ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) vs MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW
51.6Performancechip60.5
38.4Display40
70.7Battery99.9
79.4Portability24
2 spec wins — ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606)5 spec wins — MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW
InnoReviews verdict
This one is close to a dead heat: ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) scores 57.5 against 57.5 for MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW. Pick by the categories that matter to you — ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) edges ahead in portability, or by price.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606)
- Stronger portability score: 79 vs 24
- 50% lower thickness: 11.9 mm vs 24 mm
- 48% lower weight: 1.5 kg vs 2.9 kg
- Lower launch price: $1,700 vs $3,849
Reasons to pick the MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW
- Stronger performance score: 61 vs 52
- Stronger battery score: 100 vs 71
- 331% higher charging: 280 W vs 65 W
- 100% higher RAM: 64 GB vs 32 GB
- 100% higher storage: 2,048 GB vs 1,024 GB
Display
| Spec | ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) | MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 16 ″ | 18 ″+13% |
| Panel type | OLED touchscreen (Lumina, 100% DCI-P3, HDR True Black 500) | Mini-LED |
| Resolution | 2880x1800 | 3840x2400 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | — |
Performance
| Spec | ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) | MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon 890M Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU (16GB GDDR7) |
| RAM | 32 GB | 64 GB+100% |
| RAM type | LPDDR5X (on board) | DDR5-5600 (2x 32GB) |
| Storage | 1,024 GB | 2,048 GB+100% |
| Storage type | M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD | PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD |
Benchmarks
| Spec | ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) | MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 2,817Top 50% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 13,363Bottom 48% | — |
Battery
| Spec | ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) | MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 78 Wh | 100 Wh+28% |
| Charging | 65 W | 280 W+331% |
Design
| Spec | ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) | MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.5 kg+48% | 2.9 kg |
| Thickness | 11.9 mm+50% | 24 mm |
| Material | Ceraluminum | — |
Connectivity
| Spec | ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) | MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x USB4 Type-C (40Gbps, display/PD), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, SD 4.0 card reader, 3.5mm combo audio jack | 2x USB4 Type-C (DisplayPort, PD 3.1, Thunderbolt 4 compatible), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1, SD card reader, 2.5G Ethernet, 3.5mm combo jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Webcam | FHD with IR | IR FHD with privacy shutter |
| Biometrics | IR camera (Windows Hello) | — |
Software
| Spec | ASUS Zenbook S 16 (UM5606) | MSI Stealth A18 AI+ A3XW |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Home |
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