GoKawiilWhile emulation is better, there are still some Windows hiccups
The Asus Zenbook A16 houses a speedy Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, but has a cheap-feeling chassis for its price, and it doesn't last long enough on a charge.
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Editor's note: April 7, 5:30 p.m. ET: We reviewed the laptop at a promised price of $1,599.99, but late on launch day, we were informed it is actually priced at $1,699.99. We have updated pricing in the review accordingly. That doesn't change the score, but it does make us less enthusiastic about some of the features, given the higher price.
Qualcomm is back for round two of its attempt to bring Windows on Arm mainstream. This time around, its new top chip, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, is in a tier of its own. One of the first systems with that new processor is the Asus Zenbook A16 ($1,699.99 as tested).
The laptop is supposed to be the showcase for the chip, but it often feels the other way around. While the X2 Elite Extreme is speedy and has a whopping 48GB of memory on the package, the system's chassis feels cheap (especially at this price) and doesn't last as long as competitors on a charge.
You do get a lightweight system, especially at this size, and there are a bunch of ports. But while Windows on Arm has gotten a lot better with more native apps and improved emulation, there are still some hiccups.
Design of the Asus Zenbook A16
The Asus Zenbook A16 is plain. Very plain. You might associate beige computers with the 1980's, but Asus is bringing that color back here – the laptop looks a lot more “brown” under normal office lighting than it does under the bright lights of our photography setup. I'm not a fan of the hue, but some of my colleagues were thrilled to see something that wasn't gray.
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