ASUS Vivobook laptops are known for their versatility, solid performance and sturdy chassis. And the new ASUS Vivobook S432FL offers the same qualities at a reasonable price. It has got both the looks and powerful hardware. Its lavish, sleek design is a sight for sore eyes, while the high-end components make it a worthy contender among ASUS core i5 laptops.
ASUS VivoBook S14 is a feature-packed laptop including a 10th generation CPU and NVIDIA GPU. It is an ideal choice for both business users and creative designers, thanks to its powerful components. The parts inside its chassis are powerful enough to challenge a premium laptop in performance.
We have looked into its specs and tested the performance of ASUS VivoBook S14. Below is a complete review of the Vivobook S432FL along with its strengths and weaknesses.
Specs sheet
Processor: Intel Quad-Core i5-10210U (10th Gen.) / 1.6GHz Max. Turbo Speed 4.2GHz
Display: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Resolution
RAM: 8GB Storage: 1TB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (GDDR5 2GB)
Battery: 42Wh
Weight: 3.1lbs (1.40 kg)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home
ASUS has loaded the Vivobook S432 with come compelling components to ensure smoother performance. Let’s see how this laptop performs under stress in the real world.
Design
The lid of ASUS VivoBook S14 features an aluminium sheet, but the rest of its body is made of plastic. ASUS has given the matte finish which ensures that the device stays clean. We hardly saw any fingerprints on the lid as we were evaluating the laptop for its design.
The lid has ErgoLift design but we were unable to lift it with a single hand. When you open the lid, it lifts the base from the backside which creates space beneath the chassis. This lift not only creates space for better breathing of the fan, but also results in thin bezels across the display.
The ventilation grills are on the bottom panel of the laptop and you can see them by turning the laptop upside down. In addition, there are two speaker cut-outs on the bottom panel for improved sound quality. ASUS Vivobook S14 S432FL weighs around 3.1lbs (1.40 kg) with a slightly thinner profile of 18mm.
Display
The model we tested for the performance came with a 14-inch wide FHD diagonal display. It comes with a resolution of 1920 x 1080p, a screen ration of 16:9 and 157ppi pixel density. We found that the screen of this model turned Retina at a distance of around 22 inches.
ASUS Vivobook S432 provides an average screen brightness of 231 nits, which we found satisfactory. However, ASUS could have done better considering the specs on this laptop. Nevertheless, this is a good display for web browsing, streaming videos and office use. Thanks to the NVIDIA graphics card, the display delivers crisp visuals with lively colours.
AUSU has also mounted an IR system right above the display. This is a face recognition system that provides additional security and ensure better camera quality.
Keyboard
ASUS Vivobook S432FL has a decent backlit keyboard that offers clicky feedback. It has comfortable keys, adjacent key travel and we found it comfortable for writing. Overall, this is a nice keyboard deck for business users and professionals who don’t want their fingertips to soar after long hours of work.
ScreenPad
Let’s talk about the touchpad which is a true ScreenPad with a high resolution of 2160 x 1080p. You can easily turn the touchpad into the ScreenPad by pressing the “F6” key. The touchpad itself is highly responsive and follow the commands well with a fast detection.
As a ScreenPad, it performs the functions of a second display and offers a whole lot of features. You can use it to put virtual apps o it, watch videos and assign shortcuts for your own convenience. That’s not all, the ScreenPad is responsive to fingertips and you can use it as a writing pad. The notes you take on it can be transcoded into digital text, which is impressive.
Connectivity
This ASUS Vivobook S14 has a quality selection of ports, which we found modest. The ports are scattered on both sides of the laptop and offer a variety of connectivity. The right side houses two USB 3.1 ports (one Type-C and the other Type-A), a 3.5mm audio jack, an HDMI output and a power plug connection.
The left side of the laptop houses a microSD card reader slot and two Type-A US 2.0 ports. We found these port selection generous but slightly modest, as there is only one Type-C port. Furthermore, ASUS has not added a thunderbolt 3 port which would have been a nice addition.
Performance
ASUS Vivobook S14 S432FL is armed with a 10th generation Core i5-10210U CPU that runs on the Home OS. This quad-core Intel processor offers a clock speed range from 1.6GHz to a maximum of 4.2GHz. Moreover, there is an 8GB standard RAM to ensure smooth performance as well as a colossal 1TB SSD storage.
By all means, this is a great combination of specs that you would expect at this price. The hardware selection makes the ASUS S432 a suitable choice of office and business needs. However, the Windows 10 Pro would have been a better option for business users, as it comes with additional tools and features.
Coming to its performance, we found this ASUS Vivobook S14 a device that fits the bill. It performed well under real-world conditions and under stress when we ran office programs and common media editing tools. We were also able to enjoy common 3D games, such as PUBG and Fortnight, thanks to NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics card.
Battery life
The battery on this ASUS Vivobook S14 is 42Wh, which many may find moderate. However, we found it adequate for the tasks as we were able to gain around 9 hours of battery life on a single charge. Of course, this performance was extracted when we tested it for web browsing and video playback.
Verdict
In a nutshell, ASUS Vivobook S14 S432FL is a great business laptop that can cater to your office needs. It has a sleek, gentle design and inside the chassis, it carries a wonderful combination of specs. This is a powerful Core i5 laptop with standard memory, NVIDIA graphics and a massive 1TB SSD storage.
