Asus VivoBook 15 KM513 in review: A rare OLED HDR and Ryzen 5 5500U combination for the mid-range

Asus recently launched the VivoBook K Series in India in Intel and AMD options. We have tested both the VivoBook 15 K513EQ with Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 and the VivoBook 15 KM513 powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U. The VivoBook K Series tries to bring good CPU performance and an immersive OLED viewing experience to a more accessible price point. 

In our review of the Asus VivoBook 15 KM513, we found that the design and other external features of the device are relatively unchanged from other VivoBook devices. The construction is predominantly plastic and while the port selection is decent, the lone USB Type-C port does not offer DisplayPort-out and Power Delivery. 

We like how Asus has equipped the VivoBook 15 KM513 with the Samsung OLED panel. This panel uses DC dimming to regulate backlight brightness at 50% brightness and above while resorting to PWM at 49% brightness and below. The panel itself is an excellent one with 100% DCI-P3 coverage, very low response times, and good viewing angles albeit with some color tinting at the extremes.

We found that the panel also offers a high 400-nit brightness with an excellent 98% distribution. The VivoBook 15 KM513's panel also supports HDR — Asus claims up to 600 nits, and we could record up to 545 nits with a 100% white HDR image.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500U does its part in ensuring a decent computing experience. The processor did not throttle in our sustained loop tests. Users can select between Whisper, Balanced, and Performance operating modes. In the review, we show a comparison between the three modes in various test scenarios.

There are some limitations with the VivoBook 15 KM513 such as the single heatpipe-fan combination that works extra hard to keep the APU cool. While this does a good job in preventing throttling issues, it also results in somewhat higher noise levels. Power consumption seems to be on the higher side as well in a few scenarios. 

Battery life is probably where the VivoBook 15 KM513 takes the biggest hit. Even at a reduced 150 cd/m² brightness, the laptop does not have a long runtime clocking just shy of 6.5 hours in our standardized Wi-Fi browsing test. 

We look into all these aspects and more in our detailed review of the Asus VivoBook 15 KM513, so check it out to see if this would be your next mid-range consideration.

Buy the Asus VivoBook 15 K513EQ with Core i7-1165G7 and GeForce MX350 on Amazon