I believe the cheapest option is not the right solution when considering a new laptop for purchase. Many of us buy a laptop with the intention of holding on to it for three to four years, at least. Thus, to my mind, it makes sense to get the best possible specifications, which typically costs more. So when the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 came for review, I was intrigued, given the specifications given this was not priced over Rs one lakh. It is powered by the top-end Intel core i9 (11th gen) processor, sports an OLED display, 512GB onboard SSD storage, and Dolby Atmos certification. The laptop is priced at Rs 87,990, which is expensive, but not so much if you look at the specifications. But is this the right laptop for you? Here’s my review.
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 review: What stands out here?
The Vivobook Pro 15 sent to me for review was in the Cool Silver option, which looks polished. There’s also a blue variant. Asus has done a nice job with the design, as it does not feel cheap. The laptop has an aluminium lid, and a 180-degree hinge to ensure a comfortable viewing experience. The branding on top is minimal, though I feel adding the hashtags #GoFurther #BeFearless below the brand name is a bit much.
This laptop comes with the Intel Core H (i9) series processor, dual-fans and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics (with 4GB dedicated graphics memory). It packs 16GB RAM on board and 512GB SSD storage, which should be enough for most users, whether it is a student, a professional or someone looking to buy a laptop for their creative and entertainment needs. In my testing and usage, I found the laptop more than adequate for daily work and faced no performance issues as such. While I did not use this for gaming, I did use Adobe Photoshop for my daily cropping edits on the laptop, and it worked without hiccups. Plus, the specifications of this laptop ensure that it can handle most resource-intensive tasks with ease.
The Vivobook Pro 15 also comes with a 15.6-inch FHD (1920x1080p) display with 250 nits brightness and 144Hz refresh rate. Those who prefer bigger-screen laptops will find this an appealing option, though I’m not a fan of the size. This is an excellent display if you are just watching content on streaming platforms– though admittedly not the brightest at 250 nits. Still, I never felt the need to crank up the brightness to full on this one when using it during the day. The laptop’s sound system is also impressive, and I enjoyed watching shows on Disney+Hotstar on this particular laptop.
The other advantage of the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 is the keyboard, which is larger than what you find on a 13 or 14-inch laptop, say the MacBook Air, which is my primary device. The keyboard comes with a dedicated number pad. There’s ample travel on the keys. I used the laptop daily to edit and type out some of my stories, and loved the experience. Usually, I struggle on most other laptops, especially when switching between Mac and Windows, but with the Asus Vivobook, I found typing enjoyable. The trackpad is also large enough and responsive. Typically, I connect any of the laptops I’ve got for a review to an external mouse, but with this, I just made do with the trackpad and the experience was smooth.
The Asus Vivobook also packs another big difference compared to my MacBook Air, and that is the sheer number of ports. It packs two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, a Thunderbolt 4 (USB 3.2 Gen 2 ) port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, SD Express 7.0 card reader and an RJ45 Ethernet port. If you need multiple ports, then this laptop has you covered in most key areas. It also packs a 1080p web camera with a physical privacy shutter button. The web camera is better than what I experience on my regular device. Asus has also packed a biometric fingerprint scanner in the power button for extra security, and it worked smoothly.
The laptop comes with a 50WHr battery and 150W DC charging support. It takes around 90 minutes to get this laptop to a full charge, but the battery life did not impress me so much.
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 review: What didn’t impress me?
The laptop gets loud thanks to the fan and cooling system, even when I wasn’t doing the most intense tasks. More importantly, the battery life is not the best I’ve seen, as I found the Vivobook running out of juice quickly, just a little around 5 hours with a fairly light workload. This is not as good as what I’m used to with my Macbook. I felt I had to keep charging the laptop quite often during my testing period.
My other issue with the laptop is the size and weight. At 1.9 kg, this is a major reason why I would not choose this as a possible laptop for myself. The weight alone means this might not be ideal for many users, especially those suffering from chronic back problems. The latter is a growing tribe, especially among those working 9 to 9 jobs. This is certainly not a laptop I would look forward to carrying if I had a long-haul flight coming up.
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 review: Should you get it?
Yes, if you want a laptop with a good Intel processor, but don’t want to pay above Rs 1 lakh and don’t need something lightweight. Yes, if you are in the market for a big-screen laptop in the 15-inch plus category. Yes, if you are in the market for a Windows 11 laptop with good specifications and enough RAM and storage. No, if you want something lighter and with a flexible form factor, especially in the Windows universe. I would say you should prepare to pay a slightly high price if you want a lighter Windows 11 laptop with premium specifications.
