When the going gets TUF, the Asus’ TUF lineup is the more cost-effective gaming laptop to buy, and the A14 goes hard with cleaner, sharper looks, a more durable feel, attention to ergonomics, and beefier power under the hood. This is an ROG Zephyrus G14 in spirit, but without the higher price tag — cutting the OLED in favor of a more than serviceable QHD+ IPS display with a 165Hz refresh rate, and shedding its aluminum unibody skin for a mix of the metal and plastic with a premium feel. On top of that, a shift to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor beefs up AI performance nicely, and is even more powerful than what is on offer in the pricier counterpart.
Pair that with RTX 4060 graphics unlocking DLSS 3.5, and cram it all into a thin and lightweight shell, and you’ve got a seriously impressive mid-ranger. But what about the price? This remains to be seen, but that’s not going to stop me guessing.
The lower-cost TUF Gaming A14 with AMD Ryzen 8845HS and RTX 4060 comes in at $1,399. My bet is on $1,499, but could go up as far as $1,599 — the starting price of the Zephyrus G14. Even on the more expensive end of that window, this is an impressive price-to-performance ratio blended with ultimate portability given how shockingly thin and light it is.
That’s not to say it’s perfect. A maximum of 16GB DDR5 RAM and a limited port array could get a little annoying depending on your peripheral and multitasking demands. But all-in-all, this laptop stood head and shoulders ab.
