ASUS Vivobook S14 (2024) Review The Top of Efficiency
Every once in a while, a laptop comes out that really shakes things up. The new ASUS Vivobook S14 for 2024, with AMD's new Ryzen AI 300 series chips, is one of those. It's a 14-inch model that's thin, light, very fast, and has amazing battery life for a Windows laptop. It's more than just a new model; it's a big leap. But is it the best for everything. Let's check it out.
A Quick Look at the Specs
The Vivobook S14 comes in different setups. The ones we looked at have top parts, but the specs can change.
- Chip: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (12 Cores, 24 Threads, up to 50 TOPS NPU) or Ryzen AI 9 365.
- Graphics: Built-in AMD Radeon 890M (16 CUs) or 880M, based on RDNA 3.5.
- RAM: Up to 32GB of LPDDR5X-7500 RAM (cannot add more).
- Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (can add more).
- Screen: 14-inch ASUS Lumina OLED screen.
- Screen Details: Up to 3.2K (2880x1800) sharpness, up to 120Hz refresh rate (base models at 60Hz), 400 nits brightness, 100% DCI-P3 colors, HDR ready.
- Battery: 75Wh.
- Charger: 90W USB-C small charger.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth.
- Ports: 2x USB-C (one is USB 4), 2x USB-A 3.1, 1x HDMI 2.1, MicroSD card slot, 3.5mm jack.
- Weight: About 1.3 kg (2.9 lbs).
Design and Build Quality
ASUS made the Vivobook design feel high-end. It's all aluminum and feels strong with no bending or creaking, which is great for how thin and light it is. You can open it with one hand, showing off a design that's sleek and smart.
Even with its slim size, it has a lot of ports, so you don’t need extra adapters. It has a full HDMI 2.1 port and a MicroSD card slot, plus new USB-C and USB-A. One thing: the black finish picks up fingerprints a lot. If you want it to look clean, go with the silver one.
Keyboard, Touchpad, and Sound
Using it feels good. The flat ErgoSense keyboard has deep key presses and feels snappy, making typing fun. It has single-zone RGB lights for using it at night. It also has a special shortcut key for Windows.
The touchpad is big, smooth, and works well. ASUS added smart touch moves for sound and brightness right on the touchpad, which is very handy and cool. The sound from the speakers is top-tier for the price. It's clear, loud, and has good bass. Watching movies or listening to music feels like using a good portable speaker.
The Star of the Show: Screen and Performance
A Stunning OLED Screen
The ASUS Lumina OLEDs are awesome as always. Super deep blacks, bright colors, and true to life visuals make them great for creatives or watching movies. HDR stuff looks fantastic. But, it's very shiny, so it can reflect a lot in bright light. Also, some basic models have a 1920x1200p screen at 60Hz. The sharpness is good enough, but the 120Hz on better models makes things look smoother.
Ryzen AI: New Level of Efficiency
The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip changes the game. Built on the new Zen 5, it's very power-efficient for a Windows laptop. In tests, the laptop used only 3 watts when doing nothing, with Wi-Fi on. This means amazing battery life:
- Idle (20% Brightness): Up to an amazing 25 hours.
- YouTube (50% Brightness): A strong 11.5 hours.
- Office Work: Should last about 17 hours.
- Gaming (on battery): 2.5 to 3 hours quietly, and maybe 4-5 hours on less intense games if you adjust the power.
This makes it great for students or anyone who moves around a lot.
Strong When Needed
This efficiency doesn't cut down its power. When plugged in and on full speed, the CPU uses up to 55W, giving you speed that can match older, bigger chips.
- Cinebench R23: Scores up to about 21,500 multi-core and about 2,025 single-core.
- Geekbench: Scores up to about 15,200 multi-core and about 2,896 single-core.
- PCMark 10: A very high about 7,800, showing super fast overall speed.
The laptop is very quick, turning on and waking up right away. Even on low power, it still performs well, showing how flexible this chip is.
Gaming on an Integrated GPU Yes
The built-in Radeon 890M is the fastest iGPU right now. While it's not a huge jump from the last 780M, it's strong enough to change how we see thin laptops. It's not just for simple games; this laptop can really do well with big new games at good settings.
- Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Low/Medium, FSR Quality): Very playable at 45-60 FPS. With AMD Fluid Motion Frames, this boosts to a smooth 80+ FPS.
- Hogwarts Legacy (1080p, Medium, FSR Performance): About 58 FPS.
- The Finals (1080p, Low, FSR Performance): About 91 FPS.
- Valorant (1080p, Low): Over 360 FPS, showing its CPU power.
- The Last of Us Part 1 (1080p, Medium, FSR Performance): Smooth 90 FPS.
You really can have a great gaming time on this laptop, which was hard to think before for a thin-and-light.
Heat, Noise, and Upgradability
When worked hard in high gear, the top part near the keys and the bottom of the laptop get very hot, so it's not good to put it on your lap for big games. But, the twin-fan setup does a great job in keeping it quiet. When the fans run fast, they make noise but don't whine sharply. In normal or soft modes, it stays very quiet, even with big tasks.
Here’s a big issue: making changes. While you can switch out the 2280 NVMe SSD easily, the RAM is stuck to the board and can't be changed. This is a big problem if you want to use the laptop for a long time. If you plan to keep this laptop for many years, you should go for 32GB of RAM from the start.
Pros
- Amazing battery life and power use.
- Very strong CPU work for its type.
- Top strong built-in GPU for games.
- Great, true-color OLED screen.
- Top-notch keys and smart touchpad.
- Strong, light aluminum body.
- Good mix of ports, including HDMI and MicroSD.
- Big, clear sound from the speakers.
Cons
- RAM is fixed and cannot be changed.
- Black style gets dirty easy.
- OLED screen is shiny and shows reflections.
- Can get very hot at the bottom with heavy use.
- Base models might only have a 60Hz screen.
Final Verdict and Score
The ASUS Vivobook S14 is an awesome all-around laptop and one of the best thin and light ones out this year. It has very strong work, long battery life, a strong build, and a great screen. The new Ryzen AI processor isn't just hype; it really makes a difference.
Yet, it's not perfect. The set RAM is a big thing to think about for power users and those who value keeping their tech for years. But if you can overlook that and set it up right when buying, you get a very good and flexible laptop that does well at most things. It's a great pick for students, workers, and even easy-going gamers who need one tool for all tasks.
Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars