Asus recently opened pre-bookings for its latest Vivobook S 15 (2024), the first AI-powered PC in India featuring Snapdragon X Elite and innovative Copilot+ AI features. This launch has sparked significant interest, positioning the Vivobook S 15 as a potential rival to Apple’s popular MacBook Air M3. But does it truly measure up? Let’s delve into its features, performance, and pricing to assess its worthiness.

Basic Specifications

The Vivobook S 15 OLED features a Snapdragon X Elite X1E 78 100 processor along with an Adreno GPU, Qualcomm Hexagon NPU 45TOPS, and 16GB LPDDR5X RAM. It has a 15.6″ 3K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD.

It’s impressively thin and light at just 1.42kg and 1.47cm. It offers a single-zone RGB keyboard and a dedicated Copilot key. In terms of connectivity, the laptop includes two USB4 ports, two USB 3.2 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, a MicroSD card reader, and an audio jack. It comes with a 70Wh battery providing up to 18 hours of use and runs on Windows 11 Home.

Copilot+ AI Features

One of the standout features of the Vivobook S 15 is its integration of Copilot+ PC, a set of AI-powered tools designed to enhance productivity and user experience. While the headline feature, Recall, has been delayed due to security concerns, the laptop still boasts several other AI capabilities. These include presence monitoring, which dims the display when the user isn’t looking to conserve battery life, and improved Windows Studio effects for video calls. The dedicated AI chip also offloads intensive processes from the CPU, contributing to the laptop’s impressive battery life.

Comparison with MacBook Air M3

While the Vivobook S 15 aims to compete with the MacBook Air M3, there are key differences to consider. The Vivobook S 15 offers a larger 15.6-inch display compared to the MacBook Air M3’s 15-inch display. In terms of processing power, initial reviews suggest that the Vivobook S 15’s Snapdragon X Elite processor performs well in multi-core tasks and rendering processes, even outperforming the M3 MacBook Air in certain scenarios.

Battery life is another area where the Vivobook S 15 shines. Tests have shown impressive battery longevity, surpassing many competitors. However, it falls slightly short of the larger 15-inch M3 MacBook Air, which boasts an even longer battery life.

Drawbacks and App Compatibility Concerns

One of the main concerns with the Vivobook S 15 lies in app compatibility. The number of native ARM Windows apps is currently limited, leading to reliance on emulation for many applications. While some apps perform well under emulation, others may encounter issues. Furthermore, certain app developers have blocked emulation, resulting in the unavailability of some popular apps on this PC, although they are expected to be released later.

While Microsoft’s Prism translation layer aims to improve compatibility, it doesn’t solve all issues. The lack of a touchscreen makes using features like Cocreator in Microsoft Paint less intuitive, according to Wired. Additionally, the Live Captions feature struggles to keep up with fast-paced audio. Overall, the Vivobook might not be suitable for those seeking high graphics performance or needing specific apps that are not widely used.

According to reviews, the gaming performance of this laptop is also inconsistent. Emulation and overall performance are less than ideal, primarily due to Qualcomm’s weaker GPU, which lags behind competitors. This may be disappointing for users who prioritize gaming on their laptops.

Pricing and Value Proposition

The Asus Vivobook S 15 (2024) starts at ₹124,990 for the 16GB + 1TB model. This makes it slightly more affordable than the 13″ MacBook Air M3, which starts at ₹134,900 in India.

The Vivobook S 15 (2024) offers a compelling value compared to the MacBook Air M3, especially when considering storage options. The base model of the MacBook Air M3 starts with 8GB RAM and 512GB storage, which may not be sufficient for power users. The same 16GB + 1TB variant of the MacBook Air M3 comes at a significantly higher price point.

Asus is also offering attractive pre-order benefits, including a 2-year warranty extension, 3 years of damage protection, and branded earbuds, all for just ₹1. This adds significant value to the package and makes the Vivobook S 15 an even more tempting option.

Therefore, if you prioritize a powerful Windows laptop with innovative AI features, competitive performance, and a vivid display, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 (2024) presents an attractive option. However, if you rely on specific apps that are not yet optimized for ARM or are a hardcore gamer, you might want to consider alternatives or wait for further app compatibility improvements.

The post Asus Vivobook S 15 (2024): Is it a worthy contender to the MacBook Air M3 in India? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Apple has officially unveiled the new MacBook Air with the company’s latest silicon. It retains the same design but is now more powerful than the previous-generation model. Additionally, the latest models also come with some minor improvements here and there.

MacBook Air M3 is here

Apple is continuing to offer the MacBook Air M3 in 13 and 15-inch screen sizes. This time the Cupertino-based tech giant has announced the latest generation in two variants simultaneously unlike the M2 Air. The newly announced offerings retain the same design with a flat-edged chassis and a display notch. 

The MacBook Air M3 13 and 15-inch variants can now connect to two external displays instead of a single on the previous models. However, there’s a slight caveat here as this can only work when the laptop’s lid is closed. If the Air’s screen is on, it can connect to only one external display. Both models still have Liquid Retina screens and 500 nits peak brightness. 

Under the hood, the new MacBook Air is equipped with the company’s M3 processor which consists of an 8-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU. There is also a faster 16-core Neural Engine. Apple is touting the new MacBook Air as “the world’s best consumer laptop for AI”. The latest offering is claimed to deliver 60 percent more performance compared to the M1 model which is nearly four years old now. It is also said to be 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBooks. The Air M3 also delivers a realistic gaming experience with hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing. There is also support for AV1 decoding. 

Apart from the chipset upgrade, the new MacBook Air also comes with WiFi-6E which is said to offer twice as faster speeds compared to the previous generation. There is voice isolation and wide spectrum microphone modes, enhanced voice clarity in audio and video calls. The laptops have a 1080p Facetime camera, three microphones, and support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. 

The MacBook Air M3 is offered in midnight, starlight, space gray, and silver colors. The midnight option now features an anodization seal to reduce visible fingerprints that were prominent on the M2 Air. 

MacBook Air M3 pricing and availability

The Apple MacBook Air M3 starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch variant whereas the 15-inch model carries a starting price tag of $1,299. In India, the prices begin at Rs 1,14,900 and Rs 1,34,900 for the same models. It is up for pre-orders starting today with shipments commencing March 8. 

Related:

• Apple reportedly cancels highly-anticipated microLED order for Watch Ultra
• Apple’s 2024 iPad Pro may get a thinner design, reveals CAD renders
• Apple CEO Tim Cook Points Towards Big Plans for AI Later this Year

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