REVIEW: ASUS Zenbook A16 (Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Model)

The ASUS Zenbook A16 is a 16-inch laptop that weighs just 1.2 kilograms, powered by Qualcomm’s top Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip with 48GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Qualcomm built this platform around slim designs, long battery life and smart AI features, and after several weeks of use, the Zenbook A16 delivers on all three. It is fast, light and very comfortable to live with, and its battery life is the best I have experienced on a Windows laptop.

Design & Build Quality

My review unit came in Zabriskie Beige, a colour that stands out from the sea of black and grey laptops currently on the market. The chassis is made from Ceraluminum, a material ASUS creates by fusing ceramic and metal. It sounds like something from a science fiction film, but the benefits are real. ASUS says it is 30 percent lighter and three times stronger than standard aluminium, which is how a 16-inch laptop can weigh only 1.2 kilograms.

The finish feels different from most laptops too. It has a matte, stone-like texture that feels soft and warm to the touch rather than cold, and it resists fingerprints and smudges, so the laptop stays looking clean through the day. The ceramic content also makes it highly scratch-resistant.

The low weight initially made me wonder whether it was a premium device. After a number of weeks, I have no doubt that it is. It makes a larger 16-inch laptop easy and enjoyable to carry on trips, whether for quick tasks or longer work sessions.

The trackpad is massive and lovely to use, and the keyboard has nice travel in the keys. The speakers were a pleasant shock. They get very loud, with impressive bass for such a slim laptop, and I did not expect that level of sound.

The bundled 130W fast charger is a nice touch. My only small nitpick is that I wish there was a USB-C charging port on the right-hand side of the laptop, which would make charging a little more convenient.

Display

The OLED display is stunning. It looks fantastic for everyday use, but HDR is where it really impresses. Playing games with HDR enabled or watching HDR content on YouTube is a real treat.

We did notice a few quirks with HDR playback in the Netflix app. That may be something Qualcomm can address with a future driver update.

Software Features

The Zenbook A16 is a Copilot+ PC, which means it comes with the latest Windows AI features. These include Live Captions, Windows Studio Effects, Recall, Click to Do and Semantic Search.

Qualcomm says the chip’s dedicated AI processor can run these features without slowing down the rest of the laptop. The platform also has strong built-in security features, including presence sensing, which can lock Windows when you walk away from the screen.

Software support has come a long way. Qualcomm says more than 1,500 apps now run natively on its platform, accounting for over 93 percent of the time people spend using Windows. Most everyday apps run without any fuss, and Windows has a built-in tool to run older apps that are not yet native. If you are writing code or downloading apps, look for versions built for ARM64 to get the best performance.

It is worth being aware that, because Qualcomm’s chips use ARM architecture, a small number of applications and some online multiplayer games do not yet work on this platform. Qualcomm has acknowledged this and says it is working with its partners to improve compatibility.

Given how much progress has been made already, that is encouraging. If you rely on a specific piece of software or a particular multiplayer title, check compatibility before you buy.

Performance

Qualcomm’s testing, carried out on this exact laptop, shows the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme beating Intel’s latest chip and even outpacing Apple’s M5 in multi-core performance. I did not run my own benchmarks, but in daily use the laptop feels quick and capable.

The chip is power-efficient, and the huge 48GB of memory gives it plenty of headroom. I did not do any extensive video or photo editing, but the photo editing I did was very snappy, and at no point did the laptop feel like it was dragging its feet.

Gaming is a pleasant surprise as long as you keep your expectations in check. Forza Horizon 6 runs at around 30 to 40 frames per second with most settings on low.

For such a thin and light laptop, I am very happy with that. Qualcomm never claimed these chips were designed for top-tier AAA gaming, but they work well if you are not too precious about having cutting-edge visuals enabled.

Qualcomm says more than 2,400 games are playable on the platform, and it recommends medium settings for most titles. It also provides a Snapdragon Control Panel for tweaking game settings and installing graphics driver updates, which are promised regularly.

Battery Life

This is where the Zenbook A16 really shines. I have used an Intel-powered laptop for the last number of years, and I had come to accept that any real workload would send me looking for a charger after two or three hours at most. That includes back-to-back Teams calls, photo editing, or just general use with the screen brightness turned up.

This Snapdragon-powered Zenbook is a different experience. With general web browsing and email, I could easily get 12 to 14 hours of use with the screen brightness at around 70 percent on average. In fact, I have never used the laptop for long enough from a full charge to need to top it up in that time.

Standby time is just as impressive and makes everyday life easier. I can pick the laptop up after a few days of not using it and be confident the battery has not drained to the point where I need to recharge it just to get started. Qualcomm also says the platform does not slow down when running on battery.

Apple’s M-series chips have delivered much better battery life on the MacBook range for a few years now, and it is exciting to see a Windows laptop finally bring gains like this. In a presentation a few weeks ago, Qualcomm said the Snapdragon X2 Elite can outperform Apple’s own chips in certain battery endurance scenarios.

I was not able to run any direct comparisons myself, but my own experience with this laptop certainly makes that claim feel believable.

Conclusion

The ASUS Zenbook A16 is a seriously impressive laptop. It has a gorgeous OLED display, loud and punchy speakers, a distinctive and durable build, and battery life that changes how you think about charging. All of that comes in a 1.2 kilogram body with a large trackpad and a comfortable keyboard. It handles everyday work and light creative tasks with ease, and it manages enjoyable gaming within its limits.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind. Some apps and multiplayer games are not yet supported, although Qualcomm says it is working on improvements, and the HDR quirk in Netflix will hopefully be fixed with an update. These are small trade-offs for a laptop that does so much well. If your software is supported, the Zenbook A16 is a flagship Windows laptop that is easy to recommend.

ASUS Zenbook A16 Pricing & Availability

The ASUS Zenbook A16 is available from €1,499 for the 16GB/512GB model at Harvey Norman. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme model with 48GB RAM and 1TB storage that we reviewed costs €2,399 at Currys.