Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Comparison

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Asus Vivobook 16 X1605

16 inches | January 2024

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Microsoft Surface Pro 9

13 inches | October 2022

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Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Comparison Overview

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In this review, we will be comparing Vivobook 16 X1605 and Surface Pro 9, two laptops from Asus and Microsoft. Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 was introduced to market in January 2024 and Microsoft Surface Pro 9 was launched in October 2022. There is 15 months difference between Vivobook 16 X1605 and Surface Pro 9 so it would still give an advantage to younger Vivobook 16 X1605.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Here is a brief look at the main features of Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 and Microsoft Surface Pro 9 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 Key Specs

Launched in January 2024
16.0" IPS LCD, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 1235U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
8GB Ram
358.7 x 249.5 x 19.9 mm (14.12 x 9.82 x 0.78 inches)
Weight: 1.88 kg (4.15 lbs)

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Key Specs

Launched in October 2022
13.0" Touchscreen - IPS LCD, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 1235U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
8GB Ram
287 x 209 x 9.3 mm (11.3 x 8.23 x 0.37 inches)
Weight: 0.87 kg (1.92 lbs)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Vivobook 16 X1605 and Surface Pro 9 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 over Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Display Size	16 inches vs 13 inches	Larger Screen Estate
Screen Type	Matte vs Glossy	potentially less reflections on screen
Upgradable RAM	Yes vs No	More RAM Options
Bluetooth	v5.3 vs v5.1	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
HDMI Port	1x HDMI 1.4 vs No	Connect to external monitors directly via HDMI cable
Numeric Pad	Yes vs No	Fast way to input numbers

Reasons to choose Microsoft Surface Pro 9 over Asus Vivobook 16 X1605

Weight	0.87 kg vs 1.88 kg	1.01 kg lighter
Screen-to-Body Ratio	~83.9% vs ~82.9%	Larger screen area ratio
Side Bezel Thickness	6.2 mm vs 7 mm	0.8 mm thinner bezels
Refresh Rate	120 Hz vs 60 Hz	Smoother media experience
Screen PPI	266 ppi vs 142 ppi	More pixels per inch
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Interact with your fingers
Screen Resolution	2880 x 1920 pixels vs 1920 x 1200 pixels	Higher pixel count screen
Max Brightness	450 nits vs 300 nits	Brighter Screen
Charging Port Position	Left, Right vs Right	Flexible cable positions
RAM Type	LPDDR5 vs DDR4	Faster RAM Type
Dolby Atmos Speakers	Yes vs No	3D Surround Sound Support
Webcam Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720	Higher Resolution Camera
Number of USB-C Ports	2x USB 4.0 vs 1x USB 3.2	Connect more device at the same time
USB-C Port Type	v4.0 vs v3.2	Faster USB-C connection
Thunderbolt	v4 vs No	Support audio, data, power and video all through one single port
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs No	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Strengths of Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Asus Vivobook 16 X1605

Launch Dates	January 2024 vs October 2022	Both laptops are recent models
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs Yes	Charging via USB port gives flexibility
RAM Type	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Wi-Fi Standard	v6E vs v6E	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9.

Physical Specs
Weight	1.88 kg (4.15 lbs)	0.87 kg (1.92 lbs)
Surface Area	895 cm2 (138.7 inches2)	600 cm2 (93 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~82.9%	~83.9%
Side Bezel Thickness	~7 mm	~6.2 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.12 kg/inch	0.07 kg/inch
	0.264 lbs/inch	0.154 lbs/inch
Colors	Black, Silver	Black, Silver, Blue, Green

Comparison of the Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 External Dimensions

Weight

Vivobook 16 X1605 weighs 1.88 kg (4.15 lbs), whereas the Surface Pro 9 weighs 0.87 kg (1.92 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. However, it's important to consider that comparing their weights directly may not provide a complete picture since they also have different display sizes.

Weight Comparison

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 1.88 kg

Avg: 16.0-16.9" 2.07 kg

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 0.87 kg

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 1.22 kg

Thickness Comparison

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 19.90 mm

Avg: 16.0-16.9" 20.35 mm

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 11.30 mm

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 15.38 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 is 0.12 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is 0.07 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Microsoft Surface Pro 12: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i5 1235U Intel Core i7 1255U Intel Core i5 13500H Intel Core i7 13700H Intel Core 3 100U Intel Core 5 120U Intel Core 7 150U	Intel Core i5 1235U Intel Core i7 1255U
Base Frequency	1.3 GHz	1.3 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.4 GHz	4.4 GHz
Number of Cores	10 (2P + 8E)	10
Number of Threads	12	12
L3 Cache	12 MB	12 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU)	Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU)
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	10 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1580	1580
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	6333	6333
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1654	1654
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	6618	6618

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 and Microsoft Surface Pro 9.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPU ( Intel Core i5 1235U ) and compare them:

GPU Comparison

GPU Model

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 has a FLOPS value of 1.41 TFLOPS whereas the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 ' has a FLOPS value of 1.41 TFLOPS.

RAM Comparison

RAM	8GB 16GB	8GB 16GB 32GB
Memory Bus	1x8 GB	2x4 GB
RAM Clock	3200 MHz	5200 MHz
RAM Type	DDR4	LPDDR5
Upgradable	Yes	No
Max RAM Size	16 GB
Total Slots	1
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)

Both laptops, the Vivobook 16 X1605 and the Surface Pro 9, come with similar RAM capacities of 8 GB, providing comparable performance in memory-intensive tasks.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	Asus Vivobook 16 (X1605)	Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✔ Run smoothly.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	42 Wh 50 Wh 70 Wh	47.7 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	Yes	No
USB Power Delivery	Yes	Yes
Charging Port Position	Right	Left, Right
Charge Power	45 / 65 / 90 W	39 W

On the other hand, the Surface Pro 9 features a higher battery capacity of 48 Wh, delivering longer usage time compared to the Vivobook 16 X1605's 42 Wh.

Battery Comparison

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 42 Wh

Avg: 16.0-16.9" 74.15 Wh

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 48 Wh

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 53.1 Wh

STORAGE
Both laptops, the Vivobook 16 X1605 and the Surface Pro 9 have similar max. storage capacities of 1 TB, allowing for ample space to store files and applications.

Storage Options	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Total Slots	1	1
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 and Microsoft Surface Pro 9 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Vivobook 16 X1605 has a display size of 16.0".On the other hand, Surface Pro 9 has a smaller 13.0" display.The total usable screen area of the Vivobook 16 X1605 is 742cm² / 115inch² whereas the Surface Pro 9's total usable screen area is 503cm² / 78inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Additionally, the Surface Pro 9 features a higher pixel density with 266 pixels per inch (PPI), ensuring sharper image details.

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 142 PPI

Avg: 16.0-16.9" 169 PPI

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 266 PPI

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 186 PPI

Refresh Rate
The Surface Pro 9 offers a higher refresh rate of 120 Hz, resulting in smoother motion and improved visual experience.

Brightness
The Surface Pro 9 offers a higher maximum brightness of 450 nits, delivering a brighter screen.

Brightness Comparison

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 300 nits

Avg: 16.0-16.9" 413 nits

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 450 nits

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 438 nits

Asus Vivobook 16 X1605 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Both laptops offer the same Wi-Fi standard (v6E), ensuring fast and reliable wireless connections.

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Vivobook 16 X1605 is equipped with 3x USB 3.2 USB-A ports. Surface Pro 9 does not have USB-A ports.
Both Vivobook 16 X1605 and Surface Pro 9 have USB Type-C ports. Vivobook 16 X1605 has 1x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports, while Surface Pro 9 has 2x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Surface Pro 9 is equipped with Thunderbolt 4 port. Vivobook 16 X1605 does not have Thunderbolt port.

HDMI
Vivobook 16 X1605 features an HDMI port (1x HDMI 1.4) for connecting to external monitors. Surface Pro 9 does not have an HDMI port.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Neither Vivobook 16 X1605 nor Surface Pro 9 has an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
Vivobook 16 X1605 is equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, allowing seamless connection to headphones and speakers. Surface Pro 9 does not have a 3.5mm Audio Jack.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6E	v6E
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5.3	v5.1
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	3x USB 3.2	No
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	1x USB 3.2	2x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt (latest: 5)	No	Thunderbolt 4
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	1x HDMI 1.4	No
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	Optional	No
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	No
Ethernet RJ45	No	No
SD CardReader	No	No
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	Yes