ASUS Vivobook 16X might just be the laptop that fits your budget even when you are looking at a laptop that has a bigger screen. Even as a16″ laptop with the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor, it is said to be tucked under RM 3,000.
ASUS Vivobook 16X M1603 Specifications
| ASUS Vivobook 16X | Specifications |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600H Mobile Processor (6-core/12-thread, 19MB cache, up to 4.2 GHz max boost) |
| Display | 16.0-inch, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) 16:10 aspect ratio, IPS-level Panel, LED Backlit, 60Hz refresh rate, 300nits, 45% NTSC color gamut for non-OLED, Anti-glare display, Screen-to-body ratio: 86 ％ 16.0-inch, WUXGA (1920 x 1200) 16:10 aspect ratio, 60Hz refresh rate, 300nits, 45% NTSC color gamut for non-OLED, Anti-glare display, Screen-to-body ratio: 86 ％ |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home – ASUS recommends Windows 11 Pro for business |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon™ Vega 7 Graphics |
| Main Memory | 8GB DDR4 on board |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) (Dual band) 2*2 + Bluetooth 5 |
| Camera | 720p HD camera With privacy shutter |
| I/O Ports | 1x USB 2.0 Type-A 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1x HDMI 1.4 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1x DC-in |
| Touchpad | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard with Num-key, 1.4mm Key-travel, Touchpad |
| Audio | SonicMaster with Cortana and Alexa voice-recognition support |
| Battery | 50WHrs, 3S1P, 3-cell Li-ion |
| AC adapter | 90W AC Adapter, Output: 19V DC, 4.74A, 90W, Input: 100~240V AC 50/60Hz universal |
| Dimensions | 35.84 x 24.77 x 1.99 ~ 1.99 cm |
| Weight | 1.88 kg |
Design
The Vivobook 16X comes in two colors, the Quiet Blue and the Transparent Silver. The one that you are seeing in this review would be the Quiet Blue. The surface of the laptop is protected by the ASUS Antibacterial Guard that is scientifically proven to keep your laptop clean and sanitary and reduce the spread of potentially harmful bacteria.
Opening the top of the chassis, the 16″inch 16:10 display is held by a three-sided NanoEdge display. With the same carbon footprint as more 15.6″ laptop, it provides more screen and less weight with 1.8KG which is the same weigh as a 15″ laptop.
On top of the screen would be the camera hidden under a privacy shutter. The privacy shutter is manual sliding shutter where there will be a orange dot shown over the camera lens when it is closed.
The screen has a wide viewing angle of 178° which allows you to read and see the content on the screen even from the side.
Along with this, the 180° hinge allows you to open your laptop and lay it flat for content sharing especially when you need to discuss or share among a small group of people.
Coming down to the keyboard, for a 16″ laptop I would expect a full keyboard with numberpad and ASUS did not disappoint me. The ErgoSense keyboard made it really comfortable to type in even after long hours of typing. Travelling between keys and the bounce feedback feels comfortable. Their dished key caps which has a slight dent in the middle easily guides your fingers while you type.
Below the keyboard, we have the touch pad with the fingerprint sensor at the top right. You can now sign in to the laptop with ease with just a fingerprint. It is secure in the sense that you do not need to use a password when you open your laptop in public and worry someone else know your password and try to login to your laptop.
In terms of IO ports, the laptop has 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port on the left and on the right we have USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a USB 2.0 port, an HDMI output and an audio combo jack.
Performance
The Vivobook 16X is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H high performance processor. It provides enough power even when you need to run a few programs at the same time. It comes with 8GB DDR4 and can be upgradable for more power depending on your own need. To keep everything going and stay cool in all situations, the ASUS IceCool thermal technology in Vivobook 16X uses upgraded heat pipes and IceBlade fan the efficiently disperse the heat. This allows the CPU to run at 45 watts in Performance mode with no throttling.
The only thing that I find is an hassle is the power brick. The Vivobook 16X does not support PD charging from the USB C port so if you are travelling or going around you will have to bring along your charging brick. On the bright side, the charging brick is really lightweight for its size.
Conclusion
The ASUS Vivobook 16X M1603 is priced at RM 2,999 which is really affordable given the hardware it comes with. Getting a latest gen AMD Ryzen 5600H CPU with an upgradable 8GB DDR4 RAM packed in the laptop at the price is quite a steal. The laptop offers you a 16-inch FHD NanoEdge display with 16:10 aspect ratio with larger and wider display in the same footprint as most 15.6″ laptops. The anti-bacterial Guard also provides an ease of mind for hygiene conscious consumers with 99% bacterial inhibition especially during these covid-19 times.
At its price point of RM 2,999, it is an affordable laptop with gaming grade performance and we would strongly recommend it to students and young adult whom need a laptop with bigger screen and better performance to go around their day.
Availability
You can pop in to any ASUS authorized outlet stores and check if they have it in store to try it out yourself and grab one. Alternatively, you can purchase it directly from their Lazada and Shopee store.
