When we reviewed the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X earlier in the year (read the in-depth review here), we were very impressed by it. We concluded that “the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X is a good productivity laptop, and its OLED display is excellent for photo and video editing as well as content consumption. It is especially good as a mobile work machine, since it is light and thin, while still packing a decent amount of grunt.”
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Now there is a new model, with a slightly updated design and modernised internals, taking advantage of Intel’s much improved 12th Gen Core i7 processors. In this Asus Vivobook Pro 16X OLED review we find out if the updated model for 2022 is an improvement on last year’s model or a step backwards.
Design and Build
This is where you’ll find the most differences to last year’s model. The new Asus Vivobook Pro 16X has been updated for better cooling, more ergonomic typing, and better quality overall.
The all-metal build is still befitting of its price and intended audience. But it offers some changes that could potentially make that audience a lot happier, most important of which is its port selection (more on that later).
Other than the port selection, you will also notice other changes on the sides. On both sides now, the new 2022 model has cooling vents, which expels heat much more effectively than the bottom-mounted vents on last year’s model. It gives the laptop a much more industrial look from the sides, which might be jarring for some coming from the previous model, but it can’t be noticed in while sitting in front of the machine and typing.
The keyboard design is unchanged, and still has the flair from the previous model. . It has a red escape button and stylised enter key with light shining through. The main typing deck is flanked by darker shift, caps lock, tab, and control keys etc., with the slim number pad on the right side. It also has a sunk power key that looks very different to the rest of the keys, as it contains a fingerprint scanner that works seamlessly with Windows Hello.
The biggest difference in the day-to-day experience coming from the previous model is the large touchpad. While it is still the same size and functions just as well as before, it has now been offset to the left of centre, where last year’s model had the touchpad in the middle. The reason for this, again, is to improve the ergonomics and how the typing experience is enjoyed on a day-to-day. Since the keyboard has a numpad on the right, having the touchpad in the centre of the chassis means it isn’t actually in the middle of the main alphabetic keyboard. The new design rectifies this. While it may take some a while to take used to the new position of the trackpad, it does mean you have less accidental touches on it while typing. This will very much come down to personal preference, but we preferred the touchpad in the middle of the chassis. It just feels more natural.
So, back to those ports – they are quite different to the previous model. Along the left side, you’ll find the power port, as well as a full-sized ethernet, a USB-A, and a microSD slot. Trouble is, the power port is about midway down the edge. We get it — the cooling vents take priority. But that placement puts the notebook off balance. It feels as though the cable is trying to drag your machine one way or another.
Along the right side are two USB-C ports, a full HDMI, another USB-A, and a 3.5mm audio jack. With no power cable on that side, there’s little to complain about there.
Display
The display on the new Asus Vivobook Pro 16X is just as impressive as before. It is exactly the same panel as on the previous model, which is not a complaint, but a no-brainer. It would be more remarkable if Asus wasn’t sticking it into every notebook it produces for some time.
The lid that houses the display is as thin as ever, which still has some flex. If anything, we’d like Asus to refine this part of the laptop slightly going forward, as it can feel a bit cheap. Here we can also see the new hinge design, which has been changed, presumably, for cooling purposes as well.
But the display itself is as vibrant as ever, even if colour saturation isn’t always on the level of some competitors. The 16-inch 4K OLED display is still a standout, and impressive (even for this price point).
Software and Performance
As previously stated, there are some improvements with the internal hardware as well, although not a mile away from the predecessor. This new Asus Vivobook Pro 16X comes with Intel’s latest silicon, a 12th-gen Core i7-12650H. It also has an RTX 3060 instead of the previous model’s RTX 3050 Ti. It then has the same 16GB of RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD inside. It’s all very speedy.
What does all this mean for performance? Well, there is a slight but meaningful improvement in performance. While we wouldn’t advise upgrading if you have the previous model, the new one will be future-proof for several years longer thanks to that 12th Gen processor.
Otherwise it is mostly a standard Windows 11 experience. With one exception – the DialPad. Swiping in from the right-hand side on the high-precision touchpad lights up the DialPad. This neat addition gives you the same UI and functionality as the Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED’s physical rotary controller, but without taking up extra space near the keyboard. It also works the same way. You simply use your finger to spin through menus and press down to change whatever parameters you happen to be tweaking.
For many content professionals, battery life is one of the most important aspects of a machine like the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X. The battery life is very good, if not magnificent. Video playback should give you about 12 hours of performance, but heavy workloads will deplete the battery significantly quicker. It’s above average for a general-use laptop, making this a worthy option for day-to-day off-the-charger use.
Conclusion
Asus has put together another great package here. It has some meaningful upgrades to the previous model (which was released less than 9 months before). The new Asus Vivobook Pro 16X is still a good productivity laptop, and its OLED display is still excellent for photo and video editing as well as content consumption. It is still especially good as a mobile work machine, since it is light and thin, while still packing a decent amount of grunt.
However, there is a sizeable problem for potential buyers. It costs around R35,000 for the new model, while the previous version (which is just as good in most respects), costs only R25,000.
If we were putting our own money down we would go for the previous model with 11th Gen Intel processors. The bump in internals, better port selection and slightly more efficient design is not enough for us to justify the increased price.