What Asus actually launched
Asus's India blog dates the launch to November 5. The laptop is sold through Asus Exclusive Stores, the Asus E-shop, Amazon, Croma, Reliance Digital, Vijay Sales and authorised retail partners. The company says all three processor options ship as Copilot+ PCs. Colours are Komodo Coral, Arctic Blue and Zabriskie Beige. Asus notes that colour availability can vary by market.
The price ladder
India launch prices, as consistently reported across outlets:
| Model | Processor | NPU claim | Display | India price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UX3480QA | Snapdragon X X1-26-100 (8 cores/8 threads) | Up to 45 TOPS | 14-inch FHD+ OLED, 60Hz | Rs 1,36,990 |
| UX3480KA | AMD Ryzen AI 7 345 (6 cores/12 threads) | Up to 50 TOPS | 14-inch FHD+ OLED touch, 60Hz, stylus support | Rs 1,56,990 |
| UX3480AA | Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (16 cores/16 threads) | Up to 50 TOPS | 14-inch 3K OLED touch, 120Hz | Rs 1,67,990 |
The matching ZenMouse MD202 accessory is a separate purchase at Rs 6,999. Asus's own blog says accessories are not part of any bundle. Gizmochina reports no-cost EMI from Rs 7,611 a month for up to 18 months, and low-cost EMI from Rs 6,471 for up to 24 months.
One caution on pricing. Tech Stories India lists the Intel Core Ultra 9 Amazon variants at a launch price of Rs 1,93,990, against an MRP of Rs 2,81,990. That is well above the Rs 1,67,990 figure reported elsewhere. It may reflect a different SKU or bundle, such as the Microsoft 365 and Office packages Amazon lists. I can't confirm that from the evidence. Check the exact part number before you buy.
Where the models really differ
Intel: the display and I/O flagship
The Core Ultra 9 386H model is the only one in the family with the 3K (2,880 × 1,800) 120Hz panel. Asus's global spec page lists 500 nits typical brightness, 1,100 nits HDR peak, 100% DCI-P3 and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 600 certification for the 3K tier. Asus's global page also lists Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, HDMI 2.1, a USB-A port and a combo audio jack. It lists one Thunderbolt 4 port and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port for the Intel model.
Asus's global page lists both touch and non-touch versions of this panel. Indian reporting describes the Intel model as touch-enabled, so treat touch as a feature of the Indian SKU, not a guarantee for every market.
AMD: touch and stylus on a lighter-spec panel
The Ryzen AI 7 345 version keeps the FHD+ 60Hz OLED. It adds a touchscreen and stylus support. Asus's blog gives the chip a 2.0GHz base clock, up to 4.6GHz boost, 14MB of cache and an XDNA NPU rated up to 50 TOPS. If you take handwritten notes or annotate PDFs, this is the cheapest way into pen input on the range. If you want a smoother or sharper screen, it isn't.
Snapdragon: cheapest, lightest, lowest NPU rating
The Snapdragon X X1-26-100 model is the entry point. Asus rates its Hexagon NPU at up to 45 TOPS, and the display is the same FHD+ 60Hz OLED class. Reporting lists Bluetooth 5.3 rather than 5.4, and a slightly smaller port selection. Digit says the laptop is 1.39cm thick and weighs as little as 1.1kg. That matches the Snapdragon model's weight in the other reports. Intel and AMD versions are reported at about 1.3kg.
Snapdragon laptops run Windows on Arm. Most mainstream apps work, but anyone relying on niche drivers, older peripherals or specialist tools should check compatibility before choosing the cheapest model. That is general industry knowledge, not something the launch material addresses.
The battery numbers don't agree
Asus advertises up to 33 hours of battery life from a battery of up to 70Wh. That is a manufacturer maximum, not a measured result. Asus's global specs footnote cites MobileMark 2014 office productivity as the test basis. Real-world runtime will depend on screen brightness, refresh rate, workload and chip. The 33-hour claim should not be assumed to apply equally to all three models.
The capacity per model is where the sources conflict:
- Asus's India blog states that the AMD configuration has a 70Wh battery and up to 33 hours.
- Mobigyaan says the Intel and AMD configurations pack 70Wh batteries, while the Snapdragon variant has 50Wh. Gogi and Techgenyz say the same.
- Gadget Bridge, the report that prompted this story, lists the AMD model at 50Wh. Gizmochina's text is ambiguous on the AMD battery but gives the Snapdragon model 50Wh.
- 91mobiles' article text shows 70Wh for Intel and AMD, and 50Wh for Snapdragon.
Weighing it up, the 70Wh figure for AMD has Asus's own India blog behind it. Most retail-focused outlets support it too. The 50Wh figure for AMD looks like the outlier. The Snapdragon model's 50Wh is the most consistently reported figure. Even so, treat this as a point to confirm on the retail listing. Asus's global Intel page lists both 70Wh and 50Wh battery options across the broader UX3480 family, so mixed capacities do exist within the line.
Charging is simpler. Asus's global page lists a 68W USB-C adapter, though whether it ships in the box varies by country and model. Digit reports that USB-C fast charging can reach 50 per cent in 30 minutes, as per company claims. I found no independent test of that figure.
Windows 11, Copilot+ and what the NPU numbers mean
The Indian reporting says all three models come with Windows 11 Home, 16GB of LPDDR5X and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Asus's global spec page shows that other markets get Windows 11 Pro or no OS, so don't assume those details apply outside India. Asus recommends Windows 11 Pro for business use. Its spec page also lists an IR camera for Windows Hello, a privacy shutter, firmware TPM and the Microsoft Pluton security processor. IT buyers evaluating these for staff should note those security features. They should also note that Home edition lacks some management and encryption options that Pro offers. That is general Windows knowledge, not from the launch material.
The Copilot+ label requires an NPU rated at 40 TOPS or more. All three chips clear that bar on paper. Still, TOPS is a peak-capability figure. It doesn't tell you how a given AI feature will perform or how long the battery will last while running it. The 50 versus 45 TOPS gap between the Intel/AMD and Snapdragon models is unlikely to matter much in daily use.
Asus's global page also notes that the drivers are only compatible with Windows 11 version 24H2 or later. It warns against manually installing an older OS version. Anyone planning to reimage these laptops should keep that in mind.
Who should buy which
- Pick Intel (Rs 1,67,990) if screen quality matters most. It has the 3K 120Hz panel, Thunderbolt 4 and the highest core count.
- Pick AMD (Rs 1,56,990) if you want touch and pen support at a lower price. Accept the 60Hz FHD+ display.
- Pick Snapdragon (Rs 1,36,990) if weight and price are your priorities. Check app and driver compatibility first.
These are specification-based distinctions. No independent testing of performance or battery life was available at launch, so none of this says which model is faster or lasts longer. For a laptop family at this price, wait for reviews before buying. The Rs 20,000-plus gap between the Snapdragon and Intel models may be worth it for the display alone. Whether it buys you better real-world speed is still unknown.