I have only had this laptop for the past 1 week but let me tell you it has been awesome. The best thing about the Vivobook is that it is so cheap. I paid £440 for this i3 model which is a bargain and today I see that the price has gone down further to £399! I would buy another one if there was a need.
About the laptop: It runs Windows 8. Not too sure if I like this operating system to be honest. It certainly looks better than the previous ones but there is just too many functionalities, most people don't need all that. I want an operating system to just do what I want it to do and not spend time learning how to use it! Hopefully I'll get use to it soon. Otherwise its a better more stable OS, its a pleasure to use when you are relaxed and have time.
The laptop gets five stars because just about everything is perfect for me. The screen is the right size, 14'' hits the sweet spot. The sound is satisfactory, the touch screen works perfectly and the laptop speed with the i3 processor is decent enough for my liking.
I had to update the touchpad(mouse) driver from asus's own website. Before that the touchpad was horrible but now its better than my old toshiba. It was only a driver issue. So touchpad issue shouldn't deter you from buying this amazing laptop.
I didnt find Asus's bloatware to be a big issue like others have complained, apart from my computer wanting to restart itself several times initially due to asus's software receiving simultaneous updates (which annoyed me at start as i wanted to enjoy my new laptop and not update asus's useless programs)
The keyboard is lovely, typing is a pleasure (I cant stop typing emails, this is one of the reasons why I am tying this review in the first place)
The laptop is certainly not the lightest amongst the ultrabooks but then again asus never said it was an ultrabook. its lighter than the usual 15.4'' laptops.
One of my gripe is the reflective screen, yes it tends to be like a mirror in a bright sunny room. but i guess i have found a solution to it which is to use an anti-glare screen protector from asus. I need to purchase that still. Its only a problem in very bright rooms not anywhere and everywhere.
The battery is less than average for a 14'' notebook. it runs for around 3 hours, 3.5 at best with constant use (not watching videos though. Might run out sooner otherwise)
So my verdict is that Asus Vivobook S400CA is a great laptop, perfect for people like me who use it for emails, work and an occasional movie/catch up programme. And at the price like this + a touch screen to go with it, its one of the first companies to bring slim notebooks down to these low prices.
A MUST BUY!
(This review was written only after 5 days of using the laptop, so cannot comment on long term reliability)
| Brand | ASUS |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 23.9 x 33.91 x 2.11 cm; 1.83 kg |
| Item model number | S400CA-CA038H |
| Manufacturer | Asus |
| Series | VivoBook |
| Form Factor | ultrabook |
| Standing screen display size | 14 Inches |
| Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 pixel |
| Resolution | 1366x768 |
| Processor Brand | Intel |
| Processor Type | Core i3 |
| Processor Speed | 1.8 GHz |
| Processor Count | 2 |
| RAM Size | 4 GB |
| Memory Technology | DDR3 |
| Computer Memory Type | DDR3 SDRAM |
| Memory Clock Speed | 1600 MHz |
| Hard Drive Size | 500 GB |
| Hard Disk Description | HDD |
| Audio Details | Speakers |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel Integrated Graphics |
| Graphics Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Graphics Card Description | Integrated |
| Graphics RAM Type | DDR3 SDRAM |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 4 |
| Connectivity Type | Bluetooth |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Operating System | Windows 8 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 4.5 Hours |
| Are Batteries Included | Yes |
| Lithium Battery Weight | 300 g |
| Item Weight | 1.83 kg |
| Guaranteed software updates until | unknown |
