The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is a budget Windows laptop. It's available with various AMD Ryzen 5000 and 7000 U-series CPUs and integrated graphics. RAM and storage max out at 16GB and 1TB, respectively. It has an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10 IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. Ports include three USB-As, one USB-C, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The USB-C supports charging but no video output.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section below.
Our Verdict
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is decent for school use. Thanks to its thin and light design, it feels well-built and is easy to carry around. The display provides plenty of space for multitasking, the keyboard feels comfortable to type on, and the touchpad is large and responsive. Its AMD Ryzen CPU can handle most student workloads; however, its integrated graphics perform poorly, so it isn't ideal for students in fields like 3D graphics. As for its battery life, you can get through a typical 8-hour day of light use on a full charge, but if you do anything more intensive, you may need to plug it in for a short time.
- Easy to carry around.
- Battery lasts over eight hours of light use.
- Screen provides plenty of space for multitasking.
- Comfortable keyboard and large, responsive touchpad.
- Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- Dim display not ideal for well-lit rooms.
- Models with 8GB of RAM run in single-channel mode.
- USB-C doesn't support video output.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is mediocre for gaming. Although the Ryzen 7 processors provide a fair amount of CPU processing power, its integrated graphics aren't powerful enough to handle demanding games. The display has a 60Hz refresh rate and a slow response time, resulting in a blurry image in fast-moving scenes. On the upside, it supports FreeSync to reduce screen tearing.
- No performance loss under load.
- Fast SSD.
- Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- 60Hz display with slow response time.
- Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- Models with 8GB of RAM run in single-channel mode.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is mediocre for media consumption. It's easy to carry around, and its battery lasts over six hours of video playback, giving you plenty of time to get through a couple of full-length movies. Its 16-inch IPS display looks decently sharp; however, its low contrast makes blacks look gray in dim settings, and its narrow color gamut makes colors look a tad washed out. Unfortunately, although the speakers get very loud, they sound boxy and unnatural, with no bass.
- Easy to carry around.
- Battery lasts over six hours of video playback.
- Speakers get very loud.
- Dim display not ideal for well-lit rooms.
- Colors look washed out.
- Speakers sound unnatural with no bass.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 isn't designed for use as a workstation. Although you can get this laptop with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, which is fairly capable, its integrated graphics are far too slow for demanding workloads. Also, you can only get the laptop with up to 16GB of RAM, which might not be enough for some workloads. On the bright side, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- Ryzen 7 CPUs can handle some demanding workloads.
- No performance loss under load.
- Fast SSD.
- Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- Integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
- Models with 8GB of RAM run in single-channel mode.
- USB-C doesn't support video output or Thunderbolt 4.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is good for business use. It's easy to carry, and its battery lasts long enough to get you through a typical 8-hour workday. It has a 16-inch display that's well-suited for multitasking, a comfortable keyboard, and a large and responsive touchpad. Its AMD Ryzen CPU can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and web browsing. Port selection is decent; the downside is that its USB-C doesn't support video output or Thunderbolt 4.
- Easy to carry around.
- Battery lasts over eight hours of light use.
- Screen provides plenty of space for multitasking.
- Comfortable keyboard and large, responsive touchpad.
- Dim display not ideal for well-lit rooms.
- Models with 8GB of RAM run in single-channel mode.
- USB-C doesn't support video output.
Changelog
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Updated Apr 10, 2026:
We've added a link to the newly-reviewed Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 2026) in the Build Quality section of the review.
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Updated Nov 11, 2025:
Added mention of the Dell 16 Plus (2025) as an alternative with sharper display options in the Screen Specs section.
- Updated May 07, 2025: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.8.3, which removes the viewing angle tests and adds a GPU Total Graphics Power comparison in the GPU section. The Pen Input test in the Extra Features section has also changed, as it now shows whether the laptop supports pen input rather than the inclusion of a stylus in the box. See the changelog for more details.
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Updated Nov 28, 2024:
Added mention of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 (2024) as an alternative with a brighter display in the Brightness section.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (model M1605YA-ES52) with an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U CPU, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. The CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; the available options are in the table below. Our review applies only to variants with a model number starting with 'M1605Y'.
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See our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is a decent budget laptop. It has a better keyboard and touchpad than most laptops in its class. However, it has a dim display, so visibility may be an issue in well-lit settings.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best business laptops, the best laptops for college, and the best budget and cheap laptops.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is much better than the Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023) for most uses. The ASUS feels more sturdily built, providing a better user experience with a brighter display, a more comfortable keyboard, and a more responsive touchpad. It also has a better webcam and longer battery life and is available with faster CPUs.
The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is much better than the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 (2020). The ASUS is available with newer and faster CPUs, providing a better user experience overall with a better keyboard and touchpad. It also has a better webcam, a faster SSD, and longer battery life. However, the Dell is more upgradeable, as it has two SO-DIMM memory and storage slots, whereas the ASUS only has one of each.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024) is much better than the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). The Zenbook is a more premium device with a more compact design and sturdier build. It provides a better user experience overall with a sharper and brighter 120Hz OLED display, a more responsive touchpad, a better webcam, and a wider port selection. It also has better CPU performance, allowing you to tackle more demanding tasks.
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 (2024) is better than the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) for most uses. The Samsung provides a better user experience overall, as it has a sturdier build, a brighter display, a wider port selection, and a longer battery life. However, it isn't as good as the ASUS when it comes to the keyboard and webcam—the former feels mushy, and the latter produces a soft, noisy, and underexposed image. Performance-wise, the Samsung feels snappier in most general productivity tasks, though the ASUS will have a slight edge in multi-threaded workloads if you get a model with an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU.
Test Results
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