Asus Zenbook A14 Review: A breath of OG Air… and from Asus, not Apple

Remember the MacBook Air? No, not the latest and greatest one or even recent ones, but the OG Air that Steve Jobs took out of a manila envelope at MacWorld in San Francisco in January 2008? Well, like many Apple products, it invited its share of criticism at launch. People complained about the absence of ports (only one USB port), no optical drive (hey, it was 2008), no full HD display, low-powered chip, and, of course, the price. Like many Apple products, many forgot most of the criticism the moment they actually laid their hands on the product because they had actually never seen anything like it. The Asus Zenbook is a bit like that.

Really- or make that “unreal-ly”- light!

We know notebooks have been getting lighter ever since ultrabooks became the rage, but the Zenbook A14 is still so light that it almost feels unreal. At about 980 grams, it is actually a fourth lighter than the latest 13-inch MacBook Air M4 (which is around 1240 grams). And this is in spite of actually being slightly larger: the Zenbook A14 it has a 14-inch display (slightly bigger than the 13.6-inch one on the 13-inchM4 MacBook Air), a six-row keyboard and a large trackpad, and at 31.07 cm, it is slightly wider than a MacBook Air (30.41 cm), and is also thicker/ taller (1.34 cm against 1.13 cm) although slightly less deep (21.39 cm as against 21.5 cm). The Zenbook A14 does not look like a ‘shrunk’ or compromised notebook but is pretty much a normal-sized but very slim notebook, which makes its weight, or lack of it, even more remarkable.

A major reason for its lightness is the use of a new material that Asus calls Ceraluminium, a combination of ceramic and aluminum, which is not only very light but is also supposed to be actually three times as tough as anodized aluminum, smudge, and scratch resistant, and very eco-friendly as well. The material almost has a smooth stone-like texture to it, and although the notebook is very light, it does not feel fragile at all. The “EasyLift” hinge works very smoothly and is designed so well that you can actually lift the lid of the notebook with just a single finger. The lid, incidentally, does not wobble at all while using the notebook. Asus also claims that the notebook has passed US Military grade tests (MIL-STD-810H testing) and is designed to bear shocks and drops.

Rather impressively, the Zenbook A14 actually does not seem to smudge or pick up stains or scratches – we simply wiped off coffee and juice stains that fell on its lid a few times. And this freedom from smudges extends to the keyboard and the rather large trackpad as well, both of which remained in near-pristine condition after about two weeks of use.

Asus has included a carrying envelope in the box with the notebook, but we have carried the Zenbook in our bags without it and found that a simple wipe of the cloth was enough to make it look as good as new. This is a great notebook to be used on the move – it is light enough to be carried, defies stains and smudges, and thanks to that solid non-wobbly hinge, can actually be used off a lap for a long time (we used it right through an hour-long cab drive and never felt uncomfortable). We got the Iceland Gray variety, and while it does not quite stand out from the black and gray notebook crowd like its Zebriskie Beige brother, it exudes understated elegance. And even after almost three weeks of usage, we still haven’t gotten used to how light it is.

Good specs, but the newbie chip is the challenge!

Within that super light frame are specs that are a blend of the good and the middling. The display is one of the highlights of the device – a 14-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200, with a peak brightness of 600 nits. The bezels around it are relatively narrow, giving it an all-display appearance, although the FHD web camera on top is a bit of a letdown at this price. While the notebook is very slim, Asus has managed to find space for two USB Type-C Thunderbolt ports, a USB Type-A port, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and even an HDMI port. The notebook also has dual speakers with support for Dolby Atmos. The keyboard is a normal-sized one with a large trackpad, but there is no fingerprint scanner, although the camera supports face unlock via Windows Hello.

The biggest point of contention on the spec sheet of the Zenbook A14 is the processor powering it. This is the relatively new Qualcomm Snapdragon X, which is the least powerful of the X series. While the Snapdragon X series has won praise for its efficiency and battery management, it is not yet seen as the kind of powerhouse that Intel and AMD processors are, especially in the gaming department (it comes with an Adreno GPU).

What’s more, it still has compatibility issues with some applications, although mainstream ones like MS Office, Adobe Photoshop, and Lightroom now run natively on it. While support for the platform is expected to improve and encompass most major apps in the coming days, if you are the type who likes trying out and testing new apps, then the Snapdragon X platform is perhaps not your best option at the time of writing. Even if you are looking for power on the same platform (for better gaming performance), you would be better off with the Snapdragon X Elite (there is a variant of the Zenbook that comes with this chip, too, albeit at a higher price).

The Snapdragon X is paired with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Also onboard are Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. It packs in a 70 Wh 3-cell Lithium-Ion battery and comes with a Type-C 65W adapter in the box, with a surprisingly small brick. You can use a 65W or faster mobile phone charger to charge the notebook, too, although we would recommend sticking to the official adapter. Asus claims the notebook has a staggering battery life of up to 32 hours and even has a fast charging option, which lets you get up to 60 percent charge in 49 minutes. The notebook comes with Windows 11 Home and also has Microsoft Office 2024 and Microsoft Office 365. And of course, it has Microsoft’s AI CoPilot on it. The processor will divide opinions, but all said and done, the Asus Zenbook A14 is a very well-specced device.

A mobile workhorse with crazy battery life, but not a gaming beast

The Zenbook A14 is close to the perfect mobile workhorse. The OLED display delivers punchy colors and is strikingly bright, making it great for watching films and videos, although we would recommend headphones for a really immersive experience. The dual speakers are of good quality but are not too loud, something that is often the case in compact, super-thin notebooks.

The Zenbook A14 really comes into its element when you get into regular work mode on it. Documents, spreadsheets, web browsing (even if you open dozens of tabs on Chrome), and presentations flow across it with silky smoothness. The keyboard has large, well-spaced keys with a decent amount of travel, which makes typing very comfortable indeed. The large trackpad makes navigating the display and selecting content a whole lot easier, and well, if you want to use Microsoft’s flavor of AI via CoPilot, the Zenbook A14 rocks that too. In routine day-to-day work done in most offices and student life, the Zenbook simply flies. And it keeps flying for a while, thanks to battery life, which is frankly astounding. Asus has claimed 32 hours of battery, and while the notebook did not last that long in our period of review, we found it getting between 20-25 hours regularly, allowing us to get through a week of usage on just 2-3 recharges. That is easily the best battery life we have seen on an ultraportable notebook in this weight range and size. Round that off with the fact that it can get fully charged in under two hours, and the notebook is a dream for those who travel a lot but prefer to travel light.

Get into the gaming and multimedia zone, however, and some frailties begin to emerge. While the Snapdragon X Plus and X Lite can handle some level of gaming, the X is not really built for anything beyond basic PC gaming. So forget about playing Elden Ring or Assassin’s Creed: Shadows on high settings here, which is a bit of a pity given the quality of the display. While you can run Photoshop and Lightroom on the Zenbook, the experience is not quite on par with what you get on the MacBook Air, so forget the Pro. There are also compatibility issues for some apps and games with Snapdragon X, requiring one to use emulators, which kills the experience. Of course, things are expected to improve with time, but if you are the type who likes trying out different types of applications and testing new apps, then the Zenbook A14 and the Snapdragon X platform in general are not for you. Not yet, at least.

Asus Zenbook A14 Review Verdict: A super classy lightweight, for those looking to book their working-on-the-move Zen

The Asus ZenBook A14 is priced at Rs 99,990 for its 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage option. If you are one of those who value specs, then the fact is that you will get notebooks with higher-resolution displays and way faster processors at a lower price. However, if what you are looking for is a very good notebook to work on the move, then this is a wonderful option. It is incredibly light, has superb battery life, and can even be charged off a 65W phone charger (though we recommend the charger that comes with it). It is not a gaming beast, but it is great for viewing content and can easily handle MS Office and even Photoshop and Lightroom.

Of course, at its price, it goes right up against the new 13-inch MacBook Air (M4), which starts at Rs 99,900. And it comfortably not only holds its own against that legendary notebook but even beats it on many parameters. The M4 MacBook Air is undoubtedly more powerful, thanks to the M4 chip driving it, but is actually more expensive (its 16 GB/ 512 GB variant will put you back by Rs 1,19,900), has no AMOLED display, fewer ports (no HDMI or Type A), has good but still inferior battery life (about 15 hours to 20 hours plus on the Zenbook), and in the ultimate irony is actually significantly heavier – it is 1.24 kg against the 980 grams of the ZenBook.

The Air is definitely more capable in gaming and high-end tasks (and it has a fingerprint scanner – something corporate folk will like), but then those looking for a notebook for those purposes are unlikely to consider a MacBook Air and are more likely to look at its Pro avatar or better specced Windows machines, which are generally much heavier and with markedly inferior battery life. And while there is no doubt that macOS is more refined and secure, the simple truth is that the vast majority of people use Windows.

The Zenbook A14 is not built for busting benchmarks, but for handling everyday life, elegantly and effectively. It is like a sleek motorbike that glides through everyday traffic effortlessly, delivering great mileage, not a bulky, noisy, gas-guzzler meant exclusively for the race track.

We used that simile more than a decade and a half ago.

For the OG MacBook Air.

Remember that notebook? The Zenbook A14 is built on the same principles, with a way better build, a better display, better battery life…and is much, much lighter. All right, we will say it: Asus might just have out-Aired the MacBook Air with this.

Buy Asus Zenbook A14

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