Fear and Blogging in Las Vegas: Testing the Asus Zenbook A16 with Snapdragon X2
I did something most tech journalists know better than to do. I brought a pre-production laptop—one with an unreleased processor and unfinished software—to one of the most chaotic events of the tech calendar and used it as my primary work machine. For three days at CES, the Asus Zenbook A16 became my only computer. No fallback. No safety net. Just me, dozens of deadlines, a mountain of briefings, and a processor that technically didn't exist yet.
This wasn't some marketing stunt or a controlled lab environment. I was editing 50-megapixel RAW photos on the fly, writing articles in WordPress across multiple tabs, managing Slack conversations, and jumping between video calls. The battery was draining. The Vegas conference center Wi-Fi was terrible. My schedule was insane. And somehow, this thin, light laptop kept up.
The machine in question is the Asus Zenbook A16 with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor. It's Arm-based. It's Windows. It weighs less than a 13-inch MacBook Air but has a 16-inch screen. On paper, it sounds like a risky bet. In practice, after three days of actual work under the most demanding conditions a laptop could face, I came away impressed.
But here's the thing: this is a pre-production unit. There are bugs. Windows Hello face recognition simply doesn't work. The laptop randomly goes to sleep mid-use. These aren't trivial issues. But they're also exactly what you'd expect from hardware that won't be in your hands for months. The more important question is whether the core performance—the actual doing of work—holds up. And it does.
Let me walk you through what I tested, what surprised me, and what this means for the future of Windows laptops built on Arm architecture.
TL; DR
- The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is genuinely fast: RAW photo editing, heavy multitasking, and document work all felt snappy and responsive.
- The form factor is a game-changer: A 16-inch laptop that weighs less than most 13-inch ultrabooks changes how you think about portability.
- Pre-production bugs exist but aren't dealbreakers: Face unlock fails, occasional sleep issues—nothing that broke the actual workflow.
- Price positioning is aggressive: At 1,699, it undercuts comparable M4 MacBook Air configurations.
- This is the real test Arm on Windows needed: Not a lab benchmark, but actual work at a real conference.
The Zenbook A16 offers a lighter weight and larger screen at a lower price compared to its competitors, though it slightly lags in performance. Estimated data for performance scores.
The Processor That Changed Everything: Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Explained
Let's talk about the chip doing the heavy lifting here. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme X2E-94-100 is part of Qualcomm's next-generation processor family built specifically for premium Windows laptops. Understanding what makes this different requires understanding what didn't work the first time.
The original Snapdragon X Elite processors launched last year with solid performance but meaningful software limitations. Windows on Arm was clunky. Emulation of x86 applications had stutters. Battery life was good but not revolutionary. The Snapdragon X2 exists partly to address these problems with raw performance that can overwhelm the inefficiencies of emulation and software translation.
This specific variant features 18 cores total. That breaks down to 6 performance cores clocked at up to 3.2 GHz and 12 efficiency cores that handle background tasks and lighter workloads. In the Asus test unit, it's paired with 48GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. This isn't a baseline configuration. This is what peak Windows Arm performance looks like when you don't cheap out on supporting hardware.
The real test of a processor isn't how it performs in isolation. It's what happens when you pile on the actual work a professional does. In Vegas, that meant opening 30+ Chrome tabs, running multiple virtual desktops, editing images in Adobe Lightroom, writing in Google Docs and WordPress, monitoring Slack, and toggling between video calls. The kernel of this test is whether the machine slows down, stutters, or requires waiting.
It didn't. Not once.
Performance Under Real Load
There's a massive difference between "performance in benchmarks" and "performance when you need it." Benchmarks are sterile. They test specific things in ideal conditions. Real work is messy. It's interrupts and context switches and the computer guessing what you want next.
During CES, I spent hours in Adobe Lightroom Classic editing photos shot on a Sony A1 camera. These are massive files. A single RAW from that camera is roughly 100MB. On the first day, I shot roughly 70 images at various briefings and needed to cull, tag, and quick-edit them before publishing.
Importing from the built-in SD card reader was instant. The library view—where you scroll through thumbnails and flag keepers—was silky smooth. The Develop module, which is where the heavier processing happens, also felt responsive. Adjusting exposure, shadows, highlights, color temperature, and saturation was as fast as I'm accustomed to on Apple's M-series chips.
Where things slowed was when I got aggressive. The masking tool in Lightroom, which lets you select specific areas of an image and adjust them independently, uses AI to detect subjects. On heavy images with complex lighting, that detection can take a few seconds. It's slower on the Zenbook than on my M5 MacBook Pro, but the difference is maybe 2-3 seconds versus instant. That's not dealbreaker territory. That's "good enough" territory.
The bigger wins came from what I didn't have to do: wait. Chrome never stalled. Switching between windows never hiccupped. Slack notifications came through without lag. This is what "good performance" actually means to knowledge workers. It's not about raw speed. It's about not being interrupted by the computer.
Thermal Management and Power Efficiency
The Arm architecture is built around efficiency. That means less heat generation and longer battery life compared to x86 processors. During my CES testing, the Zenbook stayed cool even under sustained load. The chassis never got uncomfortably warm. There were no thermal throttling events that I could detect.
Battery life is another story worth its own section, but the efficiency of the X2 Elite Extreme means the laptop could run full Lightroom editing sessions without needing a charge mid-day. In Vegas, where power outlets are scarce and you're bouncing between venues constantly, that matters immensely.
The Form Factor Revelation: A 16-Inch That Weighs Nothing
Specs on paper are one thing. Carrying a laptop through the Las Vegas Convention Center is another.
The Asus Zenbook A16 weighs just under 3 pounds. A 13-inch M3 MacBook Air weighs 2.7 pounds. This means a laptop with 3 more inches of screen real estate weighs almost as much as Apple's ultraportable. That's not a minor distinction. That's a fundamental rethinking of what a portable 16-inch laptop should be.
During CES, I went from a briefing about AI chips to a hands-on with a rollable gaming laptop to a photo shoot to back-to-back meetings. The Zenbook slipped into my backpack like a piece of paper. I stopped thinking about its weight within the first hour.
The chassis itself is aluminum with a magnesium reinforced frame. It doesn't feel cheap. The lid closes with a satisfying click. The keyboard deck has minimal flex. The display bezel is thin without going into extreme territory. Everything feels deliberate and well-engineered, not like a cost-cutting exercise.
Port Selection That Doesn't Compromise
Ultrabooks often force painful trade-offs on ports. You get two USB-C ports and that's it. Want to connect an external monitor? A mouse? An SD card? You're buying dongles.
The Zenbook A16 bucks this trend. It has two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, two USB-A 3.2 ports, a full-size HDMI 2.1 port, and—here's the cherry—a full-size SD card reader. For a photographer or someone who works with video, that SD card slot is gold. I didn't have to buy a dongle or use cloud storage to transfer files. I plugged the memory card directly in.
The HDMI port is equally important. Many premium laptops have abandoned HDMI in favor of Thunderbolt. That means presenters need adapters. The Zenbook just works with projectors at conference centers. This is a small thing that solves a thousand paper cuts for business travelers.
Display Quality and Why It Matters
The 16-inch display is OLED with a 2880x1800 resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. For context, most laptops top out at 1920x1200 or 2560x1600. This extra resolution means more screen real estate without making icons and text impossibly small.
OLED means blacks are truly black (because pixels turn off), colors are vibrant, and contrast is extreme. For photo editing, this is essential. You need to see what the image actually looks like without the display lying to you. The Zenbook's panel showed color gradations in shadows that I couldn't see on the LCD panel in my MacBook.
The 120 Hz refresh rate is less critical for productivity work, but it's there. Scrolling through documents and web pages feels buttery smooth. It's a subtle thing but it makes the entire experience feel more responsive.
Color accuracy is excellent out of the box. For professional work, you'd still want to calibrate if you're doing color-critical tasks, but the defaults are trustworthy. I shot photos, edited them on the Zenbook, and they looked correct when I checked them on a calibrated monitor later.
The Asus Zenbook offers double the RAM and quadruple the storage compared to the MacBook Air at the same price, and is priced lower than the Dell XPS 16 with better specs. Estimated data.
Battery Life: How Long Can You Actually Go?
The elephant in the room with any laptop review is battery life. Manufacturers claim heroic numbers. Real-world results are usually 60% of marketing's promises.
With moderate use—writing, web browsing, Slack—the Zenbook easily pushed past 12 hours. With photo editing in Lightroom, that dropped to around 8-9 hours. Heavy multitasking with video calls and dozens of tabs? Still hit 6-7 hours. For a 16-inch machine with an OLED display, that's respectable.
During my CES days, I'd charge the laptop overnight and it would comfortably last through a full day of work. I never hit the point where battery anxiety set in. There were moments in the afternoon where I'd have 20% remaining and a couple more hours of work to do, but I never got stranded.
The charger is USB-C, which means you can use third-party chargers or even charge from power banks in a pinch. The included power adapter is compact, about the size of a wallet.
Thermal Behavior Under Heavy Load
When you push any laptop hard, heat becomes an issue. The Zenbook stayed cool throughout my testing. During heavy Lightroom editing sessions, the fans never got loud. The chassis warmed up slightly around the keyboard, but not to the point where it was uncomfortable to type.
This speaks to the efficiency of the Snapdragon architecture. The X2 Elite Extreme simply doesn't generate as much waste heat as a comparable x86 processor would. Less heat means less fan noise, which means a more pleasant experience.
Windows on Arm: The Software Story
Here's where I have to be honest about the pre-production caveats. Windows on Arm is still maturing. The Zenbook A16 is running a Canary build of Windows 11 26H1, which is Microsoft's most experimental branch, specifically compiled for Snapdragon X2 laptops.
The Bugs I Encountered
Windows Hello face unlock simply doesn't work. You can train it, but when you try to authenticate, it fails. You end up typing your PIN anyway. This is frustrating because face unlock is one of the conveniences you expect from a modern Windows machine. But it's a pre-production bug, not a fundamental limitation.
The laptop randomly goes to sleep while you're using it. This happened maybe 2-3 times per day for me. You'd be typing, step away for 30 seconds, come back and the screen is dark. Pressing a key or moving the mouse wakes it instantly, and everything resumes exactly where you left off. Still, it's disconcerting. It suggests the sleep detection is overly aggressive in this build.
Neither of these are things I'd expect to see in shipping software. They're exactly the kind of bugs that get squashed between now and launch. When you're dealing with a brand new processor on a new Windows build, some friction is expected.
Compatibility and Emulation
The bigger question is how Windows on Arm handles the massive library of x86 Windows software. The answer: surprisingly well, thanks to Microsoft's Prism emulation layer. Any 64-bit Windows application should theoretically work. In practice, I didn't test extensively, but everything I needed—Chrome, Firefox, Slack, Discord, Visual Studio Code, WordPress editor, and various Adobe apps—ran smoothly.
Emulation has a reputation for being slow. And yes, some operations are noticeably slower than native x86. But for the typical productivity workload, you don't notice. The performance delta only becomes obvious in edge cases like complex masking operations in Lightroom.
Comparative Analysis: How Does It Stack Against the Competition?
The Zenbook A16 doesn't exist in a vacuum. It competes with MacBook Pro, Dell XPS, and high-end Asus ROG laptops. Let's be specific about how it stacks up.
Versus MacBook Pro 14-Inch M5
The M5 MacBook Pro is the natural comparison at a similar price point. Let me get specific: the Zenbook A16 is lighter (3 lbs vs 3.5 lbs), has a bigger screen (16 inches vs 14 inches), and costs
For most knowledge workers, it's a toss-up. If you need macOS or specific Mac software, the MacBook wins. If you need Windows and want the best balance of performance and portability, the Zenbook is compelling.
Versus Dell XPS 16
The Dell XPS 16 with Intel Core Ultra is a beast. It's more powerful in raw benchmarks but it's also 4.2 pounds and costs $1,799 minimum. For CES-style work, the Zenbook's 1-pound advantage in weight is more valuable than 5% more performance you might not notice.
The Arm Factor
Here's what's actually revolutionary: the Zenbook proves that Arm on Windows is no longer a curiosity. It's a genuine alternative. Performance is there. Battery life is there. The form factor is there. The only real limitation is software maturity, and that's a problem that gets solved by time.
The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme demonstrates high performance across various real-world tasks, maintaining efficiency even under heavy workloads. Estimated data based on typical usage scenarios.
The Photo Editing Reality Check
Photography work is one of the most demanding things you can do on a laptop. RAW image files are huge. Edits are compute-intensive. If a laptop can handle that, it can handle almost anything.
I came to CES with my Sony A1 and shot hundreds of photos across three days. The Zenbook's Snapdragon processor handled the workflow I've optimized over years of professional work:
- Import RAW files from the SD card reader
- Build previews in the Library module
- Flag and rate images
- Edit color, exposure, and tone in Develop module
- Apply lens corrections and noise reduction
- Export JPEGs for colleagues
Step three—flagging through hundreds of images—was smooth. Step four, the demanding one, was also smooth. Step five, with noise reduction on high-ISO photos, took a few seconds per image but nothing dramatic. The whole workflow from import to export on 50 images took about 30 minutes, which is typical regardless of what computer I'm using.
Where the Zenbook showed any weakness was in real-time preview of heavy adjustments. If I made a dramatic exposure shift and the image needed to recalculate at full resolution, I'd wait maybe 2-3 seconds instead of the instant refresh you get on M-series Macs. That's not nothing, but it's also not a dealbreaker.
Productivity Testing: The Real Test
Photography is specific. Productivity is general. Most laptop users spend more time in browsers, email, documents, and messaging apps than anything else.
I spent 30+ hours on the Zenbook during CES doing this exact work. Here's what happened: nothing. No slowdowns. No spinning wheels. No moments of frustration. The laptop simply got out of the way and let me work.
Opening 30 Chrome tabs didn't cause any lag. Switching between Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, and Discord was instant. Writing in WordPress was responsive. Creating presentations in Google Slides didn't stutter. This is the baseline for a $1,600 laptop, but it's worth noting because some expensive machines still mess this up.
Multitasking across three virtual desktops—something I do constantly—worked flawlessly. The laptop never made me think about the transition between desktops. That's the sign of a processor with plenty of headroom.
Video Calls and Streaming
CES means Zoom calls and streaming. The Zenbook handled multiple simultaneous video calls without any video encoding lag. My colleagues said my video was crisp and the audio was clear from the built-in microphones.
Streaming video from YouTube and Twitch? No buffering. No stuttering. This is table stakes, but it's worth confirming on new hardware.
Keyboard and Input Experience
The keyboard is chiclet-style with decent travel. It's not as satisfying as a mechanical keyboard, but it's better than many ultrabooks. The keys are responsive and have minimal wobble. Typing for hours didn't cause any fatigue.
The trackpad is large, smooth, and responsive. Cursor movement is precise. Gestures work as expected. For a laptop keyboard and trackpad, this is solid work. Nothing remarkable, but nothing frustrating either.
The power button is integrated into the keyboard as a physical button, not a touch-sensitive area. This is smart—you can't accidentally trigger it, and it provides tactile feedback.
The Asus Zenbook A16 offers competitive photo editing performance and battery life, matching or exceeding M-series MacBooks and outperforming most Intel-based competitors. Estimated data.
Audio Quality and Speakers
The dual speakers are surprisingly good. Spotify sounded clear with decent bass for laptop speakers. Video conference calls had good volume without distortion. This matters because some ultrabooks skimp on audio, forcing you to use external speakers or headphones for anything serious.
The microphones picked up my voice clearly during video calls without picking up too much background noise from the conference center. Noise cancellation worked well enough that colleagues didn't complain about fan noise or ambient clatter.
Thermal Observations and Fan Noise
Under light to moderate load, the fans were silent. I honestly didn't hear them at all during browsing, email, and document work. During heavy Lightroom editing, they'd spin up to maybe 35-40 decibels—audible but not annoying. Nothing like the jet engine roar some gaming laptops produce.
The bottom of the chassis had slight warmth during intensive work, but never to the point where it was uncomfortable to hold. Most of the heat seemed to dissipate through the aluminum chassis rather than concentrating in the keyboard area.
This thermal behavior is one of the real wins of the Arm architecture. The x86 competition often requires more active cooling to achieve the same performance, which means more noise.
Pricing Expectations and Value Proposition
The Asus rep said the final price would likely land around
Dell XPS 16 with Intel Core Ultra starts at
The value proposition is: you get performance comparable to x86 competitors, significantly better battery life, a lighter chassis, and more ports. The trade-off is that Windows on Arm is younger and will have more software edge cases than x86 or macOS.
Qualcomm processors excel in efficiency and portability, making them a strong alternative to Intel and AMD for typical laptop users. Estimated data based on typical user needs.
The Pre-Production Experience: What to Expect at Launch
I can't review this as a finished product because it isn't one. But I can tell you what the launch version should address:
Definite fixes coming:
- Windows Hello face recognition will work
- The sleep detection will be calibrated properly
- Software stability will improve
- Driver maturity will increase
Possible improvements:
- Performance might get 5-10% better through optimizations
- Battery life could extend slightly
- Thermal behavior might allow even quieter operation
If any of these don't materialize, it's worth calling out. But based on how pre-production hardware typically matures, I'm expecting a solid product at launch.
The Broader Implications for Windows Laptops
What the Asus Zenbook A16 represents is the moment Arm on Windows stops being an experiment. It's a real alternative now. That has implications.
First, it proves that Qualcomm's processors can compete with Intel and AMD in meaningful ways. Not in peak gaming performance, but in the ways that matter to most laptop users: efficiency, portability, and enough raw power for actual work.
Second, it shows that Microsoft's Prism emulation layer is mature enough that compatibility isn't the barrier it once was. You can run x86 Windows software on Arm hardware without constant friction.
Third, it signals that the era of 4.5-pound 16-inch laptops is ending. Form factor is being reimagined by the Arm advantage in power efficiency.
This doesn't mean x86 is dead. High-performance workstations, gaming rigs, and specialized machines will stay x86 for years. But for the 80% of laptop users who just need to get work done without excessive weight and with good battery life? Arm is competitive now. That's a significant shift.
What I'd Like to See Improved
No product is perfect. Here's what would push the Zenbook A16 into "must buy" territory:
Better touchpad haptics. The trackpad is good, but it lacks haptic feedback. Some competitors offer it and it makes a difference.
Quieter fans under load. Even at 40 decibels, there's room to optimize further. Thermal management could be tweaked.
Faster masking in Lightroom. This is partly Qualcomm's and partly Adobe's responsibility, but the masking feature lags noticeably. That's fixable.
More aggressive color management. Out of the box, the display is good. But it could ship with color profiles for common editing workflows pre-installed.
None of these are dealbreakers. They're optimization opportunities.
The Verdict After Three Days of Real Work
I brought a pre-production laptop to one of the most demanding events in tech and used it exclusively. It handled photo editing, multitasking, writing, video calls, and the general chaos of CES without breaking a sweat. The form factor is genuinely revolutionary—a 16-inch that weighs almost as much as a 13-inch changes how you think about portability. The price is aggressive. The bugs are pre-production artifacts that should be solved by launch.
Is it perfect? No. Will there be software edge cases and compatibility issues that haven't emerged yet? Absolutely. But the core promise—that Arm on Windows is a legitimate alternative to x86—is delivered here.
If you're a Windows user who values portability and battery life over absolute peak performance, the Zenbook A16 is worth waiting for. If you're invested in specific Windows software that might have compatibility issues, test it first. If you need maximum performance for professional workloads, an x86 machine might still be the safer bet.
But for most people—writers, designers, photographers, knowledge workers, business travelers—this laptop does what you need it to do, in a package that's lighter and more efficient than the competition. That's the real story here. Not that Arm is theoretical anymore. It's practical.
FAQ
What is the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor?
It's Qualcomm's flagship Arm-based processor for Windows laptops, featuring 18 cores (6 performance + 12 efficiency) designed for high-end ultrabooks. The X2 line improves on the original Snapdragon X Elite with better performance, efficiency, and software support for Windows on Arm.
How does the Asus Zenbook A16 perform for creative work like photo editing?
The Zenbook handles RAW photo editing in Adobe Lightroom smoothly for most tasks. Importing files, culling images, and basic color adjustments are responsive. Heavy operations like AI-powered masking are noticeably slower than x86 competitors but still usable, typically adding just a few seconds per image.
What are the main advantages of buying this laptop?
The primary advantages are exceptional portability (3 lbs for a 16-inch screen), excellent battery life (8-12 hours depending on workload), competitive pricing (
Is Windows on Arm ready for professional use?
Yes, for most professionals. The Prism emulation layer handles 64-bit Windows applications reliably. Compatibility issues exist but are edge cases rather than the norm. Software maturity is still improving, so there may be occasional friction, but the platform is definitely ready for primary work machines.
How does battery life compare to MacBooks and other competitors?
The Zenbook achieves 12+ hours with light productivity work and 8-9 hours with photo editing—comparable to or better than M-series MacBooks and superior to most Intel-based competitors. The Arm architecture's efficiency is the main driver of this advantage.
What are the pre-production bugs, and will they be fixed?
The current issues are Windows Hello face recognition failing and aggressive sleep detection. These are typical pre-production software glitches rather than hardware problems. Both should be resolved before launch through driver and OS updates. Hardware arriving in stores will likely be much more stable than the pre-release unit tested.
Should I wait for the final release or buy something else now?
If you need a laptop immediately, consider x86 alternatives like Dell XPS or M-series MacBooks. If you can wait a few months, the Zenbook A16 offers compelling value in the premium ultrabook category, especially if portability and battery life matter to you. The Arm platform is maturing quickly.
How does it compare to the MacBook Pro 14-inch M5?
The Zenbook is lighter (3 lbs vs 3.5 lbs), has a bigger screen (16 vs 14 inches), costs less (
What about gaming performance?
The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme isn't a gaming machine. It can handle light gaming and indie titles fine, but AAA games will require lower settings and reduced frame rates compared to gaming laptops with discrete GPUs. If gaming is a priority, look elsewhere.
Is the display really as good as OLED promises?
Yes. The 2880x1800 OLED panel is genuinely excellent for productivity and creative work. True blacks, vibrant colors, and high resolution make it ideal for photo editing, video work, and document creation. Color accuracy out of the box is trustworthy without requiring professional calibration for most use cases.
Closing Thoughts: The Future of Windows Laptops Is Here
Three days with the Asus Zenbook A16 felt like a glimpse into where Windows laptops are headed. Not all of them—high-performance workstations and gaming machines will stay x86 for years. But for the mainstream ultra-premium segment, Arm is the future.
The Zenbook isn't just impressive because it works. It's impressive because it changes your relationship with your laptop. That extra pound you're not carrying. That extra five hours of battery. That moment where you don't have to hunt for a HDMI dongle. These small frictions compound into actual quality of life improvements.
When your laptop gets out of the way and just lets you work, that's when you know something is right. The Zenbook A16 does that. Whatever bugs exist in the pre-production version, the core promise is solid. Arm on Windows isn't the future anymore. It's the present. And based on what I experienced in Vegas, it's worth paying attention to.
The real review will come when the final hardware ships and real-world users test it at scale. That's when we'll know whether Qualcomm's processor and Asus's engineering have truly solved the ultrabook equation. But based on three days of actual work under actual pressure, I'm optimistic.
Key Takeaways
- Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme delivers genuine multitasking and creative work performance without noticeable lag in real-world conditions
- Form factor breakthrough: 16-inch screen in a 3-pound chassis fundamentally changes portability expectations for premium laptops
- Windows on Arm has matured beyond experimental—Prism emulation handles x86 software compatibility reliably for knowledge workers
- Battery life advantage of 8-12 hours makes ultrabooks with x86 processors feel outdated by comparison
- Pre-production bugs are typical software issues that should resolve before launch; core hardware performance is production-ready
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