ASUS Vivobook 15X (K3504) Review – An Affordable No-nonsense Productivity Laptop

The ASUS Vivobook 15X (K3504) is one of the latest model under the ever growing line of the Vivobook series.  Not to be confused with the OLED variant, the 15X features an Intel processor and an IPS display.

Specs

Design

The design of the Vivobook 15X looks pretty clean with its Cool Silver colour scheme along with an accented plate which houses the “ASUS Vivobook” logo and warning stripe-esque design. While I personally prefer the metallic grey motif from the Vivobook 15X OLED that we reviewed previously, the silver still manages to give off that sleek and more premium touch to the laptop. Speaking of premium, the 15X has an aluminum lid which is a step up from the OLED variant that was mainly made of plastic.

The 15X also has the 180° hinge design which let’s you push the display screen all the way down, making viewing content a lot easier for on-screen sharing, allowing groups of people to see what’s on the screen with ease.

Flipping the device over, there’s an extra built-in part that’s sticking out, which essentially elevates the laptop slightly, making for a more ergonomic design all while also helping thermals by allowing for more airflow.

In terms of overall size, the 15X is fairly compact with its dimensions of 35.97 x 23.25 x 1.79cm. While it weighs at 1.6 kg, it’s definitely not the lightest laptop out there in the market, it’s still light enough to carry around with you if you travel often.

Display

The Vivobook 15X features a 15.6 inch Full HD (1920×1080) IPS LCD 16:9 aspect ratio display screen with a 60Hz refresh rate. The display is certainly a slight step down from the usual OLED displays in terms of quality. The colours aren’t as accurate as you could get when using a laptop with OLED displays, but it’s still decent enough for daily use, provided if you’re not doing any design-heavy work or other types of content that requires high colour accuracy.

The screen has a peak brightness of 250 nits, which is decent for indoor usage. However, you might want to reconsider if you plan on working outdoors on a bright and sunny day.

One feature that ASUS did bring back from the other laptop models is the physical privacy shutter where you can manually block your webcam with just a flick, which is always a welcomed feature since it adds another layer of privacy.

Keyboard + Trackpad

The keyboard on the Vivobook 15X is much like the other variants that are already available. But that’s not a bad thing per say because the keyboard on all of the Vivobooks are pleasurable to type on.

Each of the keys have a short travel distance to them, and it’s got enough bounce when pressing down on them which makes typing feel extremely comfortable. It didn’t take me a long time to get used to typing with this keyboard , especially since I didn’t need to exert too much force when pressing down the keys. The keyboard also comes with a number pad tucked neatly at the side, which can be helpful when it comes to doing tasks such as data entry.

Much similar to the other vivobooks, the 15X also comes with a sizeable trackpad, which makes working without a mouse still feasible. The trackpad also has a neat fingerprint sensor located on the top right corner that allows users to log in instantly without much hassle.

Connectivity

The Vivobook 15X comes with a handful of useful ports: one USB 2.0 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one HDMI 1.4, one 3.5mm combo audio jack and one DC-in.

I said it before with the other Vivobooks, and I’ll say it again. I don’t get why they have to put the majority of the ports on the right side of the laptop. Much like the other Vivobook laptops, being a right handed person makes things slightly awkward especially if you plan on using the HDMI cable with the laptop.

Not to mention, both the USB 3.0 ports are also located on the right side, meaning that if I wanted to use the high speed ports, it’s going to be even more awkward. But it’s fine if you plan on only using a wired mouse when using the 15X.

Battery Life

Vivobook 15X comes packing with a 42WHrs 3-cell Li-ion battery and I was able about 4-5 hours of usage time while doing work with youtube playing in the background at 50% brightness and Best Power Efficiency mode.

It doesn’t have the best battery life as compared to other laptops in the market, but it’s still moderate and you’d still would be able to get pretty much a full day of work, provided you don’t use any programmes that are too intensive.

The 15X also has fast charging where you can get the laptop from 0 to 60% in 49 minutes via the DC-in port.

Benchmark

3DMark: 935

PCMark 10: 4828 

Cinebench Single Core: 1506 pts (Ranked 2nd) 

Cinebench Multi Core: 7213 pts (Ranked 7th)

The Vivobook 15X is by no means a gaming laptop, so if you’re planning on playing the up and coming AAA titles, it’s best to find an alternative. Regardless, it can play less intensive games such as indie titles, provided if you tone down on the graphics.

Here are the three games we tested with the Vivobook 15X:

• Dota 2: 53 Avg FPS (Lowest Settings), 23 Avg FPS (Max Settings)
• Hades: 60 Avg FPS
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R: 45 Avg FPS

The Vivobook 15X runs Dota 2 decently well, where it averages at around 53 FPS with the lowest settings, even during teamfights. However, having the game to the highest settings will see a dip in performances. Personally speaking though, the game is fine as it is even at lowest settings, since that’s not the main reason people play Dota for.

Max Settings:

Min Settings:

Trying out Hades, the game ran smoothly as it consistently averaged at 60 FPS, even when there were a lot of effects and enemies present on  the screen. You definitely won’t need to worry too much about any drastic inconsistencies with the frame rates.

Last game I tested out on the 15X was JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R. Trying out the game, it felt a bit inconsistent from time to time since there’s frame drops, but it’s not unplayable.

Verdict

All in all, the ASUS Vivobook 15X (K3504) is a no-nonsense work laptop that gets the job done. If you’re looking for an affordable laptop that’s main job is to work and have no intentions on playing AAA titles, the Vivobook 15X might just be up your alley.

However, what you save in price, you lose in premium features such as an OLED screen. The visuals doesn’t pop up as vibrantly and the colours aren’t as accurate as you can get with an OLED screen. Not to mention, its battery life is on the average side provided you only use it for normal daily tasks.

Despite its flaws, the Vivobook 15X is still a compact laptop where you can bring it around effortlessly and it’s got an upgrade in comparison to the OLED variant with a more premium build quality from the aluminum lid. Not to mention, with an overall well-designed keyboard that’s pleasurable to type on, the Vivobook 15X is a work laptop that’s certainly bang for your buck.

For more information on the ASUS Vivobook 15X (K3504), do check out the official product page here.

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