Head-to-head · Best Thin and Light Laptops

ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406) vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406) comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.3 vs 4.0). The gap is mostly about Value-minded buyers who want a light Windows OLED ultraportable with great battery life for everyday work, and don't need heavy multi-core power or a top-tier webcam. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Thin and Light Laptops

ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406)

4.3

3 sources1 derived$1,499as of Jun 7

The ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406) is the value OLED ultraportable, pairing a stunning 3K 120Hz OLED with a 2.6 lb Ceraluminum body and nearly 14 hours of battery for less than the ThinkPad. Notebookcheck scored it 88.1% and Laptop Mag called it near-perfect. Weak multi-core performance, a mediocre webcam and soldered components are the trade-offs.

Strengths

— Gorgeous 14-inch 3K (2880x1800) OLED at 120Hz
— Very light and thin at about 2.6 lbs in a premium Ceraluminum chassis
— Strong real-world battery life of nearly 14 hours

Watch-outs

— Multi-core CPU performance lags AMD Zen 5 and Snapdragon rivals
— Display brightness (around 380 nits SDR) trails some competitors
— Lackluster webcam and a so-so keyboard

$1,499 · Buy at shop.asus.com Full review →

Ranked #4 in Best Thin and Light Laptops

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13

4.0

3 sources$2,349as of Aug 1

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition is the business ultraportable of this group, down to 982 grams without giving up the keyboard, the ports or the build. Notebookcheck scored it 90 out of 100 and Tom's Hardware 4 out of 5. The price is steep, and Laptop Mag was blunt about multitasking performance that does not match it.

Strengths

— 982 grams, roughly 2.16 pounds, with a 14-inch screen and full-size ports
— 14-inch 2880x1800 OLED at 120Hz and 400 nits
— ThinkPad keyboard, TrackPoint and haptic touchpad

Watch-outs

— Premium price, often above a comparably specced MacBook
— Lunar Lake multi-core performance trails cheaper rivals
— Battery life is good but not class-leading for the chip

$2,349 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406)

The value OLED pick: it matches the OLED panel and roughly the weight of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 for less money, but its keyboard and webcam trail the ThinkPad, and it lacks the discrete-graphics option of the Dell XPS 14; battery life sits between the MacBook Air M4 and the XPS 14.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13

Lighter than the Dell XPS 14 and matching the OLED panel of the ASUS Zenbook S14 while costing more than either; against the MacBook Air M4 it trades unplugged endurance for Windows, ThinkShield security, a far better keyboard and a real port array.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406)	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13
CPU	Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake)	Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake)
RAM	16-32GB LPDDR5X	Up to 32GB LPDDR5X
Storage	512GB-1TB SSD	Up to 1TB PCIe Gen 5 SSD
Display	14-inch 3K OLED, 120Hz	14-inch 2.8K OLED, 120Hz
Weight	2.6 lbs (1.18 kg)	2.16 lbs (982g)
Battery	~14 hours real-world	9-11 hours real-world
Chassis	Ceraluminum	—
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Ports	—	2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A, HDMI 2.1

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