Recently, ASUS Malaysia introduced new Vivobook laptops for those who want affordable PCs. Among the new models is the ASUS Vivobook 15X OLED (M1503Q), which has something that most lower-priced laptops don't have - an OLED screen.
With prices starting from RM3299, does it deserve to be your next laptop? Read on to find out!
At first glance, the Vivobook 15X OLED has a design that is not much different from other Vivobook laptops. It sports a simple body made of plastic, which makes it light to carry. There's not much choice in colour, with the only available option being a blue-grey Quiet Blue.
Simple design
Looks pretty cool when seen from above
Front looks normal
Of course, this kind of simple design is expected for an affordable laptop, so there's not much we can say about that. Despite the basic look, the Vivobook 15X OLED still has MIL-STD 810H certification, which means it can withstand the impact of falls or shocks (to a degree).
But that's not the only advantage this laptop has over other laptops in its class. It also has a 15.6-inch OLED panel. This screen delivers clear and intense colours, beating other laptop displays sold at the same price.
In addition, it has a resolution of 2880×1620 pixels, a refresh rate of 120Hz, a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, a contrast ratio of 1 million:1 and can generate 1.07 billion colours. As you would expect, that's something you would usually find only on more expensive laptops.
The display has amazing colours
With this laptop, you get clearer visuals due to the higher pixel density, and animations appear smoother. While it's not a 4K screen, you could also watch 4K videos on it, and they would look brighter, more colourful, and output more detail. Moreover, you can also work on things like video or image editing on this laptop, as the display offers more accurate colours. Again, not something available on other laptops sold at similar prices.
Another thing we liked was the relatively immersive feeling you'd get when watching videos on this laptop. It has relatively thin bezels, resulting in a screen-to-body ratio of 86%. This also means that the screen is quite large, considering the laptop's size.
Turning to the keyboard, the VivoBook 15X OLED has chiclet keys, complete with a comfortable Numpad for typing. Nothing spectacular there, but it does have a large and responsive trackpad. There's also a fingerprint scanner on the upper right corner of the trackpad.
Standard keys, with a strange pattern on the Enter button
Trackpad with a fingerprint scanner in the top right corner
The VivoBook 15X OLED also has a standard set of I/O ports, which is enough for the average user. First, there's a single USB 2.0 Type-A port. On the other side, there's a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a charging port.
Unfortunately, this laptop does not support charging via the USB-C port. It also lacks an SD or microSD card slot for video and photo editors, who might want to pick this laptop because of the screen but SD or microSD card readers should not be that expensive, so it's an easy fix.
Various ports on the right side
Only one port on the left side
Webcam can be closed (left) or open (right)
The webcam above the screen can record videos in 720p resolution and works satisfactorily for video calls. One interesting thing is that this camera can be closed using a cover that slides from the side, so you don't have to worry about privacy.
Now, let's move on to its performance. This laptop has tech specs you would more or less expect from laptops of this category. You get an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H CPU with Radeon Graphics, 8GB RAM, and 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD storage. The 8GB of RAM is slightly lacking, but these specs should be enough if you're just using the laptop to browse the Internet or type documents.
Having said that, you can still play some light games like Dota 2 or Counter-Strike. As a matter of fact, gaming on this laptop is great because of the display we mentioned earlier. Mind you, not having a dedicated GPU means you can't enjoy playing AAA games, but this is something to be expected for a laptop at this price.
PCMark10 benchmark results
Dead Space is playable in medium graphics settings
In terms of battery life, the VivoBook 15X OLED can last around six hours with its 70WHr battery. As you can see, the OLED screen does mean that the laptop's battery doesn't last as long as laptops with Full HD IPS panels. But it does support 90W charging, which is quite fast from our experience.
Overall, the ASUS Vivobook 15X OLED is a laptop with one of the best displays in its price range. While it's considered ordinary in most other aspects, the high-quality display makes it stand out from other laptops in this category. Of course, the trade-off is weaker battery life.
If you want to watch Netflix movies in the best possible quality without spending much, this laptop could be perfect for you. But if you're in the market for a more standard laptop, the RedmiBook 15 might be the better option.
Are you interested in this laptop? Let us know what you think about it on our Facebook, and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more reviews like this.
Tech specs and features
- 15.6-inch OLED screen, 2.8K (2880×1620) resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, 550 nits brightness
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600H CPU
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- 8GB RAM
- 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 storage
- Ports: 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, 1x DC-in
- Chiclet keyboard with Numpad
- 720p webcam with cover
- SonicMaster speakers
- Supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5
- 70WHr battery, 90W charging
- Dimensions: 35.68 x 22.76 x 1.99cm
- Weight 1.70kg
- Price: RM3299
Pros and Cons
Pros: Very nice screen, reasonable price
Cons: Comparatively weaker battery
Conclusion: Suitable for those who want a daily laptop that has a great screen
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