First Look

ASUS VivoBook S14 Unboxing and First Impressions

Just the right size and power?

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ASUS decks out stylish yet powerful laptops. For instance, the new VivoBook lineup comes with the latest 11th-gen Intel chipset, along with various colors befitting any personality and lifestyle.

Designed with a youthful vibe for a younger audience, the ASUS VivoBook S14 shows-off what it’s made of.

Out of the box, the VivoBook S14 greets you with its sleek, matte-like finish.

Underneath the laptop, you’ll see the usual guide and warranty booklet.

Of course, it comes with a charging cable and adapter, and a set of stickers.

A laptop that’s beautiful in black

Taking the laptop out of the box, the ASUS VivoBook S14 presents itself in a sleek, beautiful Indie Black. This color used to grace laptops from a decade ago but was abandoned in favor of parading colorful variants.

ASUS brings back the color in a classy manner — applying a matte-finish to make it look expensive. In varying angles, the Indie Black can also subtly look like Navy Blue or Dark Gray.

The curves and edges are designed flawlessly, without removing essential ports. I personally find this thoughtful, seeing how most devices we use haven’t transitioned to USB-C. The ASUS VivoBook S14 offers a balanced experience for everyday users — making the laptop a perfect companion for the daily grind.

The laptop opens easily, thanks to its bar-like hinge. Its silver body is unlike any laptops in its bracket, evoking a premium, classy appeal. Touching it feels like your fingertips were gracing a brand new SUV; it’s exciting and invigorating.

Surface you’d love to grace your finger on

The trackpad provides a touch experience decent enough so you won’t need a mouse. Additionally, ASUS reinvents the trackpad by applying a feature evident in its premium lineup — a NumberPad. Tapping the touchpad icon will turn the trackpad into a LED-illuminated numeric pad. Calculator, whomst?

The keyboard is perfect for everyday use. It’s not too big or small — just the right size. Aside from designing the keys smartly, the keyboard has secret functions that can boost the laptop’s performance.

With ASUS’s Intelligent Performance Technology, you can switch between different modes that perfectly suit your usage.

Simply toggle the Fn and F hotkey combination, and you can switch between Whisper Mode for a cool and power-saving operation; Balanced Mode for optimized performance, thermal, and power parameters; and Performance Mode which boosts the laptop’s performance up to 40 percent for heavy workloads.

A vivid, dream-like experience

Unlike the previous VivoBook S14 I’ve tried, this one comes with beefier specifications. It’s equipped with Intel’s 11th-gen Core i7 chipset, assisted by NVIDIA MX50 graphics (Intel Iris XE for other units).

This makes it easier for the laptop to balance battery life and performance, compared to previous models. It’s powered by up to 16GB of RAM with a large capacity PCIe SSD for superfast storage and experience.  You can access anything swiftly.

Moreover, the VivoBook S14 sports a 14-inch NanoEdge display that can handle a 60FPS frame rate. Its thin bezels and Full HD display offer vivid visuals; an exceptional color reproduction augmented by wide viewing angles. It’s truly a treat for content creators and everyday users.

First Impressions

There’s a lot to explore in this new ASUS VivoBook S14, but it remains true to its promise: a stylish, powerful laptop for anyone. It’s lightweight and offers just the right size — in its form, keys, and screen.

It fits in my bag and blends with my personal stuff. It’s truly a match for anyone’s personality and lifestyle. And it has the right power apt for content creation or everyday usage. In essence, it’s the perfect balance most people are looking for.

The ASUS VivoBook S14 comes in a variety of colors. The 11th Gen Intel Core i5 variant comes in Indie Black, Resolute Red, Gaia Green, and Dreamy White. Meanwhile, the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 comes in Indie Black and Dreamy White.

Pricing and availability

The ASUS VivoBook S14 S433 i5 and i7 are now available in ASUS Concept Stores, IT Multi-brand Stores, ASUS E-Store, ASUS Shopee, and ASUS Lazada official stores. They retail for PhP 49,995 and PhP 59,995, respectively.


This feature was produced in collaboration between GadgetMatch and ASUS Philippines.

CES 2026

Spotlight: ASUS Zenbook at CES 2026

Did They Perfect the Dual-Screen Laptop?

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THE Michael Josh just got back from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas — the annual tech event that attracts all the biggest tech brands.

One of which is none other than ASUS, Taiwan’s biggest computing giant. They have launched the first wave of Windows laptops for 2026. There’s a full lineup — models for everyday folks, creators, and gamers.

However, we are focusing on these Zenbooks favorites the show: the updated 2026 Zenbook DUO and Zenbook A14, as well as a bigger Zenbook A16 model.

Eager to know more about them? Here’s our Spotlight on the three power-packed ASUS Zenbooks at CES 2026.

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First Look

First Look: Apple iPhone Air, 17, and 17 Pro

The Most Important iPhone Lineup Ever?!

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Apple just dropped four new iPhones!

There’s the base iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro series, and the much-anticipated iPhone Air.

Which model should you get? Should you even upgrade this year?

And which is your GadgetMatch?

Here is a comprehensive First Look with the new iPhone Apple announced at its September event.

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First Look

Match Pulse: Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Getting to know the super-slender slab for 60 hours

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Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Two months ago, Infinix unveiled the latest HOT 60 Pro+.

It’s out there not just for being a sexy slim smartphone, it’s a record-breaker in the history of Guinness World Records as well.

Now that the device was introduced to me, it’s the perfect time to know exactly what it’s like being with it 60 hours after unboxing.

First Look

At first glance, you’d be surprised how the Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ managed to be this oh-so-thin. With its thinnest point capped at 5.95mm, it’s one of the slimmest smartphones out in the market.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Interestingly, it’s a bit thicker compared to the 5.8mm Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and the newly-revealed iPhone Air at 5.64mm — which is, by far, the world’s thinnest.

But, with a frame sandwich by a curved screen and a fiberglass back, it gives you the illusion of being the slimmer smartphone. The other two have flat edges around, making them look otherwise.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Revealing its back will remind you of something that will satisfy someone’s sweet tooth. Dubbed as the “Coral Tides” colorway, it exudes shades of pink in a gradient manner.

Although it’s not the something I’d pick, it’s personally more pleasing than the plain ol’ Sleek Black and the ultra-flashy Sonic Yellow choices.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

As you’ve noticed, there are three camera lens cutouts. Despite that, it’s only a single-firing 50MP shooter. The rest are just auxiliary lenses that honestly give nothing but aesthetics.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Speaking of, beneath that third cutout is where Infinix’s Active Halo Lighting resides. Though not as evident as you see it on its GT and NOTE cousins, that light-up feature can still be useful for important notifications and reminders.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

The eye-candy satisfaction doesn’t end there. Flipping it gives you a bedazzling 6.78-inch curved screen with bezels that are narrower than my patience.

While the heydays of curved displays are slowly fading away, this type of display is where it makes more sense as it harmoniously blends together along its thin trims.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

That’s then protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i alongside an IP65 water and dust resistance rating for utmost durability.

These are all something one wouldn’t expect to have in a budget smartphone if we’re gonna predict it five years ago.

First Date

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

What does the Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ and government officials have in common? They both exist but, you’ll barely feel ’em. Moreover, holding Infinix’s thinnest phone felt surreal — just like their “effective” flood control projects.

Even so, the HOT 60 Pro+ is still effectively thin and light even when you slap on its bundled Rimowa-inspired clear case. At the end of the day, only the Nepo babies get the real Rimowa treatment.

YouTube K-Pop

Now, despite the category it belongs to, its display is honestly top-notch and never a slouch. That AMOLED display tech surely gives the best visuals possible.

Colors pop, blacks are deep, whites are effectively blinding when pushed to the extremes. Much like politicians and their ~innocent children~ being blinded by greed when shown heaps of taxpayers’ money.

YouTube K-Pop IVE Liz

Elizabeth Helga Müller cleansing our eyes against all anomalies

Its 144Hz refresh rate takes it to the next level. And, I’m not speaking solely by numbers. You can actually see and feel its overall buttery smoothness.

Thanks to the upgraded MediaTek Helio G200 chipset paired with an 8GB memory (virtually extendable up to 16GB), breezing through apps and multitasking in-between felt snappy — unlike the sluggish and incompetent officials out there.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

The experience was never the same when I held numerous lag-fested G99 phones two to three years ago.

The downside, however, is using this phone past its performance limits — particularly hardcore gaming. You can obviously play your favorite games but at the expense of medium to low quality graphics and gameplay stuttering.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Additionally, the inclusion of stereo speakers are unexpected.

For a phone this price and thin, I’m not expecting anything grand. However, the HOT 60 Pro+ delivered desirable sound output that’s adequate to the ears.

They’re not like the hypocritical individuals in the senate who are excessively loud and sound irritating in the long run.

Apple Music Lossless DAY6 Inside Out

Gladly, its entry-level SoC didn’t hinder me from downloading and listening to Lossless audio tracks. More so, the YouTube playback limit of Full HD (1080p) finally gets pushed to a clearer 2K (1440p) resolution.

Overall, these make the HOT 60 Pro+ undeniably great for a full-on entertainment experience.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Back to its lone 50MP camera, I’ve managed to take more than enough to show how it performs.

1x Wide vs 2x Lossless Zoom

1x Portrait ON vs 1x Regular

I even tried it with some delectable munchies and coffees paid by me and my colleagues’ self-earned money.

Lastly, night-time shots that looked as sharp as any crocodiles’ 🐊👀 night vision.

After all that moderate usage, the Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ was able to last at the end of the day. More than that if you don’t exhaust it.

For its size, 5160mAh sounds more than enough in today’s standards. If it totally dies down, its packaged 45W charger will totally fill it in around 70 minutes.

That’s still faster than applying for a single government-issued ID or document, if I must say.

First Impressions

If you’ve been clamoring for a super-slim smartphone without breaking the bank (literally and figuratively), the Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ is a match made for you.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Considering the hardware it possesses, it’s a no-brainer that it belongs to the budget segment.

To get this exclusive colorway, you need to shell out PhP 9,555 (below US$ 170) in the Philippines. Other variants are being offered at a cheaper price tag under PhP 9,200.

Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Then again, being affordable doesn’t mean bad quality. The Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ proves to be just one among the quality-tested smartphones that provides ample performance for most users.

Just don’t expect it to run your favorite games nor take images with its camera at the bestest quality possible.

After all, the phone being impossibly thin and featherweight without compromising the Android experience is the reason why it exists in the first place.

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