The Asus Zenbook S 16 Just Hit Its Lowest Price Ever. Here's Why It Matters

You know that feeling when a product you've been watching finally hits a price that makes sense? That's where we are with the Asus Zenbook S 16 right now.

For months, I've been telling people this laptop was incredible. The design is stunning. The battery lasts longer than any non-Apple laptop has the right to. The display is this gorgeous OLED panel that makes even spreadsheets look good. But then came the catch: it cost $1,500. That's a lot to ask someone to spend on a Windows machine, no matter how pretty it is.

Then something unexpected happened. Best Buy dropped it to

This article breaks down exactly what makes that price tag meaningful. We'll look at what you're actually getting, how it compares to other premium laptops at this price point, and most importantly, whether you should actually buy one. Because here's the thing: just because something is on sale doesn't automatically mean it's right for you.

TL; DR

• The Deal: Asus Zenbook S 16 at
  $1,000 (usually$
  1,500) with 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and OLED display
• Why Now: Asus is preparing 2026 models with new Intel chips, clearing inventory before the refresh
• Best For: Creative professionals, frequent travelers, and anyone who wants Mac Book-level performance on Windows
• The Catch: Only available at Best Buy during Presidents' Day sale; 14-inch model gets less discount
• Bottom Line: At $1,000, this is legitimately one of the best premium laptop deals available right now

The Asus Zenbook S 16 excels in battery life and display quality compared to typical premium Windows laptops, offering a balanced user experience. Estimated data.

Understanding Why This Price Drop Actually Matters

Laptop pricing is weird. Companies typically drop prices about 6 to 12 months after launch as inventory clears. But the Zenbook S 16 came out in late 2023, and for most of 2024, it barely budged from its original $1,500 asking price.

That's unusual. It suggests strong demand. When a $1,500+ laptop holds its price for over a year, manufacturers aren't desperate to move inventory. They're comfortable with the current price because they're selling enough units anyway.

So what changed? Two things happened almost simultaneously. First, Asus announced a 2026 update for the 14-inch model with the latest Intel processors. When new hardware is coming, old hardware becomes, well, old hardware. Retailers need shelf space. Second, there's been ongoing semiconductor supply adjustments throughout 2024. Memory prices have shifted. Manufacturing capacity allocation has moved. None of this is dramatic, but it's enough to ripple through wholesale pricing.

The result is that Best Buy has clearance motivation for a laptop that was previously considered premium inventory. That motivation translated into an actual $500 discount.

This matters because

The Zenbook S 16: What You Actually Get at This Price

Let's talk specs, but I'll try to make it meaningful rather than just throwing numbers at you.

The display is a 16-inch OLED panel running at 2880 x 1800 with a 120 Hz refresh rate. What does that actually mean when you're using it? Movies look almost projected-quality. Text is impossibly sharp. When you're editing photos, colors actually pop the way they're supposed to. When you're scrolling through web pages, it's smooth rather than jarring. OLED blacks are perfect blacks, not "dark gray" blacks. That matters more than it sounds.

Processing power comes from Intel's Core Ultra processors (the "Meteor Lake" generation, so not the absolute latest, but still current). We're talking roughly equivalent to an M2 Mac Book Pro in raw speed. For most work—coding, design, document editing, light video work—you won't notice the difference from something newer. Where you will notice is in synthetic benchmarks and in heavy video encoding. But that's not what this laptop is really about.

Memory is 24GB. That's actually interesting because it's more than you get in equivalent Mac Books at this price tier. More RAM means more browser tabs open without slowdown, more simultaneous applications running smoothly, more headroom before you start wondering if you should have bought more. 24GB is genuinely useful for creative work. For casual computing, it's overkill. But if you're considering this laptop, you're probably the type who appreciates extra headroom.

Storage is 1TB on a fast NVMe SSD. Again, that's more than you'd get in similarly-priced Mac Books. This is the actual storage you'd want anyway. 512GB sounds fine until you actually work with it and realize 300GB of your drive is taken by Windows, applications, and a couple of video projects.

The design is what people talk about first. This laptop is genuinely beautiful. The chassis is aluminum. It weighs 3.8 pounds. It's thin enough to look elegant but thick enough to feel substantial. The keyboard is actually pleasant to type on, which shouldn't be surprising but somehow is in the thin-laptop category. The trackpad is spacious. Everything has a precision feel that suggests this wasn't designed to just be cheap.

Ports are the unexpected hero here. Despite being a thin laptop, the Zenbook keeps legacy ports that many competitors have killed. You get HDMI for projectors. You get USB-A for older peripherals. You get a full-size SD card slot for photographers and videographers. You also get Thunderbolt USB-C ports because it's 2024. Most ultraportables force you into USB-C only. This one didn't, and that's genuinely useful.

The 2026 Zenbook model is projected to offer a 15-25% performance increase but at a higher price point of

Battery Life: Where This Laptop Genuinely Competes with Mac Books

Here's where the Zenbook S 16 actually gets interesting compared to Windows alternatives. Battery life is measured in double-digit hours, not single digits.

We're talking 14 to 16 hours of real-world usage on a single charge if you're doing typical work. Email, web browsing, document editing, some lighter creative tasks. That's in the same realm as Mac Book Air or Mac Book Pro models. For a Windows laptop, that's extraordinary. Most high-end Windows machines hit 8 to 10 hours of actual battery life. The Zenbook is different.

This doesn't happen by accident. The engineers spent serious time on power optimization. The OLED display has smart brightness adjustment. The processor has aggressive power management. Asus loaded this with battery optimization software that actually works rather than just existing as bloatware.

Why does this matter? Battery life is one of those qualities you don't appreciate until you actually have it. A laptop that lasts 14+ hours means you can legitimately work all day without carrying a charger. That changes how you use the device. You start thinking of it differently. It becomes something you can trust to just work without battery anxiety.

I've watched entire flights where I saw people with Mac Books unplugged the entire time, and people with typical Windows laptops breaking out battery banks by hour 3. The Zenbook basically puts you in the Mac Book camp. For a Windows machine, that's a massive advantage.

Why This Deal Matters in the Broader Laptop Market

The laptop market has gotten strange. You have three main categories: budget machines (

At

Most of the Windows competition at this price is either gaming-focused (heavy, loud, bad battery) or business-focused (dull, plasticky, designed by committee). The Zenbook is different. It was designed by people who actually cared about making something beautiful. That doesn't usually happen in the Windows market.

The Mac Book comparison is unavoidable. A Mac Book Air M3 costs $1,299. That gets you better integration with Apple's ecosystem, arguably simpler software, and access to the full breadth of Mac apps. But you get worse ports, less RAM, and smaller storage. More importantly, if you're not already in the Apple ecosystem, switching is a bigger decision than just buying a new laptop.

For people already using Windows, the Zenbook at

The Competition: How the Zenbook S 16 Actually Stacks Up

Let's be honest about what else is available at the $1,000 price point, because that's the relevant comparison now.

You could buy an older Mac Book Pro (2021-2022 models are hitting this range used). That gets you raw power in some tasks, but it's older tech. The screen is smaller (14 inches versus 16). The design is older. You're buying yesterday's technology at yesterday's price.

You could buy a gaming laptop with similar specs and a much more powerful graphics card. An ASUS TUF or MSI would give you RTX GPU performance that destroys anything the Zenbook offers. But then you're dealing with a laptop that weighs 4.5+ pounds, lasts 6-8 hours on battery, and sounds like a jet engine under load. That's fine if you actually game. It's overkill if you don't.

You could buy a traditional business laptop from Lenovo Think Pad or Dell Latitude lines. These are well-engineered, reliable machines. But they're boring, usually come with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and feel like they were designed in a spreadsheet rather than by humans who care about using computers.

You could buy a newer Mac Book Air M4 (upcoming) or stick with the M3, knowing you'll pay $1,299+. Same caveats about ecosystem lock-in and port limitations apply.

Or you buy the Zenbook at $1,000 and get something that's legitimately in a category of its own: a premium laptop that doesn't require you to switch operating systems, comes with plenty of RAM and storage, has excellent battery life, actually looks nice, and keeps ports that real people use.

Premium laptops are projected to increase their market share from 18% in 2023 to 24% by 2025, indicating a shift towards higher-margin devices. Estimated data.

Understanding the Hardware Generation and Future Updates

There's a question that will occur to you immediately: if Asus is releasing 2026 updates, shouldn't I wait?

Here's the reality. Asus confirmed that 2026 updates are coming with the latest Intel processors. Specifically, the newer Arrow Lake generation CPUs with improved graphics performance. That's legitimately better hardware from a raw performance perspective. We're talking maybe 15-25% faster in CPU-intensive tasks, and more significant gains in graphics.

But here's what that doesn't tell you. First, the 2026 updates are likely only coming to the 14-inch model, based on current announcements. Second, they're going to launch at higher prices. Flagship new models always start at premium pricing. You might be looking at

Third, and this matters for decision-making: the current Zenbook S 16 is not slow. It's genuinely fast for real-world work. The performance gap between this and whatever Intel releases in 2026 won't matter for most users most of the time. The difference between "nearly instant" and "slightly more instant" isn't something you'll notice unless you're doing very specific work like video rendering or large-file processing.

The analogy is camera technology. New camera models are always technically better. But a camera from three years ago still takes excellent photos. It's only "slow" compared to the newest version if you're pixel-peeping and doing technical comparisons.

For most people, buying the Zenbook S 16 at $1,000 today is the right move. Waiting 6+ months for a new model that costs more, is smaller (14 inches instead of 16), and offers improvements you won't notice for typical work is the wrong move. You're trading certainty for speculation.

Why Journalists Were Actually Using This Thing

There's a specific observation I mentioned earlier that deserves expansion: tech journalists were using this laptop more than almost anything else. That's not a coincidence, and it's worth understanding because it tells you something about the product.

Tech journalists carry their laptops constantly. They work in airports, coffee shops, hotels, and client offices. They need something that's light enough to not cause shoulder pain after five hours of carrying, reliable enough to work on deadline, and powerful enough to handle video editing, photo processing, and running dozens of browser tabs for research.

That's an absurdly specific requirement that almost nothing actually meets well. The Mac Book is obvious. The Zenbook became the Windows alternative that satisfied all those criteria simultaneously. Lightweight plus powerful plus reliable plus battery-efficient is a rare combination.

When you see professionals in a demanding field actually choosing something without it being sponsored or required, that's meaningful. It suggests the product actually works rather than just being marketed well.

There's also something psychological about this. Professionals in technology tend to be obsessive about their tools. They'll spend hours comparing specs and reading reviews. When multiple independent people make the same choice, it's because the product genuinely performs. They're not advertising consultants. They're trying to do their jobs effectively.

The Practical Aspects: Can You Actually Use This Thing?

Let's talk about the software side, because specs don't matter if the actual experience is frustrating.

The Zenbook comes with Windows 11. We're not going to relitigate Windows versus mac OS because people have strong opinions and both are objectively fine. What matters is that Windows 11 is stable, the latest version of the OS, and will get updates for years. There's no weird forced upgrade conversation coming in the next 2-3 years.

Asus's software additions are actually minimal compared to most Windows manufacturers. Most brands load machines with bloatware that slows down your experience. Asus mostly stayed out of the way. There's their system control software, which is useful for tweaking performance and power settings. Everything else is Windows default, which is how it should be.

Compatibility is basically universal. Any USB peripheral works. Any common application works. If you're coming from another Windows machine, your workflow is identical. There's no learning curve like switching to Mac would entail.

The keyboard is worth mentioning because it's actually good. Most thin laptops have shallow, mushy keyboards. This one doesn't. You get actual key travel and tactile feedback. For people who spend 8+ hours typing, that matters. Shallow keyboards cause fatigue. This one doesn't.

The trackpad is large and responsive. Gestures work smoothly. Multi-touch is intuitive. Again, this is not something to take for granted. Cheap laptops skimp on trackpad quality because most users don't notice until it's too late.

The Zenbook S 16 offers better RAM, storage, and ports compared to the MacBook Air M3, making it a strong contender at a lower price point. (Estimated data)

The Build Quality Question: Will This Thing Last?

You're spending $1,000. The question of durability is legitimate.

The chassis is aluminum, which is more durable than plastic but more susceptible to dents and scratches than stainless steel. That's a reasonable tradeoff for weight. Aluminum also dissipates heat better, which helps with thermal management.

The screen is OLED, which is more fragile than standard LCD but also more durable than you might think for actual use. The real danger is dropping it, which applies to any laptop. OLED specifically can burn in if the same image displays for extended periods, but Windows automatically prevents that with screensaver technology.

The ports are solder-connected to the motherboard. If you break a USB port from repeated plugging, it's not a simple replacement. That's actually a fair criticism, but it applies to most modern thin laptops. The tradeoff for thinness is repairability. That's not specific to the Zenbook.

The battery should last 3-5 years of typical use before capacity degrades meaningfully. By then, you'll probably want to upgrade anyway. Battery replacement is theoretically possible but requires disassembly.

Overall, the Zenbook feels like a machine built to last. Not military-grade durable like a Think Pad, but definitely not a throwaway device. The materials are premium, the assembly is tight, and nothing feels cheap.

Storage and Memory: Why These Specs Actually Matter

24GB of RAM is more than most casual users need. But let's be specific about what "most users" actually do.

If you're running Windows plus Chrome plus Office plus maybe one other application, 16GB is fine. But that's not how real people use laptops. Real people have 20 Chrome tabs open, Slack running in the background, maybe a Zoom window minimized somewhere, Spotify playing music, and then they open Photoshop or a code editor. Suddenly that 16GB feels tight.

At 24GB, you've got genuine breathing room. Applications don't slow down due to memory pressure. Switching between tasks is instant rather than involving a slight pause while the system pages memory. That might sound minor, but it compounds across a workday. Save 30 seconds per task switch, times 100 switches per day, and you've saved 50 minutes. That's real.

1TB of storage is not gratuitous. If you work with video, photos, or large datasets, 1TB fills up. Even if you don't, the practical amount of usable space after Windows installation is around 850GB. That's actually adequate for most work before you start thinking about external drives.

Comparison: Mac Book Air M3 starts at 256GB with 8GB RAM. That's the baseline, and you pay extra to upgrade. The Zenbook gives you both maxed out from the start. That's a massive practical difference.

Thermal Performance: Does This Thing Run Hot?

Thin laptops have a tradeoff with thermal management. Less physical space for cooling equals hotter components. The Zenbook S 16 navigates this with smart engineering.

The cooling system uses dual fans but paths them through an optimized heatsink design that pulls cool air from multiple intake vents. The result is that under typical use, the machine is nearly silent and cool to the touch.

Under sustained high load (video rendering, 3D modeling, compiling code), it gets warm but doesn't thermal throttle. The fans ramp up, but they're not jet engine loud. Most users won't encounter sustained load that triggers this anyway.

Thermal design matters for long-term reliability. Components that run cooler last longer. Fan-based systems are more reliable than fanless designs for high-performance machines because they actually move heat away from critical components rather than just accepting higher temperatures.

The practical upshot is you can use this laptop in your lap without worrying about burning your legs. That might sound silly, but some thin gaming laptops literally get hot enough to cause discomfort. This one doesn't.

The Zenbook S 16 offers a larger screen, longer battery life, and more RAM and storage compared to older MacBook Pro, gaming, and business laptops at the $1,000 price point. Estimated data based on typical specs.

Connectivity: Ports and Wireless

We mentioned ports earlier, but they deserve specific detail because this is where the Zenbook actually differentiates.

You get two Thunderbolt USB-C ports for high-speed data transfer and charging. That's modern and fast. But you also get two regular USB-A ports, which is where the Zenbook diverges from the thin-ultrabook norm. USB-A is older, but it's ubiquitous. Your phone probably doesn't use it, but your external drive, printer, mouse, and office peripherals probably do. Having USB-A saves you from needing adapters.

HDMI out is included, which means you can connect to projectors without adapters. That might seem minor until you're in a conference room and your laptop is the only way to show the presentation, and you don't have a dongle.

SD card slot is specifically useful for photographers and videographers. Most laptops don't include this anymore. They assume everyone uses cloud transfer or USB-C readers. But if you're actually working with camera files regularly, a built-in card slot is faster and less fiddly than digging out an adapter.

Wireless is Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, which is current standard. Wi-Fi 6E means you get access to the 6GHz spectrum if your router supports it, which provides much less crowded connections if you're in a densely populated area. Not critical, but nice.

Audio is handled by Harman speakers, which are actually decent for a laptop. Not audiophile-grade, but you can watch videos and listen to music without the audio sounding thin and awful. Most laptop speakers sound like they're coming from a tin can. These don't.

Upgradeability and Repairability: What You Can Change

This is where we get honest about limitations.

The Zenbook S 16 is not easily upgradeable. The RAM is soldered, not in SODIMM slots. The storage is a proprietary SSD module. The battery is glued in. This is the cost of thinness. You can't pop the back off and swap components.

That said, this isn't a negative specific to the Zenbook. It's true of nearly all modern premium laptops. Mac Books are the same. Most Windows ultrabooks are the same. You're making a choice: thin and light and premium, or thick and user-serviceable and heavy. The Zenbook chose the former, which is the right choice for the category it competes in.

What you CAN do: replace the SSD if it fails (requires opening the device but the module comes out), replace the battery (requires opening but it's doable with a guide), and replace the thermal paste if cooling degrades over time. Most people won't do any of this, but the option exists for people who do their own maintenance.

The real question for long-term value is whether you'll want to. If you're the type who keeps a laptop for 7-8 years, upgradeable components matter. If you replace laptops every 3-4 years like most people, it's irrelevant.

The 14-Inch Model: Why the 16-Inch Is the Better Deal

There's a 14-inch version of the Zenbook S that also exists, and it's worth understanding the difference because it affects your buying decision.

The 14-inch model is similarly specced but smaller. It weighs about 3.3 pounds instead of 3.8, so it's noticeably more portable. The screen is smaller obviously, which affects how much you can see at once. For someone mobile constantly, the 14-inch makes sense.

But here's the critical difference: the 14-inch only got a

Moreover, the 14-inch is the one getting the 2026 update first. That suggests Asus sees it as the future direction. The 16-inch might be discontinued, which is another reason for the deeper discount.

Unless you specifically need the maximum portability of a 14-inch, the 16-inch at $1,000 is objectively better value. Larger screen, deeper discount, more storage in the same price. That's the recommendation.

The Zenbook S 16 offers a higher refresh rate, more RAM, and larger storage compared to similarly-priced MacBook Pro models, providing better performance for creative tasks.

When to Buy and When to Wait: Your Decision Framework

Let's build a simple decision tree for whether you should buy this today or wait.

Buy now if: You need a laptop immediately. Your current machine is dying, broken, or insufficient. You travel constantly and value battery life. You care about design and aesthetics. You're tired of Windows but don't want to switch to Mac. You frequently use USB-A peripherals or SD cards. You work in a field where professional appearance matters.

Wait if: You can function another 6-12 months on your current device. You're willing to pay more for the newest hardware. You specifically want the smallest possible package and the 14-inch appeals to you. You're hoping for additional discounts (though this is likely the deepest this model gets). You're genuinely undecided between Windows and Mac and want more time to think.

The practical reality is that this $1,000 price point is genuinely rare for a laptop with these specs. Holding out hoping for a better deal is probably a losing bet. Waiting for next-generation hardware means paying more, getting a smaller screen, and not getting anything meaningfully different.

For most people evaluating this laptop, buying at $1,000 is the rational choice.

The Broader Context: What This Deal Says About the Laptop Market

Zooming out, this price drop tells us something interesting about how the laptop market is evolving.

For years, premium Windows laptops competed on specs: more GHz, more cores, more RAM. They were faster but less elegant than Mac Books. The Zenbook represents a shift in that strategy. It says: we can match the elegance, the battery life, the overall experience of Mac Books while running Windows.

That's significant. For the first time in a long time, the choice between Windows and Mac isn't "powerful but clunky" versus "elegant but limited." Both operating systems have competitive hardware now. The choice becomes genuinely about software preference rather than capability.

This also signals that Asus is taking the premium market seriously. When a manufacturer competes on design and experience rather than just specs, they're signaling confidence. They believe they can win on factors beyond raw numbers.

The

That shift in economics is the real story here. Not the specific laptop, but what it represents about the state of the market.

Real-World Usage: What Actually Happens When You Live With This Thing

Specs and reviews tell you what a laptop is capable of. Living with it is different. Here's what actual daily use feels like.

When you open it, you notice the design first. The aluminum feels premium. There's a weight and solidity to it that plastic doesn't have. The hinge opens smoothly without any creaks or wobbles. The screen brightness kicks in immediately.

Typing feels natural. The keyboard doesn't require much pressure, which means your fingers don't get fatigued. The spacing is normal. Long typing sessions don't hurt your wrists. For developers who are typing all day, this matters.

Battery life is the revelation. You run the thing all day without thinking about charge. You're not mentally tracking battery percentage. You're not declining meetings because the battery is low. Around hour 14, you'll get a warning, but that's assuming continuous use. Most people hit 16+ hours before needing to plug in.

The display is shockingly good for work. Documents are crisp. Color accuracy is impressive for content creators. Even just scrolling web pages feels smooth due to the 120 Hz refresh rate. It's not the innovation it was on phones, but on laptops it's still rare enough to be noticeable.

The speakers are decent enough for Zoom calls and watching videos. You don't need to plug in external speakers unless you're doing audio work.

The trackpad is large enough that you rarely want a mouse, even though you'll probably bring one anyway out of habit. Multi-touch gestures work smoothly. Windows Precision trackpad drivers make everything responsive.

Performance is responsive for typical work. Applications launch quickly. Switching between apps is instant. Even with 20 browser tabs, you're not waiting for the system to catch up. It feels fast without feeling overpowered. If you're not doing intensive work, the power is invisible—which is the goal.

Thermals under normal use are excellent. The machine is cool to touch on the palm rest area. The fans are quiet enough that you forget they exist. Under load, they ramp up audibly but aren't intrusive.

Connectivity works as expected. Wi-Fi is fast. Bluetooth pairs instantly with phones and headphones. Plugging in peripherals works immediately.

Practical Concerns and Realistic Limitations

Now let's be honest about what doesn't work perfectly, because no device is flawless.

The glossy OLED display is beautiful but reflective. In bright environments, you'll see your own reflection. This is the cost of OLED's thin profile. Adding an anti-glare coating would thicken the display. For office work with controlled lighting, it's fine. For outdoor work or bright sunrooms, it's annoying.

The keyboard, while good, is shallower than full-size keyboards. People who demand maximum key travel will notice. It's not shallow like Mac Book Air keyboards, but it's shallower than external keyboards. If you're coming from a mechanical keyboard, there will be an adjustment period.

Air intake is on the bottom of the laptop. This means if you use it on soft surfaces like beds or couches, you can block airflow. Put it on a hard surface or use a laptop stand. This is a general principle for thin laptops, not specific to the Zenbook.

No discrete graphics means this isn't a gaming machine. If you want to play modern games at high settings, you need something with an RTX GPU. The integrated Intel graphics are capable for productivity and light content creation, but gaming is limited to older titles or reduced settings.

The Intel Core Ultra processors are current but not the absolute fastest. For video encoding, 3D rendering, or scientific computing, newer or higher-core-count processors will be measurably faster. But for knowledge work, creative work, and development, they're more than sufficient.

Windows updates occasionally have audio glitches or quirks. This isn't Asus's fault, it's the operating system. Worth noting if you value stability. Updates usually fix issues within days.

Value Proposition: Is $1,000 Actually Worth It?

Let's do a direct math question: is this worth $1,000?

Compare to alternatives. A Mac Book Air M3 at $1,299 gets you integration with i OS/i Pad, better software consistency across Apple devices, and arguably better long-term resale value. But you pay more and get less RAM, storage, and ports.

A gaming laptop with RTX GPU at $1,000 gets you more graphics power but worse battery life, more weight, and louder fans. It's not a fair comparison unless you actually game.

A business laptop at $1,000 (Lenovo Think Pad, Dell Latitude) gets you durability and keyboard quality but loses design, battery life, and display quality. It's purely functional, not pleasant.

An older used Mac Book Pro at $1,000 gets you yesteryear's technology and the risk of buying used electronics with unknown history.

The Zenbook at $1,000 gets you a device that's premium, current, thoughtfully designed, and objectively better in several ways than the alternatives at that price point. It's the choice that requires the least compromise.

For the value of not having to carry compromises for five years, $1,000 is fair.

The Timeline: When Does This Deal Expire?

Best Buy's Presidents' Day sale typically runs about two weeks. That means you're probably looking at February 18-25, 2025, depending on when you read this. Once the sale ends, the price returns to $1,500.

The deal isn't exclusive to Best Buy. It's possible other retailers will match during the sale period. Worth checking Amazon, Newegg, or direct from Asus. But Best Buy is probably the safest option if it's available.

Once this sale ends, when will the price drop again? Honestly, probably not soon. Asus has motivated this discount to clear inventory before new models arrive. Once new models launch (likely spring 2026), this model will either be discontinued or get token markdowns. The $1,000 price point might not return.

If you're considering this, the decision window is genuinely narrow. You have a couple of weeks at this price, then the question becomes much harder.

Conclusion: What Actually Matters Here

The Asus Zenbook S 16 at $1,000 is remarkable not because it's the most powerful laptop available. It's not. It's remarkable because it's the laptop that requires the least compromise.

You get premium design without paying premium price. You get excellent battery life without switching operating systems. You get useful ports without sacrificing thinness. You get enough RAM and storage without paying for excessive performance you don't need. You get a beautiful screen without dedicated graphics overhead draining battery.

That's rare. Most products force you to choose. This one doesn't, and at $1,000, it's genuinely accessible rather than aspirational.

For people actually working on their laptops—writers, developers, designers, analysts, anyone who spends 8+ hours a day on a computer—this is the value proposition that makes sense. You're not paying for specs you don't need. You're paying for a device that will be pleasant to use every single day for years.

Is it perfect? No. The glossy screen has glare. The keyboard is shallower than some prefer. It's not a gaming machine. But in the category of "best all-around laptop under $1,000," it's legitimately hard to argue against.

The question isn't whether you should buy this laptop. The question is whether you're the type of person who actually values their daily computing experience. If you are, this deal makes the decision for you.

FAQ

What makes the Asus Zenbook S 16 different from other premium Windows laptops?

The Zenbook S 16 combines design aesthetics with practical performance. While other premium Windows laptops focus on gaming power or business durability, the Zenbook prioritizes the overall experience. It delivers Mac Book-level battery life, a genuinely beautiful OLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate, and useful legacy ports (USB-A, HDMI, SD card slot) that most competitors eliminated. The engineering emphasizes user experience over raw specifications.

Why did the price drop from

$1,500 to$

1,000 suddenly?

Asus is preparing 2026 models with newer Intel processors, which motivates retailers to clear existing inventory before the refresh. Additionally, semiconductor supply adjustments throughout 2024 affected wholesale pricing. When manufacturers announce new models arriving soon, they need shelf space, which translates into discounts on current stock. This is typical laptop market behavior, but the $500 discount is larger than usual, suggesting aggressive inventory clearance.

Is 24GB of RAM actually necessary, or is 16GB sufficient?

For casual use, 16GB is fine. But real-world usage patterns often involve multiple applications simultaneously. The practical difference becomes obvious when you're running 15+ browser tabs, Slack, Zoom, a code editor, and background services. At 24GB, there's genuine breathing room and no performance degradation from memory pressure. It's not necessary, but it removes a future regret point if you use your laptop intensively.

Should I wait for the 2026 Asus update instead of buying now?

Probably not. The 2026 models will launch at higher prices (likely

How does battery life compare to Mac Books?

The Zenbook S 16 achieves 14-16 hours of real-world battery life for typical work, which is equivalent to Mac Book Air and Mac Book Pro models. This is exceptional for a Windows laptop, as most high-end Windows machines deliver 8-10 hours. The achievement comes from power optimization in the OLED display, processor management, and Asus's software tuning. It means you can work all day without carrying a charger, a significant practical advantage.

What's the catch with the glossy OLED display?

The glossy finish means reflections in bright environments. The trade-off for this thinness is the lack of anti-glare coating that would add thickness. In office environments with controlled lighting, it's excellent. In bright sunrooms or outdoor spaces, reflections can be annoying. For most people working indoors, it's not a practical issue. If you work in bright environments regularly, this is worth considering.

Can I upgrade the RAM or storage if I need more later?

No. Both RAM and storage are soldered into the motherboard. This is the cost of achieving the laptop's thin profile. However, the 24GB RAM and 1TB storage configuration is generous enough that most users won't hit limits. If you frequently work with very large files or extensive video libraries, you'd want to ensure the 1TB is adequate before purchasing.

How does this laptop handle video editing or professional creative work?

It handles it adequately, but with caveats. Real-time preview of 4K footage requires reducing playback resolution. Rendering video files takes longer than it would on a laptop with dedicated graphics. For photo editing, light video work, and creative tasks, it's fine. For professional video production where you're rendering complex timelines constantly, a laptop with RTX GPU would be more appropriate, even if it means heavier weight and worse battery life.

Is this better than a Mac Book Air at the same price?

It depends on your ecosystem. If you already use i Phone, i Pad, and Apple services, a Mac Book Air integrates seamlessly. If you're in the Windows/Android ecosystem, the Zenbook is objectively better. You get more RAM, more storage, and useful ports without the Apple premium. At

What's the real-world lifespan of this laptop?

Expect 4-5 years of comfortable use before wanting to upgrade. The aluminum chassis will hold up longer, but battery capacity and processor performance will degrade gradually. The OLED display has a 30,000-hour lifespan (about 10 years at typical use). Most people replace laptops every 4-5 years for performance reasons rather than failure, and that timeline applies here. It's a solid investment for that period.

Should I get accidental damage protection from Best Buy?

It's worth considering. For a

That $1,000 price tag isn't a fluke. It's your window into owning a genuinely premium laptop without the premium price. The Zenbook S 16 at this price is the deal that makes sense.

Key Takeaways

• The Asus Zenbook S 16 at $1,000 represents its deepest price discount, driven by Asus preparing 2026 models and inventory clearance strategies
• Premium features include 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD, OLED 2880x1800 display, and 14-16 hour battery life—exceeding similarly-priced MacBook configurations
• Unlike thin ultrabooks, the Zenbook keeps legacy ports (USB-A, HDMI, SD card), eliminating the dongle ecosystem most competitors force
• The 16-inch model offers significantly better value than the 14-inch version in this sale, making it the clear recommendation for general users
• At $1,000, the Zenbook becomes competitive with MacBook Air while running Windows, requiring less compromise than alternative premium laptops

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