Asus TUF Gaming A14 (2026) Review: GPU-Less Gaming Laptop

In the past, I have stayed away from Asus TUF laptops because they were inferior in terms of design. This meant a heavy chassis, poor display and thick bezels. The 2025 models looked more modern, but the prices weren’t competitive with some of my favorite cheap gaming laptops like the Lenovo LOQ 15 and the Acer Nitro V 16.

But still, the TUF A14 is something new, and the design is impressive. Its thickness and weight are about the same as the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and the bezels around the edges of the screen are really trim. The bottom bezel is thick, mainly because the A14 uses a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. I won’t belabor that point, but it means less screen and more bezels in the same footprint. Overall, it is very subtle. The gaming aesthetic has been given very little importance, with only a few elements remaining, such as the typeface on the keycaps and the shape of the vent below the hinge. There’s also no per-key backlighting on the keyboard.

You’d never know this was a gaming laptop based on the usability of the keyboard and touchpad; On gaming laptops vs. working laptops, these can often be an afterthought. Here, they are both excellent. The touchpad, in particular, is sizable and surprisingly accurate. Although the laptop is made of plastic, it took the pressure I was putting on it around the lid, keyboard and palm without much issue.

The TUF A14 has a useful assortment of ports. On the left side, you get a USB-A 3.2 port, a USB-C port, HDMI 2.1, a headphone jack, and the proprietary power jack. You get an additional USB-A and USB-C (USB4) port on the right side along with a microSD card slot. I really like the decision to place the USB4 port on the right side, as it means you can charge the laptop or even connect an external display from the right side. Being able to charge from only one side is one of my pet peeves, great job, TUF A14.

more than gaming

Photograph: Luke Larson

Once I saw the resolution of the display, I knew the TUF A14 was no longer a true “budget” device. Its size is 2560 x 1600, which is a big step up from typical cheap gaming laptops. It also has a 165Hz refresh rate, which is useful when playing in 1200p – and honestly, that’s what works most of the time. However, the higher resolution adds up to why the A14 is a solid hybrid device that can work just as well for gaming as it does for school or work.