Asus Zenbook S 16 (2024) 16" AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 2GHz / 32GB RAM / 2TB SSD specifications and in-depth review

Asus Zenbook S 16 (2024) 16" AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 2GHz / 32GB RAM / 2TB SSD

Manufacturer: Asus

The Asus Zenbook S 16 (2024) is a slim productivity laptop built around AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, housed in a chassis that measures just 11 mm thick and weighs 1,500 g. Its 16″ OLED touchscreen delivers a 2880x1800 resolution at 212 ppi, with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, making it a visually capable machine for content-focused work. A stylus is included in the box, and 3D facial recognition is available for authentication alongside a backlit keyboard for comfortable low-light use.

Under the hood, the Zenbook S 16 pairs its 12-core CPU — with a turbo frequency reaching 5.1 GHz — with 32 GB of DDR5 memory running at up to 7,500 MHz and a 2 TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD. The integrated Radeon 890M handles graphics duties, with 1,024 shading units and a GPU boost clock of 2,900 MHz. Connectivity includes two USB 4 40 Gbps ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, HDMI 2.1, and Wi-Fi 7 support alongside Bluetooth 5.4. The 78 Wh battery rounds out a specification set oriented toward portable, day-to-day productivity use.

Pros
  • The 16″ OLED touchscreen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 2880x1800 resolution provides sharp, detailed visuals suitable for content-heavy productivity work
  • Two USB 4 40Gbps ports offer fast data transfer and broad peripheral compatibility, including support for up to four connected displays simultaneously
  • At 11 mm thick and 1,500 g, the chassis is easy to carry between locations without adding significant bulk
  • A stylus is included in the box, enabling pen input directly on the touchscreen without additional accessories
  • 3D facial recognition provides a hands-free login method that does not rely on a fingerprint scanner
  • Wi-Fi 7 support ensures compatibility with the latest wireless networking standards alongside backward compatibility with older Wi-Fi generations
Cons
  • The single memory slot with a 32 GB maximum means RAM cannot be expanded beyond what is already installed
  • No anti-reflection coating on the display may cause glare in brightly lit environments
  • The absence of an RJ45 ethernet port requires an adapter for wired network connections
  • There is no fingerprint scanner, leaving facial recognition as the sole biometric authentication option, which can be less reliable in low-light conditions
  • A single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port limits the number of traditional USB-A peripherals that can be connected simultaneously without a hub
Who is this for?

This laptop is well-suited to professionals and students who spend most of their day on productivity tasks such as writing, data work, or content review, and who benefit from a sharp, high-refresh OLED touchscreen for extended screen time. The included stylus and touchscreen make it a practical choice for note-takers, annotators, and anyone who prefers pen-based input alongside a keyboard. Its slim, lightweight build combined with Wi-Fi 7 support and two USB 4 40Gbps ports appeals to mobile workers who need fast wireless connectivity and flexible display or peripheral setups on the go. The 3D facial recognition and dual-microphone array further support users in video-call-heavy workflows.

Who is this NOT for?

Users who require expandable memory will find the single memory slot capped at 32 GB a hard limitation, making this a poor fit for workloads that demand more RAM over time, such as large-scale data processing or heavy virtual machine usage. The absence of a dedicated GPU means it is not suited to graphics-intensive tasks like 3D rendering, video production at high resolutions, or modern gaming, where integrated graphics alone will fall short. Additionally, users who rely on wired networking or a wide range of legacy peripherals will face friction, given the lack of an RJ45 port and the single USB-A connection available without additional accessories.

Design:

Type Productivity
weight 1500 g
Uses a fanless design
Has a backlit keyboard
volume 943.569 cm³
width 353 mm
height 243 mm
thickness 11 mm
is weather-sealed (splashproof)

The Asus Zenbook S 16 (2024) is classified as a productivity laptop with a notably slim profile, measuring 11 mm thick with a footprint of 353 mm wide by 243 mm deep and a total volume of 943.569 cm³. At 1,500 g, it sits in a weight range suited for regular transport. The device features a backlit keyboard for comfortable use in dim conditions, while active cooling is present as it does not use a fanless design. It is not weather-sealed, so it lacks splash protection.

Display:

screen size 16"
resolution 2880 x 1800 px
pixel density 212 ppi
Display type OLED/AMOLED
has a touch screen
brightness (typical) 400 nits
refresh rate 120Hz
contrast ratio 1000000:1
has anti-reflection coating
supported displays 4

The Zenbook S 16 features a 16″ OLED/AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 2880 x 1800 px and a pixel density of 212 ppi, delivering a sharp and detailed image across the panel. It runs at a 120 Hz refresh rate and offers a typical brightness of 400 nits, while its contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 is characteristic of OLED technology. The display does not include an anti-reflection coating, and the system supports up to four connected displays simultaneously.

Performance:

RAM 32GB
Uses flash storage
internal storage 2048GB
CPU speed 12 x 2 GHz
CPU threads 24 threads
Is an NVMe SSD
DirectX version DirectX 12
GPU clock speed 800 MHz
uses multithreading
maximum memory amount 32GB
DDR memory version 5
turbo clock speed 5.1GHz
GPU turbo 2900 MHz
memory slots 1
PCI Express (PCIe) version 4
semiconductor size 4 nm
Supports 64-bit

The Zenbook S 16 is powered by a 12-core, 64-bit processor built on a 4 nm semiconductor, running at a base speed of 12 x 2 GHz and capable of reaching a turbo clock speed of 5.1 GHz, with 24 threads available through multithreading support. It comes with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM across a single memory slot, which also represents the maximum supported memory capacity. Storage is handled by a 2,048 GB NVMe SSD connected via PCIe 4.0, using flash storage technology. On the graphics side, the GPU runs at a base clock of 800 MHz and boosts up to 2,900 MHz, with DirectX 12 support rounding out the compute capabilities.

Benchmarks:

Geekbench 6 result (multi) 13283
Geekbench 6 result (single) 2593
PassMark result 35142
PassMark result (single) 3872

In standardized benchmark testing, the Zenbook S 16 recorded a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 13,283 and a single-core score of 2,593, reflecting the processor's per-core and parallel workload capabilities. PassMark results follow a similar pattern, with an overall score of 35,142 and a single-thread score of 3,872.

Connectivity:

USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-C) 0
USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-A) 1
USB 4 20Gbps ports 0
USB 4 40Gbps ports 2
Thunderbolt 4 ports 0
USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-C) 0
USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-A) 0
Thunderbolt 3 ports 0
has an HDMI output
Has USB Type-C
supports Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
has an external memory slot
Bluetooth version 5.4
RJ45 ports 0
HDMI ports 1
HDMI version HDMI 2.1
DisplayPort outputs 0
has AirPlay
mini DisplayPort outputs 0
has a VGA connector

The Zenbook S 16 offers a focused but capable port selection, led by two USB 4 40Gbps ports (USB-C) and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, while there are no Thunderbolt 3 or 4 ports, no DisplayPort outputs, and no RJ45 ethernet port. Video output is handled by a single HDMI 2.1 port, and an external memory slot is available for additional storage expansion. Wireless connectivity covers Wi-Fi 7 down through Wi-Fi 4, alongside Bluetooth 5.4, and AirPlay is supported. A VGA connector is not included.

Battery:

battery size 78 Wh
Has sleep-and-charge USB ports
Has a MagSafe power adapter

The Zenbook S 16 is equipped with a 78 Wh battery and supports sleep-and-charge through its USB ports, allowing connected devices to be charged even when the laptop is not in active use. It does not use a MagSafe power adapter.

Features:

has stereo speakers
has a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack
has Dolby Atmos
Stylus included
Has a fingerprint scanner
number of microphones 2
Uses 3D facial recognition
has voice commands
has a front camera
Has S/PDIF Out port
has a gyroscope
has GPS
has an accelerometer
has a compass
Has an optical disc drive

The Zenbook S 16 includes stereo speakers, a 3.5 mm headset jack, and a dual-microphone setup, though it does not feature Dolby Atmos or an S/PDIF output. For security and login, it relies on 3D facial recognition via its front camera rather than a fingerprint scanner, and voice commands are not supported. A stylus is included in the box, adding pen input capability to the touchscreen. The device does not incorporate motion or location sensors such as a gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, or GPS, and there is no optical disc drive.

Miscellaneous:

clock multiplier 20
Type Laptop, Desktop
Uses big.LITTLE technology
render output units (ROPs) 32
texture mapping units (TMUs) 64
shading units 1024
OpenGL version 4.6
OpenCL version 2.1
instruction sets MMX, F16C, FMA3, AES, AVX, AVX2, SSE 4.1, SSE 4.2
Has an unlocked multiplier
L3 core 2 MB/core
L3 cache 24 MB
L2 core 1 MB/core
L2 cache 12 MB
GPU execution units 16
GPU name Radeon 890M
Has integrated graphics
Supports ECC memory
memory channels 2
RAM speed (max) 7500 MHz
CPU temperature 100 °C
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 28W
Has NX bit

The processor carries a clock multiplier of 20 and a TDP of 28W, with a maximum operating temperature of 100 °C, and does not use an unlocked multiplier or big.LITTLE architecture. Cache is arranged as 24 MB of L3 (2 MB per core) and 12 MB of L2 (1 MB per core), and the CPU supports a broad set of instruction sets including MMX, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, F16C, SSE 4.1, and SSE 4.2, along with NX bit support. The integrated Radeon 890M GPU features 16 execution units, 1,024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units, with OpenGL 4.6 and OpenCL 2.1 support. Memory runs across two channels at up to 7,500 MHz, though ECC memory is not supported. The CPU is rated for both laptop and desktop deployment types.

Final Verdict

The Asus Zenbook S 16 (2024) presents a well-balanced specification set for productivity-focused users who prioritize portability and display quality in equal measure. Its 16″ OLED touchscreen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, paired with a capable Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and fast DDR5 memory, makes it a competent daily driver for mobile professionals and content-oriented workflows. The slim chassis, included stylus, Wi-Fi 7 support, and USB 4 40Gbps connectivity add meaningful practical value for users who work across multiple locations or need flexible peripheral setups. Where it falls short — fixed non-expandable memory, no dedicated GPU, and limited USB-A ports — reflects deliberate trade-offs in favor of thinness and weight, which means it suits a specific kind of user rather than a universal one. For those whose needs align with its strengths, the Zenbook S 16 represents a coherent and thoughtfully configured productivity machine.

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