Head-to-head · Best Thin and Light Laptops

Apple MacBook Air M4 vs ASUS Zenbook S14

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Apple MacBook Air M4 comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.8 vs 4.5). The gap is mostly about Apple-ecosystem users who want battery life, silence, and the M4 chip — read the strengths below before deciding.

Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Thin and Light Laptops

Apple MacBook Air M4

4.8

$1,099

The MacBook Air M4 is the macOS pick. M4 chip plus 18-hour battery plus fanless design — the spec sheet that no Windows laptop has matched yet. Best for Apple-ecosystem users, students, and anyone who values battery and silence above raw multicore numbers.

Strengths

— M4 chip delivers desktop-class single-core performance in a fanless 2.7-lb chassis
— 18-hour rated battery / 11-13 hours real-world
— Liquid Retina 13" or 15" 2560×1664 panel — excellent color and contrast

Watch-outs

— macOS-only — Windows software requires Parallels or other workarounds
— 8GB base RAM is real — bump to 16GB+ for serious workloads
— Limited port selection — just 2× Thunderbolt + MagSafe

$1,099 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Ranked #5 in Best Thin and Light Laptops

ASUS Zenbook S14

4.5

$1,299

The Zenbook S14 is the Windows OLED pick. 3K OLED in a 2.65-lb chassis with Ceraluminum finish — a different aesthetic from ThinkPad business and Apple minimalism. Best for design-conscious Windows users who want OLED at this size.

Strengths

— Ceraluminum chassis — ceramic-aluminum composite that resists scratches
— 14" 3K OLED display
— Intel Core Ultra 7 with NPU + Copilot+ PC features

Watch-outs

— Ceraluminum finish shows fingerprints easily
— Keyboard travel is shallow even by ultrabook standards
— ASUS warranty service slower than Lenovo or Dell in the US

$1,299 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Apple MacBook Air M4

Only macOS pick. Best battery + silence combo. Heavier than ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Fewer ports than every Windows pick.

ASUS Zenbook S14

Best Windows OLED in lineup. Lighter than XPS 14. Heavier than ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Distinctive Ceraluminum finish.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Apple MacBook Air M4	ASUS Zenbook S14
CPU	Apple M4	Intel Core Ultra 7
Weight	2.7 lb	2.65 lb
Display	13" / 15" Liquid Retina	14" 3K OLED
Battery	18 hours rated	—
Build	100% recycled aluminum	—
Thickness	—	1.1 cm
NPU	—	Yes (Copilot+)

← See the full ranking of best thin and light laptops