The XPG XENIA 14 isn't a gaming laptop. It's not really meant to be either, despite the packaging. It is, however, a great take on an extremely lightweight laptop with full capabilities that can remain under that 1000 g mark even with an added memory module and a secondary SSD installed. I know mine does. That true portability combined with the performance of the Intel Core i7-1165G7 really showcases what's possible out there, and it is capable of meeting the needs of almost anyone who isn't completely focused on gaming alone thanks to the good battery life and decent performance.

Starting at the oversized trackpad and continuing with the installed 16 GB rather than just 8 GB of RAM, as well as the high-performance GAMMIX S50 Lite drive, XPG's customizations to Intel's Ultrabook ideal really shine through here, although some things could be improved. The sound reproduction isn't anything to write home about, and I'm still waiting for a 1080p webcam. There is no touchscreen. There's no real focus on gaming. Those are all things I can live with. It is a bit expensive, but is that because it's so light? I can live with that too. Now, only if I could get it back from my wife.

Compared to other 14-inch laptops on the market, what we have here is rather pricey, with a bunch of frills and add-ons paired with one of Intel's best Iris XE-equipped GPUs, top-bin memory, and a rather fast SSD option. Not only that, we get the magnesium alloy shell, overly large trackpad, and 100% sRGB IPS 16:10 screen, as well as amply decent battery life. MSI's Prestige EVO has the better Intel chip, but lower-resolution screen and higher price. This unit is actually fairly priced in my books for all of its features, but those features aren't going to appeal to everyone, although I'm not sure why... except for the lack of a touchscreen. That feature missing keeps this from being a perfect non-gaming notebook for everyone.