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Asus Unveils New Zenbook A16 and Refreshed A14, S14, and S16 Laptops at CES 2026

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Asus has announced a range of new and updated Zenbook laptops at CES 2026, including the debut of the Zenbook A16 and refreshes for the Zenbook A14, Zenbook S14 (UX5406), and Zenbook S16. These models feature updated processors, with the A-series incorporating Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite series chips and the S-series utilizing Intel Panther Lake or AMD Ryzen AI processors. A key material across many of these new models is Ceraluminum, a plasma ceramic aluminum alloy designed for durability.

Zenbook A16 Introduction

The Zenbook A16 is a new 16-inch Windows laptop characterized by its thin and light design. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor with a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU capable of up to 80 TOPS and a Qualcomm Adreno GPU. The laptop is built with a Ceraluminum chassis and weighs approximately 2.65 pounds, with a Windows 11 Home configuration weighing 2.87 pounds. This places it at a lighter weight compared to many other 16-inch Windows laptops, which typically range from 3.3 to 4.7 pounds. The Zenbook A16 is available in a Zabrinskie Beige finish; other sources note it will be available in beige and gray tones.

Key specifications for the Zenbook A16 include:

  • Display: 16-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, 500 nits typical brightness, and up to 1,100 nits peak brightness (HDR).
  • Memory: 48GB RAM.
  • Storage: 1TB SSD.
  • Webcam: FHD.
  • Ports: Two USB-C (USB 4), one USB-A, one HDMI, one SD card reader slot, and a headphone jack.
  • Battery: 70Wh.
  • Connectivity: WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
  • Dimensions: 13.92 x 9.54 x 0.54-0.65 inches.

Zenbook A14 2026 Update

The Zenbook A14, initially launched at CES 2025, receives a 2026 update. This 14-inch Copilot+ PC now features a Snapdragon X2 Elite chip, along with reduced bezels, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a matte keycap coating. Its base configuration includes 512GB of storage and 24GB of memory, an increase from its previous 16GB RAM option. The updated model maintains its Ceraluminum chassis and weighs under 2.2 pounds (2.18 pounds depending on configuration).

Specifications for the updated Zenbook A14 include:

  • Display: 14-inch 2K (1920 x 1200) OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 600 nits.
  • Battery: 70Whr (reported 22-hour battery life for the original model).
  • Ports: Two USB 4 ports and one USB-A port.

The Zenbook A14's initial price of $899.99 experienced a $100 increase, which was attributed to spring tariffs on Chinese imports.

Zenbook S Series Refreshes

Asus also announced refreshes for its Zenbook S14 (UX5406) and Zenbook S16 laptops at CES 2026. These models had previous launches at IFA 2024 and Computex 2024 with different processor configurations.

Zenbook S14 (UX5406)

The Zenbook S14 (UX5406) receives processor upgrades to Intel Panther Lake. Processor configurations for this model vary by region:

  • US Market: Offers Core Ultra X7 and Core Ultra X9 options.
  • European Market: Expected to receive Core Ultra X Series 3 CPUs, which include integrated Arc B390 graphics.
  • Canadian Market: Limited to Core Ultra 9 386H and Core Ultra 7 355.

Common specifications across all Zenbook S14 SKUs include:

  • Build: All-aluminum chassis, referred to as Ceraluminum.
  • Memory: 32 GB LPDDR5x RAM.
  • Storage: 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD.
  • Display: 14-inch 3K 120 Hz OLED panel with 1,100 nits peak HDR brightness.
  • Camera: FHD webcam with Windows Hello support.
  • Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1-out, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack.
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7 WLAN card with Bluetooth 5.4.
  • Battery: 4-cell 77 Whr battery.
  • Power Adapter: Core Ultra X models come with a 100 W power adapter, while other models use a 68 W mini AC adapter.
Zenbook S16

For the Zenbook S16, Ryzen AI 5 and Ryzen AI 9 processor options are specified for the Canadian market. This model is also expected to utilize Ceraluminum.

Ceraluminum Expansion

Asus plans to expand the use of Ceraluminum, a magnesium-aluminum alloy and plasma ceramic aluminum material, across its entire Zenbook series in 2026. This includes the Zenbook S14, S16, and the dual-screen Zenbook Duo. Ceraluminum is described as scratch-resistant, shock-resistant, fingerprint-resistant, and 100 percent recyclable.

Availability and Market Context

Both the new Zenbook A16 and the refreshed Zenbook A14 are scheduled for release in early-to-mid Q2 2026. Asus has not yet released confirmation regarding specific pricing or availability dates for any of the new or updated Zenbook models. The current global RAM shortage may influence the final pricing and specifications of these models upon release.

In a market comparison, the Acer Swift Air 16, launched at IFA 2025, weighs 2.18 pounds and features AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors and an optional 120Hz AMOLED display. However, it is currently available only in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, with a starting price of €999 (approximately $1,165).