ASUS Vivobook S 14" S5406SA-WH79 Black 2024

The ASUS Vivobook S 14 is an ultra-light laptop with a stunning OLED screen and a generous 32GB of RAM, making it a joy for everyday productivity and media consumption. Its integrated graphics are a major weak spot, so gamers and creative pros should steer clear. The price varies wildly from $1,100 to $1,499, so it's a great value if you find it on sale. We recommend it for students and office workers who prioritize a beautiful display and all-day portability above all else.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 here is a bit of a mixed bag. For single-core tasks like launching apps and general Windows snappiness, it feels perfectly responsive. But in our database, the raw CPU grunt lands in the 33rd percentile, which means it's outpaced by a lot of other chips in multi-threaded workloads. You won't notice this writing papers or building spreadsheets, but if you're trying to compile code or render a video, it'll take a bit longer than a machine with a higher-wattage H-series processor. The 32GB of RAM is a real saving grace, letting you keep a hundred Chrome tabs open without a hiccup.

The integrated Intel Arc Graphics are, frankly, the weakest link here, sitting in the 19th percentile. You can forget about playing modern AAA titles at anything resembling decent settings. It's fine for light photo editing and streaming video, but that's about its ceiling. The 1TB SSD is snappy and capacious, landing in the 82nd percentile for storage, which means you've got plenty of room for files and it loads them quickly. The real performance star is the OLED screen, which is a standout for color accuracy and contrast, making everything look fantastic even if the GPU can't push high frame rates.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M5, the Vivobook has a brighter, more vibrant OLED panel, but the MacBook's M5 chip will absolutely crush it in both CPU and GPU performance while likely delivering even better real-world battery life. The MacBook is the clear winner for creative professionals, but it also costs significantly more. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 is an interesting alternative, offering a similar compact size but with a discrete GPU that makes it a viable gaming machine, something the Vivobook can't touch. You'd sacrifice some of that OLED pop and likely some battery life, though.

The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro is probably its closest spiritual competitor, another ultra-light OLED machine. The Samsung often has a higher resolution and refresh rate screen, but the ASUS fights back with more RAM at a similar price point and a much more generous port selection. The MSI Prestige is another contender in the thin-and-light space, but the Vivobook's 32GB of RAM and OLED screen give it a real edge for multitaskers who consume a lot of media. The Lenovo Legion Pro Series 7i is in a different weight class entirely, a gaming beast that's far less portable but infinitely more powerful.

Pricing on this Vivobook is all over the place, with a $399 spread between vendors. You can find it as low as $1,100 or as high as $1,499, which makes a huge difference in how we judge its value. At the lower end, you're getting a fantastic OLED screen, a super light chassis, and 32GB of RAM for a price that undercuts a lot of the competition. That's a solid deal for a premium-feeling productivity laptop. At the higher end, it starts to bump into territory occupied by machines with more powerful discrete graphics and faster high-refresh-rate displays.

For the best deal, you'll want to hunt around. The retailer notes point to Newegg as a solid option with fast shipping, but it's worth checking a few stores before you click buy. The value proposition really hinges on that screen and portability. If those are your top priorities, it's a strong buy. If you need more raw power, that same $1,499 can get you a laptop with a dedicated GPU that will run circles around this one in creative apps and games.

The ASUS Vivobook S 14 S5406SA is one of those laptops that makes you do a double take when you pick it up. At just 2.87 lbs, the all-metal chassis feels premium without being a burden in your backpack. This is a machine built for the coffee shop warrior, the student bouncing between lectures, or anyone who values a stunning screen and all-day battery above raw gaming horsepower. The star of the show is that 14-inch OLED panel, which hits 600 nits of brightness and covers the full color gamut, making it a joy for binging shows or editing photos.

Under the hood, you're getting Intel's new Core Ultra 7 chip with 32GB of fast LPDDR5X memory and a 1TB SSD. That's a generous helping of RAM that puts it ahead of most ultrabooks in our database, landing in the 82nd percentile. The integrated Arc Graphics won't set any speed records, but for the AI-focused Copilot+ features and everyday multitasking, this setup is more than capable. ASUS is clearly pitching this as a modern productivity machine with a dedicated Copilot key and a claimed 16-hour battery life from the 75Wh cell.

Connectivity is a strong suit here. You get Thunderbolt, a pair of USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and even an HDMI jack, which is a refreshingly practical selection that puts it well above average for port selection. The 180-degree hinge and RGB backlit keyboard add a touch of flair and flexibility. But with a 60Hz refresh rate and integrated graphics, this isn't the laptop for anyone who wants to game. Our scoring reflects that, with a gaming score that's basically a non-starter at 16.1 out of 100.

Anyone with even a passing interest in gaming should skip this laptop. The integrated graphics are simply not up to the task, and you'll be frustrated by the low frame rates and poor visuals. You'd be much better served by something like the HP OMEN Transcend 14, which keeps a similar footprint but packs a real GPU. Creative professionals who do heavy rendering or 3D work should also look elsewhere, as the CPU is only middle-of-the-road for sustained multi-core workloads.

If you're sensitive to display smoothness and are used to a 120Hz or higher refresh rate on your phone or tablet, the 60Hz panel here might feel like a step backward. In that case, a Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro with its faster, higher-resolution OLED screen would be a more satisfying, albeit pricier, alternative. This ASUS is all about that stunning static image quality and featherlight build, and if those aren't your top two priorities, you have better options.

For the student or office worker who lives in a browser, writes a lot, and wants a laptop that disappears in a bag, this Vivobook is a fantastic choice. That OLED screen makes reading documents and watching Netflix a genuinely premium experience, and the 32GB of RAM means it'll stay snappy for years. The battery life, if it lives up to the 16-hour claim, is a game-changer for long days on campus. Just make sure you snag it at the lower end of that $1,100 to $1,200 price range.

If your workflow involves any kind of 3D modeling, video editing beyond simple cuts, or gaming after hours, you need to look elsewhere. The integrated graphics are a real bottleneck. For the same money, you could get a slightly heavier laptop with an RTX 4050 or 4060 that would be far more versatile. This ASUS is a specialist in portability and screen quality, and it's excellent at that. Just know what you're signing up for.