I don’t think I’ve tested a more portable 14-inch laptop than Asus’ new Zenbook, but there’s a price to pay

Asus Zenbook A14: Review in two minutes

The Asus Zenbook A14 is a lightweight and compact laptop that promises to be the ideal travel companion.

This aesthetic is complemented by the extremely light and thin frame, which helps make the Zenbook A14 one of the best laptops on the market in terms of portability.

Not only that, but the build quality of the Zenbook A14 is also commendable. The base is solid, while the materials used feel premium to the touch. The lid is much more flexible, but this is somewhat excused by its thinness and ease of use. Plus, it’s as stable as you could want once opened.

It’s nice to see so many ports on such a thin device. There are two USB-C ports, both supporting external monitors and charging. However, they are both on the left side of the device, along with all the other ports (except for a single USB-A). This may hamper convenience, depending on your particular setup and preferences.

I have fewer complaints with the performance of the Zenbook A14. It remained calm during every task I gave it, even handling light gaming well, which is doubly impressive considering it doesn’t have a dedicated GPU. Heat and fan noise are noticeable when such workloads are undertaken, but I didn’t find either aspect too disruptive.

The 1200p OLED display is sharp and vibrant, although it’s not as impressive as some of the best monitors on the market. And while it’s bright enough to eliminate pesky glare, it’s still lacking in that department.

The keyboard is excellent, facilitating quick typing thanks to the generous spacing and snappy nature of the keys. They also have more travel and cushioning than I expected, which only adds to the satisfaction of using them. The touchpad is just as tactile, thanks to its silky-smooth surface, although its small size can hamper navigation.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Zenbook A14 is its battery life. It lasted over 28 hours in our movie playback test, which is longer than its bigger sibling, the A16, managed to achieve. Many other 14-inch laptops also failed to beat this time around.

The Zenbook A14 isn’t exactly a cheap laptop, but it’s hardly wrong. If you want a 14-inch laptop that’s easy to carry, performs well in most areas, and lasts all day, this should be at the top of your list.

Asus Zenbook A14 review: Specifications

Asus Zenbook A14 review: price and availability

• From $1,599.99 / £769.99 / AU$1,999
• Available now
• Top of the market

The Asus Zenbook A14 starts from $1,599.99 / £769.99 / AU$1,999 and is now available in two colors: gray and beige.

This is undeniably an expensive laptop, and many competitors underestimate it. The HP Omnibook 7 14-inch is an example. It’s just as premium and handles most tasks well, while offering excellent battery life, although it’s not as durable as the Zenbook A14, nor as light.

For about the same price as the Zenbook A14, you can also get the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14. As the name suggests, it’s a convertible laptop, featuring a 360-degree rotating lid and a touchscreen for tablet-style use. It even includes a stylus.

Asus Zenbook A14 review: Design

• Very light and thin
• Unique finish and materials
• Sufficient port selection

Several aspects of the Zenbook A14’s design set it apart from the competition. Firstly, its finishes are more interesting, with the gray model having a slightly mottled texture and the beige a slightly mottled texture, both of which go against the sterile nature of many modern laptops.

Its form is minimal in every way. All sides are flat, with no unsightly bulges, and the whole thing is incredibly thin and ultra-light, making it ideal for those who need a portable machine.

Despite the lightweight construction, the build quality does not appear to have been compromised. The Ceraluminum chassis material is smooth and premium, and the base has little flexibility.

The Zenbook A14’s screen casing is more fragile, but given its thinness, that’s hardly surprising. The cover is also incredibly easy to open while providing great stability, preventing the screen from wobbling during use.

Its keyboard is also premium and has a bright backlight. This is always a positive aspect, and I think it should be mandatory on almost all laptops.

There are enough ports on the Zenbook A14 to make it practical. The selection includes two USB-C ports, both capable of supporting external monitor connections and charging.

It’s a shame, however, that both are located on the same side (left), as I generally prefer these ports to be spread across both sides, to allow for greater versatility when connecting to power sources and displays.

In fact, all ports except the single USB-A port are located here, which could further detract from practicality. At least they’re in reasonable order: the headphone jack is the most important interface, while the HDMI port – an increasingly rare sight on today’s laptops – is at the far end.

Asus Zenbook A14 review: performance

• Capable overall performance
• Some heat and noise generated
• Not the brightest screen

The overall performance of the Zenbook A14 is indeed admirable for such a compact device. Browsing and light productivity are handled smoothly, as is streaming in resolutions above 1080p. Since my review unit came with 32GB of RAM, it also handled multitasking very well.

Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised by the Zenbook A14’s gaming capabilities, considering it doesn’t have a dedicated GPU. It managed to work Cyberpunk 2077 to Ray Tracing: low preset in playable state. Granted, the visuals were rough around the edges, and I experienced occasional stutters and momentary freezes, but it was still smooth enough for a casual session.

However, such workloads cause a fair amount of fan noise from the Zenbook A14 which, while not disruptive, is certainly noticeable. Heat is also generated, but temperatures are modest and localized to the back of the device, away from where your fingers might wander.

The Zenbook display A14 is pretty good. The 1920 x 1200 resolution provides enough clarity for the screen dimensions and colors are rendered well enough to enjoy all kinds of content. However, it’s not the most vibrant OLED display I’ve encountered, nor the most radiant; there’s enough brightness to effectively combat glare, but it doesn’t quite match the brightness of the best OLED displays I’ve experienced.

However, I have fewer complaints with the Zenbook A14 keyboard. The keys are light, snappy, and well-spaced, allowing for quick typing. They’re also incredibly satisfying to squeeze, due to their cushioning and long travel compared to their low profile.

However, the layout is somewhat compromised, as it lacks a number pad and all navigation keys except a delete/insert key. There are at least a number of useful shortcuts on the F row, such as those for taking screenshots, opening various utility apps, and disabling the touchpad, microphone, and camera.

The touchpad is incredibly smooth, making swipes and gestures easy and enjoyable to perform. The added slider functions around the edges to control various settings, such as volume and brightness, also work well; I never accidentally triggered them during my use of the Zenbook A14, as I have with other implementations of this feature. However, the pad’s surface area is a little too small for effective navigation; I often find myself running out of space when dragging and dropping items on the screen, for example.

Asus Zenbook A14 review: Battery life

• Best in class
• Outlasts the larger model

The battery life of the Zenbook A14 is very impressive. When I streamed a movie on a continuous loop, the laptop lasted over 28 hours, putting it at the top of its class.

The larger Zenbook A16 lasted just over 24 hours in the same test. The Zenbook A14 also lasts longer than other premium 14-inch laptops, such as the HP OmniBook 7, which lasted around 26 hours.

Should I buy the Asus Zenbook A14?

Dashboard

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Asus Zenbook A14 review: Also consider

How I tested the Asus Zenbook A14

• Tested for several days
• Used for various tasks
• Experienced Laptop Reviewer

I spent several days with the Asus Zenbook A14 and used it for a variety of tasks, from web browsing and light productivity to video streaming and gaming.

I also ran our series of benchmark tests, to comprehensively evaluate all facets of its performance. This included playing a movie on a continuous loop unplugged to test battery life.

I’ve already reviewed a multitude of laptops, in a wide range of prices, form factors and use cases, from budget devices to gaming machines. I’ve also been using laptops and all kinds of similar computing devices in my personal life for decades.

• First revision: April 2026
• Learn more about how we test

Lewis Maddison is a reviews editor for TechRadar. He previously worked as an editor for our business section, TechRadar Pro, where he gained experience with productivity-enhancing hardware, ranging from keyboards to standing desks. His area of ​​expertise lies in computer peripherals and audio hardware, having spent over a decade exploring the murky depths of PC building and music production. He also loves picking up on the smallest details and details that ultimately make a big difference in the user experience.

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