Asus VivoBook 15 (X513) laptop Review
Is the Asus VivoBook X513 the laptop you have been hunting for? Let’s find out in this review.
Asus has just refreshed their VivoBook lineup with the launch of the VivoBook 14 and the VivoBook 15. The new 11th Intel Core processor-powered machines come with model numbers X413 and X513, respectively. The VivoBook series from Asus is known to be affordable yet powerful.
With the COVID-19 situation going around, most of you might have been hunting for a laptop that could provide the bang for your buck. Is the Asus VivoBook X513 the laptop you have been hunting for? Let’s find out in this review:
Asus VivoBook 15 Review: Display and Design
Asus VivoBook 15 (X513) features a 15.6-inch Full-HD LED-backlit display. The display comes with the company’s nano-edge technology due to which the laptop is able to offer a 85% screen to body ratio. The panel is also TÜV Rheinland Eye Care certification, which means you should be good even while working for long hours on the VivoBook 15.
While the display specifications on paper sound great, the panel itself is not the best in class. The company wanted to offer an overall smooth working experience with the new laptop series, and with that Asus had to settle for a rather cheap-looking panel. The panel offers plenty of brightness even for outdoor use but where it lacks behind is the viewing angles.
Coming to the design of the VivoBook 15, the laptop is a thing and light and manages to weigh in at around 1.7kgs. The VivoBook is constructed out of plastic and has an overall smooth finish both on the outside as well as the inside. However, with that design, it does bring a lot of flex on the body.
As for the ports, the VivoBook 15 features a 2 USB 2.0 ports on the left. On the right side of the laptop, there is the power input port, an HDMI 1.4 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C port. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card adapter on the right.
Asus VivoBook 15 Review: Audio
As for the speakers, the sound on the Vivobook 15 is powered by Harman Kardon. For a lightweight notebook, the speakers offer a great audio output. I enjoyed watching movies on Netflix and even enjoyed some music playback while working. However, I did notice that there is some vibration on the chassis at higher volumes. Also, as the speakers are downwards firing, they work great on a tabletop but fall short when the laptop is kept on an uneven surface like a bed or sofa.
Asus VivoBook 15 Review: Keyboard and trackpad
Asus generally offers a great experience when it comes to the keyboard and trackpad on its laptops. The Asus Vivobook 15 also comes with a nice tactile keyboard and I had no issues writing articles using the keyboard. The keyboard is also backlit with three levels of brightness making it easier to type in darker environments.
As for the trackpad, Asus takes advantage of the Windows Precision drivers making gesture controls on Windows 10 seamless. The trackpad itself is smooth and it is one of the best I have used. Also, there is a fingerprint sensor on the trackpad, which makes logging in much easier and quicker.
Asus VivoBook 15 Review: Performance
Asus Vivobook 15 comes equipped with an Intel Core i5 11th Gen CPU coupled with 8GB of RAM. For storage, the laptop comes with a 256GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. Such a combination makes day to day tasks like browsing or working on an excel sheet much smoother.
If you are looking to game on this laptop, this would not be the best pick. It comes with Intel’s integrated GPU and does not offer a lot of graphics power. So, heavy video editing or gaming are the areas you should avoid on the Vivobook 15.
As for my usage during the review, the laptop performed smoothly even with a dozen tabs open on Google Chrome. I even had apps like WhatsApp, Slack, Spotify and Microsoft Excel running on the background. Even with all this, the laptop did not stutter.
Asus VivoBook 15 Review: Battery
Asus has managed to offer a decent battery performance on the Asus VivoBook 15. The thin and light laptop was able to last for over 6 hours. While this is not an impressive number, I did appreciate it as I was coming from a gaming laptop.
Asus VivoBook 15 Review: Verdict
To wrap things up, the Asus VivoBook 15 (X513) is a good buy for anyone wanting to perform basic tasks like attending video calls, browsing web and more. However, if you plan on gaming or editing videos on the go, you should look elsewhere.