2024 can be seen as a year in which the computer industry will finally return to the leadership of the IT world, especially when companies that make processing chips such as Apple, AMD, Intel and Qualcomm show the offering of processing chips that not only promise powerful, but also electricity consumption which is more efficient.
ASUS Malaysia sent the ASUS Vivobook S 16 (AMD) laptop for us to review, and this is our experience around a few weeks using the laptop.
Design And Specifications
Model Name ASUS Vivobook 16 S OLED (M5606UA)
Display Size 16.0″ 3.2K (3200 x 2000) 16:10,
120Hz, 600 nits
AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor
8 Core
AMD Radeon Graphics Graphics Chip
RAM 16GB LPDDR5X
Internal Storage 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
1x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0×4
Full HD 1080P camera + privacy shutter
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C I/O plug
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
1 x USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C
1 x HDMI 2.1 TMDS
1 x 3.5mm audio jack
1 x MicroSD card reader
Windows 11 Home Operating System
Fingerprint Scan Security (Windows Hello)
Battery 75WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion
90W charger
Price RM4,599
Starting with the screen display of this laptop, the ASUS VivoBook S 16 comes with a 16.0-inch ASUS Luminus OLED screen display with a resolution of 3200×1200 pixels with a higher 16:10 display ratio. It has a brightness value of 600 nits and is certified to support DisplayHDR TrueBlack 500 display technology and can process 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
The use of thin frames on all four sides of the display allows the VivoBook S 16 to come with a design that resembles a traditional 15-inch laptop, but with a 16-inch display.
Combined with a frame made of aluminum, and the use of compact and thin components that allow the Vivobook S 16 frame to be only 1.39cm thick, and come with a weight of 1.5kg which allows this laptop to be carried anywhere, and still provide you with an experience productivity that combines a large screen display and
It is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor chip with 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and 512GB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. As for the graphics card, it features an AMD Radeon 780M graphics chip built with 8GB of VRAM memory that promises a class of premium productivity machines that can still run certain video games at HD and Full HD resolutions without problems.
In terms of plug support, Vivobook S 16 comes with two USB Type-C plugs, one of which is USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 4.0 Gen 3, two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A plugs, one HDMI 2.1 TMDS plug and one MicroSD card reader .
With this laptop, ASUS has also shown a compact size charging adapter and uses a Type-C plug to charge the 99Wh battery on this laptop at a fairly fast rate.
One thing I don't like about this laptop is how the aluminum frame catches dirt from finger surfaces very easily. As long as I have been using this laptop, I have used as many as 4 to 5 alcohol swabs to clean the surface of this laptop.
User Experience
A laptop with a 16-inch screen display may typically be seen as "too big" and difficult to carry around. But like what I said before, the Vivobook S 16 OLED screen display has a display with a thin frame, making it a more compact laptop compared to other laptops.
I used this laptop for a few weeks as a daily productivity laptop in the office. To this end, I can say that the ASUS Vivobook S 16 is a pretty good laptop from many aspects.
First is the processing power and also the high memory which allows me to open more than 20 tabs at once without any problem, regardless of whether I am using laptop battery power or connected to an electrical outlet.
The bright OLED screen display also promises a comfortable productivity and leisure experience for my eyes, no matter if I use this laptop to write articles, edit photos or watch videos.
Speaking of leisure, the ASUS Vivobook S 16 can also be used to play some video games that do not require such high graphics capabilities. My experience playing games like Diablo 4, Wuthering Waves and Honkai Star Rail on this laptop is complete for me, where I can run both games at Full HD resolution and 60FPS frame rate, with Diablo 4 using medium graphics settings.
The large amount of plugs (in particular USB Type-C and Type-A) allows me to connect a wide variety of accessories to this device without any problems. Speaking of plugs, to charge this laptop, you can use a 65W charger and connect a USB Type-C cable to any USB Type-C plug on this laptop, and it will charge it fast.
In all my experience using this laptop too, I have never faced the issue of the keyboard part getting hot, even when I use this laptop while it is charging.
One tip I can give you is regarding the refresh rate of this display. On paper, the ASUS Vivobook S 16 comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, but in my experience, this feature doesn't seem to be enabled by default and can be enabled through the settings on the Windows operating system.
This menu can be accessed through the System > Display > Advanced Display setting where the 120Hz setting can be selected to get a display with a faster refresh rate where the ghosting effect can be reduced when watching high-performance content and for a smoother experience scrolling through website content.
When running computer games in particular, the sound of the cooling fan may be heard, but it is powerful enough to ensure that the CPU and GPU components do not exceed a certain temperature level.
Bench mark
These are some of the benchmark scores we used to test the capabilities of this laptop.
PCMark
3DMark Skydiver
Crystal DiskMark
Battery
This Asus Vivobook S 16 comes with a 75Wh battery which may seem a little low for a laptop with a 16-inch screen display, but in my experience using this laptop, I can say that on average, the battery life of this laptop on a single charge full is around 10 hours.
Depending on your usage pattern, you can try to get a little longer life, but for me, with the display brightness value around 75 percent and using a WiFi connection, 10 hours is the best I can get with this laptop.
What's in the Box
This is what you will get when you buy this ASUS Vivobook S 16 laptop:
1x ASUS Vivobook S 16
1x 65W USB Type-C Charger
1x Manual
Closing
If you are looking for a productivity-class laptop that combines a thin and light design, a large screen display, great performance and even a long battery life, the ASUS Vivobook S 16 powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 8845 HS processing chip is a pretty good choice. once.
At RM4699, the price tag of this laptop may be a bit harsh for normal use, but with its ability to carry out a variety of tasks, whether for productivity or leisure purposes, for me it is a price that is well worth it as a long-term investment. .
Pros:
Lightweight and compact laptop design
Large OLED screen display
AMD CPU performance is pretty great
Long lasting charging speed
Cons:
Expensive price tag
Loud fan noise
A frame that easily catches dirt