Asus Vivobook Expert 16X OLED Review: The Effectivity You Want

Asus Vivobook Expert 16X

MSRP $1,099.00

“The Asus Vivobook Expert 16X is all the gadgets a content material materials supplies creator needs in a laptop. And the worth is true.”

Execs

• Unbelievable battery life
• Engaging OLED present show display screen
• Powerhouse effectivity
• Good worth
• An honest gaming machine

Cons

• Boring design
• DialPad feels gimmicky

Asus is on a mission to convey OLED laptops to the heaps. The ZenBook 13 was most likely probably the most worth environment friendly 1080p OLED panel we’d seen when it launched earlier this 12 months, and now, the Vivobook Expert 16X is doing the same for 4K OLED.

The high-resolution present show display screen is obtainable in a base configuration that begins at merely $1,100. In a world the place OLED is often reserved for laptops over $2,000, the Vivobook Expert 16X is a big step throughout the actual path.

Paired with a Ryzen 9 5900HX processor and RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, the climate are all in place for an beautiful content-creation machine on a funds. Because of it seems, it’s precisely that — and way more.

Design

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

The design of the VivoBook Expert 16X shouldn’t be its sturdy go correctly with. It’s the place the low worth of the laptop rears its head. It’s not an unattractive laptop per se, further solely a very main one. The darkish grey chassis doesn’t stand out tons, and the gorgeous enormous, plastic bezels defend it from feeling cutting-edge. The few design thrives it does have, such because of the orange Esc key and the nameplate on the doorway bearing the phrase “#BeExplorers,” really actually really feel significantly hokey.

The design merely doesn’t have the premium look of a few of its rivals, such because of the Dell XPS 15, MacBook Expert 16-inch, and even the HP Envy 15. Nonetheless as quickly as additional, that is significantly cheaper than loads of these completely totally different picks. Finally, the Vivobook Expert 16X is for lots of who favor a less expensive laptop with out taking a reduce to effectivity. Design isn’t the precedence.

Luckily, that doesn’t point out the Vivobook Expert 16X is a poorly constructed machine. It’s heaps sturdy. It’s solely weak spot is on the middle of the lid alongside the hinge, however that’s typical. It’s an in another case sturdy-feeling laptop to make the most of and change spherical.

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

Asus furthermore didn’t reduce corners with portability. Regardless of being a really enormous laptop, the chassis is 0.74 inches thick and 4.3 kilos — a bit thicker than the XPS 15, however half a pound lighter than the HP Envy 15. The Razer Blade stays one amongst many thinnest picks for laptops of this dimension and effectivity diploma.

One similarity the Vivobook Expert 16X has with the Razer Blade is that they’re each absolute fingerprint magnets. The lid, notably, was rapidly lined with fingerprints that had been exhausting to take away.

Current

The Vivobook Expert 16X has a super-glossy OLED current, which continues to be pretty uncommon on laptops. You’ll uncover it as an choice on the costliest creator-based laptops, such because of the Dell XPS 15. On that laptop, most likely probably the most worth environment friendly you most likely can configure an OLED present show display screen is $2,300. HP can get you one on its Spectre x360 15 for $1,580. Nonetheless $1,100? It’s unprecedented, and nevertheless, it’s precisely what the Vivobook Expert 16X accomplishes.

In case you’ve seen any of the OLED screens on these laptops, you acknowledge what you’re getting with the Vivobook Expert 16X: Inky deep blacks, insane distinction, and a heat tint. Reds and oranges are cranked up, however to not the purpose of being unrealistic. You would possibly drive colours to pop far more with the “Vivid” shade mode, discovered contained in the MyAsus software program program. It’s also attainable to tweak the colour temperature, every cooler or hotter. I’ve at all times discovered these Samsung OLED panels to be a bit too heat for my tastes, so with the ability to chill them down a bit is sweet. That piece of software program program program furthermore accommodates some OLED care ideas, together with pixel shifting, pixel refresh, and the flexibleness to routinely conceal the taskbar. These should, in principle, forestall any potential burn-in you would possibly expertise.

Utilizing a Spyder colorimeter, I measured the colour saturation, brightness, gamma, and shade accuracy — and was impressed all by the board. As quickly as additional, that is just about an comparable panel to what you uncover in a number of OLED laptops similar to the HP Spectre x360 15 or Dell XPS 15, and that’s problem. It hits just about good in P3, AdobeRGB, and sRGB shade areas, and shade error is low sufficient for extra precise shade grading. It merely could also be one of the best laptop present show display screen I’ve ever examined  — considerably at this worth stage.

On extreme of all that, the Vivobook Expert 16X is the primary laptop with a a lot greater 16:10, 16-inch screen-to-feature OLED.

Ports

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

Asus retains the port choice pretty easy, although it’s decidedly old-fashioned. Which suggests you get three USB-A ports, HDMI, a barrel energy connector, and only one USB-C port. Though the USB-C port can ship energy, Asus sadly chosen to place it on the same facet as the usual energy connector.

The Vivobook Expert 16X furthermore incorporates a microSD card slot pretty than a full-sized one. That’s a bit quite a bit a lot much less useful when importing content material materials supplies straight from a camera, which appears to be as if one amongst many necessary makes use of for a laptop like this. That’s too dangerous.

The inclusion of the barrel plug may be not supreme. Laptops similar to the XPS 15 rely solely on USB-C energy, and that appears to provide sufficient complete juice to all of the laptop with out compromising effectivity. USB-C shouldn’t be solely further useful, bt it furthermore permits you to fully worth on either side of the laptop.

Keyboard and touchpad

Asus has accomplished job with palm rejection, however unintentional clicks are sure to occur as rapidly as and some time.

Asus launched over the same keyboard from its higher-end ZenBook line. The keypresses really actually really feel snappy and the keycaps don’t have an excessive amount of wobble. There’s not a ton of journey correct proper right here, however I discovered it to be a reasonably comfy typing expertise.

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

Along with the orange keycap, the keyboard furthermore incorporates a racing stripe on the Enter key and a few shade distinction between. The keyboard encompasses a numpad, which is smart for a laptop of this dimension. Laptops with a numpad usually align the touchpad off-center to match the location of your wrists when typing, however the Vivobook Expert retains it centered. That’s good visually, however it certainly completely means your appropriate hand rests on the touchpad whereas typing. Asus has accomplished job with palm rejection, however unintentional clicks are sure to occur as rapidly as and some time.

Asus has been experimenting with new touchpad selections over the last few years — whether or not or not or not that’s integrating a calculator or in placing a second present show display screen. On the Vivobook Expert, it has one issue new generally called the DialPad. A swipe over the small icon contained in the extreme appropriate of the touchpad will convey up a small digital dial on the left facet of the touchpad. Everytime you begin sliding your finger all through the dial, it triggers an on-screen dial, letting you administration assorted systemwide and app-specific settings. The default administration are merely quantity and present show display screen brightness, however there are a pair further picks contained in the ProArt software program program program so as in order so as to add. None of those had been significantly helpful, and positively no additional useful than merely utilizing the keyboard.

Nonetheless, the exact use is for setting particular controls inside capabilities, such because of the Adobe Ingenious Suite. It’s all primarily based all through the same dial system created for the Floor Dial, which was launched by Microsoft for the Floor Studio all-in-one. Asus’ new premium artistic laptops contained in the StudioBook line make tons greater use of the dial with bodily controls and equipment. I would see any individual utilizing the DialPad for the occasional administration tweak, however the mix of the swipe to set off and the digital dial make for a clunky expertise which can require mandatory habit-building to make the most of effectively.

Whereas I didn’t uncover the DialPad to be terribly helpful, it furthermore in no way acquired in one of many easiest methods every. Due to it requires a swipe, I in no way had unintentional launches.

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

Effectivity

The Vivobook Expert 16X earns its “expert” designation with two parts. First, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX. It is a 45-watt, 8-core processor with tons of energy behind it, considerably in multithreaded duties. It’s the same CPU we’ve seen in quite a few incredible gaming laptops in 2021, and has been a winner all by the board. Cinebench R23 multi-core outcomes are spectacular, stomping on Intel Eleventh-gen H-series laptops similar to the Dell XPS 15. Single-core effectivity continues to be barely larger in Dell’s XPS laptop, however the Vivobook Expert isn’t far behind there every.

The Vivobook Expert furthermore nudges out the XPS 15 in all PCMark 10 benchmarks, which embody testing of main duties like web looking and videoconferencing, together with heavier workflows like multitasking and movie modifying. It’s solely 4% forward complete — however remember, it is a cheaper laptop we’re speaking about. The Vivobook Expert is quick and snappy, whether or not or not or not you’re managing main administrative work, having enjoyable with video video video games, or rendering a video timeline.

Ultrathin 16-inch laptops similar to the LG Gram 16 furthermore don’t take into account appropriately since they use a weaker 25-watt processor and built-in graphics. Gaming laptops such because of the Ryzen-powered Razer Blade 14 or Lenovo Legion 5 Expert, although usually far dearer, have an analogous effectivity fluctuate. The tons bigger XPS 17 generally is a larger one-to-one comparability in PCMark 10 with its RTX 3060 graphics.

For a equally priced competitor, the Acer Swift X matches the Vivobook Expert’s effectivity in these benchmarks at a smaller 14-inch dimension. The Acer Swift X furthermore incorporates a Ryzen 5000 processor and the RTX 3050 Ti for graphics.

Seeing all this in real-life capabilities, the reality is, is what really factors. And the Vivobook Expert didn’t disappoint. The nice multi-core effectivity of AMD’s Ryzen 5000 chips permit for really quick video rendering that makes the Vivobook Expert super-fast in capabilities like Handbrake and Adobe Premiere Expert. Merely how briskly? Efficiently, the Vivobook Expert 16X hit a mannequin new report for laptops at rendering in Handbrake primarily based on our non-public testing.

This testing was all accomplished on the system’s default “Commonplace” fan profile, which suggests you most likely can attainable see enhancements utilizing the built-in “Effectivity” mode in Asus’ software program program program.

The one exception I seen was in timeline playback in Adobe Premiere Expert. That is an home the place Intel’s optimization has an edge over AMD. Which suggests, complete, a laptop similar to the XPS 17 goes to carry out larger in Premiere Expert. You’ll furthermore see barely larger complete Premiere Expert expertise with a gaming laptop similar to the Lenovo Legion 5 Expert, which has stronger GPU effectivity with its RTX 3070.

Nonetheless as quickly as additional, these aren’t honest comparisons to actually make. When’s the last word time you’ve heard of a $1,100 laptop that can care for 4K video edits like a breeze? That’s the Vivobook Expert for ya.

Gaming effectivity

In fact, with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti, you most likely can’t not attempt some video video video games. And the Vivobook Expert 16X does larger than you would possibly assume. The Vivobook Expert 16X does way more with the RTX 3050 Ti than one different laptops with that graphics card. It should get tons larger physique prices in video video video games than smaller laptops with the same GPU similar to the Acer Swift X and the Asus ROG Stream into X13.

You shouldn’t purchase this laptop with gaming solely in concepts, however it certainly completely’s undoubtedly extraordinarily environment friendly sufficient to care for trendy video video video games on the facet.

In Fortnite, for instance, the Vivobook Expert 16X is 25% previous to the Acer Swift X, averaging 57 frames per second (fps) in 1080p at Epic settings. That even beats the 50 fps that the Dell XPS 15 will get, furthermore with the RTX 3050 Ti. That’s not dangerous, considerably on condition that present show display screen solely has a 60Hz refresh worth.

The XPS 15 has the higher hand in Civilization VI, which is the opposite recreation I examined on the Vivobook Expert. Whereas Dell’s system can play the sport at a easy 55 fps in 4K Terribly, the Vivobook Expert 16X was caught with a uneven 39 fps. That revenue is manner a lot much less apparent in 1080p, the place each packages merely landed at over 60 fps.

That makes the Vivobook Expert 16X an important gaming machine, however inferior to an RTX 3060 laptop similar to the Dell XPS 17, the reality is. You shouldn’t purchase this laptop with gaming solely in concepts, however it certainly completely’s undoubtedly extraordinarily environment friendly sufficient to care for trendy video video video games on the facet.

Audio system and webcam

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

There are two necessary areas for audio system in laptops — every upward-facing appropriate on the keyboard deck or alongside the perimeters, aimed down on the bottom beneath. On the Vivobook Expert 16X, although, Asus chosen a singular place — appropriate alongside the doorway. In case you’re reclining as soon as extra whereas watching a film or video, you’ll get some first cost sound fine quality out of those audio system. It’s not the richest, most full-bodied audio I’ve ever heard, however it certainly completely’s not dangerous.

Surprisingly, for individuals who happen to’re listening to not less than one issue whereas typing or utilizing the laptop, your arms will undoubtedly block the sound. An odd selection, little doubt, however they’ll get the job accomplished whereas videoconferencing. Asus even accommodates some “A.I.-powered” noise-canceling for the microphones.

Talking of videoconferencing, the webcam correct proper right here is simply 720p, so don’t rely on the crisper picture fine quality of 1 amongst many uncommon 1080p laptop webcams within the market. I’ll say, although, that the Vivobook Expert’s imaging isn’t as dangerous as lots of the completely totally different 720p webcams I’ve examined out. That is an event the place the bigger extreme bezel has allowed house for a higher-quality sensor than what’s utilized in thin-bezel laptops similar to the Dell XPS 15.

Battery life

I couldn’t take into consideration my eyes as quickly as I seen how extended it lasted.

A 16-inch laptop with an RTX graphics card and a 4K present show display screen that may get superb battery life? Yep, that is it. The Asus Vivobook Expert 16X will get unbelievable battery life, irrespective of having all of these elements working in opposition to it.

Asus didn’t get into the specifics, however this new OLED panel contained in the Vivobook Expert makes use of absolutely completely totally different gives throughout the case of energy consumption. The battery life enhancements of utilizing AMD’s Ryzen 5000 platform most actually don’t damage every. Regardless of the secret sauce is — it’s working.

Luke Larsen/Digital Traits

The Vivobook Expert 16X lasted over 16 hours on a single worth in our delicate web-browsing take a look at. I couldn’t take into consideration my eyes as quickly as I seen how extended it lasted. It runs circles spherical laptops similar to the Dell XPS 15, which died after merely 5 hours inside the same take a look at. It even beats the light-weight LG Gram 16, which was beforehand a battery life champion on this take a look at.

The Vivobook Expert 16X even earned an additional half-hour in our lightest take a look at, which loops a neighborhood video file.

Don’t rely on to primarily get two full days of labor out of the Vivobook Expert, considerably in case your typical workload makes use of the discrete GPU. Nonetheless you’ll be hard-pressed to look out many laptops, considerably not ones with this tons effectivity, that can outlast the Vivobook Expert 16X on a single worth.

Our take

The Asus Vivobook Expert 16X OLED fills an stunning area of curiosity contained in the laptop market. It boldly states that powerhouse effectivity and high-end displays don’t should be reserved for these with deep pockets. There are nonetheless parts that separate this “midrange” laptop from the dearer picks within the market, however none which will decelerate your workflow or make you remorse your buy.

Are there any alternate selections?

There are a collection of bigger laptops which could possibly be provided to a “content-creation” viewers. The closest in worth and effectivity is the HP Envy 15, although it’s not as extraordinarily environment friendly and is a little more expensive.

The 14-inch Acer Swift X is an surroundings pleasant completely totally different. Although it’s smaller, it selections comparable effectivity at almost the same worth. It lacks the great OLED present show display screen, the reality is.

Lastly, if in case you might have the cash for it, the XPS 15 or XPS 17 gained’t will allow you to down — they’ll merely worth you an arm and a leg.

How extended will it closing?

The Vivobook Expert 16X OLED must be a robust laptop for 5 or 6 years, although you gained’t have the ability to get a guaranty for that extended. The weather inside, although, are high-end and may present the chance adequately to energy workloads, video video video games, and capabilities for numerous years.

Do it is a should to purchase it?

Sure. It’s a laptop with high-end parts at an amazingly pretty priced worth.

Editors’ Methods