I knew I’d found my favorite computer at CES 2025 at the beginning of December last year, long before I’d had a chance to see what most other PC manufacturers were making. That was the Zenbook A14, a system ASUS jokingly called the Zenbook Air. This name is perfect. Weighing less than 2.2 pounds (or 1 kg), it’s 0.5 pounds lighter than Apple’s smallest MacBook Air. The ZenBook A14 outperforms Apple’s ultraportables in almost every way, with specs like a 14-inch OLED screen and up to 32 hours of battery life. The only downside is that it runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X and X Elite chips, which limits compatibility with older Windows apps (and some devices).
But the most notable thing about the Zenbook A14 is that it simply feels great to hold. Lightness is a big part of that, but it’s covered in ASUS’ proprietary Cera aluminum material, which gives it a distinctly different feel than your average metal case. ASUS has used CeraAluminum across its premium lineup for years, but this is the first time it’s featured CeraAluminum on nearly every surface of a laptop: top lid, keyboard desk, and bottom.
The Zenbook A14 has a lot of thoughtful design elements. It’s easy to open with one hand thanks to a sleek hinge that counters the laptop’s small frame. It also has a surprising number of ports, including one USB Type A connection, two USB C ports, HDMI 2.1, and a headphone jack. All of this is connectivity you’ll never see on a MacBook Air.
In my short time with the Zenbook A14, the keyboard and trackpad also felt relatively comfortable. ASUS says the keys have 1.3mm of travel, which could be deeper, but seems fine for casual typing. The laptop also has a 1080p IR camera, speakers with Dolby Atmos support, and Wi-Fi 7. Basically, it has everything you want in a premium laptop in 2025.
ASUS
