Asus VivoBook Go E1504FA-WS51 15.6" FHD Ryzen™ 5 40 512GB SSD 8GB W11 BLACK

ASUS VivoBook Go 15 – Here’s a hard thing to do: Make a laptop with a great screen, decent keyboard and acceptable trackpad. It’s harder to spec out the laptop with a power efficient CPU, good amounts of RAM and well-sized SSD. Doing all this while maintaining good battery life makes it even trickier. Last and most complex, is to keep the price down. That is, at least, what I’ve seen ASUS achieve with their Vivobook 15. Here’s the thing I like about the VivoBook 15: It doesn’t pretend to be a high end laptop. The spec is modest: All this, for R12999. For me that is a bargain. At the same price point, you’d look at paying around R2000 to R3000 more for a similar specification. As expected, the VivoBook comes with Windows 11 Home. Whether Microsoft has resolved the performance issues on AMD CPUs or not, I was not able to get clarity. The Ryzen 5 7th generation mobile CPU performed great. There were no bottlenecks running day to day tasks but that’s no surprise. You’re not going to get high end performance but it’s not going to slow you down. That means you could do some basic video editing, some graphics work and be able to play some eSports titles. Anything above that and the VivoBook will begin to heat up and throttle. Where it does succeed is in the battery life and productivity. It’s good a 42Wh battery. That means you’ll get 6-8 hours of run time. The actual design size of the battery is 50Wh, but I suspect that’s to cater for a longer lasting battery. Since you’re only going to charge once a day or twice a day, I don’t see the battery losing life being a major issue. I’ll also applaud the brightness and quality of the OLED screen ASUS gives you with one of these. At the price point it’s the best-looking screen I’ve seen. It’s also got a lay-flat hinge, which is a decent bonus. I’ll also applaud the keyboard. ASUS have been making some of the most comfortable keyboards in the market and this is no different. There’s adequate travel and good key responsiveness.

The devices referred to on this web page are the most highly-specified models available. Some models and configurations may not have an OLED display option. Please check the product specifications to ensure that the correct type of display is configured before purchasing in-store or online. Maximum RAM capacity may vary according to device configuration. Maximum SSD capacity may vary according to device configuration. Charges the battery to up to 60% within 49 minutes when the system is off or in Standby mode. Power adapter with a minimum capacity of 45 watts is required. After charging has reached 60% capacity, charging will resume at normal rate. Charging time may vary +/-10% due to system tolerance. Backlit keyboard and integrated fingerprint sensor are optional. WiFi 6E is backwards-compatible with legacy 802.11 specs. Actual performance of WiFi 6E may vary in real-world situations. The testing regime includes the requirements of both military-grade standards and ASUS quality tests, and varies depending on device. MIL-STD-810 testing is conducted on selected ASUS products only. Note that the MIL-STD-810 testing helps to ensure the quality of ASUS products but does not indicate a particular fitness for military use. The test is performed under laboratory conditions. Any damage caused by attempts to replicate these test conditions would be considered accidental, and would not be covered by the standard ASUS warranty. Additional coverage is available with ASUS Premium Care. The screen-to-body ratio is calculated based on the visible body area of the display when the laptop is opened to 90 ° and the active display area. Average test results: Delta-E < 1.5, +/- 0.5. Over time, the Delta-E value of the display may change. It is recommended to recalibrate the color to ensure color accuracy. Compared to average LCD displays in the market, measuring energy emission of blue light in between 415-455 nm wavelength. Compared to average LCD laptop panel.

Inexpensive for a full Windows 11 PC Decent chassis build quality for the price Long battery life Decent chassis build quality for the price Dim, grim screen Outdated processor Keyboard is uncomfortable and not backlit Supports Wi-Fi 5, not Wi-Fi 6, 6E, or 7 Poor speakers Keyboard is uncomfortable and not backlit The ideal budget laptop blends everyday usability, reliable performance, and a touch of creature comfort. Essentially, it should be functional without leading to buyer's remorse for not spending more. The Asus Vivobook Go 15 (in the model E1504FA-AS54 we tested) looks promising on paper, with a full-featured Windows OS—not the limited Windows in S Mode—and a super-low starting price of $299 for a base model (and $382 in our test configuration). Unfortunately, outdated hardware and significant usability issues make it difficult to recommend even for basic use. For better value, consider any pick in our budget laptop roundup, or explore Chromebook options if you can forgo Windows. The Vivobook Go 15's silvery exterior lends it a stylish appearance that belies its economical price. The sturdy plastic exhibits minimal flex, even when I unwisely lifted it by a corner. Although the lid displays a bit more flex, it remains within acceptable limits. The somewhat ostentatious Vivobook badge on the lid doesn't detract from its overall classy look. Measuring 0.7 by 14.2 by 9.2 inches, the Vivobook Go 15 shares similar dimensions with the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 and is fairly light for a 15.6-inch laptop at 3.6 pounds. Although its screen bezels could be slimmer, the laptop is sleek enough for its price. The port selection includes two USB Type-A ports, one USB Type-C port, an HDMI monitor output, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Notably, one of the Type-A ports is the antique USB 2.0 and the HDMI port is limited to version 1.4, resulting in a flickery 30 instead of 60 frames per second for 4K output.