despite of Terminator 2: Judgment Day AI has been booming in the tech industry, and this year we’ve seen a slew of AI-powered laptops. While they weren’t the first, the Snapdragon X Elite laptops have been the most talked about. The first wave of computers were the Copilot+, but Qualcomm isn’t the only company in the race. AMD just released its Ryzen AI 300 series processors, and it’s ready to prove itself in the fray.
Fortunately, Asus has produced laptops with each new chip, and we’ve reviewed both. The Asus Zenbook S16 UM5606 is powered by the new AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, while the Asus Vivobook S15 S5507 is powered by the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 processor. These are fairly similar laptops, but the Zenbooks are technically the higher-end model compared to the Vivobooks.
No matter how Asus ranks these laptops, will the Asus Zenbook S16 UM5606 or the Asus Vivobook S15 S5507 take the top spot?
Asus Zenbook S16 vs Vivobook S15 specs comparison
| model | Asus ZenBook S16 | Asus VivoBook S15 |
|---|---|---|
| price | $1,699 (starting at $1,399) | $1,299 (starts at $1,099) |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 |
| ram | 32 GB | 16 GB |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon 890M | Qualcomm Adreno |
| an offer | 16-inch OLED touchscreen, 2880 x 1800 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate | 15.6-inch OLED display, 2880 x 1620 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate |
| Weight | 3.3 lbs | 3.2 lbs |
| Dimensions | 13.92 x 9.57 x 0.47~0.51 inches | 13.88 x 8.93 x 0.58~0.63 inches |
Asus Zenbook S16 vs Vivobook S15: Price
As I mentioned above, Asus positions the Zenbook as a higher-end model than the Vivobook. How does this translate into the cost?
For $1,699, the Asus Zenbook S16 features an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, AMD Radeon 890M graphics, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch, 2880 x 1800, 120Hz OLED touchscreen.
For $1,299, the Asus Vivobook S15 offers a Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 processor, a Qualcomm Adreno GPU, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 15.6-inch 2880 x 1620 120Hz OLED display.
These are the two models that have the most capabilities of their laptops. The Zenbook comes with more RAM, a slightly higher resolution, and a larger screen area. The only other difference in cost is the CPU, but it's hard to say what that difference will be.
The Asus Zenbook S16 starts at $1,299 and comes with a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, Radeon 880M graphics, and 24GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the Asus Vivobook S15 starts at $1,099 and comes with a Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 processor and 512GB of SSD storage.
Looking at the base price is even more interesting because for an extra $200 you get an extra 8GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. But either of those options gives you a more expensive range. That’s too narrow to declare a real winner.
winner: He paints
Asus Zenbook S16 vs Vivobook S15: Design
You might think this would be close because these laptops look so similar, but I've already decided on a winner before I get to this section.
The Asus Vivobook S15 has a sleek and luxurious body but looks like a MacBook. The Zenbook S16, on the other hand, has a unique ceramic and aluminum lid that looks like it was made of pottery. Combined with the elegant lines of shiny silver that form the Zenbook logo on the lid, it’s clear that this is a superior design.
But what about size? That's interesting.
Despite being a 16-inch laptop, the Zenbook S16 weighs 3.3 pounds and measures 13.92 x 9.57 x 0.47 ~ 0.51 inches. While the Vivobook weighs 3.2 pounds and measures 13.88 x 8.93 x 0.58 ~ 0.63 inches. In a way, the Zenbook is thinner and sacrifices almost no display despite its larger screen.
This is a landslide win for the Zenbook S16.
winner: Asus ZenBook S16
Asus Zenbook S16 vs Vivobook S15: Display
While one is a 16-inch and the other is a 15-inch, the Asus Zenbook S16 and Vivobook S15 have incredibly similar displays. The former features a 16-inch, 2880 x 1800, 120Hz OLED touchscreen, while the latter sports a 15.6-inch, 2880 x 1620, 120Hz OLED display.
The immediate advantages the Zenbook S16 benefits from are its larger screen and higher resolution, but the increase is slight enough to be unnoticeable unless you're looking at them side by side.
The Asus Zenbook S16 covers 79.7% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and has an average brightness of 357 nits. The Asus Vivobook S15 covers 82.8% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and has an average brightness of 370 nits.
Again, this is a very close race, but I think better colors and higher brightness are worth more than a bigger, sharper screen. It's about quality, not quantity.
winner: Asus VivoBook S15
Asus Zenbook S16 vs Vivobook S15: Performance
Here, my friends, is the moment of the hour: AMD Ryzen 9 AI vs. Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. Will the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 in the Zenbook S16 outperform the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 in the Vivobook S15? Or will it be the other way around? Let’s find out.
In the Geekbench 6.3 comprehensive performance test, the Asus Zenbook S16 scored 13,282, while the Asus Vivobook S15 scored 14,522.
However, in the Geekbench ML 0.6 AI performance test, the Zenbook S16 managed an ONNX/CPU score of 3,377, beating the Vivobook S15's score of 2,913.
When we ran the HandBrake test on them, which converts 4K video to 1080p, the Zenbook S16 took 5 minutes and 8 seconds, while the Vivobook S15 did it in 4 minutes and 27 seconds.
The storage test is a bit more aggressive. We measured the transfer rate of 25GB of multimedia files, and the 1TB SSD in the ZenbookS16 recorded a speed of 908MB/s, while the 1TB SSD in the VivobookS15 recorded a speed of 1296MB/s. That’s a stark difference.
Despite the price and RAM difference, the Asus Vivobook S15 beats it.
winner: Asus VivoBook S15
Asus Zenbook S16 vs Vivobook S15: Battery Life
Battery life is an important metric for a new CPU. No matter how big the battery is, if your CPU is power-efficient, your laptop will die before the end of the workday. The Snapdragon X Elite has gained notoriety not for its AI capabilities but for its battery life. Can the Ryzen AI 300 keep up?
On the Laptop Magazine On our battery test — which continuously browses web pages over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness — the Zenbook S16 lasted 11 hours and 35 minutes. That’s great… but not quite as great as the Snapdragon. The Vivobook S15 lasted 12 hours and 53 minutes. You get an extra hour and some change with the Vivobook.
winner: Asus VivoBook S15
Overall Winner: Asus Vivobook S15
The Asus Vivobook S15 took more wins, but that doesn’t mean the Asus Zenbook S16 didn’t fight hard for the top spot. It was a very close race. Overall, the Asus Vivobook S15 offered better performance, display, and battery life.
However, the Zenbook S16 is by no means lacking in these aspects. It offers much better speakers. But its main drawback is the slow SSD. Meanwhile, both laptops share a poor keyboard and touchpad experience.
The Asus Vivobook S15 is a slightly better option from a benchmark perspective, but both laptops are powerful.
winnerAsus VivoBook S15