I'm very close to getting G14 (6800HS) for work. (coding, database, some VMware)
1) good battery life (as seen from reviews)
2) pretty light 1.7kg
3) good screen
4) beefy cpu without much energy
5) full size ports

I know, the GPU seems to be a waste for my work. so before buying this, I'd like to know if there's a similar alternative ?
ryzen 8c/16T either HS or U series
upgradable ram (unfortunately Asus S13 only offers 16GB RAM option)
1.7kg and below
PD charge support
good bright screen

This is the issue with PC laptops. Programmers/developers want a fairly large screen (min. 14" 16:10), 32GB RAM, and a strong but efficient processor (AMD 6000 series preferred. Alder Lake is too power hungry although faster). We do not need the discrete GPU because we do not game. Even if want to do ML/AI stuff, there is already a desktop dedicated for this.

However, most PC laptops out there which offer 32GB RAM nowadays are either:
1) Surely come with a dGPU, which is a waste
2) If it doesn't come with a dGPU, it is likely small in size and hence the display is too small
3) Or still stuck with the 11th gen 4-core Tiger lake.

Seems like LG Gram could suit your need if you can look past/control the Alder Lake power consumption. But it is not officially available in Msia I think.
Looks like G14 is likely your only choice. I wouldn't buy it because it is priced too close to MBP14.

tnanks for the help. I was leaning towards g14, but the QC/build quality doesn't seem top tier. The Alienware X14 is a looker, but alder lake problems with battery. I've just ordered a lenovo Z13. Might take weeks though haiya
really wish asus offers 32GB options for some of their zenbooks like S13. The zenbook duo looks great, pretty light, but unfortunately using power hungry Intel