ASUS Vivobook S16 16" S5606CA-MS96 Neutral Black 2025

★★★★★ 5.0 (1)

The 16-inch 2.8K 120Hz OLED display with 100% DCI-P3 coverage delivers exceptional color accuracy for visual work, powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor and 32GB of RAM. At just 1.50kg, its thin-and-light chassis combines portability with a rich Harman/Kardon sound system and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. This laptop is best for developers and entertainment-focused users who need a color-critical screen and all-day productivity, not for gaming.

CPU Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
RAM 32 GB
Storage 1 TB
Screen 16" 2880x1800
GPU Intel Arc Graphics
OS Windows 11 Pro
Weight 1.5 kg
Battery 75 Wh
ASUS Vivobook S16 16" S5606CA-MS96 Neutral Black 2025 laptop
71 Overall Score
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Snapshot

The 30-Second Version

A stunning 16-inch OLED screen and snappy performance in a lightweight package, but the integrated graphics mean gamers should look elsewhere. Find it at the right price and it's a killer productivity machine.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • The 2.8K OLED display is absolutely stunning, one of the best on the market. 96th
  • 32GB of RAM and a fast Core Ultra 9 chip make multitasking a breeze. 88th
  • Super portable for a 16-inch laptop at just 1.5kg. 86th
  • Excellent port selection with Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, and HDMI 2.1. 81st

Cons

  • Integrated graphics mean gaming performance is a weak spot.
  • Battery life claims are optimistic, expect less with the OLED at full brightness.
  • Only a 1TB SSD, which feels a little tight for a creator-focused machine.
  • Build reliability scores are just middle-of-the-pack.

What owners think

The Word on the Street

5.0/5 (1 reviews)
👍 Early adopters are blown away by the display, calling it the main reason to buy this laptop.
🤔 A few owners feel the 1TB SSD fills up fast and wish a 2TB option was standard at this price.

The proof

Performance

The Core Ultra 9 285H is a real workhorse for everyday tasks and creative work. It chews through browser tabs, code compiles, and photo edits without breaking a sweat, landing well above average in our CPU rankings. The real surprise, though, is the integrated Intel Arc graphics. They're not going to replace a dedicated GPU, but they're a big step up from the old Intel UHD days, making light photo and video work surprisingly smooth. Just don't expect to play modern AAA games at anything beyond low settings, our gaming score for this config was a rough 22 out of 100.

Performance Percentiles

CPU 88
GPU 63.2
RAM 80.9
Ports 85.7
Screen 95.7
Portability 42.5
Storage 80.4
Reliability 59.6
Social Proof 73.7

Specifications

Full Specifications

Processor

CPU Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
Cores 16
Frequency 2.9 GHz
L3 Cache 24 MB

Graphics

GPU Intel Arc Graphics
Type Integrated
VRAM 16 GB
VRAM Type Shared

Memory & Storage

RAM 32 GB
RAM Generation LPDDR5X
Storage 1 TB
Storage Type NVMe SSD

Display

Size 16"
Resolution 2880x1800
Panel OLED
Refresh Rate 120 Hz
Brightness 400 nits
Color Gamut 100% DCI-P3

Connectivity

USB-C Ports 2
USB Ports 2
Thunderbolt Thunderbolt 4
HDMI HDMI 2.1
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4

Physical

Weight 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs
Battery 75 Wh
OS Windows 11 Pro

vs Competition

The obvious rival is the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro. The MacBook's build quality, battery life, and raw performance are in a different league, but you'll pay a hefty premium for it and its screen, while excellent, isn't OLED. On the Windows side, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is the polar opposite, a chunky gaming beast that crushes this Vivobook in graphics but can't touch its portability or display quality. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 tries to split the difference with a smaller OLED and a dedicated GPU, making it a better pick if you want to game on the side.

Spec ASUS Vivobook S16 16" S5606CA-MS96 Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 HP OMEN Transcend Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro NP940XHA-KG3US MSI Prestige PRE13EVOA2088
CPU Intel Core Ultra 9 285H Apple M4 Max Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Intel Core Ultra 9 285H Intel Core Ultra 7 256V Intel Core Ultra 7 258V
RAM (GB) 32 64 64 32 32 32
Storage (GB) 1024 4096 2048 1024 1024 1000
Screen 16" 2880x1800 14.2" 3024x1964 16" 2560x1600 14" 2880x1800 14" 2880x1800 13.3" 2880x1800
GPU Intel Arc Graphics Apple (40-Core) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Intel Arc Graphics Intel Arc Graphics
OS Windows 11 Pro macOS Windows 11 Pro Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Home
Weight (kg) 1.5 1.6 4.9 1.6 1.2 1
Battery (Wh) 75 72 - 71 15 -
Compare Compare Compare Compare Compare
Product CPUGPURAMPortsScreenPortabilityStorageReliabilitySocial Proof
ASUS Vivobook S16 16" S5606CA-MS96 8863.280.985.795.742.580.459.673.7
Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max Compare 92.383.796.276.999.268.998.697.288.1
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 Compare 96.291.198.899.895.36.897.580.485.9
HP OMEN Transcend Compare 8891.990.890.896.272.967.532.797.2
Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro NP940XHA-KG3US Compare 66.863.280.963.695.787.180.480.497.2
MSI Prestige PRE13EVOA2088 Compare 63.663.280.980.691.296.172.459.685.9

Price

Value & Pricing

Pricing is all over the place, with a $515 spread across vendors, so you absolutely need to shop around. At the lower end near $1400, this is a solid deal for the OLED panel and 32GB of RAM. But if you're looking at the $1900+ listings, you're getting into MacBook Pro territory, and that's a much tougher sell. Hunt for the best price and this Vivobook becomes a compelling value proposition for screen-obsessed productivity users.

From CA$1,915 1 offer across 1 retailer
B&H Photo 1 offer From CA$1,915

We started tracking prices for this product on May 11, 2026. The chart appears once we have more data.

Read more

Overview

The ASUS Vivobook S16 S5606CA is the laptop you buy for that screen. It's a gorgeous 16-inch 2.8K OLED that makes everything from spreadsheets to Netflix look incredible. The rest of the package is no slouch either, with a zippy new Intel Core Ultra 9 chip and a generous 32GB of RAM. But this isn't a do-it-all machine. It's a premium productivity and media laptop that pointedly ignores gaming, and that's a trade-off you need to be okay with.

Common Questions

Q: Can this laptop run games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Call of Duty?

Not well, no. The integrated Intel Arc graphics are fine for older or less demanding games, but for modern AAA titles, you'll be stuck at low settings and low frame rates. This is not a gaming laptop.

Q: Is the 16-hour battery life claim realistic?

In a word, no. That 16-hour figure is under ideal, low-power testing. With the bright OLED screen at a comfortable level and normal multitasking, expect something closer to 8-10 hours of real-world work.

Q: Does the RAM or SSD need an upgrade out of the box?

The 32GB of RAM is soldered and more than enough for the life of the machine. The 1TB SSD is fine for most, but if you hoard large media files, you'll want to budget for an external drive or cloud storage since it's not the roomiest.

Who Should Skip This

If you're looking for a machine that can handle serious gaming or heavy 3D rendering, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or an HP OMEN Transcend 14 instead. This Vivobook is built for spreadsheets, code, and streaming, not fragging.

Verdict

The ASUS Vivobook S16 S5606CA is a fantastic choice for a very specific person: someone who wants a big, beautiful OLED screen for work and media in a laptop that's easy to carry. It's a productivity and content consumption champ. If you can find it for a good price and don't care about gaming, it's an easy recommendation. Just know its limits and shop smart.

Usage Scores

Overall (70.8)AI/LLM (33.1)Gaming (22.2)Portability (64)Creator (39)Student (70.1)Business (70.3)Developer (79.7)Entertainment (76.8)

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