Asus has just launched the Zenbook A14 laptop, and its biggest highlight is definitely the design. This laptop is lightweight, sleek, and has a premium look. However, what makes it even more exciting is the processor. The Zenbook A14 is the first laptop in India to feature a Snapdragon X processor. If you’re unfamiliar, Snapdragon processors come in three tiers: X, X+, and X Elite. We previously reviewed the X Elite, and it received a lot of love. The Zenbook A14 features an entry-level Snapdragon X processor, and in this review, we’ll discuss its performance, battery life, and overall experience.

Design and Build

The Zenbook A14 comes in two stunning colors: Iceland Gray and Brisky Beige. The beige variant has a balanced aesthetic—neither too sporty nor too formal—making it a stylish choice. Weighing just 980 grams, the laptop is incredibly lightweight, thanks to its SAR aluminum build. This material also makes it smudge-free and scratch-resistant. Plus, it’s military-grade certified, ensuring durability.

Opening the laptop is a breeze, requiring just one hand. The hinge is exceptionally smooth, requiring only 270 grams of activation force, compared to the MacBook’s 360 grams. The hinge extends up to 150°, though it can technically go to 180°—but doing so is not recommended.

Ports and Connectivity

Despite its sleek design, the Zenbook A14 is packed with ports. On the left, there’s an HDMI port, two USB 4 Type-C ports, and a headphone jack. On the right, you get a fast USB Type-A port. Underneath the laptop, you’ll find a large ventilation grill, two speaker grills, and rubber feet for stability. For wireless connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.

Display and Multimedia Experience

The Zenbook A14 features a 14-inch Full HD Asus Lumina OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and a 16:10 aspect ratio. It covers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and reaches a peak brightness of 600 nits. The bezels are remarkably thin, even thinner than those on the MacBook. This OLED screen outperforms traditional IPS displays, and the absence of a notch enhances the viewing experience.

During usage, the display remained highly visible at 60-70% brightness. In bright conditions, 100% brightness made content easy to view, though minor reflections were present. Editing photos in Photoshop on this laptop felt seamless, thanks to its accurate color reproduction. Watching movies and TV shows was an immersive experience, with Dolby Vision ensuring stunning visuals.

The audio setup includes two bottom-firing Dolby Atmos-supported speakers. While they deliver clear and loud sound for movies and shows, the bass is somewhat lacking, making them less ideal for music enthusiasts.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The laptop features a well-spaced, backlit 60% keyboard, making it comfortable for typing. Key travel is decent, but the feedback could be better. The glass trackpad is fairly large and supports all Windows gestures. Additionally, it includes handy shortcuts: swiping left adjusts volume, swiping right changes brightness, and swiping up controls video playback.

A full-HD webcam is included, ensuring sharp video calls. It also supports face unlock and Windows Studio Effects for AI-enhanced video conferencing.

Performance and Benchmarks

Under the hood, the Zenbook A14 is powered by the Snapdragon X processor, a trimmed-down version of the Snapdragon X Elite. Built on a 4nm process, it features 8 CPU cores clocked at 2.97 GHz, an Adreno GPU with 1.7 teraflops, and a Hexagon NPU delivering 45 TOPS. It has a 28W TDP, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 512GB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage, which is upgradeable.

Benchmark tests yielded impressive results. In Geekbench CPU and GPU tests, the scores were consistent across both battery and plugged-in modes. However, Cinebench showed significantly better multi-core performance when plugged in. Compared to the flagship X Elite, single-core scores were similar, but multi-core and GPU scores showed noticeable differences. Storage tests in CrystalDiskMark and PCMark delivered promising performance figures.

Gaming and Productivity

While the Zenbook A14 is a productivity-focused laptop, we tested its gaming capabilities. Apex Legends and Valorant could not run due to a lack of anti-cheat support on ARM-based processors. However, Spider-Man and CS2 were playable at 35-40 FPS on low settings. Clearly, gaming isn’t the laptop’s strong suit.

For productivity, the Zenbook A14 excels. Whether browsing with multiple Chrome tabs open, using work apps, writing scripts on Notion, or even rendering 3D files, the laptop handled everything smoothly. Despite extensive usage, it remained cool, only reaching 43°C during intensive benchmarks.

AI Features and Software

A dedicated Copilot key gives access to AI-powered features. Live Captions provide real-time subtitles for movies and calls. MS Paint Co-Creator helps users generate and enhance artwork. The AI-powered Asus Story Cube app allows offline photo searching using prompts. Additionally, the laptop features an AI sensor that automatically turns off the display when you walk away, wakes it when you return, and dims the screen when you look away.

Battery Life and Charging

One of the standout features is the battery. The laptop comes with a compact, 65W USB-C PD charger, significantly smaller than traditional Windows laptop chargers. It charges the battery from 10% to 100% in just 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Battery life is impressive. The laptop lasted 18 hours when used for movie streaming and around 10-12 hours in a typical workday. This makes it an excellent choice for users who need long-lasting performance on the go.

Pricing and Final Thoughts

The Asus Zenbook A14 is available in two configurations. The model we tested comes with the Snapdragon X processor, while a higher-end version features the Snapdragon X Elite. The base model starts at ₹99,999.

For this price, you get a beautifully designed, lightweight laptop with a gorgeous OLED display, solid productivity performance, and excellent battery life. If you need a laptop for everyday tasks, creative work, or AI-enhanced productivity, the Zenbook A14 is a strong contender.

That’s our review of the Asus Zenbook A14. We hope you found this article helpful!