When it comes to portable tablet-style convertibles, the first device that would come to most people’s minds is an iPad or even a Microsoft Surface.
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Also Read: Asus ROG Strix Scar: No-Compromise Gaming Laptop With No Performance Hiccups
And now, Asus has tried to do something similar with the newest inclusion in its Vivobook lineup — Asus Vivobook 13 Slate OLED. And here’s what my experience was like.
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Smart Design
Vivobook 13 Slate OLED is truly designed with lots of thought. Whether it’s the standalone tablet that’s just 780 grams to weigh or the magnetically-attaching keyboard case, stand and stylus holder, (stylus included) the device looks fresh, rugged and downright clean, aesthetically.
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You get two USB Type-C 3.1 ports, a microSD card slot as well as a headphone jack for connectivity, apart from the magnetic connector to connect to the keyboard cover.
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The magnetic keyboard cover is reversible and it doubles as a tablet-drawing surface, similar to that of a Wacom — convenient for students to take notes or scribble on.
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Gorgeous OLED Display
As the name suggests, the 13-inch panel on the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED is a full-HD panel with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels.
While we would have loved to see a more pixel-dense resolution on this panel, what truly took our breath away was the OLED nature of the panel, offering deep blacks, vibrant contrasts thanks to 100 percent support of the DCI-P3 colour gamut.
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The Pantone-certified display offers an 83-percent screen to body ratio which makes it immersive enough while being comfortable to hold for longer durations. This alongside a pair of loud stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, this tiny tablet is a fun media consumption device.
One thing I truly hated was that the display was too glossy, and despite its 500 nits brightness, wasn’t enough to view on-screen content clearly with a ton of sunlight around.
Full-fledged Windows 11
A device like this would make one think that this could be running a lighter version of Windows that’s missing out on numerous features. However, you’ll be surprised to know that it is running a Home version of Windows, similar to any budget Windows laptop you’d otherwise purchase.
This means you can install all the Windows apps that you’d normally use on a Windows PC (although it should support it considering the hardware aboard the machine).
Performance that leaves you wanting more
Under the hood, however, is where things start to get a little disappointing. The machine is powered by an Intel Pentium Silver N6000 processor which is clocked at 1.10GHz, paired with 8GB of RAM.
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In our testing experience, we found the machine to not be the smoothest at all times, partly due to the hardware constraints fitting into such a compact form factor.
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The benchmark scores too reveal that the device works fine for a basic media consumption-web browsing machine. However, at times even a few open Chrome tabs would make the machine downright unusable.
For basic word processing on Google Docs or watching movies on Netflix, the Vivobook Slate performed just fine, nothing too impressive, and definitely not impressive if the workload involves opening multiple Google Chrome tabs.
Also Read: Asus ROG Flow X13: Powerful Gaming Laptop In A Convertible Design
Decent battery life
One thing where this machine performed rather admirably was battery life. Vivobook 13 Slate is powered by a 50WHrs, 3S1P, 3-cell Li-ion battery. On PCMark 8’s battery life test, the device lasted a decent 6 hours 23 minutes.
In my day to day use, I easily got over seven hours of use with the Vivobook 13 Slate, which is quite good for a Windows machine. It’s however important to note that your bandwidth may vary.
Should you buy Asus Vivobook 13 Slate?
Asus’s Vivobook 13 Slate tries to be the best version of a two-in-one with a well-thought design, thanks to its accessories as well as a gorgeous display that’s a joy to consume content on.
But it is pulled down by its not very impressive performance, as well as the premium price for a full two-in-one experience (variant with an included keyboard case, magnetic kickstand and stylus cost Rs 62,990).
The lower variant comes with just the Windows tablet and that too with 4GB of RAM and a slower 128GB EMMC storage that would make the machine even more unusable.
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Also Read: Asus Vivobook Pro 14’s Gorgeous OLED Display Is Geared For Creative Professionals
At the price tag of Rs 62,990, you’ll be much better off using a regular notebook that would not only be powered by a far more powerful hardware but also offer more storage space and support for more apps.
But Asus says this machine isn’t for that sort of audience — this is supposed to be a secondary device for people who already have powerful machines, to have a light and handy media consumption device — but in my opinion, it doesn’t really do a good job at that, especially at that hefty price point.
If performance is of utmost importance, you’re better off looking for other alternatives. However, if you want a secondary Windows tablet and don’t want to spend the hefty price tag of a Microsoft Surface, Vivobook 13 Slate is worth considering.