Asus VivoBook S15 M533 Series

Asus VivoBook S15 M533IA-BQ034T

VivoBooks are Asus’ line of mid-level ultrabooks, the more affordable alternative to their premium ZenBooks. Recently, Asus has introduced its latest VivoBook S15 M533IA-BQ034T. This VivoBook is an option to consider for those who would love a mid-range, all-purpose laptop for everyday use or school which supports occasional heavier loads or even casual gaming in the spare time. Overall, Asus has completely nailed the design and construction. Both are excellent for this price-range, with good implemented inputs, punchy speakers and a well-balanced system. This device is the kind that performs snappily with daily use, and still runs quietly and efficiently. In terms of its design, metal has been used for the entire construction, including the underbelly. While it is not a unibody design, it definitely looks and feels premium. The VivoBook is sturdy for a fraction of the cost of higher-end products. The device has also been equipped with small bezels and a spacious interior that is quite perfect for lap use. The interior space is just enough to accommodate a full-size keyboard and a decently sized clickpad.

As far as connectivity is concerned, the Vivobook S15 M533IA-BQ034T carries a fair selection of ports on the sides, including USB Type-A and Type-C ports and an HDMI-2.0 port which can drive an external 4K monitor. There is also a microSD card reader and a headphone jack on the left side. However, it is worth noting that the device can only be charged via a barrel-plug charger, as the USB Type-C port is only available for data transfer and does not in any way support video or charging. This could turn out to be a potential drawback for some users. Apart from that, there is also a webcam at the top of the laptop along with an integrated IR sensor within the clickpad.

In terms of its keyboard, the VivoBook gets a standard Asus keyboard with a full-sized main deck of keys and a slightly narrower NumPad section at the right. There is also an integrated Power button on the top-right corner with an always-on light in it. The keys travel 1.4 mm into the chassis and return rather shallow feedback. While it definitely makes them fast and quiet, they are not necessarily the most accurate. In addition, the keys are backlit with white LEDs, which provides good uniformity and bright intensity at the highest setting. As for the display, the laptop has a matte FHD 15-inch screen with sub 250-nits of brightness and washed-out colours. In terms of its processor, the VivoBook S15 M5331A has been equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U six-core processor with 8 GB of DDR4 3200 MHz RAM, a Samsung PM991 PCIe x4 SSD and AMD Radeon Vega 6 graphics. The processor manages day-to-day usage rather smoothly. As for the battery, it has a capacity of 50 Wh. Overall, it is a great laptop to be explored, depending on the user’s need and preference.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

Specifications

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Average Score: 82.5% - good

Reviews

80% Asus VivoBook S15 M533IA review (AMD Ryzen, Radeon Vega)
Source: Ultrabook Review Archive.org version
This VivoBook S15 M533IA is an option to consider if you're after a mid-range all-purpose laptop for everyday use, school, and occasional heavier loads or casual gaming in the spare time. Asus nailed the design and construction, which are both excellent for this price-range, implemented good inputs, punchy speakers and a well-balanced system, the kind that performs snappily with daily use, runs quietly and efficiently. However, this is not the best implementation of the AMD Ryzen platform, and is only available with dim and washed-out screen at this time.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/24/2020
Rating: Total score: 80%

Foreign Reviews

85% Asus VivoBook S15 M533IA review – multivalență pentru mai puțin de 3000 de lei
Source: Giz.ro →EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 09/01/2020
Rating: Total score: 85%

Review laptop ASUS Vivobook M533I – perfect pentru elevi si studenti
Source: Arena IT →EN Archive.org version
Positive: Premium design; solid workmanship; metal case; excellent display; nice connectivity.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/26/2020

Asus VivoBook S15 M533IA-BQ070T

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Average Score: 80% - good

Foreign Reviews

80% Asus VivoBook S15 M533
Source: PC Guia PT→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/11/2020
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 80%

ASUS VivoBook S15 M533IA: tutto al meglio, tranne lo schermo
Source: Quotidiano Hardware Upgrade IT→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Elegant design; great built quality; high performance; good price.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 09/21/2020

Recensione ASUS VivoBook S15: sostituite il desktop di casa con un Ryzen 4000U!
Source: HDblog.it IT→EN Archive.org version
Positive: High performance; decent autonomy; full set of ports; great hardware. Negative: Poor display; slow SSD.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/27/2020

Asus VivoBook S15 M533, R5 5500U

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Reviews

ASUS VivoBook S15 M533 review – same old with a pinch of AMD
Source: Laptop Media
Although we gave last year’s device an Editor’s Choice award, we can’t do it again. This is just because the M533 version only changes the CPU inside. This results in a higher performance, but a slightly worse battery life, which explains perfectly what is wrong with the machine. It has a ton of good stuff about it, but at the same time – there are some disadvantages (although most of them are pretty minor). And if you are wondering about choosing this unit, or the Intel models, just follow your gut feeling, and bear your work process in mind.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/29/2021

Comment

Asus: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. is a major Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer based in Taipei, founded in 1989. Under the Asus brand name, the company manufactures a wide range of products, including laptops, desktops, motherboards, graphics cards, monitors, smartphones and networking equipment, complete systems and PC components for end users.

Under the ROG (Republic of Gamers) brand name, ASUS manufactures gaming laptops known by gamers for their powerful specifications, dedicated graphics cards, high refresh rate displays and advanced cooling systems.

Beyond gaming, a wide range of notebooks are offered for different needs and budgets, from ultra-slim and lightweight ultrabooks to versatile 2-in-1 convertibles and budget-friendly options. In 2023, Asus had a 7% global market share of the PC market.

Customer satisfaction with ASUS notebooks concerns performance, the features, and the good price-performance ratio of ASUS notebooks. However, as with any brand, there are occasional reports of problems such as overheating, driver compatibility, or build quality issues.

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

AMD Vega 6: Integrated graphics adapter of the Ryzen APUs based on the Vega architecture with 6 CUs (= 384 shaders) and a clock of up to 1,500 MHz.

AMD Vega 7: Integrated graphics adapter of the Ryzen APUs based on the Vega architecture with 7 CUs (= 448 shaders) and a clock speed of up to 1,600 MHz.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

AMD Renoir (Ryzen 4000 APU):

R5 4500U: An upper mid-range, hexa-core APU designed for use in thinner, lighter laptops. The Ryzen features Zen 2 CPU cores running at 2.3 GHz to 4.0 GHz along with the Vega 6 graphics adapter (6 x 64 = 384 unified shaders). The thread-doubling SMT technology is not enabled in the case of Ryzen 5 4500U.

R7 4700U: A mobile Octa-Core APU with Zen 2 cores clocked at 2 to 4.1 GHz and a Vega graphics adapter with 7 CUs clocked at up to 1600 MHz. Compared to the faster 4800U, the 4700U offers a slightly lower boost clock speed and does not support SMT.

AMD Lucienne (Zen 2, Ryzen 5000):

R5 5500U: A hexa-core APU designed for use in ultra-thin, upper mid-range laptops. The Ryzen features six Zen 2 CPU cores running at 2.1 GHz to 4.0 GHz alongside the Vega 7 graphics adapter (448 unified shaders running at up to 1,800 MHz). One could be forgiven for thinking Ryzen 5 5500U is a renamed Ryzen 5 4500U - which is not the case. Ryzen 5 5500U is most similar to Ryzen 5 4600U, the most noteworthy difference between the two being the faster iGPU model of the former.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

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81.67%: This rating is slightly above average, there are somewhat more devices with worse ratings. However, clear purchase recommendations look different.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

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