For the past month, I had the chance to test ASUS’ latest offering under their Zenbook lineup, the ASUS Zenbook A14.
Even before receiving the product, I had my reservations against this new, ultralight laptop.
After all, aren’t laptops already pretty light? I’ve had no problem taking my Surface Pro 7 around for the past five years, and that thing already weighs not much more than the A14 despite being released in 2019.
Even friends and colleagues seem to be having no problem bringing about their hefty gaming laptops, decked with the most powerful processors and graphics cards.
As such, I had thought that the lightness of the A14 would be doing little in actually proving itself to be a standout laptop of its class.
I was wrong
From the second I had taken the laptop out of its box and onto my hands, its 899 g felt closer in weight to a notebook than a standard laptop.
Indeed, carrying the A14 around was never a hassle, and I immediately noticed the lightness of my laptop bag the first time I brought it home.
I decided to use the A14 as my daily driver for the next month or so, switching from my now two-minute battery life Surface Pro 7.
From carrying it around at events to actually using it lap-top in crowded hospital lobbies and car service centres, the A14 proved itself to be a practical work companion for the ever-moving professional with its lightness, build, and extended “edge-to-edge” touchpad which got me leaving my mouse at home.
The laptop also features a Ceraluminum build, a signature ASUS material composed of aluminium and ceramic which ASUS claims to be “lightweight, scratch resistant, shock resistant, and smudge-free,” a statement I found for the most part, to be true.
I know, I know. It’s only been a month. But as an excessive palm sweater who likes to keep his nails moderately long and is clumsy, I had half expected the laptop to show signs of wear, despite promising my editors that I would do my best to keep it looking its best (it is a review unit, after all).
By the end of the month, however, the A14 showed no scratch, held no stain, nor bore no tarnish, still true to the pretty brown beige colour it came in—Zabriskie Beige, ASUS calls it.
Moving on to its keyboard, the A14 provided a smooth and soundless typing experience, just the way I like it (maybe not for you mechanical keyboard users who want everyone to know just how much you’re typing, though).
“It feels like a MacBook,” said a writer friend, an Apple loyalist who has stuck to Apple laptops due to its keyboards and typing feel.
What about what’s under?
With it being a new product, I had high expectations for its overall performance in handling my day-to-day tasks, the most technically demanding of them being having up to 30 browser tabs running at any one time.
And for the most part, the A14 delivered.
Through the time I’ve had with the laptop, I noticed no performance issues, be it stutters or complete crashes. Then again, I’m not running Premiere Pro or Elden Ring on it, but with its Snapdragon X processor and 32GB or memory, you should be good to take it a little further.
With its claimed battery life of 23 hours, the A14 works great for those who like to work on the go, further bolstered by its Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, which ensures no performance losses when using the A14 unplugged.
Even if the laptop ran low though, its 65-watt type-C fast-charge adapter made charging quick, even working for other devices with a type-C port and fast-charging capabilities.
Along with two USB-C ports, the A14 is also fitted with a HDMI port, a headphone jack, and a USB-A port.
The camera, however, was… fine, not really standing out from other laptop’s cameras, but it did do its job.
Now, let’s talk about what every tech brand loves shouting about, the “new” AI features, including ASUS with Microsoft’s assistant, Copilot.
In short, that did not work for me. Whether this was a laptop problem or a software problem, I don’t know, but as someone who does not use AI programmes, it didn’t really affect my workflow.
That said, ASUS claims that the A14 was built around giving users seamless access to AI models, from live captions to transforming sketches into pieces of art to even upscaling images, so if you find yourself going through third-party apps to do those tasks regularly, the A14 and Copilot might just help streamline your workflow greatly.
To sum it up
The A14 is a great laptop. It did wonderful at handling my writing and researching tasks and it would probably do well for a lot more too, given that it boasts the latest technologies and features in the tech world, from an upgraded processor to a more efficient battery.
That said, does it justify its RM4,999 price point? I think it does, especially for those who prioritise portability, AI productivity features, and aesthetics.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Lightweight and portable | Pricey if you’re not going to maximise usage its features |
| Great interface (keyboard and trackpad) | Might feel fragile due to its lightness |
| Long-lasting and efficient battery |
VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion to our Facebook page.
