Asus Vivobook S Ultra Thin and Portable Laptop Review
Our Verdict
The slimline blueprint of the Asus VivoBook S15 makes it 1 of the most portable fifteen-inch laptops around, while its potent Intel Core i7 performance ensures that it can handle everything except heavy-duty gaming.
For
- Bright, colourful xv.half-dozen-inch screen
- Weighs just one.8kg
- Powerful i7 processor
- Good connectivity (inc. WiFi 6)
Against
- Merely average bombardment life
- Merely 1080p resolution
- ScreenPad is a scrap weird…
TechRadar Verdict
The slimline pattern of the Asus VivoBook S15 makes it ane of the nigh portable xv-inch laptops around, while its stiff Intel Cadre i7 performance ensures that information technology tin can handle everything except heavy-duty gaming.
Pros
- +
Bright, colourful 15.6-inch screen
- +
Weighs simply 1.8kg
- +
Powerful i7 processor
- +
Good connectivity (inc. WiFi half-dozen)
- +
Cons
- -
Merely boilerplate bombardment life
- -
Only 1080p resolution
- -
ScreenPad is a bit weird…
- -
The Asus Vivobook S15 (S532F) proves, in more ways than one, that less is more than. Post-obit in the Ultrabook footsteps, this quality portable car keeps everything lightweight and sparse nevertheless powerful enough for some light photo editing. And, that'southward without forcing y'all to interruption the piggy depository financial institution.
Among the Asus Vivobook S15 (S532F)'s noteworthy features are a sizable, 15.six-inch display and quality CPU performance, which allows it to hold its ain against the contest. Of class, that "ultra-portable" trunk is a huge selling signal in its own right.
And so, is the Asus Vivobook S15 (S532F) i of the all-time laptops out there? It's certainly 1 quality machine. If you want a slimmer, lighter machine, this Asus laptop is perfect for you, regardless of your budget.
Spec Sheet
Here is theAsus VivoBook S15 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U (quad-core, 8MB enshroud, upward to 4.6GHz)
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM: 8GB DDR4 (2,400 MHz)
Screen: 15.6-inch, HD (1920x1080)
Storage: 512GB solid-state bulldoze
Ports: 2 ten USB ii.0, 1 x USB 3.1, 1x USB-C, 1 10 three.5mm audio, 1x micro-SD, 1 10 HDMI
Connectivity: WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0
Camera: 1920x1080 webcam with microphone
Weight: three.97 pounds (1.8kg)
Size: 14.one x 9.1 x 0.7 inches (35.7x23x1.8cm)
Toll and availability
In that location's a rather confusing range of models (and gobbledygook model numbers) available for the VivoBook South range, including both 14-inch and 15-inch screen sizes and i5 and i7 processors.
There are too models with either Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro for business users. Withal, Asus complicates matters somewhat as nigh of these models aren't really available from its own online store, so you'll need to track the VivoBook downwardly through Amazon and other online retailers - with the i7 model that nosotros review here being primarily sold through Currys in the Great britain.
The VivoBook range is competitively priced, though, with the 15-inch models starting at just £550 (effectually $700, AU$one,000) with an Intel i5-8265U running at ane.6GHz, along with 8GB memory and 256GB solid-state drive.
Nonetheless, we tested the summit-of-the-range model, which includes a quad-core i7-8565U running at one.8GHz (up to 4.6GHz with Turboost). That model also doubles the solid-state drive to 512GB, and includes 32GB of Intel's high-speed Optane retentivity to enhance performance ,while nonetheless keeping the price down to a competitive £889 (around $ane,200, AU$i,700).
Both models share the same 15.half-dozen-inch HD display (1920x1080), although the i7 model reviewed here also sports Asus' ScreenPad 2.0, a somewhat unusual trackpad design that doubles upwards as a miniature touch-screen for controlling the VivoBook and various apps.
Design
Despite its 15.6-inch screen, the VivoBook is all the same highly portable, weighing only ane.8kg and measuring a sleek 18mm thick.
Absolutely, information technology does seem quite hefty when compared to lighter 12-inch and 13-inch laptops, only getting any 15-inch laptop downwardly to less than 2kg is an impressive feat, so Asus has certainly done a good job with the design of the VivoBook S15.
And, despite the powerful i7 processor, the laptop ran cool and placidity throughout all our tests, even when running heavy-duty graphics benchmarks.
It's nice and sturdy too, thanks to its aluminium casing, which is available in silvery, green, and 'punk pinkish' - conspicuously aiming at the 'yoof' audience. Asus also pays nice attention to detail, with features such as the screen hinge that gently tilts the keyboard up at a slight bending equally you lot open the screen.
The keyboard itself feels business firm and responsive for speedy typing, and the size of the screen means that there'south room for a proper numeric keypad, and a comfortably large set of navigation (arrow) keys likewise.
Our only minor complaint here is that the silverish gloss on the keys doesn't highlight the characters on each key very well, even with the backlight turned on. That's not besides much of a problem when you're typing with the larger QWERTY keys, but we sometimes plant it tricky to meet the icons on the smaller Function keys for adjusting brightness and other settings.
1 limitation with many smaller laptops is their reduced connectivity, just the size of the S15 means that there's plenty of room for a variety of ports and connectors.
There are two USB 2.0 ports on the left-paw border, with ane USB iii.one and 1 USB-C over on the right. The right edge also houses a microSD slot for memory cards, 3.5mm sound connector and HDMI for connecting to an external monitor.
The VivoBook S15 also scores bonus points for being one of the offset laptops we've run into that supports the new Wi-Fi half-dozen standard (aka 802.11ax).
Multiple screens
The main reason for buying the VivoBook S15 is, of grade, its big display, and although the display is express to standard Hard disk drive (1920x1080) resolution, that's an adequate compromise for a laptop in this price range.
We found the brandish very attractive besides, producing a articulate, precipitous prototype with bold, bright colours for displaying video and photos. We were impressed by its viewing angles too, which ensured that the screen remained clearly visible through almost a full 180-degrees, so the VivoBook S15 will exist a adept pick for sharing photos and videos with friends, or impromptu presentations if you're travelling on concern.
And while the Harmon Kardon stereo speakers aren't exactly Hi-Fi quality, they practise manage to avoid the thin, tinny sound that afflicts many laptops, and so the sound quality of the VivoBook S15 is perfectly adequate for watching video or listening to some music on Spotify.
The ScreenPad is a bit of a mixed bag, though. You can use it every bit a conventional trackpad, simply it can also act as a pocket-sized touch on-screen, giving access to a number of additional features, such equally a Handwriting app that can catechumen finger scribbles into text, and a Quick Key app that lets you lot automate commands such equally Cut/Copy/Paste.
But even after a few days we never found the ScreenPad to be especially intuitive to use and - like the Impact Bar on Apple tree's MacBook Pro - information technology seems to be an answer in search of a question.
Source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/asus-vivobook-s15-s532f
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