ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406) Review

The ASUS Zenbook S14 has always been one of the company’s more interesting ultra-thin laptops, and the latest Zenbook S14 (UX5406) continues that direction with a yearly refresh that brings along some notable design changes. While it still looks familiar at first glance, ASUS has made several changes to the chassis, display and internal hardware that make this generation different from its predecessor.

We have been using the Zenbook S14 as our daily laptop for about a month, covering everything from writing and browsing to multitasking and general productivity. So, after spending some proper time with it, here’s our full review of the ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406).

Design

The biggest change you’ll notice on the new Zenbook S14 is its design. ASUS has moved towards a more minimalist appearance, with the entire chassis now built around its Ceraluminum material. The new lid design looks cleaner and more understated, which should appeal to users who prefer a laptop that does not scream for attention.

More importantly, Ceraluminum also brings a practical benefit. The surface has an anti-smudge finish, which addresses one of the more annoying issues we have seen with older Zenbook models. Instead of constantly wiping fingerprints and smudges off the lid, the new Zenbook S14 manages to stay relatively clean during everyday use.

At just 1.1cm thin and weighing only 1.2kg, this is still very much an ultra-thin and light laptop. It is easy to carry around in a backpack, and its lightweight design makes it particularly suitable for users who move between home, office and other locations regularly. Despite its thin profile, the chassis feels solid enough for daily use.

The minimalist approach continues to the keyboard area. The keyboard layout remains largely unchanged from what we have seen before, although ASUS has cleaned up the overall appearance by removing some of the labels from certain keys. It gives the keyboard deck a less cluttered look.

Typing on it is also a pleasant experience. The keyboard feels familiar if you have used previous Zenbook models, with a comfortable typing experience that works well for long writing sessions. For a laptop this thin, we were also pleasantly surprised by the touchpad.

The touchpad offers a satisfying clicking feel and does not feel like an afterthought, which can sometimes be the case with ultra-thin laptops. It is responsive and spacious enough for everyday navigation, making it easy to use without constantly reaching for a mouse.

Another interesting design element is the CNC-milled perforations above the keyboard. ASUS has changed the pattern this time around, using alternating recessed and flat cutouts instead of the uniformly recessed pair of holes found previously. While it also contributes to the minimalist aesthetic, ASUS says the design plays a role in helping the laptop manage up to 28W of heat output from the processor.

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As for connectivity, the Zenbook S14 provides a reasonable selection of ports for such a thin machine. On the left, you get one HDMI 2.1 TMDS port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports with DisplayPort support and 65W USB Power Delivery, as well as a 3.5mm combo audio jack. The right side houses one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port with 10Gbps transfer speeds.

Display

The Zenbook S14 retains many of the display specifications from the previous generation. It comes with a 14-inch OLED panel featuring a 2.8K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, along with 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage and Pantone validation.

These specifications already made the previous Zenbook S14 a strong laptop for content consumption and creative work, and that remains the case here. The OLED panel produces the deep blacks and vibrant colours you would expect, while the 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and general navigation feel noticeably smoother.

However, ASUS has made one important improvement this time around: brightness.

The display now reaches up to 500 nits in standard usage, while HDR peak brightness can reach 1,100 nits. This gives the new Zenbook S14 a brighter and more versatile display, particularly when viewing HDR content or working in brighter environments.

There is also touchscreen support now. However, this is still a conventional laptop rather than a 360-degree convertible model. You cannot simply fold the display backwards and use it like a tablet, so the usefulness of the touchscreen is somewhat limited.

That said, having touch support can still be convenient for certain situations, such as scrolling through webpages, navigating supported applications or interacting directly with content on screen.

Performance

Our review unit comes equipped with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 386H processor, which represents a significant change in direction compared with the previous generation.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the previous Lunar Lake-based Zenbook S14 was its CPU performance. The Core Ultra 258V was extremely power efficient, but its relatively modest 4 Performance-core and 4 Low Power Efficient-core configuration meant that multi-core performance was not its strongest point.

The new Core Ultra 9 386H addresses that weakness. Overall CPU performance is noticeably better, particularly when dealing with workloads that can take advantage of multiple CPU cores. For everyday productivity, this means the Zenbook S14 feels comfortable handling multiple applications, browser tabs and background tasks at the same time.

The cooling system also deserves some credit here. Despite the thin chassis, ASUS has improved the cooling solution to accommodate the higher-power processor. This allows the laptop to take better advantage of the Core Ultra 9 386H without turning it into an excessively bulky machine.

However, GPU performance is a different story.

Unlike Intel’s Core Ultra X-series models, the graphics performance here is considerably less impressive. In our testing and general usage, the GPU performance is more comparable to AMD’s Radeon 780M graphics found in Ryzen 7000-series APUs.

It is also weaker than the previous generation’s Arc 140T graphics found on the Lunar Lake-based model.

This does not mean the Zenbook S14 cannot run games. You can still play less demanding titles and older games, especially if you are willing to lower the resolution and graphics settings. However, this is not a laptop we would recommend if GPU-intensive workloads are a major part of your daily workflow.

For productivity, office work, content consumption and general computing, the performance is more than sufficient. But users who rely heavily on GPU acceleration for tasks such as video editing, 3D work or other demanding workloads may find the graphics performance disappointing.

Battery Life

If there is one area where the new Zenbook S14 really impressed us, it is battery life.

The Panther Lake architecture demonstrates just how far Intel has come in terms of power efficiency. Despite moving away from the memory integration approach used by Lunar Lake, Intel has managed to squeeze impressive efficiency out of the new architecture.

In our everyday usage, the Zenbook S14 was able to get through an entire day of work on a single charge without any major issues. That makes a significant difference when using an ultra-portable laptop, because you do not have to constantly think about finding a power outlet during the day.

In fact, this is easily one of the longest-lasting laptops we have tested.

There is one annoyance, though. The included charging cable is rather bulky for such a thin and lightweight laptop. Furthermore, if you want to take advantage of the laptop’s fastest charging capabilities, you will need to bring your own 100W charger.

It is a small inconvenience, but it feels somewhat contradictory to the Zenbook S14’s otherwise excellent focus on portability.

Final Words

The new ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406) gets a lot of things right. ASUS has refined the design without completely reinventing the Zenbook formula, and the move to a full Ceraluminum-based chassis gives the laptop a cleaner and more premium appearance.

The anti-smudge surface is particularly welcome because it addresses a practical problem rather than simply being a cosmetic change. If you like minimalist laptops, the Zenbook S14 delivers exactly that.

The move to the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H also brings back the multi-core performance that was missing from the previous Lunar Lake generation. While Lunar Lake’s unique memory-on-package design brought excellent efficiency, it also restricted its CPU capabilities from the beginning. The new architecture offers significantly better CPU performance while still delivering exceptional efficiency.

The cooling system is also better, while the OLED display is brighter than before and now adds touchscreen support.

However, it is not without its weaknesses. The GPU performance is a slight disappointment, particularly when compared with the previous generation’s Arc 140T graphics. If your work relies heavily on GPU performance, there are better options available.

The RM8,499 asking price is another consideration. That is still a fairly steep price for an ultra-thin laptop, and at this price point, we would have liked to see a higher-end Core Ultra X7 or X9 processor.

At the same time, the current memory pricing situation also needs to be taken into consideration, as it has played a part in the overall pricing of newer laptops.

Ultimately, the Zenbook S14 remains an excellent choice if your priorities are portability, battery life, display quality and a clean design. It is not the most powerful laptop in its class when it comes to graphics, but for someone who wants a premium ultra-thin laptop that can comfortably last through a full day of work, the new Zenbook S14 is one of the more compelling options we have tested.