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| The Asus Zenbook S 16 is quite lightweight at just 1.5 kg (3.31 lbs.). |
The current Windows laptop landscape is less than ideal. With soaring memory and storage prices wreaking havoc on manufacturing costs, the value proposition of many Windows notebooks has taken a noticeable hit. It often feels like you have to sell a kidney just to get a machine with a decent OLED screen and more than 16GB of RAM.
However, there are still some really good deals out there if you know where to look. You just have to sift through the noise of overpriced mid-range hardware to find that one golden ticket. For instance, you can now save a massive $500 on an Asus Zenbook S 16 UM5606WA OLED laptop, bringing it down to a price point that undercuts most of its competitors by a mile.
If you are in the market for a thin, powerful, and visually stunning ultraportable, this is the deal to beat right now.
The Deal Breakdown
Released first in summer 2024 with the then-latest Ryzen AI 9 365 APU and a luscious 120 Hz OLED display, the Asus Zenbook S 16 is perhaps the best multimedia Windows laptop deal currently online. It now costs just $949.99 at Best Buy.
Taking into account the hardware design and specs of the Zenbook S 16, it is quite clear that $949.99 is a pretty good price for the laptop. When you consider that you are getting a next-gen AI processor, a premium build quality that rivals devices twice the price, and a top-tier screen, this isn't just a good sale; it’s a market correction.
You can check the current stock availability directly at Best Buy here:
Check Price on Asus Zenbook S 16 at Best Buy
Asus Zenbook S 16 Impressed in Our Review with Only a Few Minor Flaws
We rated the Asus Zenbook S 16 at 84% in our review. While it didn't score a perfect 100, the criticisms were largely minor when weighed against the sheer quality of the package.
The laptop packs a generally snappy 10-core Ryzen AI 9 365 APU, a generous 24 GB of RAM, a spacious 1 TB of storage, and a stunning ceramic-aluminum construction. The "Ceraluminum" material is a standout feature—it gives the laptop the premium, cool-to-the-touch feel of metal but with a unique, slightly textured finish that is resistant to fingerprints, something aluminum bodies usually struggle with.
The input devices are also good, particularly the large glass touchpad. It’s smooth, responsive, and utilizes the full space available on the palm rest, making navigation without a mouse a genuine pleasure.
For a deeper dive into how this laptop performs in real-world creative workloads and gaming tests, you can read our full analysis here:
Read our Full Asus Zenbook S 16 Review
A Display That Defines the Experience
Aside from these qualities, the star of the show is the gorgeous 16-inch OLED display. Let’s be honest: once you go OLED, you never go back. The panel has almost everything you could want from a multimedia display.
It delivers punchy and accurate colors with OLED’s characteristic contrast—those infinite blacks make movies and dark mode applications look spectacular. It comes with factory calibration and boasts 100% DCI-P3 coverage, meaning it’s ready for photo and video editing right out of the box. The brightness also touches 400 nits, which is more than enough for indoor use and even some shaded outdoor work. A smooth 120 Hz refresh rate is the cherry on top, making scrolling through websites and documents feel silky smooth.
Performance and Portability
The Asus Zenbook S 16 is also a pretty fast machine for day-to-day use, as shown by our PCMark 10 scores. The Ryzen AI 9 365 can also hold its own in heavy tasks, but you’ll have to temper expectations as it is only running at a limited TDP inside the Zenbook S 16. This is a thin-and-light laptop, not a gaming behemoth. It handles video editing, coding, and heavy spreadsheet work with ease, but don't expect it to sustain 4K rendering without breaking a sweat.
However, where it does excel is in connectivity and practicality. The port situation is also quite good with:
- Two USB 4.0 Type-C ports with DisplayPort and Power Delivery
- One Type-A port (a rarity on such thin laptops)
- An HDMI 2.1 out for connecting to external monitors or TVs
- A 3.5 mm audio jack
Finally, the Asus Zenbook S 16 will last a full workday of use. Our WLAN test returned a runtime of 12 hours. If you need even more battery life—perhaps for a cross-country flight or a heavy conference day—you might want to invest in a Type-C power bank from Amazon to top it up on the go.
Browse Portable Power Banks on Amazon
The Verdict
At its original price, the Asus Zenbook S 16 was a great piece of engineering. At $949.99, it is a no-brainer. You are getting a Copilot+ PC with future-proofed RAM, a stunning OLED screen, and a design that feels more expensive than it is.
If you are looking to upgrade your workstation or just want a premium laptop for media consumption that doesn't break the bank, this is the one.
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| Asus Zenbook S 16 features a large trackpad. |
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| Asus Zenbook S 16 from the back. |