Schenker Key 14 review - 100 W RTX 4060 in a compact multimedia laptop

The Schenker Key 14 is a fast 14-inch multimedia laptop available with 100-watt variants of the GeForce RTX 4060 or alternatively RTX 4070. RAM is upgradeable here, supporting a maximum of 96 GB. Overall performance is good and remains stable even under continuous load, although the two fans can become quite loud during heavy use. In terms of connectivity, all essential standards are supported, including Thunderbolt 4, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and an optional Wi-Fi 7 module.

In many other aspects, however, the Key is fairly average. While its case is sturdy and well-made, the rough plastic frame around the display feels somewhat out of place. The keyboard is comfortable but could benefit from slightly more key travel, and the battery life isn’t setting new records any time soon. The 120 Hz flicker-free matte IPS display offers good overall image quality, but its brightness is lower than what the competition has to offer, reaching just over 300 nits.

In Germany, the Key 14 starts from €1,699 (~$1,780) with the RTX 4060, and there are lots of SKUs on offer as well as lots of upgrade options which is a clear plus point. As for other options, for €1,799 one can purchase an Asus Zephyrus G14 with the RTX 4060, which offers a better overall package but is limited to 16 GB of soldered RAM. Dell's XPS 14 lags behind with its slower RTX 4050 and limited connectivity options. The Asus TUF Gaming 14 stands out with its faster AMD processor but isn't entirely free of issues, either. These include soldered memory and high emissions.

In Germany, the Key 14 (M24) can be configured and ordered from Bestware starting from 1,699 euros.

The Key 14 from Schenker is a powerful multimedia laptop featuring an Intel Meteor Lake processor paired with a dedicated GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop or even an RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. The base model with the RTX 4060 starts at €1,699 and includes a high-resolution 120 Hz IPS display. Our test configuration, which has 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD, the optional Wi-Fi 7 module, and a three-year warranty, is priced at approximately €1,900. Additionally, we received the RTX 4070-toting variant to run some benchmarks and gaming tests on.

With its black and silver design, the Key 14 boasts a subtle and professional appearance that blends effortlessly into work environments. The lid and base (both made out of aluminum) are not fingerprint magnets, but the dark plastic palm rest that has a somewhat rubbery feel to it does require regular cleaning. The screen bezel is made out of rougher plastics, which gives it a slightly cheap appearance. Additionally, display bezels are relatively wide for a modern device (especially at the top and bottom). Both the build quality and stability are good, with minimal flexing on the top of the base unit and no creaking when attempting to twist it. The screen portion of the laptop is somewhat more flexible, though we were unable to cause any image distortions to appear. The hinges are well-tuned, offering sufficient resistance (better than the Vision 14), but the maximum opening angle is limited to just 130 degrees.

The bottom cover can be removed, providing access to fans, battery, M.2 2280 SSD, socketed WLAN module, and two RAM slots. This is a distinct advantage of the Schenker over many competitors, as it allows for seamless RAM upgrades to up to 96 GB. Our SKU is equipped with the optional Intel Wi-Fi 7 module that delivers significantly higher transfer rates than Wi-Fi 6 alternatives when paired with a compatible router. We recorded speeds ranging from 2.6 to 4.1 Gbit/s, a substantial improvement over the ~1.7 Gbit/s achieved over Wi-Fi 6. The Full HD webcam does its job and also supports facial recognition via Windows Hello.

The Key 14 excels in connectivity, offering all the essential standards including Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1 and even a Gigabit Ethernet port—an increasingly rare feature in this size class. The distribution of ports is well thought out, and the Key also supports charging via USB-C at up to 100 watts.

Weighing 1.75 kg (3.85 pounds) and measuring just under 2 cm in height, the Key 14 positions itself in the middle of its comparison group. The included 180-watt power adapter tips the scales at 430 grams.

Schenker Technologies does not provide CO² footprint information for the Key 14. The packaging mainly consists of recyclable materials which is a plus.

The Key 14 comes with the latest Command Center 3.0, offering a range of settings and three energy profiles: Quiet, Entertainment, and Performance. Each profile has several sub-profiles, and there is also the option to manually adjust fan curves. To achieve the maximum GPU power target of 100 watts, the Performance profile with Turbo sub-profile must be used, which is what we activated for the performance tests below.

The processor used is the Core Ultra 7 155H from the Meteor Lake generation. Schenker allows it to consume as much as 65 watts; the figure end up stabilizing at 54 watts. As a result, processor performance is relatively consistent here, even when under sustained load.

That being said, the competition built around AMD's Ryzen CPUs deliver higher multi-core performance, with the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 being notably faster than the Core Ultra 7.

On battery, the processor consumes a maximum of 45 watts to stabilize at 40 watts a while later. This results in a performance reduction of around 14% in multi-core tests compared to mains operation. Additional CPU benchmarks are available in our tech section.

The Key 14 is quite responsive in everyday use, with synthetic benchmarks more or less confirming our subjective impression. We experienced no issues of any kind during our time with the sample unit, either.