Vivobook – Tech Raman

The all new ASUS VivoBook 15 X512 Review

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 23:50:03 +0000

Asus covers lots of ground when it comes to laptops – they got mainstream laptops and niche gaming laptops. Within mainstream mobility, they have Pro series, S Series, Flip series and the VivoBook range which is more affordable and aimed at masses. I personally own a VivoBook S410U, a compact machine that fits my needs on the go. At CES this year, the updated the VivoBook series with VivoBook X412 and X512, I got the later here and in this VivoBook 15 X512, let’s find out what it brings onboard.

Key highlights of the VivoBook 15 X512 (as well X412)

Asus claims the new VivoBook 14 and 15 now offers thinner bezels and what they call as NanoEdge display offering four-sided frameless display offering 87% and 88% screen to body ratio respectively.
The ErgoLift hinge design elevates the laptop base at an angle for comfortable typing experience.
The top variant now offers upmarket specifications – up to 8th generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor with the VivoBook 15 coming with a choice of NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics.
If you are bored of silver and Slate grey, there is also a Peacock Blue and Coral Crush colour options on offer.

In this review let’s focus on the X512 which I got here.

Asus Vivobook X512 Detailed Specs

Design and Build Quality

The VivoBook series so far offers plastic chassis and the trend continues here too but the build is fairly robust. There is a bit of flex on the lid but should not be much of a concern and it doesn’t hamper my experience either. The machine weights 1.6 kg and measures 357.2mm wide by 230.4mm deep 19.9mm thick. The bezels have narrowed down all over on all four sides. It does make it look visually better and compact and offers an immersive experience. A noticeable engineering introduction is the ErgoHinge that lifts the machine by a few degrees slanting for comfortable typing. As you lift the lid, the hinge brings the bottom of the screen down behind the keyboard base and lifts the top part of the keyboard up at a slight angle. It does feel better while working on the laptop. The lift is about 5mm, a slight lift but enough to give a comfortable typing mode instead of the flat surface. The screen can tilt to maximum up to 135 degrees and the hinges give it a 2-degree slant. The right edge has a single USB 3.0 port, a USB-C port, a full-size HDMI connector, a 3.5mm headset jack and a MicroSD card slot. On the left edge, there are two USB 2.0 ports. Unfortunately, there is no USB 3.1 here. microSD reader support is still there. I do miss the lack of SD card reader in many of the laptops these days that come handy for me many times to transfer images from my camera.

Keyboard and Trackpad

Moving from my VivoBook S14 410 which is one of my main travel laptops, I was at home using the X512’s keyboard but is not comfortable for longer typing sessions. For new users, lack of no noticeable ‘click’, the keyboard action is spongy and not springy while this does not hamper everyday use but I need to state it here. Having said that, the keyboard does tend to get used to as I got with my 410. The keyboard is also backlit and you can change the brightness level. The keyboard also accommodates a number pad but the keys are slightly narrowed down on width but maintaining the same full height. There is a large glass layered trackpad with fingerprint sensor only placed at the top right corner. The touchpad is responsive and you can toggle it off with an Fn key. The trackpad supports Windows gestures.

Display of VivoBook X512

Wrapped in the ‘NanoEdge’ bezel the screen looks immersive, the side bezels are 5.7mm, the upper bezel is at 8mm and houses the webcam, the lower edge is around 18mm, this is a considerable improvement over the previous generation of Vivobooks. The screen itself is a bit of a dampener. Personally, I prefer the matte finish display with anti-glare IPS panel and this one has got it and a full HD (1,920 x 1,080). But the colours are washed out. If you take a look at the screen in my earlier image taken outdoor, you would notice a lack of decent brightness. The display is underwhelming even when full brightness is turned on. Viewing angles are also bit restricted. I just moved to this machine after reviewing the Asus Zephyrus which had a brilliant display and suddenly felt let down here.

Performance of VivoBook X512

Both the X412 and X512 comes in various combination and permutations. I have got the top variant – VivoBook X512FL. The VivoBook 15 X512 I have gets the Intel Core i7 8565U processor and comes paired with 8GB DDR4 RAM as standard. Asus has also upped the ante with the Nvidia MX250 graphics card for dealing with graphics-intensive tasks. For storage, there’s a combination of a 256GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. A stand-alone NVIDIA GeForce MX230 graphics card gives a big boost to the machine. With such hardware might, the laptop can’t disappoint for most of your needs. Thanks to the SSD, the bootup time is also fast. The 8th Gen Core i7 means your most of the tasks would be dealt at ease, I had opened around two dozen chrome tabs and had no issues. With a dedicated graphics card, you can also indulge in some decent gaming on this machine. You should be able to play the in-trend games like PUBG, Apex Legends and Fortnite. I was even able to edit few vides on Premier pro while on transit though this may not be my ideal machine for video or photo editing but can handle the tasks on emergency situations, though the display is not encouraging for those needs. As a daily laptop for browsing, working on Microsoft office, email and stuffs the portable compact form factor with this set of hardware makes it a good work horse. The speaker is bottom-firing and the sound is just about average.

Battery Life of VivoBook X512

The X512 packs a 37Whr battery. On my regular usage real-life tests, I managed 4-4.5 hours of battery life which suggests an average battery life.

Verdict

In India, the Asus VivoBook X512 price starts at Rs 34,990 and goes up to Rs 65,990 which makes it to the affordable consumer laptop price bracket. The X512 offers a competitive good choice of hardware and design, the 8th gen Intel Core does give a performance boost and if you are buying the models with the discrete graphics it does add the extra sweetness. But the laptop is not without its own share of drawbacks, particularly the not so impressive display. The top variant packing the 8th gen Core i7 with dedicated graphics is still a value for money offering at its price. The entry leve variant at Rs 34,990 is a great buy for those seeking an entry level budget laptop, If you want a sleek machine this should be ideal but you should really be buying it a basis of what your real life requirements are. ]]>

Asus VivoBook S14 406UA Review

Lakshmi Rajan — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:08:41 +0000

Asus has a wide portfolio in laptop ranging from the premium upmarket Zenbook series to the gamer’s delight ROG series and inbetween they also have the VivoBook series which offers a stylish, sleek look but at a price step lower than the Zenbooks. Within the VivoBook there are VivoBook, Vivobook S, VivoBook Flip, VivoBook Pro lineup. What we got today is the Asus VivoBook S14 406UA, a light weight sleek machine for on the go. Within the S14 there are two variants , the S406U which we got here and the S410U. While the design looks identical, there are few changes. To start with, the S406U has a HD panel while the S410UA models have a fullHD panel. The S406U has only SSD storage while the S410UA models have hard drive in addition to the SSDs, and hence also is slightly heavier and thicker.

Asus VivoBook S14 604UA Specifications

Display:

14″ TN LED display
1366 x 768 pixel

Processor :

Intel Core i5-8250U
Intel UHD Graphics 620

Memory:

8192 MB RAM DDR3L-1866, Dual-Channel
No memory slots

Mainboard:

Intel Kaby Lake-U iHDCP 2.2 Premium PCH

Storage:

SanDisk 256 GB SSD

Connections:

1 USB 2.0,
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1,
1 HDMI,
3.5mm audio port
Card Reader: MicroSD,
1 Fingerprint Reader

Networking:

Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter (a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.2

Battery:

39 Wh, 5070 mAh Lithium-Polymer, 7.7 V

Vivobook S14 604UA Design and build

What strikes an immediate note is that the VivoBook S14 604U is compact and lightweight, offering ultra portability. It weighs 1.2Kg and has a dimension reading 0.58 x 12.91 x 8.92 inch. It’s stylish and can work well for both professional and casual users. It is available in two color variants – the gold color if you want to flaunt it or the go quiet but solid looking grey color. While the chassis is made of plastic, the back of the display lid of the VivoBook has a metal construction. Its a mix of both, obviously to cut down the costs. The top side has a pleasant brushed metal effect, the trademark Asus concentric circle design is missing though. The plastic chassis also means you can notice quiet a bit of flex on the slightest of effort and can be bent with little pressure, it lacks firmness and hardness. The chassis lacks both firmness and rigidity. It can be bent or twisted with little effort.

The display can be pushed 120 degrees backwards, which was comfortable for usage in different positions. Tough the display can wobble easily and inherent poor design of the hinge that does not give amble support. While working on a desk or being stationary should not cause any wobbling, if you constantly work on a moving vehicle you might have a slight wobbling issues.

The sides of the laptop are fairly thin at 18.8mm enough to fit in the ports. The left side houses the DC power jack, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-A), MicroHDMI, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-C). For some reasons or may be due to the form factor, they have not included a full sized HDMI port. The other variant 410UA has a SD card slot and an HDMI port as well, both full-sized in case that matters for you.

The SD card reader (MicroSD), headphone/microphone combined jack, USB 2.0 (Type-A) are positioned at the right side.

The trackpad is wide enough and there is a fingerprint sensor in the corner. Again due to the plastic body construction, you notice good measure of flex on the trackpad when you press.

The S14 406U is equipped with a backlit chiclet-style keyboard. I found the keyboard even though on the same frame quiet easy to use, the keys have a short travel distance and a clear actuation point. We can conclude it has a decent keyboard that you won’t have difficulty for normal typing needs. Though, again the flex is noticeable at the middle but again this is not the top-of-the-line machine we are talking about.

There is also a HD-resolution webcam and the stereo speakers are tuned by Harman Kardon.

VivoBook S14 604UA Display

I was surprised Asus has opted for a resolution of 1366×768 for this machine, while the 610UA gets treated with a fullHD panel. There is no touch screen across the S14 variants. The screen has an anti-glare finish. So while using indoors under artificial lights, it works good. I found the brightness to be fairly adequate, though on technical side, the contrast ratio is a bit low. The bezels around the display are thin, which helps Asus to fit in a 14-inch panel in a normal 13-inch body.

Peformance

The S14 406UA comes in different processors – i5 8th generation and i3 7th generation, what I got was the i5 variant. So the internals of my unit has the Intel Core i5-8250U (Kaby Lake Refresh) quad-core processor with an integrated Intel UHD graphics 620. The processor comes with a base clock of 1.6 GHz. By means of Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology, the clock rate can be increased up to 3.4 GHz. It is also equipped with a 8 GB DDR4 1866MHz SDRAM. The SSD comes from SanDisk and has a total capacity of 256 GB. Right out of the box, only 205 GB is available to the user. The rest of the storage space is occupied by the Windows installation files and the Recovery Partition.

The VivoBook comes with Windows 10 Home preinstalled and full version of Microsoft’s office suite. Asus also has couple of their programs installed, for driver updates and battery management. Surprisingly, it also comes with CyberLink’s PowerDirector 14 video editing program, which I haven’t tried frankly since am at ease with Premiere Pro.

Booting takes around 13 seconds. The laptop was cool most of the time, I didn’t face any heating issue except when I was putting it through the Premier pro video tasks when I could hear the fan and the heat. If you are sucker of benchmark scores, on PCMark 10 it hit 3,536 points in PCMark 10, encoding the test video file in Handbrake took about 1 minute and 51 seconds. If you are keen at gaming, this is not really ideal for gaming, yes you can play games especially casual games should not be problem but if it is heavy graphic intense games it would be at low graphics settings for a smoother play.

These particular Vivobook is meant for productivity on the go and when I mean productivity it is not exactly heavy tasks like video editing, but I did use premier pro on few occasions when I had to edit video desperately and it did manage to get it done. So, the machine is quiet capable for the task but basically aimed at normal uses on the go. For everyday tasks, this machine is at ease. The battery life can extend to 7 hours on normal tasks.

Verdict:

What works for VivoBook S14 S406UA:

Good looks
Compact, sleek design
Light weight
SSD storage
Good for normal tasks
Decent battery life

What doesn’t work for VivoBook S14 S406UA

Flex due to plastic and thin construction
Only SSD storage and limited
No full-sized SD card slot

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