Are OLED screens here to stay? This seems to be the case, at least for Asus. The technology company was betting on this type of screen in its latest launches. Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED also promises to be a notebook for designers and gamers, will it be up to what these tasks require?
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED | DATA SHEET |
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Color | 2B-Quiet Blue |
Operating system | Windows 11 Home – ASUS recommends Windows 11 Pro for businesss |
Processor | AMD R9-5900HX/BGA |
Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 with NVIDIA Studio drivers |
Screen | Size: 15.6″ Technology: OLED Resolution: FHD (1920 x 1080), 146 ppi Brightness: 600nits Others: DCI-P3: 100% 1.07 billion colors 70% less harmful light |
RAM | DDR4 16GB (ON BD.) at 3200 MHz |
Storage | SSD 512GB PCIEG3 |
Interfaces | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 2x USB 2.0 Type-A 1 x HDMI 1.4 1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack 1 x DC-in Micro-SD card reader |
Keyboard and TouchPad | Keyboard: 32×10 cm, backlit chiclet type with number key, 1.35 mm key travel. touchpad: 13×7.5cm. |
Audio | built-in speaker Built-in harman/kardon microphone array (main) Cortana compatible |
Camera | 720px HD camera with privacy shutter |
connectivity | Wi-Fi: WiFi5 (802.11AC) 2*2_WW+BT USB: USB2.0*2+USB3.2A+USB3.2C |
battery and power | 63 WHrs, 3S1P, 3-cell lithium-ion 120W charger Input 100-240V 50-60Hz 2.0A Output 20.0V 6.0A 120.0W |
Weight and measurements | Weight: 1.65kg Height: 14″ Width: 23.53cm Depth: 1.89cm |
included in the box | Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED 120 W charger. Stickers to decorate the notebook made by Letterboy. |
Integrated Applications | MyASUS ProArt Creator Hub |
A sober and elegant design that says little
The design of the different notebooks that Asus offers varies according to the public they are targeting. There is a big aesthetic difference between its TUF family, dedicated to gamers, and its Zenbook family, designed especially for designers. The first one stands out for being robust, with a more robotic aesthetic and a red backlit keyboard, while the Zenbook stands out for its sobriety and elegance.
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED It is a computer designed for both gamers and graphic designers, so what does its design tell us? The reality is that it does not lean towards either of the two sides, although if I had to highlight one it would be for design.
aesthetically speaking, Vivobook Pro 15 OLED It doesn’t say “gamer” anywhere, nothing about its physical appearance tells me that it is a computer to spend hours playing video games. With the inclusions that Asus made within the Zenbook, such as a dual screen and a pen, I don’t anticipate that it is a computer designed for design either. However, its more sober and refined aesthetics incline it more towards that side.
However, I must emphasize that it is a computer that looks nice at first glance. And not only that, its weight (1.65 kg) makes it easy to handle even with one hand, so carrying it from here to there would not be at all uncomfortable for those who want it.
A keyboard to write without stopping and a touchpad that hinders the experience
The new notebook of the Vivobook family has a 32×10 cm keyboard, with 1.35 mm key travel and three-level backlighting.
The size of the keyboard and the space of its keys make typing totally enjoyable, comfortable. I wrote various texts on this machine and at no time did I feel even a slight hitch; my fingers were able to flow without any problem.
The backlight, on the other hand, does leave a lot to be desired: despite having three levels, none is powerful enough for levels with minimal ambient lighting. It seems like something intended only for the user to use at night.
Regarding the TouchPad, I did not find a design that was really comfortable for me. Right off the bat, its sheer size made it difficult for me to do various left-click/right-click tasks. And its “smooth as silk” – this is how the company highlights it – didn’t help either: for it to respond really well you had to press the pen, if you made a pressure similar to that of the cell phone, for example, the movement of the cursor was it got pretty rough.
One lime and one sand
The walls of the apartment where I live are quite thick, which means that, in many devices, the Wi-Fi signal is stuck and does not arrive correctly between the living room (where the Wi-Fi is located) and the bedroom. For this notebook, the Wi-Fi signal was not a problem, I was able to connect to both networks, both 5G and 2.4G, without the slightest problem.
However, bluetooth did not suffer the same fate. In my day to day I use wireless headphones and many times, being in the room, I go to the kitchen with them. In the computer, the signal is not lost at any time. However, on this notebook the headphone signal was lost after I walked a few steps away.
Biometric security is conspicuous by its absence
Unlike other computers that Asus has been launching recently, such as the Zenbook Pro Duo 15 OLED and the Zenbook Flip S, this model does not have any type of biometric security. Stranger is the matter if we take into account that other models of the Vivobook family have fingerprint unlocking.
In this way, the only way to protect this computer from external people is to place the famous pin that Windows offers. Nothing more.
We are in 2022, friends
We all know that the pandemic brought with it a new modality. Many of us stopped going to an office and started working from home. The home office implies, in many cases, having various meetings via Zoom, Meet or the preferred platform.
Bearing this in mind, having a quality webcam is a requirement that today should come almost by default and, however, it is something that on some occasions, like this one, continues to be ignored. The built-in camera in this notebook is only 720p. A real pity.
For the most paranoid, there is something to highlight in this regard: the webcam is accompanied by a flap that allows it to be completely covered. In this way, you can always have it locked and unlock it for video calls.
The most beautiful thing my eyes have seen
For years I used an LED screen as the main monitor, this year I incorporated an IPS monitor and the difference between the two was abysmal. I was completely happy with my new monitor until now when I got my hands on an OLED.
The experience in this sense is more than outstanding. Whether you’re watching a video, designing or gaming, the feel of the screen is unmatched by other types of technology. The colors continued to be seen intense, vivid, even with the brightness at a minimum.
In this aspect I also want to emphasize that I spent hours testing the machine and at no time did my eyes tire.
Speaker? Only for firm surfaces
It’s rare to see someone use a computer without a headset, but there are. And for them I have very bad news: the parliaments are downstairs, so if they use the notebook on themselves or on the bed they will hear little or nothing even if they have the volume turned up to maximum.
The story changes if the computer is resting on a firm surface. In those conditions, the lower legs give the device a little height that helps not to block the speakers. In this case, the volume comes out clear and clean and sounds powerful even when not at maximum.
To play without problems has been said
Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED promises to be an ideal computer for designers and/or gamers. Since my profile leans more towards the second point than the first, I tried two video games: Borderlands 3 and Lego Star Wars the Skywalker Saga.
In Borderlands 3, in “Cabrozana” quality it did not even reach 40 fps per second, in ultra quality it barely exceeded 50 fps per second and in high quality it already reached 60 fps. It should be noted that, despite not reaching the fps well in the two highest qualities, the device never got hot or even felt like it was making any minimal effort.
The games were fluid in all instances. The same fate befell the Lego Star Wars the Skywalker Saga. The latter was always played in high quality (the maximum that the game allows) and ran at 60 fps at all times, without any difficulty and without requiring the least effort from the computer.
Ready for a whole working day
If your intention is simply to work with this computer –and I’m not talking to you, designer–, the battery lasts up to 8 hours without any problem. An extremely efficient result. Now, this new Vivobook claims to be ideal for gamers and designers and we all know that both video games and design programs consume a lot of battery. Thus, it does not matter if you activate the energy saving mode, the times will be dramatically reduced if your intention is to play or design. Luckily, in just over an hour you will have the battery fully charged again. Yes, that’s how long it takes to load.