Asus Zenbook 14: Hands-On & What You Need to Know

I recently attended the launch party of the ASUS Zenbook 14, hosted at Clay Café in Fourways. The PR team decided to create an experience where one could not just see the laptop, but also unleash their creativity by painting a ceramic piece. 

The reason for this is that it tied in with the material that the laptop is made from: Ceraluminum, a mix of ceramic and aluminium that combines the strength of ceramic with the durability of aluminium while still allowing the laptop to keep its sleek design.

What makes ASUS’s patented Ceraluminum different from other materials is that it is developed using technology that makes use of an eco-friendly process, and has benefits such as:

• Lightweight
• Exceptional strength
• Wear and scratch resistance
• Smudge-free surfaces
• Shock resistant
• Designed for mobility

The new Zenbook 14, coming in at a surprising 1.1kg, is designed for mobility without compromising on strength, thanks to this aforementioned Ceraluminum build. It can withstand repeated friction and abrasion without showing signs of damage, and should you accidentally knock it off a desk or drop it, the Ceraluminum provides you with peace of mind knowing that it won’t easily be damaged.

It is easy to clean and can handle everyday spills without them leaving permanent marks. The laptop has a comfortable grip and can fit easily into your laptop bag or carry-on, making it perfect for students, creatives, and business people.

The Zenbook 14 comes in three different colours inspired by nature: Komodo Coral, Arctic Blue, and Zabriskie Beige. This allows users to choose which one best suits their tastes and aesthetics. Its ergonomic design has an easy-lift hinge, as well as a smart-gesture touchpad and a comfortable, quiet keyboard. 

The laptop is equipped with Windows 11 Home, and is Copilot+ ready. It runs on a high-performance Snapdragon X processor with a 45 TOPS (trillions / tera operations per second) NPU (neural processing unit). This allows the laptop to deliver smooth multitasking, enhanced AI performance, and a reliable battery life.

The next-gen processor makes your usual, everyday tasks run faster, smoother, and more efficiently. This allows you to browse, work, study, or create with ease, doing more work over a longer period of time. You can switch between various applications with ease, allowing those who jump between different tasks on different platforms extremely streamlined.

The immersive OLED display provides you with vivid visuals, and the dual speakers and Dolby Atmos provide you with a rich and immersive sound. This makes the Zenbook 14 perfect for work, streaming, and creation. The screen-to-body ratio of 89% also gives you more screen space, allowing you to stay more organised with less scrolling.

Key specs:

• • Processor: Snapdragon X
  • Graphics & NPU: Adreno GPU and Hexagon NPU (up to 45 TOPS)
  • RAM / Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X RAM
  • Storage: 1TB / 2TB SSD
  • Ports: USB-C (USB 3.2 / 4.0 with display/power delivery), USB-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm jack.

Asus’ slogan for the Zenbook 14 is “Design you can feel”, and this laptop is definitely something that both looks and feels refined. The colours are designed to flow across the entire laptop, blending across lid, chassis, logo, and keyboard for a fully cohesive appearance. Use of the laptop provides a quiet, sensory experience, elevating your everyday into something more remarkable.

The 1TB version of the Zenbook 14 is priced at R19,999, while the 2TB model is R29,999.