondary symbols on the number keys are not backlit, making them difficult to see in the dark. • Usability: While there is no fingerprint reader, the face recognition is fast and reliable. I also appreciate the dedicated hardware shortcuts to disable the mic, camera, and touchpad. Overall, this is an excellent machine with only minor drawbacks, such as the keyboard backlighting and the lack of dedicated Home/End keys. Who should buy this? It is an ideal choice for professionals, students, and mobile creators who prioritize aesthetics, portability, and display quality. This Asus Zenbook series is also available with a Core Ultra 7 processor. While it is more affordable, the performance difference isn't huge, so you still get the same premium build and portability if you choose that route.

ASUS Zenbook S14 14in OLED 3K Touchscreen – Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 2026 32GB RAM I have reached a state of Zen….finally! ASUS has come through again with a box that has all the specs and price points that I have been looking for a couple years now. First, 14in is my perfect size. This baby is also only ½ inch thick and only 2.7lbs! It rivals a 13in that I have from a year or two ago. The aluminum body is solid but light, feels great and not plastic. Keyboard is beautifully backlit and firm, you feel the quality. Some boxes, the keyboard is where you feel the lack of quality, not here. The display is beautiful, it’s a 3K OLED with 2880x1800 touchscreen that has great colors and clarity. Look at the pics I took, playing some 4k/8k test videos from YouTube. You will see how big the colors pop. The corresponding sound is also amazing. You really feel like this is a higher end laptop but conveniently packaged into a wonderfully light and solid package. It will truly be a pleasure to travel with this. Now the power, this is what I have been waiting for in a package like this. I have had Intel Core i7’s for years now. This box not only has the Core 9 Series 3 processor with 16 cores, it has 32GB of high-speed RAM. While I am not a gamer or a super power user, I do much MS Excel and Word work. I typically have as many as 3-6 spreadsheets open, along with 4-5 Word Docs. Additionally, I am bad about having as many as 15+ tabs open in 2+ different browsers and some YouTube playing as well. This box seamlessly moves between all with ease, no lag. It just makes using it pleasurable. This is a Copilot+ PC. There is already Copilot integrated within the MS Office/365 suite of products that many of us have leverage in our work life. These are already included within those MS products if you choose to use them. This device also has an integrated Copilot+ button which brings up Copilot to use outside of those MS products. I did have to get a fresh download of Copilot from the MS store but once done, the Copilot panel from the keyboard key and icon from the bar worked beautifully and instantly. I really wish more people (old/young, etc.) would really leverage this. I literally had someone tell me “Oh, I will just continue to use Google search, it’s fine” yesterday. I told them, you have no idea how powerful this is and how much it can change your life. The depth of content, suggestions, deeper dives, etc. You really can’t beat Copilot+ PC’s. Battery life on the ASUS has been averaging solidly over 8 hours per day. Charging is fast and the included brick is smaller than older ones which is great, cable is long and sturdy as well. This version came in a new color for me, Scandinavian White. It is beautiful and stands out! I really love this powerhouse box, it’s the perfect size, all the features and technology proof for years. That coupled with the intelligence of Copilot+ and the quality that ASUS consistently produces and you have a complete package. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

For many a basic laptop will do what they need it to do just fine, but sometimes you need a little more power, so the Asus Zenbook S14 bumps things up a bit for those who need more. With an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, 32 gigs of RAM, and a terabyte of SSD storage, along with a 14 inch OLED screen that has a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels, you have a good bit to work with here to get most anything done you need to. The only thing missing is a dedicated graphics card, as unfortunately it does only utilize integrated Intel graphics… it’s biggest weakness. Plan on spending a good 45+ minutes setting the Asus S14 up as it has a good number of updates, both automatic as well as manual if you want to get everything out of the way. Once you are up and running, the first thing you notice is how small the laptop feels. Even though it’s a 14 inch model, it feels like a slightly smaller 13 inch machine. It’s barely more than half in inch thick and weighs less than 3 pounds, so it’s very portable, as well as durable, being made of an advanced Ceramic. The keyboard has enough room and the keys feel solid and nice to type on, but of course at this size you don’t have a dedicated numeric pad, just what’s above the alpha keys. The keyboard has a good backlight to it, but the special symbols above the numbers row oddly don’t light up with the numbers, so you have to stumble around a bit to see the symbols in low light. There is no fingerprint reader, though. The trackpad feels good and has good touch movement to it, and even allows you to control sound and screen brightness on the sides by sliding your finger. The OLED screen is very detailed and bright at 1100 nits, and 120Hz keeps things fluid. With the i9 processor and 32 gigs of RAM, you won’t have any issues doing all basics and midrange things, but the graphics being integrated might hold back certain more ambitious tasks. Trying out an older video rendering app I use to test things, it did cause the S14 to start running it’s fans soon, but they are quiet, so noise at least isn’t an issue. I just wish there were a dedicated RAM graphics card to handle this type of thing better, at this price point. Integrated graphics are a lot better today than a few years ago, but they still don’t replace a dedicated graphics card with it’s own RAM. Video looks extremely good and detailed and colors stand out. You’ll have most ports you would want, with two USB-C thunderbolt ports on the left side, and an older USB-A port on the right. You also have a HDMI port and of course a headphone/mic jack. There is unfortunately no SD or Micro SD memory card slot on the machine. The web cam is 1080p and does a bit better than average in lower light with basic background blur effects built in, and the built-in microphones do a decent job at picking up your voice on video calls. It also offers facial recognition for logging in. Four speakers give you good sound and aren’t tinny until you really crank things up to full blast. You have Copilot built in which is pretty standard these days, so you have a full range of AI features should you want them, at your disposal regarding searches, asking questions, and generating images with some of your built-in apps. The charging brick isn’t huge and is barely larger than a lot of phone chargers, and at 68 watts, charges up decently quick. Battery life always depends on what you’re doing, but you shouldn’t have any issues getting through a full day, and possibly more, with the S14’s battery life. I’ve had no issues once the machine was set up with WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity, although it did disconnect a couple of times from WiFi during the initial setup – no problems since, though. My only complaints? To repeat myself, the lack of a dedicated graphics chip at this price point is to me, a disappointment. The numeric special symbols being darkened even with the keyboard backlight on is a little inconvenient, as is the lack of a fingerprint reader on the keyboard. So those aside, this is otherwise a solid machine for those who need to power. Other variations are available at different price points. Overall a thumbs-up.

I find myself caught between some different tasks - browsing, researching, AI agent tasks and even running a local Large Language Model and I was wondering if the ASUS Zenbook S14 could handle some of these without getting too bogged down. I’ll hit some major points and then get into the details below. Good: OLED Display / Resolution / Refresh Touch Battery Life Keyboard (backlight/quiet) Form Factor Ports CPU / RAM combo Intel NPU Color / Texture of Lid WiFi 7 3.5mm audio port Meh: Trackpad ASUS monster charger No webcam slider Bad: Nothing at all. Really. Normal Use … ASUS packaged this thing right - slim and sharp, just like the laptop itself. On unboxing, I didn’t even open the laptop and sent it right over to the charger until the orange charging light turned white, then it was time to play. I also loved the color as it didn’t become smudged with fingerprints and there seems to be a bit of a texture to it that I also liked when carrying it around. A notebook is a perfect description of this as I was carrying it around with little effort, just like I would with a notebook. Let me reiterate one part of my TL; DR above - I dislike nothing about this laptop. While I may not be a fan of the charging brick or maybe feel that the trackpad needs some extra pressing down to click - but wow, this little machine has pushed my iPad Pro M4 13” aside from when I got this for a week before I wrote this review. Microsoft’s Windows 11 setup experience doesn’t differ and still requires a Microsoft account to set it up (but you can ‘move’ to a local account after setup if you wanted). The ASUS Zenbook S14 has a glossy display that, like any glossy display, shows fingerprints and everything else that may land on the screen. And the display - shoot, OLED. Such a crisp screen that doesn’t tear letters as one of my other OLED displays does and the colors do not disappoint. The touch of the display is responsive and is there for me when I forget I’m on a laptop and back on an iPad. A 3k resolution is boasted in the specs - which was a new one to me. After looking it up, that resolution sits around 2880x1800 (one site says 2880 x 1620) and for my eyes, the recommended 200% scale zoom is perfect. In going through the menus, a 120Hz refresh rate is also available - so, I went right to that. While the world is going USB-C - this laptop is no different, however it does still have a USB-A port. I hate to say it, but yes - even as a techie, I still have some USB-A devices and one of them is a memory card reader - so grabbing a dongle all the time for USB-A support on my other laptops can be a pain. USB-C powers the laptop and also has no issues with a portable 15in display. Usage (given it’s Windows) has been stable, jitter free and when backed by 32GB of RAM and an Ultra9 processor - life is pretty easy. WiFi 7’s 6GHz offers wired speeds when running a speed test with minimal interference and obstacles. Don’t want to take the hit of 6GHz, then use a 5GHz band - or 2.4GHz if you’re far away - the same goes for any laptop or device: better speeds = less distance and few obstacles. A huge benefit to this laptop is the keyboard; smooth and quiet. I type on many types of keyboards and lots of laptop keyboards and there’s also a nice backlight that’s easily adjusted. Outside of a larger, thin “Air like” laptop, this is probably my second favorite. Not necessarily a “but” - but, the trackpad is a bit harder to click than I’d like. I thought I was having some phantom keypresses, but there are some hidden MyAsus Input settings for display, volume and forward/rewind. Pretty slick! Under the screen above the special keys is some upward heat dissipation which seems to lessen the bottom - keeping my lap from heating up too much during these wonderful summer months. Battery life you ask? Amazing. Easily 3 nights of couch browsing, researching and shopping - plus some daily tasks like email and social media. I must say, for a Windows laptop, I’m impressed. If I backed down to 60Hz - like most people will run at, I’m sure I could have squeezed out a few more minutes before I went into “power save” mode at 30% remaining battery. In some basic use, the webcam is pretty high quality however there isn’t a privacy slider - which some Windows Hello features will want to always be watching you. A few strips of tape made it blurry enough to not be able to see much, however - you forfeit using the camera regularly. It’s up to you how you feel about that, but for me, I appreciate a privacy slider. Lastly, a 3.5mm jack is there for wired non-USB headphones for those of us that still opt for a wire from time to time. Techie Notes … On top of all of the above during my normal day-to-day life, I loaded up WSL, Docker desktop and set up Ollama to run with OpenWebUI and a few mid-parameter models. Since this NPU lets you share some of the 32GB of RAM - and emulate roughly 18GB of VRAM … we’re not limited to the regular “Intel Graphics” 128MB or whatever silliness they normally run with. On top of that, 1TB of NVMe storage has plenty of room for experimentation with different tasks and models that eat up space if you forget to clean up after yourself. I read about an Intel Graphics setting (for this Intel model) that allows for 80% of the RAM to be used for VRAM - but in the Intel Graphics Software, I didn’t see it (maybe soon?). Low parameter models - like llama3.2:3b got me around 50 tokens/sec; the bigger the models, the fewer tokens. I tried DeepSeek 32b - and got a few runs before something took away some RAM and the model wouldn’t run - so it “can be done” just not easily. Why even try that? The way I see it, is that if I’m offline (crummy or super slow wifi at the car dealer), I have a portable little internet I can refer to and then double check the results of later, while not really missing any of my stride when working off a single table away from the office. Sure, some people prefer the iEcosystem to run some of this but remember - some are Windows folks. I happen to straddle both worlds and enjoy this as much as I do my Air-like laptop. Overall - what a great notebook/laptop; amazing display, great keyboard, great form factor and some oomph to run some techie LLM things. Highly, highly recommended!

The Zenbook S is Asus’ top of the line, flagship laptop that holds nothing back for the “do everything and do it extremely well” laptop. When I’m on the road either traveling for work or pleasure, I want a laptop to perform at its peak from simple web browsing to complicated photo or video batch processing. This Zenbook S series steps up to my demanding needs. The OLED screen is gorgeous for watching movies or editing photos. The 120hz refresh rate is also silky smooth when scrolling around the web or playing games. The speakers are loud enough to fill your hotel room without issue and without distortion. The battery life is impressive and will not be needing to find an outlet at the airport is worth its weight in gold. Touchscreen is a nice touch for fast navigation on websites or shoulder-to-shoulder collaborating with a coworker. This particular laptop I’m reviewing has the Intel Ultra 9 processor, AKA Panther Lake chip. Has 16 cores and speeds up to 4.9 Ghz. It’s also Copilot+ capable meaning that it has a dedicated AI NPU that can handle Ai tasks locally on the zenbook. This is very evident when you use live translation to translate live TV, youtube or even web calls. This processor is a workhorse and can handle everything you can possibly throw at it. Getting the Ultra 9 will ultimately future proof yourself for many years ahead. My only eye roll in the marketing material is the “Ceraluminum”. Asus claims it’s a proprietary method of bonding ceramic to aluminum. Its supposed to be more durable than regular aluminum from abrasions to drop durability. I have no way of testing this out but I guess I will have to take their claims at face value as I’m not about to drop this laptop to test the claims. In my opinion, its marketing jargon as it doesn’t drastically change the way it feels. Feels like my other older aluminum laptop and still gets finger prints all over it. In summary, I do recommend the Asus Zenbook S for someone looking for a future proof, do-it-all laptop. It looks great with the OLED, fast screen refresh rate and great sounding speakers for a laptop. The battery life is fantastic and has many tricks to extend the battery life by dimming the screen or turning off keyboard backlight when the proximity presence sensors notices that you stepped away or looked away. Perfect workhorse laptop.

Unlike ASUS’s ROG and TUF Gaming line, which obviously are marketed to the gamer side, the Zenbook series is geared for the digital content creators as well as those on the more business side. While the 14 inch screen size may be considered a bit on the small side, the compact laptop design for portability and on-the-go practicality makes the screen size reasonable. The screen itself is also a touchscreen for when you need to quickly click or tap on a spot without having to figure out where the mouse cursor is located. And for presenting to others who are overlooking, the OLED screen makes all the colors bright and vibrant. Powering the laptop is Intel’s Core Ultra 9 386H processor. That much is already known from the product page. What isn’t detailed is the technical side. The processor consists of 16 total cores split across 3 different types – Performance (4), Efficiency (8), and Low-Power (4). So while there are technically a lot of cores on hand to handle what you throw at it, the heavy lifting is done on the Performance cores while the Efficiency cores handle the medium-load tasks. But enough about this technical stuff… The build quality is pretty nice and is very slim for its size. There’s nothing much of note for the keyboard and trackpad as they are as what you’d expect from them. The speakers are located to the side rather than the front like many other laptops out there. They are downward firing so there is only so much it can do. It sounds okay and should only be used for just basic audio output rather than media consumption. (In fact, for media consumption, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the left side.) Performance is what one would expect from Intel’s top tier CPU class according to their current product list. Having DaVinci Resolve installed, I threw a few videos in and rendered it. All the cores were utilized and the Intel graphics chip was used as well. For a laptop that’s designed as a 2D media creator, it handles it easily. But my concern would be how it would handle 3D media. Unfortunately, I do not have the skills to verify its 3D performance but instead, ran a 3D game on it. It could potentially play but many things had to be dialed down for acceptable performance. The CPU model mentioned earlier only included a basic graphics chip and thus 3D performance was hindered by this. Prying open the back cover to access the hardware is a mixed bag. The screws are uncommon torx T5 and it means having to dig out a specialized kit of screwdriver bits. Thankfully I have an iFixit screwdriver kit to handle that. One screw is capped and allows for a starting point to start prying the cover off. And it doesn’t take much force so it’s comforting to know I don’t have to be extra careful. Unfortunately, what I see is an extremely limited upgrade path. Memory may be soldered to the board due to the very slim design so RAM expansion is likely impossible. Drive storage is limited to a single M.2 slot which eliminates the option of adding more storage. And upgrading it means needing to reinstall the operating system. As for things I did not cover, there’s facial recognition and so Windows Hello can be used for biometric authentication. 2 USB-C Thunderbolt ports are available for connecting a lot of devices. The screen is a touchscreen which is convenient for those who want a quick tap here and there. This is a pretty good laptop for those who handle the business side of things - the kind where you need one to go into the office for a presentation. I suppose its closest competitor for this sector would be Dell’s XPS and Lenovo’s ThinkPad. I cannot say with certainty if the laptop is worth recommending. And something tells me other competitor models may offer a better balance of 2D and 3D capability. The Good: top-class CPU performance, thin profile, touchscreen, facial recognition The Bad: only M.2 can be changed, basic Intel Graphics GPU, soldered RAM The Ugly: lackluster 3D performance Verdict: shop around first

This smaller Zenbook is just what I needed! I do a lot of correspondence while sitting on the couch and a large laptop just seems awkward to me. I also do some webpage updating and database management, so I was looking for something more than a tablet or small laptop. This Asus Zenbook really includes all that I was looking for! First, it comes securely packaged and ready to work. From the time I plugged in the laptop until it was ready to work was about 30 minutes--- which included downloading/connecting to all of my cloud programs and browser settings! I got right to work on emails and webpages and was so pleased! Let's start under the hood with the Core 9 processor, 32 mb ram and a 1 tb hard drive. This machine runs flawlessly and fast! I'm not a computer tech, but i found no problem in streaming television, running a spreadsheet and doing some social media at the same time. The body of the zenbook is very lightweight and super thin. Check out my photos of how thin it is. Even this thin, you don't give up connectivity as there is an HDMI port, two usb-c, one usb-a, and an audio jack. The battery is amazing. After I fully charged the batter, I unplugged it and left it on my couch. I estimate I was using it a few hours each day for three days before it needed a charge. Then, it took less than an hour for a full charge. I really appreciate this as I hate getting tangled in the cords. The screen is very touch responsive with bold, vibrant color. The island keyboard is properly arranged and easy to see since the keys are light colored with dark gray lettering. The keys also have a very nice feel when typing. Overall, the Asus Zenbook is exactly what I needed. I can use it almost anywhere and it will travel well since it is lightweight, powerful and fast!

The Asus Zenbook for 2026 is one of the best 14” laptops I have ever used. The S14 has an impressive spec sheet to go along with its beautiful design. The full-size keyboard fits your hands comfortably and your hands rest in the perfect location, so you don’t accidentally hit the touch pad. The S14 comes with the laptop and power cord in the box. The packaging is very upscale and reflects the quality of the Asus Zenbook. This is a premium compact laptop for sure. You will find an OLED 14” 3K touchscreen, 1TB SSD hard drive, 32 gigs of RAM, Core Ultra 9 processor, Windows 11 with Copilot+ operating system and Intel integrated graphics. The S14 is slim at just half an inch thick and weighs 2.5 pounds. Sound from the small speakers surprised me with their bigger sound. Setup is easy and follows the same script as any other Windows 11 pc. Once you have completed all the Windows updates the fun begins. This is by far the fastest and most enjoyable laptop I have ever used. The keys respond smoothly and effortlessly. When using any of the Office suite of products there is no lag at all. As for surfing web pages or watching videos online, the S14 is up to the challenge, and it moves between pages extremely fast! There are the usual included Microsoft apps and some useful Asus apps, however there is not a lot of Bloatware. As usual you can always delete the apps that are not needed or appealing. I can’t remember a new laptop impressing me as much as the S14 has. Pages flow smoothly, apps load quickly and time is saved by not sitting waiting for a response. This is the perfect laptop for those who travel and need a quick laptop to stow on the move, or students to bring to and from the classroom.

This review is for the 2026 version of the Asus ZenBook S14 (UX5406AA). Starting out, I’d like to point out that the laptop was very well packaged in as little cardboard as likely possible. The package felt very secure and everything is easily recyclable. Props. On to the laptop…when removing it from its box, my first impression was complete befuddlement. This laptop was impossibly lightweight. By far, this is the lightest laptop I’ve ever used. And it’s strong too. One of my tech pet peeves is when there’s a lot of flex in the keyboard tray or the screen. The S14 has virtually none. My previous laptop was the 2025 version of Dell’s 14 Premium (the XPS replacement), which was just as strong but at least twice the weight of the S14. Here are some things that have stood out in my 1 week of S14 use: :: The Core Ultra 9 386H processor is very capable. I use Android Studio to build and update an Android application. The CPU in this laptop keeps up with my much higher-powered 12 Gen Intel desktop processor. There are only a few seconds difference in build times between the two. I do wish Intel had included the ARC GPU with this chip though. :: The processor’s power does come at the expense of fan noise. Most of the time the fan is off, like during word processing or light web browsing. But once you have 5 or 6 tabs open in your browser, things start to heat up and the fans come on. They aren’t loud or especially annoying, but you’ll notice them. I primarily hear them when the power setting is on “Performance” mode though. Clicking down to “Balanced” will likely help. :: The typing experience is really solid. My aforementioned Dell has the worst keyboard known to man, which is the reason I decided to move on from it. The S14 keys are well spaced and have lots of travel. Each button press takes a deliberate “push”, which is how I think a keyboard should operate. I do wish the function keys at the top of the keyboard were full-sized though, but they’re usable as half-keys. I also wish the power button wasn’t inside the delete key as it’s easy to mix those two up. :: The OLED screens on Asus laptops are excellent. Bright, vivid, high-contrast. HDR and Dolby Vision capable (even though I’ve yet to test either). A lot of review sites praise the Dell OLED screen on my previous laptop, but to my picky-yet-untrained eye you’re not giving up anything with the Asus OLED. :: Sound gets loud, though not particularly detailed. It’s just ok. Louder than older laptops, but quality is about the same. I feel like earbuds and headphones are becoming more popular for sound reproduction these days anyways. :: Small gripe: I would much prefer darker colored keys. I feel like white keys are bound to get dirty and the gray on white theme isn’t as easy to see as white on black. :: I LOVE all the port selection on the S14. Many upper range laptops are ditching all but USB-C ports, so it’s nice to see any older USB port and HDMI port here. :: Both USB-C ports are Thunderbolt capable (Gen 4), and they both worked fine for me. However, I do wish one of those ports was on the right side. This would provide charging access without having to run the power wire awkwardly across, under, or around the laptop when the power outlet is on the right side. In fact, this may be the biggest gripe I have with the S14. :: The OS and recovery partition take up more than 100GB of space. After setup, you’re looking at around 830GB of space out of 954 usable GB. The NVME hard drive is upgradable. All in all, I’ve been really happy with the S14. It’s powerful, sleek, lightweight, and easy to live with. I wish I had some evidence of battery power, but only having the laptop a week limits my real-world testing. If you’re in the market for a higher end laptop, the S14 is a smart buy, even over some more spendy options like the Dell 14 Premium/XPS 14.

ASUS has been steadily refining its premium Zenbook lineup, and the Zenbook S 14 may be one of the most compelling Windows ultraportables available today. Combining a stunning 3K OLED display, Intel's latest Core Ultra 9 processor, AI-focused features, excellent battery life, and a premium lightweight chassis, the Zenbook S 14 is designed for professionals who want desktop-class productivity in a highly portable package. After spending time with the system and reviewing benchmark results, it's clear ASUS has built a laptop that excels at productivity, content creation, and everyday business workloads. Design & Build Quality The first thing you'll notice is how remarkably thin and light the Zenbook S 14 feels. ASUS uses its premium Ceraluminum™ material, giving the laptop a unique blend of ceramic-like aesthetics and aluminum durability. The result is a machine that feels more premium than many competing ultrabooks while remaining easy to carry throughout the day. Highlights: • Thin and lightweight design • Excellent keyboard and large touchpad • Premium fit and finish • Modern minimalist styling • Quiet operation under normal workloads This is the type of laptop that looks equally at home in a boardroom, coffee shop, or airport lounge. Display: Outstanding 3K OLED Panel The star of the show is the 14-inch 3K OLED display. OLED technology continues to be one of the best upgrades available in a laptop, and ASUS delivers here. Colors are vibrant, blacks are truly black, and contrast is exceptional. The high 3K resolution keeps text razor sharp, making long work sessions comfortable and reducing eye strain compared to lower-resolution displays. Performance Under the hood, the Zenbook S 14 is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, one of Intel's newest AI-capable mobile CPUs. The system feels exceptionally responsive in daily use: • Microsoft 365 applications launch instantly • Web browsing with dozens of tabs remains smooth • Video conferencing is effortless • AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and local AI workloads benefit from the built-in NPU • Light content creation and photo editing are handled with ease PassMark Results I benchmark all my new machines using Passmark Performance Testing tools. The benchmark results tell an interesting story: Test Score Percentile Overall PassMark 6,930 62nd CPU Mark 31,379 88th Memory Mark 3,798 95th Disk Mark 45,057 95th 2D Graphics 801 64th 3D Graphics 4,964 37th What the Numbers Mean CPU Performance: Excellent The 31,379 CPU Mark score places the system in the 88th percentile, meaning it outperforms nearly 9 out of 10 tested systems. This confirms what users experience in real-world use: • Fast multitasking • Strong productivity performance • Excellent office and business application responsiveness • Plenty of power for AI-assisted workflows Memory & Storage: Outstanding The 95th percentile scores for both memory and storage are particularly impressive. Applications load quickly, boot times are nearly instantaneous, and large files move rapidly. This contributes significantly to the laptop's snappy feel. Graphics: Adequate for Productivity The one area where the Zenbook S 14 isn't trying to compete is gaming. The 3D Graphics score in the 37th percentile reflects the integrated graphics solution rather than a dedicated gaming GPU. This means: ✅ Great for: • Office work • Video playback • Streaming • Multiple monitors • Light photo editing ❌ Not ideal for: • Serious gaming • High-end CAD • Heavy 3D rendering • Professional video effects work This is expected for an ultraportable productivity-focused machine. Battery Life & AI Features The Intel Core Ultra platform was designed with efficiency in mind, and the Zenbook S 14 benefits significantly. You can expect: • Full-day productivity • Excellent standby performance • Efficient video conferencing • Improved battery life compared to many previous Intel generations The built-in NPU (Neural Processing Unit) also positions the laptop well for the growing wave of AI-enhanced applications in Windows 11. Keyboard Well – I thought I found a flaw that would make me choose another laptop. The keyboard doesn’t have any visual Home/End/Page Up/Page/Down keys. I use these keys a lot creating and editing documents, so I thought this may be a non-starter. Do not fear – Asus has thought of that and built in those functions to the arrow keys. Simply use the FN key in combination with the arrow keys and you have all your Home/End/Page Up and Page Down keys at your fingertips! Who Should Buy It? The ASUS Zenbook S 14 is an excellent fit for: • Business professionals • Executives • Students • Frequent travelers • IT professionals • Developers • Anyone wanting a premium Windows ultrabook It is less suited for dedicated gamers or users requiring workstation-class graphics. Final Verdict The ASUS Zenbook S 14 successfully combines premium design, a gorgeous 3K OLED display, impressive CPU performance, and excellent battery efficiency into one of the most well-rounded ultraportables currently available. Your benchmark results reveal a machine that is particularly strong in the areas that matter most for everyday users—processor speed, memory performance, and storage responsiveness—while making the expected trade-off of modest integrated graphics performance. Pros ✔ Stunning 3K OLED display ✔ Fast Intel Core Ultra 9 processor ✔ Excellent keyboard and build quality ✔ Extremely fast SSD performance ✔ Lightweight and travel-friendly ✔ AI-ready platform with integrated NPU ✔ Strong battery life Cons ✘ Not designed for serious gaming ✘ Integrated graphics limit heavy 3D workloads ✘ Premium pricing compared to mainstream laptops Overall If your priorities are portability, display quality, battery life, and business productivity, the ASUS Zenbook S14 is one of the best Windows laptops currently available. The benchmark results reinforce that conclusion, showing a machine that delivers premium real-world performance where most users will notice it every day. This has become my daily use laptop now.

ASUS has been on an absolute tear the last few years. Their high-end computers and laptops are separating themselves from the rest of the industry with their continued quality and excellence. They’re continuing that trend with the new line of Zenbook laptops. The S14 is their new release of high end multitasking computers that focus on productivity and portability. The S14 is a beast of a computer and I’m happy to share my thoughts below! Initial unboxing this computer is a thing of beauty. Coming in at just .47 inches wide and 2.46 pounds the S14 is impressive to hold in your hands. It almost feels too light to be a computer. It has a “Ceraluminum” coating on the outside in Scandinavian White that is supposed to be scratch and abrasive resistant while also being shock resistant to drops to an extent. Opening the computer up for the first time shows a striking white keyboard with a geometric fan design that I haven’t seen before, to give the computer a distinct and high end feel. The computer has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB A port and an HDMI along with a headphone jack. The power supply included is 68w but you can get it up to 100W if you buy a separate charger, but the power supply included is plenty fast. Initial installations and required updates were easily installed and we were up and running in no time. One word for this computer is SPEED! I’m someone that can work quickly in a Windows environment and I find sometimes that I tend to want to move faster than a computer can handle sometimes, not with the Zenbook S14. Everything is snappy and instantaneous. The Intel Core 9 with 32 gigs of ram and a 1TB SSD handles anything you throw at it. I primarily use my computer for photo editing and any Adobe software is smooth as silk. The 14 inch 3K OLED is bright and crisp at 1100 nits and a 120 HZ refresh rate. The 4 built in speakers do a great job of giving an immersive movie or music listening experience. As I’m typing this review I’m listening to some music and really impressed by the depth of the sound they produce! The keyboard is backlit with bright white light with responsive keys that instantly feel comfortable to type on and the mouse is just as good. The one thing that really stands out to me the most though is the computer runs quiet as a church mouse while staying cool as a cucumber. Most high performing laptops generally will always warm up my legs during use. The S14 is comfortably cool the whole time, while running so low I can barely hear that it’s on. Couple that with the fact that the computer is as light and thin as it is and you can color me impressed how they were able to pull this off. But if there’s anyone that can do it, it’s ASUS, so I’m not surprised that the computer is as high quality as it is. ASUS is a computer company that I trust and believe in. Every product I’ve owned from them in the past few years has been exceptional. They truly are in my opinion one of the best computer brands around. So, it’s easy to recommend the Zenbook S14 to anyone looking for a top-of-the-line high performance multitasking computer. It has everything you could want in a beautiful, sophisticated lightweight package. If you’re in the market for a lightweight portable high performing PC, this one should be at the top of your list!

I am extremely happy with this ASUS Zenbook S14. The OLED touchscreen is beautiful, with vibrant colors, sharp details, and excellent brightness. The laptop is fast, responsive, and handles multitasking with ease thanks to the powerful processor and 32GB of RAM. The battery life has exceeded my expectations, and the lightweight design makes it easy to carry for work, school, or travel. The keyboard is comfortable, the build quality feels premium, and the overall user experience has been excellent. Whether you're using it for productivity, online meetings, streaming, or everyday tasks, this laptop delivers outstanding performance. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and high-quality laptop.

Great laptop, fast and light weight. My son is starting college in the fall. This is a great laptop to start off.

Great machine. Super fast, nice monitor and light weight

As expected of new CPU architectures, attention is naturally focused on the higher end chips of its generation with hopes of typical improvements such as lower power consumption and faster performance. Interestingly, and of course this will naturally depend on your specific computer requirements, I have found laptops that focus on design and portability without sacrificing performance to be the most exciting area to watch as oppose to models that are fully loaded in every major component category; on that same side of the coin, it is also extremely difficult to ignore that technology prices have recently increased massively across the board. As such, I was quite excited to test the highly anticipated Zenbook S14 featuring the newly released Panther Lake based Ultra 9 386H. With a weight at an impossible 2.65 lbs. and a thickness of 0.47 inches, the Zenbook S14 certainly looks impressive and I could not wait to test the performance. For this new generation, the Zenbook S14 has pretty much stayed the same with regards to aesthetics; the most notable change is the lid, instead of the previous etched design, it now just has a smooth clean surface with Zenbook etched in the middle. Personally, I prefer the previous generation design as it stood out better; additionally, the Zenbook logo was smaller and located in corner. Moving on, the Zenbook S14 features two Thunderbolt 4 ports rated for 40 Gbps, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, a combo 3.5mm jack and lastly an HDMI 2.1 TDMS Port. As for the design, the Zenbook S family is still one of the most attractive designs; it is extremely light and easy to carry around and also features a scorching OLED 3K Display at 2880x1800 at 120 Hz (500 nits typical / 1100 nits peak brightness). As with every other OLED based laptop, the display is certainly a stunner. Additionally, the S14 features 32 GB of LP-DDR5X 8533 MHz memory and a fairly large 77mwH battery. I was also impressed that much like my Zenbook S16 from 2024, the backlit keyboard is still one of the brightest ones I have seen on any laptop. It also features the same keyboard texture on the keys; perhaps best described as somewhat of a smooth slightly rubbery feel. Lastly, if you are going to be using the Zenbook with an external monitor, please keep in mind the HDMI port does not support FRL, so the resolution and refresh rate will not match what HDMI 2.1 normally should support. My QD-OLED monitor which runs 240 Hz on HDMI 2.1, could only detect 60 Hz for 10 Bit color and 120 Hz at 8-bit color at 1440p. You might have better results over the Thunderbolt 4 connection, but I did not have a monitor with a Type-C connection to test. Before I begin my performance tests, I first wanted to mention a couple of observations before we get started. To keep in accordance with an out of box experience, I specifically wanted to mention that I tried to keep system changes to a minimum, including preventing drivers and updates from installing (as of this writing, there appears to be a new BIOS revision V303 that had no documentation on what was changed). First and foremost, all the performance modes were set accordingly in the control panel; the fan setting found in the MyAsus software was set to performance mode. For every CPU test, I disabled the Wi-Fi so no sudden spike could cause an inaccurate result; afterwards, I put the laptop to sleep so that it could cool down before each subsequent test (roughly 5-10 minute intervals). The power plan was modified to prevent any sleep or hibernation and my minimum processor frequency was changed from 5% to 1%. Your results may differ than mine, so please keep that in mind. Next, as typical with OEMs, the Windows 11 install is just a little over 60 GB in size and your memory is around 18-20% used (roughly 6 GB) on boot. Lastly, I disabled all the startup services and programs except Asus ones; unfortunately, as expected there are about 10-15 separate executables controlling some aspect of the hardware tied to the MyAsus software. For my software monitoring, I used a combination of HW Monitor 1.63, HW Info 8.40 and CPU-Z 2.20. All laptop tests were conducted via their wall adapters. Since the biggest aspect of the Zenbook S14 is the Ultra 9 386H, I wanted to compare this laptop to two other 14 inch laptops of mine, the first is my Yoga 9i (i7-1260p) from 2022 and the second a Yoga 7i Slim from 2024 (Ultra 7 155H). All laptops have similar TDP configurations. Unfortunately, I did not have any comparable Arrow Lake CPU to test. The first test I ran is Cinebench R23 and results are as follows: Ultra 9 386H (25w TDP) - Single 2,119 / Multi: 17,886 (16 Cores / 16 Threads) Ultra 7 155H (28w TDP) - Single: 1,733 / Multi: 14,704 (16 Cores / 22 Threads) I7-1260p (28w TDP) - Single: 1,639 / Multi: 10,338 (12 Cores / 16 Threads) As expected, the Panther Lake based 386H takes the top spot, despite having less threads than the Meteor Lake based 155H. The second test I ran was the CPU-Z 2.20 benchmark. The results are as follows: Ultra 9 386H (25w TDP) - Single 786.4 / Multi: 9,247.3 (16 Cores / 16 Threads) Ultra 7 155H (28w TDP) - Single: 739.5 / Multi: 7,447.9 (16 Cores / 22 Threads) I7-1260p (28w TDP) - Single: 694.0 / Multi: 5,505.9 (12 Cores / 16 Threads) There is a significant bump on the multi-thread portion on the 386H over the 155H. Perhaps most surprisingly is my 1260P is still holding its own on the single thread side of things. My third and last CPU test, I encoded 28.3 GB M2TS 91-minute file using Handbrake 1.11.1. I set the encode profile to the Very Fast 1080p preset; cropping was disabled, as well as subtitles and chapter markers. The audio, frame rate, and color were all set to mimic the source. The results were as follows: Ultra 9 386H - 10 Minutes 13 Seconds / Avg FPS: 216.5 Ultra 7 155H - 11 minutes 42 seconds / Avg FPS: 188.7 I7-1260p - 17 minutes 15 seconds / Avg FPS: 127.9 Overall, I was fairly impressed with the Ultra 9 386H as it was interesting to see the gains made here over Meteor Lake. While watching HW Monitor, the core distribution load on the 386H was much more even across the P-Core, E- Core, and LP- Core as opposed to the 155H. On the 155H, the P-Cores were doing much of the heavy lifting accounting for roughly 150-177% of the boosted load; the E-Cores were around 50%, LP-Cores were not doing anything and were around 0.1%. The total package consumption range was around the 37-43 watts. Compare that to the 386H, where I took one snapshot of 126% on P-Core, 148% on E-Core and 129% on the LP-Core. The total package consumption range was slightly lower around 25-33 watts. In addition, thermals on the 155H was noticeably hotter with a consistent range around 84-90c, while the 386 was around 74-78c. The 386H maintained roughly 3.0-3.5 GHz on the P-core and shifted 100 MHz increments whereas the 155H was around 2.7-2.9 GHz, yet was still hotter by an average of 10-12c. Overall, I was pleased with the improved efficiency. As for audio, I first wanted to give my thoughts with respects to my observations. First, the Zenbook S14 is listed with 4 speakers powered by a Cirrus Logic XU; each respective left and right tweeter and woofer is listed with CS35L56 amp in device manager. Upon first listening, I was quite surprised about how much power the S14 has. At around 40-50% volume, the audio is perhaps the loudest I heard from a laptop this size, nor did I hear any noticeable distortion on the low end from any of my bass oriented tracks. Certainly, no laptop will rumble like any subwoofer, but given the size of speaker, I was quite impressed. Vocals were positioned perfectly dead centered on the top firing speakers, and combined with the instrument separation, the soundstage was quite impressive. For my last test, I wanted to test the battery so you can have an idea on what to expect. While I normally run everything at its maximum so we can get a worst case scenario, I wanted to see how the efficiency combined with its respective the power plan would perform. With the fan setting set to back to standard and the Wi-Fi disabled, I ran the aforementioned 91 minute 28.3 GB M2TS file full screen in VLC 3.0.23. After 45 minutes, the battery was at 94%. At 60 minutes, the battery was at 92%. Once the movie finished, the battery had dropped to 88%. Obviously depending on your use case and settings, the battery amount will fluctuate, but overall the battery seems to fairly strong. In conclusion, the Zenbook S14 features high performance and portability in small compact package. With its weight clocking in at a mere 2.65 lbs, and thickest point is just 0.47 inches thin, it is definitely worth checking out in person. It is further enhanced by improved thermals and surprisingly good audio. Connectively, it features an amazing OLED display and supplies a decent amount of RAM. With my tests, the 386H ran cooler, balanced the load across the different cores more evenly, nor did it seem reduce its frequencies nearly as much as the 155H. While the price is certainly up for debate, and even more so now that it feels like life has been drained out of what normally would be an exciting time in the technology space, the Panther Lake launch seems to be heading in the right direction. Overall, if the budget allows, the Zenbook S14 is certainly worth a look and comes recommended.

I have been using this laptop for several days now. It is a great laptop, just for the cost there are a few questionable design choices that overshadow the laptop. The good: Right out of box you will notice how thin and light it is. I cannot believe how they can pack so much in such a small form factor. That's 2026 for ya. From the YouTube videos I've watched, ASUS is trying hard to mimic Apple MacBook Air design, and I would say that they have achieved that. 0.51" thick and 2.76 kg. It is lighter than my 12.4" Surface Laptop Go. You'll also notice the premium build quality. I am impressed. Look, I get that some people are gamers. If you are a gamer, then you shouldn't look for a $1900 laptop with no dedicated graphics. Ignore anyone who complains about that. This laptop is intended to be a highly portable laptop that has the beef to get all types of office-type tasks done quick. I don't play games, but I'd imagine that if I did it would perform admirably. So, I am not bummed by the lack of dedicated graphics. The performance is great. Coming from a Core i5-1135G7 on a Surface Laptop Go 2 with 8 GB of RAM and 256GB SSD to this is a huge leap and is amazing. The 32 GB of RAM lets me do things I could only imagine with 8 GB. So chalk up performance as a "good" for me. USB C charging. Yes, I know it is standard now, but I'm coming from a Surface product with the proprietary magnetic charger from Microsoft. The battery life is incredible. I am extremely impressed about how long it lasts. The cooling. I noticed some people who have already written reviews mentioned ASUS improved the cooling capabilities. I can certainly attest to this laptop being cool. I never feel the keyboard hot when the CPU is chugging hard. Beautiful screen. The OLED really pops. Minimal bloat. Just the usual ASUS software and that's it. The letters on the keyboard are big and well-lit by the backlighting, which comes with dimming control. 1 year of accidental damage protection. This a nice touch! The ok: The lid I would rate as one hand and a half open. You can open with one hand until you get to around 100 degrees at which point it requires a second hand. 22.72 GB of recovery partitions. I wish there was none. That is a lot of wasted space. Of course, this is fixable with a fresh ISO install of Windows 11, but that requires me doing that, which takes time. The Bad: The keyboard backlight. I don't understand how they chose to skip backlighting all the characters, all of them: ~!@#$%^&*()_+{}|:"<>?. They all lack backlight. For me coming from a Surface Laptop Go 2 with NO backlight, I'm fine, but I imagine this would be a problem for someone coming from a PC with full backlight. The touchpad is too big. When you rest your wrists for typing you have a 100% chance that the edges of your palms will contact the pad and move the mouse. The touchpad has this stupid ASUS logo in the top left. The color of it is so perfect that you will constantly think that you have a hair on your touchpad. The USB C ports are only on one side of the laptop. I can understand Microsoft putting the charge port on only one side since it is proprietary, but USB C? You can't put a port on each side? I don't much care for the Screen Xpert key (next to power). Waste of a key on the keyboard. While the laptop in total feels high quality, the keyboard keys feel cheap. Coming from the Surface Laptop Go 2 is a downgrade in this department. Moreover, the travel is far too low. I had to reduce the double click speed in Windows settings because I was constantly typing double characters. To be fair to the design choices, there have been premium laptops throughout history with extremely dubious design choices. The Dell XPS laptop at one point had a capacitive touch set of F1-F12 keys. Terrible idea. My problem with ASUS's design choices (the backlight keyboard, USB C location) is that they weren't trying out something new that has never been done before. No, it simply appears as attempts to cut a small corner here and there. It is a great laptop, dont get me wrong. Just these small design choices makes the experience of using the laptop slightly annoying at times (in typing this review I had to fix many double-clicked letters).