Arrival of Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot+ PC somewhat overshadows the simultaneous launch of the upgraded ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X CPU, which replaces the Intel and AMD processors that have long dominated the laptop world.
Qualcomm has made some surprising claims about what the Snapdragon X can do since its announcement last fall. Most notable is the promise of twice the performance of competing CPUs while consuming one-third the power. All competing CPUs have been upgraded since its announcement, so it’s important to look at the situation in the full light of the current environment. The problem is that Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs are only certified to run on Snapdragon X CPUs, at least for now. So if you want the Copilot+ experience with all the new artificial intelligence features built into Windows, Snapdragon is your only choice.
Before we talk about the CPU, let’s take a broader look at laptops that use it. The Asus Vivobook S 15 (which now has a space in the name, but sometimes doesn’t) was launched as an Intel-based product in 2017. Intel-powered Vivobooks are still being sold today; the Qualcomm-based version reviewed here has model number S5507Q.
This silver laptop has a spacious 15.6-inch (non-touch) display that runs at a resolution of 2,880 x 1,620 pixels. It’s bright enough, but not so bright that it strains the eyes, and the screen is backed up by a powerful Harman Kardon sound system. In addition to the Snapdragon X Elite X1E7810 CPU, the unit has 16GB of RAM and a 1-terabyte solid-state drive, both of which are standard for modern laptops. The keyboard is wide and responsive, and it responds to presses to the right of the small numeric keypad.
Photo: Chris Null
An interesting addition is that the keyboard now comes with color LED backlighting, something we don’t often see outside of gaming laptops. The single-zone lighting effect can be adjusted via the preloaded MyAsus app, which controls a variety of functions from fan speed to audio effects. The backlighting is subdued, mainly because the keys are silver and therefore hard to see. Whether the backlighting was on or off, I had a hard time reading the letters and symbols on the top of the keys; there just wasn’t enough contrast.
This unit is do not have The S 15 doesn’t include Asus’ new Ceraluminum shell (an all-metal chassis), nor does it include the older ScreenPad feature found on other Vivobook products (where the touchpad doubles as a mini display).
The port selection is good and befitting a 15.6″ laptop, with two USB-C ports with USB4 support, two USB-A 3.2 ports, a full-size HDMI port, and a microSD card reader. All ports are side-mounted. The Vivobook weighs 3 pounds and is 20 millimeters thick, which are acceptable for a machine of this size.
