Asus Zenbook A14 Review: Sleek, Powerful and Lightweight
Looking for a powerful, portable, and stylish ultrabook? Meet the Asus Zenbook A14! In this video, we take a deep dive into this sleek laptop that combines high-end performance with a lightweight design, making it perfect for professionals, students, and creatives on the go. From the stunning OLED display to its impressive battery life, we'll show you why the Zenbook A14 is a top contender in the ultrabook category.
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Time of India
14-05-2025
- Time of India
Asus Zenbook A14 Review: Sleek, Powerful and Lightweight
Looking for a powerful, portable, and stylish ultrabook? Meet the Asus Zenbook A14! In this video, we take a deep dive into this sleek laptop that combines high-end performance with a lightweight design, making it perfect for professionals, students, and creatives on the go. From the stunning OLED display to its impressive battery life, we'll show you why the Zenbook A14 is a top contender in the ultrabook category. Read More
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Business Standard
01-05-2025
- Business Standard
Asus Zenbook A14 (Snapdragon X) review: A sleek AI PC with stellar battery
Asus recently launched the Zenbook A14 in India, a sleek and lightweight laptop powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X platform. Being a Copilot Plus PC, the laptop combines AI-first features with a focus on all-day battery life and ultra-portability. But beyond its stylish exterior and forward-looking chipset, how well does it perform in real-world use? And does it manage to balance usability, and performance for everyday users? Let's find out. Design The Asus Zenbook A14 stands out for its lightweight and compact build. The Zabriskie Beige colourway, combined with a matte stone-like texture, gives it a distinctly premium look and feel. It's also slim and lightweight, thanks to Asus' proprietary 'Ceraluminum' chassis — a blend of ceramic and aluminium reinforced with magnesium. According to Asus, this material makes the chassis 30 per cent lighter while being up to three times stronger than standard aluminium. After over a month of daily use, the durability holds up — not even a faint scratch has shown up on the body. Asus also includes a vegan leather sleeve in the box, which not only complements the design but also enhances portability — already one of this device's strongest suits. That said, the matte texture and light beige finish tend to attract smudges and dirt quite easily, necessitating frequent wiping. Another minor drawback is the bottom rubber grips: although they run across the base for better traction, the laptop occasionally slides around on smoother surfaces. Lastly, the hinge design doesn't allow the lid to open a full 180 degrees, which can be slightly inconvenient, especially if you're using an external monitor but still need access to the laptop's keyboard. Display and audio Also Read The display is another strength of the Asus Zenbook A14. It features a 14-inch OLED panel with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, which is sharp enough for reading text and viewing content in detail. The OLED screen delivers excellent contrast and deep blacks, making it well-suited for both productivity and media consumption. Colour accuracy holds up well across different types of content, and the claimed peak brightness of 600 nits is reflected in real-world use. The display remains bright and legible in most indoor lighting conditions and holds up reasonably well outdoors too. That said, the refresh rate is capped at 60Hz, which might feel like a step down if you're used to faster panels. Another minor drawback is the plastic bezel around the screen. While it does not look cheap, it detracts from the overall fit and finish of the device. The built-in, bottom firing, dual speakers on the Asus A14 deliver fairly typical laptop audio—serviceable, but not particularly impressive. The output is fine for casual streaming, video calls, and watching YouTube or Netflix, but it lacks the depth and clarity needed for music or dialogue-heavy movies. For anything beyond basic use, you'll likely want to plug in headphones or connect an external speaker. Features and ports The 1080p webcam delivers a relatively sharp image, though colours tend to be oversaturated. It does include an IR sensor for Windows Hello facial recognition, which is convenient for quick logins. However, there's no fingerprint scanner, so facial recognition remains the sole biometric option. Despite the slim profile, the Zenbook A14 includes a practical selection of ports. You get one USB-A port, two USB4 Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 output, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Charging via USB-C adds flexibility, especially for users who prefer a single charger for multiple devices. Keyboard and Touchpad Typing on the Asus Zenbook A14 is comfortable despite the absence of a dedicated number pad. The keys are well spaced and provide a firm response, though key travel is on the shallow side. The sturdy keyboard deck prevents flex, which helps maintain a snappy feel when typing. The touchpad is generously sized and supports smart gesture controls along the edges. These can be used to adjust brightness, volume, or scrub through video playback. While I mostly relied on the function keys—especially since the A14 includes dedicated ones for brightness and volume—I did find the touchpad's video scrubbing gestures accurate and occasionally useful. Performance The Asus Zenbook A14 is among the first laptops to feature Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X processor. While it handles general tasks smoothly, its performance lags behind some of the more powerful Copilot Plus PCs powered by Snapdragon X Plus or Elite chips. That said, the Zenbook A14 comes with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, which keeps everyday performance fairly solid. In day-to-day use, it managed typical workloads with ease, but I did notice occasional slowdowns during heavier multitasking—particularly when juggling multiple Chrome tabs alongside video playback. Attempting to run demanding games like The Witcher 3 led to immediate crashes, underlining the ongoing compatibility limitations of Windows on ARM. On the positive side, thermal performance is impressive. The laptop stayed cool even under pressure, with no noticeable heating during extended use. Software and AI The Asus Zenbook A14 is built on Microsoft's Copilot Plus AI PC platform, bringing a suite of AI-powered features that are exclusive to this new category of Windows devices. Some of the standout capabilities include Studio Effects for enhancing video calls, Cocreate and Restyle tools in Paint and Photos for creative tasks, and live captions that translate spoken content from audio or video into English subtitles. While many of these AI tools have been around in some form, a few new ones have recently rolled out. These include Super Resolution in Photos, which lets you upscale low-resolution images, and an improved Windows search that allows you to find local files using natural language phrases. Some features, like Windows Recall, are still on the way, but what's currently available already adds meaningful functionality. Asus also brings its own layer of AI enhancements. Notable among them is AI Noise Cancelling, which filters out background sounds during conference calls. This feature comes with different modes like Basic, Single Presenter, and Multi-Presenter, allowing it to adapt to different meeting scenarios. Battery Life Battery life is one of the Zenbook A14's biggest strengths. It packs a 70Wh battery and charges via a 65W USB-C adapter. In my daily usage—regular split-screen multitasking, occasional video playback, and web browsing—the laptop comfortably lasted around 18 hours on a single charge. Asus seems to have done a good job with power optimisation as well, with the laptop managing to run for nearly six hours even with just 25 per cent battery remaining. Verdict The Asus Zenbook A14 ticks most of the right boxes for anyone looking for a reliable and highly portable laptop for everyday use without compromising on efficiency. At Rs 99,990 for the Snapdragon X-powered model, it delivers solid build quality, premium design, an enjoyable typing experience, and excellent battery life. However, there are some compromises such as the lack of a fingerprint sensor, display locked at 60Hz refresh rate, and underwhelming speakers. Performance also has its limits, especially if you push it with demanding workloads or legacy software.
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Time of India
Asus Zenbook A14 review: Premium design meets performance in a thin package
Raiting: 3.5/5 Asus continues to refine its Zenbook series, bringing sleek design and powerful performance in a compact form factor. The Zenbook A14 is no exception, catering to users who need a lightweight yet capable laptop for productivity, media consumption, and light gaming. Priced at Rs 1,29,990, the Asus Zenbook A14 is targeted at professionals, students, and creatives. This laptop promises a premium experience with a high-resolution OLED display, robust internals, and long battery life. Wondering how this compact laptop performs? Read our complete review of the Asus Zenbook A14. Design The Asus Zenbook A14 stays true to the Zenbook legacy with its minimalist and premium aesthetic. The sleek Ceraaluminum chassis (mix of aluminum and ceramic materials) not only looks stylish but also feels durable. At just 1.3 kg, it's ultra-portable, making it ideal for professionals and students who need to work on the go. The matte finish resists fingerprints, ensuring it maintains a clean look even with frequent handling. Despite its slim profile, Asus has managed to include a respectable set of ports, including USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and a microSD card slot, catering to diverse connectivity needs. The laptop is equipped with a ErgoLift hinge that subtly raises the keyboard for better typing ergonomics. The design also helps improve airflow to regulate the laptop's temperature. The keyboard on the Zenbook A14 are well-spaced keys with decent travel distance, offering a comfortable typing experience. Further, the keyboard is backlit, making it convenient for late-night work sessions. The feedback is tactile enough for long typing sessions, though users accustomed to mechanical keyboards may find it a tad soft. The trackpad is generously sized and supports Windows Precision drivers, ensuring smooth navigation with accurate gestures. Asus integrates its NumberPad 2.0, transforming the touchpad into a numeric keypad for quick data entry—a useful addition for professionals working with spreadsheets. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Display Display is one of the standout features of the Zenbook A14. The Asus ZenBook A14 sports a 14-inch FHD OLED display with 1920x1200 pixel resolution. The display comes with 16:10 aspect ratio and 90% screen-to-body ratio. With 100% DCI-P3 color accuracy. The screen ensures life-like color reproduction, making it ideal for content creators, designers, and professionals who demand precision in their visuals. The thin bezels contribute to an immersive viewing experience, enhancing productivity by maximizing screen real estate. The OLED technology provides true blacks and higher contrast ratios, significantly improving the depth and richness of images compared to traditional LCD panels. Whether watching high-resolution videos, editing photos, or working on text-heavy documents, the display offers superior sharpness and reduced eye strain with its anti-glare coating and low blue light emission. The addition of HDR support, including VESA DisplayHDR certification, ensures dynamic visuals with striking highlights and improved shadow details. Despite its 60Hz refresh rate, which may not cater to high-frame-rate gaming, the display is optimised for smooth animations and crisp text rendering. Asus has also incorporated glare-free technology, reducing reflections and improving visibility in bright environments. This makes the ZenBook A14's display not only a treat for casual entertainment but also a reliable tool for professional work, where colour accuracy and visual clarity matter most. Performance and battery Asus ZenBook A14 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD space. The Snapdragon chipset of the Asus laptop ensures seamless multitasking, handling productivity applications, light creative work, and entertainment without hiccups. With up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, switching between multiple tasks—from browsing to video editing—is fluid and lag-free. The inclusion of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage guarantees swift boot-up times and rapid file access, further boosting efficiency. The Qualcomm Adreno X1-45 graphics provide smooth visuals, making the laptop capable of handling moderate creative workloads, such as photo editing, and even casual gaming. Whether running Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, or streaming high-resolution content, users experience responsiveness without delays. The advanced cooling system, supported by Asus' precision hinge design, maintains optimal temperatures, preventing thermal throttling during heavy usage. Despite its compact form factor, the ZenBook A14 efficiently balances power with energy efficiency, ensuring reliable day-to-day operation. While high-end gaming and intensive video rendering may require a more robust system, this ultrabook excels in productivity-driven tasks, offering speed, reliability, and smooth user experience without compromising on the portability. The Asus ZenBook A14 delivers a smooth and refined software experience, optimising productivity and efficiency through Windows 11 and Asus' custom enhancements. Preloaded with Windows 11 Home, the laptop benefits from advanced multitasking capabilities, including Snap Layouts, seamless virtual desktops, and deep integration with Microsoft 365 for enhanced workflow management. The system runs efficiently, thanks to well-optimised drivers that ensure stable performance across various applications, whether for business tasks, content creation, or entertainment. Asus has also incorporated proprietary utilities like MyASUS, which offers AI-powered noise cancellation for clearer calls, system diagnostics, and battery health optimisation. Additionally, Windows Hello facial recognition speeds up secure logins, further enhancing the device's usability. The ZenBook A14 takes advantage of Copilot+, Microsoft's AI-powered assistant designed to enhance productivity, creativity, and everyday tasks. Integrated directly into Windows 11, Copilot+ provides context-aware suggestions, real-time assistance, and smart automation, helping users streamline complex workflows. Whether summarising lengthy documents, generating creative content, or optimising settings for peak performance, Copilot+ serves as an intuitive digital assistant tailored for professionals and students. With AI-driven enhancements, search functionality becomes faster, voice commands improve accessibility, and tasks like organising files, editing text, or even coding become more efficient. Battery life on the Zenbook A14 is impressive. In our testing, the laptop managed to deliver nearly 12 hours on a single charge—sufficient for a full workday. Asus optimises battery efficiency with intelligent power management, allowing users to extend their usage further when needed. The 65W USB-C fast charging capability allows the laptop to reach 50% charge in just under 45 minutes, ensuring minimal downtime. With eco-conscious power settings, users can conserve battery life while maintaining productivity. Verdict Priced at Rs 1,29,990, Asus Zenbook A14 is a solid choice for those seeking a portable, stylish, and capable laptop. Its premium design, OLED display, strong performance, and impressive battery life make it ideal for students, professionals, and casual creators. While gaming and high-end creative tasks may require a more powerful alternative, the Zenbook A14 shines in everyday productivity, entertainment, and portability. If you're after an ultrabook that balances power with elegance, this is definitely worth considering.
