Affordable and powerful Windows laptop the best choice under $1,000
Affordable and powerful Windows laptop the best choice under $1,000
The Asus Zenbook 14X: A MacBook Alternative with Impressive Features
People love MacBooks for their good performance, great features, compact design, and long-lasting battery life. Over the years, PC manufacturers have tried to emulate Apple’s MacBook, and one of the best contenders is the Asus Zenbook 14X. While it falls short in terms of battery life, lasting only 10 hours compared to the MacBook Air’s 18 hours, it offers an array of remarkable features.
In my recent test of the Zenbook 14X, I used the lowest configuration, which included a 13th Gen Intel Core i5-13500H processor, an Iris Xe graphics card, and 8GB of RAM. It’s important to note that the laptop’s battery only lasted six hours when playing a video at 50% brightness. Therefore, having the charger at hand is essential. However, despite this drawback, the Zenbook 14X remains one of the best sub-$1,000 laptops available today.
Performance and Design
The Zenbook 14X is packed with features that cater to professionals and creatives alike. Its 14.5-inch display is slightly larger than the typical ultraportable laptops, allowing for a more comfortable typing experience. One of the key factors influencing typing comfort is the keyboard size. Thankfully, Asus has provided a roomy keyboard with each key having a slight indentation and a travel distance of 1.4 mm. This makes typing on the Zenbook 14X a pleasure.
Asus has also incorporated its proprietary IceCool thermal technology into the laptop, ensuring that it remains at a low temperature even during extended use. This feature is particularly appreciated by users who often place their laptops on their lap.
Stunning Display and Software Features
The Zenbook 14X is equipped with a gorgeous 2.8K (2880×1800 pixels) OLED touchscreen display. The colors on the screen are vibrant and saturated, thanks to the laptop’s coverage of the entire DCI-P3 color gamut. The fantastic display makes it an ideal choice for creative individuals who want to showcase their work.
To maintain the longevity of the OLED screen, Asus has included the MyASUS app, which includes helpful features such as the OLED Care. This feature refreshes the pixels on-screen after 30 minutes of idle time, preventing potential burn-in issues.
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For teleconferencing purposes, the Zenbook 14X is equipped with a 1080p webcam that includes special features like Blur Background to keep the focus on you during video calls. Unfortunately, it is worth noting that you can only activate one feature at a time for both the webcam and the audio enhancers.
ENBLE’s Buying Advice and Pricing Information
All in all, the Asus Zenbook 14X is an excellent choice for those in need of a work or school laptop. Its webcam offers high-quality video, the high-resolution touchscreen display impresses with vibrant colors, and the spacious keyboard ensures comfortable typing.
For budget-conscious buyers, the Zenbook 14X Q410 at $799 offers the Intel i5 processor mentioned earlier. If you desire slightly better performance, the Zenbook 14X Q420 comes with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 and 16GB of memory, priced at $999.
Asus has also announced plans to release a higher-end version of the Zenbook 14X. This model will feature a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, Intel Core i9 CPU, and 32GB of RAM, making it suitable for video editing and demanding tasks. However, no specific launch date has been provided, so potential buyers should keep an eye out for its availability.
In conclusion, while the Asus Zenbook 14X may not match the MacBook Air’s battery life, it certainly shines in terms of its performance, design, display, and software features. It’s a strong contender for those seeking an alternative to Apple’s MacBook lineup.
