New 16-inch laptop receives wider international release with cheaper starting price and OLED display - Notebookcheck

What the report says

Notebookcheck.net reports that Asus has expanded availability of a lower-cost version of its 16-inch Zenbook A16, a Windows-on-Arm laptop that previously appeared in a more premium configuration. The outlet says the cheaper UX3607QA variant, first spotted in Italy, is now listed in additional markets including Australia and the UK, though it had not found a North American listing at the time of publication.

The new version uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, rather than the higher-end Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme X2E-94-100 used in the Zenbook A16 model Notebookcheck reviewed earlier in the year. Notebookcheck says its benchmarks show the 8-core X1-26-100 is substantially slower than the X2 Elite Extreme chip, while noting that the same processor is used in Asus’ entry-level Zenbook A14.

The lower price also comes with several hardware reductions. According to the report, this model has 16 GB of RAM, a lighter chassis by about 100 grams compared with the higher-end Zenbook A16, a less capable OLED screen than the 500-nit 2.8K 120 Hz panel in the premium version, and Wi-Fi 6E rather than Wi-Fi 7.

Notebookcheck lists the new Zenbook A16 at AU$2,074 in Australia and £1,299 in the UK, including taxes. By comparison, it says the X2E-94-100 model is currently £2,099 in the UK, putting the cheaper configuration about 38% below the more expensive version. The release matters for buyers considering larger OLED laptops because it broadens access to Asus’ 16-inch Arm-based design, but with clear performance and connectivity compromises.