Excellent battery life and work comfort: ASUS Vivobook S14 (2025) laptop review

When there are not many requirements for the performance of a laptop, completely different whims come to the surface, such as quiet cooling, long battery life, ease of transportation, etc. And not so long ago, unusual competition was added to this segment of laptops — models based on the Qualcomm platform appeared. And although it is difficult to say at the moment that Snapdragon chips have become a kind of sales star, they do have their advantages. One of the models from ASUS, which should demonstrate these advantages this year, is the Vivobook S14, and in today's review we will take a closer look at what such a machine is capable of.

ASUS Vivobook S14 specifications

Package contents

The current originality of the platform does not expect anything unusual in the package, so the laptop comes with only a small power supply. The inside of the box can be used as a stand, using the instructions printed on it, but I think such a cardboard "holder" is unlikely to be popular with owners.

And in general, such models do not have an urgent need for a large number of accessories. Most backpacks or laptop bags will have enough space for transportation, and ports for connecting monitors, drives, headphones, and more are also in place. So the basic set will be enough for the vast majority of buyers.

Design and usability

The flagship appearance remains behind the Zenbook line, but this did not prevent the ASUS Vivobook S14 from having a good design. It is relatively restrained and does not aim to stand out much, which may appeal to fans of "calm" gadgets. Previously, Vivobooks were met with more accents on the case, but now, it seems, this concept has been replaced by simpler solutions. How successful it is or not, the end buyer will be the best judge, but subjectively - this is a regular work laptop, without unnecessary "frills".

The case is mostly made of plastic, and metal is used only in the display cover and the bottom of the top case. However, such a selection of materials did not prevent everything from being assembled well. Here the manufacturer also notes the MIL-STD-810H certification, and the laptop does not give the impression of being "weak". But it is still worth keeping in mind that it can still be damaged.

At the same time, it does not seem large. Currently, we have a 14-inch version of this model, whose dimensions are 315.2×223.4×15.9-17.9 mm. This is, of course, not the smallest representative with such a display diagonal, but it cannot be called large. And with a weight of about 1.35 kg, the ASUS Vivobook S14 can be easily taken with you somewhere. Again, the models of this line do not claim the titles of the lightest and smallest, but they still retain good portability.

Separately, I would like to praise the design for the cooling slots hidden from the user. True, this is more of a distinction of the platform, but in this context it is not at all fundamental. So all the ventilation holes are located at the bottom, and the air inlets and outlets are separated by a long leg, which ASUS also practices in more expensive and more productive models. And everything looks just as restrained and practical.

The model has been diversified with two colors — Cool Silver and Matte Gray. I am more of a fan of dark cases, so I liked the test dark gray version. At the same time, the laptop does not visually get dirty much and is easy to clean. I definitely like the matte finish. And the lighter option is unlikely to be worse or less practical.

However, as at the first acquaintance, and especially after some time spent with the Vivobook S14, it is very difficult to say that we have something new in front of us. This is a completely "casual" laptop without any notable features. So it is unlikely to satisfy buyers who are looking for something original. And vice versa — it will completely satisfy fans of the classics. And if you find yourself somewhere between these two extremes — there is plenty of room for interesting stickers here. The main thing is that the convenience of work and transportation is in full order here.

Display

ASUS Vivobook S14 offers two 14-inch screen options: OLED and IPS. Only IPS versions are currently available in Ukraine. In both cases, the matrices are covered by relatively thick frames, which may not be to the liking of those people who pay close attention to this (they do not affect work in any way anyway). These screens have an aspect ratio of 16:10 and an image refresh rate of 60 Hz. But then there is a more fundamental difference.

The OLED matrix will provide a richer image with full coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, while IPS has 100% sRGB. Actually, we have the latter option. And, indeed, this is not the most expressive screen that has come to us in the past. However, it is quite suitable for daily work, watching videos and movies, and other tasks that are not demanding on the image. As always, MyASUS has a few image adjustment options, but the most significant of them will be temperature correction for fans of "colder" or "warmer" shades.

The difference in resolution will be a little less fundamental. In the case of OLED, it is 1920×1200 pixels, and in IPS - 2560×1600. Of course, with more points on the screen it is still more pleasant, but at 14 inches it is difficult to call it a significant advantage (or disadvantage). Moreover, we are not dealing with a gaming laptop, where the resolution will also affect the FPS indicators. Still, there is a difference, and it was worth mentioning.

And the matrices also differ in brightness. OLED will show up to 300 cd/m², IPS - up to 400. There is also automatic backlight adjustment. In the case of the IPS display, the coating is matte and there are generally no problems with glare. However, this is still not the brightness level that will be most comfortable under any circumstances. But users who almost always work with a laptop indoors will not encounter problems.

Ports

Similar models are not characterized by a very large set of interfaces for connecting external devices. However, everything you need is found in the ASUS Vivobook S14. The left side of the top case has placed almost everything - a pair of USB-C 4, HDMI 2.1, combined audio and USB-A 3.2 Gen 1. There is another such USB-A on the opposite side. There is no separate connector for charging, and it is unlikely to be needed.

If necessary, everything else can be connected via adapters or hubs. However, this is hardly a real need for owners of such laptops. And having a monitor with a hub and the ability to charge via USB-C at the workplace, you can also do without a power supply.

Security

For Windows Hello, the webcam is supplemented with an IR sensor. This allows you to scan the owner's face, which works quite well and quite quickly. The camera is also equipped with a mechanical "curtain", but you won't be able to use all the security features at the same time, and there are several other potentially useful features among them.

Yes, separately, the laptop can automatically lock as soon as the user leaves, and unlock when he returns. Additionally, when looking away from the screen, its brightness will decrease. This not only helps to save a little extra battery life, but also adds security when working in public places or offices with specific requirements for data confidentiality.

But it is worth considering that to implement all these features you will have to keep the camera open, and not all users like this. A fingerprint scanner would help to correct this situation a little, but this model did not get one.

Keyboard and trackpad

Like most similar models, the new ASUS Vivobook S14 has received a branded ErgoSense keyboard. The 14-inch model traditionally did without a NUM block, has small navigation keys, a Copilot button, a correctly located Del, a standard set of shortcuts, etc. In general, there is almost nothing new for the manufacturer's keyboards.

Separately, ASUS emphasizes the key travel of 1.7 mm, which should be a record for its class. And working with a large amount of text is really convenient. In addition, the mechanisms are not very loud, which also adds comfort during prolonged work. And for different lighting conditions, there is a white backlight with three levels of intensity (not the brightest of what ASUS has ever had, but quite enough).

The centrally located trackpad doesn't take up all the available space, but it's not small either. With a size of approximately 127×78 mm, the touch surface is enough for full-fledged work without a mouse. And along with standard Windows gestures, there is also support for additional ones from ASUS: control of display brightness and sound level on the sides of the trackpad, moving along the video and audio timeline from above, and calling the ScreenXpert utility by swiping from the upper left corner to the center.

As always, such a trackpad will allow users who are used to such cursor control to easily do without a mouse. There were no significant shortcomings or errors with it. True, it is still more convenient to do more or less precise work with a mouse, but this applies to trackpads in general, not this one in particular.

Camera and sound

There are no unusual features in the 2-megapixel webcam. The image quality is at the relative level of other similar ones, and the Copilot+ PC status provides a slightly larger set of standard additions and effects. Everything will be enough for online communication, especially if there is good lighting in the room.

For some reason, the test model has fewer ASUS AI Noise Cancelling options for the built-in microphones than it should, and the one available doesn't make much difference. But given the freshness of the model, there should be more of them with future updates to the firmware. However, it's not possible to "clean" the conversation of all unnecessary sounds at the moment. I hope this will be fixed soon, because the noise cancellation in ASUS laptops has really shown itself well in recent years.

And for sound reproduction, there are two speakers with a classic placement in the lower part of the top case. Of course, they don’t reach the flagships. However, they don’t completely overtake the latter. They have enough volume and do not allow for serious sound distortions.

For music, of course, I would like more bass. However, for all everyday tasks (communication, podcasts, dubbing videos and movies, etc.), such capabilities will easily be enough. And at the same time, there will be no need to use the maximum sound reserve in a regular room.

Productivity and software

However, one of the most interesting features of the ASUS Vivobook S14 is its internals. The model is equipped with a Snapdragon X processor, and there are not so many of them yet, as there are varieties from Intel or AMD. The platform is still quite unique and has a number of its own features (both good and not so good). But in certain cases it is still really interesting and can simplify certain aspects of operation.

The experimental laptop, along with the 4-nanometer Snapdragon X X1 26 100 (8 cores, 8 threads, up to 2.97 GHz, 30 MB, up to 30 W), has an integrated Adreno X1-45 video accelerator and Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (up to 45 TOPS). It is also supplemented by 16 GB of LPDDR5-8448 and 512 GB in the M.2 slot (PCIe 4.0×4, 2280). And if the drive can be replaced, then the RAM is not. But there are configurations with 32 GB of RAM.

Wireless interfaces include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. This can also be upgraded, but I don't think this is a case for a potential owner of such a laptop.

In general, we were unable to test the performance with all the standard tests for us. 3DMark and PCMark 10 (except for the autonomy test) could not even start. The rest of the test programs left quite the expected impressions. Snapdragon X X1 26 100 is not the flagship of the Qualcomm line, but its performance will be enough for undemanding work. However, this option is definitely not suitable for fans of games. For example, the popular CS2 barely works even with minimal graphics settings, and the banal and far from new GTA V under the same conditions did not even reach the average 60 FPS. (Although, again, such laptops are hardly bought for games.)

The stability of the system also failed to be tested, because even if the "software" is launched, for example, AIDA does not "see" all the necessary indicators. So here we will only have to rely on subjective feelings from the work. Although at the same time, during the acquaintance with the laptop, no noticeable problems were observed in its work.

Moreover, it even offers several operating modes for different scenarios. It also doesn't lose much in performance without power (if we rely on Cinebench, then in Full-speed mode we have 96/701 with the power connected, and 95/657 without it). But at the same time, if you switch to power saving mode, you won't get more than half the performance. Although it won't be particularly noticeable in basic work.

There is only one fan for active cooling. And under normal conditions, it is mostly "on standby". In over a week with the laptop, I heard it only when installing system updates and launching test applications. Everyday browsing, office programs, watching videos, movies, etc. practically did not require attention from the cooling, and the case barely heated up.

The traditional set of "software" from ASUS is also here. This is MyASUS for basic settings and updates, ScreenXpert for working with an external screen, StoryCube for organizing photos, etc. Also, such computers are faster to receive new AI features in Windows 11.

But the peculiarities of working with ARM chips, as the experience of even test programs shows, still remain. If the user has mostly undemanding work with the Internet, office applications, and media viewing, there will be no problems. And such a scenario is surprisingly comfortable. With everything else, you should first make sure that the necessary programs have adapted versions and work properly with the new platform. This is worth considering before purchasing, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises later.

Battery life

The ARM platform's strength is also its battery life. The only PCMark 10 test that was able to be run was video playback. The laptop lasted over 22 hours with it. For a 70 Wh battery, this is a very good result. Watching a two-hour movie takes a little more than 10% of the charge. So, with ordinary, undemanding tasks, the user can easily count on a day of work without having to look for an outlet.

But in fact, even if you need a power supply, it won't be a big "burden". The laptop can be charged from power banks, and the branded power supply is small and convenient for transportation. Its power is 65 W. At the same time, the battery will accumulate 60% of the charge in less than an hour, and a full charge will take about two hours.