If you’ve been waiting for the Asus Zenbook S 16 to drop to a reasonable price, congratulations on your patience. Best Buy’s Presidents’ Day sale has finally knocked this thing down to $1,000, a full $500 off its original retail price. I’ve been watching this laptop like a hawk for months, and it’s been stubborn as hell about holding its value.
Most laptops start bleeding value the moment a newer model gets announced. Not this one. The Zenbook S 16 has maintained premium pricing longer than almost any Windows laptop I’ve tracked recently, and honestly, it makes sense when you look at what you’re getting.
Why Tech Journalists Keep Choosing This Thing
Here’s something that caught my attention at conferences last year. I kept seeing the same laptop pop up in the hands of tech reviewers and journalists. Not a MacBook. The Asus Zenbook S 16. These are people who literally review dozens of devices for a living, so when they pick one specific machine for their own work travel, that tells you something.
The build quality is legitimately impressive. It’s thin without feeling fragile, and the design actually stands out without trying too hard. Plus the battery life competes with MacBooks, which is rare territory for Windows machines. That alone makes it worth considering if you’re tired of hunting for outlets every few hours.
What You’re Actually Getting For A Grand
The $1,000 price point includes 24GB of RAM and a full terabyte of storage. That’s the kind of configuration that usually pushes laptops well past the $1,500 mark. The display is a 2880 x 1800 OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes everything from scrolling through documents to watching videos noticeably smoother.
But my favorite detail? The ports. Despite being ridiculously thin, Asus somehow crammed in HDMI, USB-A, and a full-size SD card slot. If you’ve been suffering through dongle hell with other ultrabooks, this feels like returning to civilization. You can actually plug things in without carrying a bag full of adapters.
The 14-inch version is also on sale for $1,300, but that discount isn’t nearly as compelling. Save your money or go big with the 16-inch model.
The Catch Nobody’s Talking About
Asus has a 2026 update coming with new Intel chips, but here’s the thing. It’s only coming to the 14-inch model. The newer processors will bring legitimate performance improvements, especially for graphics work. But there’s a decent chance Asus will price that model even higher than the current generation, especially with memory shortages driving up component costs across the Technology industry.
So you’re stuck with the classic dilemma. Wait for slightly better specs at probably a much higher price, or grab proven hardware at a legitimately good discount. For most people, the current model at $1,000 is the smarter move.
If Gaming Is Your Thing
Best Buy also knocked $500 off the Asus Zephyrus G14, which comes with an RTX 5070 Ti graphics card. That’s serious gaming hardware in a relatively portable package. If you need something that can handle both work and play without compromising on either front, it’s worth checking out alongside the Zenbook.
The Presidents’ Day sale timing is actually perfect if you’ve been putting off a laptop upgrade. These kinds of discounts on premium hardware don’t stick around long, especially when retailers see strong business demand. The Zenbook S 16 held its value for over a year, so there’s no guarantee it’ll stay at this price once the sale ends.
At $1,500, this laptop was a tough sell despite its quality. At $1,000 with this spec sheet, it’s honestly one of the better deals you’ll find in the premium Windows laptop space right now. Sometimes patience actually pays off, even if it takes longer than you’d like.
