ASUS Zenbook SORA 16 With Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Debuts in Japan at $2,180

ASUS has launched its first 16-inch laptop built around Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 platform, introducing the Zenbook SORA 16 in Japan with pricing starting at ¥339,800, or roughly $2,180. A configuration bundled with Microsoft 365 Personal and Office Home & Business 2024 is listed at ¥369,800. Both are scheduled to go on sale in late March 2026.

The Zenbook SORA 16 (UX3607OA) is being positioned as the lightest 16-inch model in ASUS Japan’s Zenbook lineup. It weighs about 2.65 pounds (1.2 kg), which is unusually light for a machine with a 16-inch display. ASUS credits that to its proprietary “Ceraluminum” chassis, a ceramic-aluminum composite the company says is 30 percent lighter and three times more durable than conventional anodized aluminum. Internally, ASUS also redesigned structural components, including the cooling system and keyboard assembly, to reduce mass without shrinking the footprint.

The laptop carries a 16-inch OLED panel with a 2,880 × 1,800 (3K) resolution. Memory configurations scale up to 48GB of LPDDR5X-9523, paired with a 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD. The use of high-speed LPDDR5X is particularly relevant in this class of system, since the Snapdragon platform relies on shared system memory for both CPU and integrated GPU workloads.

Port selection includes one HDMI port, two USB4 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, a full-size SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio combo jack. Wireless connectivity is handled by Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. For a thin-and-light design, the inclusion of native HDMI and an SD card slot stands out, as both are increasingly absent from premium ultraportables.

Powering the system is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, model X2E-94-100. ASUS says the chip increases core count from 12 to 18 compared with the previous generation and can reach clock speeds of up to 5GHz, marking a notable milestone for an Arm-based laptop processor. Qualcomm also claims up to 2.3× higher GPU performance from the updated Adreno graphics engine, alongside a 36 percent improvement in power efficiency. The integrated NPU is rated at 80 TOPS, a 78 percent increase over the prior generation.

That 80 TOPS figure is significant in the context of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirements, which currently mandate at least 40 TOPS for full on-device AI feature support. ASUS has been expanding its AI-focused portfolio across product lines, including performance-oriented devices such as the ROG Flow Z13. On specifications alone, the Zenbook SORA 16 clears that bar comfortably. Whether that translates into a measurable advantage in real-world AI workloads will depend on software optimization and sustained performance under load.

ASUS says internal testing shows the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme delivering between 1.5 and 2 times the performance of its predecessor. As with all vendor-supplied benchmarks, those figures will need to be validated independently, particularly in multi-core productivity tasks and GPU-accelerated creative applications.

Battery life is rated at up to approximately 22 hours under ASUS’s test conditions. Arm-based Windows systems have generally demonstrated strong efficiency when unplugged, though actual runtime will vary depending on display settings, workload, and application compatibility.

In terms of physical dimensions, the Zenbook SORA 16 measures 13.92 inches wide (353.5 mm), 9.54 inches deep (242.4 mm), and between 0.54 and 0.65 inches thick (13.8–16.5 mm). Windows 11 Home 64-bit comes pre-installed.

At around $2,180 for the base model, the SORA 16 enters the same pricing tier as premium thin-and-light notebooks powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 9 series, including systems such as the Zenbook S14. For Snapdragon X2 to establish itself in this segment, it will need to demonstrate competitive sustained performance, mature Windows-on-Arm software compatibility, and consistent GPU behavior in demanding workloads.

Meanwhile, Intel’s upcoming Panther Lake platform is expected to power business-focused systems such as the ExpertBook B5 G2.

ASUS has also introduced x86-based alternatives in the same premium segment, including the Zenbook S16 powered by AMD’s Ryzen AI 400 platform.

ASUS also confirmed a smaller Zenbook SORA 14 variant powered by the Snapdragon X2 Elite (X2E-88-100). That model weighs approximately 2.20 pounds (999 g) and is rated for up to 33 hours of battery life. Pricing in Japan starts at ¥259,800, with availability also set for late March.

ASUS has not announced pricing or release timing for the United States or other global markets. Further details are expected closer to international rollout.

ASUS Zenbook SORA Series Lineup

Source: GDM