Hardware

Review: The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Passes the Remote Work Stress Test

This sleek notebook features a travel-ready solid-state drive inside its lightweight frame.

Carlos Soto is an award-winning reviewer and journalist with 20 years of experience covering technology and business within various sectors and industries.

Notebooks are the centerpiece of many state and local government employees’ worlds, especially in the era of digital work, and this key piece of gear must be lightweight and fast. The new ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 is a sleek system that includes a powerful processor and features that surpass those of many desktop computers.

The Zenbook’s solid-state drive has no moving parts, hardening it against bumps while on the road and keeping stored data safe. It was hardly noticeable in my travel bag on business trips, yet it proved itself powerful enough to help me accomplish all of my required tasks in airport lounges, guest offices, coffee shops and hotel rooms.

In addition to the fast AMD Ryzen 9 processor, the laptop has HDMI, USB-A and USB-C ports to support peripherals. It even comes with a microSD card reader and an audio jack for extra functionality.

Both USB-C ports support Thunderbolt 4, so I was able to quickly connect the Zenbook Pro 14 to 4K monitors to show the razzle-dazzle built into my presentations.

Even when no external monitor is available, the NanoEdge Full HD display provides stunningly clear and bright visuals in nearly any lighting. I also used it to present during a webinar, and viewers commented on the high quality of the presentation.

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Local Agencies Can Benefit from High Processing Power

The Zenbook Pro 14 features high processing power. To stress-test it back in the lab, I ran graphically intensive videos for more than 20 hours while processing large computations from a custom database. I didn’t detect any buffering, lagging or glitching in the videos.

As far as battery life, the Zenbook Pro 14 is impressive. On the road, I got up to 10 hours of runtime with normal use. When pushed to the maximum for performance testing, the battery still lasted for 6.5 hours.

The laptop’s security features are a boon for travelers. Windows Hello, combined with an integrated infrared camera, supports passwordless login, and the system can automatically log you out if you step away.

Finally, the edge-to-edge ergonomic keyboard allows for comfortable typing and easy data entry, thanks to the innovative ASUS NumberPad, an illuminated virtual numeric keypad embedded in the touchpad. It’s every bit as easy to work with as a desktop computer with a full-size keyboard.

With its computing power and reliability, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 can be a key tool to help state and local government employees and their agencies meet mission requirements.

SPECIFICATIONS

OS: Windows 11 Pro
MEMORY: 16GB RAM
STORAGE: 1TB SSD NVMe
PROCESSOR: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (3.3GHz)
RESOLUTION: 1920x1080 (Full HD)
SCREEN SIZE: 14 inches
DIMENSIONS: 12.6x8.3x0.7 inches
WEIGHT: 2.9 pounds

An Ideal Business Notebook Has Two Characteristics

Technology has always been crucial to government. It drives the ability to deliver value to citizens and helps agencies attract and retain the best talent. Well-qualified professionals want to join teams that provide updated technology to their employees, with all the features they need to perform their jobs.

The notebook computer especially is of great service to state and local employees. This became clear over the past few years during the widespread embrace of remote work, a trend that’s here to stay.

Beyond a notebook’s raw specifications, there are two factors that generally separate average or good devices from great ones.

1. Great Form Factor for Many Roles

Unlike desktop computers, which generally stay in one place and perform the same functions and duties every day, a notebook can be flexible. It might anchor a home office, act as a bridge to a main office for travelers, or be used for in-person or remote presentations.

In general, a notebook must be light yet powerful and have a good form factor, and the slim form and intuitive design of the ASUS Zenbook Pro can accommodate nearly every type of user. Along with a large, well-designed keyboard, the Zenbook Pro makes a hardy workhorse for almost any scenario.

Whether resting on your lap while you type vigorously (as I am doing while I write this), on a desk or on an airplane tray, the slim, light and powerful Zenbook Pro is capable of filling multiple roles for multitasking employees.

2. Reliable Speed and Battery Life

Processors often get the credit for computer speed when it’s the graphics card that adds to system performance.

The Zenbook Pro has a fast processor as well as a powerful integrated AMD Radeon Vega 7 GPU, with eight computing units and frequencies of up to 2 gigahertz. Whether used for word processing or presenting a multimedia extravaganza, the Zenbook Pro has the power to drive applications.

But all that power is worth very little if a notebook can’t last through a presentation or a few hours of typing. ASUS knows that great performance requires great battery life, which is why the Zenbook Pro has an ample battery that supports long runtimes, and quick charging features will have the device ready to go again in no time flat.