Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED

This new Vivobook model checks off a tonne of the criteria we have for a new laptop, including a good, current processor, an eye-catching display, plenty of battery life, and a reasonable price. When considered as a whole, this results in a fantastic laptop that is more than deserving of becoming our new Buy It! favourite (see page 30). Even though it only costs £899, it includes a 15.6-inch 1920×1080 OLED screen, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and an Intel Core i5-12500H processor.

Specification

• Twelve-core Intel Core i5-12500H processor
• 16GB RAM
• Intel Iris Xe graphics
• 15.6in 1920×1080- pixel OLED screen
• 512GB SSD
• 720p webcam
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 2x USB-C ports
• 1x USB 3.0 port
• 1x USB 2.0 port
• 1x HDMI port
• Windows 11 Home
• 18.9x359x233mm (HxWxD)
• 1.8kg

Even though the Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4 we evaluated in Issue 643 (page 24) priced roughly £50 more, it practically equals that laptop’s performance. Although the smaller and more flexible Lenovo Yoga 6 Gen 7 remains a solid option if you want a smaller laptop at a lower price, it is unquestionably a performance boost over that model’s. The dazzling OLED screen on this laptop, which is a genuine delight to look at, is its other major selling feature in addition to performance. Even while its usual Full HD resolution isn’t as good as sharper, similarly sized laptop screens that cost more, it’s difficult to complain at this price.

The OLED technology really brings out every last detail in movies and TV shows, as you would expect. It has a maximum brightness of 600cd/m2, and it reproduces colours very accurately, meeting 100% of the DCI-P3 standard. The polycarbonate chassis is sleek and uncomplicated, and it has a large trackpad and a keyboard with a number pad. Its style is spiced up by a few little touches, such as a bright orange Escape key and racing-stripe lines over the Enter key. Due to its “lay-flat,” 180-degree hinge, the screen/lid part is tiny but feels solid and is simple to configure at the ideal viewing angle.

It has a wide range of connectors, including two quick Thunderbolt 4-compatible USB-C ports on the right edge, among others (all seen below). If you keep this laptop plugged in, you’ll still have a port accessible that supports 40Gbps transfer rates and external monitors with up to 8K resolution. One of these is used to charge the laptop.

The Vivobook is a good option if you want a laptop that can last for the most of the day without needing to be recharged. In our tests for everyday use, the battery lasted an entire working day. Both ordinary office tasks and viewing videos were covered. It ran continuously for 7 hours and 30 minutes, starting at 9 am, switching to power saving mode at 3:30 pm, lasting another hour before needing to be recharged.