AI was the biggest trend in tech for 2024. From the continued development of Large Language Models, more Generative AI, and AI integration in our day-to-day devices, AI has been at the forefront of technology in the past year. So, when Microsoft got in the AI inside devices game with their Copilot+ PCs plus the utilization of the ARM infrastructure as part of the AI revolution it was enough to make want to try it out.
That time is finally here with the ASUS Vivobook S15 (S5507), a Copilot+ PC from ASUS – running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon X platform. After a week of testing and trying it out, I finally saw a glimpse of the future of personal computing.
Design: 4/5
ASUS has always produced great-looking laptops. Its Zenbook series is some of the sleekest devices on the market with its minimalist design and metallic body. The Vivobook series, meanwhile, strikes a balance of minimalists with hints of a unique youthful design. The Vivobook S 15 take on more of the Zenbook aesthetic with ASUS opting for a simpler yet sleek design.
When you take the laptop out of the box you’ll immediately see the aluminum body as well as the simple ASUS Vivobook name engraved on the cover. To be honest it feels out of place from most Vivobooks and Zenbooks, something unique that blends the aesthetic of both. Moving on to the body, the all-metal body gives the laptop a premium feel and at the same time gives you confidence when handling it.
Opening the laptop, you’ll be greeted with the 15.6-inch 3K (2880 x 1620) ASUS Lumina OLED display. Unlike most new ASUS Laptops with a 16:10 aspect ratio, the Vivobook S15’s display only has a 16:9 aspect ratio, but it already has a 120Hz refresh rate and a max brightness of 600 nits.
On top of the display you’ll have the HD IR Webcam covered by the privacy shutters. These webcams are great, clearer than most of its competitions. Moving on to the body, the ASUS Vivobook S15 has a full-sized keyboard and a number pad for those who need it. The keyboard is chiclet-type and was a joy to type on. It also has an RGB backlight which you can customize within the MyASUS app.
On the left is a full-size HDMI 2.1 port, two USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C with support for display and power delivery, a MicroSD slot, and the 3.5mm combo jack. On the right are the two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, and the LED notification lights.
Hardware: 4/5
Underneath the hood, the Vivobook is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor. Our review unit came with the Snapdragon X Plus processor though ASUS is also offering a version with the more powerful Snapdragon X Elite processor. Paired with the processor is an Adreno GPU, and because the laptop is a Copilot+ PC, it also comes with Qualcomm’s own Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that helps with AI tasks.
Aside from the main processors, the Vivobook S15 comes with 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of PCIE Gen. 4 SSD. For connectivity, the Vivobook S15 has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
In terms of performance, all I can say is that the Vivobook S15 is a mixed bag. Don’t get me wrong, the laptop is powerful enough. In fact, it’s better in some productivity aspects than most other laptops. That said, the ARM-based system does show its dreaded fangs in some instances. While running benchmarks, I found that PCMark 10 was still incompatible with ARM devices. Games are also a big no-no, with most games either crashing or outright failing to install.
That said, the Vivobook S15 does shine in tasks that are compatible with ARM. Other day-to-day tasks, such as writing with a bit of photo or video editing, are a breeze with the Vivobook S15. Additionally, the Copilot button on the keyboard does help when you need to quickly access Copilot, which I mainly used for grammar checks and spelling checks.
One of the more impressive specs underneath the Vivobook S15’s hood is the 70Wh battery. According to ASUS, this battery can last up to 18 hours of non-stop productivity and entertainment. While I did not reach that long during testing, I was still impressed with how long the battery lasts on this laptop (more on this later).
User Experience: 4/5
The Vivobook S15 is a great on-the-go laptop. It was really fortunate that our review coincided with an out of the country trip, so I got to fully try out the laptop and its portability. Weighting in at just 1.42kg, the Vivobook S15 was a blessing during the trip. Its thin and light body made it easy to handle in the ever-so-hectic airport security. The large 15.6-inch OLED display was also great when I had to quickly finish a write-up inside the plane and maybe a movie or two.
What made the Vivobook S15 a better travel companion was its battery life and power efficiency. After setting up the device the night prior to my trip, I was left with around 85% of battery. After a bit of work in the airport and on the plane, I was left with around 77% of the battery. Finally, after settling in at our hotel and working for another 3 to 4 hours, I was still left with 54%, which lasted me another two days of brief on-and-off work.
When the battery did fall, I was able to fully charge the laptop to 100% in just under 2 hours with the included 90W charger.
Speaking of work, transferring work was also seamless with the ASUS Vivobook S15. The laptop comes with a free Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 license and a 1 Year subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal. I was able to easily continue my existing work with the Office 365 and carry over projects with the free 1TB of Microsoft Cloud storage with the subscription.
As an AI laptop, the ASUS Vivobook S15 also has ASUS’ StoryCube, the brand’s own One-Stop AI Media Hub that organizes your media files. StoryCube can organize your files even on your different cloud storages and effortless identify people or scenes automatically. StoryCubes helps in expediting your project workflow by having all your files ready and waiting.
Besides productivity, another aspect where the Vivobook S15 excels is media and entertainment. The laptop’s 3K OLED display is gorgeous to look at and binge-watching movies on this laptop was a blast. The speakers were also surprisingly amazing, sounds were loud yet whole; more than enough to fill a small room and more.
ASUS also included its new Marshmallow Keyboard (KW100) during our review, and while I enjoyed typing on the Vivobook S15, the keyboard was extremely useful when I needed to work on multiple devices. Just a simple press of some buttons, and I’m connected to the Vivobook S15, my tablet, and even my Desktop. Additionally, the ASUS Marshmallow Keyboard (KW100) was great to type on, as key travel was decent and satisfying. That said, when choosing between the Vivobook S15 and the keyboard, I would still go for the built-in keyboard on the Vivobook S15.
One thing to note about the ASUS Marshmallow keyboard is that you need to get used to its small size. While the letter keys were reasonably sized, I found that it was a bit hard to quickly reach the smaller-sized backspace and enter keys. But, like I said, once I got used to the layout, I quickly returned to my groove.
Value: 4/5
Coming in at PHP69,995 for the Snapdragon X Plus processor model and PHP84,995 for the Snapdragon X Elite variant, the Vivobook S15 has a pretty stiff price. Its place as an ARM-based system does have some drawbacks for some users, yet its power efficiency is next to none.
If you are an executive who wants a device that will last you well beyond a day, then the Vivobook S15 is the perfect device for you. Its power efficiency is one of the best in the market, while its diminutive size allows it to be carried everywhere. This laptop is the perfect work everywhere device.
For those who want extra peace of mind when they travel, the ASUS’ Vivobook S15 also comes with ASUS’ celebrated 4A quality and service that includes up to 2 years of international warranty covering free service and spare parts.
As of writing, the ASUS Vivobook S15 is one of the devices included in the ASUS Share 2024 promo, where your tech upgrade get you up to a PHP5000 Sole Academy e-voucher. Check out the full promo and mechanics here. ASUS Share 2024 is happening from December 05, 2024 to January 31, 2025.
Specifications:
- Processor: Snapdragon® X Plus X1P 42 100 Processor 3.4GHz (30MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz, 8 cores, 8 Threads)
- Display: 15.6-inch 3K (2880 x 1620) OLED 16:9 aspect ratio 0.2ms response time 600nits HDR peak brightness 100% DCI-P3 color gamut
- Graphics: Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU
- NPU: Qualcomm® Hexagon™ NPU up to 45TOPS
- Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 4.0 SSD
- Camera & Microphone: FHD camera with IR function to support Windows Hello with privacy shutter
- Audio: Smart Amp Technology, Built-in speaker, Built-in array microphone, Harman/Kardon (Mainstream)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7(802.11be) (Tri-band)2*2 + Bluetooth® 5.4 Wireless Card
- Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (data speed up to 5Gbps), 2x USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C with support for display/power delivery (data speed up to 40Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1 TMDS, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, Micro SD card reader
- Battery: 70WHrs, 3S1P, 3-cell Li-ion
- Dimensions: 35.
What’s Hot:
- Good keyboard
- Amazing battery life
- Great speakers
What’s Not:
- ARM app support is still not all-encompassing
Bottomline:
The Asus Vivobook S15 is the perfect laptop for those who want the freedom to go go go.
Reviewed by Gabriel John Pe
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE Volume 25 No. 6 Issue.