The Asus ZenBook S series has always been the brand’s most important lineup. We have seen innovations and the latest technologies implemented first on the ZenBook series, which are then replicated across the other series. This year, the brand has introduced a new lineup of ZenBook S series, with a clear distinction between AMD and Intel options. We earlier saw the Zenbook S16, powered by AMD Ryzen AI silicon. And now, the brand recently introduced a more compact Zenbook S14 with the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor.
The Asus Zenbook S14 (2026) price in India is Rs. 1,79,990. That being said, does it make sense to go with this machine in this premium price segment? I got to use this laptop, and here is what you need to know.
Asus Zenbook S14 (UX5406) Laptop Design: Beautiful and Sleek
- Dimension – 310.3 x 214.7 x 11.9 ~ 12.9 mm
- Weight – 1.20kg
- Colours – Scandinavian White, Antrim Grey
Asus is one of the few brands that puts a lot of effort into designing laptops. We have seen multiple models in the Zenbook lineup that give a premium look and finish. The same is true of this one. The Ceraluminum finish returns here, and it now feels more refined than its previous iterations.
The laptop is quite lightweight and slim, making it easy to carry in your hand. Moreover, you get that silky smooth finish on the laptop, which surely adds some brownie points. Another important thing to mention here is the CNC-machined grille, which sits right over the keyboard.
At first glance, it might look like a speaker grille, but it is actually part of the vapour cooling system, ensuring the laptop gets good thermals without adding any bulk. Apart from this, we discussed the design in depth in our first impressions, which you can check here.
Asus Zenbook S14 (UX5406) Laptop Display: Vibrant and Colourful
- Display – 14-inch OLED touchscreen
- Resolution – 3K (2880 x 1800 pixels)
- Refresh Rate – 120Hz
Coming to the display, the Asus Zenbook S14 features a compact 14-inch OLED display with thin bezels around the edges. The display is touch-enabled and lies flat 180 degrees, which is a good thing.
The OLED panel delivers sharp contrasts and vivid colours. The panel is well-calibrated and out of the box, delivering uniform colours, while the OLED panel keeps light bleeding to a minimum. The colours appear to be punchy without being too overstaurated, while the blacks go deep on this panel.
You can also tune the display as needed using the MyAsus application, which is a good addition. I also liked the fact that it now comes with a 120Hz screen refresh rate, which makes the visuals a treat.
Asus Zenbook S14 (UX5406) Laptop Keyboard, Touchpad, Speakers, and Webcam: Works Fine
- Keyboard – Backlit keyboard
- Webcam – 1080p Hi-res camera
- Speakers – Dual super-liner speakers
The Asus Zenbook S14 comes with a compact backlit keyboard. The LEDs on this are bright enough to highlight the key in dark conditions. Coming to the performance, the keyboard offers a shorter stroke and provides a suitable 1.4mm key travel. Once you get through the learning curve, the keyboard will be quite easy to operate, and the typing experience will feel effortless. The laptop was a daily driver throughout the review period, and I never experienced any fatigue or tiredness during those long typing sessions.
The laptop also comes with a large touchpad, which worked well during the review period. You also get the numpad key in the top-right corner, which is a neat addition. With this, you can easily turn your touchpad into a numpad, which is good when you want to use quick calculations in Excel or Sheets.
In terms of security, the laptop does not include a physical fingerprint sensor, but it does include an IR camera for Windows Hello. The IR camera works decently throughout the review period. However, there were some instances when it refused to accept the face.
Moving on, the camera is good, and you will not face many problems while using it for quick video calls. The laptop comes with a 1080p webcam that performs well. The quality is good, and you also get Studio Effects and AI noise cancellation in the MyAsus application, which lets you enhance both audio and video quality.
The company has added dual Super-linear speakers, which is a good thing here. However, the audio quality is average at max. The audio lacks bass, and you can feel a bit of distortion at high volumes.
Asus Zenbook S14 (UX5406) Laptop Software: Useful
- Operating System – Windows 11 Home
- Other Features – Copilot, Asus AI Applications
The Asus Zenbook S14 runs Windows 11 Home. The device also comes with a Copilot AI tool with multiple use cases. I used Copilot to summarise the articles for easy reading. You also get a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard to quickly access the AI assistant.
You are getting all the Microsoft CoPilot features, including Live Captions, Windows Studio Effects v2, Recall, and more, which are useful in different situations. Then there is Asus StoryCube, which is a one-stop for managing your photos and videos.
Apart from this, the MyAsus application is the one-stop solution for taking care of most of the features on this laptop. With this app, you can diagnose problems, update drivers, and even customise settings, which is a good thing.
Asus Zenbook S14 (UX5406) Performance: Top-Notch Performance
- Chipset – Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 386H
- RAM – 32GB LPDDR5X
- ROM – 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
- GPU – Intel Graphics
The Asus Zenbook S14 meets expectations when it comes to performance. You can do most of the things you need to do on the laptop without noticing any lag or stutter. You won’t have any problems with it, whether you are using it for everyday tasks or doing a lot of things at once. You can find a list of synthetic benchmarks that I made below.
| Benchmark | Asus Zenbook S14 (2026) |
|---|---|
| Cinebench R23 Single Core | 2162 |
| Cinebench R23 Multi Core | 15568 |
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 2856 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 16527 |
| PC Mark 10 | 9152 |
| 3DMark Night Raid | 29689 |
| 3DMark CPU Profile | 7272 |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light | 2008 |
| CrystalDiskMark | 6981.59 MB/s (Read)/ 3381.89 MB/s (Write) |
The laptop can run most casual games without any problems, as long as you play them on low to medium settings. The laptop has four settings that might help you get the most out of its performance: Speed, Performance, Standard, and Whisper. The fan speed is loud in Performance mode, yet the performance stays the same. During the review period, I preferred the Standard mode as it delivered the right balance of power and efficiency.
The thermal performance is also really good. I didn’t notice the laptop getting too hot during the evaluation period. The laptop can manage heavy work without being too hot to handle.
Asus Zenbook S14 (UX5406) Laptop Battery: Long-lasting and Reliable
- Battery Capacity – 4 Cell, 77 Wh (Typical)
- Fast Charging – 68W USB Type-C Adapter
Coming to battery life, the Asus Zenbook S14 is clearly meant to deliver long-lasting battery life. The laptop usually runs quietly and stays cool, which helps to prolong the battery life.
The device features a 4-cell, 77Wh battery, and the brand is currently offering a 68W power adapter with the laptop. However, the laptop also supports up to 100W fast charging, which is a bonus. Coming to the battery life, the laptop comfortably lasted the full day of work without any hassle, which is rare in this segment.
Asus Zenbook S14 (UX5406) Laptop Verdict
The Asus Zenbook S14 sure makes a strong impression in the portable ultrabook category. The laptop is sleek, highly portable, and looks premium. The refined Ceraluminum design puts it in the league of premium ultrabooks, comparable to the likes of MacBooks.
The display is another area where the laptop excels. The OLED display is vibrant and delivers punchy visuals, while the high 120Hz refresh rate makes the overall animation much smoother. The performance is top-notch and competitive in this segment. Moreover, the laptop features a long-lasting battery. So, if you are looking for a reliable 14-inch laptop that is portable, looks premium, and is powerful enough for everyday productivity tasks, then you can indeed consider this one. As for the competition is concerned, the Asus Zenbook S14 will face a tough fight from the likes of Dell XPS 14, Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro 360, and more.
Asus Zenbook S14 FAQsWhat are the main features of the Asus Zenbook S14?
The Asus Zenbook S14 is available with up to 32GB of RAM paired with up to 1TB of internal storage. It is powered by up to Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor along with Intel Graphics GPU. The laptop is loaded with a 77Whr battery and 68W fast charging support. It also comes equipped with Windows 11 Home operating system and comes with a 14-Inch 3K OLED Display that supports up to 120Hz refresh rate. It supports connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, 2 USB Type-C ports, 1 USB Type-A ports, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Asus Zenbook S14 is available in single colour option.
When was the Asus Zenbook S14 released?
The Asus Zenbook S14 was launched on 14 April, 2026.
Where can I buy the Asus Zenbook S14?
You can buy the Asus Zenbook S14 through the official Asus website, e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart and select retail stores across India
