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ASUS VivoBook K15 OLED Review
Introduction
The ASUS VivoBook K15 OLED is a laptop designed to cater to a wide range of users, from students and professionals to creative individuals. With its stunning OLED display, capable hardware, and sleek design, the VivoBook K15 OLED aims to offer a premium computing experience at an affordable price. In this review, we will delve into the various aspects of the VivoBook K15 OLED, including its design, display, performance, thermals, battery life, and overall value.
Design and Build Quality
The ASUS VivoBook K15 OLED boasts a modern and stylish design. The laptop features a sleek aluminum chassis with a matte finish, giving it a premium feel. The build quality is solid, with minimal flex in the lid and keyboard deck, ensuring durability. The VivoBook K15 OLED is relatively lightweight at 3.7 pounds and has a slim profile, measuring just 0.75 inches at its thickest point, making it highly portable.
The laptop is available in multiple colors, including Indie Black, Transparent Silver, and Hearty Gold, allowing users to choose a model that best suits their style. The lid features the distinctive VivoBook logo, adding a touch of elegance to the overall design.
Display
One of the standout features of the VivoBook K15 is its 15.6-inch OLED display with a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. The OLED technology delivers stunning visuals with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast ratios. This makes the display ideal for content consumption, creative work, and general productivity. The screen covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, ensuring accurate color reproduction, which is crucial for photo and video editing.
The display also supports HDR content, providing an enhanced viewing experience for compatible media. With a peak brightness of 400 nits, the screen is bright enough for most indoor environments, although it might struggle in direct sunlight. The thin bezels on the sides and top contribute to a more immersive viewing experience and give the laptop a modern look.
Performance
The ASUS VivoBook K15 OLED is powered by the latest Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. This hardware combination ensures that the laptop can handle a variety of tasks, from everyday productivity to light creative work and casual gaming.
In benchmark tests, the VivoBook K15 OLED performed admirably. In PCMark 10, it scored over 4,500 points, indicating strong performance for everyday tasks such as web browsing, video streaming, and office applications. The Intel Iris Xe graphics, while not designed for heavy gaming, are capable of handling casual games and light photo and video editing.
Real-world performance was smooth and responsive. Applications like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, and even some light video editing software ran without significant slowdowns. The 16GB of RAM allows for efficient multitasking, enabling users to work with multiple applications and browser tabs simultaneously.
Thermals and Cooling
Thermal management is an essential aspect of any laptop, and the VivoBook K15 OLED handles it well. The laptop features an advanced cooling system with a single fan and multiple heat pipes, ensuring efficient heat dissipation. During extended workloads, the laptop remained relatively cool, with CPU temperatures staying within acceptable ranges.
The fan noise is minimal during regular use and only becomes noticeable under heavy load. ASUS has included different performance modes in the MyASUS software, allowing users to balance performance and noise levels according to their needs. The “Performance” mode maximizes hardware potential, while the “Whisper” mode reduces fan noise for quieter environments.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The VivoBook K15 OLED features a full-sized keyboard with a numeric keypad, providing a comfortable typing experience. The keys have a good amount of travel and tactile feedback, making them suitable for extended typing sessions. The keyboard is backlit, allowing for easy use in low-light conditions. The inclusion of dedicated function keys and customizable shortcuts adds to the overall convenience.
The trackpad is spacious and responsive, supporting Windows Precision drivers for accurate and smooth tracking. The integrated fingerprint reader within the trackpad provides an added layer of security and quick login via Windows Hello.
Audio
Audio quality on the VivoBook K15 OLED is handled by a set of Harman Kardon-certified stereo speakers located on the sides of the laptop. The speakers deliver clear and loud sound with a decent amount of bass. The inclusion of ASUS SonicMaster technology enhances the overall audio experience, providing a richer and more immersive sound.
While the built-in speakers are impressive for a laptop, audiophiles and professionals working with audio may prefer using high-quality headphones or external speakers for the best audio experience.
Battery Life
Battery life is a crucial factor for users who need to work on the go. The VivoBook K15 OLED is equipped with a 42Wh battery, which provides around 7-8 hours of mixed-use battery life under normal usage scenarios, such as web browsing, video streaming, and light productivity tasks. During more demanding workloads, such as photo editing or gaming, battery life drops to around 4-5 hours.
The laptop supports fast charging, allowing the battery to reach 60% capacity in just 49 minutes. This feature is particularly useful for users who need to quickly top up their battery during breaks.
Connectivity and Ports
The VivoBook K15 OLED offers a comprehensive selection of ports to accommodate various peripherals and accessories. The laptop includes two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, one USB 2.0 Type-A port, an HDMI 1.4 port, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack. The inclusion of USB-C is a significant advantage, allowing for high-speed data transfer and charging.
The laptop also features Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, ensuring fast and reliable wireless connectivity. These features are essential for users who rely on cloud services and wireless peripherals.
Software and Features
ASUS includes several useful software tools with the VivoBook K15 OLED, enhancing the overall user experience. The MyASUS software provides access to system settings, performance profiles, and system updates. It also includes features such as AI noise-canceling technology, which reduces background noise during video calls and recordings.
The laptop also features an integrated HD webcam with a privacy shutter, providing peace of mind for users concerned about security. The webcam’s quality is adequate for video calls and streaming, though it might not meet the standards of professional content creators who require higher-resolution cameras.
Conclusion
The ASUS VivoBook K15 OLED is a versatile laptop that offers a great balance of performance, design, and value. Its stunning OLED display, capable hardware, and solid build quality make it an excellent choice for a wide range of users, from students and professionals to creative individuals.
While it may not be the most powerful option for heavy gaming or intensive creative work, its relatively slim profile, lightweight design, and reasonable price point make it a compelling choice for everyday use and light to moderate productivity tasks. The main drawbacks include the relatively short battery life during demanding workloads and the lack of a higher-end GPU option for more intensive tasks. However, these are minor trade-offs considering the overall performance and capabilities of the laptop.
