A discrete GPU means the Vivobook Professional 15 provides some stable gaming efficiency, even when that’s not the primary objective of this laptop computer. I examined just a few video games, equivalent to Cyberpunk 2077 and Marvel Rivals. As a result of it is a 40-series GPU, you have got entry to body era, which may internet you over 90 frames per second at Extremely settings, as long as you flip off ray tracing and play at 1080p. Alternatively, a lighter recreation like Marvel Rivals feels nice and represents the proper sort for the Vivobook Professional 15.
Battery life sadly falls wanting expectations. The mix of these power-hungry elements and the high-resolution OLED display screen take plenty of juice to energy. Enjoying a neighborhood video file on loop, it solely lasted 6 hours and 21 minutes earlier than dying. That was with the display screen at a standardized 100 lux of brightness, and the keyboard backlighting turned off. A heavier load will drain the battery pretty rapidly, so this isn’t the only option for work on the go.
Tread Rigorously
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
The Vivobook Professional 15 prices $1,500, and I’ll be clear: That’s barely too costly in my guide. The OLED show is great, and the efficiency is stable, however in the event you’re making an attempt to save lots of a buck, there are cheaper laptops that provide related efficiency.
Take the Vivobook Professional 16, which launched final 12 months and in addition had an RTX 4050. Due to some worth drops since its launch, you possibly can presently purchase it for $1,000. The display screen decision is decrease—it’s not OLED—nevertheless it’s a extra fashionable laptop computer due to its 16:10 show. It additionally solely comes with 16 GB of RAM as a substitute of 24 GB. Nevertheless it’s additionally a $500 worth distinction. There’s additionally final 12 months’s Lenovo Yoga Professional 9i, which often dips to $1,350, additionally comes with the RTX 4050, and is the same dimension. You don’t get OLED, nevertheless it features a larger decision IPS touchscreen panel with a sooner 165-Hz refresh price to make up for it.
Finally, the issue with the Vivobook Professional 16’s worth proposition is the shortage of a brand new GPU onboard. The generational CPU improve this 12 months seemingly gained’t make an enormous distinction over the prior Intel chip, and because it makes use of the identical graphics card, it’s arduous to make a case for paying this far more. That’s very true for the reason that RTX 5050 could be just a few months away. The standard of the OLED nonetheless makes it stand out—if solely it weren’t in an outdated side ratio.
