Can ASUS’s $900 Zenbook A14 dethrone the MacBook Air?

ASUS unveiled the Zenbook A14 at CES 2025, positioning it as a competitor to Apple’s MacBook Air. Weighing just 2.18 pounds and featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processors, the Zenbook A14 is a bold entrant in the lightweight productivity laptop market. With a starting price of $900 and advanced features like a 14-inch OLED display, extended battery life, and unique design elements, ASUS is positioning this device as an accessible alternative to Apple’s premium offering.

The Zenbook A14 boasts a magnesium alloy chassis coated in ASUS’s proprietary Ceraluminum material, providing a matte, stone-like finish that feels distinctively different from Apple’s aluminum designs. The laptop is available in two configurations: the $1,100 base model features the Snapdragon X Elite processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, while a slightly heavier, 2.4-pound version with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage will retail for $900 exclusively at Best Buy. Both models promise exceptional portability, with ASUS emphasizing their easy one-handed opening and premium build quality.

Central to the Zenbook A14 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X platform, enabling impressive battery life of up to 32 hours. The device’s 70Wh battery outclasses the MacBook Air’s 52.6Wh cell, providing more time for users to work, stream, and create on the go. The OLED display, capable of 1920 x 1200 resolution, delivers vivid visuals with a peak brightness of 600 nits. Users also benefit from Dolby Atmos-supported speakers, a 1080p IR camera, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.

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Port selection is another highlight of the Zenbook A14, offering two USB 4 Type-C ports, one USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, a full-size HDMI 2.1 slot, and a headphone/mic jack.

ASUS has nicknamed the device “Zenbook Air,” a name that aptly reflects its lightweight design. The Zenbook A14’s construction utilizes a unique Ceraluminum material, making it notably lighter at just 2.18 pounds, which is over half a pound lighter than the current M3 MacBook Air. The notebook also boasts an ultralight magnesium alloy chassis and a matte, stone-like finish.

In terms of pricing, the Zenbook A14 starts at $900 for a model equipped with a Snapdragon X Plus CPU and 16GB of RAM, while the lightest version with a Snapdragon X Elite chip and 32GB of RAM is priced at $1

The Zenbook A14 represents ASUS’s latest attempt to compete in a market that has seen numerous “MacBook killers” come and go. By combining premium features like OLED displays and lightweight design with aggressive pricing, ASUS hopes to carve out a space in the ultraportable laptop market. Whether it can achieve the same ecosystem harmony as Apple remains to be seen.

Featured image credit: ASUS