Thin and light laptops that also offer good processing power have in the past, been quite expensive. However, this scenario is slowly changing in 2018. Intel’s new 8th Gen Core CPUs are partly responsible for this change, as for the first time, low-voltage mobile parts aren’t restricted to two CPU cores anymore. Now you can get the compactness and powerful processor under the hood in Asus. Asus’s new VivoBook S14 has been designed keeping portability in mind for lightweight compatibility and good performance.
We have an S406U variant with us for review. It's slim and light, and looks quite nice, especially in the all-gold trim that we have. Beside this if you want something more premium and touch screen which can rotate you can go for Asus ZenBook Flip S(UX370) .
Design:
The VivoBook S14 is stylish, and we think its design will work for both professional and casual use. It’s available in two colour options, so you can choose whether you want to go for a flashy gold or understated grey look. The lid is said to be scratch-resistant with a ‘spun-metal’ finish. Asus has been using this treatment for its high end ZenBook series for a long time, but you get vertical lines on the VivoBook instead of the trademark concentric circles. The lid does offer very good protection for the display, and we didn’t see any warping when applying pressure.
The hinge extends about 120 degrees backwards, which we found comfortable enough for typical usage positions. However, the hinge doesn’t have very good torsion, causing the display to wobble easily. This could be a problem when using the laptop in a moving vehicle.
There’s no touchscreen but you do get a full-HD resolution IPS panel with an anti-glare finish. This negates issues with reflections indoors, and we found the brightness to be quite adequate, even when using it under sunlight. We also like the slim borders on the sides of the display. Asus has managed to fit a 14-inch panel in a chassis typically designed for 13-inch ones.
Performance And Battery Life:
Before we crunch numbers, here’s the specifications of the machine:
- Processor: Intel Core i5 8250U processor (8th Gen)
- OS: Windows 10 Home
- Memory: 8GB DDR4 1866MHz
- Display: 14-inch LED 1920x1080 Anti-glare
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Storage: 256GB Sata 3 SSD
On PCMark 10, we saw scores of 3,432 points which is decent and in general the 8th Gen Core i5 is enough for most tasks with ease. Gaming performance as expected from the on-board Intel UHD graphics isn’t too great. Old games worked a lot better though. In general, this laptop isn’t meant for gaming and that’s okay.
In day to day usage we were hard pressed to find any slowdowns and stutters. Applications opened smoothly and everything ran pretty fast thanks to the SDD. Battery life is about average and the device tended to last about four to five hours before we needed to plug it in. At most, you should be able to get it through workday with light browsing and some downtime YouTube just fine
Verdict:
The VivoBook S14 is an interesting device, it looks good also. It’s fast but has average battery life with the good display. It’s a machine that good for professionals but Asus has managed to price it really aggressively to the point where an entry level 8th Gen Core i3 variant starts at Rs. 49,990. Asus’ own K510UQ-BQ667T offers the best value with better specifications and a larger screen but retails for Rs. 55,000. SO this machine got rating as
3.5 out of 5
So this is all about it any queries lets us know in comments below. Stay tuned for more.