Asus has unveiled the Vivobook S 15 (S5507), its debut laptop powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus processors. The novel Copilot Plus technology and Arm-compatible chips significantly enhance some existing Vivobook features and expedite new AI application operations. Driven by a neural processor, they can perform 45 trillion operations per second.
The S 15 keeps the OLED display of its Intel predecessor boasting a size of 15.6 inches, an aspect ratio of 16:9, a resolution of 2880 x 1620 pixels, and a refresh rate of 120 Hz at peak HDR brightness of 600 nits. Its design is slimmer, with a thinner laptop body and screen bezels.
The S 15 model will be available in two variants: a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite and a 10-core X Plus. The former will serve as the base model, featuring a slower built-in graphics processor and lacking dual-core acceleration.
Both configurations support up to 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage via a PCIe 4.0 SSD, two USB-A ports, two USB 4.0 Type-C ports, HDMI 2.1, a combined audio jack, and a microSD card reader. They can also support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Asus will preinstall the innovative StoryCube app on the new Vivobook S 15. Leveraging AI abilities, StoryCube facilitates the sorting, editing, management, and export of photos in RAW format and video recordings. According to Asus, the Snapdragon’s neural processor will notably speed up this and other AI apps like Windows Studio Effects and Paint Cocreator.
Catering mainly to digital artists and graphic designers, the Vivobook series serves as a more affordable alternative to the ProArt series. Some Vivobook Pro models possess discrete graphics cards like the ProArt, but most in the Vivobook line use integrated graphic chips.
Preorders for the S 15 with the Snapdragon X Elite processor have already begun in some online stores, with the first deliveries expected on June 18. Costco will exclusively offer the version with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD for $1399. The model with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, priced at $1299, will be accessible in many other retail networks. The laptop with the more powerful Snapdragon X Plus chip will be released later this year, with the price yet to be announced.
With the Snapdragon X Series processors, Qualcomm is positioning itself as a rival to Apple’s M series chips. However, the true performance of this series will only be apparent once sales commence.
