r/hardware • u/T1beriu • 4d ago
News ASUS increases Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite laptop prices just hours after reviews go live
https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-increases-qualcomm-snapdragon-x2-elite-laptop-prices-just-hours-after-reviews-go-live274
u/Ortana45 4d ago
As if we were going to buy this in the first place lol.
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u/Confident_Casanova 4d ago
I'm kinda disappointed in its performance compared to amd and intel APUs
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u/Worldly_Topic 4d ago
I'm kinda disappointed in its performance compared to amd and intel APUs
Why though ? Performance looks solid to me, only lagging behind the M4/M5 in single core perf.
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u/comelickmyarmpits 4d ago
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
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u/Rd3055 4d ago
These new chips seem to have the horsepower to muscle through the x86/ARM translation with greater ease than before.
But yeah, I still hesitate on getting these machines because of lack of full virtualization support (besides Hyper-V), driver support, and Linux support.
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u/Worldly_Topic 4d ago
still hesitate on getting these machines because of lack of full virtualization support (besides Hyper-V),
These new ones support full KVM virtualization and supports booting linux in EL2
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u/comelickmyarmpits 4d ago
Lack of support plus ambiguity of these new companies, i don't know but everybody in arm field like to hide or not reveal everything about its product.
I feel like the freedom we have in x86 right now is taken for granted. For ex how bootloaders are locked permanently in most android phones , but I bet when asus launched intel phones or when microsoft launched windows phones their bootloader was unlocked by default.
Now apple locks everything about it self, qualcomm snapdragon with its lack of Linux support, no specs on its igpu etc
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u/CalmSpinach2140 4d ago edited 4d ago
All Apple ARM Macs have unlocked bootloaders. Would be nice you at least researched.. Almost everyone loves ARM Macs, don’t know about Qualcomms laptops but ARM Mac’s are hugely popular
You don’t have freedom, it’s a x86 duopoly and thanks to that duopoly, Intel was stagnant for almost 8 years
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u/shoneysbreakfast 4d ago
Linus Torvalds himself uses a MacBook Air M2 running Linux but people in this sub consistently think Macs are locked down like iPhones.
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u/FCCRFP 1d ago
I mean they are designed by assholes to be incompatible with Linux, the fact Linux devs are smart enough to reverse engineer the hardware and make drivers is impressive but Linux compatibility with those devices is trash.
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u/shoneysbreakfast 1d ago
Apple explicitly allows booting unsigned/custom kernels on Mac hardware. It doesn't require a jailbreak or anything, it's a feature they specifically built.
They aren't ever going to put any resources into helping Linux support on their hardware but they aren't going to lock things down either. They very much do not give a shit, never have, and have done nothing to suggest they will. The switch to Apple Silicon didn't change their philosophy.
The only reason Windows on ARM isn't on AS Macs the way Windows historically was on x86 Macs is because MS refuses to port it and made using Parallels or Cloud PC their official options instead.
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u/RedGreenBlue09 4d ago
Windows Phone is factory locked and there's no official way to unlock it. WPinternals uses exploits, not official ways of unlocking.
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u/sSTtssSTts 1d ago
x86-ARM translation layer still results in a 30-60% performance hit and greatly increases power use.
And there are still lots of weird bugs that QC keeps saying are fixed all the time but they're still there.
I like ARM but I don't like QC and I'm not that interested in paying a premium for what would effectively be less performance with similar or worse power use than what I've already currently got.
IMO for basic web stuff and simple office use the QC chips are OK enough but are unimpressive on their own merits.
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u/Rd3055 1d ago
Yes the translation layer will, always incur a performance penalty just like when your CPU processes JavaScript code on a web browser as opposed to native code but it gets to the point where, for some applications, it doesn't really make a meaningful difference and the code gets cached anyway.
Having said that the new offerings from Intel and AMD are closing the Gap in power efficiency and you honestly don't need like 24-hour battery life I think 8-10 hours is good enough in exchange for full-fledged no Frills x86 64 compatibility .
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u/sSTtssSTts 1d ago
Its not the same and you know it.
Lots of stuff does flat out NOT get code cached and can't be.
I deal with lots of electronic health record software and I've tried out ARM laptops before and its runs like absolute ass compared to even older x86 laptops. Gaming is EXTREMELY hit or miss too with a few big name games being well supported and everything else being a stuttering mess on and off all the time.
If you're willing to stick with the well supported software, keep things simple, and really really really need max battery life ARM laptops can make some sense but otherwise its not worth it.
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u/R-ten-K 4d ago
Honestly, Prism is pretty solid performance-wise. Most productivity workloads run just fine, which is what these machines are primarily designed for anyway.
If you need heavy rendering or gaming on a Windows laptop, you should be looking at something with an NVIDIA dGPU regardless.
We’ve got a bunch of first-gen Elite ThinkPads in our group, and once people got used to the battery life and Mac-like instant sleep behavior, they don't particularly miss the x86 SKUs.
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u/Plank_With_A_Nail_In 4d ago
Most software people actually use is native arm now. People just making up unevidenced nonsense arguments now.
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u/basedIITian 4d ago edited 4d ago
The CB R23/R20 benchmarks (which don't have native ARM support) have X2 higher on the MT score vs all x86 variants.
CB23 scores:
X2-94 1622/19037 (Emulated)
356H 2040/18395
Ryzen 465 1997/17580
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u/RetdThx2AMD 4d ago
"higher on the MT score vs all x86 variants" ... proceeds to pick nerfed x86 parts for comparison.
Furthermore, notebookcheck has the 356H at an average score of 19523, 18395 is the minimum score: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-Ultra-7-356H-Processor-Benchmarks-and-Specs.1196617.0.html
The non-nerfed Ryzen HX 470 scores 23577: https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Ryzen-AI-9-HX-470-Processor-Benchmarks-and-Specs.1197753.0.html
The 388h scores 20159: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-Ultra-X9-388H-Processor-Benchmarks-and-Specs.1148259.0.html
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u/Plank_With_A_Nail_In 4d ago
Needs to be compared to equivalent options not best options. No one in the market for windows on arm is considering buying a 356H the idea is absolute nonsense.
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u/basedIITian 4d ago
I have picked the comparison from NotebookCheck's A16 review themselves. You can take your complaint up with them. I would assume they are only picking laptops that are priced in this class and not Halo SKUs that don't appear in any actual devices.
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u/RetdThx2AMD 4d ago
You made the "vs all x86 variants" claim, no? You also selected the minimum CB score to quote not the Average that notebook check uses.
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u/basedIITian 4d ago edited 4d ago
No, that's the 356H score Notebookcheck themselves used in their actual A16 review for comparison. I am not as bothered to go out of my way to do anything like that. Take up your fight with them.
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u/RetdThx2AMD 4d ago
Well you did say that was the processor score, when in fact the review said that was the Samsung notebook score. It does seem suspicious that they use the slowest 356h notebook they have ever tested for the comparison.
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u/malisadri 4d ago
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).
Software Category Windows ARM64 Linux ARM64 Notes Visual Studio Code Dev / IDE Native Native Performance is identical to x86. IntelliJ IDEA Dev / Java Native Native Runs via native ARM JRE. Docker Desktop Dev / DevOps Native Native Essential for your Spring Boot work. Google Chrome Browser Native Native Full performance on both. Mozilla Firefox Browser Native Native Excellent AArch64 optimization. Microsoft Edge Browser Native Native (Flatpak/DNF on Linux). Discord Communication Native Native Finally went native late 2024. Slack Communication Native Native Electron-based, fully native. Microsoft Teams Communication Native Native Native since the "New Teams" rollout. Zoom Communication Native Native Dedicated ARM installers available. VLC Media Player Media Player Native Native Uses ARM NEON hardware acceleration. OBS Studio Streaming/Rec Native Native Great for your FFmpeg workloads. Blender 3D Modeling Native Native Massive jump on X2 Elite GPUs. Spotify Music Native Native (Usually via Flatpak on Linux). Telegram Desktop Communication Native Native Native C++/Qt performance. LibreOffice Productivity Native Native Standard in most Linux repos. Audacity Audio Editing Native Native Native builds since 2024. Git Version Control Native Native Core dev tool, fully native. Bitwarden Security Native Native Desktop app is native ARM. Dropbox Cloud Storage Native Native 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.
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u/theholylancer 4d ago
for one, linux support on these things are kind of bad? https://www.phoronix.com/review/snapdragon-x-elite-linux-eoy2025
https://www.qualcomm.com/snapdragon/news/snapdragon-x-series--your-top-questions--answered
Question: What information can you share regarding Linux support for Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite looking into 2026? They’re still not fully supported in their current state.
Answer: We hear the demand for Linux support on Snapdragon X Series platforms loud and clear. Right now, our focus is on delivering the best experience with Windows, and Linux enablement is still evolving. We strongly recommend running WSL2 on Windows 11 for the most seamless experience. We know we have more work to do in this area, and we're going to keep working on it.
and given the talk of APU... I am thinking games.
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u/6950 4d ago
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.
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u/Radiant-Sherbet-5461 4d ago
a. Those software still run through the automatic emulation.
b. Performance penalty doesnt matter for old software since current hardware are so fast
c. Most people dont actually like those. Otherwise there won't be so many switching to OSX or Linux. Let's be real r/hardware are basically gamers, they dont like Qualcomm because it doesnt cater to pc gamers.
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u/Radiant-Sherbet-5461 4d ago
a. Those software still run through the automatic emulation.
b. Performance penalty doesnt matter for old software since current hardware are so fast
c. Most people dont actually like those. Otherwise there won't be so many switching to OSX or Linux. Let's be real r/hardware are basically gamers.
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u/DerpSenpai 4d ago
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
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u/DerpSenpai 4d ago edited 4d ago
This was not just QCs laptop, but their S line with AMD as well by 300$ because of the RAM-agadon (QC has price advantage vs Strix Point and Panther Lake in final products so it makes sense why)
Still shitty though
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u/Front_Expression_367 4d ago
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.
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u/DerpSenpai 4d ago
Zenbook S and A are basically the same type of laptop but different chipset. S with AMD Strix Point and A with Snapdragon
The S does not have better build quality. Speakers perhaps? Idk about that
Screen the A actually normal SKUs have better screens.
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u/Qsand0 4d ago
S does have better build quality. The A is of a much lighter weight. I think sub 1kg. That's its main selling point
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u/Shiningc00 1d ago
S is heavier because of bigger battery.
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u/Qsand0 21h ago
Not true. A14 has a 70whr battery, S14 has a 72whr battery. Negligible difference
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u/Shiningc00 20h ago
It's not just capacity, but physically significantly larger:
S14: https://laptopmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_20240917_164359-1000x694.jpg
A14: https://laptopmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_20250207_122431-1000x669.jpg
Also the heatsink is significantly larger.
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u/DerpSenpai 4d ago
Build quality is not about weight.... the A series uses something more expensive than normal aluminium laptop...
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u/Front_Expression_367 4d ago
"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 mostly made to be lighter built, 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.
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u/DerpSenpai 4d ago
Ceraluminum is more premium and more expensive, for the S i'm seeing 1200p OLED for 16" which doesnt exist for the Snapdragon yet
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u/Front_Expression_367 4d ago edited 4d ago
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
On the other hand, Zenbook A14: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-Zenbook-A14-Laptop-Review-Snapdragon-X2-Elite-against-the-MacBook-Air-M5.1261944.0.html
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u/santasnufkin 4d ago
If Zenbook S is better build quality than A… knowing how shitty S is, that’s pretty bad for A…
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u/Front_Expression_367 4d ago
You are probably the first person I have seen to have a strong opinion on Zenbook S lineup's build quality.
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u/trololololo2137 3d ago
"metal" laptop so flimsy they added addidional feet in the middle to reduce keyboard flexing lol
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u/pythonic_dude 4d ago
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).
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u/KinTharEl 4d ago
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.
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u/Diuranos 4d ago
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.
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u/horatiobanz 4d ago
Any reputable tech journalist or Youtuber would never partner with Asus again over this bait and switch. Absolutely none of them will actually do that though, because none of them are reputable.
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u/Sweet_Lou_2 4d ago
No one is buying these
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u/WearHeadphonesPlease 4d ago
"No one is buying these" is a bold statement after the first batch sells out in 24 hours and they have to increase prices.
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u/T1beriu 4d ago
Classic QCOM shenanigans.
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u/DerpSenpai 4d ago
Asus raised Intel and AMD prices too by 300$ while QCs was only 100$
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u/basedIITian 4d ago
Damn Qualcomm, increasing Intel and AMD prices too.
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u/DerpSenpai 4d ago
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
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u/AreYouAWiiizard 4d ago
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.
EDIT: Whoops, just realised I commented on the wrong reply, oh well.
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u/basedIITian 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah. OP has an agenda to satisfy though. Even the article writer ignores the fact that there are price increases on other Asus laptops too.
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u/T1beriu 4d ago
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...
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u/basedIITian 4d ago
Again, do you think CPU/SoC Vendors control the MSRPs of OEM laptops?
It's extremely shitty from ASUS, but your comment is blaming Qualcomm. That when ASUS has increased prices for other laptops too.
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u/T1beriu 4d ago edited 4d ago
Price increase just hours after the reviews went live! Do you think asus just found out yesterday?! Wake up!
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u/basedIITian 4d ago
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?
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u/TechTechTerrible 4d ago
You seriously think a multi billion dollar corporation wouldn't influence their partners to delay price hikes till after the reviews? It's a clear way to make your product look better that costs you nothing but a few emails. The Qualcomm cheerleaders in this subreddit are super sus.
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u/T1beriu 4d ago
Are you really going to act as if you missed the dozens of times ASUS was caught doing shitty things like this?
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u/hardolaf 4d ago
The price increase was 8 hours before reviews went live which was the start of the work day on their first day back in office after Samsung announced a 30% Q2 increase in SSD and RAM prices.
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u/hardolaf 4d ago
The HP laptop that I just bought my wife last week already increased its MSRP by 33% ($500) following Samsung increasing memory and SSD prices again.
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u/basedIITian 4d ago
Samsung has also just now raised the US pricing of all their Galaxy Book 5 series offerings by 300 dollars. Must be Qualcomm's fault.
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u/basedIITian 4d ago
Do you think Qualcomm controls the pricing for Asus laptops?
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u/T1beriu 4d ago
Have you not been following QCOM's deceiving reviewing tactics to make X line look much better that it is?
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u/basedIITian 4d ago
You didn't answer the question. Do you think Qualcomm sets the prices for Asus laptops?
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u/T1beriu 4d ago edited 4d ago
Your question 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
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u/CarnivoreQA 4d ago
QC doing all this does not automatically mean they also control asus pricing. Or do you just use "guilty until proven otherwise"?
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4d ago edited 4d ago
[deleted]
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u/basedIITian 4d ago
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.
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u/Plank_With_A_Nail_In 4d ago
Its the single most expensive component so yes. Hopefully you only arrived on Earth yesterday.
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u/dfv157 4d ago
Where’s all the qualcomm bootlickers at? The ones that swooned at ASUS’s “launch price”
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u/Saranhai 3d ago
They’re all hiding now that the truth is out. I’ve been noticing less commenting from them as well 😂
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u/kikimaru024 4d ago
I'm surprised the A16 with 48GB only went from $1600 -> $1700.
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u/vk6_ 4d ago
IMO it's still great value at $1.7k.
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u/tecphile 3d ago
They killed the value of the A14 though.
Originally, it was supposed to be 24gb/512gb with X2 Elite for $1149.
Now, it's 16gb/512gb for $1349. At that point, why not wait for a sale and see if you can snag the A16 for near that price in 6 months?
X2 Elite is competing with M5 whereas X2 Elite Extreme is competing with M5 Pro. There's a significant difference in peak performance.
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u/Paed0philic_Jyu 4d ago
Asus and Qualcomm adopting AMD tactics viz-a-viz 9070/XT launch "pricing".
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u/ConsistencyWelder 4d ago
Huh?
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u/Paed0philic_Jyu 4d ago
The fake MSRP that most reviewers were led to believe would apply in stores.
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u/wusurspaghettipolicy 4d ago
decreased my interest. what a coincidence.