
Best Asus laptops under ₹40,000: Top thin and light laptops with long battery life
View More
As tech-savvy buyers look for more features at competitive prices, Asus laptops stand out with sleek designs, strong internals, and reliable support, making them a solid choice in an increasingly crowded market.
What's more, many of its models are affordably priced under ₹ 40,000, making them an ideal upgrade for budget-conscious users. Here's a look at the best Asus laptops under ₹ 40,000 that deliver reliable performance.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 stands out as one of the best Asus laptops under ₹ 40,000, offering strong performance for daily use and multitasking. Powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U processor and 16GB RAM, this budget laptop handles work and entertainment smoothly.
Its 15.6-inch Full HD display delivers clear visuals, while the 512GB SSD ensures fast storage and quick boot times. Lightweight and portable, it suits students and professionals seeking the best thin and light laptop in the affordable segment.
Processor
12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U (1.2 GHz, up to 4.4 GHz, 6 cores)
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display
15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare
Operating System
Windows 11 Home with MS Office Home & Student 2021
High RAM capacity for smooth multitasking
Lightweight and portable design
Integrated graphics limits gaming performance
Display brightness could be better
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Buyers appreciate the laptop's fast processor and multitasking, but many criticise its poor display, sound quality, and battery life.
You should choose this product because it balances power, portability, and storage at an affordable price point.
Next up is the ASUS Vivobook Go 15 (2023), one of the best Asus laptops under ₹ 40,000, offering a strong AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor paired with 16GB DDR5 RAM for smooth multitasking and efficient performance.
Its 15.6-inch Full HD anti-glare display ensures comfortable viewing for long hours. With a fast 512GB SSD, this budget laptop boots quickly and handles storage-intensive tasks well.
Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 7520U (4 cores, up to 4.3 GHz)
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display
15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare
Operating System
Windows 11 Home with Office 2021
Powerful AMD Ryzen 5 processor for multitasking
Anti-glare display reduces eye strain
Integrated graphics limit gaming capabilities
Average brightness at 250 nits
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Buyers find the laptop good value with impressive battery life, but display, build, performance, and sound quality receive mixed reviews.
You should choose this product because it combines strong performance, ample RAM, and portability at an affordable price.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 15 (OLED) 2023 is a budget laptop that is a great pick for users seeking premium display quality without stretching the budget. It features a vibrant 15.6-inch FHD OLED display that delivers stunning visuals with 600 nits peak brightness and true-to-life colours.
Powered by an AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor and 8GB DDR5 RAM, it ensures smooth performance for daily tasks. It's 512GB SSD provides fast storage, while the lightweight design and backlit keyboard add convenience.
Processor
AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (4 cores, up to 4.1 GHz)
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display
15.6-inch FHD OLED, 600 nits, HDR True Black
Operating System
Windows 11 Home with Office 2021
Exceptional OLED display quality
Backlit keyboard for comfortable typing
Integrated graphics limit gaming
Glossy screen may reflect in bright environments
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Buyers praise the laptop's OLED display, battery life, and build quality, but report mixed experiences with functionality, sound quality, and brightness.
You should choose this product because it offers a premium OLED screen and solid performance at an affordable price.
With military-grade durability and AI noise-cancelling features, the ASUS VivoBook 15 balances performance and toughness, making it a top pick for buyers seeking a durable, efficient budget laptop under 40,000.
It is equipped with the powerful 12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U processor and 8GB DDR4 RAM for reliable everyday performance. Its 15.6-inch FHD anti-glare display ensures clear visuals without reflections, perfect for work or study.
Processor
Intel Core i3-1215U (6 cores, up to 4.4 GHz)
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display
15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare
Operating System
Windows 11 Home with Office 2021
AI Noise Cancelling improves audio clarity
MIL-STD 810H military-grade durability
Integrated graphics limit gaming performance
Screen brightness at 250 nits is average
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Buyers value this laptop's elegant design and fast boot speed, praising its performance, but report mixed reviews on battery, screen size, and sound quality.
You should choose this product because it offers strong performance, durable build quality, and useful features at a competitive price.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 (13th Gen) is a powerful contender in the best Asus laptops under ₹ 40,000 category, featuring the latest Intel Core i3-1315U processor with 16GB DDR4 RAM for smooth multitasking.
The 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD ensures fast storage and quick boot times. Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics boost everyday performance. Preloaded with Microsoft 365 Basic and Office Home 2024, this budget laptop combines productivity and style at a competitive price.
Processor
Intel Core i3-1315U (6 cores, up to 4.5 GHz)
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
Display
15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare, 60Hz
Operating System
Windows 11 Home with Office Home 2024 and Microsoft 365 Basic
Large 16GB RAM for heavy multitasking
Intel Iris Xe Graphics for better visuals
Average screen brightness at 250 nits
Integrated graphics are not suited for heavy gaming
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Buyers appreciate the laptop's speed and value but criticise its poor display, faulty keyboard, inconsistent design, and battery overheating issues.
You should choose this product because it delivers high memory, fast storage, and essential software for a productive experience at a budget price.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 stands out among the best Asus laptops under ₹ 40,000 for delivering solid performance and portability. Powered by a 13th Gen Intel Core i3-1315U processor and 8GB DDR4 RAM, it handles everyday tasks smoothly.
Its 15.6-inch FHD anti-glare display offers clear visuals, while the backlit keyboard enhances usability. The laptop's lightweight design and comprehensive connectivity options make it one of the best thin and light laptops in this budget segment.
Processor
Intel Core i3-1315U (6 cores, up to 4.5 GHz)
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
Display
15.6-inch FHD, Anti-glare, 60Hz
Operating System
Windows 11 Home with Office 2021
Lightweight and portable design
Strong connectivity with multiple USB ports and HDMI
Integrated graphics limit gaming performance
Average brightness and colour gamut on display
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Buyers appreciate the laptop's speed and value but criticise its poor display, faulty keyboard, inconsistent design, and battery overheating issues.
You should choose this product because it offers reliable performance and portability at a competitive price point for a budget laptop.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 is among the best Asus laptops under ₹ 40,000, offering a strong blend of power and usability. Featuring a 13th Gen Intel Core i3-1315U processor and 16GB DDR4 RAM, it handles multitasking and daily workloads with ease.
Its 15.6-inch FHD anti-glare display reduces eye strain, and the backlit keyboard supports work in low light. Preloaded with Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 Basic, this budget laptop is a reliable choice for students and professionals.
Processor
Intel Core i3-1315U (6 cores, up to 4.5 GHz)
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
Display
15.6-inch FHD, Anti-glare, 60Hz
Operating System
Windows 11 Home with Microsoft 365 Basic (1 Year)
Large 16GB RAM for smooth multitasking
Includes Microsoft 365 Basic and Office Home 2024
Integrated graphics limit gaming and heavy design work
Average screen brightness at 250 nits
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Buyers praise the laptop's speed and value but report poor display quality, faulty keyboard, inconsistent design, and battery overheating concerns.
You should choose this product because it balances performance and software features at an affordable price for a laptop under 40000.
The ASUS Vivobook Go 14 is is powered by the AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM that handles everyday tasks smoothly and efficiently. Its 14-inch FHD anti-glare display offers clear visuals with a 60Hz refresh rate, making it a practical choice for work and streaming.
Lightweight at just 1.38 kg, this laptop combines portability with essential productivity features including Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 Basic.
Processor
AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (4 cores, up to 4.1 GHz)
Storage
512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display
14-inch FHD, Anti-glare, 60Hz
Operating System
Windows 11 Home with Microsoft 365 Basic (1 Year)
Lightweight and highly portable at 1.38 kg
Fast LPDDR5 RAM boosts everyday performance
Integrated graphics limit gaming and heavy editing
Average screen brightness at 250 nits
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Buyers praise the battery life, performance and say that the laptop offers good value for money.
You should choose this product because it offers solid performance and portability at a budget-friendly price for laptops under 40000.
Asus offers excellent gaming laptops, especially through its ROG (Republic of Gamers) and TUF series. These models come equipped with powerful CPUs, high-end NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards, fast refresh rate displays, and advanced cooling systems, delivering smooth gaming experiences. If gaming is your priority, Asus gaming laptops provide great value and features that rival competitors, making them a solid choice for gamers at different budget levels.
Battery life varies depending on the Asus model, but many of their ultrabooks and mid-range laptops offer impressive runtimes. Models like the Asus ZenBook series can deliver 8-12 hours on a single charge, suitable for students and professionals who need all-day use without frequent charging. Gaming laptops generally have shorter battery life due to powerful hardware but still last a few hours unplugged. Asus also incorporates fast charging technology in many models, allowing quick top-ups.
Absolutely. Asus laptops cater well to both students and professionals by offering lightweight, portable designs with solid performance. The VivoBook and ZenBook series are popular for their balance of power and portability, featuring fast processors, decent RAM, and good display quality. These laptops handle multitasking, office applications, and media consumption efficiently. Additionally, Asus provides affordable options under ₹ 40,000 to ₹ 60,000 that suit tight budgets without compromising essential features. Processor: Look for at least an Intel Core i3 (11th Gen) or AMD Ryzen 3 processor. These offer smooth multitasking and are sufficient for everyday tasks like browsing, MS Office, and video calls. RAM: Choose a laptop with 8GB RAM or at least 4GB RAM with upgrade options. More RAM ensures smoother performance, especially when working with multiple tabs or light software. Storage: Prioritise SSD storage (256GB or more) over HDD for faster boot time, quick file access, and overall speed. Avoid models with only HDD if performance matters. Display Quality: A Full HD (1920x1080) display is preferred for sharper visuals. Asus often offers decent anti-glare panels in this range, which help reduce eye strain during long hours. Battery Life: Look for a battery backup of at least 6 hours. Thin-and-light Asus models in this range usually come with decent battery optimisation for daily use. Build & Portability: Consider models with a lightweight design (under 1.8 kg) and sturdy build. This is important for students or professionals who travel or carry their laptops daily. Best Asus laptops under ₹ 40,000
Processor
RAM
Display ASUS Vivobook 15 12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U (6 cores, 1.2-4.4 GHz) 16GB DDR4 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare ASUS Vivobook Go 15 (2023) AMD Ryzen 5 7520U (4 cores, up to 4.3 GHz) 16GB DDR5 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare ASUS Vivobook Go 15 (OLED) 2023 AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (4 cores, up to 4.1 GHz) 8GB DDR5 15.6-inch FHD OLED, 600 nits, HDR True Black ASUS VivoBook 15 (Durable model) Intel Core i3-1215U (6 cores, up to 4.4 GHz) 8GB DDR4 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare ASUS Vivobook 15 (13th Gen, 16GB) Intel Core i3-1315U (6 cores, up to 4.5 GHz) 16GB DDR4 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), Anti-glare, 60Hz ASUS Vivobook 15 (13th Gen, 8GB) Intel Core i3-1315U (6 cores, up to 4.5 GHz) 8GB DDR4 15.6-inch FHD, Anti-glare, 60Hz ASUS Vivobook 15 (13th Gen, 16GB variant) Intel Core i3-1315U (6 cores, up to 4.5 GHz) 16GB DDR4 15.6-inch FHD, Anti-glare, 60Hz ASUS Vivobook Go 14 AMD Ryzen 3 7320U (4 cores, up to 4.1 GHz) 8GB LPDDR5 14-inch FHD, Anti-glare, 60Hz
Disclaimer: Mint has an affiliate marketing partnership, which means we may get some commission on purchases you make through the retailer sites links provided. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, which is free from any bias or marketing pitch. We strive to provide accurate and unbiased information to help you make informed decisions. We recommend verifying details with the retailer before making a purchase.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Alexa got an AI brain transplant. How smart is it now?
For the last few years, I've been waiting for Alexa's AI glow-up. I've been a loyal user of Alexa, the voice assistant that powers Amazon's home devices and smart speakers, for more than a decade. I have five Alexa-enabled speakers scattered throughout my house, and while I don't use them for anything complicated — playing music, setting timers and getting the weather forecast are basically it — they're good at what they do. But since 2023, when ChatGPT added an AI voice mode that could answer questions in a fluid, conversational way, it has been obvious that Alexa would need a brain transplant — a new AI system built around the same large language models, or LLMs, that power ChatGPT and other products. LLM-based systems are smarter and more versatile than older systems. They can handle more complex requests, making them an obvious pick for a next-generation voice assistant. Amazon agrees. For the last few years, the company has been working feverishly to upgrade the AI inside Alexa. It has been a slog. Replacing the AI technology inside a voice assistant isn't as easy as swapping in a new model, and the Alexa remodel was reportedly delayed by internal struggles and technical challenges along the way. LLMs also aren't a perfect match for this kind of product, which not only needs to work with tons of preexisting services and millions of Alexa-enabled devices but also needs to reliably perform basic tasks. But finally, the new Alexa — known as Alexa+ — is here. It's a big, ambitious remodel that is trying to marry the conversational skills of generative AI chatbots with the daily tasks that the old Alexa did well. Alexa+, which has been available to testers through an early-access program for a few months, is now being rolled out more widely. I got it recently after I bought a compatible device (the Echo Show 8, which has an 8-inch screen) and enrolled in the upgraded version. (Prime members will get Alexa+ at no cost, while non-Prime members will have to pay $19.99 per month.) The New York Times recently announced a licensing deal with Amazon, which will allow Amazon to use Times content in its AI systems, including Alexa+. The Times is also suing OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and Microsoft for alleged copyright violations related to the training of AI systems. I have good news and bad news for my fellow Alexa-heads. The good news is that the new Alexa+ is, in fact, more fun to talk to than the old one, with more realistic synthetic voices and a more humanlike cadence. (There are eight voices to choose from; I used the default setting, an upbeat female voice.) And I liked some of Alexa+'s new capabilities, such as booking a table at a restaurant and generating long stories and reading them to my 3-year-old. The new Alexa is also better at handling multistep requests. 'Set three kitchen timers for 15, 25 and 45 minutes' and 'write a one-day itinerary for a trip to San Diego and send it to my email' were two prompts that worked for me. And Alexa+ doesn't require you to say its wake word every time you talk to it, so you can go back and forth or ask it follow-up questions, which is a nice change. The bad news is that despite its new capabilities, Alexa+ is too buggy and unreliable for me to recommend. In my testing, it not only lagged behind ChatGPT's voice mode and other AI voice assistants I've tried but also was noticeably worse than the original Alexa at some basic tasks. When I asked Alexa+ to cancel an alarm the other morning — a request I had made to the old Alexa hundreds of times with no issues — it simply ignored me. When I emailed a research paper to alexa@ in order to hear Alexa+ summarize it while I washed the dishes, I got an error message saying the document couldn't be found. Alexa+ also hallucinated some facts and made some inexplicable errors. When I asked it to look up Wirecutter's recommended box grater and add it to my Amazon cart, it responded that 'according to Wirecutter, the best box grater is the OXO Good Grips Box Grater.' Wirecutter's actual box grater pick is the Cuisipro 4-Sided Box Grater. Luckily, I caught the mistake before ordering. When I asked Alexa+ to walk me through installing a new AI model on my laptop, it got tripped up and started repeating, 'Oh, no, my wires got crossed.' And I didn't have access to some of the new Alexa+ features Amazon advertised, such as a 'routine' feature that triggers several different actions when a user enters a room. (I wanted to have Alexa+ greet me in the mornings with a motivational speech and a high-volume rendition of 'Eye of the Tiger,' but the presence-sensing feature hasn't been turned on yet, according to an Amazon spokesperson.) Daniel Rausch, the Amazon vice president who oversees Alexa and Echo, told me in a recent podcast interview that many of these flaws would be fixed soon as Alexa+ rolled out more widely and more of its features came online. 'We've got some edges to sand,' he said. Alexa, Give Me 500 Words on the History of Kitchen Timers Rausch said the biggest challenge in building generative AI models into Alexa was that they were fundamentally different types of systems. The old Alexa, he said, was built on a complicated web of rule-based, deterministic algorithms. Setting timers, playing songs on Spotify, turning off the lamp in your living room — all of these features required calling up different tools and connecting with different interfaces, and they all had to be programmed one by one. Adding generative AI to Alexa forced Amazon to rebuild many of these processes, Rausch said. Large language models, he said, are 'stochastic,' meaning they operate on probabilities rather than a strict set of rules. That made Alexa more creative but less reliable. It also made the voice assistant slow. Rausch recalled an early internal demo in which Alexa+ took more than 30 seconds to play a song — an 'excruciating' delay, he said, that led the team to rethink its approach. 'These models are slow to respond when they're following a deep set of instructions,' he said. 'We're asking them to do something quite hard.' Another challenge to overcome, Rausch said, was generative AI's wordiness. Initially, when engineers hooked Alexa up to large language models, the system would sometimes produce long, verbose answers or introduce needless complexity. Alexa+ might respond to a user's request for a 10-minute kitchen timer with a 500-word essay about the history of kitchen timers. The solution, Rausch said, was to spend several years combining more than 70 AI models — some Amazon's proprietary models and some from outside providers, like Anthropic's Claude — into a single, voice-based interface, with an orchestration system that routes a user's request to the model that is best suited to handle it. 'The magic, when it is working really well, is to get those new ways of speaking to Alexa to interface with those predictable outcomes or behaviors,' he said. There are other barriers, too. One of them, Rausch said, is that many longtime users have learned how to 'speak Alexa,' phrasing their daily requests in familiar commands that they know the system will understand. 'We all sort of came up with our way of setting a timer to get the pasta done on time,' he said. But Alexa+ processes language in a more fluid way. Users can talk to it as they would talk to a human — no robot pidgin required — and that may necessitate some retraining. I assume that many of the flaws will be ironed out and that most users will acclimate to the new way of speaking to Alexa+. I'm also inclined to cut Amazon some slack, since building LLM-based technology into a reliable voice assistant seems like a thorny technical problem, and it's not like anyone else has solved it. (Apple, which has been struggling to give Siri an AI upgrade for years, certainly hasn't.) I also don't think the limitations of Alexa+ suggest that generative AI models are inherently unreliable or that they'll never work as personal voice assistants. Ultimately, I think it's just really hard to combine generative AI with older, legacy systems — a lesson many companies, both inside and outside tech, are learning the hard way right now — and it's going to take some time to work out all the kinks. For now, I'm going to downgrade my devices to the older, less intelligent version of Alexa and leave the beta testing to others. With AI, as with humans, sometimes raw intelligence matters less than how you use it.


Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Alexa got an AI brain transplant: How smart is it now
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads For the last few years, I've been waiting for Alexa 's AI glow-up.I've been a loyal user of Alexa, the voice assistant that powers Amazon 's home devices and smart speakers, for more than a decade. I have five Alexa-enabled speakers scattered throughout my house, and while I don't use them for anything complicated -- playing music, setting timers and getting the weather forecast are basically it -- they're good at what they since 2023, when ChatGPT added an AI voice mode that could answer questions in a fluid, conversational way, it has been obvious that Alexa would need a brain transplant -- a new AI system built around the same large language models, or LLMs, that power ChatGPT and other products. LLM-based systems are smarter and more versatile than older systems. They can handle more complex requests, making them an obvious pick for a next-generation voice agrees. For the last few years, the company has been working feverishly to upgrade the AI inside Alexa. It has been a slog. Replacing the AI technology inside a voice assistant isn't as easy as swapping in a new model, and the Alexa remodel was reportedly delayed by internal struggles and technical challenges along the way. LLMs also aren't a perfect match for this kind of product, which not only needs to work with tons of preexisting services and millions of Alexa-enabled devices but also needs to reliably perform basic finally, the new Alexa -- known as Alexa+ -- is here. It's a big, ambitious remodel that is trying to marry the conversational skills of generative AI chatbots with the daily tasks that the old Alexa did which has been available to testers through an early-access program for a few months, is now being rolled out more widely. I got it recently after I bought a compatible device (the Echo Show 8, which has an 8-inch screen) and enrolled in the upgraded version. (Prime members will get Alexa+ at no cost, while non-Prime members will have to pay $19.99 per month.)The New York Times recently announced a licensing deal with Amazon, which will allow Amazon to use Times content in its AI systems, including Alexa+. The Times is also suing OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and Microsoft for alleged copyright violations related to the training of AI systems.I have good news and bad news for my fellow good news is that the new Alexa+ is, in fact, more fun to talk to than the old one, with more realistic synthetic voices and a more humanlike cadence. (There are eight voices to choose from; I used the default setting, an upbeat female voice.)And I liked some of Alexa+'s new capabilities, such as booking a table at a restaurant and generating long stories and reading them to my new Alexa is also better at handling multistep requests. "Set three kitchen timers for 15, 25 and 45 minutes" and "write a one-day itinerary for a trip to San Diego and send it to my email" were two prompts that worked for Alexa+ doesn't require you to say its wake word every time you talk to it, so you can go back and forth or ask it follow-up questions, which is a nice bad news is that despite its new capabilities, Alexa+ is too buggy and unreliable for me to recommend. In my testing, it not only lagged behind ChatGPT's voice mode and other AI voice assistants I've tried but also was noticeably worse than the original Alexa at some basic I asked Alexa+ to cancel an alarm the other morning -- a request I had made to the old Alexa hundreds of times with no issues -- it simply ignored I emailed a research paper to alexa@ in order to hear Alexa+ summarize it while I washed the dishes, I got an error message saying the document couldn't be also hallucinated some facts and made some inexplicable errors. When I asked it to look up Wirecutter 's recommended box grater and add it to my Amazon cart, it responded that "according to Wirecutter, the best box grater is the OXO Good Grips Box Grater." Wirecutter's actual box grater pick is the Cuisipro 4-Sided Box Grater. Luckily, I caught the mistake before ordering. When I asked Alexa+ to walk me through installing a new AI model on my laptop, it got tripped up and started repeating, "Oh, no, my wires got crossed."And I didn't have access to some of the new Alexa+ features Amazon advertised, such as a "routine" feature that triggers several different actions when a user enters a room. (I wanted to have Alexa+ greet me in the mornings with a motivational speech and a high-volume rendition of "Eye of the Tiger," but the presence-sensing feature hasn't been turned on yet, according to an Amazon spokesperson.)Daniel Rausch , the Amazon vice president who oversees Alexa and Echo, told me in a recent podcast interview that many of these flaws would be fixed soon as Alexa+ rolled out more widely and more of its features came online."We've got some edges to sand," he said the biggest challenge in building generative AI models into Alexa was that they were fundamentally different types of old Alexa, he said, was built on a complicated web of rule-based, deterministic algorithms. Setting timers, playing songs on Spotify, turning off the lamp in your living room -- all of these features required calling up different tools and connecting with different interfaces, and they all had to be programmed one by generative AI to Alexa forced Amazon to rebuild many of these processes, Rausch said. Large language models, he said, are "stochastic," meaning they operate on probabilities rather than a strict set of rules. That made Alexa more creative but less also made the voice assistant slow. Rausch recalled an early internal demo in which Alexa+ took more than 30 seconds to play a song -- an "excruciating" delay, he said, that led the team to rethink its approach."These models are slow to respond when they're following a deep set of instructions," he said. "We're asking them to do something quite hard."Another challenge to overcome, Rausch said, was generative AI's wordiness. Initially, when engineers hooked Alexa up to large language models, the system would sometimes produce long, verbose answers or introduce needless complexity. Alexa+ might respond to a user's request for a 10-minute kitchen timer with a 500-word essay about the history of kitchen solution, Rausch said, was to spend several years combining more than 70 AI models -- some Amazon's proprietary models and some from outside providers, like Anthropic's Claude -- into a single, voice-based interface, with an orchestration system that routes a user's request to the model that is best suited to handle it."The magic, when it is working really well, is to get those new ways of speaking to Alexa to interface with those predictable outcomes or behaviors," he are other barriers, too. One of them, Rausch said, is that many longtime users have learned how to "speak Alexa," phrasing their daily requests in familiar commands that they know the system will understand."We all sort of came up with our way of setting a timer to get the pasta done on time," he Alexa+ processes language in a more fluid way. Users can talk to it as they would talk to a human -- no robot pidgin required -- and that may necessitate some retraining.I assume that many of the flaws will be ironed out and that most users will acclimate to the new way of speaking to Alexa+. I'm also inclined to cut Amazon some slack, since building LLM-based technology into a reliable voice assistant seems like a thorny technical problem, and it's not like anyone else has solved it. ( Apple , which has been struggling to give Siri an AI upgrade for years, certainly hasn't.)I also don't think the limitations of Alexa+ suggest that generative AI models are inherently unreliable or that they'll never work as personal voice assistants. Ultimately, I think it's just really hard to combine generative AI with older, legacy systems -- a lesson many companies, both inside and outside tech, are learning the hard way right now -- and it's going to take some time to work out all the now, I'm going to downgrade my devices to the older, less intelligent version of Alexa and leave the beta testing to others. With AI, as with humans, sometimes raw intelligence matters less than how you use it.


Mint
20 hours ago
- Mint
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra gets a massive ₹50,000 price cut — here's how to grab the deal
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra is getting a big discount during the recent sale on Amazon and Flipkart , which takes the effective price of the device to below ₹ 80,000, marking almost a ₹ 50,000 discount on its original selling price. While the phone may be over a year old, it continues to be among the best flagship devices one can buy , especially given the long software update policy offered by Samsung. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra price cut: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was launched in India at a price of ₹ 1,29,999 for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage variant. However, during the current sale on Amazon and Flipkart, the phone is being listed at an almost ₹ 50,000 discount. On Amazon, the 256GB storage variant is listed for ₹ 80,490 , while on Flipkart, the same variant costs ₹ 81,980. Flipkart, however, also provides a ₹ 4,000 instant discount on the Flipkart Axis credit card , which takes the effective price of the device to below ₹ 80,000. Galaxy S24 Ultra specifications: The Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with up to 2,600 nits of peak brightness and 120Hz refresh rate. The phone comes with Gorilla Glass Armor protection , which also provides up to a 75% reduction in reflection during a wide range of lighting conditions. The phone comes powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor with Adreno 740, the same SoC found on the likes of OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 13R (Review). It is paired with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. The phone currently runs on One UI 7 based on Android 15 , but Samsung has also announced plans to soon bring Android 16-based One UI 8 to the smartphone. Apart from these two upgrades, the S24 Ultra still has about 5 years of OS updates remaining , which should be good enough for most users. On the optics front, the phone comes with a quad camera setup with a 200MP primary shooter with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom , and a 50MP periscope lens with 5x zoom capabilities. On the front is a 12MP shooter for selfies and video calls.