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Review Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H Ultrabook

A cheap premium laptop? Asus adds a cheap 13-inch Ultrabook to their collection. The laptop contains a Haswell processor and its case has stayed similar to that of the predecessor. It includes a touchscreen as well. How good an Ultrabook can we get for such a low price?

For the original German review, see here.

For 650 Euros (~$895), Asus offers one of the cheapest Ultrabooks. For a model to be called an Ultrabook, it has to have an Intel processor and a touchscreen. Our test model offers a modern Haswell ULV processor in a handy 13-inch subnotebook at a price hard to find in this market.

The predecessor, the Asus VivoBook S300CA, impressed us in many ways, leaving us with high expectations for the successor. We will compare our test model with the Lenovo IdeaPad U330p (same processor/GPU) and the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite (AMD quad-core CPU and touchscreen).

Case

The case has changed very slightly. The start button has been moved from the right to the left and the ports are slightly different. The display cover and the top are made of a luxurious light metal and Asus has picked a raw black synthetic material for the bottom.

The sturdiness is surprisingly good. The base can barely be pressed inwards between the touchpad and the space key. The material gives way slightly under heavy pressure in the area between the display and the keyboard. The display does not get bent easily and is held in place well by the hinges. Touch input at the top of the panel will cause it to move slightly, but the hinges have been much improved since the predecessor. If the display is pressed from behind, the panel displays distortions.

The workmanship is great. Asus has used high-quality materials and the gaps have been kept even. Thus, the model can easily compete with the most expensive of models.

Connectivity

Asus has removed the VGA-Port but otherwise the connectivity has stayed the same. At first we thought this to be a commendable step towards modern connectivity, but sadly this is contradicted by the single USB 3.0 port on the model. The VivoBook offers two other USB ports, which use the older 2.0 standard.

Gigabit LAN stays and can be found between the power outlet and HMDI on the left side. The large RJ45 port has a flap that needs to be opened up before a cable can be plugged in. Despite this, the port is robust. The flap will secure the cable in place requiring the user to lift the notebook to remove it.

Right side: SD card reader, 2x USB 2.0, Kensington Lock
Right side: SD card reader, 2x USB 2.0, Kensington Lock
Left side: Power, Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.0, Headphones/Microphone combi
Left side: Power, Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.0, Headphones/Microphone combi

Communication

Asus has stuck to the old and tested. Gigabit-LAN, Bluetooth V4.0 and WLAN (standards b, g and n) are included. The latter has a good range and performed well in our test.

Mouse included.
Mouse included.

Accessories

Aside from warranty information and a German manual, Asus has included a cloth that allows the user to clean the many fingerprints off the screen. A mouse is included in the package.

Maintenance

The VivoBook has an integrated battery and offers little to no options for upgrading/maintenance. Once the bottom has been opened up using a screwdriver, the fan and ventilation opening can be cleaned out (seated between the hinges). Pictures can be found in our review of the predecessor.

Warranty

Asus offers an international warranty of 24 months. For an additional 80 Euros (~$110), the warranty can be extended by a year.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The keys are flat and are embedded in the aluminum base of the model. The keyboard layout is sensible and holds no surprises. Sadly, there is no keyboard backlight. The only special function key is placed to the left of the delete key and launches the Asus VivoBook App.

The stroke distance of the keyboard is medium to short and the pressure point is clearly tangible. After a brief period of use, the user should comfortably recognize the feedback. The middle of the keyboard can be pushed inwards slightly.

Touchpad

The 104 x 61 mm (~4.1 x 2.4 inches) touchpad is recessed into the base and is clearly bordered off from the rest of the base. It reacts quickly and has good, if not great, sliding properties. Of course, it recognizes all the usual multi-touch gestures and allows them to be individually configured.

The ClickPad does not have separate mouse keys, but instead can be pressed at any point. This system is known from MacBooks and is slowly being adopted by Asus. The stroke distance is different in different areas and clicking near the back is very hard. When clicking, the notebook emits a loud, yet nice-sounding click.

Touchscreen

An Ultrabook has to have a touchscreen. Our model uses a capacitive model, which can support up to ten fingers. It is well calibrated and reacts instantly to input. The stiff hinges keep the display from wobbling too much.

Keyboard
Keyboard
Touchpad
Touchpad

Display

The panel has the same name as that found in the predecessor, the S300CA. The TN panel manufactured by CMO has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels and lies in the class average. As typical for modern Ultrabooks, the display is covered by a glossy panel.

Although, the panel has the same name, our measurements are different (far lower than the predecessor). Instead of an average brightness of 202 cd/m², the VivoBook S301LA offers a mere 178 cd/m². The illumination also suffers a little, but is balanced. The low black value results in a good contrast of 700:1.

Due to the low brightness, the VivoBook falls behind its competitors. The Lenovo IdeaPad U330p offers 240 cd/m² and the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite Touch can offer an average of 210 cd/m². 

181
cd/m²
188
cd/m²
178
cd/m²
174
cd/m²
191
cd/m²
174
cd/m²
172
cd/m²
180
cd/m²
161
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
CMO N133BGE-L41 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 191 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 177.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Contrast: 707:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.59 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 11.58 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
40% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
43.39% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
61.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
42.21% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.46
Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
Lenovo IdeaPad U330p
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
Asus VivoBook S300CA
HD Graphics 4000, 3217U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite 905S3G-K01DE
Radeon HD 8250, A6-1450, Samsung SSD PM841 MZMTD128HAFV mSATA
Display
3%
1%
Display P3 Coverage
42.21
43.07
2%
42.43
1%
sRGB Coverage
61.9
64
3%
62.5
1%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
43.39
44.62
3%
43.65
1%
Screen
-55%
-3%
1%
Brightness middle
191
265
39%
214
12%
236
24%
Brightness
178
238
34%
202
13%
238
34%
Brightness Distribution
84
79
-6%
88
5%
92
10%
Black Level *
0.27
1.02
-278%
0.35
-30%
0.59
-119%
Contrast
707
260
-63%
611
-14%
400
-43%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
10.59
5.24
51%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
11.58
5.83
50%
Gamma
2.46 89%
2.43 91%
CCT
15172 43%
7823 83%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
40
40
0%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-55% / -55%
0% / -1%
1% / 1%

* ... smaller is better

VivoBook S301LA vs. sRGB
VivoBook S301LA vs. sRGB

The color coverage is very unbalanced. Our measurements reveal values that differ strongly from the standards and some deviations are even visible to the naked eye. A strong blue tint is visible, but the competition also has problems with this blue tinge (yet in their case, it is not so strong). The sRGB color space is not even close to being covered, but this should only be relevant for professional graphics editors.

CalMAN Colorchecker
CalMAN Colorchecker
CalMAN Gray Levels
CalMAN Gray Levels
CalMAN Saturation
CalMAN Saturation
Strong sunshine
Strong sunshine
Touchscreen outdoors
Touchscreen outdoors

Outdoors, the VivoBook performs poorly due to its low brightness and reflective display. As shown by both photos, the content is either barely recognizable or completely blocked out by the glossy casing. We do not recommend this Ultrabook for outdoor use.

As expected, the viewing angles of the cheap TN panel are poor. Small deviations can cause significant color and brightness changes. However, the horizontal viewing angles are far more stable than the vertical viewing angles.

Viewing angles of the Asus VivoBook S301LA
Viewing angles of the Asus VivoBook S301LA

Performance

Asus offers the Asus VivoBook with three processors. Aside from the Intel Core i5-4200U in our test model, the user also has the option of the weaker Intel Core i3-4010U and the stronger Core i7-4500U. These are all ULV CPUs, which means, due to their lower power consumption, they are well suited for small and slim notebooks. All configurations use the IGP of the processor.

The RAM is soldered on-board and is DDR3. Our device has 4 GB. Asus has chosen a conventional HDD for storage (320 - 1,000 GB). We were a little surprised that SSDs or at least a cache model was not offered.

CPUZ CPU
CPUZ Caches
CPUZ Mainboard
CPUZ Memory
GPUZ
HWiNFO
System information - Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H

Processor

The Intel Core i5-4200U is a dual-core CPU with a standard clock speed of 1.6 GHz. Turbo allows the chip to overclock to 2.6 GHz (single-core) and 2.3 GHz (multi-core). The standard clock speed lies a little below that of the Intel Core i3-3217U, which ran at 1.8 GHz in the predecessor. The i3 series does not have Turbo Boost, which is the reason why the predecessor lags behind in the Cinebench R11.5.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U330p contains the same CPU and offers a similar result. The Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite is equipped with a quad-core CPU from AMD and scores far less in Cinebench.

The Turbo Boost is employed constantly during Cinebench and thus the CPU runs at 2.3 GHz. On battery, the performance stays constant.

Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
2.5 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad U330p
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2.46 Points -2%
Asus VivoBook S300CA
HD Graphics 4000, 3217U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1.78 Points -29%
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite 905S3G-K01DE
Radeon HD 8250, A6-1450, Samsung SSD PM841 MZMTD128HAFV mSATA
1.03 Points -59%
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
2.5 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
13.62 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
230 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
16.28 fps
Help

System Performance

In PCMark 7, we ran a series of scenarios to get a good impression of the performance of our system. The VivoBook S301LA scores 2,604 points and is far behind the Lenovo IdeaPad U330p (3,529 points). The difference in performance is due to the Lenovo laptop using hybrid storage, which is comprised of a small SSD and a traditional HDD.

The gap is much bigger with the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite, which uses an SSD, and places at the same level as the predecessor, the Asus VivoBook S300CA, despite the latter offering more performance. In PCMark 7, both these models lie slightly behind our test model.

Overall, the performance is sufficient for most programs. If you want to surf the web, listen to music or watch movies, then the notebook will not even break a sweat. Occasional picture or video editing is also possible for the VivoBook. However, the line is drawn at demanding games, as the hardware is not powerful enough to deal with those.

The performance is somewhat fluid, but it is plagued by brief waiting times. An SSD would offer a significant boost in performance.

PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
2604 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad U330p
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3529 Points +36%
Lenovo IdeaPad U330p
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3529 Points +36%
Asus VivoBook S300CA
HD Graphics 4000, 3217U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
2173 Points -17%
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite 905S3G-K01DE
Radeon HD 8250, A6-1450, Samsung SSD PM841 MZMTD128HAFV mSATA
2162 Points -17%
PCMark 7 Score
2604 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
2057 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
2029 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
2924 points
Help

Storage Devices

The storage device from Hitachi has a capacity of 500 GB. After the Windows installation, the user only has 410 GB left over. This is split up into two partitions: a system and a data partition. The operating speed is 5,400 rpm.

The predecessor uses a similar hard disk, yet we measure a 24% difference in performance. A transfer rate of 71.5 MB/s is not amazing, when compared to the hybrid hard disk of the Lenovo IdeaPad U330p, which offers up to 85.5 MB/s. Furthermore, the SSD of the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite can beat both models by a large margin.

Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
Lenovo IdeaPad U330p
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
Asus VivoBook S300CA
HD Graphics 4000, 3217U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite 905S3G-K01DE
Radeon HD 8250, A6-1450, Samsung SSD PM841 MZMTD128HAFV mSATA
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-26%
-27%
2196%
Read Seq
101.3
59.6
-41%
87.8
-13%
475.1
369%
Write Seq
98.7
108.4
10%
88.4
-10%
135.5
37%
Read 4k
0.484
0.33
-32%
0.288
-40%
22
4445%
Write 4k
1.019
0.599
-41%
0.56
-45%
41.1
3933%
Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
Transfer Rate Minimum: 3.6 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 100.5 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 71.5 MB/s
Access Time: 20.7 ms
Burst Rate: 291.7 MB/s
CPU Usage: 4.6 %

Graphics Card

The graphics card of the Asus VivoBook S301LA is integrated in the CPU and is dubbed the Intel HD Graphics 4400. It is clocked at 1,000 MHz and offers the best result in 3DMark 11 amongst our competitors. The Lenovo IdeaPad U330p is only a little behind (also uses the HD Graphics 4400). As is clear, the graphics have improved significantly since the predecessor, and the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite with its AMD core is clearly beaten.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
751 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad U330p
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
747 Points -1%
Asus VivoBook S300CA
HD Graphics 4000, 3217U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
551 Points -27%
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite 905S3G-K01DE
Radeon HD 8250, A6-1450, Samsung SSD PM841 MZMTD128HAFV mSATA
470 Points -37%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
4471 points
3DMark 11 Performance
751 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
27756 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
3286 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
527 points
Help

Gaming Performance

As mentioned before, the VivoBook is not suited for demanding 3D games. At low graphics settings, the racing games, GRID 2 and F1 2013 run fluidly, but Total War: Rome II did not run fluidly with the same settings.

low med. high ultra
GRID 2 (2013) 40 22.9 15.3 12.5
Total War: Rome II (2013) 29.7 22.5 16.4
F1 2013 (2013) 35 22 18 12

Emissions

System Noise

While idle, the notebook is relatively quiet. As long as the fan is off, the sole emission from the laptop is the quiet whirring of the HDD. Unfortunately, the fan turns on now and then, and is clearly audible. The fans of the competitors and the predecessor are much quieter.

At load, the VivoBook is slightly louder than the competition. While Samsung and Lenovo stay at 34 dB(A) - 36 dB(A), our S301LA emits up to 40 dB(A).

Noise Level

Idle
30.6 / 32.7 / 32.7 dB(A)
HDD
33.1 dB(A)
Load
40.2 / 40.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

The relatively present fan emission is the trade required to keep the case cool. While idle, the notebook does not even reach 30 °C (86 °F). The competition gets a few degrees hotter.

At load, after our stress test, we measured 36 °C (96.8 °F) (max emission). This means that the VivoBook remains very cool for such a slim subnotebook. The predecessor reached 51 °C (123.8 °F) at the bottom ventilation opening and the competition is also hotter at above 40 °C (104 °F).

 27.9 °C
82 F
27.5 °C
82 F
26.3 °C
79 F
 
 27 °C
81 F
27.5 °C
82 F
26.1 °C
79 F
 
 25.8 °C
78 F
25 °C
77 F
26.1 °C
79 F
 
Maximum: 27.9 °C = 82 F
Average: 26.6 °C = 80 F
27.5 °C
82 F
27.8 °C
82 F
28 °C
82 F
27.5 °C
82 F
27.5 °C
82 F
27.3 °C
81 F
25.9 °C
79 F
25.6 °C
78 F
25.6 °C
78 F
Maximum: 28 °C = 82 F
Average: 27 °C = 81 F
Power Supply (max.)  29.8 °C = 86 F | Room Temperature 23.6 °C = 74 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.5 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 30.7 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35.5 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.1 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.6 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30 °C / 86 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-1.7 °C / -3.1 F).

Stress Test

Asus VivoBook S301LA in stress test
Asus VivoBook S301LA in stress test

At such low temperatures at load, we expect good things from the subnotebook in terms of performance during our stress test. This test pushes the CPU and GPU to full load for an hour.

At the start of our test, the notebook uses Turbo Boost fully and clocks the processor at 2.3 GHz. The GPU fluctuates between 950 and 1,000 MHz. The temperatures in the core are at 63 °C (145.4 °F). However, after a few minutes, the clock speed starts to fluctuate strongly between 1.4 GHz and 2.3 GHz. Temperatures and the GPU clock speed stay the same.

20 minutes after the start, the system slows down to 1.6 GHz and the GPU now runs at a constant 1,000 MHz. This means that the VivoBook uses the standard clock speed of the CPU and turns off Turbo Boost. Thankfully, the laptop does not suffer from throttling. The CPU temperatures drop to 60 °C (140 °F), but after this point, nothing changes radically. Such low temperatures are a nice extra.

A 3DMark 06 run right after the stress test, measures a similar score to the cold state test (when the laptop was just turned on). This means that the laptop is always ready to offer its full performance, regardless of its workload.

Speakers

The speakers are poor in bass and middle notes. However, the volume is sufficient for watching a few YouTube videos, but not really for enjoying music. The speakers are positioned quite far up front on the sides and thus work well in stereo.

Energy Manaagement

Power Consumption

The power-saving ULV processor  consumes little and while idle, it stays at the same level as the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite (6-7 W). The Lenovo IdeaPad U330p (8-9 W) and the predecessor, the S300CA, (10 W) require more.

At load, the power consumption is quite a bit different. While the Intel CPUs push the consumption up to 30 W, the ATIV Book 9 Lite consumes a mere 13 W with its AMD CPU.

The handy power adapter delivers 65 W (more than enough).

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.4 / 6.8 / 7 Watt
Load midlight 30 / 28.3 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

Battery Eater Classic
Classic
Charging
Charging

The battery of the VivoBook is integrated and cannot be removed easily. The Lithium-Polymer battery has a capacity of 38 Wh. This means it is 6 W less than that of the predecessor. The Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite has even less: at 30 Wh.

While idle, the notebook runs over 7 hours on the lowest brightness and in flight mode. In this test, we simulated reading a text document.

The surf test is much more practical. The brightness is set to 150 cd/m² and we surf via the WLAN. The model lasts 5 hours and 38 minutes. The Lenovo IdeaPad U330p with the same processor, but 7 Wh more battery capacity, lasts a half hour longer. The predecessor lasts a mere 4.5 hours despite having the larger battery (due to the higher consumption of its CPU).

We could not test the DVD or Blu-ray playback as the notebook lacks an optical drive. However, we ran a film test in which we played Big Buck Bunny in Full HD on repeat. In this test, the laptop was set to 150 cd/m² and flight mode, and it lasted 5 hours and 10 minutes.

In the Battery Eaters Classic test, the CPU and GPU are pushed to full load. The notebook runs at maximum brightness for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The laptop can fully charge in 3 hours and 13 minutes.

Battery Runtime - WiFi (sort by value)
Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
338 min
Lenovo IdeaPad U330p
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
375 min
Asus VivoBook S300CA
HD Graphics 4000, 3217U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
272 min
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite 905S3G-K01DE
Radeon HD 8250, A6-1450, Samsung SSD PM841 MZMTD128HAFV mSATA
242 min
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
7h 12min
WiFi Surfing
5h 38min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
5h 10min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 20min

Verdict

"Style and function in perfection" - this is what Asus promises on their website for the VivoBook S301LA. In fact, the laptop does offer a great number of qualities. The case has great workmanship but the input devices, including the touchscreen, are merely average. As such, the laptop loses points in crucial areas.

The display is a glaring flaw. The brightness is far too low for a portable subnotebook with a reflective panel. Furthermore, the colors are very unbalanced and the viewing angles are limited.

The performance of the Asus VivoBook is in the upper mid-field and can hold its own against the competition. An SSD would have made the machine unbeatable. We were especially happy about the low case temperatures in the stress test (no throttling).

Overall, Asus offers a well-balanced Ultrabook for 650 Euros (~$895). If you can come to terms with the dark display, then the VivoBook has many features to offer. If you require high performance, the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Lite is worth a look. The Lenovo IdeaPad U330p is available for around 680 Euros (~$936) and offers a better display as well as longer battery life. It also has an integrated SSD cache.

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In Review: Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H, provided by: notebooksbilliger.de
In Review: Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H, provided by: notebooksbilliger.de

Specifications

Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H
Processor
Intel Core i5-4200U 2 x 1.6 - 2.6 GHz, Haswell
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics 4400, Core: 1000 MHz, Memory: 800 MHz
Memory
4 GB 
, DDR3 1600 soldered
Display
13.30 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel, capacitive multi-touchscreen, CMO N133BGE-L41, TN LED, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel Lynx Point-LP
Storage
Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680, 500 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 410 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Lynx Point-LP - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Headphones and microphone combo, Card Reader: SD
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Atheros AR9485 WiFi Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth V4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 25 x 330 x 235 ( = 0.98 x 12.99 x 9.25 in)
Battery
38 Wh Lithium-Polymer, integrated
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 1280x720
Additional features
Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
1.77 kg ( = 62.43 oz / 3.9 pounds), Power Supply: 230 g ( = 8.11 oz / 0.51 pounds)
Price
650 Euro

 

Asus offers a cheap 13-inch Ultarbook in the VivoBook S301LA.
Asus offers a cheap 13 inch Ultarbook in the VivoBook S301LA.
The predecessor, the S300CA, was impressive in many ways.
The predecessor, the S300CA, was impressive in many ways.
The display cover is made of a dark lacquered material.
The display cover is made of a dark lacquered material.
The top of the notebook is made of aluminum.
The top of the notebook is made of aluminum.
The notebook looks nice thanks to the material used.
The notebook looks nice thanks to the material used.
A modern Ultrabook has to have a touchscreen.
A modern Ultrabook has to have a touchscreen.
Unfortunately, as usual, it is glossy.
Unfortunately, as usual, it is glossy.
The max opening angle is sufficient for most positions.
The max opening angle is sufficient for most positions.
Asus has picked a ULV processor from Intel.
Asus has picked a ULV processor from Intel.
It offers sufficient performance for most programs and does not overtax the cooling system.
It offers sufficient performance for most programs and does not overtax the cooling system.
Uneven stickers are not attractive.
Uneven stickers are not attractive.
A cheap webcam offers a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels.
A cheap webcam offers a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels.
The status LEDs and the start button have been displaced.
The status LEDs and the start button have been displaced.
The rest of the LEDs are here. From above, they are not visible.
The rest of the LEDs are here. From above, they are not visible.
The blue key opens the VivoBook App.
The blue key opens the VivoBook App.
This "handle" eases opening the laptop with two hands.
This "handle" eases opening the laptop with two hands.
Asus has chosen USB 2.0.
Asus has chosen USB 2.0.
VGA is also missing.
VGA is also missing.
The bottom is made of rough, black material.
The bottom is made of rough, black material.
The power adapter offers 65 W.
The power adapter offers 65 W.

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Links

Price Comparison

Pros

+Slim, high-quality case
+Small mouse and a cloth is included
+Touchscreen works precisely
+No throttling
 

Cons

-Only a single USB 3.0
-Display is glossy and dark
-Constantly running fan

Shortcut

What we like

The low temperatures despite constant performance during the stress test.

What we miss

More brightness and USB 3.0 ports.

What surprises us

The quality of the case for such a low price is astonishing.

The competition

Samsung ATIV Book 9 LiteLenovo IdeaPad U330p

Rating

Asus VivoBook S301LA-C1073H - 03/24/2014 v4(old)
Jonas Adams

Chassis
86 /  98 → 88%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
78%
Connectivity
60 / 80 → 75%
Weight
66 / 35-78 → 72%
Battery
87%
Display
71%
Games Performance
57 / 68 → 84%
Application Performance
58 / 87 → 67%
Temperature
91 / 91 → 100%
Noise
86%
Audio
44 / 91 → 48%
Camera
50 / 85 → 59%
Average
70%
77%
Subnotebook - Weighted Average
Jonas Adams, 2014-04- 3 (Update: 2018-05-15)