Asus' new ZenBook 14 is a new ultraportable powerhouse toting high-end 11th Gen CPUs and an Nvidia MX450 GPU.
It's slated to launch sometime in November 2020, but we don't have a US price just yet. Here's everything we know so far about the system.
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Asus ZenBook 14 specs
The Asus ZenBook 14 can be outfitted with either an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce MX450 GPU with 2GB of VRAM, 8GB or 16GB of RAM as well as a 256GB, 512GB or 1TB NVMe SSD.
A minimal discrete GPU should be in all high-end premium laptops, and seeing one appear in an ultraportable laptop is impressive. We'll hopefully see this become a much larger trend in laptops.
Asus ZenBook 14 design and ports
The Asus ZenBook 14 comes in at 12.6 x 7.8 x 0.7 inches and 2.6~2.8 pounds, which is very light and thin. It comes in a Pine Grey and Lilac Mist, and it looks like Asus will once again succeed in making its stylishly labeled colors come to life on its laptops.
When it comes to ports, the Asus ZenBook 14 is outfitted with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a microSD card slot and an audio jack. Even for the size, this machine packs a variety of useful ports.
It also comes with an IR webcam for Windows Hello.
Asus ZenBook 14 display and keyboard
The Asus ZenBook 14 offers only two different displays. It comes with a 14-inch, 1920 x 1080-pixel, 60Hz display that covers 72% of the NTSC color gamut. You can either get it in either an anti-glare coating or with a glossy touchscreen.
According to Asus, the ZenBook 14's display offers 178-degree wide viewing angles with 2.6 millimeter-thin side bezels.
The keyboard itself is standard but looks relatively sleek. However, the touchpad offers Asus' popular ScreenPad technology, so you can utilize the touchpad as a second screen for certain tasks to increase productivity.
Asus ZenBook 14 battery
The Asus ZenBook 14 is outfitted with a 63Whr battery, but Asus wasn't forthcoming with how long the battery would be able to last on a charge. We suspect it could be slightly shorter than average due to the discrete GPU as well as the ScreenPad. However, we have seen gaming laptops land in the double digits so anything is possible.
Outlook
The Asus ZenBook 14 looks promising; it's incredibly slim and features a ton of power. However, I am concerned about the display as well as the battery life. If it can nail those two features, then I'm sold on the Asus ZenBook 14.
Stay tuned for our full review of this product as well as many more Asus laptops that are set to arrive soon.
