Asus Vivobook S 15 with Snapdragon X Plus stays true to its original

A lot of OEMs have launched their latest cheap Copilot+ PCs, powered by the new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus chip. Asus has now joined the conversation with its refreshed Asus Vivobook S 15 laptop, featuring not-so-many differences from its 12-core version with Snapdragon X Elite.

Launched ahead of the IFA Berlin 2024 trade show, the Asus Vivobook S 15 comes with the 8-core SoC, a 15.6-inch 3K 120Hz display, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and less GPU power with Adreno compared to the original.

But for a $899 price tag compared to the original $1,300 with Snapdragon X Elite, that’s honestly (and economically) not too bad.

Qualcomm has been marketing the chip as the entry-level processor that powers Copilot+ PCs to target the entry-level market, so it’s obvious that people are comparing. The 8-core Vivobook S 15 still retains the large battery life (70-Wh with USB-C) and the same display, although there’s a notable sacrifice on RAM (32GB for the original) and storage (1TB).

We’re also getting two USB4 ports, USB 3.2, a microSD slot, WiFi 7, and a backlit keyboard with a Copilot dedicated key.

Other manufacturers, like Acer, have also launched their 8-core X Plus laptop, but some can still hurt your pocket. Acer Swift Go 14 AI laptop with this chip is still priced at $999 for now, and it’s not too shaved off from its 10-core variant that starts at $1,099.

Samsung has also added a 15-inch variant to the Galaxy Book4 Edge featuring this chip, but deal sales may even slash the price even lower. The laptop’s variant with the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite is currently discounted on Samsung’s website with a 14-inch display.