We often tend to divide the world of laptops into 15 inches from standard sizes and 13 inches more comfortable to carry. In many cases, a 14 inch laptop could be the optimal solution. Not too heavy, but at the same time able to offer an excellent experience thanks to a screen not much smaller than the standard.
Which 14 inch laptop to buy?
You have chosen the perfect compromise between portability and user experience: a 14 inch laptop. Thanks to not excessively small screens and a lower weight than a traditional 15-inch laptop, these products have started to make their way onto the market and find a number of passionate users that grows more and more every day. What can we understand it from? If before the 14 inch laptops were quite difficult to find, and often they were synonymous with products intended for particular types of users, today there are more and more manufacturers that offer a 14 inch laptop variant of their models.
Not only that: some of the laptops we will see in this guide are born with displays of this size, demonstrating that the demand from users is there, and it is relevant. Of course, there is still no variety that we find between 15-inch laptops or 13-inch laptops, but as you will see in the next few lines, there is a wide choice.
Whether you want a basic model to be used for home use, or a lending Ultrabook (without of course forgetting the mid-range), we are sure that you will find the right laptop for you. As always, the only advice we can give you is to evaluate, in addition to the budget, the type of use you will make of the laptop: unless you want to give yourself a real luxury product, you will hardly need to spend a capital in an i7 processor if you mainly use the laptop to control Facebook and watch movies on Netflix. To be sure, you are making the right choice; you will find our general indications on the recommended use for each model we are going to analyze and now, let’s get started!
Chuwi HeroBook
Let’s start our guide to buying 14 inch laptop with a model for those with a very tight budget. Let’s talk about Chuwi HeroBook, a product of the Chinese brand that has revolutionized the concept of cheap notebooks by bringing good products at a price without competition. The HeroBook in question is absolutely this: the maximum that can be had with a minimum budget. The elegant and slim polycarbonate body with a finish that winks at the metal. Frontally we find a 14.1″ Full HD display, which is the real incredible thing about this product. It is possible to take home a more than discreet panel to see YouTube, Netflix and the like at an acceptable resolution, where before only the simple HD arrived.
Internally we find a quad-core Braswell Intel Atom X5-E8000 series processor that reaches 2.0 GHz only in Turbo mode; very good if you do nothing but very basic activities. Next to it, we find 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory eMMC 5.1, which allow you to quickly start Windows 10 and the software. Of course, the internal memory will not be the top, but there is also the micro SD input, as well as an internal M.2 SSD slot to be used to upgrade at a later time. Among the ports, the USB Type-C is missing, however we find two classic USB 3.0, audio jack, mini HDMI output and DC power supply.
The battery is 38 Wh and promises to be able to reach 9 hours of moderate use. In short, if you don’t have much to spend and want a secondary machine, this is the 14 inch laptop to focus on.
Acer Swift 1 SF114
Let’s move on to another sample among the 14 inch laptop, namely Acer Swift 1 SF114. The Taiwanese company has now gained some success with its new series of compact laptops; these too play a lot on the price associated with portability and that pinch of modern that distinguishes them. The latest Swift 1 has all this and more, starting with the decidedly little discounted metal body given the price. Yet it is so: in the chassis, we find a 14″ Full HD IPS panel, excellent for the use of all types of content. Further down there is the keyboard, which is also backlit.
The processor is necessarily something cheap. It is in fact the Intel Pentium Silver N5000, champion of its range. Standard Intel Gemini Lake, a quad-core reaches 2.7 GHz in Turbo mode. Memory side there is no shortage of 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB SATA SSD storage, excellent for running Windows 10 (10 for Students license convertible into 10 Home from the settings) and all other software. It’s not much in terms of quantity, but logically it is also possible to focus on external storage.
Ports side the equipment is quite rich, with a USB 3.0 Type-C, two classic USB 3.0, a USB 2.0, HDMI, SD reader and DC power supply. To power everything we find a 54 Wh battery module that promises to be able to reach the end of the day at moderate use, with a more than good consumption control. If you don’t have big claims but still want a product that lasts over time, Acer Swift is the 14 inch laptop that can be right for you.
Huawei Matebook D 2019
We go up a bit of the range and we find one of the 14 inch laptop easier to recommend to those who want a good laptop for traditional mixed use. Here we are in fact in front of Huawei Matebook D 2019, laptop of the Chinese manufacturer who has now gained an important position on the notebook sector with Windows. This has an all-aluminum body and mounts a 14″ Full HD IPS display, excellent for video viewing or reading.
Inside we find an excellent processor, or the Intel Core i5-8250U. This is an eighth generation CPU, it is quad-core and manages to reach the Turbo frequency of 3.40 GHz; a valuable companion for the mixed use of multiple classic software simultaneously. Associated we find 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SATA SSD, excellent both for the quick start of Windows 10 Home and for that of traditional software. Not bad front stereo audio and the fingerprint sensor integrated in the power button for unlocking with a fingerprint.
Good the provision of ports that includes a USB Type-C for power supply, a USB 3.0 and a USB 2.0, audio jack and HDMI. To power the whole we find a 57.4 Wh module that offers itself capable of powering the notebook for 12 hours of use if not exaggerated with excessively heavy software. As we said, we recommend Huawei Matebook D 2019 to all those looking for a compact, fast, elegant and without too many needs 14 inch laptop.
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ASUS ZenBook UX433FN
If with the Huawei model the elegance standards have found an excellent element, it is with the ASUS ZenBook family that the 14 inch laptop find a real pivotal element. ASUS ZenBook UX433FN is the laptop we want to suggest if you are looking for an extremely portable notebook intended to be with you for several years. Build quality and efficiency meet in a perfect union, worthy of the well-known Zen family. Inside the metal chassis, we find a 14″ Full HD IPS panel with an excellent color range (100% sRGB range).
Inside we find, in the configuration that we suggest, an Intel Core i5-8265U processor with frequency up to 3.9 GHz in Turbo. This is an eight-generation eight-thread Whiskey Lake quad-core, and has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of PCIe SSD unfortunately not NVME. The combo makes it a bit valid for all uses, but to necessarily fall back on external peripherals as regards internal storage. Ports side we find a USB 3.1 Type-C, a full size USB 3.1, a USB 2.0, HDMI, micro SD, audio jack and DC power supply.
Also noteworthy is the front camera, 3D and infrared, as well as the dedicated NVidia MX150 2 GB GDDR5 graphics card, excellent for supporting graphic works. The built-in battery is 50 Wh and guarantees 13 hours of use for moderate use. The OS is Windows 10 Home.
Lenovo ThinkPad T490
If it is true that the eye also wants its part, it is equally true that for professionals the canons of design and elegance can be other. So here we introduce within our guide to 14 inch laptop also a more particular model, designed for purely professional use: Lenovo ThinkPad T490. Inside the block of dark aluminum from which it is made we find excellent hardware for productivity pushed in every place: the panel is first of all a 14″ Full HD with brightness of 400 nits. On the lower base, we find an excellent keyboard that is also resistant to infiltrations and the famous TrackPoint that Lenovo inherited from IBM, still highly appreciated.
Inside the data sheet we find an eighth-generation Intel Core i5-8265U processor, quad-core and capable of reaching the Turbo frequency of 3.90 GHz. Next to it, we have 8 GB of DDR3 RAM and 256 GB of SSD NVMe. Therefore, there won’t be so much storage, but this ThinkPad has all the cards on the table to quickly run all the various software, including professional ones. Ports side we have two full size USB 3.1, two USB 3.1 Type-C (one of which supports power), Ethernet, HDMI and audio jack. There is also a slot for any expansions via smart card and a micro SD slot. Frontally we have an infrared HD webcam.
Small but powerful, it is powered by a 50 Wh battery that offers an autonomy of over 10 hours for light use. This supports Lenovo Rapid Charge charging technology that allows you to have 80% of the charge in just 60 minutes (or on a lunch break). The pre-installed operating system is Windows 10 Pro.
Huawei MateBook X Pro 2019
Compactness and elegance united in one product: Huawei MateBook X Pro 2019. Among the 14 inch laptop, the top of the range of the manufacturer Huawei could not miss, given that it is among the lightest and most compact on the market. In its compact and slim body, we find an excellent keyboard and a large trackpad, also combined with a stereo front audio system with Dolby Atmos support, which is a real first in the category. And what is an audio system, without a good display: X Pro 2019 mounts a truly splendid 13.9″ LTPS front panel with 3000 x 2000 pixel resolution. Such frightening resolution is a godsend to enjoy all high definition images, and even practically almost 4K video. The panel is also touchscreen.
Inside we find an Intel Core i7-8550U processor, an eighth generation quad-core capable of reaching the appalling 4.0 GHz frequency in Turbo to run all the software in a lightning fast manner. It is associated with 8 GB of RAM, 512 GB of NVMe SSD storage and a dedicated 2 GB Nvidia GeForce MX150 video card. In short, there is everything to ensure that Huawei MateBook X Pro 2019 represents the elegant notebook to perform a little all the activities. Ports side we find (unfortunately) only two USB 3.1 Type-C enabled also for charging, a full size USB 3.0 and audio jack for headphones. However, there is no lack of NFC and fingerprint sensor for unlocking with a fingerprint. The 57.4 Wh battery promises 13 hours of autonomy for moderate use. The OS is Windows 10 Home.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
We come to the end of our guide and find him, the exaggerated but splendid Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Portable born basically to meet only professionals, the X1 Carbon in its latest generation is a mature machine, with a very robust body and top quality hardware. In the really resistant chassis (military level) in carbon and aluminum we find a ninth generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor. This has a Turbo clock up to 4.6 GHz, suitable for running all the software very well.
To it we find associated 16 GB of DDR3 RAM memory and a splendid 512 GB PCI NVMe SSD capable of running Windows 10 Pro in a lightning speed, as well as perform exports or manage multitasking activities without hindrance. Good I / O equipment, characterized by two USB Type-C 3.1 with Thunderbolt 3 support and charging, two classic USB 3.1, HDMI 1.4. Ethernet, audio jack and slot for any purely professional expansions. The battery is 51 Wh and supports Lenovo’s RapidCharge technology which offers 80% of the charge in just 60 minutes of connection to the socket.
If you are a worker and are looking for a compact and faithful 14 inch laptop for professional companion, you have found it.
