ASUS ZenBook A16 Review: A Lightweight Powerhouse With Snapdragon X2 Elite

ASUS has expanded its thin-and-light Arm-based laptop lineup with the release of the Zenbook A16, a 16-inch machine powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor. The device aims to combine the portability of a smaller ultraportable with the screen real estate and performance required for high-end productivity.

The Zenbook A16 is designed to address performance shortcomings seen in previous Snapdragon-based models. It features an 18-core chip with a single-core boost speed of 4.7GHz, representing a significant increase over the 8-core X1 chips used in the 2025 Zenbook A14.

Design and Build Materials

A primary feature of the Zenbook A16 is its weight. The standard model weighs 2.6 pounds, while the version featuring a glass touchscreen cover weighs 2.9 pounds. This makes the A16 lighter than competitors such as the LG gram 16 and the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air, which weighs 3.3 pounds.

The chassis is constructed from a proprietary material called Ceraluminum, a blend of ceramic and metal. ASUS claims this material is resistant to fingerprints and scratches. While Engadget reported that the build is sturdy with no discernible flex, Tom’s Hardware noted that the chassis flexes and doesn’t feel premium given the device’s price point.

The laptop measures 0.65 inch thick and includes a 16-inch 3K OLED screen. This display provides high contrast and deep black levels, distinguishing it from standard LCD screens.

Hardware Performance and Benchmarks

The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme hardware provides a substantial performance boost. The Zenbook A16 is equipped with 48GB of RAM and a new 80-TOPS NPU dedicated to AI workloads.

In Geekbench 6 CPU testing, the Zenbook A16 (X2E94100) scored 3,262 in single-core and 20,808 in multi-core tests. What we have is a marked improvement over the 2025 Zenbook A14, which scored 2,113 in single-core and 10,316 in multi-core. In the PCMark 10 Applications benchmark, the A16 scored 17,264 points, surpassing the Dell Premium 16 (XPS 16) with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H chip, which scored 1,000 points lower.

Despite the performance gains, Tom’s Hardware reported that the battery life does not last as long as some competitors. However, Engadget’s rundown test clocked the A16 at 21 hours and 35 minutes of battery life, an increase over the 18 hours and 15 minutes recorded for the 2025 Zenbook A14.

Connectivity and Productivity

To support productivity, the Zenbook A16 includes a wider array of ports than its smaller A14 counterpart. The connectivity suite consists of:

• A full-sized SD card reader
• An HDMI connection
• Two USB-C 4.0 ports
• One USB Type A 3.2 port
• A headphone jack

The input hardware includes a comfortable keyboard and a large mechanical trackpad. Engadget noted that the trackpad is only clickable along the lower two-thirds, lacking the full-coverage haptic feedback found in other premium laptops in this price range.

Gaming and Software Compatibility

The transition to the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme has improved gaming viability on Windows on Arm. Qualcomm claims that 90 percent of games will run on these chips. The Zenbook A16 can run titles such as Fortnite, Roblox, and various Tencent games.

In testing with Cyberpunk 2077, the device reached 80 fps at 1080p with medium settings and AMD FSR frame generation enabled. However, compatibility remains an issue for certain titles. for example, Arc Raiders failed to load due to a lack of support for its kernel-level anti-cheat technology.

Users should also be aware that because the system is ARM-based, older applications may experience issues or fail to function entirely.

The Zenbook A16 is priced at $1,599.99 for the tested configuration.