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.
Full review
The Value OLED Ultraportable
The ASUS Zenbook S14 makes a strong case as the best-value premium thin-and-light. Notebookcheck scored it 88.1% and called it an "excellent everyday laptop with Intel Lunar Lake," while Laptop Mag titled its review "a near-perfect ultraportable," praising the "responsive performance, a vivid OLED display, a sleek design, powerful audio, a quick SSD, and almost 14 hours of battery life." The pitch is simple: it delivers much of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon's OLED-and-featherweight experience for noticeably less money.
The standout material is ASUS's Ceraluminum, a ceramic-aluminum hybrid that gives the chassis a distinctive matte texture and keeps weight down to about 2.6 pounds. At that weight with a 14-inch OLED, it's right alongside the ThinkPad and lighter than the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 14.
Display and Design
The 14-inch 2880x1800 OLED runs at 120Hz, and reviewers across Notebookcheck, Laptop Mag and Tom's Guide praised it as a genuine highlight, matching the panel quality of the far pricier ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Tom's Guide called the design "gorgeous" with a "mouthwatering OLED panel and top notch ergonomics."
There is one display caveat worth noting: Notebookcheck measured SDR brightness around 380 nits, roughly 100 nits behind some competitors and the ThinkPad's 400-nit panel. In bright rooms or outdoors that's a modest disadvantage, but for typical indoor use the OLED's contrast and color more than carry it.
Performance and Battery
Built on Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V Lunar Lake chip, the Zenbook S14 is a quiet, efficient performer for everyday tasks, and its battery life is a real strength. Laptop Mag recorded 13 hours and 51 minutes in its web-surfing test, placing it comfortably ahead of the Dell XPS 14 and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, though still behind the MacBook Air M4's 15-plus hours.
The performance asterisk is multi-core throughput. Notebookcheck and Tom's Guide both noted that Lunar Lake's multi-core performance lags AMD Zen 5 and Snapdragon X Elite chips, and Notebookcheck flagged thermal throttling under sustained workloads. For office work, browsing and media it's plenty fast; for heavy multi-threaded tasks, it's the weakest performer of this group alongside the fanless MacBook Air under load.
Where It Falls Short
Beyond the middling multi-core performance and dimmer-than-rivals panel, the Zenbook S14 has a few practical shortcomings. Reviewers consistently called out a lackluster webcam, a step behind the MacBook Air M4's 12MP Center Stage camera and the Dell XPS 14's excellent full-HD shooter, and a keyboard that, while fine, doesn't approach the ThinkPad's class-leading deck. Tom's Guide framed the broader issue as competitive: in "a Snapdragon X Elite world," Lunar Lake "falls just shy."
Notebookcheck also flagged the lack of an SD card reader and that all components except the SSD are soldered, so there's no upgrading RAM down the line. Buyers who want to expand memory later should configure it correctly at purchase.
Value at This Price
Value is the Zenbook S14's whole reason for being on this list. It typically sells for several hundred dollars less than a comparably equipped ThinkPad X1 Carbon while matching its OLED panel, 120Hz refresh and roughly its weight. Laptop Mag's near-perfect verdict and Notebookcheck's 88.1% reflect a laptop that delivers most of the premium ultraportable experience without the premium price. You give up the ThinkPad's keyboard, ports and performance headroom, but for everyday users that's a trade many will happily make.
Who It's Best For
The ASUS Zenbook S14 is the right pick for the value-minded buyer who wants a light Windows OLED ultraportable with great battery life for everyday work, and who doesn't need heavy multi-core power, a top-tier webcam or expandability. If budget is no object and you want the best keyboard and ports, step up to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13; if you want the longest battery and don't mind macOS, the MacBook Air M4 wins; and if you need discrete graphics, the Dell XPS 14 is the only option here that offers them.
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
- +Quiet, efficient Intel Lunar Lake performance for everyday tasks
- +Costs less than the ThinkPad X1 Carbon while matching its OLED and weight
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
- −No SD card reader and fully soldered, non-upgradeable components
How it compares
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.
Who this is for
At a glance: 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.
Why you’d buy the ASUS Zenbook S14 (UX5406)
- 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.
Why you’d skip it
- 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.
Rating sources
“Excellent everyday laptop with Intel Lunar Lake.”
“The Asus Zenbook S 14 boasts responsive performance, a vivid OLED display, a sleek design, powerful audio, a quick SSD, and almost 14 hours of battery life.”
“A good laptop with a gorgeous design, mouthwatering OLED panel and top notch ergonomics, though Lunar Lake falls just shy in a Snapdragon X Elite world.”
Our 4.4 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
