Asus Zenbook S14 in Digit Test Labs: Premium, sleek, but what else?
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Over the years, Asus’ Zenbook series have carved a niche for themselves as being the devices that you think of when you need premium devices that are easy to carry around. Heavy emphasis on the words ‘premium’ and ‘easy to carry around’. And at an event in New Delhi held earlier today, the company introduced its latest lineup of Zenbooks, including the Zenbook S14 powered by the Intel Core Ultra 9 chipset. I have spent some time with the laptop and used it as my primary work machine for a day. Now even though the device clearly checks all the right boxes on paper, here is what stood out once I actually started using it. Read on.
SurveyAlso read: Asus unveils new Zenbook and Vivobook laptops in India, price starts from Rs 98,990: All details
Design, keyboard, and everyday use
The device that has reached us is the Antrim Grey colourway and the moment I unboxed the laptop, I couldn’t help but marvel at how slim it is. The laptop clearly leans into a professional aesthetic and looks like it belongs in a meeting room full of people brainstorming ideas together.
The laptop is built using Ceraluminum, which is a patented material of the brand made by fusing together Ceramic and Aluminum. This is also the secret behind the laptop’s light weight, which is a little over 1 kg (1.2 kg to be precise). With such a light weight and slim design, this is the kind of laptop you can carry around all day without feeling any extra weight. I dropped it into my tote bag and moved around the office comfortably, which is exactly what you want from a thin and light machine.
The hinge feels sturdy overall, though there was a small quirk. Opening the lid quickly with one hand caused the base to lift slightly. Now this isn’t a deal breaker, but is definitely something you notice in day to day use.
The keyboard, on the other hand, feels excellent. The keys feel soft to touch with just the right amount of feedback, and typing is almost silent. This makes it ideal for shared workspaces or quiet offices. For instance, I am writing this piece will full gusto and haven’t seen my coworkers glare in my direction even once. So, this is perfect for those moments where the room is so silent that every click can be heard.
Moreover, despite the 14-inch form factor, the layout of the keyboard does not feel cramped. Asus, has therefore, used the available space well. The trackpad is also generously sized and responsive, with the smart gesture features making a real difference in your workday.
Display and performance
The moment you open up a laptop, you will come across the 14-inch touchscreen OLED display. This is also a touchscreen with an up to 120Hz refresh rate. In fact, the first thing that I did when I started using the laptop was switching from 60Hz to 120Hz. Now, since this is an OLED panel, it has a glossy finish. This means that the screen looks super sharp but also comes with some reflections. But this is a tradeoff that most OLED panels come with. About the touchscreen, I am still not entirely convinced about the need for a touchscreen on a non-convertible laptop, but it does not get in the way either.
Now, let’s talk about the general viewing experience. I watched the trailer for Insidious: The Further that was launched recently, which comes with a lot of dark scenes, and the laptop handled it all impressively well. Even under bright office lighting, I did not have to strain my eyes to make out details. I will test out the laptop in more lighting conditions and talk about them in the full review which will be out very soon.
Coming to the performance so far, the Intel Panther Lake based Core Ultra chip performed admirably so far. I opened over 20 Chrome tabs on the laptop with Copilot and a few other apps running in the background. There were no signs of any slowdowns. Now there is also an integrated GPU on this device which means it should be able to run some games with ease. Again, this is something I will talk about in detail in the full review. So far, setting up the laptop was quick, app launches were snappy, and there were no visible issues in regular usage.
So, as far as first impressions go, the Zenbook S14 feels like a machine that understands its users. It is built to be carried everywhere, used constantly, and trusted to keep up without getting in your way. It is premium and sleek for sure, but to find out what else it offers, stay tuned for the full review.
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