ASUS Zenbook 14" UX3405CA-U93WC Jasper Gray 2024

A 14-inch OLED workhorse with a desktop-class CPU and 32GB of RAM for under $1,200. Skip it if you want to game, buy it if you want to get things done.

The Core Ultra 9 285H is a 16-core monster that sits in the 88th percentile for CPUs, and it shows. Compiling code, running VMs, juggling fifty browser tabs, this thing doesn't flinch. The Intel Arc 140T integrated graphics are fine for everyday stuff and light creative work, but don't expect to game on this. The gaming score of 21.5 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know there. The 32GB of RAM is the real star, putting this in the 91st percentile for memory. That's future-proofing you can feel right now.

The MacBook Pro M4 Max will absolutely destroy this in GPU-heavy tasks and battery life, but it costs nearly three times as much. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 is a gaming beast with a real GPU, but it's heavy and overkill if you're not gaming. The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro is the closest competitor, with a similar OLED screen and thin profile, but it doesn't match the ASUS on RAM or CPU. If you want a work laptop that can also game a little, get the Legion. If you want a work laptop that's light and fast, the Zenbook wins.

At $1,129 USD, this is a steal for what you're getting. You're paying mid-range money for a top-tier CPU and RAM combo that would cost hundreds more from Apple or Lenovo. The only real question is whether you need the OLED screen and touchscreen, because if you don't, there are cheaper ways to get this kind of performance. But if you want the whole package, this is a no-brainer.

The ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA is a sneaky little powerhouse. You look at the 14-inch OLED screen and the 2.82-pound frame and think "cute ultrabook," but then you see the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H and 32GB of RAM and realize this thing is built to work. It's a developer's dream in a coffee shop body, with a screen that makes everything look better than it has any right to.

If you're looking for a gaming laptop, this isn't it. The integrated graphics will frustrate you within a week. Go get a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or an HP OMEN Transcend instead. Also, if you need lots of ports without dongles, look elsewhere, because one USB-A port is just not enough for a power user.

Buy it. The ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA is the rare laptop that nails the fundamentals: fast CPU, tons of RAM, beautiful screen, and a price that doesn't make you wince. It's not for gamers, and the port situation is annoying, but for developers, students, and anyone who lives in a browser, this is one of the best values on the market right now.