This $599 Asus Zenbook OLED is seriously the best Windows laptop deal right now

apr / 2025

The Asus Zenbook A14 is on sale for $599 at Finest Purchase for the 16GB mannequin. That is a $400 low cost on the most effective laptops we have examined this 12 months.  

When Asus formally introduced the Zenbook A14 at CES this 12 months, I wasn’t the one one to be low-key enamored with it. It is an excellent laptop computer in its personal proper, however it stands out as a profitable balancing act between efficiency and affordability whereas hitting all the best notes that customers care about. 

Manufactured from Asus’ proprietary ceraluminum materials, the Zenbook A14 nearly appears like a prototype mannequin that is empty inside, because it’s exceedingly mild at simply 2.1 kilos (for reference, the 13-inch MacBook Air is 2.7 kilos). Whenever you set it down, the machine opens simply with the raise of a single finger, revealing the good OLED show. 

Asus dedicated to a neutral-forward aesthetic with the A14. The model messaging options muted tones and quiet, refined imagery punctuated by pure motifs, which work to type a cohesive identification. 

This aesthetic highlights Asus’ dedication to ship a cohesive model message whereas balancing innovation and value. For instance, the show on the Zenbook A14 appears to be like good proper out of the field. It is vivid, crisp, and environment friendly. However nearer inspection reveals that it is not as premium a show as you’d discover on, say, Asus’ ProArt P16. 

The show is framed by plastic bezels fastidiously designed to not look low-cost, however once more… this is not the ProArt. Moreover, the panel over the FHD show has some slight warping that can provide a funhouse mirror impact while you catch your reflection on the shiny floor.

As soon as the show is turned on, nevertheless, no matter jumpscare you simply noticed is shortly forgotten, because it delivers a superb picture: distinction is crisp, colours are vivid, and it is vivid, at 600 nits and a full HD+ (1920 x 1200) decision that pairs properly with the speedy efficiency. 

Talking of efficiency, let’s focus on the tech that powers this machine. Asus once more targeted on steadiness, pairing the base-level Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor with the 32GB RAM configuration and the marginally quicker Snapdragon X Plus with the lower-end, 16GB RAM configuration. 

This balancing act ends in a barely unintuitive pricing construction: the laptop computer with the higher-end processor is cheaper ($999) because it comes with half the reminiscence (which is what you are actually paying for). The model with extra RAM and the lower-end Snapdragon X processor begins at $1,099. 

The distinction between the 2 processors is in the end not that large, each are eight-core chips, however the Snapdragon X chip is proscribed to three.0 GHz clock pace, placing a efficiency cap on this laptop computer. 

That cap is okay as a result of this machine is not made to sort out intensive workloads. It is for the fashionable skilled who lives within the cloud, works remotely, and values a pleasant show. 

That being stated, the efficiency is stable. It is a quick laptop computer: it boots shortly, masses apps swiftly, and navigates the net with out lag. It runs silent and funky, producing nearly no warmth — even with the slim type issue. 

In our benchmarking exams, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processor carried out higher than I anticipated towards extra premium gadgets with Intel’s Core Extremely 7 “Lunar Lake” chip, notably in its higher-end sibling, the Zenbook S14, and Dell’s XPS 13 in multi-core efficiency. The processor even surpassed the latter in single-core efficiency. 

Evaluating this laptop computer’s numbers to HP’s OmniBook X with the Snapdragon X Elite, for instance, suggests the machine is outclassed on the increased finish of efficiency however is extremely optimized for on a regular basis duties and in a position to ship a quicker, extra environment friendly expertise in these use circumstances.

The laptop computer’s sturdy efficiency is allied to an pleasant bodily type issue. The keyboard is implausible — it is some of the snug laptop computer keyboards I’ve used. I make this declare with out exaggeration and word its success is not as a result of something notably costly or high-end. Asus simply hit the mark when balancing design and value.

The keys are clean and matte, with a slick texture that borders on ASMR. I additionally love how the laptop computer’s ceramic physique is fingerprint-resistant and straightforward to scrub, even when splashed within the kitchen or espresso store. 

For distant or hybrid employees who transfer from place to position, the laptop computer additionally options the best variety of ports (an HDMI, two USB-Cs, and one USB-A) to deal with no matter equipment you carry in tow or to cost the battery. I am (type of) kidding, however that leads me to my final level.  

Palms down, one of the best a part of this laptop computer is the excellent battery life. Asus advertises as much as 32 hours on a single cost. Though that is the highest finish of the estimation, it is not far off from what you’ll be able to count on with on a regular basis use. Throughout my testing, a day’s work within the workplace did not take me down previous 50%. 

The Snapdragon X processor reduces energy consumption to a trickle when it is not in use. For those who do want juice, the A14 prices shortly, reaching near 75% after simply an hour of charging. This functionality interprets to a laptop computer that may final a few days’ work on one cost, even when that features a number of video calls. 

I am going to additionally point out just a few of the drawbacks of this laptop computer (however there aren’t many). The primary is that the Qualcomm Adreno GPU on this method will not be designed for high-end gaming. Positive, it could possibly actually deal with informal video games. However this is not a tool made for the most recent FPS.

Also, the show, whereas it appears to be like nice, remains to be capped at a 60Hz refresh fee, which retains the battery (and value level) low however additional limits any aspirations of high-end gaming. Finally, whereas the Zenbook A14 is competitively priced, this isn’t a $1,500 laptop computer.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Zenbook A14 has a coherent identification: it is a light-weight, aesthetic machine for the fashionable skilled, effortlessly cell in each type issue and battery life, however trades some uncooked energy for all that endurance. That being stated, the Snapdragon X processor punches properly above its weight and competes handily with chips which might be, on paper, extra highly effective. 

Due to its cohesive identification, how properly it balances innovation and worth, and the {hardware} efficiency, the Zenbook A14 is among the greatest laptops I’ve reviewed prior to now 12 months and one I would strongly advocate so long as its strengths align along with your wants. 

To prime all of it off, the beginning value of $999, when not on sale, is pretty aggressive — if Asus succeeds in promoting this laptop computer’s model story in a means that positions it as an alternative choice to different ultraportable, reminiscent of Apple’s MacBook Air. 

This story was initially printed on February 14, 2025, and was up to date on July 31, 2025, to mirror the brand new Finest Purchase deal and the most recent related inner hyperlinks.