Pros
- The best value we’ve seen for a touch screen Ultrabook
- Very portable at around 4 lbs.
- Great array of specs for the price
Cons
- More bloatware than we’d like to see
- Design isn’t as great as more expensive Asus Zenbooks
- Touchscreen not terribly practical for a traditional laptop
Our Score
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The Geek’s Take
Once known as purely a manufacturer of individual computer parts, Asus has spent the past few years making quite the splash in the OEM arena – selling desktops, notebooks, and tablets as well. Asus seems to be using the Vivobook as an introductory/entry-level line for their expanding brand. The design is a bit uninspired, especially when compared to their own Zenbook Ultrabook line, but the specs are solid and the price is amazing, especially when the model includes a touchscreen too. It’s not exactly a head-turner, but for $699 at the time of this review, it’s the best value we’ve seen in an Ultrabook. Get yours here at the lowest price on the web.
Full Review
Performance
The Asus Vivobook utilizes an Intel Core i5 3317U processor and Integrated Intel HD4000 graphics, standard fare for many current Ultrabooks, but unlike our Editors’ Choice NoteMagix U450, the Asus Vivobook does not feature a full solid state drive, instead opting for a 500GB mechanical drive paired with 24GB of nand flash. Performance is solid as a result, but the lack of an SSD puts it behind the other Ultrabooks in our round-up. We don’t think you’ll be disappointed, especially, if you generally use your laptop for basic home office tasks. For gaming or digital media editing, we suggest going with a beastlier notebook like Asus’ Republic of Gamers line anyway.
Design
- Screen – The Asus Vivobook’s biggest selling point is its 14” touchscreen. Will you use the touchscreen every day? Maybe not, but having the option does enhance the Windows 8 navigation experience. And at 1366 x 768, the Asus Vivobook’s resolution is solidly in the realm of 720p, meaning you generally won’t be able to discern any individual pixels.
- Keyboard – The Vivobook features an Apple-esque chiclet keyboard, a personal favorite of our editors. The extra space between each key reduces typing errors and gives the Asus Vivobook a great look.
- Chassis – As we’ve mentioned, the Asus Vivobook S400CA’s chassis is not as nice as the super sleek Zenbook, but it’s still leaps and bounds ahead of many budget notebooks and Ultrabooks. We wish it was a little thinner with smoother lines, but at least it’s aluminum and not plastic.
- Ports – As has become standard with Ultrabooks, the Asus Vivobook has 2 usb 2.0 ports, 1 usb 3.0, and a single HDMI. If the meager ports are a concern, you can always go with a media hub like this one.
Warranty and Support
The Asus Vivobook S400 comes with a standard 1-year parts and labor warranty and 24/7 phone support. The phone support is what’s to be expected when buying electronics these days, based overseas and almost definitely tiered (Asus is a Tawainese company, so none of this should come as a surprise). One small bonus though, Asus does also offer 3GB of cloud based back up storage. It’s nothing to write home about, but a nice add.
Value
At a pretty astounding $699 at the time of this review, the Asus Vivobook is a remarkable value considering the specs and the touch screen. Sure, Asus has installed their own suite of bloatware to offset some of that cost, but at this price for what you get, we can’t really complain.
Summary
If you’ve been shopping for an entry level Windows 8 Ultrabook with a touchscreen for that full Windows 8 experience, this might be the one for you. A 24GB nand flash drive instead of an SSD and a slightly clunky design are probably the only factors keeping this from an Editor’s Choice selection, but we still have no reservations about recommending this one.
*Where does this rating come from? Check out How We Review
About Josh Covington