In the world of high-end laptops, thin and light designs often come with compromises, especially in performance and battery life. However, the Asus Zenbook S 16, powered by AMD’s cutting-edge Ryzen AI 300 series, makes great strides in redefining expectations in this category. Priced at around ₹1,55,000, the Zenbook S 16 offers powerful specifications, a stunning OLED display and a sleek build, positioning itself as a smart choice for creators, professionals and tech enthusiasts who demand optimal performance without clutter. Let’s take a closer look at how this laptop compares and whether it’s worth the investment.

Design and build quality: sleek and futuristic

The Asus Zenbook S 16 is a triumph of engineering, combining a rugged 16-inch display with an ultra-thin 1.1cm profile and a weight of just 1.5kg. It uses a unique “Ceraluminum” finish on the lid, a material that blends aluminum and ceramic, giving the laptop a premium matte finish that is both durable and visually striking. This treatment also helps the laptop’s durability while keeping it lightweight, and Asus deserves praise for its material science innovation.

The design of the laptop is not only stylish but also functional. With over 3,500 CNC-machined cooling vents in a geometric grid, the laptop’s thermal efficiency is exceptional, keeping the device cool without compromising performance. Asus’ ultra-thin, dual-fan vapor chamber system ensures the laptop maintains optimal temperatures even under heavy loads, and in testing we noted that the Zenbook S 16 remained comfortable to use without overheating excessive use of the keyboard or palm rest areas.

The build quality is complemented by excellent ergonomics. The Zenbook S 16 is balanced in the hand and the hinge allows for smooth opening and closing while providing a stable viewing angle whether you use it on a desk or on your lap. Asus has managed to master the form factor, making this laptop very portable without sacrificing screen real estate.

Display performance: vivid colors and sharp details

The Zenbook S 16 features a 3K OLED display with a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:10, delivering vivid colors and deep blacks. Our testing confirmed 100% DCI-P3 color accuracy, making it an ideal display for photo and video editing. Asus claims a maximum brightness of 400 nits, but in real-world testing the screen maxed out at around 314 nits, which may be a drawback for those working in bright environments where reflections can be an issue.

Despite this, color accuracy and contrast are excellent, and the OLED panel improves visual clarity, making it easy to watch videos, work on graphic design projects, or simply browse the web. The touch response is precise and the screen supports pen input, adding to its versatility for creators.

AMD Ryzen AI 300 platform: performance that impresses

At the heart of the Zenbook S 16’s capabilities is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370 processor from the Ryzen AI 300 series. Featuring 12 cores and 24 threads, this processor is built on AMD’s Zen 5 architecture with a combination of four Zen 5 cores and eight Zen 5c cores. With a base clock speed of 2.0 GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz, this processor delivers consistently smooth and powerful performance.

One of the most notable components of the Ryzen AI 300 series is the AMD XDNA 2.0 NPU, capable of delivering up to 50 TOPS (billions of operations per second), making it a formidable contender in gaming workloads. AI and machine learning work. This means the Zenbook S 16 can handle tasks like image generation, computer vision, and other on-device AI processes more efficiently, setting it apart from laptops with traditional x86 processors .

Graphics performance: RDNA 3.5 brings gaming and AI graphics to life

The Zenbook S 16’s Radeon 890M integrated graphics card, based on AMD’s RDNA 3.5 architecture, performs impressively for an integrated GPU. Testing it on various benchmarks, including real and synthetic gaming benchmarks, the GPU achieved frame rates close to entry-level dedicated graphics cards, with games like Fortnite and Apex Legends running smoothly on average parameters.

Achieving around 50 FPS at 1080p at medium settings in games is impressive for a thin and light laptop, making the Zenbook S 16 a viable option for casual gamers or creators working with graphics-intensive applications. Integrated graphics performance also complements on-device AI processing, an area of ​​growing demand for machine learning developers and multimedia professionals.

Battery life: strong endurance for work and play

A high-performance laptop often sacrifices battery life, but the Zenbook S 16 balances power and endurance admirably. With its 78Wh battery, the laptop lasts up to 11 hours and 33 minutes in a video playback test. This is competitive for a device of this size and performance capability, making it feasible for a full day of work or long flights without the need to recharge frequently.

This level of battery efficiency is particularly impressive when considering the laptop’s powerful hardware, and it highlights AMD’s progress in balancing performance and power consumption with the series Ryzen AI 300.

Connectivity: complete and scalable

The Zenbook S 16 offers a huge selection of connectivity options. Equipped with 2 USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack and SD card reader, the laptop meets a range of peripheral needs, from monitors to external drives. and audio equipment. The presence of USB 4.0 allows for fast data transfer speeds, making it ideal for creators who frequently work with large files.

Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, ensuring stable and fast connections for streaming, video calls and file transfers.

Verdict: A profitable investment for experienced users

The Asus Zenbook S 16 is an impressive laptop that ticks almost all the boxes for users looking for a powerful, lightweight machine for productivity and creative tasks. Its Ryzen AI 300 platform offers cutting-edge AI capabilities, powerful integrated graphics, and a smooth user experience, allowing the laptop to handle demanding workloads without breaking a sweat. The thoughtful design, from the unique ceramic finish to the efficient cooling system, only enhances its appeal.

Although the screen brightness could be improved, especially for outdoor use, and the 16-inch size may limit portability for some users, the Zenbook S 16 excels in every other area. It’s not just a thin and light laptop; it’s a powerful tool for professionals and creators who need reliable, high-performance hardware.