The premium ultraportable market is fiercely contested, but the new ASUS Zenbook S14, powered by the Intel Core Ultra 9 (Series 3), distinguishes itself through a marriage of new material science and peak efficiency. 

While the "AI PC" era brings its own set of logistical hurdles, the hardware here remains the primary draw. Does this premium laptop earn the right to charge its 'premium'... find out in this review. 

Design

The Zenbook S14 is undeniably a "looker." Its chassis features ASUS’s proprietary Ceraluminum, a high-tech ceramic-aluminium hybrid that feels distinct from the standard anodised finishes found on competitors. The tactile, stone-like texture is not just for show; it is highly resistant to wear and helps the device maintain its lightweight profile. The device is available in two finishes, “Antrim Gray” and “Scandinavian White”.

Weighing in at roughly 1.2kg, it is exceptionally portable, fitting easily into a slim briefcase without feeling cumbersome; after all, the laptop is just 1.1cm thick. 

The aesthetic is striking enough to garner attention in public spaces; there were no less than four separate occasions where I was asked what laptop I was using… including once in a crowded, overpriced cafe, where everyone was using MacBooks. 

While the chassis is solid and easy on the eyes, the keyboard travel feels somewhat indistinct. The keys can be described as "mushy," lacking the sharp, tactile click found in more traditional business-class laptops. This may slow down high-speed typists who prefer more mechanical feedback.

Display

ASUS continues to astound with its Lumina OLED panels. The 14-inch, 3K OLED Touch display on the S14 is exceptional, providing the "inky" deep blacks and infinite contrast ratios that define the technology, along with 120Hz of refresh rate, keeping the experience snappy and smooth. 

For creative professionals engaged in photo or video editing, the colour accuracy and vibrancy are difficult to fault. The blacks tend to be so deep that one often has to double-check whether the screen is even on or not. 

The inclusion of a touch-enabled screen adds a layer of versatility for navigating timelines or sketching, though it involves a maintenance chore. The glossy finish is a magnet for fingerprints, and the sheer quality of the panel makes smudges highly visible, needing frequent cleaning with a microfibre cloth.

The audio hardware complements the visual experience. The speakers deliver a "full" and rich soundstage with decent bass, which is rare for a 14-inch ultraportable. However, the peak volume is somewhat lacking; while the quality is high, it may struggle to fill a noisy room.

Performance

Equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 9 Series 3, the S14 handles demanding workloads with surprising composure for such a thin chassis. The new Panther Lake architecture focuses heavily on efficiency and NPU (Neural Processing Unit) performance. For content consumption and creative suites, the machine is fluid and responsive. You won't find any complaints even when using this device for heavy tasks such as video and photo editing. 

AI workloads are also handled well, as this is a Copilot+ PC that delivers up to 50 TOPS from the NPU. 

The top-end configuration gets you 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage and 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM. 
Battery

One of the strongest arguments for the new Intel architecture is the power management. The Zenbook S14’s 77Wh battery easily lasts a full workday and more. Under standard workflows involving heavy web browsing and video playback, the battery life is robust, comfortably lasting upwards of 12 hours.

Software

The "AI+ PC" branding brings with it the Windows Copilot+ suite, which is a double-edged sword. The initial setup process is notably tedious, bogged down by mandatory AI configurations and cloud-syncing requirements. 

This friction is a broader Windows ecosystem issue rather than a specific fault of ASUS hardware, so we will cut ASUS some slack, but it remains, by far, the most frustrating part of the "out-of-the-box" experience. 

Once past the setup, the software stays out of the way, though the utility of the dedicated Copilot features will vary depending on your reliance on LLM integration.

Conclusion

The ASUS Zenbook S14 is a triumph of industrial design. Its Ceraluminum finish and world-class OLED display make it one of the most desirable ultraportables on the market. While the keyboard feel and the initial software setup leave room for improvement, the core pillars: portability, display quality, and battery efficiency, are all executed at a high level.

For users and professionals who value aesthetics as much as performance, it is a formidable contender that charges a formidable cost, sitting at a shiny premium of Rs 2,49,990.