So, what’s not to like? Well, early compatibility issues slowed early adoption of the Snapdragon X, and the CPU’s integrated graphics performance turned out to be pretty terrible. And to date, powerful onboard AI features have yet to prove critical, as most AI workloads are still being performed in the cloud. With the second-generation X2, Qualcomm set out to deliver on the original promise of faster performance.

But what exactly does “fast” mean? As with most claims in the PC computing space, it’s all about the benchmarks. On the Zenbook A16, the tests I ran really outperformed the X2 Elite Extreme in some of the most commonly used benchmarking tools, namely Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024.

The performance boost on Geekbench is particularly striking, with the A16 scoring 50 to 100 percent faster than competing systems from AMD and Intel. It’s also faster than the Apple MacBook M4 Pro, the last Mac for which I have comparable benchmark scores. However, this Mac beat the Asus on the Cinebench benchmark, but not by much, and the Asus is now firmly in second place in my testing archive.

Graphics performance is much better than previous generations of Snapdragon X chips, with frame rates quadrupling on average, depending on the test. That’s a dramatic and much-needed improvement for the CPU, and while no one would accuse the A16 of being a gaming rig, it at least makes for a viable experience with more than taxing games and graphics workloads.

Performance of beige bells

Photo: Chris Noel

I’m happy enough with how the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme performs to underwrite its performance claims, but there’s more to the Zenbook A16 than its CPU.

Under the hood, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme X2E94100 CPU is complemented by 48 GB of RAM and a 1-TB SSD. The 16-inch touchscreen offers a solid resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels, and it’s incredibly bright. Weighing 2.9 pounds is impressive (if not unheard of) for the 16-inch category, and at 0.65 inches (at its thickest), it has a quick, fairly portable carrying experience. Asus’ Ceraluminum technology (with magnesium now added) is used in the machine’s lid, base and keyboard frame. This helps keep it thin and light, although when adjusted or touched, the screen is brighter than I expected.