Asus Zenbook S 14 Review: A Stylish Performer with Compromises
The Asus Zenbook S 14 has arrived, boasting a unique "ceraluminum" chassis and the latest Intel Core Ultra processor. While its stylish design and extensive port selection are undeniable highlights, its performance, at least in the $1400 configuration reviewed here, falls short of expectations, prompting a closer examination of its strengths and weaknesses. The initial smirk at the name "Ceraluminum" quickly fades as the laptop’s unique qualities become apparent, yet the overall experience leaves a sense of unfulfilled potential. "It’s a good laptop, but more so because of its hardware, a multitude of ports, and lightweight design than its reliance on the new chip," accurately captures the essence of this review.
Design and Usability: A Feast for the Eyes, Minor Gripes for the Fingers
The Zenbook S 14’s most striking feature is its ceraluminum exterior. This unique material, unlike standard aluminum, boasts a distinct texture and a satisfying tactile response. "There’s a nice sound when you tap on the shell," highlighting its unusual feel. The subtle metallic lines add a touch of modern elegance, distinguishing it from the often-monotonous landscape of laptop designs. While the slate gray finish reviewed is aesthetically pleasing it is, unfortunately, "prone to fingerprints," a minor drawback that detracts from its pristine appearance. A wider array of colors would undoubtedly enhance its appeal.
With dimensions of only 0.47 inches thick and a weight of 2.65 pounds, the Zenbook S 14 is incredibly portable, rivaling the likes of the 13-inch MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 in terms of weight. However, unlike those competitors, it provides a comprehensive selection of ports, including a full-sized HDMI port, a rarity in such a slim chassis. This port selection is a significant advantage, eliminating the need for dongles and simplifying connectivity. The inclusion of two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, further enhances its versatility. "It meant that I didn’t have to plug in a port hub to use an external monitor," underscores the practical benefit of this design choice.
The keyboard, while sturdy and resistant to flex, features a 1.1 mm key travel, resulting in a typing experience that is described as "simply okay." The near-silent keys are a plus for quiet environments but lack the satisfying tactile feedback preferred by some users. The touchpad incorporates "smart gestures," but their intuitive use is hampered by a lack of visual cues, leading to some initial frustration ("removing the sticker in the box makes it easy to forget where to slide your finger,"). This is further compounded by the absence of a need for such gestures, as the function row keys remain in their traditional location.
Complementing its portability is a vibrant 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED display, delivering rich colours and impressive visuals. While sharing similarities with the display found in Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14, its maximum brightness (around 500 nits) is not class-leading. This limitation might be noticeable in bright outdoor conditions. The webcam, though functional, is a low-resolution unit, making video calls somewhat underwhelming.
Performance: A Mixed Bag with Unfulfilled Potential
The review unit, equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor and 32GB of RAM, showcased a performance profile that was less stellar than anticipated. While performing adequately for standard tasks like browsing and media consumption, its capabilities in more demanding workloads were significantly less impressive.
Benchmarking results indicated performance fell short compared to competitive lightweight PCs using Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite or AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processors. In Blender rendering tests, it lagged behind the M3 MacBook Air. Handbrake video encoding also showed a considerable performance deficit against a Microsoft Surface Pro with the Snapdragon X Elite chip. "In Geekbench and Cinebench CPU benchmarks, the Intel Core 256V scored around a hundred points less than competing chips under single-core settings," illustrates a consistent underperformance in comparison to its peers. It was noticeably slower than the competition in multi-core settings too.
"The Intel Core Ultra 7 256V has many of the same specs as the 258V, but there seems to be a big difference between the two under the hood," highlights the importance of considering the specific processor model within the Core Ultra range. The reviewed model’s performance trailed expectations set by Intel’s marketing, leading to the conclusion that the higher-end Core Ultra processors are necessary to match, or surpass, competitors.
Gaming performance was also a letdown. The Zenbook S 14 yielded lower 3D Mark Time Spy scores than a Dell XPS 14 with last-generation Intel processors. Cyberpunk 2077 performance, even with XeSS upscaling technology, fell significantly short of Intel’s advertised frame rate. "In my Cyberpunk benchmark, I could only achieve 25 FPS on low to medium settings with XeSS running," demonstrates its shortcomings in handling graphically intensive tasks.
The inclusion of the Intel Core Ultra processor incorporates neural processing unit (NPU) features. However, the usefulness of these features for the average user remains limited. "Otherwise, you’re not getting much out of the neural processing capabilities if all you want is to run Microsoft’s dull and pointless AI art applications," aptly summarizes the current state of AI capabilities in mainstream laptops.
Despite these performance drawbacks, the system remained responsive and stable during everyday use; this is a crucial element to consider in evaluating the overall user experience.
Battery Life: All-Day Use, but Short of Advertised Claims
Battery life proved to be commendable for typical usage scenarios, delivering an average of 8 hours on a single charge during the review period. This is enough for most users’ daily needs. However, the Zenbook S 14’s actual performance lagged the 20+ hours of battery life claimed during video playback tests; these tests were still underway at the time of this writing. The discrepancy between real-world usage and marketing promises needs further investigation. "Take the Zenbook as an example of what battery life really means in actual usage," highlights the critical need for realistic expectations regarding battery life claims. The laptop does, however, meet the promised "all-day battery" life for typical usage.
Verdict: Style Meets Compromise
The Asus Zenbook S 14 presents a compelling case with its refined design, "ceraluminum" exterior, and rich OLED display. The generous selection of I/O ports is also a big plus. However, the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor in the reviewed model falls short of its advertised potential, leaving some users wanting more. Therefore, considering the higher-end model equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and 32GB of RAM is highly advisable.
The overall experience offers a delicate balance. "It’s easy to recommend the Zenbook S 14 simply because it offers so many I/O ports and a unique design," but the middling performance remains a key factor affecting the final judgment. If prioritizing performance, explore competing options. However, if style, portability, and I/O are paramount and you’re willing to compromise on raw performance then the Zenbook S 14 delivers a considerable amount in its own right and may prove to be a satisfying and unique daily driver.
