Asus’ long-running Zenbook lineup moves from strength to strength, but the newest model, the Zenbook 14 UX3480QA, is lacking the same strong identity that keeps me coming back to these devices.

This Zenbook 14 UX3480QA is a little different to the Zenbook 14 S14 UX5406 I daily drive, pushing into the upper-budget, lower-midrange laptop band, and a little beyond. The result is a wonderfully lightweight build packed with powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware, decent battery life, and a tidy 14-inch screen, tied together with a really superb keyboard that I’ve enjoyed working on the past few weeks. And as someone who really loves his keyboards, that’s saying something.

But as much as I like the fun colors, it begs the question: Who is this laptop built for?

7/10

Operating System

Windows 11

CPU

Snapdragon X (X1-26-100)

GPU

Adreno X1-45

RAM

Up to 16GB

The ASUS Zenbook 14 UX3480QA is an ultra-light, premium 14-inch Copilot+ PC featuring a scratch-resistant Ceraluminum™ lid and a vivid OLED display. Powered by an ARM-based Snapdragon X processor with a 45 TOPS NPU, it delivers fast on-device AI performance alongside exceptional battery life.

Pros & Cons

• Lightweight, sturdy build
• All-day battery, and then some
• Good multi-tasking performance, but for lightweight apps
• Great keyboard for all-day typing

• Lacking power for graphical tasks
• No chance of modern gaming

Asus kindly loaned us the Zenbook 14 UX3480QA for this review. The company had no input in the article and didn’t see it before publishing.

Asus Zenbook 14 2026 price and availability

Starting from $799, the new Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA is available with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 512GB PCIe 4.0 storage.

It’s worth noting, however, that Asus’ Zenbook 14 UX3480 range can also be bought with an Intel or AMD CPU, and those models come with different potential builds. For example, the AMD and Intel models support up to 24GB RAM, a 70Wh battery, and, on the Intel model, a 14” 3K 120Hz ASUS Lumina OLED display.

The Asus Zenbook 14 is perfectly lightweight

Not the lightest ever, but you won’t notice this in your bag

Mid-range laptops over the years have suffered from one major problem: weight.

I’ve tested a good few laptops in my time, and I’ve repeatedly encountered laptops with great hardware held back by heavy chassis. Perhaps not always outright “heavy,” like a 17.6-inch beast with a full GPU, but weighty enough that you notice the laptop while walking around. Powerful, yes; portable, not so much.

Weighing 1.1kg, this Zenbook 14 hits the right balance. It’s right on par with the MacBook Air, LG Gram, and similar slimline portables, and a smidge more than those in the ultra-lightweight class, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon or the Asus Zenbook A14. I’ve carried the Zenbook 14 in my satchel for the past couple of weeks and really haven’t noticed it at all.

Asus’ Ceraluminum tech is where the weight savings come in, with Asus claiming the tech is “30% lighter and three times stronger than conventional aluminum,” so it’s not just the weight savings.

The Zenbook 14 is suitably slimline, too, measuring 13.9mm at its thinnest point, rising to 16.99mm at the rear. Like its weight, the Zenbook isn’t claiming to be the thinnest laptop, but it does a great job considering how solid the unit feels.

Elsewhere, I haven’t tested throwing the new Zenbook down the stairs, or really even nudging it from my desk; it comes with full MIL-810-STD scratch and shock resistance, passing rigorous testing before hitting the shelves. Now, issues with MIL-810-STD testing processes aside, it seems the Zenbook 14 should withstand a reasonable amount of regular daily usage.

Wonderful typing, responsive touchpad, & heaps of connectivity

It’s perfect for long working sessions

Asus has done a great job on the Zenbook 14’s keyboard, implementing its ErgoSense tech to deliver a really comfortable experience. The keyboard has a 19.5mm pitch, which to me feels perfect for extensive typing sessions where your hands are glued to the keyboard for a few hours.

But it’s also the feeling of the keys themselves. The keys move 1.7mm while typing, which is similar to Gateron and Cherry MX low-profile switches. It just feels… right. Each key has a tiny, 0.1mm indent for your fingers to slot into, gifting some extra typing comfort. There is also some sort of coating on the keycaps, which gives them a smooth feeling, and in combination with the rubber domes and scissor-key movement (no actual switches here), makes the Zenbook excellent for typing.

The touchpad is similarly responsive. It’s also really quiet, which I like, and comes with all the smart gestures you’d expect. Measuring

On the connectivity front, you’ll find two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports on the left of the body, both of which support DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery 3.0, along with an HDMI 2.1 port and a 3.5mm jack. Then, on the right-hand side, there is a solitary USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port for those peripherals that haven’t jumped to modern standards.

Given the price of this laptop, it’s a really good array of options. My only real gripe is that I wish Asus would put a charging USB-C port on each side of the device. I’m not always sitting at the same desk, and the plug sockets aren’t always in the same place! That said, this is far from an Asus-specific issue, as plenty of other manufacturers stick the charging ports on the same side.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the Zenbook 14 UX3480QA has Bluetooth 5.3 (rather than Bluetooth 6) and Wi-FI 6E (rather than Wi-Fi 7). Given the latest versions of both wireless standards launched more than 12 months ago at this point, I’m a little surprised to see the older versions, but I’d hazard that this helps to keep costs low. In either case, it hasn’t caused me an issue at all, though Wi-Fi 7 support at this point is becoming more important.

The WUXGA OLED screen is great for everyday tasks

Good color accuracy, though not a particularly high refresh rate

I’ve been somewhat spoiled by my regular Zenbook S14. It has a stunning 3K ASUS Lumina OLED screen, which makes returning to Full HD feel a little odd at times.

Still, I’m pleased with the Zenbook 14’s overall screen quality. It’s a 1920×1200 WUXGA OLED with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is a really fantastic size for most tasks. It hits 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and I’ve found it perfectly usable while editing photography, watching films, and so on.

The 300-nits brightness isn’t great, though. We’re entering autumn in the UK, so the distracting glaze of the sunshine is slowly eroding, but I’ve still found the 300 nits maximum a little dark for me at times.

And while the 60Hz refresh rate isn’t particularly high in this day and age, the Zenbook isn’t being pushed as a gaming unit or otherwise. Asus claims its OLEDs have a 0.2ms response time; I’m not sure about that exact measurement, but I definitely haven’t noticed this laptop feeling sluggish at all over the past few weeks.

The Snapdragon X processor delivers performance where it matters

But you won’t be firing up any modern games

I’m testing the Zenbook 14 with a Snapdragon X (X1-26-100) 8-core processor clocked at 2.96GHz, complete with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM. It’s a tidy processor that’ll get most jobs done, but don’t expect miracles, especially when it comes to gaming, local AI, and similarly heavyweight tasks.

Earlier in 2026, I tested the Asus Zenbook A16 with a Snapdragon X Elite with 18 cores, and was actually blown away by the performance on offer. But the Snapdragon X is a step down from that, and it shows.

For example, the Zenbook A16 scored more than 22K on Geekbench’s multi-core testing, while the new Zenbook 14 mustered 11.7K — understandable considering it has less than half the cores, but it’s still a few points behind the Acer Swift X 14 we reviewed recently.

Similarly, Cinebench 2026 showed the Zenbook 14 scoring 2,594 on the CPU (Multiple Threads) test, and just 394 on its CPU (Single Thread) test. For reference, that’s around 100 points away from the Apple M2. The Zenbook 14’s Adreno X1-45 just isn’t cut out for gaming, especially modern titles. That’s not a huge issue for me as I love retro games, but don’t expect to run games from even five years ago at 1080p.

But when it comes to multitasking between most “day-to-day” apps, it’s a fantastic experience. My most used apps each day are Chrome, VS Code, Spotify, Slack, Paint.net, Thunderbird, and Asana, and I’ve not really noticed a huge slowdown or any issues when changing between apps. That said, it’ll be a different story if you’re trying to run Blender, Photoshop, and Ollama; this Zenbook isn’t about that level of performance.

However, the Snapdragon X does translate to good battery life, despite what I would consider a smaller cell. The Zenbook comes with a 50Wh battery, which sounds like it’ll limit you. But if you consider how the Zenbook 14 UX3480QA is meant to be used — not for gaming, heavy local AI processes, etc. — it’ll keep you going for hours at a time.

During my 60-minute 2160p HDR video test (100 percent brightness, full screen), the battery barely moved, and during my testing, I rarely ended up feeling panicked about battery life, especially since it comes packed with a 68W USB-C charger.

Should you buy the Asus Zenbook 14 UX3480QA?

This Snapdragon X-powered Zenbook 14 is a great option if you want long-lasting, all day battery life to keep you working when you need. It’s lightweight yet sturdy, and will survive trips in your backpack (within reason, of course).

It also looks great. I’ve reviewed the Arctic Blue model; I’m a big fan of laptops with a splash of color. But, on that, the colorways (Zabriskie Beige, Komodo Coral, and Arctic Blue) should give you an inkling of who this laptop is primarily aimed at.

But if you need higher processing power, expect to play games, or want to run heavier software, the Zenbook 14 isn’t what you’re looking for.

7/10

Operating System

Windows 11

CPU

Snapdragon X (X1-26-100)

GPU

Adreno X1-45

RAM

Up to 16GB

The ASUS Zenbook 14 UX3480QA is an ultra-light, premium 14-inch Copilot+ PC featuring a scratch-resistant Ceraluminum™ lid and a vivid OLED display. Powered by an ARM-based Snapdragon X processor with a 45 TOPS NPU, it delivers fast on-device AI performance alongside exceptional battery life.