ASUS Zenbook 14" UX5406SA-DH71T 2024, Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB, 1TB SSD, Zumaia Gray

That 96th percentile OLED screen is the best thing about this laptop, and it's genuinely stunning. The 1.20kg weight and 0.47-inch thickness make it one of the most portable machines in our database. But gaming scores 19.2 out of 100, and the CAD 669 price spread means you need to shop carefully.

The Core Ultra 7 256V is an 8-core chip running at 1.8GHz, and it handles productivity workloads without breaking a sweat. Our CPU percentile puts it at 69, which translates to solid but not spectacular. You'll breeze through browser tabs, Office apps, and light photo editing. The 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM is right at the 50th percentile, so it's adequate but not future-proof. If you're the type who keeps 40 Chrome tabs open while editing video, you'll feel the ceiling.

The integrated Intel Arc GPU is where things get interesting. It's at the 65th percentile for graphics, which is actually decent for integrated silicon. But the gaming score of 19.2 out of 100 tells the real story. You can play older titles and indie games at reduced settings, but anything modern will struggle. The 1TB SSD lands at the 65th percentile for storage, which is plenty for most people. The 72Wh battery paired with that efficient chip should get you through a full workday, though we don't have benchmark data to confirm exact runtime.

Against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max, the Zenbook wins on portability and screen quality but gets absolutely demolished on raw performance. The M4 Max is in a different universe for CPU and GPU work. The Lenovo Legion 5i and HP OMEN Transcend 14 both offer dedicated graphics that crush the Arc integrated GPU for gaming, though they're heavier and have worse displays. The MSI Raider and Alienware Aurora are gaming-first machines that trade battery life and portability for raw power. If you want a thin, light laptop with a stunning screen for productivity, the Zenbook holds its own. If you want to game or do heavy creative work, every single competitor here beats it on performance.

Pricing is all over the place in Canada. We're seeing listings from CAD 1,800 to CAD 2,469 across four vendors, which is a CAD 669 spread for the exact same machine. That's a huge gap, and it means you absolutely need to shop around before pulling the trigger. At CAD 1,800, this is a compelling ultraportable with a best-in-class screen. At CAD 2,469, you're paying MacBook Pro money for a laptop with integrated graphics and a middling CPU. The affordability percentile sits at 34, so this was never going to be a budget pick. But the variance between vendors means the value proposition changes dramatically depending on where you buy.

The screen is the headline here. At the 96th percentile in our database, this 14-inch 2880x1800 OLED panel is one of the best displays you can get on a Windows laptop right now. 120Hz, 400 nits, full DCI-P3 coverage. That's the kind of screen that makes everything else feel a little dull by comparison. The compact score lands at the 89th percentile too, which makes sense when you're looking at a 1.20kg machine that's 0.47 inches thin.

But the rest of the spec sheet tells a more complicated story. The Intel Core Ultra 7 256V sits at the 69th percentile for CPU performance, and the integrated Arc graphics with 16GB of shared VRAM lands at the 65th percentile. That's fine for everyday work, but gaming scores drop to 19.2 out of 100. This is not a gaming laptop, and it doesn't pretend to be. It's a gorgeous ultraportable with some real compromises under the hood.

Gamers should look elsewhere immediately. A 19.2 gaming score is a dealbreaker if you want to play anything released in the last few years. Heavy creative professionals will also find the 16GB RAM ceiling and integrated graphics limiting for video editing or 3D work. And if you're on a tight budget, the 34th percentile affordability score combined with that CAD 669 price spread means you could easily overpay. The 8th percentile social proof is also worth noting. With only 5 reviews and a 3.6 rating, there's not much real-world validation from other buyers yet.

The Zenbook S 14 is a screen-first laptop. If you spend your day reading, writing, browsing, and watching content, that 96th percentile OLED panel is worth the price of admission. The 89th percentile compact score means it disappears into a bag, and the 72Wh battery should keep it running through a full day. But the gaming score of 19.2 and the 50th percentile RAM are real limitations. This is a machine for people who prioritize display quality and portability over raw horsepower. At the low end of the CAD price range, it's a solid buy. At the high end, you're overpaying.