Memorial Day Deal: My Favorite Travel Laptop Is Lighter Than a MacBook Air, and It's Finally on Sale
This is the first time the Asus Zenbook A14 is going on sale since its launch. My favorite version of it, in the Zabriskie beige color, is available for a discount of $200 this 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, midrange laptop, this Memorial Day sale 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 it's become my go-to device. 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 like 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.
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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 appreciate 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. 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 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.
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.
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