In every sense

WITH Zenbook A14ASUS has reached a new milestone. This is a 14-inch laptop that weighs only 2.2 pounds, which makes it more like a tablet than to a computer when you raise it. And with its unique jaw case, which is felt as a cross between ceramics and metal, Zenbook A14 is a more viable premium laptop than the LG ultrasonic line. But there is always a compromise between the size and power, and in this case, ASUS delivered the slowest Copilot+ PC that we saw. But I suppose it just makes him a real lightweight.

Now, to be clear, Zenbook A14 is a useful laptop for work on light performance. Since this is a computer Copilot+ AI, it comes at least 16 GB of RAM, so that it can easily cope with juggling dozens of browser tabs and your typical applications for editing the office and photo. But the A14 chip Snapdragon X1 limits its ability to do something really demanding, so do not expect it to play a lot of games or video rendering. And since it is equipped with this ARM chip, Zenbook should also run applications designed for Intel and AMD processors in slower emulation. Some software will not work at all, including very old applications and such games Fortnite which use antique software.

Thus, while ZenBook A14 may seem at the first glance of the MacBook Air Killer, this is rather a reminder of how well Apple has balanced this laptop. Of course, it is half the pound harder, but the MacBook Air can also edit videos, renders 3D and play games in extreme cases. You will not feel the same productivity restrictions that you will undoubtedly encounter ZenBook A14.

At the same time, there is still an audience for an ultra -light laptop. A14 is an ideal machine for writing on the go, as you can travel with it without effort, and it offers colossal 18 hours and 16 minutes of battery life (according to the PCMark 10 standard). And let's look in the truth, sluggish playful ZenBook can actually increase your performance.

I could see that this is an ideal secondary computing device if you already have a desktop computer or a higher laptop at home. And if you really need to view the Internet, respond to emails and see from time to time, you probably will not notice its performance problems.

Hardware

Zenbook A14 makes an amazing first impression long before you see him in action. His retail box feels anxiously a ruff, as if it contains only air and some cardboard depreciation. And as soon as you open it, it is difficult to understand how a 14-inch laptop can weigh only 2.2 pounds. He also feels as well balanced as the knife of a craft chef, which makes it easy to hold it. No matter how I am impressed by the Asus Rog Zephyrus G14 and G16 last year, Zenbook A14 feels a stronger example of how far the company has come from the production of cheap MacBook clones.

It is also added to the overall Zenbook A14 varnish, this is the aforementioned CERERUMInum cover, which is simply nice to hold. This is warm and invites you to touch, while the MacBook Apple and most other metal laptops almost always feel cold (especially in very chilled offices). As we saw in other recent ASUS notebooks, Cereraluminum also seems strong, since there is no flexible in a small frame A14.

The company clearly spent time to configure the convenience of using such a light car. The opening of it with one hand is easy, thanks to the new hinges design, which holds A14 from tilt back when you raise the screen. I tested other light laptops, including the earlier ZenBook models, which required two hands: one to hold the computer keyboard section, and the other to raise the display. From experience, I can tell you that it is useful to be able to open your computer with one hand, holding a crying child in the other.

ZenBook A14 has an impressively thin profile when it is open, but it is also well built to maintain its screen stable when printing on the knees. This may seem like a niche point, but I grew up to despise unstable displays on smaller thin laptops. This is another sign that Asus will receive trifles right in the A14.

And if we talk about doing everything right, I appreciated that ASUS was able to squeeze a ton of ports: two USB-C connections, one USB type A, a full-sized HDMI connection and headphone jack. Meanwhile, Apple includes only two USB-C ports, a Magsafe charging connection and headphones on the MacBook Air.

In use: Windows proper laptop based on hand

It is a pity that the entire thoughtful hardware design of the ASUS is restrained by the Snapdragon X1, an eight-core system on the chip (SOC), designed for ultra-lime and low powerful devices. In criteria and general use, this is a clearly slower solution than the X Elite and X Plus chips, which adorned Surface Pro and other Copilot+systems. As I already mentioned, this is the main compromise that I had to do to deliver such a thin laptop, and for some it may be a complete broken deal.

ZenBook A14 coped with my main work process of performance is simply excellent: watching Chrome and Edge with dozens of tabs, and also launches Slack, Spotify and random applications for editing photos. But compared with Surface Pro and a laptop, this is similar to driving an entry -level car instead of a real luxury offer. And this is a shame, since this is the same price as these PCs. The best purchase is currently Lists our review blockWhich includes 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD, for $ 1,100. If these characteristics were paired with the best processor, I would consider A14 a smart purchase. Instead, it looks like a car that should be less than $ 1,000 with 16 GB of RAM and smaller SSD.

On the edge and chrome, I noticed small failures when I jumped between the tabs and several windows. And these were native applications designed for ARM processors! Snapdragon chips should emulate the older Windows X64 and X86 applications, which introduce even more slowdown. When writing this review in Evernote (Appendix X64), the A14 often has problems with the long notes scrolling smoothly, and sometimes it will take a few seconds to load the old notes. (Owner Evernote The concept says Currently, he officially does not support ARM processors ”, which means that users are not lucky if they are faced with more important problems.)

One potential for managing a rather slow processor? Great battery life. In the battery test, the PCMark 10 ZenBook A14 lasted 18 hours and 16 minutes. This is about 30 minutes more than Copilot from Dell+ XPS 13 with Snapdragon X Elite, as well as two and a half hours longer than last year's Ultra-Power Core ZenBook S14.

I appreciated Zenbook A14 most when I did not try to compare it or look for its random slowdown. This is a wonderful car that needs to be captured when you just want to focus on writing, cleaning e -mail or completing a corporate training shareholder. Its keyboard is responsive and convenient for the input, although I would like its touch panel to measure clicks more accurately.

ZenBook A14 is also great to catch up with the Netflix show in bed, as it seems almost weightless, and the video looks huge on the 14-inch OLED screen. Nevertheless, his speakers sound terribly thin, so I would use headphones for any serious sessions observing overeating. I was also surprised that his web frame 1080p actually created decent personnel, and it also allows you to easily enter A14 using Windows Hello IR support.

Is it worth buying ZenBook A14?

Given the combined problems of ARM compatibility and a slow processor, I would not recommend Zenbook A14 as a main computer for most people, although it is evaluated as a real competitor to MacBook Air. In any case, this is a little experiment of ASUS to see that consumers to transfer consumers to get such an easy laptop. Instead of an incredibly light and insufficient laptop, most people would be better with something like Zenbook 14 OLEDWhich is currently sold for $ 1050 with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD. Of course, it weighs 2.8 pounds instead of 2.2, but still quite portable.

The 13-inch MacBook Air Apple, which starts with $ 999 with a chip M4, is half a pound than ZenBook A14, but much more capable as a whole. Even the older M2 chip is faster than the Snapdragon X, and MacOS has a wider selection of applications compatible with ARM, as well as faster emulation than Windows.

Wrap

If the goal of ASUS was an impressively premium ultra-light laptop, it almost got there with Zenbook A14The field while it interrupts the MacBook Air in weight and cost, its slow processor makes it much less capable than Apple ultraportatively. Perhaps once, with future reviews and more capable equipment, ASUS will finally provide a powerful almost two laptop pounds. At the moment, however, you better wait for a discount so that the A14 can serve as a secondary PC.