Parish of a Microsoft’s AI-infused Copilot+ PC was barely overshadowed by the simultaneous launch of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processor, an upgraded ARM-based various to Intel and AMD processors which have lengthy dominated the laptop computer world.
Qualcomm has made some unbelievable claims about what the Snapdragon X can do since its announcement final fall, probably the most notable of which is the promise of double the efficiency of competing processors whereas utilizing one-third the facility. All of those competing processors have been up to date since this announcement, so studying concerning the present surroundings is important. The catch is that Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC is simply licensed to work with Snapdragon X processors — a minimum of for now — so if you need the Copilot+ expertise with all the brand new AI options constructed into Home windows, Snapdragon is the one strategy to fly.
Earlier than we get to the CPU, let’s take a more in-depth take a look at the laptop computer that homes it. The Asus Vivobook S 15 (now with an area in its identify, however typically not) dates again to 2017 when it began as an Intel-based product. Needless to say the Intel-based Vivobook continues to be obtainable. The Qualcomm-based model reviewed right here has the mannequin quantity S5507Q.
The silver laptop computer sports activities a spacious 15.6-inch (non-touch) show with a decision of 2880 X 1620 pixels. It’s vivid sufficient, however doesn’t burn the attention, and its display screen is supported by a robust Harman Kardon sound system. Along with the Snapdragon X Elite X1E7810 processor, the machine has 16GB of RAM and 1TB of solid-state storage, each of that are commonplace for in the present day’s laptops. The keyboard is spacious and responsive, even while you press the tiny quantity pad on the proper.
Picture: Chris Null
An intriguing addition is the inclusion of coloured LED backlighting for the keyboard – one thing you do not typically see outdoors of the gaming laptop computer world. Single-zone lighting results could be configured within the pre-installed MyAsus app, which controls a spread of features from fan pace to sound results. The backlight is modest to a big extent as a result of it’s tough to see as a result of silver coloration of the keys. Whether or not the backlight was on or off, I struggled to learn the letters and symbols on high of the keys; simply lacked distinction.
Discover what the block does no contains Asus’ new ceramic-aluminum shell — the S 15 has an all-metal physique — and does not embrace the previous ScreenPad function (the place the touchpad doubles as a small show) present in another Vivobook choices.
Port choice is nice and appropriate for a 15.6-inch laptop computer with two USB-C ports with USB4 assist, two USB-A 3.2 ports, a full-size HDMI port and a microSD card reader. All ports are facet mounted. The Vivobook weighs 3 kilos and is 20 millimeters thick, first rate stats for a machine of this dimension.
