Looking for a budget laptop with equally good specifications? The ASUS VivoBook 15 X515JA might be your ultimate companion. However, like any other affordable laptop, the VivoBook also comes with its drawbacks. Dive into my comprehensive Asus Vivo Book 15 X515JA review to see if this 15-inch laptop delivers the quality you are looking for.
ASUS is popular when it comes to budget-friendly laptops, especially the ASUS VivoBook series, which has redefined value for money. It has become the go-to choice for professionals and students seeking a reliable and affordable laptop. Yet there are some compromises to make.
This laptop is budget-friendly and offers affordability, numerous ports, a sleek chassis, a lightweight build, a fingerprint reader, a backlit keyboard with a number pad, and an edge-to-edge widescreen display. Let’s take a look at its specs and features before diving into the detailed review.
Specs and Features
- Intel Core i5 Processor
- 15.6-inch Screen Size
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD
- Intel UHD Graphics GPU
- Windows 10 Home
- Connectivity: USB 3.1
Design
The ASUS laptop (X515JA) checks all the boxes for an attractive design given the price range. Despite its 15-inch form factor, its plastic body is remarkably slim, weighing just around 1.8 kg. This lightweight design allows hassle-free portability wherever you go.
Display
With a 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 FHD display, the VivoBook 15 has a little bezel on the sides and a slightly larger bezel at the top to house the webcam. While the windscreen’s look is appealing, its colour profile may appear dim, and the viewing angles may not meet your expectations. These factors prevent it from delivering a truly immersive and captivating experience when it comes to enjoying online videos.
You might not notice the display’s average color quality while watching YouTube videos or editing photographs, but it becomes apparent once you switch displays. The viewing angles of the VivoBook 15 are a bit odd, too. You must look at the laptop at an exact angle—about 100 degrees—to see the screen without a sheen.
This problem becomes more obvious if you use night mode or rely on dark mode within most of the applications. The laptop’s brightness is also unsatisfactory, only maxing out at 205 nits in lab tests as compared to the Acer Aspire 5 (258 nits) and HP 15 Laptop (222 nits). As all these models are below the industry average of 268 nits, the VivoBook 15’s design will not provide you with a cinematic viewing experience.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Just like Asus’ premium models, the VivoBook 15 has a keyboard that is seamlessly integrated into the laptop. The trackpad sits flush with the wrist rest, elegantly blending in without drawing unnecessary attention, and there is also a convenient fingerprint scanner to ensure secure system access.
It’s comfortable to work with the chiclet keys on the keyboard, especially since they come with backlighting. It is also impressive how the laptop has a separate numeric keypad integrated into the right side of the keyboard without even crowding the keyboard area.
It can be easily turned on and off with a Number Lock key, like a full-sized external keyboard. This feature will come in handy if you regularly work with data entry or calculations. However, some people might find it annoying to work with the widely spaced keys on the keyboard.
The VivoBook 15’s 4.1 x 2.9-inch trackpad is smooth and responsive, allowing for accurate cursor control and supporting a range of multi-touch gestures. Users might find the touchpad size smaller and its placement slightly off-centre compared to their usual preferences.
Ports
The ASUS VivoBook 15 (X515JA) has a generous collection of ports and will prove handy if you’re considering docking the device and working with a full setup.
The laptop’s left side has two traditional USB 2.0 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, and LED indicators for charging and battery status. The right side has the rest of the bounty, housing a proprietary power jack, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, an HDMI 1.4 port for tethering the laptop, and a combination of headphones and a microphone jack.
There’s a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, a rarity for a laptop in this price range, and a way for you to add an Ethernet port by way of a compatible adapter.
You might have preferred a Thunderbolt 3 input or a standard SD slot instead of a microSD slot for connecting gadgets such as the DSLR, as per your preferences.
Audio and Cameras
You will most likely need external speakers and an external webcam to use the laptop to its full potential.
The laptop’s bottom-facing dual speakers require a little extra boost, as you might find the sound a bit strained while watching movies or listening to music, especially when the laptop is set down on a table. You’re better off pairing the laptop with external speakers to listen to anything.
The built-in 720-p webcam in the VivoBook 15 will save the day if you encounter surprise video conferences frequently. If you are a fan of high-quality visuals, you will need to connect your device to an external webcam. It’s unfortunate that the camera quality is not good on budget laptops, although professionals and students can substantially benefit from superior video quality.
Performance
The laptop’s Intel Core-i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 512 GB of SSD storage have superior performance matched with efficiency as compared to similar notebooks with 10th-generation processors.
You can easily shift through dozens of tabs on Google Chrome without any lag, and there is an Intel UHD graphics card that is quite usable for basic tasks that utilise an integrated card, though it is not enough to power AAA gaming. The notebook is designed to effortlessly keep up with your daily demands, as it is equipped with four powerful computing cores that offer ample processing power for many of your tasks at hand.
The laptop is also equipped with headroom-to-boot clock speeds of 3.6 GHz. This ensures a snappy user experience, with speedy programme launches thanks to the SSD and swift execution of basic photo editing and other simple tasks.
Like any other budget laptop, it seems that this notebook has exceptional performance at a cheaper price, but that is not the case at the initial stage.
The laptop proved exceptional in video transcoding tests, too. It was able to transcode 4K video to 1080p resolution within 28 minutes and 33 seconds.
Battery Life
The battery life of the ASUS laptop (X515JA) is amazing. You can easily use this laptop for more than six hours, even with continuous use.
The lab tests also reveal that the laptop’s battery outperformed different laptops like the Acer Aspire 5 (5:16) and the HP 15 laptop.
Heat
The reviews are mostly positive when it comes to the temperature of this laptop during usage. Users stated that the VivoBook 15 is consistent and capable of distributing heat, and it felt temperate enough to use on their lap.
The lab tests findings state that the laptop’s keyboard measured about 72 degrees Fahrenheit throughout, while the underside measured higher at 91 degrees. In general, the laptop does not feel too hot to make it uncomfortable to use.
Price and Availability
The ASUS VivoBook 15 (X515JA) is an Intel Core i5-1035G1 model with 8GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. It is a 15.6-inch FHD display laptop with a wallet-friendly price tag ranging between £350 and £500. It is easily available from leading online retailers like Laptop Outlet. You can also opt for a refurbished model to save even more costs.
Final Verdict
If you need a cheap, do-it-all PC, the VivoBook 15 seems to be well-rounded in terms of design, features, and performance. It stands out among other budget laptops on the market with a similar price tag. It is powerful enough for you to fulfil your daily tasks and has just enough battery life to meet your everyday deadlines.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit Laptop Outlet and get your hands on this amazing laptop now!
