In the past, I\u2019ve stayed away from Asus TUF laptops, as it was the bottom-tier in terms of design. That meant chunky chassis, poor displays, and thick bezels. The models from 2025 looked more modern, but the prices weren\u2019t competitive with some of my favorite cheap gaming laptops like the Lenovo LOQ 15 and Acer Nitro V 16.<\/p>\n
But again, the TUF A14 is something new, and the design is impressive. It\u2019s right around the same thickness and weight as the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and the bezels around the sides of the screen are really trim. The bottom bezel is thick, primarily because the A14 uses a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. I won\u2019t belabor that point, but it means less screen and more bezel in the same footprint. Overall, it\u2019s very subtle. The gaming aesthetic is heavily downplayed, with only a few elements left, such as the typeface on the keycaps and the shape of the vents below the hinge. There\u2019s not even per-key backlighting on the keyboard.<\/p>\n
Photograph: Luke Larsen<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Photograph: Luke Larsen<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n You\u2019d never know this was a gaming laptop based on the usability of the keyboard and touchpad; on gaming laptops versus work ones, these can often be afterthoughts. Here, they\u2019re both excellent. The touchpad, in particular, is oversized and surprisingly precise. Although the laptop is made of plastic, it handled the pressure I was putting on it around the lid, keyboard, and palm rests without too much give.<\/p>\n The TUF A14 has a helpful assortment of ports. On the left side, you get a USB-A 3.2 port, USB-C port, HDMI 2.1, headphone jack, and proprietary power jack. You get an additional USB-A and USB-C (USB4) port on the right side, alongside a micro SD card slot. I really like the decision to put the USB4 port on the right side, as it means you can both charge the laptop or connect to an external display from the right side too. Only being able to charge from one side is one of my pet peeves, so good job, TUF A14.<\/p>\n Photograph: Luke Larsen<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Once I saw the resolution of the display, I knew the TUF A14 was no longer a real \u201cbudget\u201d device. It\u2019s 2560 x 1600, a big step up from the typical cheap gaming laptop. It also has a 165 Hz refresh rate, which is useful for when playing in 1200p\u2014and let\u2019s be honest, that\u2019s the go-to the vast majority of the time. The higher resolution, though, plays into why the A14 is a solid hybrid device that can work as well for gaming as it does for school or work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/69e28bbd1f0301c943c55851\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/tuf-a14-04-source-luke-larsen.jpg\"\/)
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<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\nMore Than Gaming<\/h2>\n
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