Slickdeals is community-supported. We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.

Missed This Deal? Get alerts when similar deals are posted.

expired

skardem 16.8K Views

Sep 21, 2026 5:00 PM

Zenbook A16 16" 3K OLED Touchscreen Laptop - Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme 2026 - 48GB Open Box $1,241

$1,241

$1,500

17% off

Best Buy

Visit Best Buy

https://bestbuy.com/product/asus-...ition=good

This is one of the best laptops on the market.

Previous deal.
https://slickdeals.net/f/19630257-open-boxes-asus-zenbook-a16-16-3k-oled-120hz-touch-snapdragon-x2-elite-extreme-x2e-94-100-48gb-lpddr5-9600-1tb-ssd-1328-99?v=1&src=SiteSearch

1tb verson that is Highly YMMV
https://www.bestbuy.com/product/a...22Deals%22

Price Intelligence

Deal History

Sale Price

Slickdeal

$NaN

Today

Post Date	Sold By	Sale Price	Activity
09/22/26	Best Buy	$1,370 Frontpage	111
08/10/26	Best Buy	$1,500 Frontpage	84
07/19/26	Best Buy	$1,550	9

Community Reviews

This Zenbook A16 stands out as a light 16 inch 3K OLED Snapdragon laptop with unusually high 48GB memory and strong on device AI performance for the money. The open box pricing is repeatedly framed as exceptional, especially compared with other Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and 1TB open box options. Real world use looks best for small to midsize local models, native ARM apps, and improved Windows on ARM support. The main cautions are software compatibility, especially VPNs and Linux support, and slower performance on larger models that can also keep it tethered to a charger. A compelling pick if the ARM software fit is right.

People running small local AI models, because the Snapdragon NPU handles optimized models well and the large memory helps load them.
dontouch skardem
Workers who need native ARM VPN support, because compatible VPN apps and built-in Windows VPN can connect to corporate networks.
Hat-Trick superslickz
Linux wait-and-see buyers, because official Snapdragon X2 support is coming and the platform should become more usable.
0ard FabulousStranger526

People who need unsupported VPN software, because Windows on ARM can block some VPN apps from working.
superslickz Hat-Trick
Users expecting strong large-model AI performance, because bigger models run very slowly and the NPU only helps with optimized workloads.
dontouch
Buyers who want a Linux-ready laptop today, because the Qualcomm platform still lacks real Linux support.
FabulousStranger526
Mobile workers who hate being tethered to a charger, because heavier AI workloads can require constant power and cut into portability.
dontouch

Common Questions (4)

Yes. The 48GB OLED Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme configuration is described as unusually strong value, with 1TB open-box units reportedly around $1,000 and even one 1TB open-box good listing seen at $879. A buyer also reported receiving the unit in perfect condition.
Hat-Trick Hat-Trick OwaisUlhaq
It can work if the VPN has native ARM support, such as NordVPN or Windows built-in VPN. VPNs without ARM support may not run on this Snapdragon/Windows on ARM setup, so compatibility depends on the specific app.
superslickz Hat-Trick
It runs Qualcomm-optimized small models well, but larger models can be very slow and may not use the NPU unless they are optimized for it. One report cites Quen 26B dense at about 4 TPS, while MOE variants run faster; the workload may also require staying plugged in.
dontouch skardem
Not yet in a practical sense for buyers who need it now. Ubuntu has announced official Snapdragon X2 series support targeted for sometime in 2027, which may improve adoption later.
FabulousStranger526 0ard

AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated 1w ago

Join The Conversation

Share your experience with the Slickdeals community

Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!

23 Comments

superslickz

Sep 21, 2026 5:03 PM

12.4K Comments

Joined May 2007

superslickzSep 21, 2026 5:03 PM

12.4K Comments

I don't get some of the hardware. Why pair 48gb with a snapdragon. It makes no sense.

skardem

Original Poster

Sep 21, 2026 5:14 PM

950 Comments

Joined Jan 2007

skardem

Original Poster

Sep 21, 2026 5:14 PM

950 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

Quote from superslickz

I don't get some of the hardware. Why pair 48gb with a snapdragon. It makes no sense.

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-96-100): Hits 80 TOPS on its dedicated Hexagon NPU, providing superior on-device local AI processing speeds.

Intel Flagship / Panther Lake Chips: Feature around 50 TOPS on their NPUs, trailing Qualcomm's local vision and LLM execution benchmarks by roughly a 2x margin.

AMD Ryzen AI Competitors: Deliver roughly 50 TOPS, with independent tests (such as Procyon AI Computer Vision) showing the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme operating at up to 2.4x to 2.6x the performance per dollar or absolute throughput.

Apple M-Series AI Performance (TOPS)Base M5: 42 TOPS (16-core NPU)

skardem

Original Poster

Sep 21, 2026 5:18 PM

950 Comments

Joined Jan 2007

skardem

Original Poster

Sep 21, 2026 5:18 PM

950 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

Nvidia RTX Spark laptops will launch in October 2026, with specific marquee devices like the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra scheduled for an official reveal on October 7, 2026.

Microsoft windows for ARM is much improved. Spark will be fun to see.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sur...705.0.html

Last edited by skardem September 21, 2026 at 10:50 AM.

superslickz

Sep 21, 2026 5:31 PM

12.4K Comments

Joined May 2007

superslickzSep 21, 2026 5:31 PM

12.4K Comments

Quote from skardem

Yeah that's all great when I can't use something as simple as my VPN software with the snapdragon.

skardem

Original Poster

Sep 21, 2026 8:42 PM

950 Comments

Joined Jan 2007

skardem

Original Poster

Sep 21, 2026 8:42 PM

950 Comments

Quote from superslickz

Yeah that's all great when I can't use something as simple as my VPN software with the snapdragon.

The software is getting better everyday. The hardware you don't get is really good. Part of the reason for extra ram is emulation.

Nvidia spark and AI may push windows arm emulation mainstream enough that your obscure VPN software is supported.

plumberg

Sep 22, 2026 12:17 AM

551 Comments

Joined Jan 2007

plumbergSep 22, 2026 12:17 AM

551 Comments

Dang.
Only new available in NewEngland

Anyone got this?

skardem

Original Poster

Sep 22, 2026 2:32 AM

950 Comments

Joined Jan 2007

skardem

Original Poster

Sep 22, 2026 2:32 AM

950 Comments

Quote from plumberg

Dang.
Only new available in NewEngland

Anyone got this?

I got one shipped before I posted. Its now YMMV based on local stock.

Here is a value alternative that still gets 80 TOPS.
https://slickdeals.net/f/20042022-open-boxes-hp-omnibook-x-16-2026-16-fhd-oled-touch-snapdragon-x2-elite-x2e-84-100-24gb-lpddr5-512gb-749-99?src=SDSearchv3&attrsrc=Thread%3AExpired%3AFalse%7CSearch%3AType%3Anormal%7CSearch%3ASort%3Arelevance%7CSearch%3AHideExpired%3Afalse

sr27

Sep 22, 2026 7:47 AM

1.3K Comments

Joined Apr 2008

sr27Sep 22, 2026 7:47 AM

1.3K Comments

Quote from skardem

Nvidia RTX Spark laptops will launch in October 2026, with specific marquee devices like the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra scheduled for an official reveal on October 7, 2026.Microsoft windows for ARM is much improved. Spark will be fun to see.https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sur...705.0.html

Thank God nvidia will finally let us buy their underpowered hardware for premium pricing

FabulousStranger526

Sep 23, 2026 8:55 PM

597 Comments

Joined Sep 2019

FabulousStranger526Sep 23, 2026 8:55 PM

597 Comments

Quote from skardem

You'll be able to buy two of these for the price of a single, similar spec Spark laptop. Maybe three.

Hat-Trick

Sep 24, 2026 7:46 PM

11.5K Comments

Joined Feb 2013

Hat-TrickSep 24, 2026 7:46 PM

11.5K Comments

Quote from superslickz

Yeah that's all great when I can't use something as simple as my VPN software with the snapdragon.

My VPN software works great and it's native ARM. I use NordVPN for privacy and built in Windows VPN to connect to about 10 different corporate networks.

Change your VPN software and if you can't then this isn't for you and complaining doesn't solve anything.

Hat-Trick

Sep 24, 2026 7:51 PM

11.5K Comments

Joined Feb 2013

Hat-TrickSep 24, 2026 7:51 PM

11.5K Comments

Quote from FabulousStranger526

You'll be able to buy two of these for the price of a single, similar spec Spark laptop. Maybe three.

Right? People don't realize what a deal these are with 48GB RAM, OLED and X2E94100 CPU is almost their top chip. Good luck finding anything like this anywhere around this price. The 1TB versions open box are around $1000 if available. Pretty crazy considering I paid $1300 for open box excellent just a couple months ago.

The Spark products I think will be very expensive.

Last edited by Hat-Trick September 24, 2026 at 12:54 PM.

glockjs

Sep 24, 2026 8:04 PM

193 Comments

Joined Aug 2014

glockjsSep 24, 2026 8:04 PM

193 Comments

Quote from FabulousStranger526

You'll be able to buy two of these for the price of a single, similar spec Spark laptop. Maybe three.

and people will buy it anyways. for the first few months it'll be at full price no doubt. waiting for the next thing coming is never a great idea because you'll be waiting forever. also i don't trust anything nvidia says about performance. a 5070 is not a 4090 lol.

i don't think people realize just how long qualcomm has been around and that they've been in every flagship phone for forever. compute is compute and that x2 elite extreme is a monster.

VoJA20x

Sep 24, 2026 8:24 PM

485 Comments

Joined Nov 2012

VoJA20xSep 24, 2026 8:24 PM

485 Comments

Hows the keyboard?

FabulousStranger526

Sep 25, 2026 1:02 PM

597 Comments

Joined Sep 2019

FabulousStranger526Sep 25, 2026 1:02 PM

597 Comments

Quote from glockjs

I wasn't endorsing the Qualcomm platform either. It needs real Linux support before I'll bite.

0ard

Sep 25, 2026 11:32 PM

90 Comments

Joined Apr 2024

0ardSep 25, 2026 11:32 PM

90 Comments

Quote from FabulousStranger526

I wasn't endorsing the Qualcomm platform either. It needs real Linux support before I'll bite.

Ubuntu just announced official support for Snapdragon X2 series chips, targeted sometime in 2027. I suspect laptops like this will at least become somewhat more popular.

Join The Conversation

Share your experience with the Slickdeals community

Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!

Computers Laptops ASUS Best Buy

Zenbook A16 16" 3K OLED Touchscreen Laptop - Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme 2026 - 48GB Open Box $1,241

$1,241

$1,500

Community Voting