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Asus' latest flagship laptop competes with the MacBook Air, but not how you'd think

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Why This Matters

Asus' Zenbook A16 offers a compelling ultraportable design with a high-end Snapdragon processor, aiming to compete with the MacBook Air by balancing power and portability. Its premium display and lightweight build make it an attractive choice for consumers seeking a stylish, powerful laptop, though battery life and build quality present some trade-offs. This development highlights the ongoing shift towards high-performance, portable laptops in the tech industry, challenging traditional standards and consumer expectations.

Key Takeaways

Asus Zenbook A16 3.5 / 5 Good pros and cons Pros Gorgeous display

High-end processor

Appropriately priced

Thin and light Cons Potential emulation issues remain

Variable battery life

Plasticky build View now at Best Buy

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Asus' new Zenbook A16 is the sequel to last year's Zenbook A14, one of the thinnest, lightest, and longest-lasting laptops of 2025. The A16 picks up where its younger sibling left off, aiming for the same thin and light build but with key hardware upgrades that elevate it to a more premium position.

Also: This ultraportable Asus laptop is my favorite MacBook Air alternative (and it's better in some ways)

Physically, it's made with the same textured, smudge-resistant ceraluminum, features a brilliant 3K OLED display, large trackpad and ultrasleek build. But under the hood is its secret weapon: the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor, Qualcomm's second-gen high-end processor with a 5-GHz clock speed, 192-bit memory interface and 228GB/s bandwidth.

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