ASUS Vivobook S15 (Snapdragon X Elite) — The First ARM Windows Laptop That Finally Delivers

For years, ARM-based Windows laptops have been disappointments — slow performance, bad emulation, weak apps, and terrible battery life. Reviewers stopped taking them seriously. But Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite chip changes everything. This is the first ARM Windows device that feels genuinely competitive — fast performance, shockingly good battery life, usable x86 emulation, and a price lower than a MacBook Air. The ASUS Vivobook S15 is the strongest proof yet that Windows ARM laptops are finally real.

Performance: Fast on Native Apps, Shockingly Good on Emulated Ones

Synthetic benchmarks show the S15 performing on par with top-tier laptops. It sits between a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro — impressive for its first major ARM launch. Native ARM apps run smoothly with no weird slowdowns, and while they don’t exceed high-end x86 chips, nothing feels compromised.

The real surprise is x86 emulation. You still take a performance hit, but unlike previous ARM laptops, apps actually run well. Premiere Pro (x86 only right now) is completely usable — something that was impossible on previous Qualcomm chips like Microsoft’s SQ3. This alone makes the device a real contender.

Developers clearly have more incentive now. Microsoft, OEMs, and Qualcomm are going all-in, which means ARM app support should grow rapidly.

GPU & Creative Workflows

The integrated GPU is solid. Photoshop now runs natively on ARM and performs similarly to x86 systems. Premiere Pro in emulation isn’t perfect but remains stable and faster than expected. This is a huge leap from past ARM laptops that choked under creative workloads.

Games also run decently. Not a gaming machine, but respectable frame rates in emulation. Occasional stutter seems tied to software, not thermals.

Thermals & Fan Noise

The laptop is impressively quiet. During casual tasks, it’s essentially silent — fans are inaudible unless your ear is touching the bottom panel. Even under load, it stays quieter than typical Intel/AMD laptops with similar performance.

Battery Life: Finally Near MacBook Levels

This is where Snapdragon X Elite feels like a revolution. Battery life is the best Windows has ever delivered:

– Better than Intel Core Ultra
– Better than AMD Ryzen
– Nearly on par with Apple’s MacBooks

Sleep behavior is also dramatically improved. Overnight drain is just 1–2%, matching the efficiency expectations Apple users take for granted.

Display, Build & Ports

The Vivobook S15 features a 120Hz OLED display — bright, color-rich, and rarely found at this price point. It also includes:

– 16GB RAM (soldered)
– One upgradeable SSD slot
– Excellent port selection: USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, microSD
– Webcam with physical shutter

The keyboard feels good, but backlighting is weak and the color contrast makes the legends harder to read when lit. Not a deal-breaker, but a clear design miss.

Price & Value

At $1299 USD, this laptop is aggressively priced considering:

– OLED screen
– Top-tier battery life
– High-performance ARM chip
– Strong port selection
– Premium build

A similarly spec’d Intel/AMD laptop would cost more — and have worse battery life.

The Bigger Picture: Snapdragon X Elite Changes Windows

This laptop wouldn’t exist at this price, performance, or battery level without Snapdragon X Elite. For the first time, Windows ARM feels like a serious platform — not an experiment.

Microsoft still needs polish. ARM versions of big apps must continue rolling out. Copilot+ features aren’t ready yet, and the NPU hardware isn’t fully utilized in mainstream software. But the foundation is excellent.

Final Verdict

The ASUS Vivobook S15 with Snapdragon X Elite isn’t just a good laptop — it’s a turning point. Fast performance, real x86 app usability, whisper-quiet thermals, long battery life, and an OLED screen at a competitive price make it one of the most exciting Windows laptops in years.

ARM Windows finally feels alive. This time, the hype is real.