ASUS Zenbook S14 UX5406SA Review: The Best Ultrabook of 2024?

The first impression you get when you unbox the ASUS Zenbook S14 is that it’s an undeniable head-turner. It’s beautiful, sleek, light, and packs some serious tech under the hood. By all standards, it’s everything you want in an ultraportable laptop. But is it all style and no substance? Here’s where we come in.

Design and Aesthetics

First off, this laptop is gorgeous. At just 1.1 cm thick and weighing a mere 1.2 kg, it’s almost impossibly slim. Thankfully, ASUS didn’t just make it thin – they made it tough too. The Ceraluminum chassis (a flowery way to describe high-tech ceramic) feels premium and should withstand the odd knock or scratch. ASUS seems very proud of this feature given how it’s plastered on the laptop’s inner packaging, but we won’t hold this against them.

Our review unit came in Zumaia Gray, which looks slick without screaming for attention. Those who prefer a little more color can opt for the Scandinavian White, but we think the former looks better. ASUS also went all out with an eye-catching geometric grille design holding 2715 CNC-machined cooling vents. This aesthetically-pleasing and clever design keeps the laptop running cool even when you’re running CPU and RAM-intensive tasks.

Display

The 14-inch OLED display is a beauty. With 2880 x 1800 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, everything looks crisp and smooth. Colors are vivid and vibrant, contrast and viewing angles are perfect, and it’s bright enough to use outdoors. Whether you’re editing photos or watching YouTube, this screen will not disappoint you. Fun fact for artists and designers: the 14-inch screen is touch-enabled, and it also comes with stylus support

Specifications and Performance

Under the hood, you’ll find an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which means it handles everyday tasks like a champ. Web browsing with multiple tabs open (on the memory-hogging Chrome), document editing, and light photo work on Photoshop all ran smoothly with no hitches.

However, when we took it for a spin with more heavy-duty tasks like 4K video editing and pushed it harder, it started to sweat. Still, the Intel Arc Graphics 140V integrated GPU seemed to handle what we threw at it comfortably, so unless you’re a nit-picky power user, the ASUS Zenbook S14 has all the oomph you need in an ultrabook. It’s no GeForce RTX 4090, but we’re certain you won’t have any problems playing Black Myth:Wukong at 1080p on low settings.

Ergonomics, Ports, and Audio

Ergonomics is a huge factor in ultraportables, and ASUS doesn’t skimp on this. While its corners might not be as rounded as a MacBook, they’re rounded enough to give it a sleek design. Due to the lightweight chassis, the ASUS Zenbook S14 is actually easy to hold with just one hand, and the firm lid can take a ton of abuse before the hinges show any sign (or sound) of wear.

The typing experience might feel a tad different from previous Zenbook 14 models due to the reduced key travel (1.1 mm as opposed to the 1.4 mm). Fortunately, this is a greatly subjective feature considering some people prefer shallower typing on their keyboards. Either way, the feedback and typing accuracy don’t feel compromised. All it needs is some getting used to.

If you often find yourself using your laptop in dark rooms, you’ll love the backlit keyboard in the S14. The brightness levels can be adjusted using the F4 key, with users having the option to completely turn off the backlit keyboard. At the highest setting, the LEDs are so bright, you can use them to read a book (though we obviously don’t recommend it).

Another nice extra packed in is the quad-speaker system certified by Harman Kardon specialists that sounds surprisingly good for such a thin laptop. The AI noise cancellation for video calls actually works well, filtering out background noise effectively.

When it comes to I/O, you get two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, a HDMI 2.1 port, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. ASUS should be commended for adding the USB-A port that has become a rarity in ultrabooks nowadays (hello, Macbook), and more so, adding it on the right side so the left side doesn’t feel cluttered.

Battery and Charging

One area where this laptop shines is battery life. In our tests, the 72-watt-hour battery easily lasted a full workday, clocking in at over 12 hours of average use. On heavier tasks, the S14 could still push 6 hours of runtime (without throttling performance), which is impressive for a laptop this thin with such a high-res screen. Likewise, standby mode did not drain the battery, so you don’t have to worry about leaving it unplugged.

Our Verdict

The ASUS Zenbook S14 is a solid choice for anyone who wants a sleek, capable ultrabook without spending half a million bob to get a Macbook with similar specs. It’s not the most powerful laptop out there, but at less than Ksh. 300,000, it manages to find a nice balance between performance, portability, and price.

If you’re a casual user who values style and battery life or a professional who needs a capable machine for on-the-go work, this Zenbook is worth a look. Power users might want to look elsewhere, but for most people shopping for a powerful Windows laptop, this Zenbook S14 hits the sweet spot.

You can buy the ASUS Zenbook S14 here.

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ASUS Zenbook S14 UX5406SA Review: The Best Ultrabook of 2024?