ASUS Vivobook 16 Review

The ASUS Vivobook 16 is a classic case of a laptop that looks good on paper but stumbles on the basics. That big 16-inch screen is nice for spreadsheets and movies, but the 8GB of RAM and tiny 42Wh battery are deal-breakers for 2025. The one thing to know? This is a budget laptop masquerading in a mid-size body, and it's going to feel sluggish the moment you open more than a few browser tabs.

The Intel 13500H processor is decent, landing in the 61st percentile, so it can handle everyday tasks. But that 8GB of RAM is a massive bottleneck, sitting in the bottom 10% of all laptops. You'll feel that pinch constantly. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are fine for video calls, but don't even think about gaming, as its 18th percentile ranking confirms. The real shocker is the battery. A 42Wh cell in a 16-inch laptop is just too small for all-day use.

At $687, it's not a good value. You're paying for screen size but getting crippled by the RAM and battery. For the same money, you can find laptops with 16GB of RAM and much better battery life, even if the screen is a bit smaller.

Forget the gaming laptops on the list; they're in a different league. The real competition is other big-screen budget machines. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers way more innovation with its dual-screen design for similar productivity. More directly, many Lenovo IdeaPads or HP Pavilions around this price will give you 16GB of RAM and a proper HDMI port. This Vivobook loses on core specs.

I can't recommend it. The 8GB of RAM and tiny battery are fatal flaws for a laptop this size in 2025. It'll feel slow quickly, and you'll be tethered to an outlet. Look for something with at least 16GB of RAM and a battery over 60Wh, even if it means a 14-inch screen. This one is a pass.