ASUS Vivobook S vs Competition: Best Budget AI Laptop Deals in 2024

I've spent the last decade evaluating laptop value propositions, and right now, the mid-range AI laptop market is genuinely competitive. The ASUS Vivobook S at $750 with free shipping caught my attention because it delivers flagship display technology and current-generation processing power at a price point where corners usually get cut. Let me break down how it stacks against three direct competitors.

Why This Price Point Matters

The $700-$900 sweet spot is where buyers get real productivity machines without the premium markup of gaming laptops or workstations. At $750, the Vivobook S enters this arena with an OLED panel that typically costs $300+ more in competing models. That's the kind of value gap worth analyzing.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	ASUS Vivobook S	Lenovo ThinkBook 14	HP Pavilion 14 Plus	Dell Inspiron 14
Price	$750	$799	$899	$679
Display	14" 3K 120Hz OLED	14" 1920x1200 IPS 60Hz	14" 1920x1440 OLED 120Hz	14" 1920x1080 IPS 60Hz
Processor	Ryzen AI 9 365	Core Ultra 7 (Arrow Lake)	Ryzen AI 9 HX 370	Core Ultra 5 (Arrow Lake)
RAM	24GB LPDDR5X	16GB LPDDR5	16GB LPDDR5X	16GB LPDDR5
Storage	512GB SSD	512GB SSD	512GB SSD	256GB SSD
NPU (AI)	45 TOPS	40 TOPS	50 TOPS	None
Battery	80Wh	63Wh	83Wh	61Wh
Weight	1.42kg (3.13 lbs)	1.48kg (3.26 lbs)	1.55kg (3.42 lbs)	1.51kg (3.33 lbs)

The Display Advantage You Can't Ignore

Here's where the Vivobook S separates itself. That 14" 3K OLED panel at 120Hz is genuinely exceptional at this price. The HP Pavilion 14 Plus also offers OLED, but costs $150 more. The Lenovo and Dell both stick with traditional IPS, which means worse color accuracy, higher response times, and ultimately a dimmer viewing experience. For content creators or anyone doing color-critical work, the OLED investment matters.

I've tested both OLED and standard IPS panels side-by-side at this price tier. The contrast ratio difference alone—typically 10,000:1 for OLED versus 1,000:1 for IPS—translates to sharper text rendering and noticeably better video playback quality.

Processing Power and AI Capabilities

The Ryzen AI 9 365 isn't the fastest processor in this lineup (that goes to HP's AI 9 HX 370), but it's faster than the Lenovo's Core Ultra 7 and significantly more capable than Dell's Core Ultra 5. More importantly, the 24GB RAM configuration on the Vivobook S is a practical advantage over competitors' 16GB bases. For anyone running multiple applications, virtual machines, or local AI tools, that extra capacity matters.

All three AI-equipped laptops support local LLM inference thanks to their NPUs. The Vivobook's 45 TOPS is sufficient for real-world AI acceleration in applications like Adobe Firefly or Microsoft Copilot.

My Recommendation

I'm recommending the ASUS Vivobook S as the best value in this category. You're getting OLED display technology, superior RAM configuration, strong processor performance, and free shipping at the lowest entry price. The HP Pavilion edges it on raw CPU performance and battery capacity, but that's a $150 premium for capabilities most users won't fully utilize.

The Dell is cheaper, but the downgrade to 256GB storage and lack of AI acceleration disqualifies it for forward-looking purchases. The Lenovo is a safe choice, but it's paying for the ThinkBook brand without matching the Vivobook's hardware spec-for-spec.

At $750 with free shipping, the Vivobook S delivers flagship features at a mass-market price. That's the deal worth taking.