?Are you trying to decide whether the ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip 2-in-1 Laptop (16″ FHD+ Touchscreen, Intel 14-Core i9-13900H, 40GB RAM, 2TB SSD) for Creator, Photographer, Designer, Backlit Keyboard, 1080p IR Webcam, Win 11 Pro w/Copilot is the right tool for your creative work?
First impressions of the ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip 2-in-1 Laptop
I unboxed the machine with a mix of excitement and practical curiosity, since the specification sheet promises a lot for creators. Right away I noticed the screen size and slim bezels, which give it a premium, modern look that feels capable of handling serious creative tasks.
I appreciated the weight and balance when I first held it, and the 360-degree hinge felt reassuringly solid. My initial thought was that ASUS aimed for a balance between a sturdy workstation and a convertible tablet for quick sketches or reference browsing.
Packaging and included accessories
The package felt standard for a high-end laptop: the Vivobook itself, a compact charger, and minimal paperwork. I liked that ASUS kept the extras light, which made setup straightforward and quick.
I did notice the product detail mentioning the unit was resealed for memory/SSD upgrades. That’s important to keep in mind; my unit was configured with the upgraded specifications and came with the stated warranty on upgraded components.
Design and build quality
I found the chassis to be a pleasant mix of metal and high-quality plastics, giving the laptop both a refined feel and reasonable durability. The hinge, which allows 360-degree modes, is robust and smooth, so switching between laptop, tent, stand, and tablet modes felt natural and satisfying.
The Vivobook S 16 Flip doesn’t feel like a fragile convertible; it feels engineered for daily carry and frequent mode switching. The slim bezels around the 16-inch panel contribute to a modern appearance and actually help reduce the overall footprint compared to older 16-inch designs.
Portability and weight
I noticed the laptop strikes a good compromise between a large screen and portability. It’s not as light as an ultraportable 13-inch, but when I carried it in a padded backpack it never felt like a burden for day-to-day travel.
The profile is thin enough to slide into professional bags, and the inclusion of a generous battery capacity helps me avoid carrying a charger everywhere. However, if I’m traveling long-term, I still prefer a smaller secondary machine for light tasks.
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Display: 16″ FHD+ Touchscreen
The 16-inch Full HD+ touchscreen is the highlight for me. Colors are vibrant and details are sharp, which makes photo editing and design work much more comfortable. The touchscreen layer is responsive, and the anti-glare finish keeps reflections under control in mixed lighting.
I particularly liked the slim bezels that offer a larger visual area without making the machine feel unwieldy. The FHD+ resolution provides a good balance between clarity and battery efficiency, and the touchscreen responsiveness supports pen input and touch gestures smoothly.
Color accuracy and creative use
When I ran a few color-critical tests, the panel produced pleasing results for sRGB workloads. It’s not a dedicated studio panel with the color gamut or factory calibration of some pro laptops, but it’s fine for web designers, photographers doing general grading, and creators who want a reliable visual canvas.
For advanced color grading where absolute color fidelity is mandatory, I would still recommend an external reference monitor; however, for most creative workflows I used during my testing, the Vivobook S 16 Flip delivered dependable results.
Performance: Intel Core i9-13900H and 40GB RAM
With an Intel 14-core i9-13900H and 40GB of DDR4 RAM, I experienced responsiveness across a wide range of demanding tasks. Multi-tab browsing, heavy Photoshop sessions, and even rendering small video projects all felt smooth and noticeably faster than many consumer laptops I’ve tested.
The CPU’s performance stood out in multi-threaded workloads and compilation tasks. If I’m multitasking—running virtual machines, compiling code, and editing high-resolution images simultaneously—the system rarely feels overwhelmed.
Real-world benchmarks and impressions
In my mixed-use tests that combined photo editing, local file indexing, and parallel browser sessions, the machine handled everything without significant slowdowns. Export times for medium-length 1080p video projects were competitive, and complex Photoshop files with many layers were fluid.
Thermals become a consideration under sustained loads; the fans ramp up predictably and the chassis can get warm near the keyboard. However, I didn’t experience thermal throttling during most of my real-world tasks.
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Memory and storage: 40GB RAM and 2TB SSD
I appreciate having 40GB of RAM; it’s a generous configuration that gives me headroom for simultaneous VMs, big photo libraries, and large design projects. The 2TB SSD felt fast and capacious, making massive local libraries and scratch space for editing comfortable to manage.
The SSD’s responsiveness and the way the OS boots up nearly instantly gave me a smoother daily workflow. In situations where I need to open large asset libraries or multiple applications at once, the system rarely needs to swap, thanks to the commensurate RAM.
Upgradeability and resealed disclosure
ASUS or the seller noted that this unit was resealed to upgrade memory and SSD, and I found that to be well-executed. The three-year warranty provided by Issaquah Highlands Tech on upgraded components and the one-year manufacturer warranty on remaining parts gave me added confidence in the purchase.
If expansion is important to you, check the exact soldered vs. slot configuration for RAM in your specific unit. In my unit, the setup was more about maximizing factory-provided performance rather than user upgrades.
Keyboard, trackpad, and 1080p IR webcam
The backlit keyboard is comfortable for long typing sessions and offers a decent travel and feedback for a slim laptop. I felt accurate and confident typing through lengthy editing sessions and client emails without fatigue.
The trackpad is responsive and large enough for gesture navigation, and the 1080p IR webcam produced crisp results for video calls. Facial recognition support adds convenience for quick sign-ins, especially when I’m transitioning between modes during a busy day.
Comfort and media creation ergonomics
When I used the laptop in tablet mode for sketching and annotation, the hinge positioning and screen responsiveness made the experience more natural. In tent or stand modes during video calls or viewing reference material, the screen stayed stable and gave me comfortable angles.
For long editing sessions, I still prefer a dedicated external keyboard and mouse to reduce wrist strain, but the built-in inputs are more than serviceable for mobile creative sessions.
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Ports and connectivity
I liked the balanced selection of ports on this Vivobook. With USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, USB 2.0, HDMI 2.1, and a combo audio jack, I could connect my external drives, card readers, and a secondary monitor without fumbling for adapters.
The inclusion of HDMI 2.1 opens the door to high refresh rates and higher resolution displays, and the Type-C port supports video output and fast transfers. I found this to be a practical setup for on-the-go creators who often plug in external devices.
Wireless performance and expansion
Intel Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 provide fast wireless speeds and reliable connections for cloud sync, remote collaboration, and wireless audio. I noticed smoother streaming and quicker file transfers to local NAS devices compared with older Wi-Fi standards.
The laptop supports up to two external monitors via HDMI and Type-C, and I successfully ran a dual-monitor arrangement with a 4K external display at 60Hz. That made it easy to extend my desktop and improve productivity for complex projects.
Battery life and charging
I got up to about the advertised “up to 10 hours” in light productivity use such as browsing, writing, and streaming. During heavier creative work—editing photos or short videos—the battery life dropped faster, which is to be expected with a performance CPU.
I appreciated fast-charge technology: topping to 60% in about 49 minutes is genuinely useful on travel days. For most of my on-the-go use, I could get a solid morning or afternoon of work without reaching for a charger, and quick top-ups were effective when time was limited.
Real-life battery observations
When editing images with a connected external SSD and frequent screen brightness above 70%, the runtime was more modest and required nearer to a midday charge. If I planned a full day away from a power source while doing heavy creative tasks, I would bring the charger along.
In eco or power-saving modes the laptop can stretch battery life considerably if I switch to lower brightness and reduce background processes, which is helpful during long meetings or travel.
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Thermal behavior and noise
Under light to moderate loads the fans remain quiet and unobtrusive, which is great for meetings or creative sessions in shared spaces. Under sustained heavy workloads, the fans become audible but not overwhelmingly loud, and they kept the CPU temperatures within safe ranges.
Heat builds primarily around the keyboard and hinge area under long rendering sessions, which is noticeable but not uncomfortable for brief periods. I recommend avoiding placing the laptop directly on soft surfaces during intense workloads to maintain airflow.
Fan control and thermal profiles
I appreciated having accessible performance and fan profiles in the ASUS utility suite, which allowed me to prioritize cooling during heavy work or a quieter profile for meetings. Switching profiles was straightforward and made it easier to tailor the laptop’s behavior to my needs.
I felt comfortable pushing the CPU for intense bursts—like batch exports or compilations—while relying on the cooling system to manage sustained load.
Software, Windows 11 Pro with AI-powered Copilot
Windows 11 Pro with Copilot felt future-oriented and useful. Copilot integration made some desktop tasks easier for me, like summarizing notes and assisting with repetitive tasks. The Pro license also adds business-grade features and security that I value for client work and remote desktop needs.
ASUS included minimal bloat, and the preinstalled utilities offered helpful performance management without being intrusive. I liked having the manufacturer tools for updates, performance tuning, and quick access to support resources.
Security and productivity features
The 1080p IR webcam with facial recognition felt secure and faster than typing a password every time. Windows Hello sign-in made access quick and reliable, and BitLocker support with Windows 11 Pro adds a layer of data protection for creatives who store client work locally.
I used the Windows Pro features for remote desktop into my home machine and for secure VPN access when working from coffee shops, which made the laptop feel more business-ready.
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Creative workflows: photography, design, and video editing
As a photographer and designer, I used the Vivobook S 16 Flip for batch processing RAW files, retouching in Photoshop, and layout work in InDesign. The combination of CPU power, ample RAM, and fast SSD made these tasks efficient and often pleasant.
For video editing, I tested workflows that included 1080p timeline editing, color grading, and exports. For short-form video and web content, the machine handled timelines and effects decently; for longer 4K projects, I preferred an external GPU workstation for faster exports.
Specifics for photographers
When handling large photo libraries, the 40GB RAM significantly reduced catalog loading times and swapping. I could keep Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and a browser with client tabs open simultaneously without noticeable slowdowns.
For color-critical proofing I sometimes calibrated the display with a colorimeter and found it held up for most client deliverables, though I still rely on an external reference display for final prints.
Specifics for designers and illustrators
In vector and layout work, the SSD and CPU combination lowered export times and improved responsiveness when working with multiple artboards and linked assets. Tablet mode with a stylus felt good for quick annotations and sketches, though I prefer a dedicated drawing tablet for detailed illustration.
Gaming and light 3D work
Although the Vivobook S 16 Flip is targeted more at creators than gamers, the Intel CPU and integrated graphics can handle casual and some older titles at reasonable settings. I played indie titles and older AAA games at medium settings and got playable frame rates on 1080p.
For more demanding 3D workflows or modern gaming at high settings, I would pair the laptop with an external GPU via a suitable Type-C/Thunderbolt interface on a different system. The Vivobook is competent for light gaming and lightweight 3D tasks, but not intended as a primary gaming rig.
Creative 3D tasks
For basic 3D modeling and rendering tests, the CPU-driven tasks were acceptable for previews and quick scene adjustments. For heavy rendering or complex simulations, I recommend a workstation-class machine with dedicated GPU horsepower.
Ports and expansion table
I created a quick table to break down the main ports and what I used them for during testing. It helped me keep track of connectivity options and how they matched my workflow.
| Port / Feature | Quantity | Typical Use Cases I Tried |
|---|---|---|
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C | 1 | Video output to 4K monitor, fast file transfers to SSD |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A | 1 | External drive, flash drives, dongles |
| USB 2.0 | 1 | Legacy peripherals and dongles |
| HDMI 2.1 | 1 | External 4K monitor @60Hz for extended desktop |
| 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack | 1 | Headphones and mic for calls |
| Intel Wi-Fi 6E | Built-in | Fast wireless transfers, stable video calls |
| Bluetooth 5.3 | Built-in | Wireless keyboard, mouse, audio |
I found the mix of legacy and modern ports useful because it minimized the number of adapters I needed in daily setups.
Practical daily use scenarios
For client meetings, I used the HDMI output to connect to conference room displays and appreciated the clear webcam and microphone setup for hybrid meetings. For editing on the go, the touchscreen let me quickly crop and annotate images, while the convertible modes made presenting portfolios more natural.
When I needed to focus, I used a single external monitor and keyboard to mirror a desktop setup. The machine accommodated this without fuss and performed well enough to handle heavier workloads if I needed to finish a project away from the office.
Remote work and collaboration
The Windows 11 Pro features, Copilot, and robust connectivity made remote collaboration smoother. I could VPN into company resources and collaborate in cloud apps without worrying about system limitations.
For video conferencing, the 1080p IR webcam and decent microphones made client calls feel professional even from a coffee shop setting.
Pros and cons
I compiled the key strengths and areas where the laptop could be better, based on my hands-on time.
Pros:
- Strong CPU performance with 14-core i9 for multitasking and content creation
- Generous 40GB RAM that handles heavy multitasking smoothly
- Fast 2TB SSD with good responsiveness for large projects
- Vibrant 16″ FHD+ touchscreen with slim bezels and 360-degree hinge
- Balanced port selection including HDMI 2.1 and USB-C
- Windows 11 Pro with Copilot and business-oriented features
- Good battery life for light-to-moderate workloads and fast-charge capabilities
- 1080p IR webcam with facial recognition for secure sign-in
Cons:
- Not a dedicated color-critical display out of the box; requires calibration for pro print work
- Thermals and fan noise increase under sustained heavy loads
- Integrated graphics limit performance for intensive 3D rendering or high-end gaming
- Slightly heavier than ultraportable alternatives, affecting long-haul travel comfort
- Resealed unit disclosure may concern buyers who expect factory-sealed hardware
Who I think this laptop is best for
I believe the ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip is a great fit for creators, photographers, and designers who need a powerful, portable machine for daily production work. If I’m a freelancer or small studio owner who juggles photo editing, design layouts, and client calls, this machine covers most of my needs admirably.
If someone’s primary work involves heavy 4K video rendering, advanced 3D modeling, or competitive gaming, I suggest considering a more GPU-focused laptop or a desktop workstation. For general creative professionals who value flexibility and a quality touchscreen with convertible modes, I found the Vivobook to be an excellent option.
My recommended accessories and setup tips
I recommend pairing the laptop with a color-calibrated external monitor if color-critical work is frequent. An external SSD for archives and a compact portable dock can make life easier for complex multi-monitor setups.
For extended editing sessions, I prefer a full-size external keyboard and an ergonomic mouse or tablet to reduce strain. A small cooling pad can also help manage thermals during prolonged rendering or export tasks.
Backup and maintenance suggestions
I use cloud backup combined with an external drive for redundancy. Given the resealed nature of this particular unit, I also recommend confirming the warranty coverage and keeping firmware and BIOS updates in check through ASUS update tools.
Warranty and support considerations
The disclosure that the unit was resealed to upgrade memory and SSD means the upgraded components come with a three-year warranty from Issaquah Highlands Tech, while the rest of the laptop has the manufacturer’s one-year warranty. I found the documentation clear and recommend buyers verify these terms at purchase.
For long-term peace of mind, I registered the device with ASUS and took note of the service channels for both ASUS and the seller-provided warranty on upgraded parts.
Final thoughts on the ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip 2-in-1 Laptop
Overall, I find the ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip to be a compelling all-around creative laptop that balances power, portability, and flexible usage modes. The combination of an i9 CPU, 40GB RAM, and 2TB SSD makes it a productive machine for most creative professionals I know.
I would buy this if I needed a primary portable workstation that can handle editing, design, and general productivity, while also offering a convertible form factor for presentations and on-the-go sketching. If your work demands extreme GPU throughput or strict color certification out of box, you may need to pair this laptop with external hardware, but for many creatives, it’s a very strong, versatile choice.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
