2024 ASUS Zenbook 14 (UX3405) First Impressions

The Zenbook series has been a staple in the ASUS lineup when it comes to portable and efficient laptops. And for this year, ASUS Philippines plans to launch two new models – the Zenbook Duo (UX8406), and the new 2024 Zenbook 14 (UX3405).

While the Zenbook Duo is arguably the more interesting of the two with its dual 14-inch 3K displays, Asus did make some changes to the more traditional and practical Zenbook 14 for 2024.

In terms of design and construction, it’s hard to tell the difference from the previous Zenbook with this one on the outside. You still get the unique lid design, which is a signature of the Zenbook series. Like before, it’s still very slim and lightweight, making it easy to carry around. You won’t get tired of carrying it around.

So, it looks like nothing changed that much right? Well, Asus managed to make the Zenbook 14 (UX3405) a lot more compact and portable. It now measures just 14.9mm thin when closed, and only weighs 1.2kg. You can easily carry it with one hand, and you won’t struggle even with the lid open.

Other exterior design changes include the addition of a physical shutter for the built-in webcam. Unlike before which only had an e-shutter, the 2024 Zenbook 14 now comes with a physical shutter to give you better privacy protection. As for the ports, you get two USB-C/Thunderbolt and even a single USB-A available, as well as a full HDMI 2.1 and an audio combo port. Unfortunately no SD card reader here.

Another upgrade ASUS made to the Zenbook can be found when you open it up. The display is now a 3K ASUS Lumina OLED which is really bright, and you get nice thin borders all around. It even has a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz, which makes it nice to scroll through the menu and even browse the web. It should even be good for gaming, but we didn’t get to try it this time around.

Together with the new ASUS Lumina OLED display, the speakers have also been upgraded, giving users a better listening experience. They’re louder and have a better sound stage thanks to the tuned by Harman Kardon with Dolby Atmos technology. This makes it great if you plan on watching movies with friends using the built-in speakers.

Like before, the keyboard feels nice to the touch and is easy to type on. You still a get nice big trackpad positioned at the center, which is great to use.

In terms of performance, the new Zenbook 14 now runs on the newer Intel Ultra processor, making it perform better and faster. It can also be ordered with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. Specific details were not revealed just yet, but we were told it can be powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor.

For users who like to play games, there’s no dedicated AMD or NVIDIA GPU. Instead, the Zenbook 14 runs on Intel Arc graphics, which should be okay for light gaming. Windows 11 comes standard and even features the latest AI tools available to use. We weren’t able to run benchmarks or play games, but we’ll do so once we have the unit for a full review.

The other big change is the battery life. ASUS says the new Zenbook now packs a battery with 75Wh capacity with claims of up to 15 hours of battery life. If you do need to juice it up, it recharges via a USB-C with 65W charging.

While the design change isn’t as big as the new Zenbook Duo, the 2024 Zenbook 14 still has some new tricks up its sleeve. With a more powerful processor and a new OLED display in an even more compact package, we have high expectations for this laptop. So be sure to stay tuned for our full review once we get our hands on it.

As for the price, ASUS has yet to reveal it at the time of writing. However, the Zenbook 14 (UX3405) will be launched very soon alongside the Zenbook Duo (UX8406). We will create a separate post so check back soon.