If you are shopping for a thin Windows laptop under RM5,000 this month, ASUS Malaysia has just put three options on the table, and two of them are closer than their names suggest. The new ASUS Zenbook 14 starts at RM4,599, while the Vivobook S16 costs RM4,299 with the same Snapdragon processor, the same 16GB of memory and the same 512GB of storage.
Quick facts
Contents
- ASUS Zenbook 14 (UX3480): RM4,599 to RM6,499 in Malaysia, on pre-order at the ASUS e-Store until 15 November 2026, with a free ASUS Fragrance Mouse MD101.
- ASUS Vivobook S16 (S5608Q): RM4,299, available now. The Vivobook S14 (S5408Q) is also RM4,299 and is coming soon.
- Every model ships with 16GB LPDDR5X memory, a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD and an FHD+ OLED screen.
- All three come with three months of Google AI Pro through the MyASUS app, plus a 2-year international warranty and a 2-year Perfect Warranty.
ASUS Zenbook 14 Malaysia prices, by processor
The Zenbook 14 is the more premium of the two families. Its lid and chassis use Ceraluminum, a material ASUS says resists scratches, smudges and everyday wear, and the whole laptop weighs 1.1kg. It comes in Arctic Blue and Komodo Coral now, with Zabriskie Beige (pictured above) to follow. You pick the processor, and that choice also sets the battery and whether the screen is touch:
- Intel Core Ultra 7 355, 70Wh battery, OLED touchscreen: RM6,499
- Intel Core Ultra 5 325, 70Wh battery, OLED touchscreen: RM5,899
- AMD Ryzen AI 5 330, 50Wh battery, OLED: RM5,099
- Snapdragon X (X1-26-100), 50Wh battery, OLED: RM4,599
ASUS rates the Zenbook 14 at more than 21 hours of battery life and up to 50 TOPS of on-device AI performance, enough to qualify as a Copilot+ PC. Other details include 1.7mm of key travel, Windows Hello sign-in, passkey support and Microsoft Pluton security. You can check the full spec sheet on the ASUS Malaysia Zenbook 14 product page.
The gap between the top and bottom versions is RM1,900. For that money the Intel Core Ultra 7 model adds a larger 70Wh battery and a touchscreen, while memory and storage stay identical at 16GB and 512GB. Laptop memory is in short supply right now, which is why a 16GB laptop RAM stick is listed at RM1,000 at a Malaysian shop. None of these configurations offers more than 16GB, so buy knowing that is the amount you will be working with.
Vivobook S14 and S16: the same chip for less
The Vivobook S14 and S16 both use the Snapdragon X X1-26-100, the same chip as the RM4,599 Zenbook 14, with up to 45 TOPS of NPU performance. They use an all-aluminium body instead of Ceraluminum, come in Light Blue or Matte Gray, and meet the MIL-STD 810H durability standard. The 14-inch model starts at 1.28kg, so it is heavier than the Zenbook.
What you get in return is screen and battery. The S16 has a 16-inch 16:10 OLED panel covering 100% of the DCI-P3 colour range, and ASUS claims up to 30 hours of battery life for the series, with a 60% recharge in 49 minutes. Since the S16 and S14 are the same price, the bigger screen costs nothing extra. Details are on the ASUS Malaysia Vivobook S16 page.
Availability
The Zenbook 14 is on pre-order through the ASUS e-Store until 15 November 2026, and it will also be sold through authorised ASUS resellers nationwide alongside the Vivobook S16. ASUS has not given a date for the Vivobook S14 beyond "very soon". If you need more power than either family offers, ASUS also recently brought its ProArt P14 and P16 creator laptops to Malaysia from RM18,999.
The short version: RM300 separates the cheapest Zenbook 14 from the Vivobook S16, and it buys a lighter Ceraluminum body rather than more performance. If you carry your laptop everywhere, the Zenbook makes the case. If you want a bigger screen and longer battery for the same chip, the Vivobook S16 gives you more for less.
