ASUS Zephyrus G14 (2026)

Configs to buy / avoid: The RTX 5070 Ti offers a great sweet spot in terms of cost and performance. Avoid 16GB RAM as memory is soldered and can never be upgraded, unless discounted heavily. Avoid the RTX 5080 config, as performance in many games isn't much higher than lower cost RTX 5070 Ti. RTX 5060 & 5070 options still offer great performance for the size. Testing notes: The G14 delivered over 15 hours of YouTube playback, a 130W RTX 5070 Ti, resulting in up to 15% higher FPS than last year’s G14 with same GPU in tested games, a brighter 500 nit OLED screen, record breaking 14 inch system latency, cooler keyboard temps than last gen, excellent speakers, fast Intel Wi-Fi 7, and a full-sized SD card slot. Trade-offs: The main compromises are the much higher cost compared to last gen, soldered RAM, the thinner chassis GPU limits, only one-zone keyboard lighting, no Thunderbolt 5, minimal BIOS customization and ours had some issues staying asleep for longer periods. Alternatives: The G14 is still the best 14" gaming laptop we've ever tested, so it's competing against itself. If the 2026 G14 is priced far above the 2025 model, buy the 2025 G14 instead if still available, because it keeps most of what makes the G14 great for much less money. We'd only be willing to spend ~$300 or so more to get the benefits of this newer 2026 model.