ASUS Zenbook S 16 OLED UM5606WA 2024, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, 32GB, 4TB SSD, Gray

The ASUS Zenbook S 16 OLED UM5606WA is a developer's dream with a 12-core Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, 32GB RAM, and a massive 4TB SSD, but the integrated Radeon 890M graphics mean gaming is a no-go. The 16-inch 3K OLED touchscreen is gorgeous, and the 120Hz refresh rate is a nice touch. At $2,589 USD, it's pricey, and the middling user sentiment suggests some buyers have concerns about battery life and upgradeability. Buy it for the storage and CPU, not for gaming.

Let's talk about that Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. With 12 cores, 24 threads, and a 5.1GHz turbo, this chip is a legitimate workhorse. In our database, it ranks in the 89th percentile for CPU performance, which puts it ahead of most laptops we track. For compile times, code builds, video encoding, and general multitasking, this thing will fly. The 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM helps too, and it's soldered on, so you can't upgrade it later. That's a trade-off worth knowing about before you buy.

The Radeon 890M integrated GPU is the bottleneck here. It sits at the 68th percentile for GPU performance, which is actually decent for integrated graphics, but that's like being the fastest kid in the slow lane. It'll handle esports titles, indie games, and older AAA games at reduced settings, but don't expect to run modern blockbusters at the native 2880x1800 resolution. You'd need to drop to 1080p or lower, and even then, frame rates will be modest. The 120Hz OLED display is wasted on gaming, but it's fantastic for scrolling, video, and general use.

The most obvious comparison is the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max. Apple's chip absolutely demolishes the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 in GPU performance, and the MacBook's battery life is in a different league. But the MacBook starts at a higher price, and you're locked into macOS. If you need Windows and want a big OLED touchscreen, the Zenbook has an edge. The MacBook also doesn't offer a 4TB SSD at this price point, so storage hounds might prefer the ASUS.

On the Windows side, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 is a completely different beast. It's thicker, heavier, and has a dedicated NVIDIA GPU, which means it'll actually play games. If gaming matters at all, the Legion is the better buy for similar money. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 and Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro are closer in spirit to the Zenbook, thin and light with OLED screens, but they typically ship with 1TB or 2TB drives. The MSI Prestige is another ultrabook option, but it doesn't have the same storage capacity or CPU performance. The Zenbook's real differentiator is that 4TB SSD and the 3K OLED touchscreen in a 1.5kg package.

At $2,589 USD, this is not a cheap laptop. You're paying for the 4TB SSD, the 3K OLED touchscreen, the thin and light design, and the HIDevolution customizations like the Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut application. The problem is that the integrated graphics mean you're not getting a gaming machine, and the price puts it in the same conversation as some serious dedicated-GPU laptops. For a developer or creator who values the screen and storage above all else, it might be worth it. For anyone who wants to game, it's a tough sell.

Compared to the competition, the value proposition is mixed. The Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max is more expensive but offers dramatically better GPU performance and battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 is a proper gaming laptop with a dedicated GPU for a similar or lower price. The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro and MSI Prestige are thinner and lighter with OLED screens, though they typically come with less storage. If you need 4TB of fast storage in a premium ultrabook, this Zenbook is one of the few options out there, but you're paying a premium for that convenience.

The ASUS Zenbook S 16 OLED UM5606WA is a bit of an odd duck in our database. It's listed under gaming laptops, but the gaming score is a rough 23.9 out of 100. That's not a typo. This is a thin, light, gorgeous OLED machine with a serious processor and a massive SSD, but the integrated Radeon 890M graphics mean it's really aimed at developers, creators, and people who want a premium Windows ultrabook, not folks chasing frames in Cyberpunk. HIDevolution, the seller here, has done some interesting tweaks too, including a Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut application on the CPU and a 4TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive pre-installed.

Who is this for? If you're a developer who wants a big, beautiful 16-inch 3K OLED touchscreen, 32GB of RAM, and a CPU that can chew through compile jobs, this is a compelling package. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is a 12-core, 24-thread chip with a 5.1GHz turbo, and it lands in the 89th percentile for CPU performance in our database. That's genuinely strong. The 4TB SSD is also a standout, sitting at the 99th percentile for storage. You won't be uninstalling games or VMs to make room anytime soon.

The catch is that this is a $2,589 USD machine (based on the one US listing we track) with integrated graphics. The Radeon 890M is fine for light gaming and older titles, but it's not going to push AAA games at native 3K resolution. And the user sentiment score is a middling 48th percentile, with buyers raising questions about gaming performance, battery life under load, and upgradeability. So you're paying a premium for the form factor, the screen, and the storage, not for raw GPU horsepower.

Gamers should absolutely skip this. The 23.9 out of 100 gaming score tells the story: the integrated Radeon 890M just can't keep up with modern titles. If you want to play AAA games, get a laptop with a dedicated GPU like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 or the HP OMEN Transcend 14. You'll get far better performance for similar money.

Also skip this if you're on a budget or don't need 4TB of storage. At $2,589 USD, you're paying a premium for that massive SSD and the OLED touchscreen. If you just need a solid ultrabook for browsing, streaming, and office work, there are plenty of cheaper options with similar screens and CPUs. And if you're a Mac user, the MacBook Pro M4 Max offers better performance and battery life, though at a higher price.

For developers, this is a strong pick. The 12-core Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, 32GB of RAM, and 4TB SSD make it a fantastic coding and multitasking machine. The 16-inch 3K OLED screen is easy on the eyes for long sessions, and the 120Hz refresh rate makes everything feel snappy. If you're compiling large projects, running VMs, or working with big datasets, this laptop will keep up. Just don't expect to game on it beyond light titles.

For entertainment and general use, it's also solid, though the price is hard to justify if you don't need the storage. The OLED screen is stunning for movies and streaming, and the speakers are decent for a thin laptop. But if you're mostly browsing and watching Netflix, a cheaper ultrabook with a similar screen will do the job. The Zenbook S 16 is a niche product: it's for people who want a premium Windows ultrabook with an absurd amount of fast storage and a top-tier CPU, and who don't care about gaming.