The new year is just around the corner and if you’re in school or have a child who does, you’ll likely need to get a new laptop in order to keep up with the slew of online classes taking place these days that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg but what laptop to buy is the question?

If you’re shopping for a laptop that can tackle classwork, video calls on Zoom and Microsoft Teams, getting on Google Classroom and run Microsoft Office you don’t necessarily need to get the bleeding edge of tech. 

Advancements in hardware today enable many mainstream offerings to not only be quite capable but affordable too like the ASUS Laptop A416 and A516  series that is now available in Malaysia. Both these laptops blend sturdy design with solid specifications at reasonable prices, making them ideal everyday laptops.

Why get the ASUS Laptop A416 and A516 series for school or work?

Starting from RM2,049, the ASUS Laptop A416 and A516 series gets you a pretty highly portable package that can capably serve as a great starter laptop for students and for users looking to get a decent rig for working from home. 

Starting on the ground floor, the ASUS Laptop A416JA and A516JA comes with everything a student or aspiring telecommuter can look for while costing a mere RM2,049. The ASUS Laptop A516JA and A516JA both have similar specifications and an identical price tag of RM2,049 but differ slightly only in terms of screen size.

Large 14-inch HD resolution display

The ASUS Laptop A416JA offers a 14-inch HD resolution NanoEdge display that has a 16:9 aspect ratio that’s great for watching movies after classes and work is done.  If you need something a bit bigger, the ASUS Laptop A516JA laptop has a slightly larger 15.6-inch HD display that offers a bit more screen real estate.

The displays of the A416JA and A516JA are bright enough and wide enough that you can view documents and web pages at full screen resolution at a glance without having to pinch zoom up close. And yes, they come with a webcam so you needn’t have to buy a separate one for work and classes.

Fast SSD and 10th Gen Intel Core processor

Running under the hood of the ASUS Laptop A416JA and A516JA is Windows 10 Home on a decent 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 1.2GHz processor paired with 4GB RAM and a fast 256GB M.2 solid state drive (SSD). The addition of a fast SSD ensures fast loading times for Windows and apps alike and the reliable Intel Core processors can help you power through most day to day work without slowing down or keeling over.

Plenty of ports – HDMI, USB Type-A, Type-C and a card reader too

One thing you can never have enough of in a laptop, on top of more storage and RAM are more ports and the ASUS Laptop A416JA and A516JA comes loaded for bear. For what you pay for, you’re getting everyday laptops that have a solid set of ports that covers all the essentials so that you can port your feed to a larger display or to a projector for presentations, hook up a flash drive or portable hard disk and also have enough space left to hook up a mouse and keyboard too. 

You get a HDMI 1.4 port, a 3.5mm combo jack, three USB Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port and a microSD card reader too. You also get fast WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5 for fast connections and pairing up wireless gear too.

Backlit Keyboard and Fast Charging Too

The ASUS Laptop A416JA and A516JA are built with all the comforts expected of a high-performing laptop. You get a backlit keyboard with a 1.4mm key travel that offers a comfortable typing experience. Add in a high quality battery with fast-charging tech that can juice a battery up to 60% in under 49 minutes and you have a solid daily driver indeed.

Free copy of MS Office Home & Student 2019 and more

On its own, Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 costs a pretty penny but lets you get access to the full suite of productivity apps to write essays, create spreadsheets and presentations. Fortunately, ASUS has bundled in a free copy with every ASUS Laptop A416 and A516 series laptop purchased so you effectively save more. Better yet, they also throw in a free backpack too. Now, that’s value!

Wait, I Need Something More Powerful – Meet the ASUS Laptop A516JP and A4516JP

Fortunately, ASUS does have something if you need a bit more pixel crunching power over the A416JA and A516JA. Enter the ASUS Laptop A416JP and A516JP. 

The ASUS Laptop A416JP is externally similar to the A416JA but bumps up the screen sharpness with a higher resolution 14-inch Full HD display. It also packs a more powerful Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor and doubles the storage to a 512GB SSD along with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX330 graphics card for RM2,799.

Hold up, I Need A Laptop With a Bigger 15.6-inch Display – meet the A516JP and A516JA Everyday Laptops

Fret not as the aforementioned ASUS Laptop A516JA has a larger 15.6-inch HD display over the 14-inch A416JA laptop while having similar specifications in the form of a 10th Gen Intel Core i3 CPU, a 256GB SSD and integrated graphics for a similar price point of RM2,049.

If you want something that’s bigger and more powerful, you’re in luck as you can score the A516JP. It has the upgraded hardware of the A416JP – you get a 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU, a 512GB SSD, an NVIDIA GeForce MX330 graphics card along with a 15.6-inch HD display much like the A516JA for a similar price too at RM2,799.

Here’s a table to show how the ASUS Laptop A416 and A516 series stack up.

Model	A416JP	A516JP	A416JA	A516JA
Colours	Transparent Silver, Slate Grey	Transparent Silver	Transparent Silver, Slate Grey	Transparent Silver, Slate Grey
CPU	Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor 1.0 GHz (6M Cache, up to 3.6 GHz)	Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor 1.0 GHz (6M Cache, up to 3.6 GHz)	Intel Core i3-1005G1 Processor 1.2 GHz (4M Cache, up to 3.4 GHz)	Intel Core i3-1005G1 Processor 1.2 GHz (4M Cache, up to 3.4 GHz)
OS	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home
Display	14″ Full HD 1920×1080 16:9	15.6″ Full HD 1366×768 16:9	14″ HD 1366×768 16:9	15.6″ HD 1366×768 16:9
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce MX330	NVIDIA GeForce MX330	Intel UHD Graphics 620	Intel UHD Graphics 620
Memory	4GB RAM	4GB RAM	4GB RAM	4GB RAM
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 5(802.11ac) Bluetooth 4.1 (Dual band) 1*1	Wi-Fi 5(802.11ac) Bluetooth 4.1 (Dual band) 1*1	Wi-Fi 5(802.11ac) Bluetooth 4.1 (Dual band) 1*1	Wi-Fi 5(802.11ac) Bluetooth 4.1 (Dual band) 1*1
Interface	1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A Micro SD card reader	1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A Micro SD card reader	1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A Micro SD card reader	1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A Micro SD card reader
Free bonuses	Comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 + Free Backpack	Comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 + Free Backpack	Comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 + Free Backpack	Comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 + Free Backpack
Warranty	2 Years Global Warranty	2 Years Global Warranty	2 Years Global Warranty	2 Years Global Warranty
Price	RM2,799	RM2,799	RM2,049	RM2,049

Where To Buy The ASUS Laptop A416 and A516 series everyday laptops?

The ASUS A416JA and A516JA as well as the more powerful A416JP and A516JP are now available for sale nationwide in Malaysia at all good retailers and online at the ASUS online stores on Shopee and Lazada. You can check them out here:

Shopee – ASUS Laptop Store

https://shopee.com.my/asus_laptop.os?utm_campaign=s143507751

Lazada – ASUS Flagship Store

https://www.lazada.com.my/shop/asus-malaysia-official-store/

ASUS Official Concept Store & Retailers

https://www.asus.com/my/ASUS_Website_Information/where-to-buy-laptop-pc-2-in-1/