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ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SAL vs MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

both judged against laptops at a similar price

The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SAL scores 6.2/10 overall, ahead of the MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip at 4.7/10.

The ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SAL leads on performance, memory and storage, battery life and ports.

The MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip leads on keyboard and build.

They score the same on display and linux support.

The biggest difference is memory and storage, where the ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SAL scores 6/10 to the MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip's 2/10.

ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SAL

6.2/10verdict: wait for deal

The Vivobook S 14 OLED suits students, mobile office workers and developers who want a light 14-inch laptop with a colour-rich screen and good battery reports. It gives 16GB of memory, two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 1.30 kg chassis. Buyers who want to upgrade memory later or run Linux with vendor backing should look at the limits first.

Typically about £649.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip

MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip

4.7/10verdict: skip

The MacBook Neo is for people who want a light, 13-inch macOS laptop with a sharp screen and a well-regarded keyboard and trackpad. It suits everyday work, writing and terminal sessions more than containers, VMs or long builds. Buyers who need many ports, more than 8GB of memory or Linux should look elsewhere.

Typically about £649 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SALMacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip
Performance25%6/105/10
Memory and storage20%6/102/10
Display15%7/107/10
Battery life15%7/106/10
Keyboard and build10%6/107/10
Ports10%7/103/10
Linux support5%2/102/10
Overall6.2/104.7/10

Specifications

SpecASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SALMacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip
CPUIntel Core Ultra 5 226V, 8 cores (8 threads), 2.1 GHz base, up to 4.5 GHz, 8MB cache, NPU up to 40 TOPSApple A18 Pro with 6-core CPU (2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores), 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine
Memory16GB LPDDR5X, soldered on package, not upgradeable8GB unified memory
Storage512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD, one M.2 2280 slot256GB SSD or 512GB SSD options
Display14.0-inch WUXGA (1920×1200) OLED, 16:10, 60Hz, 400 nits typical, 600 nits HDR peak, 100% DCI-P3, non-touch13.0-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit IPS display, 2408-by-1506 native resolution at 219 pixels per inch, 500 nits brightness, 1 billion colours, sRGB
Battery75Wh, 4-cell Li-ion; 65W USB-C adapter for this model rowBuilt-in 36.5-watt-hour lithium-ion battery; up to 16 hours video streaming and up to 11 hours wireless web (Apple ratings)
Ports2× Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps), 2× USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1× 3.5mm combo jack, 1× HDMI 2.1One USB 3 (USB-C) port with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 up to 10Gb/s; one USB 2 (USB-C) port with charging and USB 2 up to 480Mb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack
Weight1.30 kg (2.87 lb)2.7 pounds (1.23 kg)
Operating systemWindows 11 HomemacOS

Strengths and weaknesses

ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SAL

  • + OLED panel with 100% DCI-P3 and 600 nits HDR peak
  • + 75Wh battery, praised by reviewers
  • + Two Thunderbolt 4 ports plus USB-A and HDMI 2.1
  • − Memory is soldered and cannot be upgraded
  • − ASUS has only tested compatibility with Windows 11
  • − No SD slot or Ethernet listed

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want to upgrade memory after purchase
  • Linux users who need vendor-tested hardware support
  • Anyone needing an SD card slot or built-in Ethernet
Read the full ASUS Vivobook S 14 OLED S5406SAL review ›

MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip

  • + Sharp 2408-by-1506 display at 219 pixels per inch
  • + Owners praise build, keyboard and trackpad
  • + Light at 1.23 kg
  • − Only 8GB of memory, and owners say it limits headroom
  • − Just two USB-C ports, one limited to USB 2
  • − Keyboard has no backlight

Skip it if:

  • Developers who run several VMs or many containers at once
  • Anyone who needs Linux certified or reported working on the hardware
  • Buyers who want Thunderbolt, HDMI, USB-A or an SD slot built in
Read the full MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip review ›

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