Asus VivoBook Pro 16X OLED – For the past few years, Asus has offered some well-balanced creator laptops in the VivoBook Pro 16X lineup, with a range of Intel/AMD specs, beautiful high-resolution OLED displays, and competitive pricing. Potential buyers consider them alongside other popular lineups like the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus, HP Envy 16, or Dell XPS 15/17. By the way, I’ve reviewed previous versions of the VivoBook Pro 16X in both Intel and AMD configurations, so I can discuss what Asus changed with the 2023 update, knowing the strengths and quirks of the previous iteration.
In just a few words, the Asus VivoBook Pro 16X 2023 builds on the previous generation’s design lines, but offers significantly more powerful hardware specifications and an updated cooling module, as well as an updated OLED display, including the option for a glass-free 3D OLED variant that is also offered on the higher-tier ZenBook Pro 16X and ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 models.
With that in mind, I’ve spent some time with an early sample of the 2023 VivoBook Pro 16X, and below we’ll cover the key new features of this generation, briefly comparing it to the previous Pro 16X. I’ll follow up with our in-depth review later in the year.
Design and ergonomics
The VivoBook Pro 16x is a standard clamshell laptop with a 16-inch display. The design hasn’t changed significantly from the previous generation, but some aspects have been refined and updated. Metal is used primarily for construction, and Asus offers the series in two color schemes: Cool Silver and 0° Black. Our unit is the latter, and it looks good, but it shows smudges quite easily. Both have a VivoBook plaque on the lid, and some branding elements on the inside, below the display, and around the palm rest.
Additionally, the VivoBook Pro 2023 16X is more compact than the previous model, but at the same time thicker and heavier, yet still portable for its size at over 2 kilograms. This change is largely the result of updated internals and a cooling module, which now includes multiple heatpipes and four radiators. The exhaust and hinge have been redesigned so that hot air no longer blows onto the screen, a common problem with the previous model.
Instead of a large center hinge, the Pro 16X implements two small, smooth, sturdy hinges that still don’t offer the ability to tilt the screen 180 degrees. Asus has updated the camera, however, implementing an FHD shooter with a physical shutter, but still without IR functionality.
Oh, and you might notice from these pictures that the status LED is still positioned below the screen, in the middle of the chassis, so it will be a bit annoying when using the laptop at night – I wish they would just put this on the side of all their products.
Asus has updated the overall chassis layout with this refresh, moving the touchpad slightly to the left and centering it below the Enter key. The grille above the keyboard is also for ventilation, and there aren’t any speakers hidden beneath it. The speakers are still located at the bottom of the laptop, but they’ve been upgraded to larger units, which should improve audio quality.
Inputs and display
The keyboard on the VivoBook Pro 16X carries over from the previous generation, and it’s a full layout with a NumPad section and the general feedback offered by most other VivoBook and ZenBook notebooks in the past year or so.
This means it has a good typing experience, but it’s a bit shallow compared to other full-size laptops. The keys are backlit with white LEDs.
The touchpad is identical to the one on previous VivoBook models, but it’s repositioned to the left side of the chassis instead of being centered. It’s a large glass surface with a dedicated DialPad zone you can activate in the upper left corner.
As for biometrics, there’s a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button/key, but no IR camera sensor. Asus has implemented a 3.2K OLED 120Hz option here, which is excellent for everyday use, media creation, and occasional gaming.
It’s a glossy finish with no touch, so you don’t have to deal with the visible graininess of touch OLEDs, but you will have to accept some glare. Plus, given that it only reaches about 400 nits of maximum brightness, you’ll mostly want to keep the laptop indoors or in dimmer environments, as it will struggle in bright light.
Of note, Asus offers this series with the optional 3D OLED technology also implemented in the ZenBook Pro 16X and ProArt StudioBook 16. It’s the same OLED panel described above, but with an extra lenticular lens layer and the necessary camera set for head tracking, as explained in the following video.
