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This $500 Asus Vivobook is one of the best laptop deals you can still buy post-Cyber Monday

Asus' Vivobook S 15 is a new Copilot+ PC with a premium 120Hz OLED display that is on sale for $499 - an unprecedented price, even after Cyber Monday.
Written by Kyle Kucharski, Editor
Asus Vivobook S 15
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The deals keep coming even after Cyber Monday, and one of the best ones we've seen is still live. Asus' Vivobook S 15 -- one of the new Windows Copilot+ PCs released this summer -- is on sale for just $499 at Best Buy, which is among the absolute lowest prices of any Copilot+ PC out there. 

The Copilot+ PCs with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and Plus processors released to much fanfare this summer, and set in motion a series of events that shook up the processor market for good. We've been covering these new devices since they've come out, and praised them for their fast, responsive performance, thin and light form factors, and marathon batteries. 

Also: Best Cyber Monday deals 2024 still live

This laptop is no exception. In fact, I praised the Vivobook S 15 in my hands-on review for its gorgeous OLED display and fast performance, which is even more attractive at this price point. Note that this deal is on the laptop configuration with 16GB of RAM and the 512GB SSD -- the more accessible version. But it's regularly priced at $900, which, for a savings of $400 is almost half off. 

Let's take a closer look at this laptop. It comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor, which runs cooler and more energy-efficient than many other processors on the market. Its ARM-compatible architecture means that it's a unique chip that's just built differently, so although you probably won't encounter any issues, some older programs might need to run on emulation. 

The laptop features a gorgeous 3K OLED display with a very nice 120Hz refresh rate for silky smooth, crisp visuals. The display is one of the best parts of this laptop, which has a 16:9 resolution that gives it that premium widescreen feel, lending itself well to watching and editing media. 

Asus Vivobook S 15
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The Vivobook S 15 has a minimalist, all-metal design that's lightweight and airy. It measures 0.58 inches at its thinnest point and weighs just 3.13 pounds. This makes it particularly well-suited for hybrid or remote workers who want a powerful laptop with a gorgeous display that doesn't weigh a ton.

This is also a laptop that's future-forward, with the 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor on board featuring an NPU that's ready to work with AI content. Paired with Windows' Copilot and on-device AI workflows, the NPU takes the load off of the CPU, resulting in a streamlined experience.

Review: My favorite ultraportable laptop for work is not a ThinkPad or MacBook (and it's $350 off)

In my testing, I found that this laptop benefits from monitoring its power consumption since OLED displays are known for being rather power-hungry. The processor keeps things in check, however, and I recommend utilizing the power profiles to make it last as long as possible if you're working on a battery. 

If you couldn't tell, I'm excited about this deal -- it's an absolute banger of a sale on a gorgeous laptop with something for everyone. If you're looking for a laptop that feels like a MacBook, but comes with a vibrant OLED display and an incredibly thin and light form factor, Asus' Vivobook S 15 for $499 is one of the best deals I've seen. But I'm sure inventory won't last long. 

When will this deal expire?

While many sales events feature deals for a specific length of time, deals are on a limited-time basis, making them subject to expire anytime. ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best offers to help you maximize your savings so you can feel as confident in your purchases as we feel in our recommendations. Our team of experts constantly monitors the deals we feature to keep our stories up-to-date. If you missed out on this deal, don't worry -- we're always sourcing new savings opportunities at ZDNET.com.

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When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is always on the first Monday following Thanksgiving. This year, it falls on Dec. 2, 2024. We're expecting to see big sales continuing through Cyber Monday, and more new sales dropping in the meantime.

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