Expert’s Rating
Pros
- 16GB RAM
- Decent construct high quality
- Balanced set of options
Cons
- Poor display
- Slow USB
- Weak GPU
Our Verdict
Not an thrilling laptop computer, however a superb all-rounder if you happen to’re in search of one thing for writing, looking, chatting or workplace work at an reasonably priced worth. However, there’s loads of competitors at this worth level, and the Vivobook 15 doesn’t actually do something to face out.
Price When Reviewed
489.99
Best Prices Today: ASUS Vivobook 15 (X1504)
There’s a phrase that reviewers typically attempt to keep away from as a result of it sounds an excessive amount of like damning with faint reward, and that phrase is ‘fine.’ It smacks of a product not going far sufficient to please its consumer, of slicing corners to hit a worth level and producing one thing that works, however isn’t going to make you smile.
And the Asus Vivobook 15, in its i5 CPU/16GB RAM guise, is simply that. It’s superb. It works. But there’s no spark about it. It’s not a laptop computer that’s going to make you smile each time you open the lid. However, it’s fairly priced, and relying on what you wish to do, generally superb is nice sufficient.
Design & construct
- Silver plastic exterior
- Military-grade sturdiness
- Disappointing port choice
Asus’ silver plastic chassis is a really acquainted one, the corporate having launched many laptops that look the identical over the previous couple of years.
There’s nothing spectacular or modern in regards to the design of the Vivobook 15, with the fold-flat hinge the one notable function. The prime of the lid has a satin end whereas the underside is matte gray, which at the least has the good thing about not choosing up fingerprints or different greasy marks in the identical means a shiny prime does.
Ian Evenden / Foundry
The plastic has loads of flex to it if you happen to press on it with a finger, however Asus claims it has military-grade sturdiness. While I’m unsure how nicely it could stand as much as being bumped round in a tank, a life spent on a desk at navy HQ is definitely inside the Vivobook’s capabilities.
The plastic has loads of flex to it if you happen to press on it with a finger, however Asus claims it has military-grade sturdiness
Being capable of hook as much as peripherals and switch a lot of knowledge rapidly isn’t the Vivobook 15’s sturdy level. It has three USB-A ports, two of that are USB3 and one which is USB2, versus the most recent USB4 customary.
There’s a single USB-C, alongside full-size HDMI and a 3.5mm audio jack. You additionally get a traditional DC energy port, as you possibly can’t cost utilizing USB-C.
Ian Evenden / Foundry
And that’s it, so no Ethernet (however you do get Wi-Fi 6), no Thunderbolt, and no SD card reader — although these lacking options are widespread on this worth vary.
Keyboard, trackpad & webcam
- Small, unintuitive trackpad
- Spongy, squashed keyboard
- Average 720p webcam
These are a few of the weakest areas of the laptop computer. The trackpad is small, and lacks the sleek, silky floor of another Asus laptops. It tries to hold on to your finger because it scrolls throughout it, and it appears far too straightforward to right-click once you imply to left-click, particularly if you happen to’re left-handed.
The keyboard has been dipped in some kind of anti-microbial goo to inhibit the unfold of viruses and micro organism, however this doesn’t put it aside
The keyboard has been dipped in some kind of anti-microbial goo to inhibit the unfold of viruses and micro organism, however this doesn’t put it aside. The keys are spongy, they’re not backlit, and so they’re barely squashed as a result of presence of a separate quantity pad. Ditching the latter and making the opposite keys bigger would’ve been a greater transfer right here.
Ian Evenden / Foundry
There’s no fingerprint reader or Windows Hello facial recognition on the Vivobook 15 I examined.
The webcam is a 720p mannequin that’s exhibiting its age, although it’s all the time good to see a built-in privateness shutter, and the Vivobook’s has an orange flash so you possibly can all the time inform whether or not or not it’s closed.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
While usable for video calls, we’ve seen every part achieved with extra panache elsewhere, and an exterior digicam with a noise-cancelling mic will serve you higher.
Display & audio
- Decent 15.6in LCD show
- Doesn’t get very vibrant
- Underwhelming audio system
The Vivobook is provided with a 15.6in, LED-backlit, 1080p LCD display with a 60Hz refresh charge. It is, as soon as once more, superb.
The anti-glare coating means you possibly can see what’s on the display when there are lights round you, and it doesn’t have OLED’s reflectivity points
Recent laptops and TVs with OLED shows have ruined the poor previous LCD, nevertheless, because it now not has the brightness or distinction to actually stand out. The display’s brightness – 250 nits in line with Asus, 275 by my measurements – isn’t the most effective, at solely half the output of the MacBook Air M2.
However, the anti-glare coating means you possibly can see what’s on the display when there are lights round you, and it doesn’t have OLED’s reflectivity points. It’s nonetheless not a display you’re going to wish to use in direct daylight, however beneath a tree within the park might be superb.
There’s no automated brightness adjustment for ambient mild, although Windows 11’s capability to regulate the show primarily based on content material involves the rescue. The slim aspect bezels at the least make it look good, however the prime is thicker to accommodate the webcam.
Ian Evenden / Foundry
The audio system are small and downward-firing, with no seen grille on the highest of the casing. They’re additionally supplied by SonicMaster reasonably than Harman Kardon, which has been used for the Vivobook Pro.
They’re superb for Windows alert notifications and possibly a video name or two, however you’re higher off utilizing the 3.5mm headphone port or Bluetooth to attach an exterior headset or speaker.
Specs & efficiency
- Intel Core i5-1235U processor
- Impressive 16GB of RAM
- Fine for on a regular basis duties
The Core i5 is a middle-ground processor within the Intel 12th-gen vary, however the i5-1235U used right here is from the low-power U Series.
It’s additionally a 2022 chip, whereas the hybrid design (containing each efficiency and effectivity cores) means you’re not going to get distinctive efficiency out of this chip, regardless of having 10 cores and most frequency of 4.4GHz.
That mentioned, there’s sufficient right here to run workplace functions and browsers. The 16GB of RAM is very nice to have, as the additional headroom it gives to cease an excessive amount of knowledge being despatched to and from the SSD retains issues dashing alongside properly. Core i5 chips are widespread with avid gamers who pair them with an exterior GPU for a price range desktop setup.
Ian Evenden / Foundry
There’s no exterior GPU on the Vivobook 15, although. The Intel Iris Xe isn’t too dangerous as built-in rendering options go, however don’t go anticipating to have the ability to play Starfield or Armored Core VI on this machine. It’s simply not what it was designed for.
You can get away with much less demanding video games equivalent to Grand Theft Auto V, Fortnite, Stardew Valley or the various hundreds of video games launched ten years in the past or extra, but it surely’s not going to push the polygons sufficient for something too trendy. It runs video games about in addition to Nvidia’s GT 1030 card, the bottom-of-the-range mannequin from 2017, and within the Night Raid gaming benchmark that’s designed for computer systems utilizing built-in graphics it scored barely larger than a generic workplace laptop computer from 2020.
But anticipating it to play trendy video games nicely is unfair on the Vivobook. The i5 isn’t a foul chip, and there’s sufficient efficiency right here for the likes of net looking and workplace apps – the on a regular basis stuff that most individuals use computer systems for.
The i5 isn’t a foul chip, and there’s sufficient efficiency right here for the likes of net looking and workplace apps
You may flip it to picture enhancing and 1080p video enhancing so long as you don’t go loopy with results because of the 16GB of RAM, although the gradual USB ports will bottleneck massive file transfers and the display’s colour output doesn’t handle to show the complete gamut of any skilled color area.
Battery life
- Not fairly all-day battery life
- Decent 45W charging
In battery life checks with the display on consistently, the Vivobook 15 managed to final for six hours, which could nearly get you thru a day’s work if you happen to take a couple of breaks however extra probably means you’ll be reaching for the charger earlier than the tip of the day.
Ian Evenden / Foundry
Charging utilizing the provided 45W energy adapter – you possibly can’t cost by the USB-C port – noticed 30% of the 42Whr battery fill in half an hour, which is completely cheap, and the charger itself is especially small and slimline, straightforward to place right into a bag and take with you.
Should you purchase the Asus Vivobook 15?
The Vivobook 15 is a good laptop computer, but it surely doesn’t do something out of the strange.
It’s a superb machine for working, looking, streaming, photograph enhancing, even just a little gaming. But the battery gained’t final all day, the display isn’t significantly vibrant or colourful and it’s removed from probably the most highly effective machine on the market.
While the power of competitors from Chromebooks and different laptops under $500 makes it more durable to suggest, the Vivobook 15 will nonetheless serve you nicely if you happen to don’t count on an excessive amount of of it.
Specs
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1235U
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
- RAM: 16GB DDR4-3200
- Storage: PCIe 4.0 500GB SSD
- Screen: 15.6in 1080p LED backlit LCD, 60Hz refresh charge
- Connectivity: USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A and Type-C, USB 2 Type A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, headset jack
- Dimensions: 35.97 x 23.25 x 1.79 cm
- Weight: 1.7kg
This evaluation initially appeared on techadvisor.com