Shopping for anything with a chipset these days is a nightmare. With so many different hardware configurations, the wide variety of options can counterintuitively prevent users from making a definitive choice as to what they want. Sometimes, a new product’s selling point is so minute that it becomes a jack-of-all-trades without meaning to. But, as we’ll see with the new ASUS Vivobook S16, being a jack-of-all-trades isn’t really a bad thing.

There’s no need to stand out

The Vivobook S16 follows the same design philosophy of ASUS’s other Vivobooks. You’re getting a fairly minimalist device with no frills. Besides the elegant “ASUS VIVOBOOK” logo on the laptop’s main panel, there’s nothing that really makes it stand out, which, if you’re using this for work, is actually an advantage. It just works.

Inside, the notebook comes with a large screen that maximizes its real estate, relative to the fairly thin top and bottom bezels. It also comes with a satisfying chiclet keyboard and numpad.

As a highlight, it has a larger touchpad with ASUS’s gallery of gesture controls. I have small hands, so the bigger surface area wasn’t an issue. It might lead to accidental swipes and clicks for those with larger hands or arms, though.

Weighing only 1.70 kilograms, the Vivobook S16 is light enough to carry around inside a backpack for a whole day. Honestly, I thought it could be lighter, especially with a smaller chipset like the Snapdragon X, but it’s not a bad weight for an everyday laptop.

A large screen but lacks an OLED option

As the name on the tin says, the Vivobook S16 has a large 16-inch screen. The sizable screen offers a lot of space for work. However, it does come in the new 16:10 WUXGA ratio, typical of external monitors. If you’re used to the older 16:9 widescreen notebooks, the additional vertical space might be jarring. Prepare for a lot of letterboxing when you watch movies on this thing.

That said, the image quality is decent enough for a quick watch in between meetings. The IPS display works well even in brightly lit environments, so working outdoors shouldn’t be a problem. Color reproduction is good enough, but it lacks the polish you’ll get from an OLED screen. Of course, the IPS display is a good compromise between offering decent quality and a more affordable price. I’d take it.

AI bolsters performance enough for everyday life

The biggest selling point of the new Vivobook S16 is the Snapdragon X chipset underneath. It’s not the first time that a Snapdragon processor made its way to an ASUS notebook. However, the chipset is definitely worth noting for potential buyers.

For the unfamiliar, Snapdragon historically makes chipset for smartphones. They only started branching out to notebooks recently. The brand’s notebook chipsets are capable, though. Though lightweight, the power can carry you through a day.

Each day, I usually have dozens and dozens of tabs running simultaneously, while running a variety of other apps like Microsoft Word and Photoshop. I didn’t experience tangible slowdowns juggling all these tasks, thanks to the NPU included inside. At most, the laptop’s fan roared to noticeable levels when under full loads.

The Vivobook S16 is a handy little tool for day-to-day activities. It was especially useful while I was out and about. I can leave my beefier gaming notebook at home and give my aching back a break.

Now, that said, this isn’t a notebook you can readily use for gaming. If you force it, you can squeeze in lighter games like Balatro or medium-sized ones like League (but at lower settings). However, give this a pass if you’re looking for a machine that can handle modern games.

A beefy battery

The Vivobook S16 comes with a huge 70Whr battery. A single full charge can supposedly last 32 hours.

Honestly, this is an optimistic estimate. A single full-length movie already drains around 20 percent of the battery. Thirty-two hours is a stretch.

Even if this is an optimistic number, taking only 20 percent of battery with a movie is pretty impressive. Meanwhile, a full eight- to nine-hour workday — without a video on repeat — takes only around 60 percent of the battery. Like the movie test, draining the battery by only a little over half the capacity in a single workday is a good showing.

For what the notebook lacks in robust hardware, it more than makes up for the deficiency with its highly durable battery.

Is the Vivobook S16 your GadgetMatch?

The ASUS Vivobook S16 is a jack-of-all-trades. Though it’s not great at one single thing, all the things that it is good at make this a laudable laptop in its own right. Plus, it’s not without its frills. The ginormous battery makes this a worthy purchase.

Swipe right if you want a capable workplace laptop without the bells and whistles of owning a “gaming beast” or an “ultra-thin marvel”. If you’re looking for a notebook for work or for school, this is something you’ll want to check out.

The Vivobook S16 costs PhP65,995. It’s a hefty purchase, for sure, but it’s an investment worth making.