ASUS Zenbook A14 review

In a market awash with aluminium slabs trying desperately to look like fruit-branded idols, the Zenbook A14 dares to be different. It dons a magnesium alloy chassis with something ASUS calls “Ceraluminum” coating—a fancy word for a matte finish that feels like ceramic but looks like brushed ego. It's cool to the touch, smudge-resistant, and tougher than Sitharaman at year-end. And when you pick it up for the first time, you might check the box again to make sure they haven’t forgotten to pack the rest of it.

Portability is where this Zenbook earns its stripes. At 990 grams, it makes most ultrabooks feel like they're still wearing winter coats. And yet, it’s built to US military-grade standards, which means it’ll survive the odd café-table tumble or backpack bruising from a Delhi metro commute.

Pop open the lid and you’re greeted by a 14-inch 1920x1200 Lumina OLED display so vivid it could make a PowerPoint look like a Netflix trailer. Blacks are inky, colours are lively without being garish, and HDR support means your late-night binge of dimly lit noir dramas won’t descend into guesswork. The only fly in this otherwise very polished ointment? A 60Hz refresh rate. It’s not a dealbreaker, unless your idea of "productivity" includes gaming marathons or high-octane editing. For everything else—scrolling, streaming, spreadsheets—it’s a masterclass in clarity.

This is the new breed—the Snapdragon X platform, the Copilot+ AI PC variant to be precise—and it’s more than just a gimmick with a corporate buzzword for a name.

It’s lean, cool, and surprisingly snappy. Day-to-day multitasking feels seamless, like a well-rehearsed con job—tabs fly open, apps boot up without complaint, and AI features like Windows Copilot spring to action like a personal assistant that doesn’t ask for coffee breaks.

That said, this isn’t your rendering rig or your 4K video editing beast. It’s a machine built for the 98%—email fiends, word wizards, code poets, and the occasional Canva crusader. It’s not trying to compete with desktop-grade grunt. It’s here to make your daily digital dance feel like a waltz.

A 70Wh battery powers this sprightly performer, and in typical ARM fashion, it sips power like a pensioner at a posh tea lounge. ASUS claims all-day endurance, and in real-world use, it comes surprisingly close. With moderate use—think Slack, Spotify, and slightly self-important spreadsheets—you’re staring at around 14 to 16 hours on a single charge. That’s more than enough to outlast a day of dodgy Wi-Fi and still have enough juice left to watch a cat video or three.

Ports? You’ve got the essentials. Two USB4s, a proper HDMI 2.1 port (hello external monitors), and a good old headphone jack for those still clinging to analog audio. No dongle circus required. Then there’s the Copilot+ magic. AI summarising, transcription, image search, the whole Clippy-on-steroids affair. It’s still early days, but even now, it’s handy in that “I didn’t ask for this, but I’m strangely impressed” kind of way. Whether you use it or ignore it will depend on how much of your day is spent wrangling words or data.

At ₹94,990, the ASUS Zenbook A14 isn’t cheap—but then again, neither is a good tailor. And like one, this machine fits a specific type: those who value elegance, endurance, and efficiency above raw horsepower. It’s not for gamers, it’s not for number-crunchers, and it won’t replace your desktop. But if you’re after a travel-friendly, beautifully built, intelligently specced laptop that doesn’t creak under pressure or weight, the A14 is an easy recommendation.

In a world full of overcompensating laptops, the Zenbook A14 is refreshingly content being brilliant at what it does. No noise, no drama—just performance, poise, and a surprising sense of humour.