My favorite laptop weighs less than a MacBook Air, and it's on sale for the first time
This is the first time the Asus Zenbook A14 is going on sale since its launch. My favorite version of it, the Zabriskie beige color variant, is available for a discount of $200this week. As a result, the $1,000 laptop is seeing its price drop to $800 from May 19 to May 26, no special codes needed. If you've been looking for a lightweight mid-range laptop, Memorial Day is your chance to bag the Zenbook A14.
Why I recommend the Asus Zenbook A14
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET
The Asus Zenbook A14 is one of the best laptops you can buy right now and there are three reasons I love using it. First, it offers a long battery life, and by long, I mean you can extend it up to two days without needing a charger. I can carry it in my travel backpack without worrying about the availability of a power outlet. In fact, the Snapdragon X variant is only the second laptop CNET has reviewed with a battery life of more than 24 hours, with the HP OmniBook X 14 lasting an hour longer.
That brings me to the second reason I love using the Asus Zenbook A14: its OLED screen. The HP laptop lasted longer during CNET's test thanks to an LCD display, but the Zenbook doesn't compromise on its screen to deliver a stellar battery life.
You get a 14-inch OLED panel with a 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution. It might not be as sharp as the 2.8K OLED screen on the Asus Zenbook S 14, but you won't find another laptop with this combo of 24-hour+ battery life and OLED display in this price range.
I love the OLED screen for its excellent contrast and deep black levels. In CNET's tests with a Spyder X colorimeter, it showed 100% coverage of the sRGB and P3 spaces and 97% of AdobeRGB. My only slight annoyance is the thick bezels, which make it a little less immersive than other Asus laptops.
Third, the Asus Zenbook A14 is surprisingly lightweight. At just 2.4 pounds, it's the lightest Arm laptop you can buy right now. And Asus hasn't traded build quality for the lightweight form factor. Its Ceraluminum build is both rigid and lightweight, keeping the weight in check without making the laptop feel cheap or flimsy. Plus, it's also scratch, smudge and fingerprint resistant.
Things to keep in mind before you buy the Asus Zenbook A14
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
Asus Zenbook A14's keyboard offers a satisfactory experience and the trackpad is reliable. The A14's Snapdragon X Plus variant (on sale) is more powerful than the Snapdragon X model, but it isn't built for power-intensive tasks. If you want to use power-hungry video editing tools, this laptop is not for you. The M4 MacBook Air might better serve you for this use case.
This Asus Zenbook A14 is for those who are always on the go and want an extra-long battery life without compromising on screen quality. It's a great laptop, particularly if you're looking for an ultralight, ultralong-running laptop for travel.
There are plenty more laptop deals going live this week. We've also pulled together all the best Memorial Day deals.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chipmaker AMD's Revenue, Outlook Top Expectations
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) reported second-quarter revenue and issued current-quarter guidance above analysts' projections Tuesday, but shares slipped in after-hours trading. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based firm posted revenue that jumped 32% year-over-year to a record $7.67 billion, well above the $7.43 billion consensus estimate of analysts polled by Visible Alpha. Adjusted earnings per share of $0.48 matched expectations. Data Center unit revenue climbed 14% to $3.2 billion, slightly below expectations of $3.32 billion. Client revenue soared 67% to a record $2.5 billion and Gaming revenue surged 73% to $1.1 billion, with the former matching and the latter well above estimates. Embedded segment revenue fell 4% to $824 million, a tick below projections. "We delivered strong revenue growth in the second quarter led by record server and PC processor sales," CEO Lisa Su said. "We are seeing robust demand across our computing and AI product portfolio and are well positioned to deliver significant growth in the second half of the year." Gross margin was 43% but AMD said it would have been 54% had it not been "impacted by the U.S. Government's export control on our AMD Instinct MI308 data center GPU products," which amounted to a roughly $800 million hit. AMD had warned in May that it would take charges from tighter restrictions on chip exports to China, though it said last month that it planned to restart exports of its MI308 chips once it received final approval from U.S. authorities. AMD Sees Q3 Revenue Above Analysts' Estimates For the current quarter, AMD sees revenue between $8.4 billion and $9.0 billion, above Visible Alpha consensus of $8.28 billion. The outlook does not include any revenue from MI308 shipments to China. Shares initially rose in late trading following the report before reversing course, and recently were down about 3%. They ended Tuesday's regular session at $174.31, up nearly 45% this year. Read the original article on Investopedia 登入存取你的投資組合
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Apple supplier Skyworks forecasts upbeat quarterly results on strong chip demand
(Reuters) -Apple supplier Skyworks Solutions forecast fourth-quarter revenue and profit above Wall Street expectations on Tuesday, benefiting from steady demand for its analog chips amid economic uncertainty, sending its shares up around 10% in extended trading. Demand for Skyworks' chips has remained strong, supported by their applications across industries such as automotive and mobile, even as global trade tensions raise concerns over supply chain disruptions and rising costs. "We're encouraged by the momentum in mobile and steady strength across our broad markets, driven by long-term growth trends in edge IoT, automotive and data center," CEO Phil Brace said. Skyworks designs and manufactures analog and mixed-signal chips used in wireless communication, automotive, industrial and consumer electronics. Earlier this year, the company named insider Robert Schriesheim as interim finance chief, after Mark Dentinger, who was initially set to assume the role, decided not to join. Skyworks forecast fourth-quarter revenue between $1 billion and $1.03 billion, compared with analysts' estimates of $887.4 million, according to data compiled by LSEG. The company expects fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.40, ahead of analysts' expectations of 97 cents per share. For the third quarter ended June 27, Skyworks reported revenue of $965 million, beating expectations of $940.9 million. Profit per share for the quarter came in at 70 cents, compared with 75 cents per share a year earlier. Inicia sesión para acceder a tu portafolio
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Arista Networks reports strong guidance after Q2 results beat expectations
– Arista Networks reported upbeat guidance for the current quarter following better-than-expected second-quarter 2025 results Tuesday, as demand for AI-driven data center networking accelerated. Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) was up more than 10% in recent afterhours trading. For the three months ended June 30, 2025, Arista posted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.73 on revenue of $2.21 billion, beating analyst expectations for adjusted EPS of $0.65 on revenue of $2.11 billion. For Q3, the company guided revenue of approximately $2.25B, non-GAAP gross margin around 64%, beating analyst estimates for revenue of $2.12B. Related articles Arista Networks reports strong guidance after Q2 results beat expectations Surge of 50% since our AI selection, this chip giant still has great potential If Powell goes, does Fed trust go with him?
