Asus Zenbook S14 Review: Thin Enough To Disappear, Powerful Enough To Be Noticed

Asus
Ze book
S14
Review:The e
was
a
time
whe
buyi g
a
powe ful
laptop
mea t
accepti g
a
fai ly
simple
t ade-off:
pe fo ma ce
mea t
weight,
a d
po tability
mea t
comp omise.
Wa t
somethi g
fast?
Ca y
a
b ick.
Wa t
somethi g
thi ?
P epa e
fo
you
laptop
to
behave
like
a
Ch omebook
havi g
a
existe tial
c isis.& bsp;The
ew
Asus
Ze book
S14
(UX5406AA)
is
clea ly
t yi g
to
e d
that
a a geme t.

It
is
just
1.1cm
thick,
weighs
a ou d
1.2kg,
packs
a
77Wh
batte y,
a
14-i ch
3K
120Hz
OLED
display
a d,
i
the
top
co figu atio ,
I tel’s
Co e
Ult a
9
386H
with
32GB
RAM
a d
1TB
sto age.
The
chassis
is
made
f om
Asus’
Ce alumi um
mate ial,
while
the
compa y
has
somehow
fou d
space
fo
two
Thu de bolt
4
po ts,
HDMI
2.1,
USB-A
a d
a
headpho e
jack.

A d,
atu ally,
the e
is
AI.
Because
appa e tly
o
laptop
ca
be
lau ched
i
2026
without
fi st
explai i g
how
it
is
goi g
to
evolutio ise
you
life
by
summa isi g
a
email
you
we e
pe fectly
capable
of
eadi g
you self.

As
usual,


ABP
Live’sexcitable
AI
eview
bot,


Ge ieGPT,
has
al eady
see
the
specificatio
sheet
a d
falle
deeply
i
love.
Let’s
see
how
much
of
that
e thusiasm
su vives
co tact
with
eality.

ALSO
READ:

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Galaxy
Watch
Ult a
2
Fi st
Imp essio s:
Built
Fo
Ma atho s,
Mou tai s,
&
Ma i e
Adve tu es

Asus
Ze book
S14
Review:
Quick
Poi te s

What
Wo ks:

• Beautiful
  14-i ch
  3K
  120Hz
  OLED
  display
• Ext emely
  thi
  a d
  light
  at
  a ou d
  1.1
  cm
  a d
  1.2
  kg
• Ce alumi um
  chassis
  feels
  p ope ly
  p emium
• Co e
  Ult a
  9
  pe fo ma ce
  i
  a
  imp essively
  slim
  body
• 77Wh
  batte y
  with
  claimed
  up
  to
  27-hou
  e du a ce
• Excelle t
  po t
  selectio
  fo
  a
  ult apo table
• Wi-Fi
  7
  a d
  Thu de bolt
  4

What
Does ‘t:

• I teg ated
  I tel
  g aphics
  mea s
  this
  is ‘t
  a
  gami g
  laptop
• Top-e d
  co figu atio
  is
  se iously
  expe sive
• 27-hou
  batte y
  claim
  comes
  with
  the
  usual
  gia t
  aste isk
• OLED
  is
  glossy,
  so
  eflectio s
  ca
  become
  a oyi g
• AI
  is
  useful
  i
  places,
  but
  ha dly
  the
  easo
  to
  buy
  this
  laptop

Ti y
Laptop,
Big
Pe so ality

✨
Ge ieGPT:
1.1
cm
thi !
1.2
kg
light!
Ce alumi um!
Milita y-g ade
du ability!
This
laptop
is
basically
a
i dest uctible
feathe !

Shayak:& bsp;The
Ze book
S14
is
ge ui ely
imp essive
whe
you
pick
it
up.
At
a ou d
1.2
kg
a d
ba ely
ove
a
ce timet e
thick,
it
is
the
so t
of
laptop
you
ca
put
i
a
backpack
a d
fo get
you’ e
ca yi g
a
compute
at
all.
Asus
also
says
the
Ce alumi um
chassis
is
desig ed
to
be
mo e
esista t
to
sc atches,
smudges
a d
wea
tha
co ve tio al
alumi ium.

The
mate ial
is
p obably
the
mo e
i te esti g
bit
he e.
It
does ‘t
just
look
like
a othe
slab
of
silve
alumi ium
p ete di g
to
be
p emium.
The e
is
a
slightly
mo e
efi ed,
ce amic-like
textu e
to
the
whole
thi g.

A d
yes,
it
is
ce tified
to
US
MIL-STD-810H
sta da ds.
That
mea s
Asus
has
subjected
it
to
a
a ge
of
du ability
tests.
It
does
ot
mea
you
laptop
has
bee
p omoted
to
the
I dia
A my.

Still,
fo
somethi g
this
thi ,
the
Ze book
S14
feels
eassu i gly
substa tial
athe
tha
f agile.
That’s
the
impo ta t
bit.

The
OLED
Sc ee
Is
The
Real
Sta

✨
Ge ieGPT:
14-i ch
3K
OLED!
120Hz!
1100
its
HDR!
100
pe ce t
DCI-P3!
O e
billio
colou s!
0.2ms
espo se
time!
Pa to e
Validated!
This
is
basically
a
ci ema!

Shayak:& bsp;The
display
is
spectacula
o
pape ,
a d
it
has
the
specificatio s
to
back
that
up.
The
Ze book
S14
gets
a
14-i ch
2880×1800
OLED
pa el
with
a
16:10
aspect
atio,
120Hz
ef esh
ate,
0.2ms
espo se
time,
100
pe ce t
DCI-P3
cove age
a d
up
to
1100
its
HDR
peak
b ight ess.
It
is
also
Pa to e
Validated
a d
suppo ts
stylus
i put.

The
16:10
aspect
atio
is
pa ticula ly
useful
fo
wo k.
You
get
a
little
mo e
ve tical
space
fo
docume ts,
webpages
a d
sp eadsheets
without
tu i g
the
laptop
i to
a
16-i ch
suitcase.

A d
120Hz
is
o e
of
those
upg ades
you
do ‘t
app eciate
u til
you
go
back
to
60Hz.
Sc olli g
is
smoothe ,
a imatio s
look
bette
a d
the
e ti e
ope ati g
system
feels
mo e
fluid.

The e
is,
howeve ,
o e
catch.

It’s
a
glossy
OLED.
Which
mea s
the
colou s
a e
go geous,
blacks
a e
p ope ly
black
a d
HDR
co te t
looks
fa tastic.
But
you
face
ca
occasio ally
become
a
suppo ti g
cha acte
i
whateve
you’ e
watchi g,
especially
you
a e
watchi g
a yti g
outdoo s
a d
i
daylight.

Tha kfully,
Asus
has
built
i
OLED
p otectio
measu es,
i cludi g
automatic
sc ee
dimmi g
a d
its
ow
bu -i
p eve tio
tech ology.

✨
Ge ieGPT:
1100
its!
You
ca
wo k
outdoo s
i
di ect
su light!

Shayak:
No,
you
ca ot.
HDR
peak
b ight ess
a d
sustai ed
full-sc ee
b ight ess
a e
two
ve y
diffe e t
thi gs.
Please
stop
e cou agi g
people
to
ope
Excel
u de
the
Mumbai
su .

Pe fo ma ce:
Thi
Does ‘t
Mea
Wimpy

✨
Ge ieGPT:
I tel
Co e
Ult a
9
386H!
16
co es!
Up
to
50
TOPS
NPU!
32GB
RAM!
1TB
SSD!
This
laptop
ca
do
EVERYTHING!

Shayak:Eve ythi g
except
tu
i to
a
dedicated
gami g
PC.& bsp;The
top
co figu atio
gets
I tel’s
Co e
Ult a
9
386H,
32GB
LPDDR5X
memo y
a d
a
1TB
PCIe
4.0
SSD.
G aphics
a e
ha dled
by
I tel’s
i teg ated
GPU.

That’s
a
ve y
capable
combi atio
fo
p oductivity:
doze s
of
b owse
tabs,
Photoshop,
office
wo k,
codi g,
video
calls
a d
ge e al
multitaski g
should ‘t
be
a
issue.& bsp;The
cleve
pa t
is
how
Asus
has
ma aged
to
squeeze
that
pe fo ma ce
i to
a
chassis
this
thi .

The
cooli g
system
uses
dual
fa s,
a
0.7mm
vapou
chambe
a d
2,715
CNC-machi ed
cooli g
ve ts.
Asus
says
the
desig
allows
the
machi e
to
ope ate
at
up
to
28W
while
mai tai i g
low
oise
du i g
lighte
wo kloads.

The e
a e
also
th ee
fa
p ofiles:
Whispe ,
Sta da d
a d
Pe fo ma ce,
with
the
latte
allowi g
up
to
28W.
The
quoted
oise
figu es
a ge
f om
25dB
i
Whispe
mode
to
44dB
i
Pe fo ma ce
mode.

So
yes,
the
Ze book
S14
is
powe ful.

But
do ‘t
ead
“Co e
Ult a
9”
a d
sta t
pla i g
a
4K
Cybe pu k
ma atho .& bsp;The
i teg ated
I tel
g aphics
a e
pe fectly
se sible
fo
eve yday
wo k
a d
light
c eative
wo kloads.
They’ e
ot
a
substitute
fo
a
dedicated
RTX
GPU.

✨
Ge ieGPT:
But
the
ew
I tel
NPU
has
up
to
50
TOPS!
AI
SUPERPOWER!

Shayak:A d
how
ma y
times
a e
you
goi g
to
use
50
TOPS
befo e
you
ealise
you
mostly
use
you
laptop
to
ope
Ch ome?
The
NPU
is
useful
fo
AI
wo kloads
that
actually
u
locally,
a d
the
ha dwa e
is
clea ly
desig ed
with
the
Copilot+
PC
e a
i
mi d.
But
TOPS
is
ot
a
pe fo ma ce
sco e
that
magically
makes
eve y
applicatio
faste .

AI
ha dwa e
is
becomi g
i c easi gly
useful.
It
just
is ‘t
a
pe so ality
t ait.

Batte y:
Fi ally,
Somethi g
Ge ie
Ca ‘t
Rui

✨
Ge ieGPT:
77Wh
batte y!
Up
to
27
HOURS!
Twe ty-seve !
That’s
mo e
tha
a
full
day!

Shayak:
Now
you’ e
getti g
da ge ously
close
to
sayi g
somethi g
se sible.& bsp;The
77Wh
batte y
is
o e
of
the
Ze book
S14’s
biggest
st e gths
co side i g
the
laptop
weighs
just
1.2kg.
Asus
claims
up
to
27
hou s
of
usage,
although
actual
e du a ce
will
obviously
va y
depe di g
o
b ight ess,
wo kload,
co figu atio
a d
powe
setti gs.

A d
that’s
the
pa t
I
like
about
this
machi e:
the
batte y
is ‘t
ti y
just
because
the
laptop
is
thi .& bsp;Asus
has
also
i cluded
USB-C
fast
cha gi g,
with
the
compa y
claimi g
a ou d
60
pe ce t
cha ge
i
oughly
49
mi utes.

The
esult
is
the
ki d
of
laptop
that
makes
se se
fo
people
who
actually
move
a ou d.
Office.
Ai po t.
Café.
Meeti g
oom.
Couch.
Bed.
A othe
meeti g
that
absolutely
could
have
bee
a
email.& bsp;You
a e ‘t
co sta tly
hu ti g
fo
a
cha ge .

✨
Ge ieGPT:
Dolby
Atmos!
Fou
speake s!
Thu de bolt
4!
HDMI
2.1!
USB-A!
Headpho e
jack!
This
laptop
has
EVERYTHING!

Shayak:
Look
at
that.
Ge ieGPT
has
fi ally
discove ed
po ts.& bsp;The
Ze book
S14
has
two
Thu de bolt
4
USB-C
po ts,
a
USB
3.2
Ge
2
Type-A
po t,
full-sized
HDMI
2.1
a d
a
3.5mm
headpho e
jack.& bsp;This
matte s.

P emium
ult apo tables
have
developed
a
st a ge
habit
of
emovi g
po ts
a d
the
selli g
you
a
accesso y
to
put
them
back.& bsp;Asus
has ‘t
go e
completely
dow
that
oad.

You
ca
co ect
exte al
displays,
sto age,
pe iphe als
a d
headpho es
without
immediately
tu i g
you
desk
i to
a
USB-C
do gle
g aveya d.
The
laptop
ca
also
suppo t
up
to
two
exte al
mo ito s
th ough
its
HDMI
a d
Thu de bolt
co ectio s.

The
fou -speake
Dolby
Atmos
setup
should
also
make
this
a
ve y
good
e te tai me t
machi e,
pa ticula ly
whe
pai ed
with
that
OLED
display.

Basically,
Netflix
gets
a
bette
deal
tha
you
sp eadsheet.

AI:
Useful,
But
Calm
Dow

✨
Ge ieGPT:
Copilot!
Wi dows
Studio
Effects!
AI
Came a!
Sto yCube!
AI-powe ed
p oductivity!
The
laptop
u de sta ds
you!

Shayak:
It
u de sta ds
you
app oximately
as
much
as
you
office
HR
depa tme t
does.
The
Ze book
S14
does
have
a
healthy
collectio
of
AI
featu es.
Wi dows
Copilot
ca
help
with
tasks
such
as
fi di g
files,
a swe i g
questio s
a d
co t olli g
aspects
of
the
compute .
Wi dows
Studio
Effects
ca
ha dle
thi gs
like
eye
co tact
co ectio ,
po t ait
lighti g
a d
c eative
filte s.
Asus
also
has
Sto yCube,
which
ca
automatically
o ga ise
photos
a d
videos
a d
c eate
collectio s
usi g
AI.

These
a e
ge ui ely
useful
additio s.
But
I’m
still
ot
co vi ced
AI
should
be
the
headli e
easo
to
buy
this
laptop.

The
eal
easo s
a e
simple :
it’s
thi ,
light,
powe ful,
has
a
supe b
display
a d
does ‘t
butche
co ectivity
i
the
pu suit
of
thi ess.
The
AI
stuff
is
the
desse t.

Asus
Ze book
S14
Review:
Fi al
Ve dict

The
Asus
Ze book
S14
emi ds
me
of
a
ve y
well-made
Swiss
watch.
Not
because
it
tells
the
time
pa ticula ly
bette
tha
a ythi g
else.
You
pho e
has
bee
doi g
that
fo
yea s.
It’s
about
the
e gi ee i g
equi ed
to
make
somethi g
look
simple.

Getti g
a
14-i ch
laptop
dow
to
oughly
1.1cm
a d
1.2kg
is
imp essive
e ough.
The
Asus
th ows
i
a
77Wh
batte y,
a
3K
120Hz
OLED
display,
p ope
po ts,
fou
speake s
a d
a
high-e d
I tel
p ocesso .
A d
somehow
it
does ‘t
feel
like
a
scie ce
expe ime t
held
togethe
by
p aye s.

The
biggest
st e gth
of
the
Ze book
S14
is ‘t
a y
si gle
specificatio .
It’s
the
bala ce.
The
machi e
does ‘t
make
you
choose
betwee
po tability
a d
pe fo ma ce
as
agg essively
as
most
ult apo tables
do.

The
catch
is
the
p ice.
The
Co e
Ult a
9,
32GB
RAM
a d
1TB
co figu atio
is
cu e tly
listed
by
Asus
I dia
at
a ou d
Rs
2,39,990,
although
p ici g
a d
availability
ca
va y
by
co figu atio
a d
offe .

At
that
p ice,
you’ e
o
lo ge
shoppi g
fo
“a
good
laptop”.
You’ e
shoppi g
fo
a
p emium
laptop…
a d
the e
a e
ple ty
of
competito s
waiti g
with
thei
ow
fa cy
sc ee s,
p ocesso s
a d
ma keti g
depa tme ts.

But
if
po tability
is
you
p io ity
a d
you
wa t
a
Wi dows
laptop
that
does ‘t
feel
like
you’ve
sac ificed
half
you
compute
just
to
make
it
lighte ,
the
Ze book
S14
makes
a
compelli g
a gume t.
The
Asus
Ze book
S14
is
p oof
that
thi -a d-light
does ‘t
have
to
mea
thi -a d-limited.

Should
You
Buy
Asus
Ze book
S14?

• 
  
  Yes,if
  you
  wa t
  a
  p emium
  Wi dows
  laptop
  that
  is
  exceptio ally
  thi
  a d
  light,
  has
  a
  go geous
  OLED
  display,
  st o g
  p oductivity
  pe fo ma ce
  a d
  excelle t
  batte y
  pote tial.
• 
  
  Maybe,if
  you
  wa t
  to
  spe d
  a ou d
  Rs
  2.4
  lakh
  o
  a
  ult apo table.
  At
  this
  p ice,
  you
  should
  compa e
  it
  ca efully
  with
  othe
  p emium
  optio s
  befo e
  ope i g
  you
  wallet.
• 
  
  No,if
  gami g
  is
  a
  majo
  p io ity,
  you
  eed
  a
  dedicated
  GPU,
  o
  you
  simply
  ca ot
  justify
  payi g
  flagship-laptop
  mo ey
  fo
  a
  ult apo table.

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