Mr Viral
Image: Michael Crider/Foundry
I had my eye on the Asus Zenbook A14 from the moment I first saw it at a promotional event, thanks to its super-light build, unique finish, and insane battery life. But I wasn’t in love with the $1,000 price when it finally arrived at Best Buy. I waited for it to hit $600 before I pulled the trigger—that’s my laptop in the photo right up there. Today, you can get the same laptop for even less at just $549.99.
You can read all about the Zenbook A14 in PCWorld’s review (though keep in mind that the on-sale version has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage). But here’s my take after about five months of using it as my portable machine: it’s gorgeous with that unique, sand-colored finish that really turns heads; it’s insanely light at just over 2 pounds, making it easy to slip into a bag for a quick trip; and I almost never charge the thing because its power-sipping Arm processor and beefy battery mean it lasts forever. It’s also surprisingly good on ports for something so light, with two USB-C ports, HDMI, and USB-A for older devices.
Here are the downsides. The OLED display is great, but the 1080p resolution is nothing special for a modern laptop, and some users might not like that it doesn’t have touch capability. The keyboard and touchpad, while spacious, are merely okay—if you type for hours for work, you might want to look for something different. The Snapdragon processor is fine for browsing and video, but it absolutely chokes on any gaming that goes beyond 2D. My phone can play Fortnite better than my laptop.
Weighing those plusses and minuses, I think the A14 is absolutely worth it if you want something ultra-portable with an incredibly long battery life, especially at this price. Best Buy is calling this a “Black Friday” deal, so it should be good for a week at least, and you might even be able to choose store pickup. If it’s not quite what you’re looking for, check out PCWorld’s roundup of Black Friday laptop deals.
This long-lasting Asus OLED laptop is a bargain for just $550
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he’s the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop “battlestation” in his off hours. Michael’s previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he’s covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he’s always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.
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