Rugged Asus VivoBook W202 launches with Windows 10 S

Microsoft's Windows 10 S launched earlier this year alongside the Surface Laptop without much of a fanfare. While the focus on education and an easier learning curve is commendable, the pricey Surface Laptop was a high barrier to entry and perhaps not the best hardware to introduce Windows 10 S. After all, the less demanding operating system is meant to compete against Chrome OS in the cost-sensitive educational sector.

Fast forward two months and now other manufacturers have begun shipping Windows 10 S devices that can be considered more appropriate for the elementary classrooms. The 11.6-inch Asus VivoBook W202 is one such example launching before the end of this month with features such as rubberized edges and a spill-proof keyboard for improved durability. Perhaps more importantly for the clumsy, the notebook will be able to withstand drops of up to 3.9 feet. Its thick and rounded physical features are reminiscent of the HP Chromebook 11 series.

Other core specifications include a dual-core Celeron N3350 or quad-core Pentium N4200, 2 GB to 8 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 768p display, 32 GB to 128 GB of internal eMMC storage, and a surprisingly healthy number of port options. See the official Asus product page for additional specifications.

The VivoBook W202 with Windows 10 S and Windows 10 Home will launch for $280 and $300 USD, respectively, with a Windows 10 Pro SKU coming at a later date according to AnandTech. We suspect that the Windows 10 S configurations will not be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free unlike on the Surface Laptop.

Source(s)