PriceShop’s Premium Laptop Buying Guide (March 2026)
It’s been a while since we did a laptop buying guide, and since we’ve already covered gaming laptops and Copilot+ PCs, we think it’s time we change gears a bit and focus on something a little more luxurious. We’re talking about the slimmest, lightest laptops with the best battery life and AI-ready performance, ready to take your work and studies to the next level.
That’s right, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the best premium laptops you can get in Malaysia today. If you have the budget for it, getting a more premium laptop offers not only better build quality with lighter and thinner chassis, you can also find unique build materials such as ASUS’ tougher and lighter Ceraluminum ceramic material. It’ll also of course come with better hardware, such as brighter, higher resolution displays and more powerful processors under the hood.
ASUS Zenbook DUO
There is really no better place to start than the ASUS Zenbook DUO. Perhaps the best premium thin and light laptop you can get in Malaysia today, the Zenbook DUO’s main highlight is of course its dual 14-inch ASUS Lumina Pro OLED displays. Each of these displays pushes a 2880 x 1800p resolution with a 144Hz refresh rate, a 1,000nit peak HDR brightness, full coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and 65% less reflective with its anti-reflective coating..
The beauty of having two displays on your laptop is of course that you’re basically getting the productivity benefits of a dual-display workspace integrated into a single portable device. Completing the experience is an improved Bluetooth keyboard with a new MagLatch docking system for when you’re using it as a traditional laptop, while its 50 hour battery life will let you comfortably use it in dual screen mode for long. You can even lay it flat in sharing mode when collaborating, as the pre-installed ScreenXpert App lets you easily present and share your screen to others.
The actual body of the Zenbook DUO itself is now stronger than ever, as it’s fully built out of ASUS’ Ceraluminum ceramic material. This makes it only 1.65kg light while still remaining tough and durable, meeting US MIL-STD 810H standards. Even the hinge itself has been upgraded, being 70% narrower than before while still reliable for over 40,000 open-close cycles. The pogo pins have also undergone rigorous testing for over a million retracting cycles and 20,000 side-pressure cycles for consistent alignment and stability.
Under the hood, you’ll find the best-in-class Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processor with integrated Intel Arc B390 graphics, making it powerful enough for work, gaming and everything in between. That’s been mated to 32GB of LPDDR5X-9600 memory and a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. And yet despite the incredible performance, you can still expect over 2x the battery life of its predecessor with up to 18 hours of dual screen use, thanks to the massive 99Wh dual battery design in the Zenbook DUO.
Priced at RM12,999.
ASUS Zenbook S14 and S16
For those seeking a more traditional thin and light laptop, the ASUS Zenbook S14 and Zenbook S16 will likely be more up your alley. These offer a sleek and minimalist design, thanks to their Ceraluminum chassis and ASUS Zenbook typography on the lid. Available in a new Antrim Gray colourway, these measure in at just 1.1cm thin, with the Zenbook S14 weighing just 1.2kg light and the Zenbook S16 at 1.5kg.
With the Zenbook S14, you’re getting an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and a 1TB SSD, while the Zenbook S16 comes with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 465 processor instead, meaning that you’ll have more than enough performance under the hood for all your tasks. Both laptops get a premium 3K ASUS Lumina OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and an up to 1,100nits peak brightness.
Other premium features you can expect on the Zenbook S series is of course full I/O ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, a HDMI 2.1 port and on the Zenbook S16 a SD 4.0 card reader too. You’ll also get up to 27 hours of battery life, a refined ErgoSense keyboard and trackpad with anti-fingerprint hydrophobic coatings, as well as a quad speaker setup on the Zenbook S14 and a six speaker setup on the Zenbook S16.
Priced from RM7,999.
Dell XPS 14 and 16
It wasn’t too long ago that Dell killed off their signature XPS line in a branding shake up, only for the company to admit it was a bad move by bringing back the XPS family in 14-inch and 16-inch options for 2026. These CNC-machined aluminum laptops are Dell’s slickest thin-and-lights, weighing in at 1.36kg for the XPS 14 and 1.65kg for the XPS 16, while still managing to fit quad-speaker setups and three Thunderbolt 4 ports.
While the base models come with standard 2K non-touch IPS panels, you can opt for higher resolution OLED touchscreen panels for both the XPS 14 and the XPS 16. Similarly, while they come with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage on their base model, the touchscreen versions come with an Intel Core X7 358H, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage instead. Their 70Wh batteries meanwhile also mean you’ll get up to 31 hours of use.
Perhaps the only nitpick we have for the Dell XPS 14 and 16 here is that, while yes we have yet to see most of the other brands release their next-gen ultra premium laptops, these are arguably even a bit too expensive for what they offer. The XPS 14 starts at RM11,717.55 on the Dell website, rising to RM14,759 for the higher end model, while the XPS 16 starts at RM13,097.55 rising to RM16,549 for the top spec.
Priced from RM11,717.55.
ASUS Zenbook A14 and A16
Lastly, we have the ASUS Zenbook A14 and Zenbook A16. The former of course holds the title of world’s lightest 14-inch Copilot+ PC, starting at just 899g. The Zenbook A16 isn’t too far off either at 1.2kg, making it lighter than most 14-inchers out there. All of this is thanks to their premium Ceraluminum build, allowing it to be strong, durable and light, with a minimalist and sleek design too.
With the Zenbook A14, you’re getting a 14-inch ASUS Lumina OLED display with a FHD+ resolution capable of 600nits of peak brightness. It gets the all new Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-88-100 processor with 16GB of LPDDR5X memory and 512GB of storage, allowing you to get up to 35 hours of battery life which can be quickly topped up with fast charging support. On top of that, despite its size, you still get two USB-C 4.0 ports, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, a HDMI 2.1 port and an audio jack.
If you’re looking for something a little bigger, the Zenbook A16 offers an incredible 16-inch 2.8K ASUS Lumina OLED display capable of a 1,100nits of peak brightness with a 120Hz refresh rate. This machine also gets the most powerful Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme X2E-94-100 processor, with a whopping 48GB of LPDDR5X memory and 512GB of storage, allowing for not just improved gaming and work performance but also powerful enough for AI enthusiasts to tinker with.
On top of that, the Zenbook A16 also gets the same set of I/O as the smaller sibling with the addition of an SD 4.0 card reader, as well as a 70Wh battery capable of up to 21 hours of battery life with fast charging support. You’ll also get a six super-linear speaker setup which means you’ll have perhaps the best audiovisual experience on the go.
Priced from RM7,499.
