ASUS increases Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite laptop prices just hours after reviews go live
Posted by T1beriu@reddit | hardware | View on Reddit | 69 comments
FuturePastNow@reddit
Fell for it again award.
KinTharEl@reddit
I saw this briefly on LTT's Short Circuit channel and that screen flex has me appalled. Like holy fuck, how did that ever pass any kind of durability testing? I've seen plastic bags with less flex than that.
Qsand0@reddit
Plastic bags technically don't flex. Wouldn't flex be an afjective for materials with a more...rigid structure?
Rippthrough@reddit
Of course they flex, that's how they work.
Front_Expression_367@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/LinusTechTips/comments/1sfla3i/come_on_adam_that_is_not_normal_for_a_1999_laptop/
The LTT sub also has a post about that lol.
basedIITian@reddit
People who have used the last generation A14 have no durability complaints.
DerpSenpai@reddit
This was not just QCs laptop, but their S line with AMD as well by 300$ because of the RAM-agadon
Front_Expression_367@reddit
Isn't it just because Zenbook S is a higher-end lineup than Zenbook A? Better build quality and speakers from what I have seen, and this year's S16 has got a touchscreen. Still a really hefty price though.
DerpSenpai@reddit
Zenbook S and A are basically the same type of laptop but different chipset
Front_Expression_367@reddit
"The S does not have better build quality."
Maybe, but ASUS advertised that the entirety of Zenbook A laptops consist of Ceraluminum which is magnesium-aluminum alloy so I doubt that that is better than with the Zenbook S laptops which only has Ceraluminum with the lid and aluminum everywhere else.
"Screen the A actually normal SKUs have better screens."
Does it? The lowest SKU of Zenbook A is limited to 1200p 60Hz OLED, whereas I couldn't find any of those with the Zenbook S 14 which seems to only 1800p 120Hz OLED.
DerpSenpai@reddit
Ceraluminum is more premium and more expensive
Front_Expression_367@reddit
Ceraluminum maybe more expensive but it certainly isn't that durable, as with the LTT test having the lid bending a bit too much for my liking.
"for the S i'm seeing 1200p OLED for 16" which doesnt exist for the Snapdragon yet."
Where? Notebookcheck has one review of Gorgon Point Zenbook S16 and that thing has a 1800p 120Hz OLED: https://www.notebookcheck.net/The-perfect-everyday-laptop-with-AMD-Ryzen-400-Asus-Zenbook-S16-OLED-review.1221965.0.html
Qsand0@reddit
S does have better build quality. The A is of a much lighter weight. I think sub 1kg. That's its main selling point
DerpSenpai@reddit
Build quality is not about weight.... the A series uses something more expensive than normal aluminium laptop...
Qsand0@reddit
Build quality is not about cost. You can have alloys that are structurally weaker but more expensive.
Qsand0@reddit
Last year S16 had a touchscreen as well
Front_Expression_367@reddit
Yeah and I just checked that the S14 had one too. Welp.
Ortana45@reddit
As if we were going to buy this in the first place lol.
Confident_Casanova@reddit
I'm kinda disappointed in its performance compared to amd and intel APUs
Worldly_Topic@reddit
Why though ? Performance looks solid to me, only lagging behind the M4/M5 in single core perf.
comelickmyarmpits@reddit
Geekbench , rcinebrnch numbers ain't everything, compatibility is also a issue , majority softwares had to work through x86-> arm translation layer hence the performance penalty
malisadri@reddit
I was pleasantly suprised at X2E performance and asked an LLM how many popular software are native on Arm64 both in linux and windows (because I usually dual boot).
The ones not yet native to Arm64 are usually very specialized software like Solidworks, Revit or Cinema4D which are essential to some but irrelevant to most.
> majority softwares had to work through x86-> arm translation layer hence the performance penalty
Do you have any particular software in mind ? It seems that most things are native these days.
6950@reddit
There are 3 decades worth of random software for windows on x86 that just works and if you have to run older version of apps cause you are stuck on older version.
theholylancer@reddit
for one, linux support on these things are kind of non-existent?
and given the talk of APU... I am thinking games.
Radiant-Sherbet-5461@reddit
This is what I get when I specifically ask about linux and the software I usually use(the llm knows my distro, config and software stack) :
The State of Linux on ARM64 (April 2026)
For a Fedora/KDE user like yourself, the experience on a Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is significantly better than it was two years ago, but it is not yet "plug-and-play."
Distro Readiness: Fedora and Ubuntu are the leaders here. Fedora's ARM64 spin is highly optimized, and the KDE Plasma desktop environment has excellent fractional scaling, which is vital for those high-res 1200p OLED screens.
If you stay within the Fedora native repositories (using
dnforflatpak), you will face 0% penalty and enjoy a silent, 20-hour battery life machine. You only pay the "emulation tax" when you download a.debor.rpmfile that was built strictly for Intel/AMD.Development Workflows: This is where Linux ARM shines. OpenJDK (Java), Python, Go, and Rust all have tier-1 native support. Your Spring Boot projects will run natively with zero penalty.
===
Basically the only real barrier is gaming on linux which I dont do as I always dual boot to windows.
JohnyCrowley@reddit
My mind cant process ur reasoning due to ur username and pic, too distracting
basedIITian@reddit
The CB R23 benchmark (which doesn't have native ARM support) has X2 higher on the MT score vs all x86 variants.
DerpSenpai@reddit
It's better than AMD APUs in everything except the strix Halo GPU... what?
And this is with early drivers. It outperforms strix point iGPU while emulating x86
ZuLuuuuuu@reddit
What?!
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
Classic QCOM shenanigans.
DerpSenpai@reddit
Asus raised Intel and AMD prices too by 300$ while QCs was only 100$
basedIITian@reddit
Damn Qualcomm, increasing Intel and AMD prices too.
DerpSenpai@reddit
The fact is, it's not the CPUs raising prices... it's ASUS because of RAM
The rise on the A16 is lower i bet because QC controls the RAM supply on that one
basedIITian@reddit
Yeah. OP has an agenda to satisfy though. Even the article writer ignores the fact that there are price increases on other laptops too.
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
Price increase just after the reviews drop and you act as nothing is amiss. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...
basedIITian@reddit
Again, do you think CPU/SoC Vendors control the MSRPs of OEM laptops?
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
PRICE INCREASE JUST HOURS AFTER THE REVIEWS WENT LIVE!!! DO YOU THINK ASUS JUST FOUND OUT YESTERDAY?! WAKE UP!!!
basedIITian@reddit
What's your theory exactly? Qualcomm COMMANDED Asus to launch at lower prices, only to increase them later on, and Asus were like yeah sure why not?
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
Are you really going to act as if you missed the dozens of times ASUS was caught doing shitty things like this?
basedIITian@reddit
Asus was caught doing these things, which is why your first thought was to blame Qualcomm lol.
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
No, QCOM doesn't legally set ASUS's MSRP. But if you think OEMs don't coordinate pricing strategies with SoC vendors to match curated review embargoes, which both companies have a history of doing, you are being incredibly naive.
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
You asked:
> Qualcomm COMMANDED Asus to launch at lower prices, only to increase them later on, and Asus were like yeah sure why not?
Why are you pretending to be a complete idiot? Are you complete idiot?
AreYouAWiiizard@reddit
Umm... How is that not Asus's fault? They should have launched it at the planned raised price instead of being deceitful... Even if it's due to RAM, they for sure knew they were going to raise prices but still launched it at the lower price.
77ilham77@reddit
And they have to increase it $200 more so they don't look bad. Damn Qualcomm.
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
Increasing the price of the competition by 3X is another clue that something fishy going on to make QCOM look much better.
basedIITian@reddit
Samsung has also raised the US pricing of all their Galaxy Book 5 series offerings by 300 dollars. Must be Qualcomm's fault.
basedIITian@reddit
Do you think Qualcomm controls the pricing for Asus laptops?
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
Have you not been following QCOM's deceiving reviewing tactics?
basedIITian@reddit
You didn't answer the question. Do you think Qualcomm sets the prices for Asus laptops?
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
I don't have to answer your question as it's already answered by the history of deceiving tactics used by QCOM for such CPU launches. Let me make a list for you:
- pre-configured hardware - forcing journalists to test "golden sample" laptops at heavily monitored press events, rather than sending units to independent labs
- banned testing tools - blocking reviewers from downloading their own diagnostic software, running heavy x86 apps, or properly testing battery drain during these hands-on sessions
- weaponized embargoes - lifting independent review embargoes on or after launch day, ensuring early pre-orders were driven entirely by the controlled pr narrative
- bait-and-switch tiering - supplying reviewers with the absolute highest-tier, unthrottled chips, while the actual retail market was flooded with lower-binned, slower variants
- pricing manipulation - briefing reviewers on artificially low prices to secure "great value" verdicts, only for retailers to silently hike the prices once the reviews went live
- blacklisting critics - cutting independent investigative outlets out of future hardware briefings if they reported on driver crashes, emulation bugs, or lower-than-advertised speeds
- dual variant deception - for the X2 launch asus was the only manufacturer that launched two variants of the same laptop to ensure a tightly controlled first impression - this exactly mirrors what happened during the first generation x elite launch where top-tier models like the high-end vivobook s 15 were sent to reviewers while lower-tier configurations were pushed to the retail market
CarnivoreQA@reddit
QC doing all this does not automatically mean they also control asus pricing. Or do you just use "guilty until proven otherwise"?
basedIITian@reddit
So you have no answer. Got it.
T1beriu@reddit (OP)
I can't make it more simpler for you to understand that I already gave you the answer.
Irisena@reddit
A bit of yes and no.
Qcom sells asus the soc that's maybe bundled with the RAM. So if the price of the soc bundle rise, asus will have no choice to raise prices because the BoM got more expensive. But Qcom does not get to tell asus how much margin asus should take for their laptops. Qcom can, however, incentivize asus to hit a certain price point if they want to, just like nvidia does rebates if you sell their card at msrp for example.
steinfg@reddit
Highest sku of X Elite is still MoP (memory on package), so it is bundled. The rest of the stack uses the normal soldered on board ram
basedIITian@reddit
Only A16 has memory bundled with the SOC, and that has seen the smallest increase in price. A14 doesn't have memory packaged with SoC.
mmkzero0@reddit
Get one of these when they are 50% off
wusurspaghettipolicy@reddit
decreased my interest. what a coincidence.
DT-Sodium@reddit
Asus is a garbage brand, you shouldn't be buying them anyway.
Diuranos@reddit
Great, but knowing Qualcomm and their “care” for delivering drivers to the system, this is going to be crap. We’ll get drivers that work at launch, and then nothing, deal with it yourselves, ehh.
Otherwise_Check3096@reddit
Like if I could afford it then
Paed0philic_Jyu@reddit
Asus and Qualcomm adopting AMD tactics viz-a-viz 9070/XT launch "pricing".
smackythefrog@reddit
This is just typical ASUS things.
Jaz1140@reddit
Asus being a piece of shit anti consumer company?
ShockedPikachu.jpg
pythonic_dude@reddit
Hopefully just a coincidence with timing, things are already bad enough, no need to make them even worse with companies embracing fake msrp for reviews meta (like we saw with 9070XT last year).
cjax2@reddit
I think that's exactly what they are going to start doing and have started doing, kinda like AMD did with their 9070 XT GPUs when they first released at "$599".
ash_ninetyone@reddit
Asus a week later "wtf why isn't it selling!!!"
horatiobanz@reddit
Asus being an unethical company? Insert shock face emoji
AutoModerator@reddit
Hello T1beriu! Please double check that this submission is original reporting and is not an unverified rumor or repost that does not rise to the standards of /r/hardware. If this link is reporting on the work of another site/source or is an unverified rumor, please delete this submission. If this warning is in error, please report this comment and we will remove it.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.