In a time where everyone seems to be wanting even more from their computers—be it more battery life, more powerful AI performance, more portability—it’s getting hard to design and develop an AI laptop that is able to meet these higher requirements. And perhaps the most important piece of hardware required when designing a new laptop for the new era of AI is the processor itself. Here at ASUS, we have to build the best device we can based on what our partners are able to give us, and we’re very happy to say that Intel—one of our longest running partners—has delivered the goods this time round with Lunar Lake.
Officially called the Intel Core Ultra mobile processors (Series 2), these second generation mobile processors have been touted by Intel as a radical shift, as well as being able to power the most complete and capable AI PCs the industry has seen yet. Built on the 3nm N3B process node from TSMC, it continues with a similar tile-based design introduced in Meteor Lake, with a compute tile and a platform controller tile. The latter essentially takes care of connectivity and security, while the former houses the performance cores (P-cores) and efficiency cores (E-cores) along with the integrated GPU and NPU, and is pretty much where the magic happens.
Thanks to architectural improvements made by Intel, these latest generation Core Ultra processors are able to offer up to 40% lower SoC power, meaning they use significantly less power to achieve the same performance as last gen, and offers up to 80% performance-per-watt gains with up to 50% higher peak performance compared to last gen. It also gets on-package memory for the first time, meaning the RAM is integrated onto the chip, resulting in faster performance and reduced latency when you’re on your laptop.
You’ll also see huge leaps in graphical performance thanks to the new Intel Xe2 integrated GPU, with Intel touting a 50% boost in graphics performance and up to 3.5x GPU AI compute performance too. That being said, there’s a good chance you’ll want to use the impressive NPU in Lunar Lake that now uses the new NPU 4 architecture. They meet and exceed Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirements, meaning that Lunar Lake-powered machines are already certified Copilot+ PCs, with users able to enjoy the benefits once Microsoft releases the update for it.
And which laptops in particular then are we talking about? Well for starters, there’s the incredible and impressive ASUS Zenbook S 14, powered by the Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 Processor 258V, while the simply slim and stunning ASUS Vivobook S 14 comes with either the Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 Processor 226V or the Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 Processor 258V under the hood. As mentioned earlier, these two laptops will be able to enjoy unprecedented efficiency and portability thanks to the Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) powering them, and with NPUs capable of up to 47 TOPS of AI performance are certified Copilot+ PCs too. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy features like Recall, Cocreator, Live Captions and more.
While AI performance and Copilot+ features are certainly some of the biggest headlines around our new laptops, it’s also worth noting that with Lunar Lake, we’re seeing some incredible improvements in battery life too. Specifically, with Intel Core Ultra mobile processors (Series 2) you’ll be able to enjoy up to 27 hours of use on both the Zenbook S 14 and Vivobook S 14, thanks to it being up to 40% more efficient than the previous generation of Intel Core Ultra processors. The former packs in a 72Wh battery capacity while the latter has a 75Wh battery, and both of these laptops can be easily charged via USB-C too. This makes our laptops powered by Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) some of the best options available for anyone seeking a laptop with multi-day battery life for productivity on-the-go.
On top of that, at ASUS we pride ourselves on having some of the best displays available on our laptops, and our Lunar Lake options are no different. The ASUS Zenbook S 14 packs in an amazing 14-inch, 3K OLED display with a 120Hz high refresh rate, a peak brightness of 500nits and is PANTONE Validated too meaning you’ll be able to use it for even the most color critical work such as design and photo editing.
Then as for our Vivobook S 14, it comes with a 14-inch, WUXGA OLED panel that, along with the Zenbook S 14, comes in a 16:10 aspect ratio for additional screen real estate so that you can see more on your screen, along with full coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut for an excellent visual experience when you’re watching movies or playing games on these devices.
Of course, it wouldn’t be enough for your laptop to merely have great hardware on the inside. The ASUS Zenbook S 14’s chassis is built using a high-tech ceramic material that we’re calling Ceraluminum™. It not only offers unparalleled strength and durability but also has a smooth, Zen-like finish to it. On top of that, it’s a mere 1.1cm thin and 1.2kg light, making it super portable for productivity on-the-go, with your choice between the Zumaia Gray or Scandinavian White color options.
The ASUS Vivobook S 14 meanwhile is also a great portable alternative, weighing in at just 1.3kg and measuring just 1.3cm thick. With an elegant and minimalistic design along with a refined CNC engraved logo on the lid, the Vivobook S 14 is sure to ooze simplicity and sophistication in its Mist Blue color option. And the best part? Both the Zenbook S 14 and the Vivobook S 14 meet the strict US MIL-STD 810H military standards for reliability and durability, giving you the confidence to work, travel and relax anywhere you may be.
As for pricing and availability, we’re happy to say that the ASUS Zenbook S 14 is already available in Malaysia from all ASUS authorized retailers with a recommended retail price of RM6,999. The ASUS Vivobook S 14 meanwhile is priced from RM4,799 onwards and will be available for purchase from mid-Jan onwards.
SPECIFICATIONS
ASUS Zenbook S 14 (UX5406S-APV208WS / UX5406S-APV209WS)
CPU | Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 Processor 258V |
Display | 14", 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED Non-touch display, 16:10 aspect ratio,120Hz refresh rate, 400 nits, up to 500 nits HDR peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, DisplayHDR™ True Black 500 certified, Pantone® Validated,70% less harmful blue light, TÜV Rheinland-certified, 90% screen-to-body ratio |
Operating system | Windows 11 Home Microsoft Home & Student 2021 included Microsoft 365 Basic (1-year subscription) with 100GB secure cloud storage included |
Graphics | Intel® Arc™ Graphics |
Main memory | 32 GB LPDDR5X on board |
Storage | 1TB M.2 NVMe® PCIe® 4.0 SSD |
Connectivity | WiFi 7 (802.11be) Up to Bluetooth® 5.4 |
Camera | AiSense FHD IR camera w/ ACS |
I/O ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 supports display / power delivery 1 x HDMI® 2.1 TMDS 1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack |
Touchpad | Enlarged touchpad (127 x 79mm) with Smart Gesture support |
Audio | 4 built-in speakers 2 built-in array microphones Harman Kardon certified |
Battery | 72Wh |
AC adapter | 65W AC Adapter Output: 20V DC, 3.25A, 65W Input: 100-240V AC 50 / 60Hz universal |
Dimensions | 31.03 x 21.47 x 1.19 ~ 1.29cm (12.22" x 8.45" x 0.47" ~ 0.51") |
Weight | 1.2kg |
Colors | UX5406S-APV208WS – Zumaia Gray UX5406S-APV209WS – Scandinavian White |
Pricing and Availability | RM6,999 Available now from ASUS authorized retailers |
ASUS Vivobook S 14 (S5406S-AQD138WS / S5406S-AQD238WS)
CPU | Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 Processor 226VIntel® Core™ Ultra 7 Processor 258V |
Display | 14”, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) OLED Non-touch display, 16:10 aspect ratio, 60Hz refresh rate, 400nits, up to 600nits HDR peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, DisplayHDR™ True Black 600 certified, 70% less harmful blue light, 87% screen-to-body ratio |
Operating system | Windows 11 Home Microsoft Home & Student 2024 included Microsoft 365 Basic (1-year subscription) with 100GB secure cloud storage included |
Graphics | Intel® Arc™ Graphics |
Main memory | 16 GB LPDDR5X on board32 GB LPDDR5X on board |
Storage | 512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 4.0 SSD1TB M.2 NVMe® PCIe® 4.0 SSD |
Connectivity | WiFi 7 (802.11be) Up to Bluetooth® 5.4 |
Camera | FHD IR camera w/ Windows Hellowith privacy shutter |
I/O ports | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (data speed up to 5Gbps)2x Thunderbolt™ 4 with support for display / power delivery (data speed up to 40Gbps)1x HDMI 2.1 TMDS1x 3.5mm Combo Audio JackMicro SD card reader |
Keyboard & Touchpad | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard 1-Zone RGB without Num-key1.7mm Key-travelPrecision touchpad |
Audio | Smart Amp TechnologyBuilt-in speakerBuilt-in microphoneBuilt-in array microphoneHarman Kardon certified |
Battery | 75Wh |
AC adapter | 65W AC Adapter Output: 20V DC, 3.25A, 65W Input: 100-240V AC 50 / 60Hz universal |
Dimensions | 31.05 x 22.19 x 1.39 ~ 1.59 cm (12.22" x 8.74" x 0.55" ~ 0.63") |
Weight | 1.3kg |
Colors | S5406S-AQD138WS / S5406S-AQD238WS – Mist Blue |
Pricing and Availability | S5406S-AQD138WS (Core Ultra 5/16GB RAM/512GB SSD) - RM4,799 S5406S-AQD238WS (Core Ultra 7/32GB RAM/1TB SSD) – RM5,299 Available from mid-Jan 2025 onwards |
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