Asus Zenbook A14 Review: The Best Copilot Plus COMPUTER So Far

8.5/ 10
RATING

Asus Zenbook A14 (UX3407)

Pros

• Incredibly slim and lightweight with out actually feeling light-weight.
• All- day-and-all-night battery life.
• OLED show display screen at this price is an excellent shock.
• Ample RAM and cupboard space for the fee as properly.

Cons

• Meh effectivity from Snapdragon X CPU.
• Meh mechanical touchpad.
• Meh audio audio system.

The Asus Zenbook A14 remodeled heads at CES 2025 for its ultralight but remarkably rigid Ceraluminum framework and a case of 30 hours (!) of battery life no matter together with an OLED show display screen that usually eats battery sources at the next clip than an LCD panel. After evaluating, benchmarking and banging on the Zenbook A14, we put together to supply it a further honor. It gained a Best of CES Award for most interesting laptop computer laptop and may at the moment name itself a CNET Editors’ Choice honor victor.

Built round an Arm- based mostly Qualcomm Snapdragon X cpu, the Zenbook A14 is the lightest Copilot Plus COMPUTER I’ve checked and the second-longest working. Its effectivity is nice for primary utilization, nevertheless it’s completely an motion or 2 behind numerous different Copilot Plus Computers with Snapdragon X Plus or Elite CPUs and people with Intel Core Ultra 200 assortment chips. And whereas the overall model is excellent, the touchpad and audio audio system are simply strange for an ultraportable.

Nitpicks aside, you’ll not uncover a further 14-inch OLED laptop computer laptop that evaluates a lot lower than 2.2 additional kilos with a battery lifetime of larger than 24-hour. If transportability is vital, the Zenbook A14 is the selection.

The Asus Zenbook A14 I checked (model UX3407) is available from Asus andBest Buy for $1,100 It capabilities Qualcomm’s brand-new Snapdragon X X1-26-100 cpu, which rests one known as listed beneath contribute the Snapdragon X Plus assortment and a pair of rungs listed beneath these within the Snapdragon X Elite assortment. It has the exact same 8-core CPU matter because the lower-end Snapdragon X Plus cpus nevertheless performs at a considerably slower clock fee– 3GHz versus 3.2 GHz– with out improve regularity.

The Zenbook A14 UX3407 is or else totally outfitted, with 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. It depends upon Qualcomm’s included Adreno GPU and contains the exact same neural dealing with system environment friendly in 45 trillion procedures per 2nd, which certifies it as a Copilot Plus COMPUTER. The show display screen is a 14-inch OLED panel with a pedestrian 1,920×1,200-pixel decision and no contact help.

Asus prepares a 2nd Zenbook A14 anticipated to strike Best Buy’s racks on the finish ofMarch It will definitely set you again $900 and embrace a CPU improve– a Snapdragon X Plus– and half the RAM and storage room. It does have the exact same OLED show display screen, nevertheless. Yes, you try that correctly: The more cost effective model has a faster cpu. You’ll have the power to tell each aside since they may definitely be numerous shades; my examination model is what Asus refers to as Iceland Gray, and the assorted different model will definitely be furnished inZabriskie Beige The spotlight is not any paints are made use of; the shades are developed with an oxidation process of the metal framework.

The Asus Zenbook A14 (UX3407) costs £1,100 in the UK and isn’t but supplied in Australia.

Asus Zenbook A14 effectivity

The Zenbook A14’s effectivity in laboratory screening resembled the speak in confidence to A Tale of Two Cities: It was the best of occasions, it was essentially the most terrible of occasions. It ended up close to or on the finish of the pack of assorted different Copilot Plus Computers based mostly upon Snapdragon X Plus or Elite cpus and people with Intel’s Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200V assortment chips on our utility standards, Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024. It likewise tracked the M3 MacBook Air on these examinations.

The Zenbook A14 was incapable to run PCMark 10, which highlights the Windows- on-Arm compatibility downside. Before buying the Zenbook A14 or a further Copilot Plus laptop powered by a Snapdragon X, test to ensure that the functions you make the most of are compatible with Arm.

Compatibility likewise enters have enjoyable with our 3DMark Time Spy examination. It doesn’t run natively on Arm nevertheless with the built-in Prism emulator, which causes an effectivity hit. But its end result was insufficient additionally amongst the Snapdragon X-based Copilot Plus Computers, consisting of the HP OmniBook X 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 7.

While the Zenbook A14’s utility and graphics effectivity tracked numerous different Copliot Plus Computers, it nonetheless supplies ample effectivity for primary utilization. Competing Copilot Plus Computers could be a lot sooner, nevertheless they don’t provide a further course of laptop. These are all general-purpose laptop computer computer systems that rely on included graphics which are significantly better matched for office jobs than requiring graphics job or video gaming.

The Zenbook A14 did significantly better on Procyon’s AI Computer Vision customary, ending up within the middle of the assorted different Copilot Plus Computers we’ve truly checked. This outcome will not be stunning contemplating that each one of many Snapdragon X CPUs embrace the exact same 45-TOPS NPU, and the contending Intel Core Ultra 7 258V supplies a comparable 48-TOPS NPU.

The most interesting of occasions gotten right here with battery screening. The Zenbook A14 is simply the 2nd laptop computer laptop CNET has truly assessed with a battery lifetime of larger than 24-hour, additionally if it was simply by 7 minutes. The A14’s battery time is 2nd simply to the HP OmniBook X 14, which lasted 1 hour and 5 minutes for much longer. The Zenbook A14’s lengthy life is probably much more excellent than the OmniBook X 14’s because it contains an OLED show display screen, which usually drains pipes the battery a lot sooner than an LCD.

Asus states the Zenbook A14’s battery can final as a lot as 32 hours. On our battery examinations, it confirmed up a few hours besides that quantity, nevertheless our examination of frequently streaming a YouTube video clip is much more requiring than an everyday utilization occasion. At any sort of worth, the Zenbook A14 supplies such an intensive battery life you could go days directly in between billing it.

Ceraluminum is certainly wonderful

Many occasions, when a provider tries an ultralight model, the end result is a room that actually feels as properly gentle, with slim magnesium alloy, gentle weight aluminum or plastic floor areas that bend and flex underneath the tiniest stress. With the Zenbook A14, you possibly can have your agility and energy as properly. It features a Ceraluminum framework that’s a mixture of gentle weight aluminum and ceramic merchandise. Adding ceramic to the construction contains lots of energy and resilience, which permits the Zenbook A14 to be unbelievably gentle with out actually feeling light-weight or low-cost.

The Zenbook A14 evaluates merely underneath 2.2 additional kilos, or a lot lower than a kg. By distinction, the just a little smaller sized 13.6-inch MacBook Air M3 is over half an additional pound bigger at 2.7 additional kilos. Heavier nonetheless is the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and 14-inch HP OmniBook X 14, that are nonetheless 2 of the lightest Copilot Plus Computers we’ve truly checked at roughly 3 additional kilos. The Zenbook A14 likewise has just a little energy block that evaluates a lot lower than half an additional pound, so the general touring weight is lighter than that of the MacBook Air by itself.

Asus consists of a lightweight pure leather-based sleeve in an exquisite, beige shade. If you permit the Zenbook A14 with the facility cable and touring sleeve, you’ll nonetheless lug simply 3.1 additional kilos.

The Ceraluminum product not simply causes an ultralight but extraordinarily rigid laptop computer laptop, nevertheless it’s likewise scrape, spot and finger print immune. I similar to the looks of the matte gray coating of our examination system– it notes a separation from the combed gentle weight aluminum coating that’s come to be so typical– and it stored its tidy look all through each weeks I utilized it. And I’m ceaselessly snacking whereas functioning, and the key-board, touchpad and the rest of the framework stayed smudge-free.

The rigid key-board deck assist the keying expertise on the Zenbook A14. The methods use superficial touring nevertheless an organization motion. Any flex within the key-board deck will surely make the shallow-travel methods actually really feel mushy, nevertheless slightly, they actually really feel quick and trendy. The key-board is likewise spacious with out lowered methods that it’s best to uncover to go well with.

The touchpad is likewise spacious and contains clever motions alongside the aspect and main sides to readjust show display screen illumination and amount and management video clip playback. I actually didn’t uncover myself using the perimeters to extend or lowered illumination or amount since I’ve expanded acquainted with using the function methods for these, and the Zenbook A14 has truly dedicated function methods for each. There aren’t any media management sort within the Zenbook A14’s function row, nonetheless, so I did make the most of the main aspect of the touchpad for rubbing onward and again on YouTube video clips and positioned it actual ample to make the most of correctly.

Besides its charitable dimension and clever motions, the touchpad is key, with a mechanical click on motion. I quite a bit select the dynamic and constant click on motion from the haptic touchpad of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7. The Zenbook A14’s mechanical touchpad’s click on motion supplies method an excessive amount of touring close to its decrease aspect and never almost sufficient in direction of the highest– the scary driving board outcome. At the Zenbook A14’s price, nonetheless, it’s asking method an excessive amount of to acquire each an OLED show display screen and a haptic touchpad.

And you do receive an OLED. It’s not a high-resolution OLED panel, nevertheless acquiring any sort of type of OLED on a $1,100 laptop computer laptop is a profit. It’s a 14-inch OLED show display screen with a 1,920x-1,200- pixel decision. That’s a excessive ample decision for a 14-inch show display screen that message and pictures present up crisp– merely not as sharp as the image you receive with the two.8 Okay OLED on the Asus Zenbook S 14. The HP OmniBook X 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 have just a little higher-res 14-inch screens, nevertheless they’re IPS LCD panels and never OLEDs.

I’d a lot as a substitute have the Zenbook A14’s OLED show display screen than both LCD (and the included pixels) that you simply receive with the OmniBook X 14 or Surface Laptop 7. The excellent comparability and deep black levels of the Zenbook A14’s OLED show display screen are distinctive. Color effectivity is likewise strong; my examinations with a Spyder X colorimeter revealed 100% safety of the sRGB and P3 rooms and 97% of AdobeRGB. It likewise strikes 391 nits of illumination, which is a wonderful quantity for an OLED that usually has a lowered optimum illumination than an LCD.

Along with the prosaic decision, the Zenbook A14’s show display screen likewise supplies a typical 60Hz revitalize worth. You’ll require to take a position much more to acquire a laptop computer laptop with a high-res OLED with a fast 120Hz revitalize that causes smoother motion.

My numerous different small downside regarding the or else excellent OLED show display screen isn’t regarding the panel itself nevertheless the plastic bezels bordering it. They launch price range plan emotions on a laptop computer laptop the place just about each little factor else regarding the model appears spendier than its $1,100 price will surely counsel. I ask your self simply how a lot much more a clean, edge-to-edge glass remedy will surely contribute to the Zenbook A14’s expense.

To end the show display screen dialog on a good word, I’ll talk about the show display screen joint. Similar to a MacBook’s, it’s a solitary joint that runs just about the dimensions of the show display screen. And it’s great, offering an actual, one-finger opening of the show display screen nevertheless nonetheless ample resistance to keep up the show display screen at your chosen angle with marginal wobble.

At the ability of the main cowl rests one other little little bit of budget-ness: the “ASUS Zenbook” wordmark. The font model is monotonous, and the spacing in between the letters appears off– why are the letters so generally spaced? I will surely’ve appreciated a repeat of Asus’s elegant “A” that reveals up over the key-board on the duvet. Or merely decide a significantly better font model with much better spacing.

The twin audio audio system launch strange laptop computer laptop sound, which is to say it’s not wonderful. The audio is sufficient for YouTube video clips and Netflix packages and video clip conversations, nevertheless you’ll want earphones or an out of doors audio speaker for songs and a few movement footage– dramatization the place dialogue is gently talked or exercise flicks with large surges and extreme outcomes.

The 1080p cam created a slightly sharp image in screening, nevertheless the photograph was oversaturated. The cam has an IR sensing unit so you possibly can put it to use for Windows Hello logins. That’s your simply biometric alternative for the reason that Zenbook A14 doesn’t have a finger print customer.

Is the Asus Zenbook A14 a wonderful laptop computer laptop?

It’s a incredible laptop computer laptop, particularly should you’re trying to find an ultralight, ultralong-running laptop computer laptop for touring. Its Ceraluminum room is each rigid and lightweight, and the Snapdragon X cpu permits it to run across the clock. Plus, its show display screen is the topping on this Copilot Plus laptop cake at this price.