Asus has just presented at CES a new ultralight laptop PC that directly competes with Apple’s MacBook Aire and LG’s Gram. Powered by an ARM Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm, it promises record autonomy. .
The Taiwanese Asus is taking advantage of the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas to review all its ranges of laptop PCs. In addition to a refresh of its Zenbook and Vivobook PCs, once is not customary, the Asus Zenbook family is expanding and welcoming a new member. It was almost called Zenbook Air (we don’t understand why that’s not the case), then Zenbook A14. Finally, it is simply called Zenbook 14 (under the reference UX3407). Damage. This name will sow a little confusion in the range since other PCs in the catalog already bear this name.
This new Zenbook 14, however, has one particularity. Asus claims a weight below the kilogram mark, or 980 g to be precise. It therefore joins the LG Gram as one of the lightest PCs on the market. And it’s quite astonishing. We had the opportunity to take this Zenbook in hand a little before its announcement at the Las Vegas show. The first sensation is that this Zenbook is quickly forgotten. It is very easy to hold with one hand, open or closed and fits very easily into a small bag.
Furthermore, Asus has worked particularly well on its design. For this featherweight PC, plastic is not appropriate. Both the chassis and the hood are made of Ceraluminum. This material made by Asus is based on an alloy of ceramic and aluminum. It is also found on the classic Zenbook series. And if the touch feels a little plastic, the solidity seems to be there. Asus promises scratch and stain resistance.
For the rest, it’s classic. Under the hood, this Copilot+ PC is powered by a Snapdragon X, X Plus or X Elite processor. It has a 14-inch Oled FHD (1920 x 1200 pixels) screen and a 70 Wh battery. According to Asus, 32 hours of video playback battery life await us. In terms of connectivity, it’s richer than Apple with a USB-A 3.2 port, two USB-C ports, a full-format HDMI port and a jack socket.
Finally, there remains the price. This new Zenbook 14 will be offered from 999 euros. A price which remains reasonable and which aligns with LG’s first price with its 14-inch LG gram equipped with an IPS panel.