Let’s address the elephant in the room, the Snapdragon Elite X processor. The Elite X is the first processor from Snapdragon designed specifically for laptops and the Vivobook is one of the first laptops to be equipped with the Elite X. One of the biggest claims of the chipmaker is the enhanced battery life and after using it for more than a month as my daily workstation, I can say the claims are absolutely true. The S15 gave me a super impressive 820 minutes of battery life while being used in different modes!

The Snapdragon X Elite processor with Adreno graphics and Hexagon NPU is quick for most of the regular tasks and you won’t miss your Intel or AMD-based processors. Even during heavier usage, it performed relatively well, and the best part is it stayed cool as if it wasn’t even running; credit goes to the 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD aided by ASUS IceCool thermal tech.

The 15.6-inch 3K 120Hz ASUS Lumina OLED display is bright with 600-nits peak brightness. The colors seem to pop out and watching videos is a treat, but the images seem a little oversaturated when you place it beside another OLED display. It comes VESA HDR True Black 600, 100% DCI-P3 and Pantone-certified for color accuracy though. Although it is marketed as a Copilot + PC, I wasn’t able to test the AI based assistant much with my kind of usage.

Another one of the things I absolutely loved is the tactile feel of the keyboard. The keyboard comes with RGB lighting, which is usually provided in gaming laptops, but I simply selected a single preferred colour and kept it like that. 

The ASUS Vivobook S15 seems like the perfect laptop, but there is a catch. The Elite X still doesn’t support a lot of apps, software and games and this lack of support can be a dealbreaker for many, including me. At the price of ₹ 1,46,990/- this is an expensive laptop but makes a strong case for itself and with an increasing support for apps, it can actually become a viable alternative to Intel or AMD-powered machines.

ASUS Vivobook S15: Specifications
Processor: Snapdragon X Elite Processor with Qualcomm AI Engine up to 45 TOPS NPU
Memory: 16 GB 8448 MHz LPDDR5X RAM
Storage: 1 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe TLC M.2 SSD
Display: 15.6-inch 3K (2880 x 1620) 120Hz ASUS Lumina OLED
Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno GPU
Battery: 70 kWh
Price: ₹ 1,46,990/-

The post ASUS Vivobook S15 Review first appeared on Turbocharged.

The design is sleek and minimalistic, typical of Asus, and the laptop also feels well-built courtesy of the aluminium chassis. It looks like a conventional laptop when closed, but open it up, detach the keyboard that’s attached via magnetic pins, prop up the laptop on the built-in stand on the base, and you’ll realize the Zenbook Duo is unlike anything else. The keyboard is backlit, boasts Bluetooth connectivity, and features a proper touchpad.

Given all the hardware it packs in, the Zenbook weighs about 1.65kg, but look past the weight and you’ve got a powerhouse of a device. It is offered with Intel’s Ultra 7 and Ultra 9 processors, and we got the latter, which makes sure the laptop is lightning quick. You also have 32GB RAM available, which adds to the Zenbook’s enviable performance. To put it to a thorough test, we loaded up the Zenbook with serious tasks including Counter Strike 2 and editing videos on Premiere Pro, and it passed these tests with flying colors.

Dual screen mode also helps avoid the need to scroll constantly by letting you see more at one go. Colors look vibrant, screen resolution is a crisp 2,880 x 1,800, and refresh rate is 60Hz. The Zenbook also comes with its own ‘pen’ which is the Asus Pen 2.0 active stylus and a brilliant accessory given the amount of real estate you use with the two screens. The pen can be charged via a USB Type-C port on it, but there is no way to attach it to the laptop, meaning you have to be mindful of where you keep it.

The keyboard charges via its magnetic pins or the USB C port on it, just like the laptop itself. The charging brick is surprisingly compact too. Asus claims the Zenbook Duo will last 10 hours, but we found it to be running out of juice in 7-8 hours given the amount of power consumed by the two displays. Heavier work such as video editing reduces this further to about 4-5 hours only, though this is still pretty decent. Overall, this is a brilliant laptop to have given the portability it offers despite the luxury of two proper, high-resolution displays.

Prices start from ₹1.60 lakhs, while the higher-specced version you see here costs ₹2.40 lakhs, making the Zenbook Duo an expensive proposition. It sounds a little gimmicky but is practical and a breeze to work on.

The post Asus Zenbook duo: Review first appeared on Turbocharged.

Asus ROG Strix 18
The Asus ROG Strix SCAR 18 features a large 18-inch 240Hz mini LED screen and an Intel Core i9 HX processor for gaming performance. In addition to its processing power, it has 16GB of RAM for fluid multitasking and a large 2TB SSD for ample storage space. Despite its rich feature set, this laptop weighs a modest 3.10kg, providing both power and portability for gamers and professionals on the go.

Price
₹ 3,39,990 | www.rog.asus.com

DELL ALIENWARE X16 R2
The Dell Alienware x16 R2 stands out as a Windows 11 laptop with a 16.00-inch QHD display and a gaming aesthetic. Noteworthy specifications include an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD expandable to 8TB. It produces excellent pictures thanks to its Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU. Enhanced cooling via a vapour chamber rounds out its impressive feature set, all while weighing only 2.72kg.

₹ 4,61,990 | www.dell.com

HP OMEN GAMING LAPTOP 16
The HP Omen Gaming Laptop 16 comes with Windows 11 Home, flaunting a 16.1-inch 240Hz QHD display, delivering smooth and sharp visuals. Powering its performance is an Intel Core i9 processor, clocked to 5.4GHz. Amplifying its gaming performance is a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics. Alongside, it packs 32GB of RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking, while a 1TB HDD offers ample storage space.

₹ 2,66,307 | www.hp.com

LENOVO LEGION PRO 7I (13TH GEN)
The 13th generation Legion Pro 7i claims to be the most powerful AI-tuned gaming laptop, powered by the Lenovo AI Engine+. The 16-inch display has a refresh rate of up to 240Hz and 500 nits brightness. The laptop is powered by a 13th gen Intel Core i9 HX processor with 32GB RAM and up to 2TB storage. The 99.9Wh battery lasts up to 12 hours of operating time. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 handles GPU duties.

₹ 2,77,491 | www.lenovo.com

MSI TITAN 18 HX A14V
The MSI Titan 18 HX A14V flaunts a sizeable 18-inch QHD mini LED display, driven by 14th gen Intel Core i9 HX processor for gaming performance. It packs upto 192GB of DDR5 RAM for smooth multitasking, alongside a capacious 2TB for ample storage. With Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics, it delivers stunning visuals. Despite its robust specs, it maintains a
portable weight of 3.6kg.

₹TBA | www.msi.com

The post Top Turbocharged Gaming and Performance laptops you can buy now first appeared on Turbocharged.

₹69,990 onwards

What is it?

The Asus ROG Ally is a handheld gaming machine that’s powered by an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (octa-core) gaming PC running Windows 11. It gets a 120Hz 7-inch Full HD display and weighs just 608 grams, which should make it easy to carry around. But if you wish, you can connect the ROG Ally to your TV screen and pair multiple controllers to enjoy multiplayer games. Asus is even throwing in three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Why should I buy one?

With the ROG Ally, Asus aims to offer gaming PC-like performance in an almost smartphone level portable machine, making it a good middle-ground for gaming enthusiasts. 

Where can I buy one?

asus.com/in/

The post Asus ROG Ally – Power of a PC in your hands first appeared on Turbocharged.