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ACER PREDATOR ORION 7000: TWO-MINUTE REVIEW

This is a larger-than-life PC with a price tag to match. Its 67-liter chassis, RGB fans, and bicep-testing weight give it a premium look and feel that is sure to turn heads. This also gives it a huge amount of room to circulate cold air and, thanks to the liquid-cooled radiator, the unlocked Intel CPU has enough headroom for extra performance without jet-like fan noise.

In our testing, the combination of the Nvidia RTX 5080 and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF worked in tandem to handle everything we could throw at it: Cyberpunk 2077 looked completely movie-like with no framerate bottlenecks, while Crimson Desert’s megabudget effects were astonishing.

Likewise, it handled 4K video editing in Premiere Pro and complicated motion tracking in After Effects without slowdowns. If you’re looking for something for both work and play (depending on your job), this could well be a perfect fit.

A nice touch is the hot-swap NVME bay on top of the machine, which means you can expand the storage without opening up the case. But when you do feel the need to upgrade, there are a couple of unoccupied RAM slots ready and waiting.

(Image credit: Future)

It’s costly, but that is an inevitability in hardware at the moment. However, it’s one of the best ways to get an eye-boggling 4K gaming experience out of the box.

ACER PREDATOR ORION 7000: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

• How much does it cost? Starts at £3,299 (UK), $4,999 (US), $6,999 (AU)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the UK, US, and Australia

Our review build retails at £3,299, but it stretches all the way up to a £5,299 version with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB RTX 5090, 64 GB DDR5 RAM, and a 4TB SSD — which is starting to get into 8K gaming territory.

As well as the components, you’re also paying for a decent chassis. Acer has made the Orion 7000 feel cohesive while inviting upgrades — and although you might not need them for a little while, those extra RAM and SSD slots will come in handy when prices finally tumble in the year 2176.

The closest comparison that we’ve reviewed recently is the Corsair One i500, which packs similar liquid-cooled componentry and gaming performance into a wood-finished case. The Orion 7000 is a more conventional design, screaming for attention, while Corsair’s One i500 issues a more sophisticated invitation.

While there are lots of models available in the UK via Acer itself and Currys, in other countries the choice is more limited. In the USA, you can only get the Predator Orion 7000 direct from Acer for $4,999 – but this build packs an Ultra 9 285K processor and 64GB DDR5 RAM. In Australia, the RAM is pared back to 32GB and the price pumped up to $6,999 AU.

• Value: 4 / 5

ACER PREDATOR ORION 7000: SPECS

Category

Specification

Processor

Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 285K

Graphics

Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (32GB GDDR7)

RAM

Up to 128GB DDR5 (6000MHz)

Storage

Up to 6TB PCIe M.2 SSD / Up to 4TB HDD

Connectivity

Intel Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, 2.5G Ethernet

Ports (Front)

3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 2x 3.5mm audio jacks

Ports (Rear)

1x Thunderbolt 4, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0, 3x 3.5mm audio jacks, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort

Weight

18.16kg (approx. 40 lbs)

Dimensions

485 x 219 x 504.8mm

ACER PREDATOR ORION 7000: DESIGN

• A huge, heavy PC
• Tweakable aesthetics via software
• Handy NVME drive bay

You know you’re in for a good time when a PC is so heavy that it arrives in a wheeled crate. The reason for this back-breaking 40lb (18kg) weight? First up, the case, which has a solid build quality and thick, magnetically shielded glass panels. There’s none of the flex or lightness of cheaper chassis: it feels like you could stand and possibly even jump on it (not that we tried).

Within lurks a water-cooled CPU heatsink, a triple-fanned RTX card, and a 1200W PSU, none of which are known for their lightness. At 19.1 x 8.6 x 19.9 in (485 x 219 x 504.8 mm), it’s absolutely humongous, too, with the water-cooled radiator and its RGB fans adding a little extra to the height over the otherwise similar Orion 5000 Rob reviewed.

(Image credit: Future)

The Predator Orion 7000 matches its monolithic form factor with eye-catching looks. The glowing Predator “shield” on the front panel makes it look like Sauron’s shoebox, but from the side its aggregation of liquid-cooling pipes and LED fans give it a hydroponic feeling.

(Image credit: Future)

The colors of the fans (adjustable via Predatorsense software) can make the unit feel pumped-up and aggressive or calm and quiet, which speaks to a thoughtful design.

FutureFutureFuture

A neat little touch here is a hot-swap USB-C M.2 NVMe bay that pulls out of the top of the machine. Add an SSD, and you’ve got extra, portable storage for those 200GB-plus game installs – and computing has gone back to the cartridge days of the 90s. The top panel also includes headphone, mic, and USB ports for quick and easy access.

• Design: 4 / 5

ACER PREDATOR ORION 7000: PERFORMANCE

• Massive performance uplift
• Handles 4K gaming without problems
• Powers through draining creative tasks

Acer Predator Orion 7000 review: Benchmarks

Here's how the Acer Predator Orion 7000 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
Geekbench 6 (Multi Core): 22612; (Single Core): 2,233
Cinebench R23 (Multi Core): 35,011; (Single Core): 2,185
3DMark Fire Strike: 50,020; Night Raid: 93,883; Port Royal: 21,404; Time Spy: 28,326
Total War: Warhammer III: Mirrors of Madness (1080p, Ultra): 224fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 161fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, High): 232fps

While Rob described the Orion 5000 as “not outrageous,” the Orion 7000 pushes things very much into outrageous territory. The componentry shift only seems minor: from an Nvidia RTX 5070 to an RTX 5080, and from an Intel Core Ultra 7 265F to a 265KF. That’s a difference of 10 and an extra K.

But in the world of gaming, this is a huge leap in performance. 3D Mark’s Port Royal benchmark, which tests ray tracing abilities, delivered a 53% leap in performance. Cyberpunk 2077, in ultra settings (albeit at 1080p) went from 95fps on the 5000 to 161fps on the 7000. It’s proof that Nvidia really has put its money where its mouth is with the RTX 5080 — and the difference between gaming at 1440p and 4K.

(Image credit: Future)

That “K” in the CPU moniker stands for “unlocKed,” which means that Acer is able to push the Core Ultra 7’s further than stock settings, enabling higher clock rates and power draw. Add in the water-cooled heatsink, and you can eke out a lot more performance from Intel’s Arrow Lake chip: Geekbench 6’s score for intensive computing tasks increased by 50% over the Orion 5000, while Cinebench R23 multi-core scores saw a massive 60.5% uplift.

(Image credit: Future)

In reality, this means that the Orion 7000 can handle just about anything you can throw at it in 4K. Cyberpunk 2077 and Crimson Desert both looked utterly breathtaking in their intricate ray-traced details: the wind rushing through the trees, the atmospheric hazing on the horizon, the major globules of spilt blood. It also wasn’t phased at all by huge 4K Premiere Pro video editing tasks and motion tracking in After Effects, and that SSD drive is equally handy for large files.

The most pro of gamers may be put off by Acer’s PredatorSense software and system noise, but if you want your gaming big-scale, cinematic, and console-killing, this is the PC to go for.

• Performance: 5 / 5

SHOULD I BUY THE ACER PREDATOR ORION 7000?

Notes

Rating

Value

Even the base model here is expensive, but this is a future-proof machine that will keep up with the next few years of gaming.

4/5

Design

A monolithic and domineering design that can’t be tucked away, but quiet operation and the neat NVME drive make it more palatable.

4.5/5

Performance

The tuned CPU works in lockstep with the heavyweight GPU to deliver remarkable 4K gaming performance, and it breezes through pro creative tasks

5/5

Total

An utterly unsubtle PC that matches performance prowess with eye-catching neon-lit design. If you want high-end gaming that will make console owners drool, this is the PC for you – but it costs a lot.

4.5/5

Buy the Acer Predator Orion 7000 if...

You want solid 4K gaming with all the bells and whistles
We’re used to having to dial some features back for ultra-HD gaming at fluent framerates – but that’s not the case here. The Orion 7000 is ready to take on today’s (and tomorrow’s games) from the moment you plug it in.View Deal

You need a future-proof PC
While the base specs here are enough to power up your gaming sessions from the word go, there is room for a couple more RAM sticks (if you can afford them!) plus an easy-access NVME bay for an instantaneous storage boost.View Deal

You want people to know you just spent a lot on your PC
This is a PC that looks expensive – for better or worse. The slab-like design and LED fans make this a computer that can’t be ignored, but it serves its purpose, keeping everything icy cool and deadly quiet.View Deal

Don’t buy the Acer Predator Orion 7000 if...

You want something small and light
There’s no getting around the fact that this is a big, heavy PC that will crush your toes as easily as it crushes the competition. This is best suited to a dedicated gaming room or teen bedroom, not one for the living room.View Deal

You’re on a strict budget
This is a huge investment, and one that’s probably been inflated due to ongoing global componentry madness. View Deal

ALSO CONSIDER

Category

Acer Predator Orion 7000 (PO7-660)

Acer Predator Orion 5000 (PO5-655)

Corsair One i500

Processor

Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 285K

Up to Intel Core i7-14700F

Intel Core i9-14900K

Graphics

Up to NVIDIA RTX 5090 (32GB)

Up to NVIDIA RTX 4080 Super

Up to NVIDIA RTX 4090

RAM

Up to 128GB DDR5 (6000MHz)

Up to 64GB DDR5 (4800MHz)

Up to 192GB DDR5 (6000MHz)

Storage

Up to 6TB SSD / 4TB HDD

Up to 1TB SSD / 2TB HDD

Up to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 7, BT 5.3, 2.5G Ethernet

Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.0, 2.5G Ethernet

Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.3, 2.5G Ethernet

Cooling

Predator CycloneX 360 (AIO)

Predator FrostBlade 2.0 (Air)

Dual-path Liquid Cooling (AIO)

Ports (Front)

1x USB-C, 3x USB-A, 2x Audio

1x USB-C, 3x USB-A, 2x Audio

1x USB-C, 2x USB-A, 1x Audio

Dimensions

485 x 219 x 504.8mm

485 x 219 x 504.8mm

391 x 185 x 300mm

Weight

18.16kg

17.23kg

10.28kg

Acer Orion Predator 5000

The 7000’s little brother is still a dependable and powerful PC that stands its ground in 1440p gaming. If you want the familial looks, don’t mind missing out on the liquid cooling, and want to save money, this is the one to go for.

Read our full Acer Orion Predator 5000 reviewView Deal

Corsair One i500

Corsair heads in the exact opposite direction to Acer, packing similar components and cooling into a calmer, classier case. This is one that you could stick in your living room.

Read our full Corsair One i500 reviewView Deal

HOW I TESTED THE ACER PREDATOR ORION 7000

I spent one full week testing the Orion 7000 as my primary workstation and gaming rig. I tested use cases ranging from 4K video editing in Premiere Pro to intensive 4K ray-traced gaming in Cyberpunk 2077. I used suites such as 3DMark and Cinebench R23 to verify clock speeds and see how it shaped up against other PCs.

First reviewed March 2026

The Acer Predator Orion 7000 is a high-end machine with eye-catching design and future-proof components – but it’s not cheap

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Asus Zenbook A16: Two-minute review

The Asus Zenbook A16 is a large laptop that aims to shoehorn premium performance into a portable package. It certainly achieves the latter; I was impressed by just how light and thin the unit really is, especially when you consider its 16-inch diagonal. It’s much easier to carry around than many of its rivals.

What’s more, it looks good. The beige colorway of my review unit was a refreshing change to the dour shades of many laptops, while the mottled pattern on the lid adds further interest, making it one of the best laptop choices if you’re after a unique design.

The Ceraluminium material might have a ridiculous name, but its build is anything but. While it’s incredibly light, it’s also quite solid. Meanwhile, the lid offers plenty of stability while still being easy to open and close. The bezel around the display isn’t quite so premium, but thankfully it’s very minimal, which helps to maximize screen space as much as possible.

Another impressive aspect of the Zenbook A16’s design is the variety of physical connectivity options. Despite that slender chassis, you get three USB ports (two Type-C and one Type-A), an HDMI port, a combo audio jack, and a full-size SD card reader.

(Image credit: Future)

This generous selection puts other similarly thin laptops to shame, although I was mildly disappointed to see nearly every port loaded on one side. Not splitting the USB-C ports across both sides is an especially aggravating decision, considering both can be used for charging and connecting to external monitors.

The Zenbook A16 is a capable general-purpose machine. It makes light work of basic productivity and entertainment tasks, including 4K streaming. However, it falls down somewhat when gaming. It can’t handle AAA titles all that well, performing worse than other laptops with similar integrated graphics.

Some heat can be felt towards the back and left side of the base, but this is far from troubling. The fans also produce a noticeable sound, but mercifully this isn’t as disruptive as some other examples.

The display is the highlight of the Zenbook A16, though. The crystal-clear 3K resolution is ideal for screen size, while the OLED technology ensures a deep contrast and a vibrant color palette. It also has plenty of brightness, which helps to prevent pesky reflections from ruining the viewing experience.

Thanks to the light actuation and spacing of the keys, the keyboard is easy to use. There’s also a little more travel and dampening to presses than is typical for a laptop keyboard, which only adds to the tactility and feedback. It’s a shame, though, that there’s no number pad and few navigation keys.

On the other hand, the touchpad of the Zenbook A16 is more practical. Its large surface area makes navigation easier, while the useful side gestures are convenient and functional. There were only a few occasions when I accidentally triggered them (and cursor movement) when typing, which is a much better hit rate than I’ve experienced with other large touchpads.

Battery life is impressive, too. The Zenbook A16 lasted a full 24 hours in our movie playback test, which is considerably longer than comparable models. For perspective, the 16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro I tested only managed 14 hours in the same test.

However, it can’t match the Samsung for performance and sheer design quality, despite being about the same price. This means that unless you prize portability above all else, the Zenbook A16 mightn’t offer the best value compared to some stellar rivals.

Asus Zenbook A16 review: Specs

Base

Review

Price

TBC

$1,699.99 / £2,099.99 (Aus TBC)

CPU

Snapdragon X (X1-26-100) (up to 2.97GHz, 8 cores)

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-94-100) (up to 4.7GHz, 18 Cores)

GPU

Qualcomm Adreno (integrated)

Qualcomm Adreno (integrated)

RAM

32GB LPDDR5X

48GB LPDDR5X

Storage

1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD

1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD

Display

WUXGA (1920 x 1200) OLED, 16:10, 60Hz

3K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 16:10, 120Hz

Ports and Connectivity

2x USB-C (4.0 Gen 3 with support for display / power delivery, 40Gbps) 1x USB-A (3.2 Gen 2), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x SD 4.0 card reader; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

2x USB-C (4.0 Gen 3 with support for display / power delivery, 40Gbps) 1x USB-A (3.2 Gen 2), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x SD 4.0 card reader; Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Battery

70Wh

70Wh

Dimensions

13.9 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches (354 x 242 x 17mm)

13.9 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches (354 x 242 x 17mm)

Weight

2.4lbs (1.1kg)

2.9lbs (1.3kg)

Asus Zenbook A16 review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $1,699.99 / £2,099.99 for top model
• TBC in Australia
• Some rivals offer better value

The Asus Zenbook A16 is available from April 7th in two guises: both get Snapdragon CPUs, but one is the X1-26-100 with 8 cores and the other the X2E-94-100 with 18 cores. The models also have different RAM sizes (32GB and 48GB) and display resolutions (2880 x 1800 at 120Hz and 1920 x 1200 at 60Hz). Both come in two colorways: gray and beige.

The top model costs $1,699.99 (and £2,099.99 in the UK), while the pricing for the base model is yet to be confirmed. This is also the case for the pricing and availability of both models in Australia.

This is undeniably an expensive laptop. It’s similarly priced to the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro, which is about as premium as they come. Graphical performance is also superior to that of the Zenbook A16, handling AAA games much better. It’s nowhere near as light, though.

If you need even more graphical power but want to keep that 16-inch form factor, the Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 10 is a better alternative. Granted, its performance doesn’t match up to the very best gaming laptops, but the mere fact that it has a dedicated GPU — and a powerful one at that — means it can handle demanding titles, as well as video editing and other creative duties, far better than any machine without one.

Asus Zenbook A16 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Very light and thin
• Interesting Ceraluminum construction
• Generous port selection

There are a few aspects of the Asus Zenbook A16’s design that made me sit up and take notice. The first was my review unit’s beige finish, which is a breath of fresh air in a world of monochromes (although it should be said that a gray model is also available).

The second is the Ceraluminum construction, which looks and feels softer and more inviting than the hard and sterile materials of other laptops. I also appreciated the mottled finish of the lid, which looks more like paper and adds an interesting aesthetic element.

However, the standout aspect of the Zenbook A16 is its incredible lightness. When coupled with its ultra-thin chassis, this must be one of the most portable 16-inch devices out there. The soft, rounded sides of the base make it more comfortable to pick up and hold, too.

(Image credit: Future)

Despite its featherweight construction, build quality is also good. The base feels reasonably solid, while the hinge for the lid provides smooth and easy adjustments, as well as sufficient stability once set in place. The screen bezel is a little disappointing: although it’s very thin, the material quality is a step down. It isn’t flush or integrated into the screen, either, as it is on the best MacBooks, but this is a minor quibble.

There’s an admirable number of ports on the Zenbook A16. There are two USB-C ports, both of which employ the USB 4 standard, supporting both charging and external monitor connections. It’s a shame that they’re both on the left; it would’ve been more practical if they were split across both sides, to improve amenability for varying setups.

Also on the left are the combo audio jack and an HDMI jack, which means this side is somewhat overcrowded; by contrast, the right only gets a single USB-A port and an SD card reader. Still, it’s hard to complain when there’s this much variety at all; similarly large and thin laptops can’t compete.

Asus Zenbook A16 review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Great general performance
• Lacks graphical pedigree
• Sharp and bright display

Asus Zenbook A16 benchmarks

3DMark: Night Raid: 34,017; Fire Strike: 6,672; Steel Nomad: 646; Solar Bay: 12,960; Solar Bay Unlimited: 12,549; Solar Bay Extreme: 1,352; Solar Bay Extreme Unlimited: 1,303
Geekbench 6.5: Multicore: 15,075; Single-core: 3,779
Cinebench R23: Multi Core: 9,370; Cinebench R24: Single Core: 89; Multi Core: 452
Crossmark: Overall: 1,840; Productivity: 1,652; Creativity: 2,132; Responsiveness: 1,634
Passmark Overall: 5,613.1; CPU: 16,825.4; 2D Graphics: 567.6; 3D Graphics: 4,243.7; Memory: 3,559.5; Disk: 46,745.8
BlackMagicDisk: Read: 4,832MB/s; Write: 4,330MB/s
HandBrake 4K to 1080p: 86fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1080p, Medium: 53fps
Total War: Warhammer III: 1800p, Ultra: 15fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 24 hours and 5 minutes

The general performance of the Zenbook A16 is respectable. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip in my review unit handled typical everyday workloads well, such as light productivity and entertainment. It also streamed 4K content without issue, and the copious 48GB of RAM certainly helped with multitasking, too.

Graphical performance was disappointing, though. It failed to complete Puget Bench’s Adobe Premiere benchmark, due to an effect failing to render in time — an error I’ve experienced with other laptops lacking dedicated graphics, although some such models did complete the test successfully.

Also, it didn’t run Cyberpunk 2077 in a playable state with the Ray Tracing: Low preset selected. This isn’t too surprising given the aforementioned integrated graphics, but I have tested laptops with similar solutions that did manage to run the game at the same settings more smoothly.

Adjusting the allocation of the shared memory to favor graphics tasks helped somewhat, but not by much — and certainly not by enough to justify the considerable increase in heat and fan volume.

I found the sweet spot between performance and visual fidelity was achieved on the Zenbook A16 by switching to the Ultra preset (which disables Ray Tracing), lowering the resolution to 1080p, and enabling Frame Generation.

During such intensive workloads, some heat can be felt at the top of the keyboard and the left-hand side of the base. In fact, this can even occur when the Zenbook A16 is under moderate loads, but fortunately the temperatures are far from worrisome or uncomfortable. Fan noise can be heard in such cases as well, but this is muted to a greater extent than on some other laptops, and is therefore less distracting.

(Image credit: Future)

Perhaps the highest-performing aspect of the Zenbook A16 is its display. The 3K resolution is sufficiently sharp for a display this large, while the 120Hz refresh rate provides plenty of smoothness. And since it uses OLED technology, contrast is deep and colors are vibrant. The screen is shinier than many I’ve seen, which does mean reflections can make themselves known, but thankfully the high brightness levels stop them from dominating the image entirely.

I found the keyboard great for typing with. The generous spacing and lightness of the keys makes fast and accurate inputs a cinch, while their extra dampening and travel over those of other laptops imparts more satisfying feedback. I always feel it’s a shame, though, when a 16-inch laptop misses out on a number pad. There aren’t any navigation keys, either, save from a Delete / Insert key.

Thankfully, the touchpad on the Zenbook A16 is more practical. It stretches from almost the very bottom of the base to the bottom of the keyboard, providing a large area that makes for easy navigation. It also has an incredibly smooth surface, which only makes it more enjoyable to use.

And while it’s also wide, it’s narrow enough to prevent the palms of your thumbs from resting on it constantly. Even when mine did, there were only a few occasions when this contact triggered cursor movement or the side controls for volume and brightness — which, incidentally, function very well.

There are other slider controls on the touchpad besides these: gesturing along the top edge allows you to scrub back and forth on video and audio content, while swiping diagonally from the top-right corner launches ScreenXpert, Asus’ tool for managing app windows and multiple displays. Despite the usefulness of these Smart Gestures (as they’re called), it’s a shame that none of them can be customized.

Asus Zenbook A16 review: Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• Outlasts rivals by a wide margin
• Still not the best of the best, though

The battery life of the Zenbook A16 is very impressive. When I ran a movie on a continuous loop, it managed to last just over 24 hours. This makes it much more enduring than other large laptops, such as the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro and MacBook Air 15-inch, both of which lasted half as long in the same test.

However, there are laptops that can do even better: the HP OmniBook 7 14-inch, for instance, managed 26 hours, again in the same test, while the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ managed over 30 hours. So while the Zenbook A16’s endurance is certainly remarkable, it’s not the absolute best in the broader laptop market.

Should I buy the Asus Zenbook A16?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Hugely expensive, and the fact is other similarly priced rivals are better overall.

3.5 / 5

Design

The Ceraluminium construction is incredibly light, although it’s perhaps not quite as premium as others. There are a pleasing number of ports, too.

4 / 5

Performance

For workaday use, the Zenbook A16 is very good, and its excellent display showcases content brilliantly. Graphical performance leaves a lot to be desired, though.

4 / 5

Battery Life

Among the best for a large laptop, outlasting rivals by a long way. However, it can’t match the very best laptops.

4.5 / 5

Total

The super light design and excellent display are big plus points for the Zenbook A16, but the middling graphical performance and high price hamper its value compared to the alternatives.

4 / 5

Buy it if…

You want something large but light
I haven't come across a lighter 16-inch laptop. Coupled with its ultra-thin design, the Zenbook A16 is a great travel companion.

You want a great display
Large, bright, sharp, and vibrant — everything you could want from a display, although it’s a little too reflective at times.

Don't buy it if…

You want graphical power
Creatives and gamers will be disappointed — it’s even worse than other laptops with integrated graphics.

You’re on a budget
The Zenbook A16 is certainly expensive, and there are better performers with a more premium design for a similar price.

Asus Zenbook A16 review: Also consider

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro
For something more premium, consider the Galaxy Book6 Pro. Its metal body is a cut above the Zenbook A16’s, and feels more sturdy as a result. Performance is also excellent, outdoing the Zenbook A16 on graphical tasks, even though it likewise has no dedicated GPU. It’s very expensive, though. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro review.

Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 10
The Legion 7i has the advantage of a dedicated GPU, which means it eats up graphics-intensive tasks, such as video editing and gaming. It’s not the absolute best in class on the latter front, but it’s certainly capable enough for many players. What’s more, it has an even more premium design than the Zenbook A16. Read our full Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 10 review.

How I tested the Asus Zenbook A16

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several days
• Used for numerous tasks
• Plenty of laptop reviewing experience

I tested the Asus Zenbook A16 for several days, during which time I used it for general browsing, light productivity, streaming content, and gaming.

I also ran our series of benchmark tests, designed to assess all aspects of performance. I also ran a movie on a continuous loop to test the battery life.

I’ve reviewed a large number of laptops previously, across a broad range of price points, form factors, and use cases.

• First reviewed: April 2026
• Read more about how we test

The Asus Zenbook A16 promises plenty of power in an ultralight form — but is it suitable for your needs?

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