Intro & Overview of ASUS Vivobook S 15 Copilot + PC
Today, we’re going to look at the all-new ASUS Vivobook S 15. This laptop is special because it’s the first ASUS Copilot+ PC.
What is Copilot+?
So, what does Copilot+ mean? It means you get the power of cutting-edge AI directly on your laptop. This enables features like co-creating realistic images from your sketches, or generating captions for audio in any language.
Overview of the Review:
In this review, we’ll explore what’s in the box, check out some of the new AI features, and discuss whether this laptop is worth considering. I want to thank ASUS for sponsoring this video and providing me with the laptop.
Disclosure and Objectivity:
As with any sponsored content, I want to assure you that I’ll share both the good and the bad. I’ll highlight things I like and also some potential drawbacks to keep in mind.
Unboxing:
Let’s start with the packaging. The box is compact and secure, which is great for protecting the laptop during shipping.
Unboxing & First Impressions:
Inside the box, we have the laptop itself and the power cord. My first impression is that it looks stylish and feels incredibly solid.
Design and Build:
The laptop is very slim, measuring only 14.7 millimeters in thickness. It’s also super lightweight, weighing only 1.42 kilograms.
Keyboard and Touchpad:
When you open it up, you’ll see a spacious RGB keyboard, a number pad, and a very large touchpad. The keyboard itself has a few notable features.
Let’s take a closer look at the keyboard.
Exploring the Copilot Key and AI Features:
The Copilot Key:
On the keyboard, you’ll see a new key with the Copilot logo. This is the Copilot key, and it’s what you press to access the various Copilot and AI experiences.
Copilot Experience:
When I press the Copilot key, it opens up the Copilot experience that comes with Windows 11. From here, you can prompt the AI to perform various tasks. For example, I asked it to write a song about the Kevin Cookie Company, and it produced a nice song.
Current Limitations:
Currently, the Copilot key only opens up the Copilot experience on Windows, and that’s all it does. It would be nice to see it behave like the Windows key, where you can use it together with other keys to interact with the AI in more ways.
Future Potential:
For example, if you’re in Microsoft Word, you could highlight some text and then press the Copilot key to rewrite it. The good news is that this is software, so they can always add more features in the future.
AI-Powered Creativity:
Here in Microsoft Paint, I can use the AI-powered “Paint with AI” feature to create artwork. I can select a style, and the AI will generate a painting based on my selection.
AI-Assisted Image Creation:
Image Co-Creator:
In Microsoft Paint, you can click on the Image Co-creator and then describe what type of image you would like to create. For example, I’ll type in “Island with palm tree” and then I’ll sketch it.
Real-Time Image Generation:
The AI then generates an image in almost real-time alongside mine. This is a powerful tool for creatives, allowing you to quickly bring your ideas to life.
Live Captions:
Another AI feature is called Live Captions. This feature allows you to automatically generate captions for any audio or video playing on your laptop, in real-time.
Live Captions and Language Translation Features:
Live Captions:
Simply search for and launch Live Captions. This feature provides captions for any audio playing on your computer, including audio from your microphone.
Multilingual Support:
One of the impressive features of Live Captions is its ability to translate 44 different languages to English in real-time.
Camera Studio Effects:
In addition to Live Captions, you also get a wide variety of different camera studio effects. These effects can enhance your video conferencing experience.
Enabling Studio Effects:
You can turn these studio effects on by accessing the relevant settings. This allows you to customize your video conferencing experience and make the most of the AI-powered features.
Advanced Camera Studio Effects:
Enabling Studio Effects:
To enable the studio effects, simply click in the bottom right-hand corner and then select Studio Effects.
Studio Effects Options:
The studio effects menu offers a range of options, including Portrait, Light, Blur, and different creative filters. You can also enable Eye Contact, which keeps your eyes focused on the camera.
Universal Compatibility:
When you turn on these effects, they will be applied to any app that uses your camera, including popular video conferencing apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Camera Quality:
Speaking of the camera, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a high-quality camera that works well with the studio effects.
ASUS Ai-Sense Camera:
Automatic Screen Dimming:
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has a clever feature that automatically dims the screen when it detects that you’ve moved away from the laptop. This not only helps with privacy but also with security.
Returning to the Laptop:
Once you return to the laptop, the screen automatically brightens up again, making it easy to pick up where you left off.
Final AI Feature:
The last AI feature that I want to highlight is…
Two-Way AI Noise cancellation:
ASUS Two-Way AI Noise Canceling:
The final AI feature I want to highlight is the ASUS Two-Way AI noise canceling. This technology uses AI to remove background noise and other distractions when you’re in meetings or making voice calls.
Real-World Demonstration:
To demonstrate the effectiveness of this feature, I’m currently running a loud fan next to me. As you can hear, the noise cancellation works remarkably well, eliminating the background noise and allowing my voice to come through clearly.
Impressive AI Features:
The AI features on this laptop are all very impressive, and they’re just the beginning. The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has even more to offer, making it a compelling choice for anyone in the market for a new laptop.
Display Quality: 3K, 120 Hz OLED Screen:
Display Features:
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 comes with a 3K 120 Hertz OLED display and a 16 by 9 aspect ratio. This means you get super sharp images, incredibly smooth refresh rates, and true blacks that help colors stand out.
Benefits of 120 Hertz:
With 120 Hertz, the screen refreshes 120 times every second, making it ideal for watching movies or playing games. This is a significant improvement over typical 60 Hertz displays.
OLED Display Benefits:
The OLED display also means the laptop consumes less power, and it shows true blacks, helping colors stand out more. I found high color accuracy and perfect contrast, as well as very wide viewing angles.
Display Quality:
Overall, the display is bright and sharp, making it perfect for watching videos and working on projects. The 89% screen-to-body ratio means the display takes up most of the screen, with a very thin bezel.
Webcam and Microphone:
Up top, you’ll see the microphone array, the webcam, the IR camera, and the microphones. The microphones sound fine, and the AI enhancements help to improve audio quality.
Sound and Webcam Test:
Microphone Quality:
This is a test of the microphone. What do you think of this quality? The AI enhancements help improve the sound quality.
Speaker Quality:
Underneath the laptop, there are two speakers that deliver high-quality audio for a laptop.
Webcam Quality:
The webcam delivers 1080p footage at 30 frames per second. It’s not a DSLR camera, but it does the job.
Physical Privacy Cover:
The webcam even includes a physical privacy cover integrated into the bezel. That’s a really nice touch.
IR Camera and Windows Hello:
The IR camera detects your presence and works with Windows Hello, so you don’t have to type in any passwords. Simply detects your face and then signs you in.
Connectivity:
Connectivity is essential, and the ASUS Vivobook S 15 doesn’t disappoint. On both sides, you’ll find a variety of ports to connect your devices.
Connectivity Options and Ports Overview:Â
Port Selection:
On both sides of the laptop, you’ll find a full collection of ports. This ensures that you have all the connectivity options you need to connect your devices.
Right-Side Ports:
On the right-hand side, you’ll find two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports, a power indicator, and a charge indicator.
Left-Side Ports:
On the left-hand side, you’ll find an HDMI port, two USB 4 ports, a microSD card reader, and one audio jack. The USB 4 ports are particularly useful for connecting to an external display, charging your laptop, or transferring data at super-fast speeds.
Processor and Performance:
This laptop is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, which provides fast performance and efficient battery life.
Performance: Snapdragon X Elite Processor and Battery Life:
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Processor:
The laptop is powered by a brand-new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. This processor provides fast performance, efficient battery life, and is one of the highlights of this device.
Battery Life and Performance:
The processor offers an especially good battery life of 18 hours and very solid performance. It basically gives you performance all day and is significantly better than other laptops in the market.
Charging and Powering:
You can power and charge the laptop using USB-C. You’ll get a 60% charge in just 49 minutes.
Dedicated AI Engine:
The processor also includes a dedicated AI engine, or NPU, which takes care of AI tasks while you continue to use your PC. This allows for efficient multitasking and improved performance.
AI Performance:
You get 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS) to work with, making this laptop especially well-suited for AI tasks.
Real-World Performance:
Overall, I found the laptop performed well and handled multitasking with ease. Here, I have a spreadsheet and video playing, and they both run very smoothly.
Keyboard and Backlighting:
The keyboard is comfortable to type on, and there’s backlighting that you can adjust to your liking.
Keyboard and Touchpad:
Keyboard Backlighting:
The keyboard backlighting can be controlled through the ASUS app, allowing you to pick a solid color or different animations. I found this helped to see the keys at night, although I preferred to turn off the backlight during the day for better visibility.
Key Presses and Function Keys:
The key presses are very quiet, making it a great option for typing in quiet environments. You also get a variety of different function keys on top, which allow you to adjust things like the volume, the screen brightness, and other settings.
Number Pad and Touchpad:
On the side, you also get a number pad, which is a nice inclusion since many laptops don’t have this feature. The touchpad is large and supports a variety of different gestures, allowing you to easily adjust settings like volume and brightness.
Discussion on Software Compatibility and Gaming Performance:
Drawbacks of the Laptop:
We’ve looked at lots of great things about this laptop, but are there any drawbacks? Let’s discuss a couple of potential issues.
ARM Processor Compatibility:
One potential drawback is that the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor is an ARM processor, which means it doesn’t have compatibility with x86 architecture. This means that it cannot run traditional Windows applications without emulation.
Emulation Explained:
Emulation is when one computer pretends to be another computer, so it can run programs or games made for that other computer. While emulation is possible, it’s not ideal, as it can impact performance.
Native ARM Support:
However, most app developers are writing their apps to work natively with ARM processors, so you don’t have to emulate. In fact, Microsoft says that 90% of the apps that people spend time on have native support, and more should come. Native ARM support is growing, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Gaming Performance:
Two, this is a solid productivity machine that can handle casual gaming with ease. However, it won’t match the performance of dedicated gaming laptops. But if that’s not what you’re looking for, that shouldn’t matter.
Concluding Thoughts: Should You Consider This Laptop?
Overall Impression:
Overall, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is a fantastic choice for anyone looking for a stylish, portable, and powerful laptop that brings the power of AI directly onto the device.
Key Strengths:
It offers great performance, a beautiful display, and excellent battery life, all at a reasonable price.
Recommendation:
If you’re in the market for a new laptop, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 should definitely be on your short list.
You May Also Check: How to Check If Your Device Is Windows 11 Compatible