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ASUS just revealed a new set of laptops with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series of chips and prices lower than previous ARM-based variants.
The new Vivobook S 15 and ProArt PZ13 are powered by Qualcomm’s new eight-core Snapdragon X Plus chipset, which starts at $899 in the US.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series ARM chips for laptops have been touted to offer exceptional performance that challenges traditional x86 CPUs and Apple’s M-series alike. The earliest laptops, primarily powered by the Snapdragon X Plus, are priced to compete with MacBooks. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Plus with an eight-core CPU helps shave about $400 off the Vivobook without significant cutbacks in performance or AI features.
Vivobook S 15
The Vivobook S 15 comes with the same 15.6-inch 3K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate as the previous models with the Snapdragon X Elite or the previously announced 10-core Snapdragon X Plus inside them. ASUS is avoiding excessive changes to the chassis, too, and the laptop still weighs 1.42kg with a design identical to the previous version. You still get two USB 4.0 ports, two USB-As, an HDMI, a microSD reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the IR camera that smartly dims the screen when you’re not looking is also present.
- Vivobook S 15 | Source: ASUS
Inside, the Vivobook S 15 still packs a 70Wh battery unit with a claimed 18 hours of backup. Despite a less powerful chip, ASUS isn’t updating its battery performance claims. Additionally, the options for up to 32GB RAM and 1TB PCIe SSD remain unchanged from the older model.
The only change here is the new Snapdragon chipset. The chipset engages the same Oryon CPU cores but with a lower frequency. The eight-core offering is further subdivided into two options based on clock speed, one with a 3.2GHz peak frequency and another with 3.4GHz — the latter of which is identical to the 10-core variants.
The biggest disadvantage is the GPU performance, which is cut in half. However, the NPU is still as capable as the Snapdragon X Elite and capable of 45 TOPS performance. That should allow for more or less similar performance with tasks such as casual browsing and offer similar capabilities for Windows’ Co-Pilot features, though we can’t say the same about actual stressors such as gaming or running an AI model locally.
ProArt PZ13
In addition to the new Vivobook S 15, ASUS is also launching the ProArt PZ13 for creators. The laptop, also powered by the new Qualcomm chip, comes with a 3K OLED touchscreen, a detachable keyboard, and a stylus in the bundle.
The additional shenanigans raise the price to $1,099, which can be justified if you consider it weighs only 0.85kg and offers up to 21 hours of battery.
