I compared a new Intel laptop with the previous gen. The difference was stark

I compared a new Intel laptop with a previous-gen model, and it showed how big the improvements are.

I compared a new Intel laptop with the previous gen. The difference was stark
The Asus Zenbook S 14 in front of a grass lawn.Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

Intel’s Lunar Lake chipset is aimed at two objectives. First, it’s meant to leverage the popularity of generative AI with a fast neural processing unit (NPU) that meets Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC initiative. Second, Windows laptops need to be a lot more efficient to compete against Apple’s MacBooks that are both fast and get very good battery life.

The Asus Zenbook S 14 is one of the first Lunar Lake laptops, and it accomplishes both objectives while being a good laptop in its own right. The HP Envy x360 2-in-1 stands in as a previous generation laptop that shows exactly how close Intel has come. Is the Zenbook therefore a better fit on our list of the best laptops?

Specs and configurations

   Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406SA) HP Envy x360 14 2024
Dimensions 12.22 x 8.45 x 0.47-0.51 inches 12.34 inches x 8.62 inches x 0.67 inches
Weight 2.65 pounds 3.08 pounds
CPU Intel Core Ultra 7 258V Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
Intel Core Ultra 7 155U
GPU Intel Arc 140V Intel Graphics
RAM 16GB LPDDR5X RAM
32GB LPDDR5X RAM
16GB
32GB
Display 14.0-inch 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 120Hz 14.0-inch 16:10 WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS
14.0-inch 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 120Hz
Storage 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD 512GB
1TB
2TB
Ports 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4
1 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
1 x HDMI 2.1
1 x 3.5mm headphone jack
2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
1 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4
1 x 3.5mm audio
Touch Yes Yes
Wireless Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3
Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
Webcam 1080p with infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello 5MP with infrared camera for Windows Hello
Battery 72 watt-hour 59 watt-hour
OS Windows 11 Windows 11
Cost $1,399+ $700+
Rating 4 out of 5 stars 3 out of 5 stars

The Zenbook S 14 is a more premium laptop overall, costing around $1,500 for an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chipset, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display.

The Envy x360 2-in-1 is a more budget-class machine. The base model starts at $700 for an Intel Core Ultra 5 125U chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14-inch FHD+ IPS display. Max out the configuration and you’ll spend $1,430 for a Core Ultra 7 155U, 32GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display.

Design

HP Envy x360 14 2024 front angled view showing display and keyboard.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The Zenbook S 14 is a very attractive laptop with a unique “ceraluminum” material that makes its chassis light while remaining quite rigid. There’s a coating on the lid, which is festooned with a modern geometric pattern, that makes for a comfortable feel in hand. The Envy x360 2-in-1 is also all-aluminum, and while it’s a more minimalist design, it’s still quite attractive with some streamlined angles. It, too, feels solid in hand. It has a slightly less modern look given a larger bottom display bezel to feature the more complicated convertible 360-degree hinge, but the difference isn’t egregious.

Really, both of these laptops are a joy to use. However, the Zenbook is quite a bit thinner and lighter, which is even more of an issue with the Envy given that it’s meant to be used as a tablet.

Both keyboards are very good, with plenty of key spacing, large keycaps, and light and snappy switches. I can’t imagine anyone finding either keyboard will slow them down. The Zenbook’s mechanical touchpad is a lot bigger than the Envy’s mechanical version, but it’s almost too large. Both laptops have touch displays, and the HP supports an active pen.

Connectivity is better on the Zenbook, with an additional Thunderbolt 4 port and an HDMI connection. And, the fastest Wi-Fi is standard on the Zenbook and just optional on the Envy.

In terms of webcams, the Envy x360 2-in-1 has a higher-res 5MP version, but its NPU is slower than the Zenbook’s, meaning that it only supports the standard version of Microsoft’s Studio Effects software, not the enhanced version as with the Zenbook. And, the Asus is part of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC initiative that will eventually leverage fast NPUs for on-device AI capabilities that earlier laptops lack.

Performance

HP Envy x360 14 2024 top down view showing tent mode.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Intel’s Lunar Lake chipsets are the direct successor to Meteor Lake, offering up the promise of better performance with more efficiency. The first Lunar Lake chipset we’ve reviewed is the Core Ultra 7 258V, a 17-watt chipset with eight cores (four Performance and four Low Power Efficient) and eight threads running at up to 4.8GHz. The most relevant Meteor Lake comparison is the Core Ultra 7 155U, a 15-watt chipset with 12 cores (two Performance, eight Efficient, and two Low Power Efficient) and 14 threads running at up to 4.8GHz.

In all of our benchmarks, the Core Ultra 7 258V is significantly faster, even with fewer cores and threads. And the newest Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics are a lot faster than the previous generation.

The Zenbook S 14 isn’t fast compared to some other new chipsets, but it’s a significant step up from the previous generation. That shows up most strongly in the Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark and our Handbrake test. And graphics, while still not fast compared to discrete GPUs, is also meaningfully improved.

Geekbench 6
(single/multi)
Cinebench R24
(single/multi/battery)
Handbrake 3DMark
Wild Life Extreme 
Asus Zenbook S 14
(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)
2,738 / 10,734 112 / 452 73 7,514
HP Envy x360 14 2024
(Core Ultra 7 155U / Intel Arc)
2,229 / 8,298 102 / 405 120 2,524

Display

HP Envy x360 14 2024 top down view showing media mode.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Both laptops have similar 14-inch 2.8K (2800 x 1800) OLED displays running at 120Hz. That means you’re unlikely to notice a difference when you boot them up.

Our colorimeters verified two displays with equally wide colors and near-perfect blacks, although the HP OLED display is brighter. And, our Zenbook review unit had weirdly inaccurate colors, which is unusual for an OLED panel.

Assuming that issue was a one-off, both of these displays will please productivity users, creators, and media consumers alike.

Asus Zenbook S 14
(OLED)
HP Envy x360 2-in-1
(OLED)
Brightness
(nits)
313 385
AdobeRGB gamut 95% 98%
 sRGB gamut 100% 100%
DCI-P3 gamut 100% 100%
Accuracy
(DeltaE, lower is better)
4.92 0.82
Contrast 28,310:1 26,940:1

Portability

The ports shown on the left side of the Asus Zenbook S 14.Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

The primary goal of Intel’s Lunar Lake chipset is to offer up better efficiency than previous Windows laptops. As you can see above, the Core Ultra 7 258V is faster than the previous generation Core Ultra 7 155U, in some cases significantly. And, the Zenbook S 14 does have a larger battery than the Envy x360 2-in-1.

However, in both of our battery tests, the Zenbook lasted almost twice as long. That’s a significant jump with better performance, meaning that Lunar Lake achieved the goal of dramatically improving battery life.

Web Video
Asus Zenbook S 14
(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)
16 hours, 47 minutes 18 hours, 35 minutes
HP Envy x360 14 2024
(Core Ultra 7 155U)
7 hours, 37 minutes 9 hours, 30 minutes

Intel’s Lunar Lake is a breakthrough, at least against Intel itself

The Zenbook S 14 isn’t as fast as some other recent chipsets from the likes of AMD and Qualcomm, but it’s a lot faster than Intel’s previous generation. And it gets significantly better battery life, as in, twice as much. That makes it a real breakthrough.

Otherwise, the Zenbook S 14 is a more attractive laptop, but it’s not a night and day difference. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend, then you can save quite a bit by choosing a base model Envy x360 2-in-1. But the Zenbook is a lot easier to recommend.