Asus VivoBook 14 X413
A low-cost range of laptops that adds colour to the mix but is undermined by the Honor MagicBook 14
SCORE
Range starts at: £458 (£549 inc VAT) Model tested: No longer for sale
The Asus VivoBook range of laptops has two things in its favour: eye-popping colours and wallet-friendly prices. While the white-topped VivoBook 14 X413 model we tested is no longer on sale, it’s representative of what you can expect from the dozens of VivoBook 14 X413 co nfigurations that are still available to buy.
For instance, head to argos.co.uk and you’ll find three variations: a Core i5 model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD (£549 inc VAT), a 512GB model for £599 and a Core i7/8GB/ 512GB edition for £699. For the specification, those are great prices, so the cynic in all of us should ask: what gives?
The prime sacrifice is the screen. It didn’t take our technical tests to reveal that it had low contrast, but even then we were surprised by a 242:1 measurement. A peak brightness of 225cd/m2 is more forgivable (with 200cd/m2 being fine for indoor use), but the final nail was poor colour coverage and accuracy: 54% of the sRGB gamut with an average Delta E of 3.92 simply isn’t good enough in 2021. We criticise the Honor MagicBook 14’s screen, but it’s made to look positively regal by the VivoBook 14’s.
It’s a shame about the screen because otherwise the VivoBook 14 gets many things right. The keyboard is squishy, it’s true, but we enjoyed
typing on it once we became used to the action. Plus, unlike many cheap laptops, it’s backlit.
Asus is good at squeezing the most out of the components in its laptops and the same holds true here. An overall score of 111 in our in-house benchmarks is among the highest we’ve seen from a tenth-generation Core i7 processor, which is especially commendable when you consider that it had only 8GB of RAM for company. Gamers, on the other hand, will be disappointed by the UHD Graphics built into tenth-generation Intel Core chips. There’s nothing Asus can do about that.
Our test unit included a 42Wh battery, which lasted a disappointin g 6hrs (precisely) in our video-rundown test. Then again, this isn’t a laptop designed for life on the road. The lid feels flimsy with a thin plastic sheet for protection, yet the laptop is a chunky 19.1mm thick. Note the single USB-C port on the left-hand side can’t be used for charging or video output, but there’s an HDMI port and three USB-A ports available, along with a microSD slot.
It all combines to give the
VivoBook 14 X413 an old-fashioned feel, despite its colourful lid, and its cause isn’t helped by the forwardlooking Honor MagicBook 14.