The ASUS Zenbook A14 truly sets itself apart as one of the most captivating laptops to hit the market this year. This powerhouse promises exceptional battery life, sporting a stunning OLED display, and features an innovative material known as Ceraluminum. Adding to its allure, it’s one of the debut devices powered by the freshly launched Snapdragon X processor. But what really grabs attention is its pricing. The Zenbook A14 makes its debut with a starting price of $1,099 for a configuration boasting 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Come March, a more budget-friendly version will be available for $899, but for now, this model is definitely worth your attention.
Now, it may seem a bit premature to crown a laptop revealed in January as one of the year’s most intriguing, but the Zenbook A14 nabbed the top prize as Best Laptop at CES 2025. The event featured plenty of promising laptops from big-name brands, each vying for the spotlight. However, the Zenbook A14 managed to distinguish itself from the crowd with its impressive design and features.
Today’s release showcases the Snapdragon X processor and a 14-inch FHD+ display, delivering an impressive 600 nits of brightness. This Lumina screen utilizes ASUS’s top-tier OLED technology. Paired with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, the Zenbook A14 promises a powerhouse performance all wrapped in a sleek, lightweight package.
At the heart of the Zenbook A14 is its processing prowess, which categorizes it as a Copilot+ PC. With 45 TOPS courtesy of its NPU, it’s well-equipped to tackle AI-driven tasks efficiently.
ASUS also went above and beyond with the connectivity options in the Zenbook A14. It boasts two USB 4.0 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm audio combo jack, and a USB 3.2 Type-A port.
### An Extremely Light Laptop
Holding the Zenbook A14 feels almost surreal. As our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino put it, everyone was taken aback. “It felt as if it was hollow, like a dummy PC. It’s unbelievably light,” he marveled.
The specs of the Zenbook A14 are astonishing, particularly when you think about its compact size. Nestled within is a 70WHr battery—a rare capacity for such a “super light” device. Impressively, despite its lightweight build, it can also be opened with just one hand, a feature not commonly found in laptops that weigh less than 1 kg (2.2 lbs).
ASUS boasts up to 32 hours of offline video playback on the Zenbook A14. Although that’s not how most use their laptops, the claim of 19.5 hours of web browsing on a single charge is more relevant. Even if the actual number falls short by a few hours, the device is likely to last you through a full workday with ease. Depending on your usage, you might even stretch that single charge over a couple of days.
### What is Ceraluminum?
You’ve heard us mention Ceraluminum a few times, so let’s break it down. First appearing in the Zenbook S 16 and Zenbook S 14, Ceraluminum is a distinctive blend of aluminum and ceramic. Its production involves immersing aluminum in warm water within an electrolytic bath, resulting in its unique color options and finish. This approach is more eco-friendly compared to standard aluminum anodization.
ASUS elaborates, “The material is an oxidized layer that forms from the aluminum when it’s submerged in an electrolytic bath of pure water and minerals. It’s not a coating, but an extension of the aluminum, making it entirely recyclable.”
In practice, Ceraluminum is a robust and adaptable material that cleverly resists smudges. The Zenbook A14 takes its application further than before, using Ceraluminum for the entire chassis rather than just the lid, as in previous iterations.
